TITLE: Why Getting Drunk Is Very Bad

AUTHOR: Vixen

Email: geneticziggy@yahoo.com

FANDOM: Mutant X

PAIRING: Adam/Mason

RATING: R

STATUS: Complete

ARCHIVE: WWOMB. Anybody else, just ask.

FEEDBACK: Yes. geneticziggy@yahoo.com

SERIES: Not really a series, more of a story arc. Prequel to my fic "Strange Days", and possible sequel to "Dead End".

WEBSITE: http://wishfamily.org/mutantx/genesecurity.html (Genetic Security)

DISCLAIMER: Own none, sue none. Okay, I own the girls in this fic that you don't know. They're annoying and bitchy, so if you want 'em, take 'em.

Why Getting Drunk Is Very Bad
by Vixen

He was actually getting drunk with Mason Eckhart. Just like old times. Adam glanced at the waitress as she walked by, smiling at the look on Mason's face. "Thinking about getting laid tonight, Mace?" he slurred.

Mason's eyes met his. He was more sober than Adam, but not much more. "Not with that young woman, if that's what you're asking." He smiled softly after a moment, the alcohol having stripped away his sense of self-preservation. "You?"

Adam shook his head. "Not really. But... there's," he paused as he burped, "a nice-looking woman over there."

Mason followed Adam's gaze towards an older woman sitting in a corner booth. "Trippy," he murmured as he turned back to his only friend. "Trippy?"

Mason blinked in surprise. "What?"

"You said 'trippy'," Adam replied.

"I did not." Mason motioned at the waitress to bring him another drink. He was certainly enjoying his short break from his plastic-like skin, thanks to Adam. He couldn't really remember how he'd
suckered Adam into helping him, but he was thankful for it.

Adam gave a small giggle as he said, "You're still stuck in the 70's!"

Mason knit his brow and stared at Adam intently. "No, I am not."

"Yes, you are."

"No."

Adam motioned over to the karaoke stage, and grinned. "I think you could get up there and sing all of 'Space Oddity'," he dared, watching his friend's face intently.

Mason simply glared. "That's not going to happen." He took another drink of his beer, enjoying the feel of it. It had been too long since he had been able to drink this much alcohol without a trip to the infirmary at Genomex.

"You sing 'Space Oddity', and I'll sing a song of your choice," Adam offered.

"'Rip This Joint'," Mason said, staring into Adam's eyes. The man was getting to the point of being ridiculously drunk, and now he was wishing he had brought a camera.

Adam nodded. "Okay."

Oh, the potential for black mail. Mason was now mentally kicking himself for not bringing a camera. He smiled widely now, and held up his glass to Adam's, clinking them together. "You had better stick to your side of the deal. I know many ways to hurt you."

"Really?" Adam asked, leaning forward in his seat.

Mason nodded. "I have some pictures from when we were younger. That was a very big afro you had."

Adam giggled. "Same for you. I seem to remember you getting arrested once for indecent exposure. I thought you went to strip clubs to watch other people stripping."

"I was drunk," Mason growled out.

"Just like you are now?"

Mason blinked, then cleared his throat. "You're drunk, too."

Adam held up his glass in salute, then drained it completely. "You gonna sing?" he asked before burping again.

"I should've brought a camera."

"Yeah. Keep that in mind next time we come to this place."

~~~

Mason gave Adam a thumbs-up and smiled drunkenly as he climbed up onto the karaoke stage. He nearly tripped over the last step, but caught himself just in time. He made it over to the microphone, which he held tightly in his hands. The music started much earlier than he wanted it to, but it didn't take his hips very long to start swinging of their own accord to the slow beat. After a few moments, he began to sing. His voice filled the bar, and many of the women stopped their talking and turned to watch him sing. They all were wondering who this man in the too-tight jeans and old white t-shirt was, and if he was taken. If Mason had been sober, his voice would be cracking and going to different pitches against his will, but the alcohol he'd consumed was making him at ease with being in front of dozens of people he didn't know.

Ground Control to Major Tom
Ground Control to Major Tom
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on

Ground Control to Major Tom
Commencing countdown, engine's on
Check ignition and may God's love be with you

This is Ground Control to Major Tom
You've really made the grade
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear
Now it's time to leave the capsule if you dare

This Major Tom to Ground Control
I'm stepping through the door
And the stars look very different today

For here I am sitting in a tin can far above the world
Planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do

Though I'm past a hundred thousand miles
I'm feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
Tell my wife I love her very much, she knows

Ground Control to Major Tom
Your circuit's dead, there's something wrong

Can you hear me Major Tom?
Can you hear me Major Tom?
Can you hear me Major Tom?
Can you...

Here I am, floating in my tin can far above the moon
Planet Earth is blue, and there is nothing I can do

Applause filled the room as the song ended, but that was mostly from the women in the crowd. The men they were with were less enthusiastic. Adam had another beer during Mason's performance, and was also clapping loudly, drawing attention from the people at the tables around him. He smiled as his friend returned to his seat. "That was great," he said, "I thought those girls were gonna start climbing onto the stage."

Mason snorted softly, taking a sip of his beer. "I doubt it."

"I'm not kidding. Look." Adam gestured over to a table across the room, at which three women sat. From the looks of it, they were having a woman's night out. A few of the women would glance over at Mason, smile brightly, then turn around and giggle with their friends, whispering out things to each other. "They dig you."

Mason shook his head slightly, careful enough not to get dizzy. "And you said I was stuck in the 70's?"

"You are."

"You are, too."

"Fair enough." Adam stared at his empty glass for a minute, deep in thought.

"What?" Mason asked.

Adam glanced up, then looked back down at his glass. "It's empty," he stated blankly.

Mason grinned. "Of course it is. You drank it all."

"How many beers would that be now?"

Mason shrugged. "Five? Six? I dunno."

Adam's eyes were still fixed on his empty glass as he said, "Jack Daniels is a good friend."

"I'd forgotten."

"Yeah, me too."

Mason snorted, "Should we order you another one?"

Adam nodded and leaned back in his chair. "We're gonna have a nasty hangover in the morning."

"Just like old times?" Mason motioned over at the waitress to bring them more drinks.

"Just like old times," Adam repeated.

Mason finished off his beer and asked, "Your place or mine?"

Adam looked up. "Wha?"

"Your place or mine?" Mason repeated.

"Oh. Yours. I'd hate for the kids to see us both drunk. It'd ruin their year to see you like this. They could take me drunk, but you... They'd freak."

Mason nodded. "Your turn to sing."

~~~

"Oh my God! I can't believe he actually did that!" Amber exclaimed as she rewound the tape in her video camera.

Michelle asked, "How much do you think we could get for copies of this?"

"I'd say about fifty bucks. Unless, of course, you all wanna use this as black mail," Jessica offered.

"We can decide that later. Look, Adam's getting up there! Hurry up, hurry up! We don't wanna miss this!" Michelle shrieked, bouncing in her seat.

~~~

Adam held on tightly to the mic, just like Mason had. But, unlike his friend, he was too drunk to sing the song right. His voice was beyond his control, and generated a few laughs from the crowd.

Mama says yes, Papa says no
Make up your mind 'cause I gotta go
I'm gonna raise hell at the Union Hall
Drive myself right over the wall

Rip this joint, gonna save your soul
Round and round and round we go
Roll this joint, gonna get down low
Start my starter, gonna stop the show
Oh, yeah!

Mister President, Mister Immigration Man
Let me in, sweetie, to your fair land
I'm Tampa bound and Memphis too
Short Fat Fanny is on the loose
Dig that sound on the radio
Then slip it right across into Buffalo
Dick and Pat in ole D.C.
Well they're gonna hold some shit for me

Ying Yang, you're my thing
Oh, now, baby, won't you hear me sing
Flip Flop, fit to drop
Come on baby, won't you let it rock?

Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah!
>From San Jose down to Santa Fe
Kiss me quick, baby, won'tcha make my day
Down to New Orleans with the Dixie Dean
'Cross to Dallas, Texas with the Butter Queen

Rip this joint, gonna rip yours too
Some brand new steps and some weight to lose
Gonna roll this joint, gonna get down low
Round and round and round we'll go

Wham, bam, Birmingham, Alabam' don't give a damn
Little Rock fit to drop
Ah, let it rock

~~~

The three women were in heaps of laughter by the time the song ended. "This is priceless!" Jessica gasped out between laughs.

"Really priceless!" Amber agreed as she watched Adam make his way back over to his table.
Michelle wiped the tears from her eyes. "I say we sell copies of that tape to the black market."

"This has really been the best Genomex Karaoke Night ever!"

"But, Jess, Karaoke Night is tomorrow night."

Jessica and Michelle both stared at Amber for a few moments before bursting into laughter again. "We got some good stuff, though," Jessica mused, "We're so lucky you take that video camera with you everywhere you go."

Amber nodded in agreement. "I think they're leaving. Wanna follow them?"

"They're probably going to Mr. Eckhart's hotel room. I think they might end up making out for a while, before eventually passing out."

Amber and Jessica both glared at Michelle, who recoiled under their gazes.

"Sorry," she muttered meekly. "Too much Gundam Wing fan fiction..."

The two other women shook their heads.

"We'll leave shortly after they do."

~~~

Mason leaned back against the door to his hotel room, sighing. Adam had fallen onto the bed in a daze from too much alcohol. "That's my bed," Mason stated softly.

"Mmm. Comfy."

Mason sighed again and stumbled over to the bed. He plopped down quickly, making the mattress bounce, which made Adam give a muffled shriek of protest. "You getting deja vu?"

Adam rolled over onto his back as Mason laid down. "Uh-huh. No energy. No sex."

Mason chuckled. He turned his head to look into Adam's eyes. "I missed this. I think."

"Kodak moment."

"Mm-hmm."

Adam rolled onto his side and continued staring into Mason's eyes. "Missed you."

Mason blinked. "I was here."

"No. You. I missed you."

"Missed you too."

Adam smiled before finally closing his eyes. He fell asleep almost instantly, with Mason right behind him. He snuggled closer to his old friend and held him tightly.

~~~

"Has anybody seen Adam?" Brennan asked as he walked into the rec. room.

Emma glanced over at him from where she sat on the couch and shook her head. "He went out last night with..."

"And he hasn't come back," Brennan finished. Shalimar and Jesse both jumped up.

"Have you tried contacting him?" Shalimar asked.

Brennan nodded and answered, "Yeah, but he hasn't answered. His comm link's on, he just isn't talking."

All eyes were on Emma as she reached out with her mind, trying to find her mentor. After a few moments, she opened her eyes. "Well?"

"I think he's sleeping. I can't really tell. I know Eckhart's with him, wherever he is," she answered. Jesse left the room and the others followed. "I can trace his ring to see where he's at."

"I'd say Genomex," Shalimar replied.

Once he got to the computer, Jesse began typing in some commands. The others watched in trepidation as he worked. "That's weird," he said, straightening his back. "They're at the Holiday Inn."

Shalimar's eyes went wide, Emma giggled, and Brennan just stared.

"You're kidding, right?"

Jesse glanced up at Brennan and chuckled. "No, I'm not."

"Well," Shalimar giggled, "I say we go down there and pick Adam up, anyway."

~~~

Brennan knocked on the door. After two minutes without an answer, he let Shalimar, who was more than happy to oblige, kick the door in. What they saw scared them. Adam and Mason were on the bed, both asleep, but tangled in each other's arms. Mason had somehow removed his shirt during his slumber, and Adam's face was pressed against his chest, a tiny smile on his lips. One of the men groaned.

"Oh dear God," Emma murmured.

Shalimar nodded, staring blankly ahead of her.

"I could've done without seeing this," Jesse mumbled.

Brennan turned around. "Maybe we should we give them some space," he offered over his shoulder.

"I can't move."

Shalimar moved her head to look at Emma, but her eyes never left the two men on the bed. "Me neither." She looked a little disturbed when she came to this realization.

Jesse rolled his eyes and pulled on the back of their shirts, which got the women into motion. They all ran out the door and up the stairs to the roof of the building. They weren't going to stay and get caught by Adam, or worst of all Mason, when one of the men awakened.

~~~

Mason groaned and sat up in bed. It was late in the afternoon by now, but he really didn't care. He pushed the covers away that had been a dead weight on him. He stopped when he'd heard them protesting. He waited for another noise, but none came. He shook his head, telling himself that he should never, ever have a hangover again. He stumbled into the bathroom to relieve himself, then made his way over to the sink to splash some water on his face. He stared at his reflection in the mirror for a few minutes. His hair, which was only about a quarter inch long at the moment, was getting some of its color back. His skin wasn't as pale anymore, despite the fact that he had just gotten out of bed and was suffering from a hangover and headache. Overall, he looked healthy. Adam's cure was only a temporary one until he could find one that lasted longer.

He looked lower on the mirror and realized that his shirt was gone. He didn't remember taking it off. He shrugged, thinking that he might've gotten hot during the night and had taken it off. He vaguely remembered doing that a lot when he was younger, especially when he came home from another drinking session with Adam. Rather, when he came home with Adam.

Adam. Oh shit.

Mason glanced out the open bathroom door (which he hadn't even bothered to close) and saw Adam asleep on the bed. He breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed that the man's clothes were still on. He closed the door, locked it, and climbed into the shower. He tried vainly to remember what had happened the night before. A few words popped into his head, but no memories. All he knew was that he never wanted to listen to the Rolling Stones ever again.

END