musesandlyrics 4.1.2 "A misjudged effect."
2. "You must never underestimate the power of the eyebrow."
Jack Black
”Oh come on! It’ll be different. And fun. And I’ll clean it up once we’re done with it - I promise,” Gabriel said, a bright smile spreading across his face as he tried in vain to leak his enthusiasm of the idea over to the other men.
They were in the first officer’s cabin, where they often found themselves the times they were all of shift together, though this night hadn’t been one for truth or dare. Still though, the alcohol had flowed as always, and it was then that Gabriel had burst out with an idea that he had had in his mind for quite some time.
“Don’t be such sticks in the mud,” he said firmly as he got up from where he’d been lounging on the floor with his head in Leonard’s lap. “It’ll be fun. Jim!” He turned to the fourth man in the room then and waved his arms a bit. “Tell them that it’ll be fun.”
Jim didn’t say anything at first, just shrugged his shoulders as there was an amused smile on his face, and then took another drink from his glass. “Sure, Gabriel. Whatever you say.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes a bit like that before he moved over to give him a playful smack on the back of the head. “Oh thank you, Jim. Your help is always appreciated.”
His words were dripping with sarcasm, but his eyes were sparkling as he moved to the middle of the room.
“Just close your eyes. All of you. And stop giving me that look, Len,” he said, shooting him a pointed look in return for the one he was receiving, and with a slight smile on his face for just an instant Len closed his eyes as well.
“I’m not sure I see the point of this, Gabriel.”
He hadn’t really been expecting much other from Spock, but it still made him roll his eyes just a bit. Really, he needed to get the Vulcan to just go with the flow once in a while, but he feared that that would be one of those impossible tasks.
“It’s to help you visualize better,” he replied simply, tapping his foot impatiently, and he was quite sure that if Vulcans had been expressive, that Spock would be rolling his eyes at him as he closed them. He grinned at it though, because finally all three had their eyes closed, and he could try to convey the excitement again.
“Just imagine it. A skating rink in one of the rec rooms. It doesn’t have to be huge or anything - the ice doesn’t even have to be real, I know that there’s stuff that you can skate on with ice skates and it’s just like ice. But if we can’t get that, I’m sure we can find a way to make it work. The point being! It’ll be something different, and something I’m sure most people would think it was fun…”
Silence, and Gabriel closed his eyes, smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand.
“If you want to spend your spare time on this, Gabriel, than I approve of it.”
Gabriel whipped around and stared at Jim for a long moment, just trying to make sure whether he was kidding or not, before he moved forward to give him a tight hug.
“Thank you thank you thank you!” he exclaimed, beaming at him from where he was looming over him. “You know, for someone who claims to not like Christmas, you’re sure allowing a lot of holiday related stuff to go on. I bet you secretly love it, but just think it’s not a dude thing to like, so you pretend not to.”
Of course, he had his suspicions that Jim was really just allowing it all because of him, but he ignored those thoughts as he gave him a playful nudge. He was, after all, trying to keep things as normal as possible between all of them, and despite some things being obvious, he pretended to be completely ignorant.
Jim was staring at him, though before he could open his mouth to say anything he heard Len clear his throat behind him, and turned away to grin at him, before he burst out laughing.
“You know you two are more alike than I’m sure you want to be,” he commented at the mirrored expressions that he and Spock had on their faces. Both had their heads tilted slightly to one side, one eyebrow arched high above the other, and it was just raised higher at his statement - at least until they looked at each other. Spock’s stayed raised while Len’s face quickly turned into a scowl.
“If people get injured because of this, you’re the one who’s going to pay since I’ll be stuck in sickbay patching them up,” Len grumbled, and Gabriel struggled to not roll his eyes this time, instead going over to him to lean down to peck his lips, and then pinched a cheek.
“I think that I can live with that,” he replied brightly, and then turned his attention back to Spock, who still looked as though he was trying to figure out some mathematical equation or something of the sort. “I’m guessing you’ve never been skating?”
“ No, I cannot say that I have. I have never…” he started, but knowing that if he let him go on he would get a ten minute lecture about how skating for some reason wasn’t logical, he quickly cut him off.
“Well then when I get it up and going, I’ll be giving you lessons.” And there was the eyebrow again, but he ignored it for another bright smile, once again turning back to Len. “Come on now, I have to get up early if I want to get started with this.”
He grabbed his hand and tugged him up, arm slipping around his waist, and in return he got a disgruntled grunt and an arm around the shoulder.
“Spock, Jim - thank you for a wonderful evening. I’m sure I’ll see the both of you tomorrow.”
Len said a quick good bye as well before they exited, and immediately the arm around his shoulders slipped down a little to pull him closer. More affectionate, of sorts, and just the sort of thing that made Gabriel love the times they got to spend together alone.
“Are you going to skate with me, or just stay holed up in sickbay grumbling?” he asked softly, head resting against his, eyes closed as they walked together - they’d made the walk enough times that he knew when to turn, after all.
“I’ll see.”
That of course meant yes to Gabriel, and made a small, satisfied smile appear on his face. The reason he was doing all this after all was to recreate one of their first proper date-dates in New York, when they went skating at Rockefeller Center.
“Long as you don’t let me fall.”
He opened his eyes at that, he hadn’t exactly been expecting a verbal agreement to it, but now that he had one he smiled, and then leaned over to press a quick, soft kiss to his lips.
“You should know by now that if you do, I’ll always be here to catch you.”
That got another eyebrow raise out of him, which he was quite sure didn’t lead to the desired effect Len had wanted as he wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him closer to kiss him as the door slid open to the room they shared, and tugged him into it.
(This is definitely a set up for future fic. And none of the following are used with permission, but always love: first_donoharm, look_atthis, and sonofsarek)
Jack Black
”Oh come on! It’ll be different. And fun. And I’ll clean it up once we’re done with it - I promise,” Gabriel said, a bright smile spreading across his face as he tried in vain to leak his enthusiasm of the idea over to the other men.
They were in the first officer’s cabin, where they often found themselves the times they were all of shift together, though this night hadn’t been one for truth or dare. Still though, the alcohol had flowed as always, and it was then that Gabriel had burst out with an idea that he had had in his mind for quite some time.
“Don’t be such sticks in the mud,” he said firmly as he got up from where he’d been lounging on the floor with his head in Leonard’s lap. “It’ll be fun. Jim!” He turned to the fourth man in the room then and waved his arms a bit. “Tell them that it’ll be fun.”
Jim didn’t say anything at first, just shrugged his shoulders as there was an amused smile on his face, and then took another drink from his glass. “Sure, Gabriel. Whatever you say.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes a bit like that before he moved over to give him a playful smack on the back of the head. “Oh thank you, Jim. Your help is always appreciated.”
His words were dripping with sarcasm, but his eyes were sparkling as he moved to the middle of the room.
“Just close your eyes. All of you. And stop giving me that look, Len,” he said, shooting him a pointed look in return for the one he was receiving, and with a slight smile on his face for just an instant Len closed his eyes as well.
“I’m not sure I see the point of this, Gabriel.”
He hadn’t really been expecting much other from Spock, but it still made him roll his eyes just a bit. Really, he needed to get the Vulcan to just go with the flow once in a while, but he feared that that would be one of those impossible tasks.
“It’s to help you visualize better,” he replied simply, tapping his foot impatiently, and he was quite sure that if Vulcans had been expressive, that Spock would be rolling his eyes at him as he closed them. He grinned at it though, because finally all three had their eyes closed, and he could try to convey the excitement again.
“Just imagine it. A skating rink in one of the rec rooms. It doesn’t have to be huge or anything - the ice doesn’t even have to be real, I know that there’s stuff that you can skate on with ice skates and it’s just like ice. But if we can’t get that, I’m sure we can find a way to make it work. The point being! It’ll be something different, and something I’m sure most people would think it was fun…”
Silence, and Gabriel closed his eyes, smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand.
“If you want to spend your spare time on this, Gabriel, than I approve of it.”
Gabriel whipped around and stared at Jim for a long moment, just trying to make sure whether he was kidding or not, before he moved forward to give him a tight hug.
“Thank you thank you thank you!” he exclaimed, beaming at him from where he was looming over him. “You know, for someone who claims to not like Christmas, you’re sure allowing a lot of holiday related stuff to go on. I bet you secretly love it, but just think it’s not a dude thing to like, so you pretend not to.”
Of course, he had his suspicions that Jim was really just allowing it all because of him, but he ignored those thoughts as he gave him a playful nudge. He was, after all, trying to keep things as normal as possible between all of them, and despite some things being obvious, he pretended to be completely ignorant.
Jim was staring at him, though before he could open his mouth to say anything he heard Len clear his throat behind him, and turned away to grin at him, before he burst out laughing.
“You know you two are more alike than I’m sure you want to be,” he commented at the mirrored expressions that he and Spock had on their faces. Both had their heads tilted slightly to one side, one eyebrow arched high above the other, and it was just raised higher at his statement - at least until they looked at each other. Spock’s stayed raised while Len’s face quickly turned into a scowl.
“If people get injured because of this, you’re the one who’s going to pay since I’ll be stuck in sickbay patching them up,” Len grumbled, and Gabriel struggled to not roll his eyes this time, instead going over to him to lean down to peck his lips, and then pinched a cheek.
“I think that I can live with that,” he replied brightly, and then turned his attention back to Spock, who still looked as though he was trying to figure out some mathematical equation or something of the sort. “I’m guessing you’ve never been skating?”
“ No, I cannot say that I have. I have never…” he started, but knowing that if he let him go on he would get a ten minute lecture about how skating for some reason wasn’t logical, he quickly cut him off.
“Well then when I get it up and going, I’ll be giving you lessons.” And there was the eyebrow again, but he ignored it for another bright smile, once again turning back to Len. “Come on now, I have to get up early if I want to get started with this.”
He grabbed his hand and tugged him up, arm slipping around his waist, and in return he got a disgruntled grunt and an arm around the shoulder.
“Spock, Jim - thank you for a wonderful evening. I’m sure I’ll see the both of you tomorrow.”
Len said a quick good bye as well before they exited, and immediately the arm around his shoulders slipped down a little to pull him closer. More affectionate, of sorts, and just the sort of thing that made Gabriel love the times they got to spend together alone.
“Are you going to skate with me, or just stay holed up in sickbay grumbling?” he asked softly, head resting against his, eyes closed as they walked together - they’d made the walk enough times that he knew when to turn, after all.
“I’ll see.”
That of course meant yes to Gabriel, and made a small, satisfied smile appear on his face. The reason he was doing all this after all was to recreate one of their first proper date-dates in New York, when they went skating at Rockefeller Center.
“Long as you don’t let me fall.”
He opened his eyes at that, he hadn’t exactly been expecting a verbal agreement to it, but now that he had one he smiled, and then leaned over to press a quick, soft kiss to his lips.
“You should know by now that if you do, I’ll always be here to catch you.”
That got another eyebrow raise out of him, which he was quite sure didn’t lead to the desired effect Len had wanted as he wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him closer to kiss him as the door slid open to the room they shared, and tugged him into it.
(This is definitely a set up for future fic. And none of the following are used with permission, but always love: first_donoharm, look_atthis, and sonofsarek)