A/N: Yeah, I know, another one. I tried to leave this one alone. I really did. I wrote half of it, abandoned it with my other stories, and then came back to finish it. The condoms thing is just too priceless, I had to write something on it. So here it is, love it, hate it, review it.
PS: I found out the Dylan doesn't actually drive Zac's old car (at least not on a regular basis) but I didn't feel like changing it, so whatever. Oh, and the necklace is a small golden one that she wore a couple of times, including when the pair went out for sushi with Brittany. I don't know that he gave it to her, but I like to think he did. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the textbooks that continue to torture me.
Three hours was not that long.
It was slightly longer then a Pirates of the Caribbean and just slightly shorter then a Lord of the Rings. It was the time it took, if you were having a good day, to record and perfect a hit song. Or, if you were having a bad day, the time it took for you to get completely frustrated and chuck your notebook against the wall. It was the length of an awards show with commercial breaks. Enough sleep to function about six hours on before passing out. And the time it took her and Ashley to get ready for an event.
Three hours was not that long.
And especially not now. Not when the sun was shining, the roads were relatively vacant, and the cops were noticeably absent, allowing her to go slightly above the speed limit to be able to reach her destination quicker. Not when she had been able to spend three whole days with her family without interruptions, baking cookies, doing some last minute shopping, and scheming with Stella over which presents belonged to who and what they could be. Not when she was driving to somewhere she knew there would be no chance that any photos of her would surface enjoying the holiday. And not when she had just spent three days with zero contact with Zac Efron.
No, three hours were a freaking picnic compared to that.
Vanessa Hudgens always believed that she would never need anyone outside of her family. She always believed that as long as she had her corny father, quirky mother, and loveable/annoying little sister she would be okay, she didn't need any other friends, her mother was her best friend, and her father was the only man she could ever possibly want. But that was before she met Zac Efron.
It was his own stupid fault. His stupid floppy hair that he didn't cut or wash enough. His stupid gorgeous face that just made her want to stare at him all day. His stupid perfect blue eyes that when coupled with a pout on his perfect lips could make her do anything. Not to mention his perfect body and magic hands that could make her…
Stupid boyfriend!
And what the hell kinda plan was this? Who, in their right mind, would suggest three days without contact? It was stupid, it was irrational, it was…
…You.
Vanessa huffed inside of her black Audi S4 Cabriolet as her brain answered her own question. Okay, so she had been the one that suggested it, informing Zac that Christmas Eve, Christmas, and the day after Christmas were to be family days, and no calling, texting, or anything like that was to occur (okay…minus the tiny text they exchanged two days earlier, but it would've been rude to not wish one another a merry Christmas). But it wasn't her fault! Stella kept pouting, and her mother kept giving her the stare. Resistance was futile. And it was three days! It should've been easy, they had spent three months apart earlier in the year.
It had started off great. Vanessa had spent Christmas Eve hanging out with her sister, making tons of cookies, going shopping, watching movies, and eagerly anticipating the next morning. But then the text came. Her phone had been abandoned in her room for presents and she hadn't gotten to check it until much later in the day, finding a short but sweet message of, 'Merry Christmas, babe. I love you, Z.' She had grinned and typed a similar response before abandoning her phone again, and it was all downhill from there.
After that, everything reminded her of Zac.
That evening they had a special Christmas roast in which her mother had included carrots because her father and sister liked them, and all she could think about was how if Zac had been there he would've snuck the carrots off of her plate because he knew how much she disliked them. Then, that night, Stella had been struck with the sudden urge to watch Transformers and all Vanessa could think about was how much Zac loved that movie. Then, the next morning, when Vanessa, her mom, and her sister had gotten up ridiculously early to go shopping, everyone had been dressed in plaid. Everyone. Vanessa was eternally grateful that they already had plans to celebrate Christmas with his parents (the pair having already celebrated with her parents on the 23rd), because she wasn't sure how good it would look to his parents if she just invaded their Christmas and tackled Zac.
She was nervous, however, because from the lack of contact, Vanessa really had no idea how Zac felt. He could be miserable like her or jumping for joy. She could arrive at his house and find that he was actually annoyed with her interruption of his family time rather then glad she was joining it. Or maybe it wasn't that he was annoyed with her, maybe he was mad about the whole keeping out of contact. He hadn't been too keen on it, but he wouldn't dump her for it. Right?
Biting her puffy bottom lip, Vanessa suppressed her fears as she turned her car onto Zac's street, he wouldn't have invited her if he didn't want her there, plus Starla loved her, so if all else failed she could be a reprieve for the only Efron female. Slowing down as she turned into the Efron driveway, Vanessa maneuvered her car carefully to position it next to the silver Alero that now belonged to Dylan, blocked in by Zac's navy Audi parked behind it. Vanessa smiled as she caught a glimpse of a scratch on Dylan's bumper, remembering Zac telling her how he had backed into a pole a week earlier resulting in a grounding from both of his parents once they found out he had been somewhere he wasn't supposed to be.
Killing the engine of the car, Vanessa immediately pulled down her visor, checking her reflection in the mirror, touching up her lipgloss and wiping away a smudge of eyeliner at the corner of her eye. Her hair was down in curls and she had chosen a silky red tank top that dipped down into a V, worn over a white camisole (it was Zac's parents after all), and paired with a pair of dark wash skinny jeans. She had completed the outfit with a white cardigan that ended just below her chest and white flats, making her look very festive for the season.
Pushing open her door she hurried around to the trunk, pushing it open and sighing in relief when she saw the tray of cookies she had made had survived the trip. She had promised Zac cookies and boys got cranky when they didn't get their food. Looping her arm through the two bags of Christmas presents she had for his family and her overnight bag, Vanessa carefully balanced the tray on one hand while she shut her trunk and locked her car with the other. The doorbell was a difficulty once she arrived at the front door, but by some fancy maneuvering she managed to ring it with her elbow and waited patiently for someone to answer.
A lock shifted and the door swung open, a smile immediately gracing Vanessa's features as she came face to face with her boyfriend of three years. He was dressed, not surprisingly, in jeans and a blue and white plaid button up, grinning just as widely at her as she was at him, immediately erasing any fears Vanessa had that she was interrupting anything.
"Merry Christmas!" Vanessa said brightly, Zac chuckling slightly at her excitement.
"Merry Christmas!" Zac responded, stepping out of the way and allowing Vanessa to walk inside of the house, opening her mouth preparing to ask him where he wanted the cookies only to feel her mouth otherwise occupied once Zac's lips claimed hers. Good, he had missed her too.
Vanessa couldn't help but smile into the kiss, a muffled giggle escaping her lips, "Zac…" Vanessa tried, but Zac didn't seem to want to let her talk, removing the plate of cookies from her hand and setting them down on the table before Vanessa allowed her bags to drop to the wooden floor. His arms wound around her waist and hers circled his neck, allowing her to properly kiss him back, his tongue darting into her mouth as soon as she parted her lips.
"Oh," the voice behind Zac made the two jump and pull apart, finding an unamused Dylan staring at them, "Vanessa's been here five seconds and you're already making out. Wonderful."
Zac groaned and rolled his eyes, "Don't you have someone else to annoy?"
"Nope," Dylan said simply, "I am the little brother, it's in the contract that I annoy you, should've read the fine print. Van," Vanessa smiled and Zac shot his brother a look as Dylan pushed his way between the couple, wrapping his arm around Vanessa's shoulders, "have I ever told you how happy I am that you're dating my brother?"
Zac looked towards the ceiling, "Dylan…"
"I mean really," Dylan continued, ignoring Zac, "you're just so sweet and kind and pretty…"
"Dylan…" Zac said more firmly.
"…and none of his other girlfriends were nearly as good at video games as you are."
"Dylan, she's not letting you drive her car." Zac cut in, "No way, no how, deal with it."
"You know, Zac," Dylan retorted, "I was talking to Vanessa, and last time I checked, you didn't make her decisions."
Vanessa giggled, "Dylan, you can't drive my car," Dylan looked at her sharply and Vanessa immediately felt guilty, "I'm sorry, you're not covered under my insurance."
"So?" Dylan asked rhetorically, "Zac's not covered and you let him drive."
"Yes," Zac interjected, "but I've been driving for five years without an accident, you didn't last five minutes. Plus…you're grounded."
"Actually," Dylan started triumphantly, "the car is grounded, I'm able to go wherever as long as I have other means of transportation."
"I know," Vanessa spoke up, lifting her hand as if she had a question, "why don't you ask your brother." She gestured towards Zac.
"Because his brother wants his car in one piece," Zac responded, "and is not an idiot."
Dylan sent him a look, "That's debatable."
"Dylan," all three looked over to find the eldest Efron, David, leaning against the arch of the walkway, "if you're finished trying to get around your grounding by using your brother's girlfriend, would you be so kind as to take Vanessa's bag upstairs?"
Dylan shook his head, "I'm not done…"
Zac shoved Vanessa's bag into Dylan's stomach, "That wasn't a question." Dylan begrudgingly took the bag, before turning and walking up the stairs, muttering to himself as he went.
Vanessa smiled at Zac's father, "Hi David," she reached over and pulled the plate of cookies off of the table, "merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas," David responded, accepting the plate, "we're glad you could make it up, even if it's just for a night."
Vanessa nodded, "I'm glad to be here, I wish I could stay longer, but my mom's got all these holiday traditions, and Stella gets angry if we don't stick to them."
David nodded before moving his head in the direction of the living room, "I understand," he said, walking into the living room, Vanessa and Zac following, "Zac's barely able to pencil us in anymore."
"Oh ha ha," Zac laughed sarcastically, walking over and setting the bag of presents next to the still lit Christmas tree, "I come home every chance I get, its not my fault the holiday season was extremely hectic this year. I didn't ask for HSM3 to be released just before my birthday, nor did I expect to be traveling all over the world around the holidays." David had disappeared into the kitchen and Zac lowered his voice so only Vanessa could hear him, "Not that I didn't enjoy missing the chaos that is Christmas decorating."
Vanessa pouted, "I missed putting up the tree."
Zac smiled at her pout, taking a step closer to her, "Oh, baby…"
"Vanessa!"
Vanessa turned sharply, smiling brightly, as she saw Starla Efron coming towards her, a large smile on her face. Vanessa loved Starla. She was sweet and kind, she was warm and inviting with everyone she met, and it was just impossible to not like her. She had raised Zac and Dylan, as well as lived with David, for over twenty years, and that in and of itself was saying something. Some days Vanessa couldn't even stand Zac, she couldn't imagine mini-Zac and older-Zac.
"Starla," Vanessa returned her hug just as tightly, "merry Christmas."
Starla pulled back, "Merry Christmas, how was the drive?"
"Fine." Vanessa answered shortly, her eyes scanning down to take in what Starla was wearing, black shimmery pants and a green v-neck sweater. Maybe Vanessa should've dressed up more, "I love that sweater," Vanessa observed, "what's the occasion?"
Starla rolled her eyes, "This function at David's work, they're having a lunch thing today, we completely forgot about it until two days ago, it'll only last a couple of hours and then we'll come back here for dinner." She sent Vanessa an apologetic look, "I hope that's alright?"
"Oh yeah," Vanessa said immediately, "it's completely fine, trust me, I understand things coming up at the last minute."
Starla smiled, "Good, look, we'll need to leave here in about forty five minutes, so what do you say we open presents now so Zac and Dylan don't bother you the entire time we're gone."
Zac rolled his eyes, but Vanessa just smiled, "Sounds great."
Starla nodded and turned away from the pair, towards the kitchen, "David, get the camera." She started inching towards the steps Dylan had reappeared down, "I'll go run and get your present real quick, Zac, Dylan, show her what you got for Christmas."
Vanessa turned and walked over, retrieving the bag Zac had set by the tree, while Zac claimed one of the couches and Dylan flopped onto the opposite one, "I got clothes, video games, movies, and music," Dylan announced immediately, "and anything else I got is insignificant. Zac…" Dylan paused, sending his brother a look, "…what did Santa bring you?"
Vanessa plopped down into the spot next to Zac, "You mean your parents found you something that you didn't compulsively buy yourself?" Vanessa asked sarcastically.
Zac returned her playful glare, but Dylan interrupted him from saying anything, "Oh, he's bought these, but his supply needed to be replenished."
Vanessa was looking curiously at Dylan before moving her gaze over to her boyfriend, who was glaring harshly at his little brother, "Just video games and such," his eyes move over to Vanessa, "plus the basics, socks, underwear, a few more shirts…oh," he brightened slightly, "they got me a few things to go in my house, I'll show you after they leave, they're really cool."
"And…" Dylan supplied.
"And…" Zac started, "what did you get for Christmas?"
Vanessa opened her mouth and prepared to talk, but Dylan cut her off, "Zac didn't tell you about his best present."
Zac sent Dylan a look, "Shut up, Dylan."
Vanessa was looking back and forth between the two suspiciously, "What?"
Dylan smirked, "Let's just say, Zac's got a certain area of your lives covered for quite some time."
"Dylan!"
Vanessa's brow furrowed, "Why do I get the feeling I'm missing something?"
"Nothing, nothing," Zac said quickly, "you're missing nothing, oh look, mom's coming."
Vanessa looked over to see Starla descending the stairs, but wasn't finished with her conversation with Zac. She turned to continue, only to find Zac getting up to walk over to his mother, helping her with the presents in her hands. Vanessa narrowed her eyes before turning to look at the youngest Efron, taking in the satisfied look on his face. She was most definitely missing something.
The present exchange was relatively short and sweet. Zac and Vanessa still hadn't swapped presents, and planned to do so in private, but each of the Efrons had gotten her a present and in exchange she had gotten all of them one. For Dylan she had researched, through Zac, which game he wanted but didn't have, made sure Starla knew she was getting it for him, and got an excited hug in response to the 'most awesome' gift. For Starla, Vanessa had picked out a Coach purse that was 'just mom enough' in Zac's words, and thankfully she had loved it. David was, by far, the hardest to shop for. Even Zac had difficulty. In the end, after remembering what a huge baseball fan David was, Vanessa found a collection of old and new baseball cards, featuring the players of the San Francisco Giants, and luckily he had liked it, or at least pretended to to make her feel better.
The parents had left about five minutes earlier and almost immediately Dylan began complaining how bored he was, but Zac and Vanessa just drowned him out.
Vanessa turned to Zac, "So, show me what your parents got you."
Zac smiled and grabbed her hand, leading her over towards the stairs, "Actually, I'd rather give you your gift."
Vanessa sent him a look as he practically dragged her up the stairs, "But…I thought we agreed that this year we'd just get stuff for our houses for each other?" they reached the top of the stairs, "Wasn't that the point of the whole shopping together? We agreed to combine birthday and Christmas…you already broke it on my birthday…"
Zac detached their hands once they arrived at his bedroom, and he went fishing off in a corner while Vanessa observed the chaos that was Zac's room, "I only kinda broke it, and this is super small…super tiny."
Vanessa rolled her eyes, "Did it cost a quarter?"
Zac turned around and revealed a small wrapped present in his hands, smiling widely, "If I told you yes, would you accept it?"
Vanessa narrowed her eyes at him before taking the box reluctantly, "You're making me seem like a bad girlfriend by not getting you a gift."
Zac watched her tear the paper, "When we get back in LA, we'll go out to lunch or dinner, you can buy and we'll be even."
Vanessa sent him a look as she removed the paper, "Yeah right, you'll slip the waiter your card before I even realize the check has come." Vanessa raised an eyebrow when she found a jewelry box sitting in her hands, "Zachary David Alexander Efron, this better have not cost over twenty dollars."
"Mm-hmm," Zac said distractedly, "open it."
Vanessa was struggling with inner demons. On the one hand she loved jewelry, especially from her boyfriend, it wasn't her fault, it was the female weakness inside of her that loves anything sparkly. But on the other hand, they had an agreement, they each bought one another something for their house as their birthday and Christmas presents. Groaning outwardly, she cracked open the lid, not daring to glance up at the triumphant look on Zac's face. However, once she took in the contents of the box, any resistance she previously had, faded away instantly.
Nestled into the soft velvet of the square box was a thin, gold chain with a small butterfly pendant attached to it. It wasn't particularly flashy, there were no diamonds, but the intricate work on the tiny charm was amazing, and Vanessa thought it was positively beautiful. "Wow…" she whispered, running her fingers along the smooth gold.
"I know you said you didn't want jewelry," Zac said quickly, "because of how much everything is analyzed and stuff…and you don't have to wear it all the time…just occasionally when you feel like it, but I had to get it, I saw it and I knew I just had to get it."
Vanessa smiled as she looked up at her boyfriend, finding Zac staring at her with a mixture of hope and fear. "It's beautiful."
Zac broke out into a smile and reached for the necklace, "Here, let me." Vanessa relented, turning around and lifting up her hair, allowing Zac to lift the necklace out of the box and place it around her neck, securing it into place.
Vanessa dropped her hair and reached down, running her fingers over the cool metal as she smiled up at Zac, "I love it, thank you." Zac smiled, but didn't respond, choosing instead to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her closer, Vanessa instinctively closing her eyes as Zac leaned into her, pressing his lips to hers and instantly warming every inch of her. It had just been three hours on top of three days, but it felt like eternity up until this point. Vanessa wrapped her arms around his neck and Zac pulled her even tighter to him, Vanessa tilting her head to the side as the kiss intensified, her mouth opening to his probing tongue.
The two froze at the sound of a gagging noise behind them, and Vanessa could almost hear the groan rumble in Zac's throat from annoyance. "Oh, I'm sorry," Dylan said from the doorway, "I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit."
The two pulled apart and Vanessa swore she could feel the frustration radiating off of Zac, "Don't you have anything better to do?"
Dylan walked into Zac's room and made a beeline for the corner where a mound of presents was haphazardly stacked, "Nope, I'm grounded, remember?"
Zac rolled his eyes and turned back to Vanessa, "You wanna go for a walk or something?"
Vanessa shrugged, "Sure, that's fine."
The sound of shuffling came from where Dylan was and the pair turned to see him rifling through Zac's presents, obviously looking for something, "Where are they?"
Zac rolled his eyes, "Not in there." Dylan stood up, glancing around the room before darting over towards his nightstand and yanking open the drawer, "Not in there either." Zac turned back to Vanessa and nodded his head towards the door, "Let's go."
Dylan groaned before walking over to his dresser, "Oh come on, there's only so many places you can hide condoms."
Zac was trying to drag Vanessa out of the door, but she stopped and looked at the younger Efron, a smirk growing on her face, "Ooo," Vanessa said in a taunting voice, "who's the lucky girl?"
Dylan sent Vanessa a sarcastic look, "Oh ha ha." He muttered before continuing on his search of Zac's room.
Zac tried to tug Vanessa again but she ignored him, "Dylan, Zac doesn't keep condoms here, he has no reason to, he ain't getting lucky at his parents' house."
Dylan was down on the floor looking under his bed, "That's where you're wrong." He pushed up from the floor, "Well, maybe not about the getting lucky thing, that's between you and him…"
"This conversation's completely irrelevant," Zac cut in, "come on Van, let's…"
"Ah ha!" Dylan said triumphantly as he rummaged inside of Zac's closet, "Found them!" He pulled back and Vanessa sent him an odd look as he revealed a red, green, and white decorative stocking stuffed to the brim with something as well as the name 'Zachary' written in cursive writing at the top. "Now Zac, why would you hide your stocking in the closet?" his tone was sarcastic and everyone picked up on it.
"To throttle my brother with when he's not looking." Zac deadpanned, not removing his eyes from his little brother.
"Could it be because it's filled with…" Dylan paused for dramatic effect as he inverted the contents, spilling them onto Zac's comforter, "…condoms."
Vanessa's eyes widened as a multitude of condoms, all in a variety of colors, spilled onto the mattress out of the stocking that had been stuffed by his mother. She turned her head to look at Zac, "You got condoms for Christmas?" she asked exasperatedly, "Just because your parents know we're having sex doesn't mean you broadcast it!"
Zac was looking at the ceiling and sighed, not shocked that she had freaked out, "It's not like I asked for them." He rebutted, "It's my mom's sense of humor about the whole sex shop thing."
"It wasn't a sex shop!" Vanessa protested loudly, "Do you have any idea how much explaining it took to convince my dad not to kill you? And now your parents are joking about it…"
"Babe, chill," Zac said quickly, "it's just a joke. It's just my parents' way of pretending their okay and cool with me having sex while subtly telling me their too young to be grandparents."
"Ooo," Dylan was sifting through the various condoms, "strawberry."
The couple ignored him, "And it's not like my parents and your parents are talking about our sex life," Zac pointed out, "and plus, what did your dad think we did when you spent the night at my apartment? Played board games?"
Vanessa pointed at Zac, "Hey, we did that one time."
Dylan snickered and Zac shot him a look before refocusing on Vanessa, "It's not a big deal," Zac continued, "it's just a joke, and if it makes you feel any better, I'll throw them away, I'm sure my mom won't care."
Vanessa sighed, looking down, "No, I just…do you ever feel like sometimes our relationship involves way too many people?"
Zac sent Dylan a withering look, "All the fucking time." Dylan smirked and Zac rolled his eyes, "But this really was just a joke, my mom didn't mean anything by it."
Vanessa nodded her head, "Yeah, I know," she glanced at the pile of condoms on the bed, "and…I mean…I guess we don't have to worry about them for a while." Vanessa smiled as she turned her eyes back on her boyfriend, "And I guess it could be fun."
Zac smirked, "Lots of fun." He recognized her smirk and wasted no time in closing the space between them, his lips pressing firmly to hers as her arms snaked around his neck, pushing her body up against his, "Lots," Zac mumbled between kisses, as his lips moved along her jaw and down the column of her neck, "and lots," his hands had moved down her body, resting on her hips momentarily before moving to her backside, one of his favorite parts, "and lots…"
Vanessa was trying to turn her head to see the clock, whilst enjoying Zac's lips as they sucked on the column of her throat and ignoring the frightened look on Dylan's face, "What time did your parents say they'd be back?"
"Ew, gross!" Dylan protested, walking away from the bed and over towards the couple, "You just said he's not getting lucky in his parents' house!"
Vanessa giggled slightly as Zac found the ticklish spot on her neck, "But your parents aren't home."
"But this is his childhood home!" Dylan protested, "You're tainting that with sex!"
Zac finally detached his lips from Vanessa's neck before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his keys, "Go see a movie or something." He shoved the keys into his chest, "Scratch my car and I'll kill you."
"This is supposed to be family time, Zac." Dylan protested as Zac rolled his eyes and turned back to Vanessa, claiming her lips in a steamy kiss, already beginning to move her towards the bed.
"You better go now," Vanessa warned, once Zac freed her lips, "Zac can be a real screamer."
Vanessa's hand was halfway up Zac's shirt, and he assisted her in pulling it over his head, "Oh Vanessa," Zac mocked, his voice raspy and elevated, pretending to scream, "oh Vanessa!"
Dylan visibly flinched as he backed away as quickly as possible, yanking the door shut behind him to block the view of his brother and girlfriend, as he darted down the hallway and stairs, determined to get out as quickly as possible.
"Ooo, they come in glow in the dark too!"
Ta da!
Review! :)