wine stains

stay with me

a year later

Daniel was typing in his computer, preparing a segment for the broadcast, when someone sat in Zach's desk. Ever since he left, Daniel would practically growl at everyone who dared to get close to his desk.

"Hey, that desk as an owner." He scoffs without sparing a look. After not seeing any movement from the person, he stops typing and stands up. "Are you -" He gasps.

The brunet smiles, pearly smiles in full display. "Missed me?" Daniel practically lunges at him to hug him.

"You son of a bitch! I was about to drop kick and kill you!" He whines as he tightens the hug.

Zach pats his back as he tries not to suffocate. "I won't be alive if you don't let me go, dude." Daniel hesitantly lets go of him.

He grabs him by the arms and inspects him up close. He was a tad more tan (courtesy of Brazil) and he had gotten a perm done. He recalls him piercing his ears in Thailand. "Damn bro, you're looking kinda good."

Zach blushes lightly; still the same old person. "Do you think he'll like it?"

Daniel aggressively nods. "He hasn't shut up about you since you left. Even if you only had one tooth, he'd like you."

They chuckle. Speaking via text nearly every day really brought them together. Thousands of silly pictures were shared between the two.

"Hmm, I guess I have to pay him a visit then..." He smiles as he gets up from his chair.

***

Zach gets in Jack's empty office. It changed since the last time he saw it. The mountains of books were back in their shelves, the papers were all neatly organised into boxes. A new diploma joined the other three Jack had. A chess diploma? Had he really learned to play chess?

He vividly recalls mentioning to Jack how fun it was to play chess with Chinese grandpa's in the park. It would be fun to play with him.

The brunet had yet to tell Jack that he, too, got a new diploma. Thanks to the Bologna convention, Zach was able to get his doctorate in media communications. He wrote a fantastic thesis on intercultural communication within the media. He defended it with his life and graduated online as he was constantly on the move, too. The now expert in the area was asked to write a book on his adventures with travelling worldwide.

Zach sits on a small armchair that Jack had decorated the space with. It was soft and comfortable. With the jetlag he was experiencing, he could just fall asleep right that instant. Flying from Croatia to the States is no easy feat. He sets a white rose on the centrepiece.

He leans on it, and oh- it reclines. He shouldn't, really. But he does. He falls asleep in an instant. He is lulled by the scent of jasmine and books.

When Jack eventually gets in his office, it's already sunset, and Zach is off to dreamland.

He sets his briefcase down on his desk and takes off his coat. He checks his phone for any sign of Zach. Nothing. He hangs his coat only then does he notice the sleeping person in his office.

Upon closer inspection,he realizes it's him. He's sleeping so peacefully in his office. His eyelashes rest so prettily on his face, and his lips are perfectly apart to exhale air. His body is so perfectly curled into a little ball to harness the biggest amount of warmth. It's definitely him in all his perfection.

Jack sits on the armchair in front of him and looks at him. Under the sunset, he looks like a renaissance painting. He snaps a picture. As he looks at it, he notices the white rose on the centrepiece. He picks it up and twirls it in his fingers. Jack sets it down and grabs his jacket to cover him up.

Zach is sleeping so peacefully that waking him up feels like a crime. He gently kisses his temple and sits back down.

He lets the sun fully set, and only then he picks him up and carries him to his car. He buckles him up, and the brunet stirs at the cold feeling of the seat.

Jack rapidly makes his way to his own place and once more carries him to his bed. He looks so vulnerable under white sheets. The now curly headed brunet caresses his face and smiles at his relaxed features.

He changes clothes in his walk-in closet and goes back to grab his pillow to sleep on his couch. Once he returns, he sees a now awake Zach holding his pillow. His honey eyes practically glowed in the moonlight.

"Am I still dreaming?" He asks, his sickly sweet voice, now a few tones lower, laced with a raspiness that only comes from sleeping.

Jack smiles. "Definitely not dreaming."

Zach hums and inspects his clothes. "Can I change into something more comfortable? Do you have a shirt?"

Jack chuckles at how cute he looks. "I have several, actually." He takes off his shirt to give it to him and turns around.

He hears him carefully change his clothes and, from the corner of his eye, sees him folding them neatly. "Stay with me...that way you won't be cold tonight." He reasons as he looks everywhere but Jack's now naked chest.

And who is Jack to go against him? He gets under the covers and lays next to him. The brunet moves closer to him, hesitantly getting in Jack's personal space. Nevertheless, all doubts were cleared when Jack pulled him to his chest and stuffed his face in his fluffy hair. He still smells so intensely of vanilla.

Zach can hear his rhythmic heartbeat, a bit accelerated, though. He nuzzles his head in the crook of his neck and is lulled by the warmness and caresses on his arm.

To have him and some peace of mind gave his life meaning. He caresses his face ever so gently. Zach had a slight stubble, a sign of how his adulthood was upon him. His once pale skin was a bit more tan, which only made him stand out even more. He seems healthy and like he has lived a good year.

Jack still tuned into channel six just to catch a glimpse of how he was doing. He watched Zach interview all kinds of people, always making sure he was respectful towards their culture. Every time he travelled to a new country, Zach made sure to send him a selfie stating where he was going.

He liked how despite him being terribly busy with research on a country's culture, he still made time to give him life updates.

Jack kisses his forehead and slowly turns his body towards him. The reflection of the moonlight in his figure was mesmerising. He could practically see the dip of his waist slowly curving upwards to frame his hips. Zach had grown into his body. The curly head covers both their shoulders and closes his eyes.

He slowly loses his battle against sleep as Zach moves to rest his arm on top of him. The weight of his arm allowed him to make sure that he was actually there and very much real.