FIC: "Tomorrow Takes Me Higher" (Part 4/4)
Title: Tomorrow Takes Me Higher
Pairing: Adam/Kris
Rating: R
DAY SIX
Adam talked to Lil at about seven in the morning, and by noon she was arriving at the hotel and giving him a big hug. "You and I," she said, "need to catch up like nobody's business, but right now I need to give a piece of my mind to a certain young man who I hear is also staying here.
"Kris?" said Adam innocently. "Did he raid your panty drawer again?"
"You are a terrible man," said Lil, giving him one last squeeze for good measure, "not to mention a hard one to keep up with."
"I'll take you over to Matt's suite personally," said Adam. "It seems to be what I do around here anyway."
"Not such a hot shot star right now, huh?" she said. "It's probably good for you."
"It probably is," said Adam, laughing as he led the way. "He know you're here?"
"I texted him from the lobby," she said. "I told him I was finding you first, because I like you more right now and Kris isn't in the building."
"Don't be too hard on him," said Adam. "No, wait, I take that back. Just give him a chance to talk if he's willing, which he isn't always."
"You're right, I will be as hard on him as he deserves," said Lil. "I'm also going to make him feel guilty for taking me away from my kids. Who are, it should be said, acting much more adult than Matt is right now. He needs to smarten his ass up. He's better than this."
"Good, you tell him, Lil," said Adam, "and we'll catch up after, I promise. It's good to see you again. It's been too long."
"And you tell that Kris Allen to be there too," she said. "I need to give him a hug."
"I hear you there," said Adam, then tapped on Matt's door for her, and blew her a kiss as he headed back to his own room again to take care of a few things while he had the time and the mental calm.
When he returned an hour later he could hear the voices even outside the suite, which might've been more of a problem if anyone not associated with Matt had been in any of the rooms nearby, or if anyone hadn't known what was going on with Matt. But everyone knew, and there was no one else around.
"Did you lose all of your good sense somewhere?" Lil was saying. "I knew you, Matt Giraud, and you can't be that far removed from the man I knew. So you need to quit with the crap that's coming out of your mouth right now and just let the people who love you love you in the best ways they can."
Adam didn't linger for more than a few moments, instead drumming his fingers against the wall as he thought about what to do instead, finally deciding now would be an excellent time for Starbucks.
*
"It's been almost a week now," said Kris, scrolling through the messages on his phone as Adam joined him in his hotel room after he got back from his interview. "How long do you think you're going to stay? I can't imagine you don't have people screaming at you right now to get your butt back to LA. Or wherever."
"Doesn't mean I have to listen to them," said Adam with a tight smile. "I was going to take a vacation soon anyway. I've been going non-stop for so long...."
"This isn't exactly a substitute for a vacation," said Kris. "You'd probably be better off working than hanging out here every day."
"I'm where I choose to be," said Adam, "and I've earned the right to make that choice right now. How long are you staying?"
"I don't know," admitted Kris. "I haven't really got anyone hurrying me along to do anything. I can do a lot from here, and tour rehearsals don't need to start for at least a month. The guys'll get up to speed fast enough, and I know you're used to spectacles but this is just a small tour while we gear up for the album. It'll come together pretty easily once we get going."
"Is Katy going to bring the kids up after all, then?"
"Or I'll fly down for a couple of days, if it comes to that," said Kris. "We'll work that out. I guess it just depends on what goes on here."
"I don't think it's going to be a problem anyway," said Adam. "Matt's not going to hole up here forever. I give it another day or two, tops. This was only ever temporary while everyone got their shit together."
"It's already at least three days longer than I thought it would be," admitted Kris. "It's been my experience that Matt doesn't do downtime for any longer than that."
"I think it's a little more enforced this time," said Adam, "but it's not indefinite."
"You still think they're going to put him in a program?"
"At this point it'll look good if they do," said Adam, "for all the good it'll do him. He doesn't need twenty-eight days in the desert to pass the public's morality test, he needs something sustainable."
"I've been trying to--"
"And he needs to want that," said Adam, before either of them could go down that road again. "Don't stop offering, but he has to be the one to take it on. Anyway. I can probably push my visit into next week if I agree to a couple of things I didn't really want to do, which is a pretty small price to pay."
"Private functions?" said Kris, wrinkling up his nose.
"Not this time," said Adam. "A couple of club appearances, a premiere, an interviewer I don't get along very well with. Nothing particularly painful, just tedious."
"Cameron's been pretty happy," said Kris, "which means management and my publicist are happy, which means they're probably getting some mileage out of me being here. Good for my image or whatever. I should be paying more attention to how they're spinning my part in this."
"So no dodgy clubs for you, is what you're saying," said Adam. "I might make you come with me, though. Bet you didn't think about that."
"That would be...interesting," said Kris. "Enlightening."
"We should probably talk about that," said Adam. "Not the clubs, but going out with me."
"Or you going out with me," Kris pointed out. "You're worried about me wanting to be closeted. It's okay, I get that. But, I mean, you're you. I knew that going into this. There's no room for a closet when it comes to this."
"And you're okay with that?"
"I'm a little intimidated," admitted Kris, smiling at him, "but my team doesn't think it's actually going to be a huge shocker at this point. Years ago, yeah, but not now. I'm not under any illusions about just how public this is going to be."
"Okay, good," said Adam. "Not that I'm going to flaunt you...well, okay, I might flaunt you a little."
"Yeah, I might let you," said Kris with a soft laugh. "I'm more worried about the kids, but I think that'll be fine. We're raising them well, and this isn't going to change that."
"We can take this however you need to, when it comes to them," said Adam. "We've only gone on one date at this point. I have no expectations there."
"They adore you," said Kris. "I'll talk to Katy about it some more and we'll all figure out how to approach it."
"I'll talk to her too," said Adam as Kris nodded at him. "I want to anyway."
"But you're right, right now we don't really need to do anything differently. When it comes to them, anyway."
"When it comes to them," agreed Adam, "because when it comes to us, I've got a whole lot of different things I want to try out."
"I just bet you do," said Kris, and laughed a lot more openly this time. "Can't wait."
*
Adam had never had any reason to actually include anyone else in his relationships before, but this was a different situation from any of the ones he'd been in before, and he really wanted to get it right. Even if it meant awkward phone calls to ex-wives who also happened to be longtime friends.
Katy didn't sound particularly harried or breathless when she answered the phone so Adam figured he hadn't caught her at a bad time, which was at least a good start.
"Hey Miss Katy, how's life?"
"Adam!" she said brightly. "About time you called. I was beginning to think you didn't love us anymore."
"As long as Max and Sadie weren't thinking that," said Adam. "How are they doing?"
"Great," she said, "but don't tell me you don't already know that. If I know Kris, and I do, he's been talking about them so much you've been tempted to stuff something in his mouth to shut him up." Adam coughed politely, and Katy just giggled. "Wow, I can't believe I just said that. I was going to let you bring that up."
"Wow, okay," said Adam, mentally changing his whole game plan. "But seriously, asking about the kids wasn't just a lead-in. I miss them like crazy."
"They miss their Uncle Adam too," she promised him. "Well, Max does and the amount of time he spends listening to your music, Sadie knows your voice about as well as she knows mine at this point."
"Every time you send pictures she looks like she's gotten bigger," he said, "but I guess that's what kids do, huh?"
"Don't tell Kris," said Katy, "but I think she's going to be taller than him when she grows up."
"I think by the time that happens, he'll have come to accept it," said Adam. "It's really good to hear you doing so well. I know it hasn't been a great year."
"Actually, it's better than last year," she said, "which is how I know we made the right decision, even if it's been hard. And in case you were wondering, that's your opening right there, Lambert."
"And usually I'm so good at knowing what to do with openings," he said. "I'm not asking for permission or anything, but I want to know...what do you think, Katy? How's this going to affect the kids?"
"I don’t know," she said with a soft sigh, "but it's something that was bound to happen sooner or later. Max already knows that sometimes boys date boys and girls date girls, but because it's his dad he might be a little confused for a while. Sadie's so young, she's not even going to remember this one day. We're going to have to play this one by ear."
"At this point, I'm only thinking about dating him," said Adam. "We don't even need to say anything to them at first. They're used to having me in their lives, I'm not a stranger."
"I think that'll make it easier," said Katy, "but I just don't know. I guess you can't really know until you see what happens. I'd like for me and Kris to talk to them together. Max understands that mommy and daddy don't live together anymore, but we haven't really broached the subject of new people."
"So you haven't...?"
"A couple of dates," said Katy. "Nothing serious, and no one I felt compelled to see a second time. The kids just come first."
"They come first for Kris, too," said Adam, but he was pretty sure Katy didn't need to be told that.
"I know this might be one of the more awkward calls that you've ever had to make," she said, "but the fact that you even thought about how this might affect them...thank you. I knew I liked you for a reason."
"You guys are always going to be a family," said Adam. "It's always going to matter. And I know Kris has talked to you about me...about this. I guess I just needed your perspective on how to proceed here. It's all a little new to me."
"It's a little new to all of us," she said. "I kind of always knew it might be you, though. Maybe the kids won't be as surprised as we think."
"I never wanted things to go this way for you," said Adam, because it felt like it needed to be said, "but I...."
"I know," said Katy. "You don't have to tell me this part, Adam. I know. Have you talked about what it's going to mean, publicly?"
"A little bit," said Adam. "I don't want to get ahead of the game. We might date a few times and find out that it's not actually working." Katy just hmmed skeptically. "And we've been friends for long enough that no one's going to think anything of it unless it gets serious."
"And if it does?"
"He knows I'm not going back in the closet, even for him," said Adam, "but we'll all talk about that if and when the time comes. I wouldn't want you or the kids to be blindsided. That's always going to come first. Max'll be starting school soon enough, and school can be rough."
"He's the son of Kris Allen," said Katy. "School was always going to be a little different for him than it was for us when we were kids. Thank you for calling, Adam. It's been...a little weird, but I'm glad you did. Whatever happens, we'll figure it out. And I hope it works out, with you and Kris. I think it will."
*
"If I don't take you to dinner tonight, are you going to think I'm cheap?" said Adam. "I just don't want to deal today. I just want to be with you right now."
"No, I’m going to think you're the smartest man I know," said Kris, and that was when Adam realized he already had the room service menu in his hands. "I forgot to eat again today. Don't tell Katy or she'll yell at me."
"I guess you're lucky that I already talked to her, then," said Adam, taking the menu from him so he could glance at it, even though he already knew exactly what it said. He could probably recite it from memory. "She sounds good."
"We are both good," agreed Kris. "A lot better than we were. It's hard to explain to anyone who hasn't been there, but it really is better now. Even if our parents still have a little trouble wrapping their minds around the idea."
"No, I do get it," said Adam. "I mean, I've never been married, but I get it. I'm glad she's actually okay with...not just us, but everything."
"Well, I don't think we're going to be going on any double dates any time soon," said Kris, "but otherwise, we're just moving on now. Do you know what you want to eat?"
"Something light," said Adam. "Salad? They do decent salads."
"Yeah, me too," said Kris, and with no more input than that ordered them up something to eat so that they didn't have to leave the room for the rest of the night. Adam even pulled his phone out and turned it off, then thought better of that and just set it to silent.
"So is this our second date?" said Kris. "I feel like we need to be clear about this."
"So we can sort out appropriate behavior?" said Adam. "Do you want it to be our second date, or should we save that for something more special?"
"I don't know," said Kris, reaching for his guitar and putting it in his lap, strumming for a moment to make sure it sounded in tune. "Do you want to do something special for our second date?"
"I kind of do," admitted Adam. "It should be something we don't already do every day."
"Okay," said Kris easily. "So hey, do you want to listen to something while we're waiting? After Matt yelled at me this morning I started working on it. I don't think they have anything to do with one another but, you know."
"He had a bad morning," said Adam. "I think he had a bad afternoon, too, but Lil was in with him and then someone from his team and now he's not seeing anyone at all."
"Sleeping, maybe," said Kris, strumming again.
"So yeah," said Adam, "yeah, play me what you're working on. You know I'm always into it."
Adam wasn't surprised the song had a bit of a harder edge, all things considered, but then a lot of Kris's newer stuff did. He nodded his head along with it and even mouthed a few words of the chorus once he caught on. It was solid, even just as it was. And Kris was into it, but then that was part of why Adam had always loved watching him perform, even when it was a performance for one.
"Kicks ass," he said when he was done. "And I'm not just saying that because you're now in a position to withhold sexual favors."
Kris laughed and shook his head. "I never really thought about that," he said. "Katy was always honest about my stuff. At least, I think she was always honest. She sounded honest."
"Play it again," said Adam, and as Kris did he moved in closer until he was stretched out on the bed next to where Kris was sitting, guitar on his lap and hammering out the chords hard. And when Kris was done, the last notes still lingering, Adam sat up and leaned in and kissed him. Without so much as hesitating or breaking the kiss, Kris moved the guitar out of the way and placed his hand on Adam's neck, drawing him down on top of him.
This was definitely a position Adam was familiar with. He moved a leg in between Kris's as they kissed but that was all they did. They kissed and they kissed and they breathed and they kissed some more, and Adam's lips were starting to feel full and raw and all he wanted to do was keep kissing him.
He probably would have, except there was a knock on the door and a call of "Room service!", and Adam reluctantly got up while Kris tipped his head back and laughed.
"We're picking this up later," he vowed as he answered the door.
"You'd better believe we are," agreed Kris.
DAY SEVEN
It was too early, the sun barely poking through the curtains, but Adam was already up and going, hanging out at the desk in Matt's room and scrawling down a few lyrics. He still didn't consider himself much of a songwriter, but sometimes he had something to say.
"I'm checking out this afternoon," said Matt out of the blue.
"Yeah?" said Adam, looking up and proceeding a little carefully. "Checking in somewhere else? Twenty-eight days in the desert?"
To his surprise, Matt shook his head. "They were pushing that at first," he said, "but we decided it wasn't the best idea." He rubbed his forehead like he really didn't want to talk about it. Adam wouldn't have wanted to talk about it either. "This is all kind of fucked up."
"You think?" said Adam, moving closer to give his shoulder a shove. "We've been telling you that for a while."
"I had a good talk with someone yesterday."
"Lil?" said Adam. "I sort of overheard some of that. Unintentionally."
"No, not Lil," said Matt, but he smiled a little so it couldn't have gone over too badly, "though that one was pretty interesting. No, I mean with my assistant."
"Robin?" said Adam. "Huh."
"She, uh," said Matt, then rubbed his forehead again. "She handed me her resignation, then she locked the door and sat down by my bed and listed every single thing she's arranged, fixed and covered up for me this past year. It took two hours, Adam. For just the last year."
"Go Robin," said Adam under his breath. "Wow."
"I snarled at her for a little while," said Matt, "then I ripped up her resignation, and told her that if she stayed, I would do better. She's giving me six months. I'm not going to fuck it up."
"After everything that's happened, that's what it took?" said Adam. "Really?"
"I never had it laid out like that before," said Matt. "I guess she just found the right words to get it through or something. So yeah, I'm going to try this program she found. It's all outpatient, meetings and stuff, and out in the open so I'm totally accountable. It sounds terrifying."
"It does sound terrifying," said Adam. "It's in LA?"
"Yeah, it's in LA," said Matt, "so I'm going to be sticking around for a while. We're rescheduling the rest of my dates for the new year."
"Well, you know I'm going to be mostly in LA for the next couple of months," said Adam, "if you need anything. And you know I mean that, right?"
"Yeah, I know you do," said Matt. "I'm a little surprised you do, but I know you do. Sounds more like the offer I'm going to get from Kris when I tell him later."
"You know Kris has your back," said Adam. "You should spend some time with us, just hang out. Take advantage of the chance while we have it."
"God knows I don't have many other people I know in LA who I trust myself to hang out with right now," said Matt. "It'll give you and Kris a chance to see each other too, huh?"
"Yeah," said Adam, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't mean anything by it, but Matt narrowed his eyes a little and studied him.
"Really?" he said finally. "You and Kris?"
"How did you even get that?" said Adam, lowering his hand. He wasn't going to deny it, though. "You are not that observant."
"I haven't had much else to do lately," he said. "I kind of wondered, especially when you stuck around."
"That wasn't why," said Adam, then amended it to, "That wasn't the only reason why. It's complicated." But then, wasn't everything? "It's probably going to be pretty wretched for you for a little while."
"It already has been," said Matt.
"Don't make me start singing "Lean on Me"," said Adam, "because I will. You know I will. And then Kris will come in and harmonize and it'll be all kinds of awkward."
"I get it," said Matt, finally giving him a little smack in return. "I do, I get it. I'm not going to be knocking on your door every day or something, but I get it. Swim in your pool, soak in your hot tub. I might take you up on it."
"I guess I'll be heading home today too, then," said Adam. "I should call Julia and get her to make the arrangements. I might actually sleep in my own bed tonight."
"Thanks for sticking around," said Matt. "Even if you just did it to get into Kris's pants."
"Maybe Kris stuck around to get into my pants, did you ever think about that?"
"You think everyone wants to get into your pants," said Matt, and then there was a knock at the door, Robin sticking her head in.
"Matt, I've got some paperwork for you."
"Of course you do," said Adam, getting up and grabbing up all his own papers again. Then he gave Robin a kiss on the cheek before leaving the room. "Matt, give me a call. Robin, you've earned yourself...I don't know, a car or something. Love you, girl."
"You too," she said, standing on her tiptoes to give Adam's cheek a kiss in return. "All right, Matt, we have a lot of work to do.
*
They were booked on the same flight entirely by coincidence, though not the same as Matt's, and wrangled things at the airport so that they'd be sitting together on the plane. Kris grabbed hold of his hand during take-off, and Adam didn't stop him, and though it wasn't like he kept hold of it for the entire flight, just that moment was nice.
"I won't ask to see you tonight," said Adam, "because I know you're going to be busy, but how about tomorrow? Do you want to do something?"
"I kind of like this 'asking me out on dates' thing," said Kris. "I think we should keep this up for a while."
"The traditional response is yes or no, Kristopher," he said. "Don't leave a guy hanging."
"Tomorrow's good," said Kris, after checking his schedule. Adam had a sneaking suspicion he was doing it for show, just because he could. "Can I call you tonight after I get home from Katy's?"
"As long as it's not too late," said Adam with a little smirk. "My curfew's at midnight and my momma'll get mad if I break it."
"Shut up," said Kris, putting his phone away again. "I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't be interrupting anything. And that's assuming I don't just crash the moment I get into my own home and take my shoes off."
"Don't promise anything you can't deliver, then," said Adam, leaning back in his seat. "I'll text you the details for tomorrow night, then?"
"You romantic, you," said Kris. "Dinner, then? A movie? Glow bowling?"
"I don't do anything that requires rented shoes," said Adam. "Food and drinks, that's the plan. Not necessarily in that order."
"And then?" said Kris. "What happens after that?"
"I guess we're just going to have to play that by ear."
*
Adam caught the nightly news from his own home, in his own bed, eating his own food that he had very masterfully thawed and heated in his own oven. He'd almost forgotten what his house looked like, and it suddenly seemed very big and very empty.
But it was also very wonderful.
He was barely paying attention until he heard something about "Taylor Lautner" and "leaked photos" and "top entertainment story" and he dipped his head forward and just had to laugh.
"It's about damn time," he said, and for the rest of the broadcast, and on the front page of TMZ, and on Yahoo, and on E!, there was no mention of Matt at all.
EPILOGUE
"Since you were a big part of the reason I stayed in Chicago as long as I did," said Adam, fixing Kris's collar before they got out of the limo, "you actually have to do this red carpet with me. You can't just try to fade into the background. If I'm paying for my time, so are you."
"Yeah, like it's such a hardship for you to go to a movie premiere," said Kris. "Free publicity, free movie, free popcorn."
"Yeah, but it's a terrible movie," said Adam, "and I have to pretend I didn't sleep with the lead actor, because he's still painfully closeted. Huge mistake, I know, but you know he's my type."
"That part at least I can help you with," said Kris, and gave him a quick kiss before they got out of the car, Adam's publicist immediately by their side to guide them through the red carpet.
"Adam!" someone called, followed by an almost surprised, "Kris!"
Adam tugged on Kris's sleeve and the let themselves be herded in that direction.
"Well, isn't this a surprise!" she said. "Does this mean one of you might be lending some music to future films in the Lightbender saga?"
"Hey, we're not promoting anything," said Adam, lacing his fingers with Kris's, "we're just on a date. In fact, I have no idea what this red carpet is doing here. Is anyone going to take our tickets?"
Kris laughed and ducked his head. "A good friend's making her debut in it," he said, which was only stretching the truth a little since she was a friend of Katy's, "and I wanted to show my support."
"That's sweet, that's really sweet," she said, "and it's good to see the two of you front and center again. Tell me, how much did Matt pay you to take the headlines off him? Tell the truth."
"This one's a freebie," said Adam, grabbing a quick handful of Kris's ass, which set off a round of flashbulbs. "Next one's going to cost him."
"Classy," said Kris, rolling his eyes, but Adam caught the fond smile he gave him too.
"So you've both been pretty coy for the past few weeks as you've been spotted about town," she said. "Is coming here together tonight a statement?"
Adam and Kris looked at one another, not to decide what to say but to figure out who was going to say it.
"Yes," said Kris finally, then just smiled at her and waited for the actual question to come. Adam finally took pity on her.
"We're dating," said Adam. "I think that's all there really is to tell right now. Unless you want to know where Kris got his shirt, which...actually, I have no idea. Kris, where'd you get that shirt?"
"I dunno, it was a gift," said Kris, giving them an endearing and helpless shrug. "Adam's the fashion guy, not me."
"Well, I can see that you're suddenly in very high demand," she said, "but it's been a pleasure chatting. Best of luck to both of you!"
Adam kept hold of Kris's hand as they moved on, or maybe Kris kept hold of his. It was kind of hard to tell at this point, but either way, this was a choice they were making together.
Hopefully just one of many yet to come.
Pairing: Adam/Kris
Rating: R
DAY SIX
Adam talked to Lil at about seven in the morning, and by noon she was arriving at the hotel and giving him a big hug. "You and I," she said, "need to catch up like nobody's business, but right now I need to give a piece of my mind to a certain young man who I hear is also staying here.
"Kris?" said Adam innocently. "Did he raid your panty drawer again?"
"You are a terrible man," said Lil, giving him one last squeeze for good measure, "not to mention a hard one to keep up with."
"I'll take you over to Matt's suite personally," said Adam. "It seems to be what I do around here anyway."
"Not such a hot shot star right now, huh?" she said. "It's probably good for you."
"It probably is," said Adam, laughing as he led the way. "He know you're here?"
"I texted him from the lobby," she said. "I told him I was finding you first, because I like you more right now and Kris isn't in the building."
"Don't be too hard on him," said Adam. "No, wait, I take that back. Just give him a chance to talk if he's willing, which he isn't always."
"You're right, I will be as hard on him as he deserves," said Lil. "I'm also going to make him feel guilty for taking me away from my kids. Who are, it should be said, acting much more adult than Matt is right now. He needs to smarten his ass up. He's better than this."
"Good, you tell him, Lil," said Adam, "and we'll catch up after, I promise. It's good to see you again. It's been too long."
"And you tell that Kris Allen to be there too," she said. "I need to give him a hug."
"I hear you there," said Adam, then tapped on Matt's door for her, and blew her a kiss as he headed back to his own room again to take care of a few things while he had the time and the mental calm.
When he returned an hour later he could hear the voices even outside the suite, which might've been more of a problem if anyone not associated with Matt had been in any of the rooms nearby, or if anyone hadn't known what was going on with Matt. But everyone knew, and there was no one else around.
"Did you lose all of your good sense somewhere?" Lil was saying. "I knew you, Matt Giraud, and you can't be that far removed from the man I knew. So you need to quit with the crap that's coming out of your mouth right now and just let the people who love you love you in the best ways they can."
Adam didn't linger for more than a few moments, instead drumming his fingers against the wall as he thought about what to do instead, finally deciding now would be an excellent time for Starbucks.
*
"It's been almost a week now," said Kris, scrolling through the messages on his phone as Adam joined him in his hotel room after he got back from his interview. "How long do you think you're going to stay? I can't imagine you don't have people screaming at you right now to get your butt back to LA. Or wherever."
"Doesn't mean I have to listen to them," said Adam with a tight smile. "I was going to take a vacation soon anyway. I've been going non-stop for so long...."
"This isn't exactly a substitute for a vacation," said Kris. "You'd probably be better off working than hanging out here every day."
"I'm where I choose to be," said Adam, "and I've earned the right to make that choice right now. How long are you staying?"
"I don't know," admitted Kris. "I haven't really got anyone hurrying me along to do anything. I can do a lot from here, and tour rehearsals don't need to start for at least a month. The guys'll get up to speed fast enough, and I know you're used to spectacles but this is just a small tour while we gear up for the album. It'll come together pretty easily once we get going."
"Is Katy going to bring the kids up after all, then?"
"Or I'll fly down for a couple of days, if it comes to that," said Kris. "We'll work that out. I guess it just depends on what goes on here."
"I don't think it's going to be a problem anyway," said Adam. "Matt's not going to hole up here forever. I give it another day or two, tops. This was only ever temporary while everyone got their shit together."
"It's already at least three days longer than I thought it would be," admitted Kris. "It's been my experience that Matt doesn't do downtime for any longer than that."
"I think it's a little more enforced this time," said Adam, "but it's not indefinite."
"You still think they're going to put him in a program?"
"At this point it'll look good if they do," said Adam, "for all the good it'll do him. He doesn't need twenty-eight days in the desert to pass the public's morality test, he needs something sustainable."
"I've been trying to--"
"And he needs to want that," said Adam, before either of them could go down that road again. "Don't stop offering, but he has to be the one to take it on. Anyway. I can probably push my visit into next week if I agree to a couple of things I didn't really want to do, which is a pretty small price to pay."
"Private functions?" said Kris, wrinkling up his nose.
"Not this time," said Adam. "A couple of club appearances, a premiere, an interviewer I don't get along very well with. Nothing particularly painful, just tedious."
"Cameron's been pretty happy," said Kris, "which means management and my publicist are happy, which means they're probably getting some mileage out of me being here. Good for my image or whatever. I should be paying more attention to how they're spinning my part in this."
"So no dodgy clubs for you, is what you're saying," said Adam. "I might make you come with me, though. Bet you didn't think about that."
"That would be...interesting," said Kris. "Enlightening."
"We should probably talk about that," said Adam. "Not the clubs, but going out with me."
"Or you going out with me," Kris pointed out. "You're worried about me wanting to be closeted. It's okay, I get that. But, I mean, you're you. I knew that going into this. There's no room for a closet when it comes to this."
"And you're okay with that?"
"I'm a little intimidated," admitted Kris, smiling at him, "but my team doesn't think it's actually going to be a huge shocker at this point. Years ago, yeah, but not now. I'm not under any illusions about just how public this is going to be."
"Okay, good," said Adam. "Not that I'm going to flaunt you...well, okay, I might flaunt you a little."
"Yeah, I might let you," said Kris with a soft laugh. "I'm more worried about the kids, but I think that'll be fine. We're raising them well, and this isn't going to change that."
"We can take this however you need to, when it comes to them," said Adam. "We've only gone on one date at this point. I have no expectations there."
"They adore you," said Kris. "I'll talk to Katy about it some more and we'll all figure out how to approach it."
"I'll talk to her too," said Adam as Kris nodded at him. "I want to anyway."
"But you're right, right now we don't really need to do anything differently. When it comes to them, anyway."
"When it comes to them," agreed Adam, "because when it comes to us, I've got a whole lot of different things I want to try out."
"I just bet you do," said Kris, and laughed a lot more openly this time. "Can't wait."
*
Adam had never had any reason to actually include anyone else in his relationships before, but this was a different situation from any of the ones he'd been in before, and he really wanted to get it right. Even if it meant awkward phone calls to ex-wives who also happened to be longtime friends.
Katy didn't sound particularly harried or breathless when she answered the phone so Adam figured he hadn't caught her at a bad time, which was at least a good start.
"Hey Miss Katy, how's life?"
"Adam!" she said brightly. "About time you called. I was beginning to think you didn't love us anymore."
"As long as Max and Sadie weren't thinking that," said Adam. "How are they doing?"
"Great," she said, "but don't tell me you don't already know that. If I know Kris, and I do, he's been talking about them so much you've been tempted to stuff something in his mouth to shut him up." Adam coughed politely, and Katy just giggled. "Wow, I can't believe I just said that. I was going to let you bring that up."
"Wow, okay," said Adam, mentally changing his whole game plan. "But seriously, asking about the kids wasn't just a lead-in. I miss them like crazy."
"They miss their Uncle Adam too," she promised him. "Well, Max does and the amount of time he spends listening to your music, Sadie knows your voice about as well as she knows mine at this point."
"Every time you send pictures she looks like she's gotten bigger," he said, "but I guess that's what kids do, huh?"
"Don't tell Kris," said Katy, "but I think she's going to be taller than him when she grows up."
"I think by the time that happens, he'll have come to accept it," said Adam. "It's really good to hear you doing so well. I know it hasn't been a great year."
"Actually, it's better than last year," she said, "which is how I know we made the right decision, even if it's been hard. And in case you were wondering, that's your opening right there, Lambert."
"And usually I'm so good at knowing what to do with openings," he said. "I'm not asking for permission or anything, but I want to know...what do you think, Katy? How's this going to affect the kids?"
"I don’t know," she said with a soft sigh, "but it's something that was bound to happen sooner or later. Max already knows that sometimes boys date boys and girls date girls, but because it's his dad he might be a little confused for a while. Sadie's so young, she's not even going to remember this one day. We're going to have to play this one by ear."
"At this point, I'm only thinking about dating him," said Adam. "We don't even need to say anything to them at first. They're used to having me in their lives, I'm not a stranger."
"I think that'll make it easier," said Katy, "but I just don't know. I guess you can't really know until you see what happens. I'd like for me and Kris to talk to them together. Max understands that mommy and daddy don't live together anymore, but we haven't really broached the subject of new people."
"So you haven't...?"
"A couple of dates," said Katy. "Nothing serious, and no one I felt compelled to see a second time. The kids just come first."
"They come first for Kris, too," said Adam, but he was pretty sure Katy didn't need to be told that.
"I know this might be one of the more awkward calls that you've ever had to make," she said, "but the fact that you even thought about how this might affect them...thank you. I knew I liked you for a reason."
"You guys are always going to be a family," said Adam. "It's always going to matter. And I know Kris has talked to you about me...about this. I guess I just needed your perspective on how to proceed here. It's all a little new to me."
"It's a little new to all of us," she said. "I kind of always knew it might be you, though. Maybe the kids won't be as surprised as we think."
"I never wanted things to go this way for you," said Adam, because it felt like it needed to be said, "but I...."
"I know," said Katy. "You don't have to tell me this part, Adam. I know. Have you talked about what it's going to mean, publicly?"
"A little bit," said Adam. "I don't want to get ahead of the game. We might date a few times and find out that it's not actually working." Katy just hmmed skeptically. "And we've been friends for long enough that no one's going to think anything of it unless it gets serious."
"And if it does?"
"He knows I'm not going back in the closet, even for him," said Adam, "but we'll all talk about that if and when the time comes. I wouldn't want you or the kids to be blindsided. That's always going to come first. Max'll be starting school soon enough, and school can be rough."
"He's the son of Kris Allen," said Katy. "School was always going to be a little different for him than it was for us when we were kids. Thank you for calling, Adam. It's been...a little weird, but I'm glad you did. Whatever happens, we'll figure it out. And I hope it works out, with you and Kris. I think it will."
*
"If I don't take you to dinner tonight, are you going to think I'm cheap?" said Adam. "I just don't want to deal today. I just want to be with you right now."
"No, I’m going to think you're the smartest man I know," said Kris, and that was when Adam realized he already had the room service menu in his hands. "I forgot to eat again today. Don't tell Katy or she'll yell at me."
"I guess you're lucky that I already talked to her, then," said Adam, taking the menu from him so he could glance at it, even though he already knew exactly what it said. He could probably recite it from memory. "She sounds good."
"We are both good," agreed Kris. "A lot better than we were. It's hard to explain to anyone who hasn't been there, but it really is better now. Even if our parents still have a little trouble wrapping their minds around the idea."
"No, I do get it," said Adam. "I mean, I've never been married, but I get it. I'm glad she's actually okay with...not just us, but everything."
"Well, I don't think we're going to be going on any double dates any time soon," said Kris, "but otherwise, we're just moving on now. Do you know what you want to eat?"
"Something light," said Adam. "Salad? They do decent salads."
"Yeah, me too," said Kris, and with no more input than that ordered them up something to eat so that they didn't have to leave the room for the rest of the night. Adam even pulled his phone out and turned it off, then thought better of that and just set it to silent.
"So is this our second date?" said Kris. "I feel like we need to be clear about this."
"So we can sort out appropriate behavior?" said Adam. "Do you want it to be our second date, or should we save that for something more special?"
"I don't know," said Kris, reaching for his guitar and putting it in his lap, strumming for a moment to make sure it sounded in tune. "Do you want to do something special for our second date?"
"I kind of do," admitted Adam. "It should be something we don't already do every day."
"Okay," said Kris easily. "So hey, do you want to listen to something while we're waiting? After Matt yelled at me this morning I started working on it. I don't think they have anything to do with one another but, you know."
"He had a bad morning," said Adam. "I think he had a bad afternoon, too, but Lil was in with him and then someone from his team and now he's not seeing anyone at all."
"Sleeping, maybe," said Kris, strumming again.
"So yeah," said Adam, "yeah, play me what you're working on. You know I'm always into it."
Adam wasn't surprised the song had a bit of a harder edge, all things considered, but then a lot of Kris's newer stuff did. He nodded his head along with it and even mouthed a few words of the chorus once he caught on. It was solid, even just as it was. And Kris was into it, but then that was part of why Adam had always loved watching him perform, even when it was a performance for one.
"Kicks ass," he said when he was done. "And I'm not just saying that because you're now in a position to withhold sexual favors."
Kris laughed and shook his head. "I never really thought about that," he said. "Katy was always honest about my stuff. At least, I think she was always honest. She sounded honest."
"Play it again," said Adam, and as Kris did he moved in closer until he was stretched out on the bed next to where Kris was sitting, guitar on his lap and hammering out the chords hard. And when Kris was done, the last notes still lingering, Adam sat up and leaned in and kissed him. Without so much as hesitating or breaking the kiss, Kris moved the guitar out of the way and placed his hand on Adam's neck, drawing him down on top of him.
This was definitely a position Adam was familiar with. He moved a leg in between Kris's as they kissed but that was all they did. They kissed and they kissed and they breathed and they kissed some more, and Adam's lips were starting to feel full and raw and all he wanted to do was keep kissing him.
He probably would have, except there was a knock on the door and a call of "Room service!", and Adam reluctantly got up while Kris tipped his head back and laughed.
"We're picking this up later," he vowed as he answered the door.
"You'd better believe we are," agreed Kris.
DAY SEVEN
It was too early, the sun barely poking through the curtains, but Adam was already up and going, hanging out at the desk in Matt's room and scrawling down a few lyrics. He still didn't consider himself much of a songwriter, but sometimes he had something to say.
"I'm checking out this afternoon," said Matt out of the blue.
"Yeah?" said Adam, looking up and proceeding a little carefully. "Checking in somewhere else? Twenty-eight days in the desert?"
To his surprise, Matt shook his head. "They were pushing that at first," he said, "but we decided it wasn't the best idea." He rubbed his forehead like he really didn't want to talk about it. Adam wouldn't have wanted to talk about it either. "This is all kind of fucked up."
"You think?" said Adam, moving closer to give his shoulder a shove. "We've been telling you that for a while."
"I had a good talk with someone yesterday."
"Lil?" said Adam. "I sort of overheard some of that. Unintentionally."
"No, not Lil," said Matt, but he smiled a little so it couldn't have gone over too badly, "though that one was pretty interesting. No, I mean with my assistant."
"Robin?" said Adam. "Huh."
"She, uh," said Matt, then rubbed his forehead again. "She handed me her resignation, then she locked the door and sat down by my bed and listed every single thing she's arranged, fixed and covered up for me this past year. It took two hours, Adam. For just the last year."
"Go Robin," said Adam under his breath. "Wow."
"I snarled at her for a little while," said Matt, "then I ripped up her resignation, and told her that if she stayed, I would do better. She's giving me six months. I'm not going to fuck it up."
"After everything that's happened, that's what it took?" said Adam. "Really?"
"I never had it laid out like that before," said Matt. "I guess she just found the right words to get it through or something. So yeah, I'm going to try this program she found. It's all outpatient, meetings and stuff, and out in the open so I'm totally accountable. It sounds terrifying."
"It does sound terrifying," said Adam. "It's in LA?"
"Yeah, it's in LA," said Matt, "so I'm going to be sticking around for a while. We're rescheduling the rest of my dates for the new year."
"Well, you know I'm going to be mostly in LA for the next couple of months," said Adam, "if you need anything. And you know I mean that, right?"
"Yeah, I know you do," said Matt. "I'm a little surprised you do, but I know you do. Sounds more like the offer I'm going to get from Kris when I tell him later."
"You know Kris has your back," said Adam. "You should spend some time with us, just hang out. Take advantage of the chance while we have it."
"God knows I don't have many other people I know in LA who I trust myself to hang out with right now," said Matt. "It'll give you and Kris a chance to see each other too, huh?"
"Yeah," said Adam, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't mean anything by it, but Matt narrowed his eyes a little and studied him.
"Really?" he said finally. "You and Kris?"
"How did you even get that?" said Adam, lowering his hand. He wasn't going to deny it, though. "You are not that observant."
"I haven't had much else to do lately," he said. "I kind of wondered, especially when you stuck around."
"That wasn't why," said Adam, then amended it to, "That wasn't the only reason why. It's complicated." But then, wasn't everything? "It's probably going to be pretty wretched for you for a little while."
"It already has been," said Matt.
"Don't make me start singing "Lean on Me"," said Adam, "because I will. You know I will. And then Kris will come in and harmonize and it'll be all kinds of awkward."
"I get it," said Matt, finally giving him a little smack in return. "I do, I get it. I'm not going to be knocking on your door every day or something, but I get it. Swim in your pool, soak in your hot tub. I might take you up on it."
"I guess I'll be heading home today too, then," said Adam. "I should call Julia and get her to make the arrangements. I might actually sleep in my own bed tonight."
"Thanks for sticking around," said Matt. "Even if you just did it to get into Kris's pants."
"Maybe Kris stuck around to get into my pants, did you ever think about that?"
"You think everyone wants to get into your pants," said Matt, and then there was a knock at the door, Robin sticking her head in.
"Matt, I've got some paperwork for you."
"Of course you do," said Adam, getting up and grabbing up all his own papers again. Then he gave Robin a kiss on the cheek before leaving the room. "Matt, give me a call. Robin, you've earned yourself...I don't know, a car or something. Love you, girl."
"You too," she said, standing on her tiptoes to give Adam's cheek a kiss in return. "All right, Matt, we have a lot of work to do.
*
They were booked on the same flight entirely by coincidence, though not the same as Matt's, and wrangled things at the airport so that they'd be sitting together on the plane. Kris grabbed hold of his hand during take-off, and Adam didn't stop him, and though it wasn't like he kept hold of it for the entire flight, just that moment was nice.
"I won't ask to see you tonight," said Adam, "because I know you're going to be busy, but how about tomorrow? Do you want to do something?"
"I kind of like this 'asking me out on dates' thing," said Kris. "I think we should keep this up for a while."
"The traditional response is yes or no, Kristopher," he said. "Don't leave a guy hanging."
"Tomorrow's good," said Kris, after checking his schedule. Adam had a sneaking suspicion he was doing it for show, just because he could. "Can I call you tonight after I get home from Katy's?"
"As long as it's not too late," said Adam with a little smirk. "My curfew's at midnight and my momma'll get mad if I break it."
"Shut up," said Kris, putting his phone away again. "I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't be interrupting anything. And that's assuming I don't just crash the moment I get into my own home and take my shoes off."
"Don't promise anything you can't deliver, then," said Adam, leaning back in his seat. "I'll text you the details for tomorrow night, then?"
"You romantic, you," said Kris. "Dinner, then? A movie? Glow bowling?"
"I don't do anything that requires rented shoes," said Adam. "Food and drinks, that's the plan. Not necessarily in that order."
"And then?" said Kris. "What happens after that?"
"I guess we're just going to have to play that by ear."
*
Adam caught the nightly news from his own home, in his own bed, eating his own food that he had very masterfully thawed and heated in his own oven. He'd almost forgotten what his house looked like, and it suddenly seemed very big and very empty.
But it was also very wonderful.
He was barely paying attention until he heard something about "Taylor Lautner" and "leaked photos" and "top entertainment story" and he dipped his head forward and just had to laugh.
"It's about damn time," he said, and for the rest of the broadcast, and on the front page of TMZ, and on Yahoo, and on E!, there was no mention of Matt at all.
EPILOGUE
"Since you were a big part of the reason I stayed in Chicago as long as I did," said Adam, fixing Kris's collar before they got out of the limo, "you actually have to do this red carpet with me. You can't just try to fade into the background. If I'm paying for my time, so are you."
"Yeah, like it's such a hardship for you to go to a movie premiere," said Kris. "Free publicity, free movie, free popcorn."
"Yeah, but it's a terrible movie," said Adam, "and I have to pretend I didn't sleep with the lead actor, because he's still painfully closeted. Huge mistake, I know, but you know he's my type."
"That part at least I can help you with," said Kris, and gave him a quick kiss before they got out of the car, Adam's publicist immediately by their side to guide them through the red carpet.
"Adam!" someone called, followed by an almost surprised, "Kris!"
Adam tugged on Kris's sleeve and the let themselves be herded in that direction.
"Well, isn't this a surprise!" she said. "Does this mean one of you might be lending some music to future films in the Lightbender saga?"
"Hey, we're not promoting anything," said Adam, lacing his fingers with Kris's, "we're just on a date. In fact, I have no idea what this red carpet is doing here. Is anyone going to take our tickets?"
Kris laughed and ducked his head. "A good friend's making her debut in it," he said, which was only stretching the truth a little since she was a friend of Katy's, "and I wanted to show my support."
"That's sweet, that's really sweet," she said, "and it's good to see the two of you front and center again. Tell me, how much did Matt pay you to take the headlines off him? Tell the truth."
"This one's a freebie," said Adam, grabbing a quick handful of Kris's ass, which set off a round of flashbulbs. "Next one's going to cost him."
"Classy," said Kris, rolling his eyes, but Adam caught the fond smile he gave him too.
"So you've both been pretty coy for the past few weeks as you've been spotted about town," she said. "Is coming here together tonight a statement?"
Adam and Kris looked at one another, not to decide what to say but to figure out who was going to say it.
"Yes," said Kris finally, then just smiled at her and waited for the actual question to come. Adam finally took pity on her.
"We're dating," said Adam. "I think that's all there really is to tell right now. Unless you want to know where Kris got his shirt, which...actually, I have no idea. Kris, where'd you get that shirt?"
"I dunno, it was a gift," said Kris, giving them an endearing and helpless shrug. "Adam's the fashion guy, not me."
"Well, I can see that you're suddenly in very high demand," she said, "but it's been a pleasure chatting. Best of luck to both of you!"
Adam kept hold of Kris's hand as they moved on, or maybe Kris kept hold of his. It was kind of hard to tell at this point, but either way, this was a choice they were making together.
Hopefully just one of many yet to come.