(no subject)

[the_reapers]

He forgets, often, that Gabe can't read texts. He takes for granted that Gabe can get them read to him by an app or an onlooker.

So it's late at night, beyond midnight, when he texts, "I'm about to be arrested you down to pick me up? I got cash to bail me out at my apartment."

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[minuteofangle]

“Home,” Gabe says firmly, because sometimes you really do have to work to keep Austin on track. In the field, he’s fine. Out of it?

He sighs a little.

“C’mon. We’ll get beer. We can order some food, yeah?”

[the_reapers]

"Oh yeah I got plenty of beer! I got one that's spicy, made me think of you," he says. He's easily distracted but easy to redirect as well. "What kinda food you thinking? I could eat a goddamn horse."

[minuteofangle]

“Spicy beer?” Gabe whistles. “All right, that I gotta try. C’mon, let’s get some curry. That place Carver told us about, remember, with all the good bread?”

It’ll be good to get some food into Austin. Keep him focused while he comes down.

[the_reapers]

"Hey yeah!" He loves bread, could eat nothing but naan and be happy. "Is that the place with the belly dancers? Hey you could be one, I bet, I seen you move your hips," he bumps against Gabe's hips with his own. "We should dance with them."

[minuteofangle]

“I,” Gabe drawls, “could never be a belly dancer. You wanna know why? I’d be too damn sexy. Nobody’d ever recover.”

[the_reapers]

"Aw come on," he turns to Gabe, takes a hand on his hip, moving his own hips, coaxing Gabe to do the same. "Dance, man! It's good for you! Melt my brain with your heat!"

[minuteofangle]

“Home,” Gabe replies firmly, though he smiles. “We’re going home, we’re getting food, and if you still wanna, I’ll show you how to dance.”

[the_reapers]

Austin gives him a cheer and starts them walking again. "I'll still want it," he warns him. "You got dancing feet, Fifty, I can't just forget that. Gotta see you in action."

A bicycle driven rickshaw with Christmas lights and hip hop music playing rides past and Austin whistles at it to stop. "Hey! Let's ride in style. This bike trailer is pink, man!"

[minuteofangle]

It never stops, does it? Austin’s always going a hundred miles an hour, bouncing from thought to thought. It’s never malicious, not as long as Gabe’s known him, but the kid’s always getting caught up in some nonsense or another.

“Okay, okay. But no stops,” Gabe warns. “We’re going straight home.”

[the_reapers]

"Okay okay! I'll get my swedish fish tomorrow." He puts Gabe in first then climbs aboard, grinning so much it stains his whole voice. "Take me home, good man!" He relays his address and as they ride he taps out the beat of the music on his legs--then on Gabe's too, making their laps into a drum table.

If nothing else it stops him getting distracted again, and they make it to the motel, and Austin runs inside for his wallet. Still floating on molly he hugs the rickshaw driver and gives him a ninety dollar tip--everything in his billfold.

"Gabe! Let's get some curry, I'm starving!"

[minuteofangle]

On and on it goes, Austin never slowing it stopping, not even for a second. But his good mood is infectious and Gabe doesn’t even care about the music or the drumming, or the fact Austin gave up what sounds the entire content of his wallet to the driver. He just sighs and steers Austin back toward the room. “We’re ordering in,” he replies firmly. He’ll pay for it, he’s got a credit card. “You promised me beer, remember?”

[the_reapers]

"I got a ton of beer, let's get drunk!" He guides Gabe inside and to the little mini fridge, guiding Gabe's hands to orient him so he can feel free to grab one whenever he wants.

"Okay we have ales here, a stout here, this is your spicy beer, and these are peach."

[minuteofangle]

"The E's treating you real good, huh?" Gabe teases. But he takes a beer for himself, popping the cap with a sigh. "All right, I'll try the spicy one. Then a stout. What're you going for?"

[the_reapers]

"A pale ale!" he crows, grabbing one and popping the top. He chugs it down, parched from the drugs. "Get me some good good curry. What's the kind Carver always gets?"

[minuteofangle]

"Get some water with that too, would you?" Gabe drawls, amused. But he tries a sip of the spicy beer, not sure exactly what to expect. To his surprise, it doesn't burn immediately. He thinks he can taste peppers, though, and something warm and full. "Okay, that's not bad. And he always gets the tikka masala."

[the_reapers]

"Yeah...yeah that's what I want," he grabs a glass from the bathroom counter and chugs water from the tap. "Hey thanks for bailing me out."

[minuteofangle]

In a minute, Gabe will get his phone out and order them some grub. Lots of it, he thinks; they've got money now. There's no reason not to splurge. For now, he just takes his beer and his cane and flops down on the nearest bed with a sigh. "No problem, man."

He tilts his head toward Austin. "There a reason you called me and not the others?"

[the_reapers]

"Yeah. I figured you wouldn't yell at me for sleeping on a park bench." He sips his water. "I didn't want Carver to think I can't take care of myself. And Shaw, she'd think I was going back to being homeless."

[minuteofangle]

"Not gonna yell at you for that," Gabe agrees. It wouldn't solve anything, would probably just make the whole situation awkward and uncomfortable for everyone. He just sips his beer and settles back against the headboard. "But I gotta ask why you were doing E in the park."

[the_reapers]

"'Cause." His mood drops a little. He picks up another beer. "It's Alana's birthday today. And she's in Colorado and baby mama won't let me talk to her on the phone. I was sick of feeling down about shit I can't change."

[minuteofangle]

Ah. Gabe sips his beer and nods just once, accepting that. "Okay," he says after a moment. "But maybe next time, you give me a call and we'll do some E - just not in the park, okay?"

[the_reapers]

"It just sucks," he says, and crawls onto the foot of the bed, sprawling out and rubbing the fabric of the comforter. "But yeah. I can do that. I really do like that squirrel though. I bet if I had a fucking squirrel baby Rochelle would let me show Alana."

[minuteofangle]

Gabe sighs and takes another long swig of beer before setting it aside and starting to pull his boots off. It's that sort of moment. "Where'd you two meet, anyway?"

Better to keep Austin talking. Get him distracted from the bad shit none of them can change.

"I'll take some E if you've got any left," Gabe adds. It's been a while but he likes how it feels. The way you just float.

[the_reapers]

"Yeah yeah, I got you, man," he digs under the bed in a box and comes back with a little yellow pill. "Here."

He lays down beside Gabe. "I met her in high school. She was the first girl I ever slept with. But she flipped when I enlisted."

[minuteofangle]

"Mhmm." Gabe presses it to his tongue, settling back against the pillows with a sigh. It's that sort of moment, isn't it? "What's she like?"