Work Text:
Time-Out
by Perpetual Motion
"You're okay with all of this?"
"Why shouldn't I be okay? You merely turned down a monster truck rally with *me* to have dinner with my *ex*. Oh, and you lied about it."
James rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry."
"For what? You got to spend the evening with a constitutional lawyer, and I got to watch Cameron's eyes go all aglow with lust for big trucks." Greg shrugged. "It really turned out best for us all."
"Greg-"
"Although," Greg's look let James know that he was about to get it, "the fact that you lied straight to my face makes me think that we have some relationship issues to work out. Why would you possibly find it necessary to feed me a line about how much your speech meant to you when you could have simply said, 'Oh, Greg? I'm having dinner with the heathen that walked out on you when you were still learning to walk again. I'll see you Saturday for hot make-up sex.'"
"Oh, yes, foolish me for not thinking of *that* approach." James's voice matched Greg's for sarcasm. "How dare I think that telling you *exactly* what was going on would have ended *badly*. You *do* remember what happened the last time I mentioned her name, right?" James wasn't surprised when Greg just glared at him. "If I recall, it took two orderlies and a shot in the ass from a nurse to get you to calm down."
"I was having a bad day."
"You pushed the television set in your hospital room off of its stand in the middle of 'General Hospital'."
"I only do that on bad days."
James sighed again and shook his head. "You're an impossible pain in the ass sometimes, Greg."
"And, yet, here you are."
"And, yet." James leaned back into the couch and watched Greg watch him. "I'm sorry I lied."
"You've said that."
"It maintains."
"Would you like me to forgive you, sweep you into my arms, and kiss you as your bosom heaves?"
"You know, you could always go fuck yourself."
Greg put on a shocked _expression. "James! Such language! What *would* Stacey say? You know how she feels about such words."
"Stacey can also go fuck herself. She convinced me to have dinner with her by claiming that she *had* to talk to me in person as soon as she got into town. She just wanted to pump me for information about you. I think she's planning a comeback."
"Did you tell her that you have sex with me on a regular basis?"
"I seriously considered it." James shook his head. "I can't believe I missed the monster truck rally for dinner with *your* ex."
"I can't believe it, either." Greg gave James a once-over. "Apologize again."
"What?"
"Apologize again."
James raised his eyebrows. "I'm sorry?"
"Yes, you are." Greg reached into the pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a laminated pass on a length of cord. "They're good for another night."
James stared at the pass for a few seconds. "That's it?"
"What?"
"I lie to you to go to dinner with your ex, you give me a minor bit of shit, and now we're okay?"
"We're nowhere near okay." Greg stood up and walked over to the door.He jammed his trucker hat on his head. "But the gate opens in an hour, and we can have a proper fight when we get back."
James considered his options, then stood up and slid the pass over his head. "You don't get to throw the television."
"Says you."
END