From: "Skylarking" Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 21:40:47 GMT Subject: It's A Small World by Skylarking Source: direct TITLE: It's A Small World AUTHOR: Skylarking E-MAIL FOR COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK: kirstenpatrick@hotmail.com CLASSIFICATION: Krycek/Langly (no, really), K/M implicit SUMMARY: Krycek decides to have a little fun with his job, and takes Langly along for the ride. WARNINGS: This tale contains M/M kissage, feather torture, gratuitous pop culture references, propagation of urban legends, roasted marshmallows, drunken college students, and oh, yeah, implied M/M relations. DISCLAIMER: No Fox shows were harmed in the making of this fic. DID I MENTION FEEDBACK? kirstenpatrick@hotmail.com Archiving is great, just drop me a line and let me know. *********************************************************************** Day 1 Alex Krycek drove fast and recklessly. This stretch of road was deserted at this time of night, affording him time to ponder his actions. He'd wondered if he'd gone too far this time, or maybe not far enough. His directive had been vague: distract Mulder, for a week or more if possible. He knew this plan would work, as long as the witnesses could provide an accurate description of him. It had been a stroke of brilliance on his part, he just hoped he had as much fun executing it as it had sounded planning it. ******************************************************************** "Mulder." "Mulder, you've got to get out to Las Vegas. You've got to help John find him. I'll stay here and use my technical resources. I've got you booked on a 6 am flight. It's not direct, there's a layover in Minneapolis. But it's the one that will get you out there quickest. You'll be there by..." "Frohike?" Mulder tried to get a word in edgewise. "Frohike, what's the matter? What are you droning on about?" "It's Langly. He's missing." Frohike's voice raised an octave. "Well, kidnapped really. Forcefully taken from the sanctity and security of his hotel's casino." Mulder tried to wrap his brain around that idea. "Who'd want to kidnap Langly? And what was he doing in Vegas, anyway?" "Well, it's Comdex. And we had inside info...we had a lead on..."Frohike was struggling with his words. "One of our contacts leaked us the possibility of a UFO related item being available for inspection there. Langly and Byers went, and I stayed to hold down the fort, as it were." "Okay, so Langly and Byers went to Vegas to see some UFO secret at Comdex. And now Langly is missing. Um, are you sure he didn't meet Miss Right? Or Miss Tonight?" "Mulder, listen to me: he was taken. A tall, dark haired, green eyed man with a prosthetic arm grabbed him and dragged him from the hotel." "Krycek!" Mulder hissed through his clenched teeth. "But what would Krycek want with a computer geek metalhead? Are you sure it was him?" "Byers patched into the security system and sent me the images. You have enough time to stop here and look at them on your way to the airport." "I'm on my way." ****************************************************************** Day 2 Krycek looked over his shoulder at the figure in the backseat, just beginning to stir. The blackjack to the head was wearing off. Something else had to be done. Krycek pulled over to the side of the road and got out to rummage around in the trunk. He walked around to the back seat door and opened it. "Hey, Sleepyhead." Krycek gently shook Langly to rouse him. "Wha...Where am I? What's going on?" Langly rose slowly, accepting the drink Krycek held out to him. He stared at the bottle for a moment, then took a swig. "My head hurts. What's going on?" "You had a little accident. Bumped your head a bit. I took you out for some air. You're okay now, you're safe." Langly blinked a few times. "You look familiar. Alex, something-or-other." His mind was swirling, he couldn't focus on any one thought. "I don't feel so hot." Krycek touched his cheek. He lifted Langly's eyelid and gazed at the pupil. "You shouldn't. I slipped you a Mickey. But everything is going to be alright. I'm not interested in hurting you. Just in having a little fun." Langly attempted to say something, but his lips were not cooperating. He saw stars dancing in the sky, and felt his brain shut down. He was out completely. Krycek chuckled softly, amazed at how easy this was going. He pulled out his cell phone and made a quick call. "Hello, D.C. Floral? Yes, I'd like to send flowers to someone special. No not roses, something less expensive. No, definitely not carnations - how tacky. Maybe a nice daisy and cornflower arrangement? The message? It's a little unusual, so pay attention..." ****************************************************************** Day 3 "Mulder." "Mulder, where are you? Skinner said something about a trip to Vegas?" "Yeah, Scully. One of the Gunmen went AWOL. Langly's missing and it looks like Krycek's taken him." "Well, I'd say that's a good guess. Flowers were just delivered for you here." "Be still my heart! Please tell me they are from you, Scully." "Ha ha, Mulder. Let me read you the card: Roses are red Violets are blue Ringo's with me And soon John will be too. Love and kisses, Alex" "Scully, that's sick. That's twisted." Mulder paused. "What kind of flowers did I get with it?" "Daisies and such. Krycek has simple taste in flora." "Ha ha, Scully. I'd better get Byers under round-the-clock protection." "Mulder, do you want me to come out there too?" No, Scully. Stay there. Come to think of it, Frohike should have some sort of bodyguard, too. Let me know what you arrange." ********************************************************************* Langly awoke slowly, his senses fading in one at a time. He could hear running water, a shower maybe, and sunlight was definitely streaming across his face. His eyes weren't ready to open yet, so he tried rolling over. That's when he realized his wrists and ankles were restrained in some way, spread eagle. He opened one eye slowly and tried to bring his surroundings into focus. He could smell harsh disinfectant, stale tobacco, and clean poly-cotton sheets. His brain registered motel room, and his second eye opened to confirm that fact. Sparse furnishings: a bed, a desk, a chair, a table, a tv, not on. He heard the water turn off and struggled to recall anything of his memory. That's when he noticed the ceiling mirror, and noticed he was naked. His first thought was to scream, but he didn't know where he was or who he was with. He pulled at his restraints, regular rope around his ankles and a normal handcuff around his right wrist. His left wrist was a different matter, with a deep purple maribu trimmed handcuff holding him there. He could hear humming in the bathroom, masculine tones, and he struggled to recall if he had voluntarily put himself into this position or if this was against his will. The bathroom door opened, and out stepped a wet and naked Alex Krycek. All of Langly's recollections came tumbling back. "You bastard! What have you done to me?" He tried to look menacing, but he guessed his glare wasn't very effective. Krycek chuckled a bit. "I see you've awoken. You're probably incredibly thirsty right now. Drugs are usually dehydrating." I can arrange it for you to sit up, but first we have to reach an agreement." "I'm not bargaining with the likes of you! No matter what the stakes. I'll be missed. People will come after me." "People? Don't you mean geeks, computer nerds, paranoid alien believers, and all those other types that can't get a date on Friday night? I'm surprised the lot of you hasn't prat-fallen your way to death by now." Langly blinked. "Sticks and stones, man. Not very adult of you. I will be avenged. Anything you do to me will result in catastrophic consequences for you." "Oooh - ya gonna slash my credit rating? Steal my numeric identity? Sell my name and address to direct mail and spam lists?" Krycek chuckled again. "If you don't feel like bargaining now, I'm sure you will in an hour." He proceeded to to dress, very adeptly despite having only one arm, and turned the tv on the ESPN2. He settled into the chair, and pulled a bottle of Foster's out of the knapsack on the floor, quickly twisting the cap off with his one hand. Langly was puzzled. "Hey man, what are you going to do? You're going to leave me like this? What time is it anyway?" "Tsk tsk, my goldenhaired cyberfreak. Your chance is over, and the next isn't for an hour." "But, but..." "Hey, stop interrupting this quality sports programming. It's not every day I get to watch downhill mountain biking time trials in the snow." A pause. "I was hoping for hockey." ******************************************************************** An hour later, Langly was gasping for breath, out of his mind at the sensations going through his feet. He'd tried pleading, he'd tried begging, he'd tried reasoning with the other man, but Krycek didn't let up. Langly hoped he wouldn't have to sell his soul for a brief respite. And still Krycek came after him with that giant pink feather, causing him to howl in laughter and pain. "It's amazing what showgirls can be sweet-talked out of." Krycek grinned and passed the feather along Langly's side, across his abdomen, briefly brushing his cock, and finally brushing up lightly against his chin. "Now, there are some things you need to understand: you will be spending the next few days with me, I do not intend to hurt you - though that doesn't mean you won't get hurt, and I really want to have fun, unwind, relax a bit. Do you understand so far?" He moved the feather to trace Langly's outer ear. "Yes..Yes! Please, no more with the feather. I'll be good. I'll do anything to make you happy. I won't run away! Just, Please, STOP with the feather!" Langly meant it too. "So, you'll play nice, go along with me to any touristy place my heart desires, and forsake your friends, avoiding all phones and computers?" "Geez man, what's your trip? Are you that hard up for companionship? You just want me to be your bud for awhile? You don't want any secrets from me, or hacking tips, or to silence me as a lightbearer to the conspiracies of our time?" "You think fairly highly of yourself. Yes, I just want you to accompany me. There's two ways to do it: the hard way and the easy way. Both will bring me enjoyment. Both will change your appearance. I have to make it look like you're not an accomplice too my whims." "I'll choose the way where I don't have to wear a dress." Langly looked defiant. Krycek raised an eyebrow. "I wish I had thought of that. Though I did check us into this motel as husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Grimes." Langly laughed. "Dude - a Simpson's reference. Since when do traitorous double agents get to brush up on there pop culture?" "It's a weakness. My one indulgence. Plus I have a thing for Sherry, or is it Terry?" They laughed together, a definite bond beginning to form. Krycek smiled and continued. "I've also used Armund Tanzarian, Robert Terwilliger, my favorite Ralph Wiggems, and Jessica Lovejoy. And I'm not going to tell you the circumstances of that last one. So did you decide? Hard or easy?" "Gee, I'll take Really Stupid Questions for $200, Alex. Easy, of course. But what do I have to do?" **************************************************************** Day 4 Langly smiled bemusedly at his companion. The day had been so great. Sure, Krycek had cut his hair to shoulder length, a sort of skater-punk look that went well with his blonde locks. He also made him wear dorky tourist clothes: Hawaiian shirt, baggy khaki shorts, and a camera-on-a-strap. At least his black Converse high tops "worked" with the outfit. And anything was better than what the *hard* way would have been. Langly shuddered at the thought of being dressed like a Goth boy toy and led around on a leash and collar. He looked at Krycek's similar attire - denim cutoffs, Melvins t-shirt, Hugo Boss windbreaker to camouflage the prosthesis a bit - and wondered how his mind worked. "Dude, you have the best ideas. I haven't been to Disneyland since I was in grade school. This rocks, even as an adult." Krycek smiled. "I never came here as a child. It wasn't the sort of thing my family would have done. It's always been on my list of Things-To-Do." He marvelled at how easy it was to switch Langly's mental image of himself. He was glad the whole "I need a friend" ruse had worked. It was more fun palling around having fun than having to constantly figure out how to transport a captive without arousing suspicion. Of course, a little bit of suspicion was necessary, to keep Mulder on his trail and on this coast. He'd learned that morning that Mulder was finally leaving Nevada to follow his SoCal trail. He knew his next move would push the envelope for both Mulder and Langly, but at least this day had been fun. "Hey Ringo, how about we do the "It's a Small World" experience, then call it a day?" "Oh man, it really blows. You're trapped in that little raft, all those creepy costumed dolls, that incessant song..." Langly stopped and studied Krycek's expression. "If it really means a lot to you, I suppose..." His reluctance was tastable, but he walked towards the line. "Thanks. I really don't want to miss a thing, and even if it is as bad as you're making it out to be, I'm sure something redeemable will come of it..." ****************************************************************** "Mulder." "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod" "Frohike? Is that you? Calm down, you're not making any sense." "Mulder, where are you? You need to get to L.A. Langly's at Disneyland as we speak!" "I'm in Orange County, checking out a motel room they may have been at. How do you know they're at Disneyland?" "I have a picture of them kissing! Eight people have e-mailed it to me already!" Mulder held his breath, and let it out slowly, counting to ten in the process. "No - that can't be right. Start at the beginning, and tell me how you got it." "Well, there's this website that has live camera feeds from theme park rides, all over, not just Disneyland. Some employees get a kick out of seeing what some people will do in the tunnels and all. The "It's a Small World" ride is quite a popular feed - lots of people making out, freaking out, or just plain trying to get out of that one. Totally not sanctioned at all by the amusement centers." "So, a Disney conspiracy? And this camera caught a picture of Langly?" And Krycek. Kissing. Mulder contemplated this silently. "I didn't believe it at first either. The hair and clothing are all wrong. But scans of the facial structure match our Ringo. There's a stream of photos, one even with Krycek looking directly at the camera, like he knew it was there or something. Then the liplock happened..." Frohike stopped. "Even without that, it looked like they were buddies, friendly-like. I never pictured Langly as a turncoat. And I never even suspected he was...into guys." Mulder tried to bolster the little man. "We don't know the whole story. There's millions of possible explanations." "Yeah? Name three." "Amnesia. Drugs. Um, alien lobotomy?" Mulder hoped he'd get a chuckle. "Disneyland. Right. I'm on my way." ****************************************************************** Krycek peered over at Langly, who was staring out the window with an unreadable expression on his face. Langly hadn't spoken since they'd left the theme park. It had taken all of Krycek's negotiating skill to make him stay. Langly had tried to bolt, to lose himself in the crowd and ditch Krycek, but Krycek was experienced at this sort of thing, and Langly was definitely an amateur. Krycek had finally offered him food, the universal peacemaker, and the cotton candy had rebuilt the tenuous bond between them, enough for Krycek to get Langly into the car and on the road. Langly hadn't even asked where they were going. "Hey." Krycek hoped Langly would respond, but the silence continued. "Langly, I'm sorry. I didn't think it would freak you out." "I'm not freaked." Langly's tone was even, almost bored and disinterested. Then more silence. "We can talk about it. Or about something else. Or about..." "No." It was a quiet statement, not a challenge or a rebuke. "Have it your way, for now. It's going to be a long drive, and you'll change your mind. Next stop, Texas." ***************************************************************** Day 5 "Mulder." "Mulder, it's me. Did you catch up with them?" "No, Scully. There's no trail from Disneyland. Krycek didn't leave me any breadcrumbs." "He sent you a postcard here. It's dated two days before Langly was taken. It indicates he's heading to Mexico with him. I've already spoken with the border patrol and faxed their pictures over." "Mexico? Are you sure it's not a wild goose chase?" "Mulder, we're taking it seriously. He threatens Langly with bodily harm." "What do you mean? Krycek says he's going to do something to Langly?" "It says you'll find Langly in Mexico City, in a bathtub full of ice, with one of his kidneys removed. It's signed Dr. Nick Riviera." "I'd feel a lot better if it was from Dr. Julius Hibbert." ******************************************************************* They had spent the night in a cabin in the middle of God-knows-where Texas. Langly tried to spot any lights or other signs of civilization on the horizon, and concluded the stars were probably closer. He had been boneweary from the events of the last few days and had fallen asleep almost immediately. He woke up to the sounds and smells of bacon over a campfire. Krycek had stared at him intently over breakfast and cowboy coffee. The only conversation was the niceties required when eating with another. Their hands met once, brushed together lightly while passing dishes, and Langly jumped as if stung by a scorpion. Krycek wondered if he should lose his temper and demand a confrontation, or if he should try begging forgiveness again. In the end, he let the moment pass. "Hey Langly, it's almost time to go. We've got 30-40 miles left in this car. That's all for conversation, then another 5-6 hours until we reach our vacation destination." Langly was confused. "What do you mean? Are we flying somewhere? What's our goal?" Krycek flashed him a grin as he entered the car. "South Padre Island, dude. And we'll be arriving in style, on a hog." Something in Langly's stomach flip-flopped. Riding a motorcycle with a one-armed man? Was that even physically possible? The secret part of him that thrilled to danger was intrigued, but to be so close to the man for so long...Langly knew this was headed for trouble. "Really?" Langly finally said, 10 minutes into their journey. "A Harley? How did you get your hand on that?" Krycek laughed, free and easily. "I'm resourceful. I'm not going to let you know all my secrets." "Just some of them, like your taste in ... dates?" "Hey, no offense to you or anything," Krycek started out, "but in my line of work, you take what you can get. Sometimes you get Mahi Mahi, sometimes you get suckerfish. I thought your lips looked fine and inviting, so I ventured to them to find out." "Maybe you think it's been awhile for me, but...I mean, I was more startled by the fact that you were trying something than your...guyness. Not that I've ever been into guys..." "More like they haven't been into you?" Krycek leered a little. "I can change that." "Don't be too hasty. I'm not desperate." Langly shifted uncomfortably. "We'll see about that tonight, after I get some tequila shooters in you." ********************************************************************* Day 6 Langly woke up and tried to shake the cobwebs from his head. He was confused by the warmth he felt and the sunlight streaming through the window. He glanced at the clock and realized the sunlight belonged there - it was 2:00pm. The warmth was another matter altogether: there was a half-naked, one-armed man breathing on his neck. Slowly Langly began to remember things: the bars packed with college students, the girls from the wet t-shirt contest admiring their bike, the bonfire on the beach with a thousand other people after sunset, signing up for surfing lessons today, sucking sticky sweet roasted marshmallows off of Krycek's fingers...he paused at that thought and wondered what possessed him to do that. Krycek had made some crack about the Rolling Stones and Langly had grabbed his wrist and held it too long and memorized those fingers with his eyes. Then without thinking, he had taken the plunge he hadn't thought himself capable of, engulfed the toasty marshmallowy goodness with his mouth and licked those digits clean. Details were fuzzy, but it had led to tussling in the Gulf, the water passing over them and a kiss in that graceless way only drunks can find endearing. Langly was amazed they hadn't drown. They made it back to the hotel only to pass out together without any real action taking place. Langly felt a mixture of regret and relief. "Hey, would you stop blinking so loud? You're eyelashes are harsher than nails on a chalkboard." Krycek stirred, grumpy and hungover. "You still up for surfing? We've got lessons in an hour." Langly chuckled as a pillow whizzed by his ear. "Missed me." ********************************************************************* "Scully, it's me." "Hey Mulder. You have anything new?" "No, the border is a bust. Krycek was spotted in Texas, trying to sell his rental car." "Frohike's been tracing Langly's credit cards, and one of them has been used a bunch: at Disneyland, in L.A., and once at an east Texas gas station. I've spoken with the clerk. He thinks it was two guy on a motorcycle. Didn't talk much, didn't say where they were going, but the descriptions match." "I'm beginning to think this is all diversionary tactics, to keep me distracted." "Frohike and Byers do too. Byers has been researching recent Consortium activities since he got back here, to see what suspicious things he could find. Nothing, so far." "Keep me posted. Do you think I should drive across Texas, or just fly to New Orleans?" "Anyone's guess, Mulder. Yours is as good as any." ***************************************************************** Langly couldn't remember the last time he'd had this much fun. He was onstage, shaking maracas with a local Mariachi band. Krycek had encouraged him to shake his booty, but he could no longer hear Krycek's voice in the crowd. Probably making a bar run. Langly tosses his hair and shimmied those maracas for all he was worth. ***************************************************************** Day 7 "Mulder." "Mulder, come back here. Byers did find evidence that you were deliberately being kept away, and Langly e-mailed that he's coming home." "Langly contacted you? From where?" "South Padre Island, a cyber cafe. He said Krycek just disappeared, and he'll be in D.C. late tonight. He said he was going to catch a cab, but both Frohike and Byers want to drive out to the airport right now and wait for him." "It could be a trap." "I know. I've alerted security, and Skinner sent some agents over as well." "I'm on my way. Hell, maybe we'll even be on the same flight." ******************************************************************** When Langly walked through the gate, he didn't know what to expect. He was apprehensive, but the group waiting for him was so overjoyed, he soon relaxed. Everyone kept touching him, like they couldn't believe he was there, and Scully even gave him a long, tight hug. He was getting tired of the compliments on his new hairdo, though. They were all glad he was safe, and even liked the gifts he brought: for Byers, a Little Mermaid tie, and a Mickey Mouse ears hat for Frohike, which Frohike started wearing at the airport and hadn't taken off yet. He repeated his story over and over. How Krycek had drugged him, tortured him, and threatened him into being his travelling companion. He talked about the Simpson's quotes they bonded over. He told of how much fun Disneyland had been, even in less-than-ideal circumstances, and that's when he found out. They knew about the kiss. Frohike even showed him pics from the website. "No way, man. It wasn't like that. That was just a freaky bit, it didn't mean anything." They had accepted his explanations, and reminded him of how glad they were that he was back. Byers even suggested implanting him with a GPS microchip so he wouldn't be "lost" again. Mulder had looked at him with a strange sadness in his eyes, and suggested they meet over coffee sometime in the next few days to discuss the events again. Langly hadn't thought much about it at the time, but now, as he was reaching the coffee shop, he began to wonder. *********************************************************************** Epilogue Mulder was already there, slunk low in a far corner booth, away from the front window. He was nursing a double tall latte and a cream cheese croissant. Langly picked up a regular black coffee and a poppy seed muffin and joined him. "Good morning. Damn, it's early. I'm not usually up at this hour, unless I haven't been to sleep." Mulder was impatient and cut to the chase. "Langly, I need to know what went on between you and Krycek. I promise I won't spill it to the other gunmen, but I really have to know. Were there other kisses?" Langly glanced away, fumbling nervously with his muffin. He looked at Mulder, and the expression in the other man's hazel eyes dragged the truth from him. "Yeah. Yes - one or two. We didn't do anything else, except pass out together. Um, in bed, so we sort of...woke up together. But it wasn't a naked thing." He paused, a question occurring to him. "Were you and Krycek..." His eyes widened and he left it at that. Now it was Mulder's turn to look away. When he didn't say anything, Langly continued. "I mean, it's none of my business, but I would understand if you were. He's charming, intelligent, capricious..." "No, it wasn't like that." Mulder interrupted. "He didn't seduce me on a lark. We had a genuine thing going. He wasn't just using me for fun or pleasure." Langly was offended. "It sounds to me like you're trying to convince yourself of that. So, did he make it past first base with you?" He spat out the words sarcastically. "Langly, that's not what I meant. I mean, well...what I had once with Krycek went beyond one lost weekend, and way past mere kissing. You can't repeat this, but we had an eight month, passionate relationship that not even Scully knows about. He ripped my heart out in the end, and he knows that. It ended badly, with him slipping out in the middle of the night, no goodbye. Three months later, I saw him with a women. I haven't had a date since." "That's rough, man. He left me a note. Well, not a personal note, but this." Langly pulled a folded piece of hotel stationery from his pocket, handing it over to Mulder. Mulder perused it quickly. "I don't understand. Who's Edna?" Langly laughed briefly and bitterly. "Dude, are you familiar with the Simpson's?" Mulder nodded. "They're not a regular part of my life, but I've spent enough time trying to sleep to the tv to have seen most episodes." "Well, then. Do you remember the one where Bart's teacher, Edna Crabapple, takes out a personal ad, and Bart responds as a joke? He sends her a picture of Gordy Howe and some mushy notes, then he feels guilty. That's the break-up note he sent: Dearest Edna, yadda yadda yadda, the wind whispers your name, never see you again. The whole nine yards, all courtesy 20th Century Fox. But it is the most romantic note I've ever received." Mulder's expression softened. "It's sweet. Don't hold your breath for him ever coming back for you. And if he does, think twice." Langly got a sly look. "You're just scamming me, so you can try and win him back for yourself." Mulder laughed. "That's not a hope I harbor. These days, my life is better when Krycek doesn't show up." He glanced at his watch. "I need to get to the Bureau. Scully gets nervous when I'm not there before her." He drained the last of his latte, then eyed Langly thoughtfully. "Would you.......care to do this again sometime?" "What, you mean this early morning exchange of tawdry secrets? I don't know haw many days I can drag myself up at this ungodly hour." "No, I mean get together. The two of us. Talk about stuff other than conspiracies." Mulder looked shy and vulnerable. Langly cracked a grin. "Mulder, a second date sounds fine. And don't worry, I'll choose somewhere discreet for us." He winked as Mulder left, then relaxed, settled down into the booth a little more, and realized it was going to be a good day. Fin.