“Come on, that’s it,” Gabe cooed.

He wiggled the feathered stick under the sofa and shifted on his stomach to try and see better. Duchess narrowed her eyes at him and lowered her ears. The space was so small under his couch he was amazed she could get them any flatter, but she managed it.

“Good girl. Who’s a pretty girl?”

Despite her scruffy appearance and the fact that she hissed at him, again, he really did think she was a pretty girl. She was just hurting and scared. He understood she needed to protect herself. But at the same time, he really would have liked a cuddle.

His phone ringtone startled him so much in the quiet of his house he jerked and banged the coffee table. He cursed and hoped he hadn’t disturbed Duchess too badly. She seemed no more annoyed than before though.

The ringtone was a generic one, so he knew before he got the phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen it wasn’t a close acquaintance. It was getting late. As he eased his bulk free and sat on sofa, he wondered who the unidentified number could possibly be.

“Hello, Gabe speaking,” he answered. He thought a professional tone was best in case it was something to do with the fire department or homeless shelter.

There was a beat of silence, although Gabe could hear the wind blowing over the receiver. Whoever it was, they were standing outside.

“Uh, Gabe?”

Gabe had answered with his name, but the uncertain tone of the voice stopped him from rolling his eyes. He’d given his number out to several people at the shelter in case of an emergency. It could be that one of them was in shock and needed his help.

Sure enough, he heard a pitiful sniff from down the line. “Yeah, this is Gabe,” he said gently.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know who else to call. It’s…it’s Joey.”

Gabe sat up straight, instantly on alert. That was the last person he expected to call him on a Friday night in distress. “Joey, what’s wrong?” he demanded.

“All my friends are out of state,” he said after a few seconds’ pause. Then he laughed, but there was a harsh edge to it. “Fuck, I’m out of state,” he mumbled.

Gabe checked his watch. “Joey, have you been drinking?” he asked calmly.

There was a scoff from the other end of the line. “I had one beer,” Joey griped. “And maybe a shot. But I’m fine.” The irritableness probably shouldn’t have made Gabe crack a smile, but one threatened to creep on his lips anyway.

“Good, that’s good,” Gabe said genuinely. “Are you okay? What do you mean you’re out of state?” It was approaching eleven at night.

There was no response. Gabe frowned.

“Joey?”

“I’m in Manhattan,” Joey blurted out. “I got mugged. Well, pickpocketed, I didn’t see it happen, so I guess…” There was a little sob and a noise of frustration. “I’m stranded, and I don’t know what to do. Sorry. I know it’s late. I didn’t have anyone else left to call. I don’t know, I thought, maybe, you might know a bus or something?”

Gabe was already on his feet. “Calm down, it’s okay,” he said as Joey’s voice became more frantic. “Have you got your card details on your phone? You can use that to get a new train ticket.”

Again, he had to wait for an answer.

“I don’t have any money in my account,” Joey’s small, defeated voice rasped. “That cash was all I had to my name.”

Gabe was already shoving his shoes on and sliding his arm through a jacket. Duchess had water and food put out for her, and the back door was already locked. Gabe snatched his car keys up from the bowl.

“Where are you?”

“Forty-Second Street,” Joey said, sheepishly.

“Okay,” said Gabe. “I don’t know exactly how long the drive will take. So I’ll put it in my GPS and text you a rough ETA, all right?”

Another silence. This one seemed stunned though. “You’re…you can’t come get me.”

Gabe didn’t pause as he bent down to make one last check on Duchess before striding towards the front door of his house. “I can’t leave you in the middle of the city,” Gabe countered as he locked up. “Just stay put and text me if anything changes. Wait,” he said, getting into his car. “Find a diner or something. Go somewhere warm and well lit. Don’t hang around on the fucking street, all right? Joey?” he demanded when he didn’t get an answer.

Joey chuckled. It was a lovely sound, and despite the circumstances, Gabe was ashamed to say it stirred something in him.

“I promise,” Joey mumbled. “I’ll find a place nearby and text you.”

“Good,” said Gabe, turning the ignition. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Gabe?” Joey said, making him pause.

“Yeah?” he replied.

“Thank you,” Joey whispered before he cut the call.

Gabe hit the gas and was on the Connecticut Turnpike before he really considered what he was doing. GPS told him he had a little over an hour to get to where Joey was waiting. Plenty of time to consider how insane this was.

He’d barely met the guy. He wasn’t even sure if Joey liked him. They didn’t really know each other well enough to form any kind of opinions. And yet here Gabe was, driving out of state in the middle of the night to make sure Joey wasn’t stranded.

It was dangerous in the big city at night though. Especially for someone as gentle as Joey. He had spirit, Gabe had no doubt. But he wouldn’t last long in a fight.

What if someone recognized him and gave him trouble? What if they sensed he was gay and hurt him? Gabe was surprised by the knot that formed in his guts. Sure, his mom had always taught him to do the right thing, be a Good Samaritan. But Gabe couldn’t deny he felt real fear at the idea of Joey coming to any harm.

So, he had to admit that maybe he cared for the younger guy, more than he would a stranger off the street. A really cute stranger with a great body and real talent. Gabe shook his head and switched lanes. That was irrelevant. The point was, he didn’t know Joey very well, but what he did know of him, he quite liked.

If this crazy stunt was worth nothing else, at least they would get an opportunity to get to know one another a bit better.

Gabe flitted between radio stations as he followed the coast down towards the city. He felt nervous, not just worrying over Joey’s safety. He was stupidly feeling a little anxious about spending the ride back home together. What if it was awkward and they had nothing to say? If it got bad, Joey always had the option to fall asleep, or at least pretend to. But Gabe would prefer they at least made an attempt at conversation.

Joey had texted not long after Gabe had set off to say he’d found an all-night diner near Grand Central Station. Gabe was content that he was warm and protected until he could arrive. But then Joey texted again saying a waitress had taken pity on him and given him a cup of coffee to nurse, which was even better.

Being near the station meant there was actually some parking. So when he arrived, Gabe found a spot, then messaged Joey to let him know where he was and to come find him.

He drummed his hands on the wheel and turned the music down. It was fair enough he was nervous. Joey was a legitimate celebrity, and Gabe was just some small-town hick. They didn’t really have anything in common.

There were probably teenagers all over the globe that had fantasized about a situation just like this. Rescuing Joey Sullivan when he was in trouble. Being the one he called when he needed help most.

Gabe felt honored and unworthy at the same time.

He was also getting ahead of himself. It was just a ride; it wasn’t a date. And Joey had already admitted he’d only called because he didn’t have any other options. Still, that didn’t mean Gabe couldn’t try and make the most of it.

Any chance to spend more time together was worth taking as far as he was concerned.