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Chapter Two

"Adam,

Forgive the shoddy graphics, but I whipped this one up in ten. Glad to have you on the team again. We missed you, though I'm sure the same cannot be said for us (haha)!

Mark, John, David, Marcy, Dania, Alex…"

Everyone had signed it. The first thing he noticed when he walked into his new office was the lone card standing in the middle of his desk. Adam set it down and slipped the bag that was hanging from his shoulder onto the floor next to the chair. Carefully, mind you; he had his laptop in there. It would have to do for the moment as most of his work was on there and until he could transfer it. He sat in his chair, which was rather comfortable. It would need to be broken in, though. According to the schedule, his first client was not due to arrive for another ten or fifteen minutes; a big name to be kept under wraps. He'd been told to keep his mouth zipped tight for this one.

"…I was wondering what all the fuss was about." That voice, that accent – he knew it quite well. Adam glanced up from the card in his hand to find Ben standing in the doorway. "When did you get here?" It was almost comforting to hear such familiar drawl. He'd become quite adept at distinguishing certain dialects during his time in the UK. Though Adam had been stationed in central London, he knew Ben hailed from just south of that; his accent a bit watered down due to the fact that he had been in America for some time.

Adam set the card down. "Just now."

Ben walked in further, arms crossed over his chest. "No, I mean to the States."

"On Friday."

"I suppose you're all settled then?"

"Yeah," a nod, "I arranged for a friend to hook me up with an apartment and Miles helped to get some furniture in there."

The brit glanced over his shoulder out the door, "Where is Miles anyway?" Adam was pulling out a folder, flipping through some of the pages when he turned his gaze back.

"Couldn't tell ya. I haven't seen or spoken to him since last night."

As if on cue, "Knock, knock…" another face joined them, gently rapping on the door.

"Speak of the devil," Ben murmured. He stepped aside so that Miles could join them. "Well isn't that peculiar. I just had the oddest sensation of déjà vu."

"So, what do you think?" A few months ago, the studio had been expanded. When the construction was complete, Miles snapped a few photos and sent them in an email for Adam to see. Little did he know he would be working in the new wing.

"The pictures certainly didn't do it justice. And it's a lot bigger than what I had to work with over in London."

"Yes, well, they are rather stingy over there," Ben commented, in a loving sort of manner. "By the way," Ben continued, "I got a ring from Trevor. He wanted me to tell you that they miss you dearly and that the studio isn't as lively as it once was. It seems as though you've managed to worm your way into their hearts."

Trevor had immediately latched onto Adam, being a junior designer. He saw the new addition as a means to learn from the best. They had hand picked Adam for his blooming talent after all.

"As much as I'll miss London, I'm glad to be home."

Miles opened his mouth to say something only to be interrupted by a gentle set of knocks at the door. A face he hadn't seen before popped her head in and all eyes were on her. "Excuse me?" the secretary said, voice somewhat meet. "Your client is here. They're waiting in the lounge."

"Thanks," Adam said and she nodded, flashing him a smile before heading back to her desk. He stood up, straightening his tie. He decided to wear one today considering the names he would be meeting with. He had a reputation to uphold.

"Oh, by the way, before you take off I was wondering if you guys wanted to get a few drink after work," Miles asked.

"Isn't Alison home tonight?" Adam wondered.

"Yeah, but not until late. She called and told me the flight's been delayed. Some nasty storm on the west is keeping them grounded for a few hours, so she said not to worry about her; said she'd get a cab home."

Ben unfolded his arms and shoved his hands in his pockets instead. "I think I might be able to make it."

Adam nodded in reply, "Count me in."

"Good! I'll let you get to it then," the brunet said before taking off. He disappeared into the hall leaving Ben and Adam alone for a brief moment.

The brit strolled across the room, taking his sweet time to leave the office. Adam looked up when he realized Ben was still there and stared curiously at him. "Good to have you back, mate." A rather shocking thing to hear coming from the man, but it was nice, nonetheless. Their relationship had always been a somewhat confusing one. Right off the bat, they seemed to clash with each other. He never really knew why. It just felt natural. The thought was short lived when he realized he could no longer doddle much longer. His client was waiting.

-

Zuke's wasn't just a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. It was much more than that. It held a lot of memories. One booth in particular was their favorite; the biggest one in the back corner near all the old pictures from the 30s and 40s. Before Adam and Ben arrived, Miles made sure he snagged it before anyone else could. He figured he didn't need to wait by the door; that it would be a reflex for Adam to look in that direction.

Miles had sent a text message to the both of them with a time and location. Before either of the other two could arrive, he started with a water first and some mozzarella sticks – Adam's favorites. Ben quite enjoyed the wings, from what he remembered, but which flavor escaped him, so he got a bit of the most popular. The appetizers barely had time to make it out when Miles spotted the rest of his party. Almost immediately, they locked eyes from across the room, as expected, and Adam led Ben through the crowd to the booth. He slid in next to the brunet while Ben sat across from them.

"I'm surprised you got this spot. The place is packed," Adam said, shrugging off his coat. It was cold out there still.

Miles reached in for a mozzarella stick. They had cooled off enough to eat by then. "Pure luck I guess. How'd the meeting go?"

"Good enough," the blond replied and grabbed one himself. When he bit into it, the cheese strung from his mouth and Adam mumbled through his words. "Ur'jus in'nishuh stage-" He broke the cheese string, not wanting to choke and swallowed before continuing. "…Initial stages. There's another meeting set for Wednesday to smooth over the details. You'll know more about it by then."

"Look at you, Mr. Creative Director, taking charge," the brit said. He dived for a wing instead. "I wouldn't get too smug just yet. It's only your first day back."

Adam rolled his eyes. There was that unmistakable, smart-alack banter again.

"Well if it isn't you two!" the waitress yelped. "I haven't seen you in a while." T. Her name started with a T, if he remembered right. T…Tracy? She smacked Adam on the shoulder lightly with her pad. "What, did you drop off the face of the Earth or something? And you!" Tracy pointed to Miles. "You stopped comin' around, too!"

"I told you he went to England," the brunet replied.

"Yeah, well, I got a business to run. I can't remember everyone's life stories. So what're you boys havin' tonight?"

Ben opted for the porterhouse; Miles got himself their classic cheeseburger nix the tomatoes and Adam had the fish and chips.

"Fish n' chips, mate? Are you missing London a little too much?" Ben snickered a bit as he sipped his water. He'd ordered a beer too which he specified he wanted with dinner.

"So tell me, how was it when you got there? Was it hard to adjust?" They must have had that conversation before, but it had been so long.

Adam grabbed another mozzarella stick and bit into it. "I guess learning how to drive on the other side of the road was the hardest, but besides some of the obvious differences, it wasn't all that difficult. It's one thing to be a tourist, but I was living there so everyone kinda went easy on me."

"See?" Ben interrupted, "We're not all that bad."

"Yeah, the lot of you maybe," Adam snapped and glared at the brit sidelong, "but there's always one bad apple."

The comment earned him a piercing glare. Ben bit back, "Piss off," and took the last mozzarella stick. Their playful banter gave off a sense of nostalgia. They'd always been that way. The brunet couldn't help but laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Miles chuckled. He jumped a little at the vibration in his pocket and pulled out his phone. He was getting a text message.

"Who is it?" Ben asked, leaning over the table to get a better look at the screen. Miles leaned back.

"It's Alison. She's boarding, finally. It'll be another couple hours, though."

"Then you've got all night," Ben said. Tracy came back with drinks and a heads up on the order. That would take a while given how busy the restaurant was.

"Pretty much."

Ben directed his attention to Adam, giving him a curious look. "You haven't met Alison yet, have you?"

"No," the blond said and shifted uncomfortably now that all eyes were on him. "They met after I left."

"That's right. She was his first client." A nod and Ben started on the next set of wings. "When is the wedding again?"

"May 22nd," Miles told him. He didn't notice the slight discomfort in Adam's expression, however, having been concentrating on sending Alison a text message back. The blond caught a glimpse of the screen out of the corner of his eyes, "Can't wait 'til you get back," it said, followed by a winking smilie. His stomach churned.

"I gotta piss," Adam stated, loud enough for the booth next to them to hear. He shot up, taking both Miles and Ben by surprise and quickly scooted out of his seat, heading for the restrooms. It came from nowhere, a sudden rush of heat as his heart pumped wildly in his chest. One hand out in front of him, the blond pushed the bathroom door open. It slammed hard against the wall behind it, startling the man at the sink. Adam hardly even noticed him and went straight for the first open stall, practically stumbled into it, slamming the door behind him. Adam needed to catch his breath. He just sat on the toilet seat with his head in his hands. Get a hold of yourself, he thought, letting out a heavy sigh. When the sound of the door shutting echoed in the wake of the last visitor to the pissoir, he let himself relax a bit more, slumping back against the toilet tank.

"What am I doing…?" the blond muttered. His first day back on the job and he was already breaking down. Adam slumped forward again, propping his elbows on his legs. He wasn't sure he could go out there just yet. He would need a moment to clear his muddled thoughts and even then, when he managed to convince himself that he'd been gone an awful long time, the thought of going out there unnerved him. He did it anyway.

"There he is," Ben said, eying the blond as he took his seat next to Miles. "Did you fall in or something?"

Adam only eyed him and noticed his glass was empty, focusing on that instead. "Looks like I need a refill," he declared, glancing over his shoulder. Those eyes scanned the room, desperately searching for a waitress. When he spotted one, he waved her over and ordered another.

The brit eyed Miles who returned the glance. Ben simply shrugged and picked his glass up, raising it. "Cheers."

-

Ben hoisted Adam's weight up; the blond was slipping from his grip.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I can take him home. Alison won't be back for another," Miles looked at his wristwatch and said, "two hours."

"Don't worry about it, mate…" Ben tightened his grip around Adam's waist. He was heavier than he looked. "I live closer to him anyway."

Miles frowned, shoving his hands into his coat pocket. It was cold outside, but there was a cab waiting for them. "At least let me help you get him in." Ben accepted the offer and figured this wasn't the first time Miles had dealt with a rather drunken Adam. In the time they'd lived together, it would be hard to imagine otherwise.

Fortunately, Adam was able to maneuver himself of his own will which made getting him in the cab a bit easier. Miles, after buckling his belt, leaned in to tell the man something that Ben didn't catch out of respect for their privacy. He was not as close to the blond as Miles was; not by a long shot. Not long after did Miles shut the door, stepped up onto the curb and wished Ben good luck before smacking the top of the cab with his palm. The taxi pulled out into traffic, heading the wrong way at first. It was like pulling teeth to get Adam's new address, but finally he mumbled something that sounded familiar; a little community just at the East end of the Upper West Side.

Getting Adam out of the cab was a little harder when they arrived. To have the man slumping against him on the ride back was awkward enough. Every now and then, Adam would murmur something and then shift away; his head lolled to one side and then the other. While Ben was not exactly out of shape, lugging around a grown man proved to be more difficult than the brit could have imagined. By some miracle, and he thanked the Gods for it, they made it upstairs and without injury despite a near dropping incident.

"Oh come on, you're not that drunk," Ben growled, letting the blond drop completely. He kicked Adam's legs out of the way of the front door and shut it, turning back to stare at the man below him. Ben sighed. He came down to his knees again and slipped an arm around Adam's waist. The two of them stumbled out of the entryway, through the living room and in to what Ben assumed was the bedroom. He dumped the blond straight onto the bed, falling onto the mattress to catch his breath. Adam so totally owed him.

"…Ben."

The brit looked over his shoulder. Adam was propped on his elbows, staring bleary-eyed, clothes and hair a mess.

"Had enough to drink tonight?" Adam just frowned and groaned softly, dropping back onto the mattress. When Ben could breathe again, he sat up and gently slapped at a knee. "Come on, then; can't have you sleep in your suit." He got no response, unsurprisingly enough. All Adam did was shift a little before throwing an arm over his face. Ben sighed again. He came to his knees this time, off the side of the mattress and slipped off those shoes for starters, placing them neatly at his bedside. "Are you going to do this yourself or not because I'm not afraid to strip you of your skivvies—" Ben cut himself short as he turned to find Adam sitting up, head in his hands. For whatever reason, it worried the brit. "Is everything alright?"

"Just go…"

"Excuse me?" Ben barked. "I'm trying to help…"

"M'fine," Adam told him. He lifted his head up and, while avoiding eye contact, attempted to shrug out of his jacket. The attempt was short-lived and unsuccessful. He got caught in it before he could even get out.

"Oh, let me." Ben clucked his tongue in disapproval and helped to pull the blond out of his coat. "I don't know what got into you tonight but you should be thanking me." Miles would have got him home if Ben hadn't agreed to, but he wanted him to feel bad about it. "Probably not the greatest idea, getting pissed-faced and dragged home on your first day back. I won't go easy on you tomorrow when you're dealing with that hangover."

"Will you shut up?" the blond snarled. He didn't want to hear it, wasn't in the mood to be lectured.

Ignoring the urge to smack Adam on the back of the head, Ben just moved away to hang the coat up and came back feeling just as annoyed. He stood there towering over the blond with his hands on his hips. "Whatever your problem is, I'm going to ignore it." Before he could be any more offended, Ben wrote off the behavior as suspicious but forgivable. He was sure he had been a bit of a pisser as a drunk himself and there was definitely something going on with the blond. He did not intend to stick around much longer to find out, in any case, as Adam seemed to want him gone. He could take a hint. "Better get some rest then. You'll need it." With that, the brit excused himself and, much to his dissent, Ben took his leave. Tomorrow would be an interesting day.