FIC: Ten Rounds With Jose Cuervo

[lls_mutant]

Title: Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo
Summary: In a bar on Atlantis, Felix and the Tighs drink way too much.
Pairings: The story is gen, but the Tighs are obviously madly in love, and Felix talks about Louis
Warnings: This takes place in the The Space Between Us universe, so the warnings for that story carry over, although this piece is mostly fluff.
Prompt: for geekbynight, who asked for exactly what the summary says :) Thanks for the prompt- this is EXACTLY what I was in the mood to write last night!




I walked in...

Felix looked around. The bar was nearly empty, and he pulled up a stool. It was warm in here; the chill of the early spring air driven off by the fire in the stone fireplace at the end of room. Even without a crowd, the bar still smelled like smoke, but every now and then Felix got a whiff of the bare pine timbers that made up the walls.

"What will it be, Felix?"

Tigh was behind the bar, polishing a glass and looking too much like an archetype for Felix not to smirk. But even though the Tighs only had six liquors, that still felt like being spoiled for choice. He looked at the list. "I'll have something with gin," he said.

It was his usual order, and Tigh began to mix... whatever he put into Felix's drink. "Where's Hoshi tonight?" he asked.

"Playing Pyramid with a few of the Pegasus crowd," Felix said.

"You not playing?"

Felix snorted. "In two years, I've gotten pretty damned good at walking, but pyramid is still a bit beyond me. I was supposed to meet some people."

Tigh grunted acknowledgment and handed Felix his drink. Felix pushed a few coins across the bar, but Tigh ignored them.

"Good God, it's quiet out here." Ellen Tigh pushed the door open with her hip. "And it's going to get even quieter. I just got a message- oh, Felix. Hello."

"Hello, Ellen." It was still occasionally hard not to call her Mrs. Tigh.

"I have a message for you," Ellen said. She put a plate down in front of Tigh, and the smell of roasted meat drifted up to Felix and reminded him he hadn't bothered to eat much for dinner. "Brooks came over. He said that Hera's down with some virus, and Gabriel caught it, too. Both he and Sarah are stuck in tonight."

"Well, frak," Felix said, sighing. "I knew I should have gone home first. Now what am I going to do with my night? I was looking forward to getting drunk."

"Felix," Ellen laughed, draping an arm around Saul's shoulders, "you've come to the right place."

***

One Round

The gin drink was good as always; a slight sweetness fronting a bitter burn. Felix swallowed it appreciatively.

"Have you eaten, Felix?" Ellen asked.

"I grabbed a sandwich at that place down the street," Felix said.

"Ah, their food is barely worth eating," Tigh growled.

"No kidding," Ellen agreed. She disappeared through the door, and Felix caught sight of the small kitchen. There wasn't much in terms of ovens; most people did their cooking over a firepit. She returned bearing a ceramic plate loaded with meat and bread and a soft cheese. "Much better," she said, putting it down in front of Felix. "And eat it all," she warned him. "You're going to need it."

Felix dug in his pocket. "I should pay you."

"Put it away," Tigh ordered him. "One thing I know hasn't changed; teachers still get paid shit."

"Besides," Ellen insisted, leaning her forearms on the bar, "you're like family."

"But you're running a business-"

"Is that your problem?" Ellen went over to the door and hung the closed sign out. "There. Not tonight. You're our guest." Tigh nodded.

Felix tried to tell himself that the warmth in his chest was from the gin.


***

Two Rounds

"So I went into the room, and what did I find but the cow!" Ellen's eyes were comically wide as Felix and Tigh laughed. "Well, really," she said. "What could I do? I asked him if he wanted any milk."

Felix laughed until his sides were sore. "If I'm not careful, I'm going to fall off the stool," he said.

"That's nothing," Ellen said. "Saul, tell him about the horse and the prostitute."

"I need another drink for that one," Tigh said. He looked at Felix's empty glass. "And so do you."

Felix didn't argue.

***

Three Rounds

"Do you remember," Felix began, "back before the Cylons hit, when Dee and Boomer took naked pictures of all the pilots?"

"I still think Skulls posed," Tigh laughed.

"Wait. I didn't hear about this!" Ellen protested. She turned to Tigh accusingly. "Why didn't I hear about this?"

"Good God, woman, do you think I was going to let you near a pile of pictures of naked young studs?"

"They were good pictures, too," Felix said wistfully. "Dee always had an eye for... art."

"Were you in there?" Tigh asked.

"Much to my great offense, no," Felix admitted. "They said I wasn't the right type."

"Well, they missed out," Ellen said consolingly, patting Felix on the arm. Tigh looked vaguely repulsed, but nodded anyway.

"Oh well," Felix sighed. "I think they just circulated them to girls anyway. Can I have another drink?"

***

Four Rounds

"Well, she managed to punch Wayback out," Tigh argued.

Felix sighed. "Amazing, isn't it, how so many Galactica stories feature Starbuck?"

"You two never got along much, did you?" Tigh asked.

Felix snorted. "Did you think we would?"

"No. You had a stick up your ass and she was a frak-up and proud of it."

Felix looked at the bar. The whorls in the wood were marred by the condensation rings from numerous glasses. "Was she like that on Earth?" he asked.

"Worse," Ellen admitted. "There were days that Saul and I thought we were the worst parents on Earth."

"We probably were," Tigh grunted.

"She was difficult," Ellen admitted. "Rebellious. She and Saul used to fight all the time. He hated the way she dressed. Like a hooker, I believe was the phrase."

"Let me guess," Felix drawled, "she told him that he would know."

"You always were a smart boy, Felix," Ellen said with a smirk. The smirk faded into a soft smile. "But they had their moments. Especially when the piano was involved." She nodded over to the corner.

"I saw you got Joe's piano," Felix said. "Do either of you play?"

"Only when I don't think too hard about it," Tigh said. "Guess I used to, but I still don't remember much of it."

"Too bad," Felix sighed wistfully.

"He can play when he gets drunk," Ellen said.

"Oh. Well, then. Should we have another?

***

Five Rounds

"So when," Ellen said, her voice sounding more salacious now and her words holding the slightest trace of a slur, "are you going to make an honest man out of Louis Hoshi?"

"No kidding," Tigh agreed. "We all thought you'd get married as soon as you could."

"I don't know," Felix admitted. "We said when the house got done."

"Well, kiddo, the house is done," Tigh said.

"It's only been done for two months."

"What's with the feet dragging?"

"Why not?"

"You need an order, Gaeta?"

"You going to give me one? Marry that man or I'll airlock you?"

"If it gets your ass in gear, I will. I can't imagine what either of you would be waiting for."

Ellen had been looking back and forth between them, like a cat watching a game of tennis. "Well," she said, when Felix picked up his glass instead of arguing, "it's nice to see you arguing for marriage for once, Saul. Makes a girl feel like you care, thinking it's a good thing."

"Yeah, well it would be for this bastard," Tigh said, gesturing at Felix. "Just because it was a bad idea for Kara doesn't mean it's a bad idea for everyone else. Gods, you two should have tied the knot ages ago."

"We had our reasons," Felix said primly, and extended his glass.

Ellen refilled it. "We all do, sweetie."

***

Six Rounds

"I should have been there."

"What?" Tigh's one-eyed gaze was looking blurrier, but Felix couldn't look at him. He just stared at the bar.

"I should have been there. I should have stopped them. Louis never should have had to go through that."

"Stop it right there," Tigh ordered. "There's no room in this life for that kind of talk, you got that? Because I was there, son. I was the first person who saw him after they raped him. And I couldn't stop it either. And if you don't think that doesn't haunt me..." he trailed off.

"But you're not the one in love with him," Felix protested.

"No. I was just his commanding officer. Besides, it's not like you were on vacation or something. If memory serves, you were on that damned Colony being tortured."

"I know." There was a tightness in Felix's chest that he'd thought the liquor would have chased away. "But I can't forget it, that maybe it could have been different."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't. Is this why you're dragging your feet?" Tigh demanded. Felix didn't answer. "Well, frak that. Never took you for a coward, Gaeta."

"Sure you did," Felix said sulkily.

"No. Agreed with Starbuck about you having a stick up your ass, thought you were a boot-licker and a brown-noser, thought you were a collaborator, but not a coward. You don't go through with marrying this man because you're afraid of what's going to happen to either of you, then you're the worst kind of coward there is."

Felix looked down, his eyes burning.

"Look, son," Tigh said, leaning in. "I'm not any good at this, but I can say that you know what's going to make you happy, and you can't just throw it away because it might break some day. You got it? I know. I did it once."

I killed Ellen. He didn't say the words, but all three of them felt them. Felix looked up and nodded.

Ellen cleared her throat. "When you finally do get married, you be sure to tell us," she said. "Because you think you're drunk now, we're going to really drink then. Speaking of which...."

***

Seven Rounds

Then you want me to compromise
To sell out my dreams, you say you'll make it worth while
Oh, boys, will you drink to me now?
Here on the hill, halfway up, halfway down.
Oh, boys, will you drink to me now?
Here on the hill, halfway up, halfway down...

The bar resonated with the thundering piano and three boisterous voices.

"Come on," Felix urged as the music died away. "You must know The Hedgehog Can't be Buggered."

"Can't say I've ever heard of it," Tigh admitted from his seat on the piano.

Ellen grinned evilly. "But I'll bet I can make up some words."

***

Eight Rounds

"Sit," Tigh ordered Felix. Felix obeyed, if nothing else because he was going to fall over. "All right," Tigh said. He pointed to a key in front of Felix. "This is a C. You got that?"

"C. Got it, sir."

"Pinky there. And then hands go like this. See?"

"Yes, sir. C?"

"No, see."

"That's what I said. C."

"No, not the note C, "see" like with your eyes."

"Aye, sir."

"Gaeta, shut the frak up and let me teach you the piano, will you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now this is the C."

***

Nine Rounds

The Tighs had gotten a real toilet. Felix gripped the porcelain, hoping that he was done.

Nope.

"Oh, Felix," Ellen sighed. "Guess I'd better get you some water, and some bread. I think you're going to have one hell of a hangover."

***

Ten Rounds

The settlement was quiet. Here and there there were lights, but for the most part, it was dark. Tigh guided the flashlight unsteadily.

"Thanks for walking me home," Felix said, leaning heavily on Tigh's arm. "I'm not sure I could do it alone."

"A sure sign you're drunk," Tigh muttered. "Didn't think I'd ever hear that confession from you."

"Yeah, well." Felix had to concentrate more on keeping his balance on the prosthetic. "Will you get back home okay?"

"Sure, because I'm going to sleep on your couch tonight, and you're going to give me breakfast before I leave."

"Yes, sir."

"Would you stop that?"

"Yes, sir." Felix grinned into the darkness. But the grin faded fast. Already, his head was starting to pound. But they were by the stream now, the one that led out to the banks where their house stood on the same side as the Zareks', across from Sarah and Jesse and Todd and Jim. Felix felt like he was going home.

But of course, he was.

"I was serious, you know," Tigh said suddenly.

"About what?"

"If you want to learn the piano. I'll try to teach you. You obviously understand music."

Felix thought about it. "Yeah. All right."

"Good. And you can teach me physics."

"Sir?" In his drunken shock, the address was automatic.

He saw Tigh grin in the faint light. "Apparently I was one hell of a scientist," he said. "But try as I can, I can't remember that at all. Maybe bringing back some of the science will bring back some of the memories."

"We can try," Felix agreed.

The light was still on in the window of the small cabin that was now home. Louis was probably in bed, Felix realized, but the light made him smile all the same. They made it to the door, and Felix fumbled for his key.

"Nice place you've made," Tigh said when Felix opened the door.

"Thanks." It was smaller than a lot of places, but Felix hadn't realized how much they'd succeeded in making it cozy and comfortable until he saw it through Tigh's eyes. "The couch thing there is pretty comfortable," he said, pointing. "And our bathroom is through there."

"Great. Go sleep. I can take care of myself."

"All right. There's a cup in the cupboard if you want some water."

"Thanks, Gaeta. Have a good night."

"You, too. And Colonel? Thanks for everything tonight."

"Yeah, well, take it seriously. I meant everything I said."

"I know."

"And stop calling me Colonel, sir, or anything else but Saul or Tigh. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," Felix said, and barely evaded the smack upside the head Tigh sent in his direction. He made his way out of the living area and back through the doorway to the bedroom.

Louis was stretched out under the covers on the big rush-filled mattress that made their bed, sound asleep, his back wedged firmly against the wall. He only stirred when Felix finally slipped into bed beside him.

"Hey, baby," he murmured sleepily. "You home?"

"I'm home," Felix said, sliding over and kissing Louis on the cheek. "Have a good night?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Yeah. Hey, Louis?"

"Yeah?"

"We need to talk in the morning."

Louis opened his eyes more fully. "Something wrong?"

"Yeah. We're not married yet."

"Oh." A smile tugged on Louis's lips, and as Felix slid closer he slipped his arm around his waist. "Yeah. We have to talk in the morning."

"Good. Good night. Love you."

"Yeah. Love you, too."

Felix passed out.