Disclaimer: The TV show Dark Angel, all of the characters that appeared on it (Max, Alec, Mole, etc.), and everything else that has to do with the show belong to their respective owners, not to me. No money is being made off of this fic. I only own the original characters.
Notes: Takes place some time after the end of season 2.
"Great," Alec muttered. "Just perfect. This couldn't be better." He ran around his apartment, frantically trying to find his remote control. I finally manage to sneak a good TV in here and what do I do? Lose the stupid remote. I know that I had the thing when I brought the set in here. Damn! He frowned and flopped down on the couch, only to jump up in pain. He turned around and glared murderously at the remote, which was sticking out from between cushions. Oh, of course. That makes perfect sense.
"There better be something decent on," he said to himself as he hit the power button on the remote. Nothing happened and Alec rolled his eyes. "Oh, of course." He tried again and got the same result. He looked down and his eyes widened in surprise and frustration. I was holding the thing upside down? What has gotten into my head this morning? He flipped the remote around, turned on the TV, and flipped through the channels until he found a cartoon that he liked before getting up and making his way into the kitchen. Whatever it is, please let it be something that coffee will cure. Alec started to make the coffee and while it was brewing, his cell phone rang. He checked the number before answering it.
"Yeah, I'm awake," he said. "What do you want, Max?"
"I just wanted to remind you about the meeting this morning at nine," Max said. "What jumped up your butt?"
Alec shrugged. "This hasn't been the greatest of mornings for me so far, Max. Oh, hold on a sec. Coffee's ready." He quickly shut off the coffee maker, grabbed a mug, and poured himself a cup. He added some cream and sugar and took a deep breath. "That's more like it. Here's to the people who aren't like you and need this every morning to wake themselves up." He started to drink some down before suddenly spitting it back out and gasping. "Oh, damn it."
"Are you okay?" Max asked.
"I just burned my tongue on the coffee," Alec said.
"What?"
"I said…I…burned…my…tongue…on…the…coffee," Alec said slowly. "My tongue feels like somebody scrubbed it with a piece of sandpaper that was lit on fire."
"Ouch," Max said. "Put some ice on it or something. I've got to go. I've got about a billion things to get done. I'll see you at the meeting, okay? Take care of yourself."
"That seems to be a tall order this morning," Alec said dryly. "See you later, Max." He disconnected the phone and picked up his coffee mug and glared at what remained of the coffee. "Why can't you play nice with me today?" He sighed and finished the drink, careful not to burn his tongue any further. He tossed the mug into the sink and flopped back onto the couch and focused his attention back on the cartoons. Pretty soon, he was laughing and enjoying himself. This is more like it. He relaxed and continue to devote his attention to the TV, sighing in annoyance when his phone rang again. He got up and answered it.
"You know, my morning was actually starting to look up," he said.
"Think again, Alec." There was no mistaking the annoyance in Max's voice. "The meeting's starting in exactly two minutes. I thought that you were going to get here a little early to help me go over the agenda. Where the hell are you?"
"Oh, shit!" Alec swore. "I'll be there in five, Max." He quickly disconnected, threw on a shirt, and jammed his sneakers on before racing out the door and blurring over to the main building. He found the conference room where the meeting was going to be held and stood there for a few seconds to catch his breath before talking. "Sorry I'm late." Alec noticed the odd looks that he was getting from most of the other transgenics in the room. "What?"
"Um, Alec?" Max said. She looked amused and was actually blushing slightly. She pointed to his waist. "Are you missing something?"
"Not that I know—" Alec looked down and stopped speaking the instant that he saw what Max was talking about. The only thing, other than his socks and sneakers, that he was wearing from the waist down were the boxers that he'd been given a few months before at Valentine's Day as a gag gift. His jaw hit the floor. What the hell? I forgot to put my jeans on? Oh, this is super!
Mole snickered. "Nice heart boxers, pretty boy."
"They were the only clean pair I had left," Alec said, glaring at him.
Max looked at the pile of notes in front of her and shrugged. "We don't have that much to go over this morning, so I think we can put this off until ten and give Alec a chance to throw some pants on. I'll see you guys in a few." The transgenics in the room started to leave until only Max and Alec were left. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, it's just one of those mornings," Alec said, sighing dejectedly. He turned around and started to walk away. Yeah, God bless Murphy's Law. This is just great. Well, since the meeting is postponed for a bit, I might as well ask Max what's gonna be on the agenda. He turned around to face Max again and to his surprise, Max was looking downwards in the direction of his ass. She covered it up quickly, but not quickly enough for Alec to miss it. He grinned. "Enjoying the view, Maxie?"
"Who said that I was looking?" Max said defensively.
"Actions speak louder than words," he said teasingly. He smiled. "I'll see you later and I swear that I will be early this time to help you sort your stuff before the meeting."
"Gotcha," Max said. "Catch you later, Alec."
"Later, Max," Alec replied. He turned around again, once more catching Max sneaking a peek at his butt as he walked away. He grinned once more. Maybe this day won't be so bad after all.