(no subject)
Title: The Sandbox Chronicles
Chapter Title: The Right Path
Author: me
Rating: pg-13
Summary: It all started in a sandbox.
Disclaimer: i own none of this!
Author's Notes: i intended to post this saturday but that didn't go over so well. but better late than never. or whatever. :) enjoy, i hope.
Part 1: http://community.livejournal.com/kradam_ai/390471.html#cutid1
Part 2: http://community.livejournal.com/kradam_ai/393316.html#cutid1
Part 3: http://community.livejournal.com/kradam_ai/398624.html#cutid1
Part 4: http://community.livejournal.com/kradam_ai/405456.html#cutid2
Part 5: http://community.livejournal.com/kradam_ai/414654.html#cutid1
Part 6: http://community.livejournal.com/kradam_ai/423438.html#cutid1
Part 7: http://community.livejournal.com/kradam_ai/432194.html#cutid1
Part 8: http://community.livejournal.com/kradam_ai/458045.html#cutid1
Part 9: http://community.livejournal.com/kradam_ai/467226.html#cutid1
Part 10: http://community.livejournal.com/kradam_ai/474838.html#cutid1
Part 11: http://community.livejournal.com/kradam_ai/489055.html#cutid1
Part 12: http://community.livejournal.com/kradam_ai/495336.html#cutid1
Part 13: http://community.livejournal.com/kradam_ai/500830.html#cutid1
Part 14: http://community.livejournal.com/kradam_ai/508408.html#cutid1
Before Kris can really comprehend how much time has passed, the top thirty-six performances are over.
He, Adam, and Allison, already one of their close friends, made it from group two as part of the top twelve. Wild-card round went by in a doozy that had everyone surprised as the top twelve became the top thirteen. After, they all go out to a press event and a party. They get to dress up and fool around and talk to interviewers that probably aren’t paying much attention to what they’re actually saying.
It’s after the party that Kris decides enough is enough. So when the limo drops them off at the hotel to start packing for their move to the Idol mansion, Kris makes sure Adam doesn’t get away from him. At least until they’re back at their room. The handlers follow and keep a close eye, but Kris wishes they would just hurry up and go to their own rooms. Once the elevator is at the second floor, Kris hurries off and tries to catch up with Adam’s longer strides.
Adam has the door open before Kris can get to him and then it’s closing. Kris catches it with his hand and steps inside, but not without making sure there’s no one out in the hallway that can eavesdrop. He lets the door close with a soft click and waits for Adam to at least acknowledge him. Over the past three weeks they have spoken maybe a handful of sentences to each other. Kris doesn’t like it but he’ll take it because right now that’s the closest he can get to Adam.
Not tonight, though. Tonight Kris is going to strangle it out of Adam if he has to. He’s tired of waiting around for Adam to get that stick out of his ass and be civil when the cameras aren’t around or when Allison isn’t watching. Adam starts for the bathroom but Kris gets there first and blocks the door.
Adam’s eyes are wide and he sputters out “Kris what’re you doing?” then backs up. Kris snickers when the backs of Adam’s legs hit the nearest bed and he flails in his attempt to regain balance. He finally gets it, arms still out to his side, palms flat like that was going to stop the impact if he did fall. “What’s the deal, Allen?”
“We need to talk.”
“Again?” Adam groans out and just lets himself fall to a sitting position on the bed.
“We barely talked the first time. So that can’t be considered talking about this.” Kris crosses his arms, glaring slightly.
“What do you want me to do, Kris?” Adam looks up at Kris through his lashes and Kris swallows hard.
“I want us to talk. I’m tired of stepping around you, afraid that if I say or do something wrong then you’ll go running off.” Kris comes over and sits next to Adam on the bed, propping one knee up so he’s turned sideways and facing Adam. “Do you not want us to be friends anymore?” he asks softly, absently tracing a finger on his thigh, imaginary patterns, and it seems to calm him down some.
Adam’s eyes widen and he looks genuinely surprised at the question. “Of course I do, Kris. It’s just-” He stops and runs a hand through his hair and Kris can feel the hesitation of what Adam wants to say next. “It’s hard you know? We haven’t seen or heard from each other in seven years, up until now, and all of sudden you want this to just work right off the bat. Kris it isn’t that easy.”
Kris rolls his eyes, exasperated. “But why not?!” Without even realizing it, he slams his hand onto the bedspread, making Adam jump. It surprises himself and he looks down at the mattress, at the weird pattern adorning the comforter. “Sorry. I just want this to work. I’ve missed you,” he finishes in a whisper and boldly looks into Adam’s eyes.
“I’ve missed you, too,” Adam sighs out.
“So will you please just…try to get over what happened between us and give us a shot again?” Kris sucks his bottom lip between his teeth out of habit and studies Adam’s face. He can see the emotions playing in those eyes and part of him hopes that Adam is coming around; that he will see how much they need to get over this.
“Kris that’s a seven year gap you’re talking about.”
Adam puffs out a breath, wisps of hair flying up and out, and Kris smiles. “Seven years that should’ve been spent being friends,” Kris says, not even realizing that he’s started twisting his wedding ring around his finger.
Adam stares at a spot on the off-white wall, somewhere by the door, and contemplates. Kris keeps his own gaze trained on Adam, watching him contemplate what Kris is saying, offering, whatever-it-is, as long as they get back on track.
Finally, after a few beats of silence, Adam sighs and turns back to Kris. “Where do we start?” and smiles so brightly that Kris tackles Adam with a hug before he can stop himself.
***
There’s a pounding on the door.
Groaning, Kris lifts his head and glares at the door. He can faintly hear Allison’s grumblings on the other side of the door and decides to let her grumble; he was trying to sleep. But sleep won’t come anymore so he rolls out of the bed and goes to let her in. He tugs down his shirt from where it rode up during the night as he opens the door and there’s a blur of fiery red hair.
He blinks, once, and Allison is already flurrying around the room grabbing at his and Adam’s things.
“Allison, what’re you doing?”
“Kris! Get Adam up. The limo will be here in half an hour to take us to the mansion. Our stuff is supposed to be in the other car like…NOW,” she says hastily and throws a pair of jeans at Kris.
Eyes wide, Kris hurries to Adam’s bed and starts shaking him by the shoulders. Adam wake up. We never finished packing up all our shit and the car to take our luggage to the mansion is here!” Adam merely groans and buries his face farther into the pillow. “Adam seriously! Unless you want to live here for American Idol, then I suggest you get up and get your junk together!”
Adam groans, flops over, nearly hitting Kris in the face, and rubs his eyes. “What are you
talki-” Kris can tell it finally sinks in and Adam’s eyes bug out and he’s scrambling fast to get out of bed. The sheets get tangled around his waist and Kris rolls his eyes, yanking the sheets until Adam is free.
“Go! I know you haven’t packed up your beauty products,” Kris laughs and shoves Adam towards the bathroom. Adam doesn’t say anything as he rushes to the bathroom to pack what’s left of his stuff.
Kris turns back to his still-open suitcase. Jeans and plaid shirts hang out of the open case and he sighs. Both he and Adam had gotten side-tracked from packing. They stayed up until almost three in the morning just talking, getting reacquainted with one another. It brings a smile to his face. They’re getting back on the right track. It feels good to know that Adam wants to try and be friends again.
“What’re you so happy about?” Allison smirks from where she’s checking the drawers.
Kris stares at her curiously. For such a young girl she’s so wise and observant. It scares him a little that she can be so mature yet still so fresh and fun at the same time. She can turn it on and off without a moment’s notice.
“Nothing,” he replies finally and starts shoving the remainder of his clothes in his
suitcase.
***
Once the cameras are gone Kris finally has the chance to breathe. They have followed everyone around since the limo arrived at the mansion this morning. Ryan assigned roommates and Kris found himself being put with Adam. It made him smile but then cameras greeted them at the door and the day began.
But they’re gone and Kris has already crawled on top of his bed with a sigh and closed his eyes. He breathes in the fresh scent of detergent off the pillow and it smells all wrong. He misses Katy and the fruity scent of her shampoo mixed in with his own shampoo on all the pillows of their bed. The thought has him opening his eyes and frowning deeply. He doesn’t want to be thinking like this when the trip has barely even started.
“Kris, can you believe this house?!” Adam shouts from the walk-in closet.
Kris laughs and props up on his elbows as Adam comes out of the closet. How ironic he thinks and his laughing only grows louder. Adam, eyebrow raised, sits on the bed next to him. “Sorry, sorry,” he chuckles, rolling onto his back and sitting up. Adam makes a weird face like he’s trying to figure Kris out. “What?”
“You can be so strange, Kris Allen,” Adam comments in a quiet tone.
“No different than when I was a kid,” he shrugs and a small smile turns up the corners of Adam’s mouth.
“True. You did like dinosaurs a little too much,” he laughs. Kris shoves at Adam’s shoulder playfully.
“I was seven you dork,” Kris shoots back. “Besides, if I remember correctly you loved playing dinosaur with me. And you nearly suffocated me when I gave you the t-rex ‘cause you were just so excited about it.”
Adam glares but then Kris sees a flicker of emotion and Adam is getting up and heading for his bag. Adam digs around in there for a few seconds, Kris waiting patiently to know what Adam is up to. He finally stands upright and comes back to the bed, holding something tightly in his hand. When he sits down he unfolds his hand in front of Kris. Kris stares at the plastic toy as a multitude of memories come rushing through. It has him teary eyed in three seconds flat and he’s furiously wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand.
“I still have Little Foot,” Kris says softly. Adam’s smile lights up his face.
“I didn’t even know I had this until Hollywood. Neil stashed it in there that day after you and I-” Adam stops
mid-sentence, eyes dropping to the dinosaur in his hand.
“Adam?”
“We’ll be okay, won’t we?” Adam asks uncertainly, then bites on his lower lip, eyes flicking back up to meet Kris’ and Kris frowns.
“Yeah.” Kris is sure of his answer. Even though they stayed up talking late last night, Kris knows that there is still room to grow. There is still plenty of places for their friendship to go. “Yeah, we will.”
***
When Adam got pulled out of rehearsal earlier in the afternoon there were grumbles of disapproval. But Kris and Allison automatically started to worry. Kris has been worrying all afternoon. Rehearsal had barely started before one of the producers came in looking for Adam. It has long since been over but no one has yet to see Adam.
“I wonder what happened,” Allison wonders out loud and Kris shrugs next to her. The limo is en route to the mansion, the Idols, minus Adam, on their way back for a night of rest and relaxation before their first performance Tuesday. “I hope he’s okay,” she continues and her head falls to Kris’ shoulder.
“Me, too.” Kris shifts, lets his head hit the back of the seat.
It takes almost half an hour due to traffic, but the limo finally drops them off. Kris heads straight upstairs, barely hearing Lil’s promise to make everyone some lasagna. He tells her absently that he’ll be down when it’s ready and she waves him off, concern in her kind eyes.
The room is too silent without Adam in it. Kris sits on his bed, toes his shoes off, and faintly he can hear a car door closing. The front door of the mansion closes loudly, a few of the others start questioning already, and then Kris can hear Adam’s footsteps coming up the stairs fast. Kris waits impatiently, ready to ask away. There’s a thought in the back of his mind that maybe he should leave this alone, whatever it turns out to be, and let Adam have his privacy.
The door opens and closes fast and Adam is storming over to his bed. Kris, wide-eyed, gets up and goes over to him, sitting down and not saying anything for the moment. Adam mumbles something into his pillow and Kris touches Adam’s shoulder lightly.
“This is so fucked up,” Adam comments dryly into the pillow before turning over onto his back and staring up at Kris.
“What happened? You’ve been gone most of the day,” Kris examines Adam’s face. His normally black-rimmed eyes are tinged with red, the skin is puffy underneath, and it looks as if he’s been crying or at least trying not to cry. His make up is wearing off and freckles are peeking through. His face is pale, too, and Kris doesn’t like this.
“I was an idiot and forgot to delete some….pictures,” Adam sits up, rubbing his eyes roughly, and looks at Kris.
Kris already has an idea but he asks anyways, “What kind of pictures?”
“Gay pictures, Kris! What do you think?” Adam scoffs. “Sorry. I’m just stressed.”
“It’s okay,” Kris squeezes Adam’s shoulders, a soft reassurance that he’s there, he’s not going anywhere unless Adam wants him to leave. Then a moment of panic sets in at the realization that Adam could be kicked off the show for this. They’ve kicked others off just for stripping in club. “They’re not kicking you off are they?”
Adam sighs, “No, thank god.” He runs that same hand through his hair. “How could I have been so careless? I was careful about getting rid of the other social networks but I forget one and the media is all over it like a pack of wolves!”
“It’ll be okay. What did the producers say?” Kris shifts so he’s more comfortable and scoots closer to Adam.
“They said I could talk about it if I wanted but I decided I’ll keep quiet until I’m voted off,” Adam shrugs and drops his hand.
Kris scoffs and Adam looks up, surprised. “You won’t get voted off. Adam your voice is amazing! They would be crazy to vote you off.” He gives Adam another squeeze and this time a smile to go along. “Besides, tomorrow’s only the first show.”
Adam merely groans. He gets up, telling Kris he’s going to take a shower, but before he can make it to the bathroom Kris is up and striding across the room. He wraps his arms around Adam’s torso and squeezes and Adam hugs him back, sighing wearily. Kris breaks away and lets Adam go on.
Content smile on his face, Kris finds his cell and goes out to the patio to call Katy. If anything, she’ll let him talk. That’s what he wants to do but he can’t with any of the other Idols. He doesn’t know any of them well enough except Adam and even that is going to be a tiny bit hard. They may be on the right track and actually on speaking terms, and apparently hugging terms, but there’s still so much they have to catch up on. Katy is the one person that can reassure him at a time like this.