Viper - The Morning After

Alex = Viper
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What the hell was that racket?


Alex opened his eyes, realizing that he had dozed off at some point that early morning, his feet propped up on the raised hearth of the outdoor fireplace and comfortably reclined in Derek's expensive deck chair.

Derek.


The surfer was similarly positioned in a chair next to him, his eyes closed, still sleeping. A faint smile graced Alex's lips at the sight. Damn, that man was cute.


The obnoxious noise started up again and this time Alex recognized it for what it was - his cell phone. He checked his watch - 9:54 AM - and answered the phone.

"Al - Viper."

"Hey, it's Strat. Look, I know you're still recovering from that last assignment, but we need you for debrief. Can you get here soon?"

Alex groaned and stood up, shooting an irritated look towards the sky where the clouds from the previous night had broken up, leaving large swathes of bright blue visible. The sun was already climbing towards the highest point in the sky.

"Yeah," he sighed finally. "I can be there within the hour."

"Good, good." The man on the other end of the line sounded distracted.

"Later."

Alex hung up the phone and looked at Derek again. The man was out cold and he felt bad just leaving him there, but Alex knew he'd feel worse for waking him, so he slipped quietly into the kitchen and hunted up a scrap of paper and a pen. He scratched out a quick note, slipped it under Derek's wine glass, and check his phone. Time to call a cab. Alex needed a shower and caffeine before meeting the idiots.

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When Derek woke, he immediately noticed that Alex was gone. But before the disappointment smothered him, he noticed a note fluttering in the light breeze, tucked under his wine glass.

Hey. Sorry to take off without saying goodbye. Work called, and I had to go in for a while. I had a great time last night, but maybe you'll let me take you out on a proper date tonight. Let me know.
--Alex


A ten digit phone number followed his name. Derek smiled, folded the note, and pushed it into his pocket. He had a meeting with his manager that evening, but Mark be damned. A hot, single, mysterious, government employee carrying a gun wanted to take him and Alex was going to go. Mark would just have to deal.