By the time Lister woke up in the morning, Rimmer had already got up and gone out. He felt a small tug of relief. He didn't particularly want to face him yet and start the whole rigmarole of arguing with him over his behaviour the previous evening. Instead he got dressed and went over to Alex's.
His roommate, 'Creepy Higgins' as they'd christened him, had moved out about a week ago; stationed on a scout mission. Alex had applied for the same one but had been turned down yet again. It was his dream to go out on one of these exploration voyages - the whole reason he'd joined the space corps. He was dying to get out and see what was really out there, to investigate the infinite possibilities of the galaxy; and the stories of those who'd done their six months on the scouters - of weeks upon weeks of crippling boredom, often discovering nothing at all and perhaps - very occasionally – a new kind of rock formation, had not put him off. It was another of the little things that often made Lister wish Alex had been part of the posse. They'd seen and done so much that he would have been thrilled with. Either way, Higgins' absence meant that he could turn up pretty much whenever he felt like it; and the two of them could do whatever they felt like doing. It was a good arrangement.
Alex opened the door with a grin; "Thought I might be seeing you this morning. I put coffee on," he told him cheerfully.
"Cheers, man. How's your head?"
"Bit sore. I'm guessing you're the same?"
"Uh-huh," Lister nodded. Alex handed him a mug of coffee and they folded up on the sofa and stuck the TV on. "Did you find out why Rimmer disappeared last night?" Alex asked eventually. Lister shook his head, "No. He was already in bed when I got back and he was gone when I woke up. To be honest, I'm not even sure if I care why he buggered off, or what he's got to say about it."
Alex regarded him carefully, "You're still pissed off?"
"No. Well...Not really." Alex just raised an eyebrow. "Alright, maybe. Sort of! I just don't understand why he has to be such a git all the time!"
"So...that's a yes, then," Alex smiled. Lister sighed and looked down at his coffee,
"I know I shouldn't let it bug me. But it does."
Alex seemed to think for a moment or two, then reach a decision. "Okay. You know what we're gonna do?"
"What?"
"We're going to forget all about Rimmer for today. Have you eaten?"
"No."
"Good. Then we'll start by going out for a really greasy hangover-curing brunch. A fry-up or cheeseburgers or something. Then we'll go the A.R. arcade and play some games until we get hungry again. Then we'll have arcade hot dogs for dinner and go out for a drink. That sound good?"
"That sounds sublime," Lister replied, a grin creeping across his face. They clinked their coffee mugs together and laughed. Lister felt better already.