SLASH!!! Okay, so its not that bad but they do kiss (finally!!) Lol, I've been leading up to this since I started this story and I figured its time they actually did kiss =P Hope you all like it!! :D
It was quiet tonight; well, quieter than most of the nights they dealt with. Even with no people, Zombieland was still a very noisy place to live. Between the constant moans and groans from the undead population, it was hard to find any quiet time. Tonight was an exception, though. They'd found a house on the outskirts of town, far enough away that it wasn't in the immediate vicinity of the voracious jaws of the its inhabitants but close enough that all the had to do if they needed anything was get in the car and drive about five miles into town. The house was nice, surprisingly well-preserved after the zombie apocalypse, and it was perfect for the few days they decided to stay in it.
The first two nights had been perfect, no wandering zombies, no victims to clean up, it had been as close to normal as they'd had in a while. They had gone through the usual measures of boarding up the windows and doors but it almost didn't seem necessary, they hadn't seen anyone, living or undead, out here since they'd been here. The previous owners had a killer TV set-up and a movie library that would but a theater to shame so it wasn't like there was nothing to do. Tallahassee's new favorite hobby was educating Little Rock on Stallone movies.
They had divided the rooms based on gender: the girls took the room down the hall, farthest from the staircase, and the men took the one closest to it. The rooms were huge, plenty of room for all of their assorted weapons and luggage. There was a walk-on balcony that overlooked the back yard and, father down the road, the town they'd come from. Columbus wasn't sure if the girls had something to the same effect in their room but he didn't mention it; the balcony was cool and without the constant presence of the undead, it was a nice place to sit.
That's where he ended up tonight. It was roughly 4:30 in the morning, the moon hanging low in the star-studded sky. It was cool outside, a soft breeze drifting over the dry wood and ruffling the folds of his shirt. Tallahassee was still asleep, his hat drawn low over his face and his back resting against the door. Since they'd begun traveling together, he wondered whether or not the older man ever slept in an actual bed. He usually chose to sleep in a chair or against the wall but he'd never really seen him take a bed. Maybe it was a protective measure or maybe he just didn't like mattresses, Columbus wasn't sure.
He'd been having trouble sleeping again and it was damn irritating. He'd battled insomnia all his life and the threat of literally being eaten alive didn't really help with the notion of a dreamless night. He'd tried sleeping pills a few times but they always left him feeling more tired than when he started so he stopped. Like his phobias, it was just something he lived with and got used to.
A car alarm was going off in the distance, a dull orange glow flickering off the curved horizon. Something was on fire; not that it was any surprise, things caught fire all the time in Zombieland, but it was surreal to never hear a fire truck rushing to save the burning building. There was nothing but silence and sometimes a few groans if any of the zombies got to close to a wayward flame. Its surprising how easily you can adapt to the fucked up situations your life manages to throw you into. In college, the idea of being a survivor of the zombie apocalypse was so laughable that Columbus never even considered it. Now...well, now things were different.
Insomnia sucked in the same way isolation chambers sucked: they gave you a shit-ton of time to think. He'd thought of everything lately, his brief relationship with Wichita, if there were any people left in this shithole of a world, if they would ever settle into one place and stay there, the list went on and on. Lately though, Columbus had found the majority of his thoughts centered around a certain cowboy hat-wearing member of their team. In fact, nearly all of the sleepless nights he'd had in the past few months had been based around Tallahassee in some way or another.
Growing up, Columbus had never really questioned his sexuality; actually, he just didn't care to be honest. Unlike his parents, he didn't believe love was black and white, right or wrong, or anything in between. He based his affections on emotion and attitude, it didn't matter whether they were male or female. And right now, he couldn't ignore the way his heart fluttered in his chest every time Tallahassee was near or whenever the older man would say his name in that southern draw. It was intoxicating, addicting, and terrible because he was 99.9% certain the older man would sooner string him up and leave him for zombie bait than take him on as a lover.
Columbus sighed, drawing his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on them. It would ruin everything, not to mention shake the dynamic of their fragile little family. Though they had been traveling together for almost five months now, he was pretty sure Little Rock and Wichita were only a full tank of gas and a set of car keys away from ditching them if they got the opprotunity and Tallahassee...well, he was just determined to live it up while there was still living left to be done. Making a silly confession of a crush would ruin all of that.
"Couldn't sleep?" A thick voice drawled from behind him and Columbus jumped slightly, turning just a bit to see Tallahassee emerge from the shadows of the room. He took a few steps out onto the balcony, looking up at the stars and taking in the unusual silence of the night. "Nice night." He muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
"What are you doing up?" Columbus asked; it wasn't that he didn't enjoy the company, it was just a lot easier to think when the object of his affections wasn't standing right next to him.
"I could ask you the same thing." Tallahassee dropped down onto the wooden deck next to him, letting his legs hang over the edge. The ledge was high enough that they didn't have to worry about a zombie wandering by and making a midnight snack of someone's foot. "You got somethin' on your mind, kid?" He asked, watching the younger man out of the corner of his eye.
"Huh?"
"You haven't been sleeping much lately." Tallahassee shrugged slightly, looking out over the dark tree-line. "Normally I wouldn't say anything, its your business and all, but if you keep it up you're going to get sick." He turned, facing Columbus directly. "So, you wanna tell me what's up and save us both a lot of trouble?"
Columbus was silent for a minute, carefully thinking through his options. He could spill everything and suffer through the awkwardness for the chance of a decent night's sleep again or he could keep it all in and continue his nocturnal sessions.
"Columbus?"
With a slight sigh, the younger man bit his lip, looking out to the remains of the city. "I've just been thinking a lot lately, you know? Like, where are we going? How many people are left in the world?" He shrugged, continuing carefully. "You know, I wouldn't be opposed to the idea of one day getting things back to some shred of normalcy and falling in love. Settling down...not that squatting in other people's houses isn't great and all but..." He faded off, feeling a slight flush rush to his cheeks.
Tallahassee sat thoughtfully for a second, chewing on a toothpick that had magically appeared in the side of his mouth. "I'm sure there's other survivors, kid. There's gotta be more than just us." He let the answer hang for a minute before he continued. "As for the love thing, its not all that great. Love is a pain in the ass, it makes you do some really stupid shit in the end." He looked at Columbus. "Things didn't work out with Wichita I'm guessin'?"
Columbus shook his head slowly, looking down at the shadowed grass below them. "No, she wasn't...right." It sounded like a horrible thing to say, like there was something wrong with her, but it was true. She wasn't right for him, she knew it before he really did, and they ended it peacefully. Tallahassee on the other hand-
"Yeah, well, you'll find someone." The man in question muttered, keeping his eyes focused straight ahead. Was it just him or did Tallahassee sound like he was sulking? The idea of Columbus finding someone else was making him sulk?
Summoning every ounce of courage he could manage, Columbus reached over and laid his hand over Tallahassee's, his fingers wrapping around the older man's hand just tightly enough for him to realize it wasn't a fluke. He braced himself for the disgust and the name-calling but it never came. Instead, much to his surprise, Tallahassee squeezed back.
"You know what you're doing, kid?" He asked, never taking his eyes away from the tree-line. His jaw was set in a hard line but he didn't appear angry, if anything his words sounded almost hopeful.
"Yes..." Columbus breathed, his words coming out as a shaky whisper. "I've known for a long time...its why I haven't been able to sleep." The words were all running together and he took a shuddering breath to calm himself. "I'm sorry...I know this is going to fuck everything up but I just-" He was cut off as his lips were captured by Tallahassee's.
The kiss was soft, shy at first, and for a few seconds, neither party moved. When reality sank back in, Columbus leaned a little closer, his finger's tangling in the fabric of the older man's shirt. The kisses became desperate, more foreceful, and Columbus couldn't hear anything over the sound of his own heart pounding in his ears. A strong arm snaked around his back, pulling him into the older man's lap, his legs haphazardly straddling Tallahassee's. Sharp teeth nipped at his lower lip, catching the sensitive skin and making him crave more. He pressed his body into the older man's chest, arching his back in a desperate need to be closer.
"Fuck kid..." Tallahassee breathed, breaking apart for a second, his eyes bright and face flushed in the dim light. "You keep that up and I'm going to take you right here and now."
"I wouldn't be opposed to that..." Columbus laughed softly, hoping the suggestion wasn't too bold. He felt like his face was on fire but it was the best sensation he'd felt in months.
Tallahassee let out a low breath through his teeth and cursed softly. "Jesus, the things you're doing to me..." He muttered, gathering a lapful of Columbus and holding him close. "I swear to God kid, I'm holding back sheerly on the basis that I know you haven't gotten a decent night's sleep in three days. But the next time we do this, I'm not going to stop." Rough, calloused fingers combed through his hair and Columbus felt himself sinking deeper into the older man's embrace.
Shifting back a bit, Tallahassee rested his back against the wall, looking out over the trees as the darkness of the night began to fade into the dull glow of the morning. "You're getting a good night's sleep tonight if I have to hold you down myself."
"I think I could handle that." Columbus teased, resting his head against Tallahassee's shoulder and sighing contentedly. The warm solidity beneath him kept him grounded and the constant motion of the older man's fingers combing through his hair was soothing. With a stifled yawn, he felt himself relaxing into Tallahassee's arms. "Stay with me?" He asked, convinced that if he didn't the older man may disappear like the fragmented dream he'd fallen into.
Tallahassee smiled, his lips brushing against the younger boy's ear. "I think I could handle that."
Hehe, aww :D