Shane was in heaven.

He was inside Zach’s home, having a meal cooked for him by a wonderfully caring and sexy as hell man. While he was still a little rattled from his encounter with Warren, the unease was being whittled away to nothing with each minute he spent here.

It really was hard to be angry or upset inside Zach’s house. He had been surprised to see the outside covered in colorful lights and the lawn filled with decorations, not to mention the little rainbow colored pinwheels sticking up all along the path to the front door. Even if it didn’t look like a Christmas bomb had gone off inside here, the inside of his house would’ve been cozy. The furniture was comfortable, but not too pristine. This place was obviously lived in and loved, and everything felt warm and welcoming. On top of that he kept looking around at the decorations placed all over. There was an adorable stuffed snowman on the coffee table, surrounded by some fake snow and little reindeer figurines. Wreaths were on the doors, and fake candles placed along the inside of the windowsills.

The most beautiful part of the festivities was the tree. It wasn’t like one of those Christmas trees you would see inside a catalogue or in a store. There wasn’t a predetermined color scheme. It was a hodgepodge of ornaments and lights carefully put together, based more on what Zach loved than what he thought would be trendy. He could pick out several ornaments that were obviously pretty old, as well. A couple looked like they’d been broken or chipped at some point and glued back together. There were oddly-shaped ones crudely made from some sort of clay, and Shane couldn’t help but envision a much smaller Zach making it, likely with his family. The history and love hanging on the tree made it one of the most beautiful he’d ever seen.

He couldn’t bring himself to be sad when he looked at it. Not truly sad, at least. His chest tightened with a familiar twinge of longing, but it was a bittersweet feeling. If his parents were still alive, then perhaps he would have a tree of his own, just like this. Lovingly pieced together over years of holidays, growing more beautiful with each passing year as the collection of memories on the branches grew.

It wasn’t hard to imagine. Ornaments made from old photographs, framed with popsicle sticks, depicting Shane’s first solo in choir. Or maybe a picture of his dad, teaching him how to play the guitar. He and his mother could have sat down to make little clay snowmen, hand-painted with lopsided smiling faces. It wouldn’t have mattered if they were lumpy, or if they cracked over the years.

That would have made a gorgeous Christmas tree.

But then Zach brought him warm cinnamon apple cider, and the nostalgic thoughts melted away.

He tried to distract himself with the television. He used the remote to flip through channels while he sipped, letting the warm liquid fill up his belly. But he couldn’t find anything to hold his attention, and he kept casting glances towards the kitchen as he heard Zach moving around. Finally he turned off the TV and stood, carrying his glass to peer through the doorway.

Laid out on the counters was… a lot of stuff. It looked like Zach was making way more than just quesadillas. His brows bumped up a bit, watching Zach wash some lettuce. “You sure you don’t need any help?”

Zach jumped a bit, startled, then looked over his shoulder. “Huh? Oh, no.” He frowned. “You should be relaxing.”

“I did,” Shane teased, leaning against the doorframe. “Then I decided to relax in here. With you. Is that okay?”

Zach bit his lip, looking uncertain. “All right… At least sit down at the table? Really, I got this.”

“It looks like a lot,” he said, but did accept Zach’s request to sit. A chair was pulled out, which he sank into while he eyed the stove, a few different things bubbling and frying on it.

“Oh. Well. Uh. I figured just quesadillas might be kind of boring, so I was going to make some Mexican rice and a salad, too… And some guacamole. And refried beans,” Zach said sheepishly.

Shane looked over the feast that was being prepared. “You didn’t have to do all of this, you know.”

Zach hesitated, looking over at Shane with a frown. “I wanted to. You had a sucky day, and I thought…” He hesitated. “Sorry. I’m probably going overboard. I just didn’t want you to be disappointed.”

Shane stared. The idea of being disappointed by a free meal seemed absurd to him. Hell, he would have been grateful even if Zach had made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, if it saved him from having to cook or chip away at his grocery budget.

Yet Zach genuinely seemed to expect his cooking wouldn’t be enough. Even with making a feast like this, he looked worried Shane wouldn’t be appeased.

He had mentioned having a bad relationship, not too long ago. Did they do something to make Zach worry so much? Did they always expect the best Zach could offer, and even then weren’t grateful for all the trouble? Maybe that was why Zach seemed so self-conscious often.

He licked his lips thoughtfully, then pushed back to his feet, stepping over. “Zach… I’m really grateful you’re wanting to take care of me. I really am.” He reached out to put a hand on Zach’s arm for a gentle squeeze. “But you don’t need to do everything for me. You’ve already made me feel better.” His smiled widened just thinking about it. “What I really want right now is to spend time with you, and eat a kickass meal. So how about I help you cook dinner, so we can both enjoy it even more?”

Zach looked speechless. His mouth opened and closed, then he frowned faintly as he seemed to be thinking hard about what Shane said.

Yeah, Zach was definitely a giver, and it was becoming more obvious he was used to people taking advantage of that, rather than being willing to give in return.

He waited patiently, and after a few seconds Zach swallowed. “Are you sure? I didn’t invite you over to put you to work.”

“It’s not work, because I’m gonna get to do it with you,” he replied, squeezing Zach’s arm again. Zach’s cheeks turned pink. It took Shane a second to realize what he had just said, and once he did he let out a soft cough. “I mean… Cooking. With you. I think it’d be fun.”

Zach nodded mutely at first, then broke into a small smile. “Well… okay. Sure. It does sound nice.”

“Just tell me what to do. I’m at your service.” Shane grinned.

“Okay.” He puffed out a breath, and Shane was relieved to see Zach smiling wider, a little more confidently. “Can you chop the onion and those peppers?” he asked, pointing to where they were resting on the counter. “The knives are in the drawer just below it.”

“No problem.” Shane moved over and carefully grabbed a sharp looking knife from the drawer, then a chopping board, and set to work. He was by no means an expert at cooking or chopping things up, but he managed to do so without the pieces being too uneven.

“You seem to really like cooking,” he noted as he chopped, sneaking a glance over to where Zach was grilling chicken breasts in a pan.

“I always have.” Zach nodded. “My mom and grandma taught me growing up, and I got really into it when I went away to college. It made me feel closer to home.”

“Ha. I know how that goes,” Shane said softly.

He could feel Zach’s eyes on him while he sliced up the peppers, so he went ahead and answered the question Zach was too afraid to ask. “My dad was a musician. I remember him singing to me—us singing together. Sometimes it feels like music is the only thing I have left of him, so I cling onto it. Try to love and appreciate it as much as he did.”

“I’m glad you have that connection to him still,” Zach said softly. “I can’t imagine what it must be like, Shane. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” He picked up the chopping board, now piled with cut-up vegetables, and set it down beside the stove. It brought him to Zach’s side, so he could look up and meet his eyes, to show he was all right. “Sure, it’s painful, but I’m old enough now to talk about them without getting upset. I just try to focus on the good things I remember and the things they left behind for me. Like music.”

Zach’s teeth caught his lip before he nodded in understanding. “Okay. If you ever do want to talk. About… whatever. I’m here.” He cleared his throat. “But, you know… I haven’t heard you sing yet. I feel like this is a crime, after I’ve already cooked for you once before tonight.”

“Ouf.” He gripped his chest, as if suddenly agonized. “How could I? To make such a handsome man wait?”

“You could now,” Zach points out, eyes brightening. “Serenade me while we cook.”

Shane chuckled. “Any requests?”

“I’ll leave that to you.”

He hummed thoughtfully, going through his large mental library of songs. He wanted to show off, but after the more emotional moment, lightening the mood was likely more important than something flashy. Something flirty and sweet too, because he never could resist making Zach blush.

That meant it was time for a cheesy 80’s love ballad.

Lionel Richie’s smooth classic “Hello” came first to his mind, and he smirked as he stepped back to give himself more space. He snatched up a spatula to serve as a fake microphone, cleared his throat, then he started to sing.

He was delighted to see Zach’s eyes light up with recognition even from the first line. It meant he could really ham it up. He put on his best smoldering stare before he struck a pose, hand dramatically outstretched while he continued to sing in a deep, husky voice.

Zach’s face scrunched up, his lips pressing together firmly while strain was visible in his cheeks. It was very clear he was trying hard not to laugh in Shane’s face—not that he would have minded—but at the same time his face was turning an adorable red color, and his eyes were shining bright with joy and amusement.

Success.

He continued the song, playing up the corniness with exaggerated expressions and hand movements, but not sacrificing his voice. He wasn’t about to dishonor Lionel Richie by not doing his song justice, and he liked to think his voice paired well with the melody. The smooth soulfulness of his voice shined through when singing baritone, but he was able to shift octaves and hit those higher notes when need be.

Zach had turned to face him so he could watch better, breaking into giggles here and there when Shane showed off his smooth moves, though he seemed to shift rapidly back and forth between looking amused and flustered. There was even a time or two where his eyes roamed over Shane’s body, and he could’ve sworn he was being checked out.

When the song came to a close, Shane paused to take a bow. He expected to hear clapping, but instead there were footsteps.

When he looked up, Zach was suddenly closer, just a half-step away. His skin was flushed, his lips parted. Shane could basically feel his warmth radiating off him, and the sudden closeness made him inhale sharply.

Then Zach cupped his face and leaned in to steal his breath away.