Daniel And Gabe 1

First Ride

by Sistine

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ass/sistine/gabe01.php
Summary: Eighteen-year old Daniel gets his first ride on Gabe's motorcycle
Info: """

Pairing: J/D

Category: Humour, YoungDaniel

Summary: Eighteen-year old Daniel gets his first ride on Gabe's motorcycle.

Notes: There were a few hints that I write a little series on Daniel and Gabe, as an off-shoot to the Fantasies series. This is for all those who wanted to see more of a young Daniel, Gabe and Donna. Thank you to Rossy, who did a very good job in getting this back to me quickly. Feedback, as always, is welcomed

"So, you ready for a ride?"

"I've, uh, I've got classes." Daniel stared at Gabe. He hadn't expected the biker to appear on his doorstep so soon. It was only two days after the dinner, and besides, Daniel had been half-expecting Gabe to forget about his promise.

Gabe looked at his watch. "What time do they start?"

"Nine o'clock." Daniel knew he was running late but if he could just get rid of Gabe, then he would be able to catch the bus and be on time. "And I've got to catch the bus so..."

"I think you're a bit late for that." Gabe gestured to the window where he could see the bus at the curb.

"No, no, no!" Daniel rushed back into his apartment to get his books from the dining table, only to see the bus leave without him. "Damn." He had really needed to be on time this morning.

"Don't worry, kid. I'll take you," Gabe repeated his offer.

Daniel hesitated. As he thought about it, he realised that it was his only way of getting to university on time. But showing up on a motorbike... how much teasing would he cop for that? "I don't know..."

"Come on. I'll even drop you off somewhere you won't be seen if that's what's worrying you." Gabe hid a grin at that; most people would kill to be seen on a Harley. Not Daniel though - Gabe found that interesting. "Your reputation would be intact."

"What reputation?" Daniel muttered. The one that he was a geek, or flaky, or nuts, or anything else that was similarly bad? He paused for a moment and sighed. Would it really matter if he turned up on a motorbike? Could the teasing really get any worse? "Okay, you win."

"That's my boy." Gabe allowed the grin to show this time when Daniel screwed up his nose at being called a boy. "Get your stuff and let's go."

Daniel checked to make sure that he had everything, put the books in the backpack he'd bought the previous day, then followed Gabe out the door, locking the door behind him. Not that there was really anything worth stealing in his apartment but thieves could seriously damage or destroy what little he did have.

Out on the street, Gabe handed Daniel the spare helmet and then got on his bike. Daniel hopped on behind him and put the helmet on. He was a little scared - well, worried would be more accurate - about the ride, having never ridden a motorbike before. But he trusted that Gabe would keep him safe as best he could.

The ride reminded Daniel of the buggy rides over the dunes he had experienced as a kid in Egypt - fast, with lots of sharp turns. Daniel held on tight as Gabe weaved in and out of the traffic with expert ease. There were a couple of moments of panic but overall, Daniel found he was enjoying himself more than he had thought he would.

A couple of blocks from the university, Gabe pulled over to the curb. He took his helmet off. "This okay?"

"Yes." Not too far away to be late, and not too close to be noticed by others. Daniel also took his helmet off. "Thank you."

"Do you need a lift home?" Gabe offered.

Daniel hesitated. He had enjoyed the ride but he wasn't sure that he should accept. "I don't want put you out."

"What time do you finish?"

"Three. But then I work until six at the library."

Gabe nodded. "I can do that." He was finished work by then.

Daniel thought about whether the thugs would be there, and what they would think if he arrived home with Gabe. They would probably steer clear of him until they caught him alone and then the bullying would start up again. He gave Gabe an apologetic smile. "Not tonight, thank you. I think it would be best if I didn't."

"Are those boys still bothering you?" He hadn't seen them hanging around but that didn't mean anything.

Daniel shook his head while saying, "No. I just don't need a lift tonight.."

Gabe mentally sighed. The kid was very stubborn. "Well, if you change your mind, give me a call." He put the helmet back on. "See ya." Gabe revved the bike and then sped off.

Daniel watched him leave, wondering if he'd made a mistake in saying no.

~~~

At exactly 6.15pm, Daniel knew he had made a mistake. It was pouring rain, the last bus had just left, and he hadn't brought his raincoat with him so he was now soaked to the skin. And to top it off, he realised that he didn't have Gabe's phone number so he couldn't call him. On the previous occasions Daniel had missed the bus, he had walked home, but on none of those occasions had it been raining. With a huge sigh, he resigned himself to having to walk home in the downpour while trying to prevent his books from getting too wet.

He hadn't got fifty metres when he heard the sound of a motorbike behind him. Daniel turned his head to look - not that he could see all that well with his rain-covered glasses. The person on the bike seemed to be the same shape as Gabe but Daniel wasn't sure until the biker got level with him.

"Thought you might need a lift," Gabe lifted his visor so Daniel could hear him over the rain. "Here." He held out a raincoat. Daniel looked like a drowned rat.

Daniel didn't even think of refusing. He was wet and miserable, and was thankful that Gabe hadn't listened to him that morning. Daniel quickly put the coat on and, holding his backpack to his stomach, zipped the coat up over it so his books were doubly protected. Then he got on the back of the bike and put the helmet on.

"Hold on." Gabe eased the bike back into the street and headed for home. He was a lot more careful on the wet road, knowing that it was much easier to lose control of the bike in this weather, and Donna would skin him alive if anything happened to Daniel.

Daniel was shivering by the time they got back to the apartment block, his wet clothes creating a chill in his body. Gabe shepherded Daniel up the stairs where Donna was waiting on the landing. As soon as the woman saw Daniel, she hurried over to him. "Oh, you must be freezing. You need a nice warm shower and some dry clothes."

"Um..." Daniel started to protest as Donna led him towards her apartment.

"Oh, of course." Donna switched directions and herded him in the other direction. "Now, you give me those wet clothes, then go have a nice warm shower, and I'll have some soup ready for you when you're ready." She stood patiently with him at the door, waiting for him to open it.

"Um, I'll be fine," Daniel said, not used to be worried over like this.

"Nonsense. Now, come on, open the door. We can't let you get a cold, can we?"

Daniel gave in and opened the door. Then he found himself pushed in the direction of the shower. When he reached the bathroom door, he realised that Donna was still following him. "Uh..." He didn't want to strip in front of her.

Donna turned her back to give him some privacy. "The sooner you get out of those wet things, the sooner you'll be warm," she said.

Being warm sounded awfully good so Daniel stepped into the bathroom and quickly stripped. Then he put the wet clothes in her outstretched hand and quickly went back into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Donna waited until she heard the shower start up before she moved. She found the clothesline set up in the living room, and she hung the clothes over that. Then she went into the kitchen area and hunted through the cupboards for something to cook for him. "Gabe!"

"What?" Gabe stepped into the apartment. He had just put his jacket in his own apartment, and had come back to see how things were progressing.

"Daniel's barely got any food - no wonder he's so skinny. We'll have to feed him at our place." She looked in the fridge; no, nothing there either. "I'm going to go and put the soup on. Bring Daniel over when he's dressed," she ordered as she walked past him.

Gabe sighed resignedly. "Yes, dear."

Several minutes had past before Daniel felt that he was truly warm again. He turned the shower off, dried himself, and then wrapped a towel around his waist. Then he opened the door and peeked out cautiously. When he didn't see Donna, he hurried into his bedroom and got changed into some warm clothes.

Walking back out into his living room, Daniel got a surprise to see Gabe waiting there.

"Oh good, you're ready. The missus said that the soup is ready whenever you are."

"Soup?" So Donna had really meant that.

"Yeah. Home-made. Best in the state, I reckon, but don't tell her I said that," Gabe said with a grin. "Come on, we'd better go before she sends a search party for you."

Daniel trailed behind Gabe, feeling uncertain about the attention he was receiving but warmed at the same time because he hadn't had somebody care about him like this for a long time. It was very nice to know that they were indeed his friends...

~~~

"You know, I did the exact same thing for him the other day," Jack stated, shaking his head. "He came home late, it was raining, and by the time he got to the door, he was soaked through. But did he go straight to the bathroom? No. He was going to work in the study. I had to literally drag him into the shower."

Gabe laughed at the image. "Some things never change."

"I was just going to put my books down in there," Daniel protested, a slight pout on his face.

"Sure," Jack dragged out the word, scepticism evident in his voice.

Daniel sighed. "You're just a closet Mother Hen, Jack, admit it."

"Never." Jack shared another grin with Gabe. "So, when did Daniel decide to learn how to ride the bike?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Well, it was like this..."

Next: Move Over, Evel Knievel!