Work Text:
Hell or High Water
By Perpetual Motion
"..and then I said, 'Come hell or high water, I'm gonna make you love me.....'"
Tyler sent a mouthful of beer spewing across the table. He coughed a couple of times as he laughed into his arms. "You said this to a *monk*?"
"Ex-monk." Gabe looked somewhere between amused at Tyler's reaction and a little pissed that his friend wasn't offering any advice or condolences past giggling like a twelve-year-old.
"How drunk *were* you?"
"I was lit like a Christmas tree." Gabe gave up on being pissed and decided to be amused. He laughed a little. "I'm never taking someone I find attractive out to get drunk again."
Tyler grinned at him as he took a careful, small sip of his beer. "Aw, come on, it couldn't be that bad."
"I haven't heard from him since." Gabe glanced at the slightly stained and dirty calendar that was hanging over the bar in front of them. "That was three weeks ago. He's probably shacked up with some non-drunk female who's showing him the wonders of womanly love."
"And how drunk are you now?"
Gabe threw a coaster at Tyler with a grin. "Shut up."
*
Judson was still up when Gabe came back to the ship. He watched him come down the stairs to the galley with a noticeable sway in his step. "Aspirin and water are on the counter."
"Thanks." Gabe patted Judson on the back as he passed. "I'm not overly drunk."
Judson watched him take the Aspirin and water without having to concentrate to do it. "I can tell. Have a good time?"
"Yeah. Good to see Tyler again. He says hi." Gabe opened the fridge and pulled out leftovers of some kind. He opened the lid and tossed the container in the microwave. "Where's Mac?"
"Met some guy in town today. She's off romancing him."
Gabe grinned. "Poor bastard." They laughed. "What are you doing up?"
"Researching and listening to your instant messenger ping about every five minutes."
"You could have turned it off. I forgot it was on."
"I was going to, but then I saw it was John, and told him you'd be back in late."
Gabe froze with his hand halfway to opening a bottle of water. "What'd he say?"
Judson looked up from the book he was reading and bit back a smile at the wide-eyed, half-scared look Gabe had on his face. "He said he'd wait. Said he really needed to talk to you." Judson watched Gabe put down the water like it was going to shatter if he wasn't *very* careful. "Gabe, you okay?"
"Yeah, fine, just a little spooked."
"Spooked?"
"I was just telling Tyler the whole drunken story tonight."
Judson grinned. "Must be fate."
"Yeah." Gabe picked his water bottle back up and walked to the living room where his laptop was set up. The IM program was blinking blue at the bottom of the screen. Gabe clicked on it with a bit of trepidation.
TheFourthMonkey: Gabe, you back yet?
He took a deep breath and typed:
AdventureBoy: I'm back.
TheFourthMonkey: Hi.
AdventureBoy: Hi.
There was a couple minutes pause as Gabe waited for John to type back.
TheFourthMonkey: You got a new nickname.
~Ah, random, pointless chatting.~
AdventureBoy: Yeah. Mac changed it. Yours is different, too.
TheFourthMonkey: Well, I speak now. And I've always heard and seen evil, so it seemed I should be the fourth monkey.
AdventureBoy: Was there ever a fourth monkey?
TheFourthMonkey: I don't know, but I think, if there was, it probably would have been the one to see, hear, and speak everything.
AdventureBoy: Probably. How are you?
TheFourthMonkey: Pretty well. I'm in Vermont.
Gabe choked on his water and had to lean back to keep from coughing water onto the computer. ~Vermont? Vermont!~
AdventureBoy: How'd you end up in Vermont?
Gabe waited so long for a response he thought John had signed off.
AdventureBoy: John?
TheFourthMonkey: Do you mind if I call?
~Mind? Why would I mind? You haven't gotten in contact with me in almost a *month*.~
AdventureBoy: You can call. Do you remember my cell number?
TheFourthMonkey: Yeah. I'll call in a minute.
AdventureBoy: Okay.
Gabe stood up from his laptop and realized Judson was standing in the doorway. "What's up?"
"Was going to ask you the same question." Judson grinned. "You look a little nervous."
"He's about to call." Gabe pulled his cell out of his pocket and looked at it like it might bite. "He's here in Vermont."
"Speaking of fate." Judson grinned wider at the look Gabe gave him. "Good luck."
"Thanks." Gabe walked up to the deck and paced back and forth until his cell rang. "Hello?" ~God, sound a little desperate, nervous, and excited why don't you?~
"Hi, Gabe."
Gabe bit his lip at John's voice in his ear. ~God, he's *way* to sexy.~ "Hey."
"It's been awhile."
~No shit.~ "Yeah. What are you doing in Vermont?" Gabe tried to wait through the long pause that followed, but he lost patience. A month of wondering if he'd completely fucked up with his drunken declarations of love was to much. "Let me guess, you've been following me like a good little adventure groupie." The sarcasm in his voice was thick.
There was nervous laughter on the other end of the line, and John sounded sheepish when he answered, "actually...yes."
Gabe stopped his pacing up and down the deck and nearly fell flat on his face from the abrutness of it. "What?"
"I've been keeping track of you. Not following, exactly, more watching where you're going and deciding what sounds like it'd be fun to visit."
Gabe was at a loss for words. He settled for an old standard. "What?"
"Oh, hell, it sounds like I'm stalking you." John sighed over the phone. "I'm not really. It's just, I visited the website you set up to see where you were going occasionally, and I traveled to some of those places because they interested me. You being there was just kind of a side note. I didn't watch you from dark corners or follow you through alleys or anything. I swear."
"I haven't heard from you in a month." ~Oh, great, now I sound like someone's mother.~
"I know. I know. I just...I needed some time after what you said to me."
Gabe winced. "Yeah. That."
"That."
They were silent for a moment before John spoke in a whisper, "I'm flattered, you know."
"You haven't been acting like it." ~Great, now I sound petulant.~
"I know." John took a deep breath. "I was a monk for a long time, Gabe. Having sexual feelings and not feeling guilty about it is still fairly new to me. I just needed a little time."
~Think before you speak. Think before you speak.~ "What do you mean 'needed'?"
"Look over at the pier."
Gabe turned to his left and looked on the pier. He could vaguely see a man on a motorcycle talking on a cell phone. "How long have you been sitting there?"
"Long enough. Permission to come aboard?"
Gabe felt himself grinning. "Granted." He watched the as John turned on the bike and carefully drove it down the pier and onto the deck next to his feet. "Hey."
"Hey." John pushed his hair out of his face, leaned in, and kissed Gabe. He pulled away with a smile. "You don't need hell or high water. You'll do just fine."
END
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