The Long Signal: Chapter 3
Title: The Long Signal
Chapter: 3
Genre: Romance, Drama, Sci-Fi
Fandom: Glamnation
Word Count: 2996
Rating: PG
Warnings: N/A
Summary: Techie Tommy sets out on a voyage to a presumed well known section of the verse. Following the guidance of Adam, the research team leader, Tommy both finds and loses those things most precious to him out in the deep dark space.
Disclaimer: This shit ain't real, yo. Don't get uppity and start thinking it is.
---
Day 13
“Day thirteen. The wastelands are beyond us. We’re at the edge of space and there is nowhere else to go… It’s all just black. We’re all going mad, MAD I TELL YO-hey! The fuck? Adam! Don’t take that away from mrphsm…
…
Tommy, if you can’t use this properly you won’t get to use it at all.
That sounds dirty Adam.
Of for fucks sake…
-
The meeting wasn’t a complete waste. Tommy at least got a read on who the leader of this whole trip was. These presentations were usually just a waste of breath for the temperamental blond. Whatever they had to say was always, undoubtedly, said again later. Tommy didn’t like to be told the same thing twice and so he usually hated going to these things but… again, protocol was protocol.
What he DID take advantage of was the time to size up his crew. Tommy didn’t like surprises and so he likes testing his environment before he jumped in. He’d had enough shit-head captains to know better than trusting them right off the bat. Adam looked nice enough but you could never tell. And he was a big dude, one Tommy was sure could kick his ass this side of the Crab Nebula. Of course, he had no idea that Adam was a big ol’ teddy bear under all that height. He was just going to play it safe rather than risk getting his ass handed to him in a fight.
Now, it should be noted that Tommy was a scrappy little devil and could hold his own for the most part but just because you know how to fight back doesn’t mean you know how to win or are even capable of doing so. And while Tommy could throw a good punch, he didn’t have the muscle mass or height advantage to sustain much of a fight. Which was why he was a fantastic runner.
Adam was doing well enough. Tommy could tell this was his first space hop and he was almost jealous. He remembered his first time, how exciting it had been. It was all unknown. Everyone’s obviously been through space of some sort but some people hadn’t ever even been off L.A.7 and that was just sad. They’d jetted to the store or around to a different port but rarely into the deep dark space. Tommy had done countless trips now but he missed that first exhilarating moment when you feel the engines rev, the grav kick in, and then the moment when it all takes a hold of you and you jump. It was amazing.
These were the things Tommy thought about when he should have been paying attention to Adam instead. It wasn’t until the man said his name, his awful and formal full name that he snapped out of his thoughts and acted on reflex, correcting Adam. The startled look the larger man took on made Tommy smirk a little, counting how long it would take him to get back on track. And because Tommy was a prissy and irritating bitch, he continued to interrupt, just to see 1. If Adam would get derailed again and 2. How long it would take him before he was irritated enough to speak up.
It didn’t take him long. Tommy made a mental note of that.
Also mentally cataloging the rest of the team members’ names, it wasn’t much longer before the meeting was concluded and Tommy heaved himself out of the chair. Letting out a heavy breath and puffing out his cheeks he turned only to come face to face with Monte’s reproving face.
“… what?” He asked as if completely unaware of what could be the matter. Little angel, that Tommy.
“You can’t possibly expect me, as your superior, to let you get away with what you just did there.”
“I don’t have the foggiest… wait. Superior?”
“Damn right, bitch.”
“I don’t think so. You might be older than me but I… have more hair? And it’s prettier. Q-E-D I’m better.”
“Because you have more and prettier hair.” It wasn’t a question.
“That’s right.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d start wondering if you were really just a ten year old girl under all that skinny ass boy.”
“You’re just jealous because you can’t have hair like mine.”
“Yeah yeah, get the fuck moving. You have to start on your tests.”
They both were laughing as they left the room, Tommy keeping pace with the man, forgetting all about Adam as he went about the rest of the routine. The first tests were the easy ones. Tommy was lead into an all white (why was white the color of the future, Tommy often wondered), sterile room and sat down at a cold surgical type table where a totally unsexy nurse proceeded to draw out vial after vial of blood. Being the trouble maker he was, he continued commenting about how she was totally just some old vampire and if she kept taking his blood he would shrivel up because come on, there was NO meat on his bones.
When he was sent away he didn’t even get a lollipop.
After the blood tests came the physicals and Tommy generally wasn’t a fan of those. And this was the kind of dislike that made him go quiet. He didn’t like being scrutinized and commented on. They always told him the same things: eat more, eat better, drink less, stop getting dumb tattoos. He never listened to him, but the repetition was irritating. And so he endured those tests with a sort of teeth-grinding petulance. Lucky him he got to go home after that for the day. He’d stopped and invited Monte out with him but the man had declined, saying something about being a good dad and reading to his kids and Tommy was too smiley to protest. Sure, it was mushy. But Tommy respected Monte like no one’s business for being a great father.
At home he wandered in to find his roommate Mike on the couch, wired up to one of the latest shooter game and so Tommy joined it. That was how the rest of his super exhilarating night went before he called it quits, took a shower and passed out.
-
Tommy wasn’t the only one who hated the physicals, though Adam probably hated them way more than Tommy. On the outside, it would look like Adam got off easier than Tommy. He wasn’t admonished for eating junk food, or being too skinny. He was given a bill of health and even congratulated on being one of the healthier students they’d had through there in awhile. But Adam still hated the whole ordeal, standing there nearly naked, having people stare and record and measure and weigh and do all the things that had made him so self-conscious as a kid. While Adam was well built now, tall and well proportioned, he hadn’t always been that way and those demons still haunted him at times.
So yeah. Physicals just suck, kids.
But they didn’t last too long and when he was dressed again he was back in high spirits. Despite the physical and despite stumbling in the presentation and despite Thomas Joe- excuse me, Tommy Joe if you’d rather - interrupting him every other sentence, Adam was ridiculously excited about this trip. It meant he would get his degree, yes, but it was also an excursion to the unknown and THAT Adam was most excited for right now. He’d be excited about the degree when he got back. It was the unknown that was calling to him now.
He didn’t go home right away, instead heading out with Mallory and Zach to one of the local port pubs for a few drinks. They talked about the trip, about what it would be like in such a small space for up to four months with nowhere else to go. They discussed the data they needed to retrieve and how they would go about doing all that. They talked about what they could and couldn’t take on the trip and when it was decided that Mallory was NOT allowed her tambourine and Zach WAS allowed his holloporn collection, they paid their tab and headed home. Tomorrow was supposed to be one of their longer test days and it wasn’t the kind you look forward to.
After a relatively good night’s sleep, breakfast consisted of an omelet and all those lovely multivitamins that you were supposed to swear by before he before he meandered on over to KLARC. He wasn’t in a huge rush since he knew that they’d be pretty busy since the whole team had to do their tests today. When he arrived he checked in with a simple wrist scan and then moved to his directed lab room where he was promptly met with the site of Tommy Joe Ratliff vomiting in the trashcan.
The site enough had Adam stopping in his track but for a long moment he couldn’t help but feel like something was completely wrong with this scene. Okay, so anyone throwing up couldn’t exactly be described as right but no one was coming to help Tommy. The other technicians were just either scribbling away on some pads or typing away at some keypad, leaving poor Tommy to upchuck his insides in what sounded like a rather painful manner.
Before his mind had really caught up with his reflexes, he was at Tommy’s side, carefully rubbing his back and then reaching forward to pull those long blond bangs out of his eyes. The hair was softer than he’d expected, not at all course like most bleach blonds were. Adam swallowed down the own tightening in his throat at the sounds and smells and instead just looked away, continuing to rub Tommy’s back till the heaves subsided and the man was able to hold his own. He wiped his mouth of the back of his hand then shakily stood upright.
“Thanks.” His voice sounded rough and used. It was painful just to hear.
“Don’t mention it. Have a rough night?” He asked, his blue eyes roaming in concern over the pale face before him. Tommy’s skin was naturally pale but now it was that sickly pasty white you get when all the blood rushes out of it. His brown eyes were glassy from force of the heaves but he didn’t seem put off by just having thrown up the contents in his stomach.
“Heh, hardly. Don’t worry, you’re next.”
“What?” Adam’s eyes widened in horror before really looking around at the lab they were in. While the smaller room they currently stood in only held a few comfortable looking chairs, a small see-through fridge filled with water and juice, and a few desk where technicians sat, the room beyond the wall was another story. How Adam hadn’t noticed it upon entering he wasn’t sure, probably because of Tommy, you know, throwing up. But now he did and his stomach clenched at the sight.
Moving up to the window he pressed his hand to the glass and watched as a few people within the room moved around a huge simulation looking machine. It took up nearly all the space in the room, and was cylindrical in shape. From the open door, Adam could see into the chamber where a chair was being cleaned by the workers. There were chest harnesses and a headrest with side guards, no doubt to keep your head in place. The whole thing looked terrifying and Adam was supposed to sit in that?!
“Oh, good, Mr. Lambert, you’re here.”
Adam turned to be greeted by a sweet looking brunette. She was cloaked in a white lab coat but held a small electronic clip board in her gloved hands. She looked harmless but Adam knew better. She was a tech witch and she was going to use her good looks to trick him into that monstrous contraption. Not that he good looks would have the same affect on Adam but he knew, she had tricks up her sleeves.
“Mr. Ratliff just finished up in the centrifuge so you’ll be up next. There isn’t anything to worry about. His reaction is perfectly normal and actually something we are looking for.”
“You want to make me throw up?” Just thinking about it made his stomach turn.
“Well, no, we don’t want that but we need to find your limit before you can’t handle anymore or you pass out. If it’s too low we’ll have to train you more before you can go on your expedition but people are rarely too low so I wouldn’t worry.” She gave him a cheery smile and now Adam KNEW she was a evil witch.
“And I have to do this?”
“Unfortunately yes. I know, it isn’t the most pleasant but you’ll be fine and there will be snacks and drinks waiting for you when you get out.” Assuming Adam would even want to eat afterward. He sighed and nodded. “You can put your belongings over there in the cubbies. We’ll take you in when you’re ready.”
Turning away from her he went about pulling off his jacket, casting a sly glance over to see how Tommy was doing. He smiled at what he saw, letting his eyes take in the sight of Tommy curled up with his knees pulled up on one of the larger plush looking chairs. The color was coming back to his face and Adam spied a half empty juice bottle in his hand. His eyes were closed but he didn’t look like he was sleeping. Chewing on his lip Adam ventured closer, not wanting to disturb him too much.
“It isn’t as bad as it looks.”
Adam blinked and looked down to see one of Tommy’s eyes open. “I can tell you’re scared shitless. Man up. It isn’t so bad.”
“Thank you for your concern.” Adam said, probably too snappish. He should have just let his bangs get all gross and vomitty. And the chuckle that came from the boy was just plain irritating. “Go back to sleep. I’ll be fine.”
“Aye aye captain.”
Adam wasn’t fine, as it turned out. He met the required g-force limit but he almost didn’t make it to the trashcan fast enough. Tommy actually had to push it to him to save him from what would have been a very embarrassing situation. Tommy didn’t hold his hair back (his hair wasn’t that long anyways) and he didn’t rub his back but when it felt like he was going to pass out he was heaving so hard, a flare of cold hit the back of his neck and he actually groaned in thanks for the break in hot flashes. Resting his forearms on the edges of the can he just let the last of the tremors settle, ignoring the sweat running down his brow and instead focusing on the cold that had been placed on the back of his neck. When he stood up again he turned to face Tommy. The man didn’t look bothered by any of this and belatedly Adam wondered if Tommy did this every trip. His nonchalance seemed to indicate that yes, this was routine for him and that fact alone made Adam swallow again. He couldn’t imagine doing this more than once.
“See? Not so bad.” Tommy smirked and flicked his head to get his hair out of his eyes before handing over the juice in his hand, the juice he’d used as a cold pack for the back of Adam’s neck. Without speaking for fear of ruining his throat more at this point, Adam nodded and took the juice before moving to take up the chair Tommy had recently vacated. He watched tiredly as Tommy went about hitting the right buttons to clear out the trash can before pushing it back into place. He was even so kind as to pull out a small sandwich from a fridge Adam hadn’t noticed before, setting it down next to him with a bottle of water and a napkin before he was grabbing his own coat and pulling it on.
“Uh, w-wait.” Adam called, cringing at how rough his voice sounded. Tommy paused from where he stood in the doorway, adjusting the collar of his jacket.
“Yeah?”
“Uhm. Tha-“ He cleared his throat. “Thanks.” He offered a smile which Tommy returned. He didn’t say anything though, instead just saluting Adam and turning to step through the pneumatic doors. As they closed behind him, cutting off Adam’s view of the blond, he dropped his head back to the chair with a groan.
He didn’t sign up for this.
---
Author’s Notes: What?! Two chapters in one day. This is unheard of. I think I’m just trying to get as much written as I can before I get busy again. I’m more invested in this story than I originally imagined. I didn’t expect this but I sure like it. If you guys get a chance tell me what you think! I’m liking how it’s playing out and I think I’ve got a pretty good groove on the flipping point of views. I’m not sure how things will keep progressing so I can’t put a cap on how many chapters this story will have but I’m sure it’ll be a bunch if this is the general pace of it, lol. As always, thanks for ready and I hope you enjoyed it!
Credits: Glamily belongs to themselves. Space belongs to Vader. Everything else belongs to me.
Chapter: 3
Genre: Romance, Drama, Sci-Fi
Fandom: Glamnation
Word Count: 2996
Rating: PG
Warnings: N/A
Summary: Techie Tommy sets out on a voyage to a presumed well known section of the verse. Following the guidance of Adam, the research team leader, Tommy both finds and loses those things most precious to him out in the deep dark space.
Disclaimer: This shit ain't real, yo. Don't get uppity and start thinking it is.
---
Day 13
“Day thirteen. The wastelands are beyond us. We’re at the edge of space and there is nowhere else to go… It’s all just black. We’re all going mad, MAD I TELL YO-hey! The fuck? Adam! Don’t take that away from mrphsm…
…
Tommy, if you can’t use this properly you won’t get to use it at all.
That sounds dirty Adam.
Of for fucks sake…
-
The meeting wasn’t a complete waste. Tommy at least got a read on who the leader of this whole trip was. These presentations were usually just a waste of breath for the temperamental blond. Whatever they had to say was always, undoubtedly, said again later. Tommy didn’t like to be told the same thing twice and so he usually hated going to these things but… again, protocol was protocol.
What he DID take advantage of was the time to size up his crew. Tommy didn’t like surprises and so he likes testing his environment before he jumped in. He’d had enough shit-head captains to know better than trusting them right off the bat. Adam looked nice enough but you could never tell. And he was a big dude, one Tommy was sure could kick his ass this side of the Crab Nebula. Of course, he had no idea that Adam was a big ol’ teddy bear under all that height. He was just going to play it safe rather than risk getting his ass handed to him in a fight.
Now, it should be noted that Tommy was a scrappy little devil and could hold his own for the most part but just because you know how to fight back doesn’t mean you know how to win or are even capable of doing so. And while Tommy could throw a good punch, he didn’t have the muscle mass or height advantage to sustain much of a fight. Which was why he was a fantastic runner.
Adam was doing well enough. Tommy could tell this was his first space hop and he was almost jealous. He remembered his first time, how exciting it had been. It was all unknown. Everyone’s obviously been through space of some sort but some people hadn’t ever even been off L.A.7 and that was just sad. They’d jetted to the store or around to a different port but rarely into the deep dark space. Tommy had done countless trips now but he missed that first exhilarating moment when you feel the engines rev, the grav kick in, and then the moment when it all takes a hold of you and you jump. It was amazing.
These were the things Tommy thought about when he should have been paying attention to Adam instead. It wasn’t until the man said his name, his awful and formal full name that he snapped out of his thoughts and acted on reflex, correcting Adam. The startled look the larger man took on made Tommy smirk a little, counting how long it would take him to get back on track. And because Tommy was a prissy and irritating bitch, he continued to interrupt, just to see 1. If Adam would get derailed again and 2. How long it would take him before he was irritated enough to speak up.
It didn’t take him long. Tommy made a mental note of that.
Also mentally cataloging the rest of the team members’ names, it wasn’t much longer before the meeting was concluded and Tommy heaved himself out of the chair. Letting out a heavy breath and puffing out his cheeks he turned only to come face to face with Monte’s reproving face.
“… what?” He asked as if completely unaware of what could be the matter. Little angel, that Tommy.
“You can’t possibly expect me, as your superior, to let you get away with what you just did there.”
“I don’t have the foggiest… wait. Superior?”
“Damn right, bitch.”
“I don’t think so. You might be older than me but I… have more hair? And it’s prettier. Q-E-D I’m better.”
“Because you have more and prettier hair.” It wasn’t a question.
“That’s right.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d start wondering if you were really just a ten year old girl under all that skinny ass boy.”
“You’re just jealous because you can’t have hair like mine.”
“Yeah yeah, get the fuck moving. You have to start on your tests.”
They both were laughing as they left the room, Tommy keeping pace with the man, forgetting all about Adam as he went about the rest of the routine. The first tests were the easy ones. Tommy was lead into an all white (why was white the color of the future, Tommy often wondered), sterile room and sat down at a cold surgical type table where a totally unsexy nurse proceeded to draw out vial after vial of blood. Being the trouble maker he was, he continued commenting about how she was totally just some old vampire and if she kept taking his blood he would shrivel up because come on, there was NO meat on his bones.
When he was sent away he didn’t even get a lollipop.
After the blood tests came the physicals and Tommy generally wasn’t a fan of those. And this was the kind of dislike that made him go quiet. He didn’t like being scrutinized and commented on. They always told him the same things: eat more, eat better, drink less, stop getting dumb tattoos. He never listened to him, but the repetition was irritating. And so he endured those tests with a sort of teeth-grinding petulance. Lucky him he got to go home after that for the day. He’d stopped and invited Monte out with him but the man had declined, saying something about being a good dad and reading to his kids and Tommy was too smiley to protest. Sure, it was mushy. But Tommy respected Monte like no one’s business for being a great father.
At home he wandered in to find his roommate Mike on the couch, wired up to one of the latest shooter game and so Tommy joined it. That was how the rest of his super exhilarating night went before he called it quits, took a shower and passed out.
-
Tommy wasn’t the only one who hated the physicals, though Adam probably hated them way more than Tommy. On the outside, it would look like Adam got off easier than Tommy. He wasn’t admonished for eating junk food, or being too skinny. He was given a bill of health and even congratulated on being one of the healthier students they’d had through there in awhile. But Adam still hated the whole ordeal, standing there nearly naked, having people stare and record and measure and weigh and do all the things that had made him so self-conscious as a kid. While Adam was well built now, tall and well proportioned, he hadn’t always been that way and those demons still haunted him at times.
So yeah. Physicals just suck, kids.
But they didn’t last too long and when he was dressed again he was back in high spirits. Despite the physical and despite stumbling in the presentation and despite Thomas Joe- excuse me, Tommy Joe if you’d rather - interrupting him every other sentence, Adam was ridiculously excited about this trip. It meant he would get his degree, yes, but it was also an excursion to the unknown and THAT Adam was most excited for right now. He’d be excited about the degree when he got back. It was the unknown that was calling to him now.
He didn’t go home right away, instead heading out with Mallory and Zach to one of the local port pubs for a few drinks. They talked about the trip, about what it would be like in such a small space for up to four months with nowhere else to go. They discussed the data they needed to retrieve and how they would go about doing all that. They talked about what they could and couldn’t take on the trip and when it was decided that Mallory was NOT allowed her tambourine and Zach WAS allowed his holloporn collection, they paid their tab and headed home. Tomorrow was supposed to be one of their longer test days and it wasn’t the kind you look forward to.
After a relatively good night’s sleep, breakfast consisted of an omelet and all those lovely multivitamins that you were supposed to swear by before he before he meandered on over to KLARC. He wasn’t in a huge rush since he knew that they’d be pretty busy since the whole team had to do their tests today. When he arrived he checked in with a simple wrist scan and then moved to his directed lab room where he was promptly met with the site of Tommy Joe Ratliff vomiting in the trashcan.
The site enough had Adam stopping in his track but for a long moment he couldn’t help but feel like something was completely wrong with this scene. Okay, so anyone throwing up couldn’t exactly be described as right but no one was coming to help Tommy. The other technicians were just either scribbling away on some pads or typing away at some keypad, leaving poor Tommy to upchuck his insides in what sounded like a rather painful manner.
Before his mind had really caught up with his reflexes, he was at Tommy’s side, carefully rubbing his back and then reaching forward to pull those long blond bangs out of his eyes. The hair was softer than he’d expected, not at all course like most bleach blonds were. Adam swallowed down the own tightening in his throat at the sounds and smells and instead just looked away, continuing to rub Tommy’s back till the heaves subsided and the man was able to hold his own. He wiped his mouth of the back of his hand then shakily stood upright.
“Thanks.” His voice sounded rough and used. It was painful just to hear.
“Don’t mention it. Have a rough night?” He asked, his blue eyes roaming in concern over the pale face before him. Tommy’s skin was naturally pale but now it was that sickly pasty white you get when all the blood rushes out of it. His brown eyes were glassy from force of the heaves but he didn’t seem put off by just having thrown up the contents in his stomach.
“Heh, hardly. Don’t worry, you’re next.”
“What?” Adam’s eyes widened in horror before really looking around at the lab they were in. While the smaller room they currently stood in only held a few comfortable looking chairs, a small see-through fridge filled with water and juice, and a few desk where technicians sat, the room beyond the wall was another story. How Adam hadn’t noticed it upon entering he wasn’t sure, probably because of Tommy, you know, throwing up. But now he did and his stomach clenched at the sight.
Moving up to the window he pressed his hand to the glass and watched as a few people within the room moved around a huge simulation looking machine. It took up nearly all the space in the room, and was cylindrical in shape. From the open door, Adam could see into the chamber where a chair was being cleaned by the workers. There were chest harnesses and a headrest with side guards, no doubt to keep your head in place. The whole thing looked terrifying and Adam was supposed to sit in that?!
“Oh, good, Mr. Lambert, you’re here.”
Adam turned to be greeted by a sweet looking brunette. She was cloaked in a white lab coat but held a small electronic clip board in her gloved hands. She looked harmless but Adam knew better. She was a tech witch and she was going to use her good looks to trick him into that monstrous contraption. Not that he good looks would have the same affect on Adam but he knew, she had tricks up her sleeves.
“Mr. Ratliff just finished up in the centrifuge so you’ll be up next. There isn’t anything to worry about. His reaction is perfectly normal and actually something we are looking for.”
“You want to make me throw up?” Just thinking about it made his stomach turn.
“Well, no, we don’t want that but we need to find your limit before you can’t handle anymore or you pass out. If it’s too low we’ll have to train you more before you can go on your expedition but people are rarely too low so I wouldn’t worry.” She gave him a cheery smile and now Adam KNEW she was a evil witch.
“And I have to do this?”
“Unfortunately yes. I know, it isn’t the most pleasant but you’ll be fine and there will be snacks and drinks waiting for you when you get out.” Assuming Adam would even want to eat afterward. He sighed and nodded. “You can put your belongings over there in the cubbies. We’ll take you in when you’re ready.”
Turning away from her he went about pulling off his jacket, casting a sly glance over to see how Tommy was doing. He smiled at what he saw, letting his eyes take in the sight of Tommy curled up with his knees pulled up on one of the larger plush looking chairs. The color was coming back to his face and Adam spied a half empty juice bottle in his hand. His eyes were closed but he didn’t look like he was sleeping. Chewing on his lip Adam ventured closer, not wanting to disturb him too much.
“It isn’t as bad as it looks.”
Adam blinked and looked down to see one of Tommy’s eyes open. “I can tell you’re scared shitless. Man up. It isn’t so bad.”
“Thank you for your concern.” Adam said, probably too snappish. He should have just let his bangs get all gross and vomitty. And the chuckle that came from the boy was just plain irritating. “Go back to sleep. I’ll be fine.”
“Aye aye captain.”
Adam wasn’t fine, as it turned out. He met the required g-force limit but he almost didn’t make it to the trashcan fast enough. Tommy actually had to push it to him to save him from what would have been a very embarrassing situation. Tommy didn’t hold his hair back (his hair wasn’t that long anyways) and he didn’t rub his back but when it felt like he was going to pass out he was heaving so hard, a flare of cold hit the back of his neck and he actually groaned in thanks for the break in hot flashes. Resting his forearms on the edges of the can he just let the last of the tremors settle, ignoring the sweat running down his brow and instead focusing on the cold that had been placed on the back of his neck. When he stood up again he turned to face Tommy. The man didn’t look bothered by any of this and belatedly Adam wondered if Tommy did this every trip. His nonchalance seemed to indicate that yes, this was routine for him and that fact alone made Adam swallow again. He couldn’t imagine doing this more than once.
“See? Not so bad.” Tommy smirked and flicked his head to get his hair out of his eyes before handing over the juice in his hand, the juice he’d used as a cold pack for the back of Adam’s neck. Without speaking for fear of ruining his throat more at this point, Adam nodded and took the juice before moving to take up the chair Tommy had recently vacated. He watched tiredly as Tommy went about hitting the right buttons to clear out the trash can before pushing it back into place. He was even so kind as to pull out a small sandwich from a fridge Adam hadn’t noticed before, setting it down next to him with a bottle of water and a napkin before he was grabbing his own coat and pulling it on.
“Uh, w-wait.” Adam called, cringing at how rough his voice sounded. Tommy paused from where he stood in the doorway, adjusting the collar of his jacket.
“Yeah?”
“Uhm. Tha-“ He cleared his throat. “Thanks.” He offered a smile which Tommy returned. He didn’t say anything though, instead just saluting Adam and turning to step through the pneumatic doors. As they closed behind him, cutting off Adam’s view of the blond, he dropped his head back to the chair with a groan.
He didn’t sign up for this.
---
Author’s Notes: What?! Two chapters in one day. This is unheard of. I think I’m just trying to get as much written as I can before I get busy again. I’m more invested in this story than I originally imagined. I didn’t expect this but I sure like it. If you guys get a chance tell me what you think! I’m liking how it’s playing out and I think I’ve got a pretty good groove on the flipping point of views. I’m not sure how things will keep progressing so I can’t put a cap on how many chapters this story will have but I’m sure it’ll be a bunch if this is the general pace of it, lol. As always, thanks for ready and I hope you enjoyed it!
Credits: Glamily belongs to themselves. Space belongs to Vader. Everything else belongs to me.