Cielo Blu
by: Lasha

As Zach looked across the rolling hills of the Italian countryside from his view on the top of the hill, he could see the outline of the city's most famous landmark, The Duomo, against the backdrop of a Florentine sky. It was breathtaking. This panorama was miles away from San Pedro, California.

Smiling, he turned to look for Shaun, wanting to share this spectacular moment with him, but instead of finding his boyfriend by his side, he saw that Shaun was pacing around in the middle of the park. It seemed strange that Shaun wasn't looking at the beautiful miniature statue of Michelangelo's David at the center of the park or the magnificent views of the bridges down the hill in the city, but instead talking on his cell phone.

However, Zach had a good idea why the sights and sounds of Florence weren't impressing Shaun and walked over to investigate. As he approached him, Zach heard the tail end of the conversation.

It seemed he'd been dead on in his suspicions. Shaun was talking to Tori about Cody.

Zach saw him pause briefly, noticing that he was close by and gestured to Zach to take the phone.

"Hi, Tori. How are things?" Zach said.

"Hey, monkey. Everything is fine. But you need to tell your boyfriend to stop calling every hour, so maybe Cody and I can actually get to the beach and go swimming. Shaun's hovering from a continent away is interrupting our awesome plans." Even through the phone lines Zach could hear Tori's wry sense of humor.

"I know, I know. I will punish him as soon as we hang up for breaking our no phoning rule -- again. But since I have you on the line, can I talk to Cody real quick?"

Zach could hear Tori's long-suffering sigh. "Sure." Then she yelled, "Cody, come and pick up the phone. Zach's wants to talk to you."

After a few seconds Zach heard Cody's voice say, "Zach. Are you and Shaun eating real pizza in Italy right now?"

Laughing, Zach replied, "No, buddy, not right now, but maybe for lunch. What are Tori and you doing?"

"We went to the beach yesterday, and tomorrow Tori said we could go to Universal Studios and see Shrek 4-D. She said it would be our own special vacation, just like you and Shaun." His voice was full of excitement.

"That's sounds awesome, Cody. So are Tori and you having fun?"

"Loads. But I miss you and Shaun. You'll be back soon?"

"In five more days. Check the calendar on the refrigerator." Zach spoke in a gentle tone, wanting to reassure the nine-year-old that they were indeed returning home.

Suddenly, Zach felt Shaun's arm come around his waist, and his boyfriend's silken voice whispered in his ear, "Babe, this is costing us an arm and a leg." Despite his pragmatic words, Zach could hear the regret and apology in Shaun's tone.

"Cody, I have to go now. But Shaun and I are thinking about you. You have fun with Tori at Universal tomorrow, and we'll text you guys some pictures of us in Florence as soon as we can, okay?"

"Okay, Uncle Zach. Love you."

"Love you too, Cody. Bye." And Zach hung up.

Turning fully into Shaun's embrace, Zach gave him a wry glance as he handed the phone back. "So, I'm costing us an arm and a leg? Who was the one who called Tori twice yesterday to check that Cody was wearing enough sunscreen at the beach? Who?" Zach raised his eyebrow mischievously to remind Shaun of his actions of the previous day.

Zach saw Shaun bite his lip to stifle a grin, stains of scarlet appearing on his cheeks. "Busted. So our cell phone bill is going to be through the roof by the time we get home. But we've never been away from Cody this long before, so I guess we should cut ourselves some slack. Yeah?"

Zach's smile in return was eager, alive with affection and delight. Shaun completely understood Zach's fears about leaving Cody with Tori while they vacationed in Italy for a week. Zach had been overwhelmed with happiness that Shaun had surprised him with a trip Italy as a present for graduating from CalArts. He'd finally get to see all the amazing art he'd been studying for the past four years, but leaving Cody behind had been difficult. And Shaun's protectiveness of Cody, their shared concern that Cody was okay back in the States, was one of the reasons Zach loved Shaun with his whole heart. He got the fact that Cody had been Zach's whole life before he'd come along, and after they had gotten together Shaun had made Cody his top priority too. Shaun was a wonderful father to Cody, and Zach couldn't have been happier with the choice he'd made four years ago when he'd agreed to move to Los Angeles with Shaun.

"Yeah." With that one word Zach felt all the love he had for Shaun flow through him. It was so typical of Shaun just to accept the world for what it was and then whole-heartedly embrace it. So with Shaun's beautiful, sexy smirk only inches from his face, all he could think of was that he wanted to be alone with his boyfriend; but since they were a thirty minute bus ride away from their hotel in the city, Zach would have to improvise.

Glancing around for a isolated spot to spend some alone time with Shaun, Zach instantly noticed that in actuality they didn't need seclusion. Because all across the park there were couples sitting or laying down on the grass, embracing and making out.

The Italians had the right idea. So quickly grabbing Shaun's hand, Zach pulled him over to an open piece of grass on the south side of the park, and gestured for Shaun to lie down with him. As they settled down next to each other, Zach saw Shaun smile at him, and the glint in his eyes contained a sensuous flame. "Were you planning on taking a nap here, Zach, or maybe enjoying a little Italian romance?"

Zach hoped his grin was answer enough.

Slowly, deliberately, Zach lowered his head and captured Shaun's mouth. Kissing Shaun was a magical experience every single time. From the first moment on the chaise at Shaun's parent's house when they'd both been so drunk, to the night of their first date, and the little peck Shaun had given him, as Cody slept in his arms, no kiss he had ever given or received could compare to Shaun's, not even Tori's.

Lust. Desire. Security. They were all there. But, above all the rest there was this all-encompassing feeling of love. This was where he was supposed to be -- in Shaun's arms, loving him.

Zach's mouth moved against Shaun's sensuously, and the two men clung to each other, unconcerned about their potential audience since everyone else in the park seemed to engaged in the same activity. In a country full of passionate lovers no one would care about them.

Breaking contact momentarily, Zach kissed down to the sensitive hollow to the base of Shaun's throat, his breath creating goose bumps on the exposed flesh. In response, he could feel Shaun shiver against him, although it was a hot June day. His pale blond head then lifted ever so slightly and time seemed suspended as they stared into each other's eyes. For a long time neither man spoke, until Shaun's hoarse whisper broke the silence. "You really want to break the bank on this trip and splurge for a cab back to the hotel, so we can continue this in private?"

Nodding in response, Zach rested his head on Shaun's chest. And as he allowed his boyfriend's warm embrace to enfold him, Zach looked up into the bright blue Florentine sky, and knew he'd finally found home.