Chris hoped Zach wasn't sleeping as he raised his hand to knock again, louder than before. "Zaaaach, I'm freezing!" Of course it wasn't true because he was wearing his whole Starfleet officer costume, a thick, woollen coat over it and a simple black scarf wrapped around his neck. He was almost sweating. The thermo flasks he was holding also kept his bare hands warm.

A few seconds later the door opened, revealing Zach who was also wearing a scarf, a green-black striped one, and he had a blanket wrapped around his body. His eyes were oddly shiny.

"Whoa, man, you look terrible." Chris gaped as he took a good look at him, earning a glare.

"You came here to tell me that?" Zach asked after a small cough, his tone hoarse.

"Nope. I hope you like hot chocolate, because I went through all the trouble to bring them from Catering." He grinned and raised his hands holding the flasks.

"Fine, come in, but only because of the hot chocolate." The corners of Zach's mouth quirked upwards a bit. He hold the door open and stepped out of the way.

"Aww, I knew you couldn't resist." Chris teased as he entered the trailer, placing the two thermoses on the small coffee table. Then he peeled his coat off, breathing in relief that he didn't feel like boiling anymore. Zach made a snort as Chris revealed his outfit.

"Seriously, I'm awed by your creativity." He mocked, tilting his head in disbelief.

"Oh, shut up, Zachary, I don't even want to go to the fucking party." Chris defended himself lamely, pulling the long sleeved, yellow shirt off.

"Then don't go." Zach shrugged as he grabbed one flask from the table and popped its cap open, inhaling the sweet scent of chocolate.

"Well, excuse me, I wasn't lucky enough to catch the flu so I don't have any good excuse." Chris clarified.

"You can always say you're tired." Zach suggested with a small, pandering grin but then he turned to serious. "Why don't you want to go anyway, I bet it'll be fun."

'It won't be fun without you.' Chris wanted to reply but instead he said "Not in the mood, I guess." He shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal and grabbed the other flask, taking a cautious sip from its content.

"I see." Zach trailed off and Chris knew he had something in mind. He frowned at him questioningly. "Actually, I was about to watch a horror movie. Would you like to join?" He offered with a smile.

Chris hated horror movies. They freaked him out, even the lamest. Although spending Halloween night watching horror movies with Zach while drinking hot chocolate was far more appealing than going to the stupid fancy dress party without Zach. He didn't need much time to decide and a Cheshire grin spread across his face.

"How could I resist?"

#

Chris knew he would regret it but didn't expect he would this much. This movie was frigging scary and he wished he could look away and cover his ears but he didn't want Zach to think he was a coward. Also, he was sure he wouldn't be able to sleep in the following days, weeks, probably months. Damn!

True, he could excuse himself, saying he should really show up at that party but he didn't want to leave. It felt nice to sit beside Zach on his small couch, drinking hot chocolate and watch a movie – even if it was a freaking horror.

However he couldn't control his body and whenever something scary or sudden happened he jumped slightly in fright or shivered, earning small grins or chuckles from Zach. Chris loved his chuckles.

This whole situation was confusing and simply ridiculous. Chris was well aware of Zach's sexual orientation so he felt really bad about hiding his own from him. However, they were also good friends and Chris didn't want to ruin it because he had this stupid crush on him. For months by now. He was planning to confess him sometime, really, but he couldn't bring himself to do it yet. He truly was a coward…

"Earth to Pine, do you copy?" Zach waved a hand in front of him and Chris yelped in surprise, jerking back on the couch. Zach could barely contain his laughter.

"Don't say anything." Chris waved a threatening finger at him. And Zach, being a gentleman he was, didn't say a word only burst out laughing heartily. Chris waited for him to finish it with a glare but truth to be told, he found the sound of Zach's laughter appealing. Being with him was always fun and it warmed Chris' heart.

"Sorry." Zach grinned when he was done. "I was asking if you shouldn't go to the party. It has already started."

"Are you seriously kicking me out?" Chris gaped in feigned indignity.

Zach was mildly surprised at the answer but then smiled. "Of course not. I have plenty of movies after all."

Chris smirked cheekily. "I'll claim you were in such a miserable state I didn't have the heart to leave you alone."

"Jesus, Chris, I didn't know you have a heart." Zach exclaimed shocked, staring at him. He got a death-glare in exchange.

"I hate you." Chris stated shortly then wanted to smack himself on the forehead because he couldn't come up with anything better. Zach punched his shoulder playfully, giving him a teasing grin.

"I know you love me."

It was an innocent joke but Chris' heart skipped a beat and an odd mixture of joy and fear washed him over. How he wished it wasn't a joke…

#

No matter how frightening those damned horror movies were, Chris eventually felt his eyelids getting heavier second by second and he leant on his elbow which was resting against the armrest then lower his head slowly, trying to get as comfortable as possible while making sure his body wouldn't touch Zach's. After another few minutes he fell asleep, grateful that despite his unbeatable fear of the ghost girl he finally managed to have some rest.

"Chris." A soft tone. "Chris." A gentle shake of his shoulder. "Pine, get up!"

Chris jolted awake, sitting up straight and looking around startled, taking large sips of the air. For a second he didn't know where he was or who he was then the memories flooded back in an instant and switched his confusion to calmness. He glanced at the screen and show the DVD menu displaying then he raised his eyes to meet a laughing Zachary Quinto.

"You should see your face."

Chris decided it was better not to comment and instead rubbed his eyes, yawning. "What time is it?"

"Twenty to two." Zach replied after he had calmed down. "Figured you would rather sleep in your own bed than on this uncomfortable piece of furniture they call couch."

Chris couldn't describe how much he wanted to tell Zach he was wrong.

"Yeah, okay, thanks man." Chris forced a small smile then got up, stretched his arms out and then grabbed his coat. "'Night." He mumbled as he left, still in a bit of a daze.

However he quickly awakened completely as the chilly night breeze hit him and he pulled his coat tighter around his body. After a good five minutes of hasty walk he reached his trailer and opened the door, his keys rattling noisily in the almost silence. He could hear the music from the party but it was far away.

He planned to throw himself to his bed as soon as he was inside, assuming he would fall asleep immediately but things didn't quite turn out as he had imagined.

#

Zach heard a faint sound of knocking. 'Probably someone from the party, trying to find his or her trailer in a not so sober state.' He ignored it. But the knocking got louder and louder and he was just about to get up and tell whoever it was to go to Hell and let him sleep when his phone buzzed. He frowned but picked it up without glancing at the screen.

"Would you mind letting me in?" A familiar voice asked. Not complained or fumed, just simply asked. It was almost a plea.

"What the actual fuck, Christopher?" Zach groaned bewildered but got up anyway, shuffling to the door. "Just a sec." He hung up and grabbed his navy blue robe.

"Hey!" Chris greeted him sheepishly when he opened the door.

"Would you mind explaining what the hell are you doing here at almost three o'clock in the morning?" Zach raised a half-shaved eyebrow and it would have been ridiculous and Chris surely would have laughed his ass off if not for his embarrassment. He grimaced and looked away, sighing in defeat. "My dignity kind of hoped you wouldn't ask." He confessed quietly and Zach's frown deepened in confusion. Was Chris drunk or something?

"Erm, I tried to sleep but I was so fucking scared in the darkness, I was hallucinating rotting faces of ghosts and yellowy glowing eyes everywhere. So, I really don't want to be alone right now." He finally he raised his gaze and met Zach's chocolate brown eyes. "Please, let me sleep here, I'm even okay with the floor."

"What?" Zach was clearly shocked, it was written all over on his face.

"I already feel miserable, please, don't make me repeat it." Chris grimaced painfully.

There was a short silence between them but to Chris it felt like ages. Zach inhaled deeply at last and opened the door wider. "You're going to be the death of me." He stated, shaking his head in disbelief. Why on earth Chris wanted to watch horror movies when he was so afraid of them? He could be such a dork sometimes…

"Aww, you're so generous, I knew I could count on you." Chris grinned as he stepped in, his embarrassment still recognizable on his face but he was smiling at least. He hung his coat on a peg beside Zach's.

"You owe me one." Zach declared but then grinned, turning on his heels and walking back to his bedroom.

Chris gulped thickly, his mouth going dry all of a sudden. It was another innocent joke but he found it a rather hot and tempting and his mind was already creating numerous dirty images. He shook his head, trying to think clearly and followed Zach absentmindedly.

"You'll catch a cold if you sleep on the floor, idiot." Zach eyed said floor then looked at Chris unsurely. "We can share the bed if you don't mind. It's pretty huge."

Chris' mind was spinning. Sharing a bed with Zach. "I'm okay if you're okay with it." He said a little more hastily than he intended.

"It's not a big deal." Zach smiled, visibly relaxing. Chris grinned sheepishly again, trying not to look tensed. He didn't want Zach to think he was uncomfortable sleeping beside him because he was gay. No, the very problem was that Chris wasn't sure he could sleep a minute with Zach lying beside him. His heart was about to rip out of his chest.

Luckily Zach wasn't paying attention to him because he was busy finding a spare pillow and blanket for Chris in the wardrobe. He then passed them to Chris who mumbled a barely audible "thanks" and walked to the other side of the bed, placing them down and then kicked his jeans off but left his simple white T-shirt on. He got lost in his thoughts again, standing awkwardly, unsure what he was supposed to do. Zach's voice snapped him back to reality though.

"Are you planning to sleep standing?" He asked with a frown. He was already lying in the bed, his back to Chris, his head turned to him as he was talking.

"Um, no." Chris climbed net to him, slipping under the cold blanket. He tried to be as far from Zach as it was possible without falling off. He was on his back, completely frozen, not daring to even shift. His heart was about to rip out of his chest and he was pretty sure that despite the fair distance Zach could clearly hear it. God, this was so awkward.

Chris cursed himself. He was so stupid to come here but it had seemed to be a good idea back in his trailer where he was scared to death. Well, there was no turning back now…

"Chris, you may move, I can behave." Chris involuntarily jerked in startle because he had assumed Zach was already asleep. Then the words actually reached him and he blushed. Thank god it was dark.

Chris didn't reply but shifted his position slightly, crawling a bit closer to Zach because he was seriously afraid he would fall off the bed. He rolled to his side then, his back facing Zach's back. However his heartbeats kept on increasing rapidly due to Zach's even closer presence. Not good.

"Are you sure everything is okay? Your heart is beating like a jackhammer." Zach pointed out, confusion and worry clear in his tone.

"I'm okay." Chris lied.

"I can switch the lights on if you want to." Zach offered.

"No thanks, I'm good." Chris replied shortly. He knew Zach didn't believe it but was thankful he stopped asking. He moved instead. Chris could feel the mattress sinking and then suddenly Zach's back was against his. He was surprised his heart was still in his chest. He felt a sudden calmness wash him over and he relaxed against Zach. He knew it wasn't a big deal and probably didn't mean anything to Zach but to him it meant quite a lot and it felt nice. Chris pressed against him softly, smiling to himself. Several minutes passed in silence but then Chris broke it. He didn't know where his courage came from but he had said it before he could stop himself.

"Would you hug me?"

As soon as it came out he froze in horror. He couldn't believe he had really said it aloud. He was such an ass. The following few seconds were officially the worst in his entire life. He was fairly sure Zach would kick him out and wouldn't talk to him anymore and Chris would be the only one to blame for ruining their wonderful friendship. He bit back a whimper as Zach drew away and Chris closed his eyes tight, waiting for the outrage which never happened.

Zach only turned and threw an arm over Chris loosely. Chris heaved a sigh of relief and smiled, pushing his body back against Zach and caught his wrist gently, tugging on it to embrace him tighter. He could feel Zach's hot breath against the back of his neck but they were still separated by two thick layers of blankets. Chris kicked his own off and slipped under Zach's, their bodies finally touching. It was amazing.

"Chris?" Zach asked, his voice a mixture of perplexity and pleasant surprise. Chris took a deep breath.

"Please, just don't." He said softly, pulling Zach's hand under his cheek. Zach nodded and placed a soft kiss against Chris' short blond locks. Chris hummed appreciatively, smiling stupidly into Zach's palm.

He had a lot to explain when they woke up but for now he pushed all his worrying thoughts aside and enjoyed the warmth of Zach's body. He could definitely sleep now.