The Five Stages Of Friendship
Title: The Five Stages Of Friendship
Fandom: CSI: New York
Word Count: 954
Pairing: Gen
A/N: This was originally going to be for my Adam claim at fic_cd_mix, but I'm not sure if it's...Adam-y enough, or if it's too Chad-and-Adam. Thoughts?
1. Denial
Mac had given Jane the authority to hire a new lab tech, and she'd come back with Chad Willingham...the Third. Second in his class at NYU (and still bitter towards first place), he graduated early, with honors, and with a degree in Chemistry.
"He's a genius," She warned them all the day before he started. "But with all the social skills one would expect."
When Det. Maka walked into the lab for the first time and Chad's eyes nearly bugged out, Adam decided Jane way over-estimated the guy.
He watched Chad crash and burn with Maka, over and over again, throughout the entire case. He didn't seem to care how many times she shut him down, how many times she asked when his mom was picking him up, how many death glares and stabbing motions she made behind his back whenever he was turned away-which wasn't often.
"She's never going to say yes," Danny informed him one day, either out of pity for Chad or an attempted kindness for Maka.
"I know," Chad had snorted at the advice, leaving Danny standing flabbergasted. He recovered, and glanced over at Adam; he only shrugged and shook his head, trying to explain wordlessly that yes, Chad actually was always like that.
When Danny finally asked Maka out, Chad stormed into the A/V lab. Without any sort of warning, he launched into a tirade about back-stabbing and lying and somehow ended up quoting the Bible; by the time he degenerated into paraphrasing 'bros before hos', Adam had stopped listening; instead, he was watching the way Chad flailed his arms around, big, sweeping gestures that came gut-wrenchingly close to knocking over a couple things worth more than either of their lives.
When Danny and Maka broke up, Chad stormed in and proclaimed it meant to be. A gift from God.
Adam threw a wad of paper at his head as he left.
---
2. Anger
He didn't exactly make a great first impression on anyone. On the third day of work AC (After Chad, as people started calling it), Adam had caught him rooting through the lab fridge, picking over the various lunches.
"You know you're supposed to bring your own food, right?" He asked, leaning on the fridge door and watching Chad.
"I know and I did," Chad poked one finger at a brown paper bag on the door. "Tuna salad on wheat."
"So why aren't you eating that?"
"I hate fish. And mayo," He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "I don't really like wheat bread either."
"...so why'd you bring it?"
He sighed like Adam was the one being unclear. "It was all I had."
Seemingly satisfied, Chad grabbed a bag and kicked the refrigerator shut. As he headed for the door (to do whatever it is that Chad did during lunch; no one was really sure yet) he flashed a grin and a thumbs up over his shoulder.
"Thanks for lunch man."
Adam ate the tuna salad on wheat for lunch, alternating between mourning the loss of his leftover Chinese and fantasizing about squishing Chad's head.
---
3. Bargaining
He's still not sure how Chad found out his birthday, but the first Valentine's Day after he's hired, there was a hastily-scribbled card and a brown paper bag sitting on his desk. He was almost afraid to look inside; the sandwich stared back up at him, courtesy of the Sharipe-face drawn on the plastic bag.
He stole Chad's lunch that day (pepperoni calzone from University Pizza, and it was delicious), replacing it with the anthropomorphisized tuna salad. Chad clobbered him with a slush-ball to the neck as they were leaving work, but it was still worth it.
---
4. Depression
Chad was four beers deep and conspicuously silent the entire time, and when Adam asked if he was alright, the words seemed to fall out of his mouth. Just one sentence.
"I saw the first plane hit, and I thought it was an accident."
Adam wasn't quite sure how to respond to the sudden confession, so he did what he figured he had to do; he bought Chad beer until he slid onto the floor. Adam propped him up with one arm, hailed a taxi with the other, and by the time he manhandled Chad through his apartment door and onto the couch, Chad was practically snoring.
He left a glass of water and a trash bin next to the couch, and half-expected Chad to be gone in the morning; Chad didn't let him down.
---
5. Acceptance
"They say the things you hate about other people are really the things you hate about yourself."
"I hate you, what does that say about me?" Adam grumbled.
Chad just didn't get hangovers, and that fact alone left Adam thinking murderous thoughts more than once. They'd gone out drinking a couple times since Chad first spent the night, and Adam grudgingly admitted-to himself only, and maybe Jane-that Chad's really not that bad sometimes.
It's certainly easier to pick up girls when Chad's the only thing they have to compare him to, Adam grinned slightly; the action made his head hurt, and he spent another couple seconds cursing Chad's invincible liver. He stared out the restaurant window for a moment, before realizing Chad was poking his arm.
"What's up? You look like you just had an epiphany dude."
Adam shook his head. "I did."
"Well? Share. What'd you discover?"
Adam glanced up at Chad, wide-eyed and with a mock-thoughtful look on his face. "I don't completely hate you anymore."
Chad stared at him, a smirk spreading over his face.
"I know."
"How'd you do that? I mean, I know you're not any less annoying than when we met."
Chad just grinned, grabbing one of Adam's chicken nuggets.
Fandom: CSI: New York
Word Count: 954
Pairing: Gen
A/N: This was originally going to be for my Adam claim at fic_cd_mix, but I'm not sure if it's...Adam-y enough, or if it's too Chad-and-Adam. Thoughts?
1. Denial
Mac had given Jane the authority to hire a new lab tech, and she'd come back with Chad Willingham...the Third. Second in his class at NYU (and still bitter towards first place), he graduated early, with honors, and with a degree in Chemistry.
"He's a genius," She warned them all the day before he started. "But with all the social skills one would expect."
When Det. Maka walked into the lab for the first time and Chad's eyes nearly bugged out, Adam decided Jane way over-estimated the guy.
He watched Chad crash and burn with Maka, over and over again, throughout the entire case. He didn't seem to care how many times she shut him down, how many times she asked when his mom was picking him up, how many death glares and stabbing motions she made behind his back whenever he was turned away-which wasn't often.
"She's never going to say yes," Danny informed him one day, either out of pity for Chad or an attempted kindness for Maka.
"I know," Chad had snorted at the advice, leaving Danny standing flabbergasted. He recovered, and glanced over at Adam; he only shrugged and shook his head, trying to explain wordlessly that yes, Chad actually was always like that.
When Danny finally asked Maka out, Chad stormed into the A/V lab. Without any sort of warning, he launched into a tirade about back-stabbing and lying and somehow ended up quoting the Bible; by the time he degenerated into paraphrasing 'bros before hos', Adam had stopped listening; instead, he was watching the way Chad flailed his arms around, big, sweeping gestures that came gut-wrenchingly close to knocking over a couple things worth more than either of their lives.
When Danny and Maka broke up, Chad stormed in and proclaimed it meant to be. A gift from God.
Adam threw a wad of paper at his head as he left.
---
2. Anger
He didn't exactly make a great first impression on anyone. On the third day of work AC (After Chad, as people started calling it), Adam had caught him rooting through the lab fridge, picking over the various lunches.
"You know you're supposed to bring your own food, right?" He asked, leaning on the fridge door and watching Chad.
"I know and I did," Chad poked one finger at a brown paper bag on the door. "Tuna salad on wheat."
"So why aren't you eating that?"
"I hate fish. And mayo," He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "I don't really like wheat bread either."
"...so why'd you bring it?"
He sighed like Adam was the one being unclear. "It was all I had."
Seemingly satisfied, Chad grabbed a bag and kicked the refrigerator shut. As he headed for the door (to do whatever it is that Chad did during lunch; no one was really sure yet) he flashed a grin and a thumbs up over his shoulder.
"Thanks for lunch man."
Adam ate the tuna salad on wheat for lunch, alternating between mourning the loss of his leftover Chinese and fantasizing about squishing Chad's head.
---
3. Bargaining
He's still not sure how Chad found out his birthday, but the first Valentine's Day after he's hired, there was a hastily-scribbled card and a brown paper bag sitting on his desk. He was almost afraid to look inside; the sandwich stared back up at him, courtesy of the Sharipe-face drawn on the plastic bag.
He stole Chad's lunch that day (pepperoni calzone from University Pizza, and it was delicious), replacing it with the anthropomorphisized tuna salad. Chad clobbered him with a slush-ball to the neck as they were leaving work, but it was still worth it.
---
4. Depression
Chad was four beers deep and conspicuously silent the entire time, and when Adam asked if he was alright, the words seemed to fall out of his mouth. Just one sentence.
"I saw the first plane hit, and I thought it was an accident."
Adam wasn't quite sure how to respond to the sudden confession, so he did what he figured he had to do; he bought Chad beer until he slid onto the floor. Adam propped him up with one arm, hailed a taxi with the other, and by the time he manhandled Chad through his apartment door and onto the couch, Chad was practically snoring.
He left a glass of water and a trash bin next to the couch, and half-expected Chad to be gone in the morning; Chad didn't let him down.
---
5. Acceptance
"They say the things you hate about other people are really the things you hate about yourself."
"I hate you, what does that say about me?" Adam grumbled.
Chad just didn't get hangovers, and that fact alone left Adam thinking murderous thoughts more than once. They'd gone out drinking a couple times since Chad first spent the night, and Adam grudgingly admitted-to himself only, and maybe Jane-that Chad's really not that bad sometimes.
It's certainly easier to pick up girls when Chad's the only thing they have to compare him to, Adam grinned slightly; the action made his head hurt, and he spent another couple seconds cursing Chad's invincible liver. He stared out the restaurant window for a moment, before realizing Chad was poking his arm.
"What's up? You look like you just had an epiphany dude."
Adam shook his head. "I did."
"Well? Share. What'd you discover?"
Adam glanced up at Chad, wide-eyed and with a mock-thoughtful look on his face. "I don't completely hate you anymore."
Chad stared at him, a smirk spreading over his face.
"I know."
"How'd you do that? I mean, I know you're not any less annoying than when we met."
Chad just grinned, grabbing one of Adam's chicken nuggets.