Title: Purr
Fandom: Dark Angel
Characters/Pairing(s): Max, Joshua, Logan, Alec, pre-Alec/Logan
Rating: PG
Warnings: NA, Unbeta'd
Word Count: 1,147
Words/Prompts Used: cat nap, cat's out of the bag
AN: Written for
gameofcards Team Clubs. Note un'beta'd & that it's been a long time since I wrote anything, especially in DA.
1/1
Max knocked adding her voice, “Knock knock” as she unlocked and opened the door to walk in with Joshua trailing behind her. Scanning the room she looked around for Logan. Not finding him she called out, “Logan…”
A door opened. Standing in the doorway, Logan lifted his hand to his lips, “Shush”
When Logan didn’t move, Max became curious and walked over to see what the fuss was about. There she peeked inside the room and gasped at the sight.
It was Alec, curled up on the bed sound asleep.
She raised an eyebrow wondering, one, why Alec was asleep, and two, more importantly in Logan’s bedroom in Logan’s bed.
She couldn’t decide if she should be angry or annoyed, so she felt both. The reality was she shouldn’t be feeling anything, since she and Logan, were no longer an item, and haven’t been together in long time. They had called it quits years ago and she had moved on. In her heart of hearts, Max had no regrets. Although her love for Logan altered, the strength of that love and friendship never wavered.
Yet seeing Alec there, her lieutenant, in Logan’s bed, a place she had never occupied. Max couldn’t deny in that very moment all she saw was red. Closing her eyes Max took a deep breath. She knew if she didn’t a handle on this right here, right now then there would be no way she’d be able to hide her thoughts from Logan or even the more perspective Joshua over the fact that she was for all intent purposes, jealous.
Above her, she heard Joshua’s whispered voice and the jovialness as he spoke. “Alec, taking a cat nap?”
Logan chuckled, and added softly. “You can say that. He got in late this morning after pulling a seventy-two hour shift.”
Without thought Max barked out. “What the hell, why would he do that? He wasn’t scheduled.”
They each turned toward Alec, and waited. Alec didn’t nothing but snuggle further against the pillows.
Finally Logan exhaled then shrugged, “Said he was helping out a friend. To be honest I thought it was for you.”
Max shook her head, and whispered back. “I never asked him to…” Abruptly she shut her mouth, recalling how Mole and Feyd were suddenly free to go away. She knew they had gotten someone to cover their shifts; she just had no idea Alec was the one who had come to their rescue.
Feeling slightly vindicated, Max added for good measure. “Hmmm, well just know I didn’t ask or order Alec to do any work outside of his usual shifts.”
“I see.” Logan nodded and smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. In fact, Logan looked more troubled then before.
“Wait a minute, what’s going on Logan?” Then she looked over at Alec then back to Logan. “Something going on between you two? Did you have a fight?”
Logan looked up startled, “What? Are you kidding me, me and Alec? Max you’re looking at this all wrong. I just gave Alec the bed to sleep.”
Yet the way Logan said it trying to deny what she could clearly see in the depth of the man’s eyes baffled her. Max knew there was something there between them, at least there was for Logan. Her eyes shifted back to Alec, wondering. Even as it crossed her mind, she had no doubt that Alec would be interested in Logan. Why not, Logan was easy on the eyes, intelligent with a quick wit. Plus she already knew that Alec was a man of diversity and enjoyed men as much as he did women.
“Right so you just gave up your bed…”
“Like I said he just finished a seventy-two shift. Besides at his place the roof is leaking - it was the least I could do.”
Joshua sniffed the air, and wrinkled his nose before he said, “Wet cat.”
Max and Logan stared up at the dog-man.
“Yes, okay, maybe we should go…” and he held out his arm hoping she’d take his direction to move back into the living room.
Max didn’t budge and stared him down; she wasn’t having it and crossed her arms. “No, not until you tell me what’s going on.”
“There’s nothing going on…”
“Yeah, I can see that now. The question is, why not? You obvious care for him, and he you, otherwise he wouldn’t be curled up in your bed, purring.”
Logan’s mouth dropped open and turned toward the man on his bed.
“Happy cats purr.”
Max smiled at that because it was true. It wasn’t that she had a lot of experience being happy, but these days, she could honestly say she was getting a taste of happiness. It was something she wouldn’t want to deny or intrude upon anyone else’s happiness. Max glanced back at Alec, although he was exhausted Alec was still an X5, meaning apart of him knew and was aware they were standing in the entry of the door. Yet he still felt safe and protected enough to purr in peaceful content. Suddenly her instincts screamed that Alec was fully aware of his feelings for Logan, and Logan’s for Alec - Alec was giving Logan time to figure it out… or for some reason Logan was tripping over his own feet to not get involved with Alec.
“Alright the cat’s out of the bag, and to quote Joshua, you two need to get busy. Isn’t that right big guy?”
Apparently pleased with Max’s pronouncement, Joshua grinned, and uttered a small bark as he pumped his fist.
“I’ll give you guys seventy-two hours to get things on track. I’ll call, but expect you to be ready to go over these reports by then. And Alec…”
There was no response, but the steady purring ceased, “Try not to break each other. Alight I’m outta here, come on Joshua let’s blaze.”
Logan started to sputter, “What, Max you got this all…
Max turned and faced Logan. “Logan, trust yourself, trust Alec. He’s not me and he’s not going to break your heart - in fact, I’m betting he’ll mend the damage I did, if you give him a chance.” Gently with as much force as she could Max pushed him inside the room, stumbling toward the bed.
Abruptly she turned around and pushed Joshua out and closed the door behind her. “Come on big fella, let’s go, before they start doing things I don’t want to hear…”
“Max rather watch?”
Max caught her step and just shook her head even as she felt the tinge of red heat flaming her face. At the front door, Max stood there and held it open. Trying and failing to avoid looking at the dog-man. As he passed her she muttered under her breath, “You know sometimes you really are a dog.”
Without missing a beat he happily added, “And first!”
Fin~