An Ounce of Prevention

 

By AJ

 

 

"So the pedestals were two inches too high, the shelves were two inches too short, the velvet was the wrong shade of black, the carpenter had already left and the Prima Donna was so pissed she threatened to pull out of the exhibit. Again." Seb gestured wildly with his fork and a bite of chicken flew across the table. "Oops, sorry."

 

"How much sugar did you have today?" Adam asked as Seb retrieved the errant poultry.

 

"Um--"

 

"And how much caffeine?"

 

Seb mentally cringed as he tried to calculate it, knowing that Adam wasn't going to like the answer. "Um... twolattestwoCokestwocandy barsabagofcookiesandaMountain Dew."

 

"Again, more slowly please, with proper enunciation."

 

Seb made a face before repeating, "Two lattes, two Cokes, two candy bars, a bag of cookies and a Mountain Dew."

 

"What about lunch?"

 

"I ate lunch!" he replied indignantly. God, Adam was SO anal sometimes.

 

"What and when?"

 

"Why do you have to be so suspicious? Why can't you just trust me?"

 

"What and when?"

 

"Fine!" Seb threw himself back in his chair. "KFC at 3:00. And you just ruined dinner for me! Are you happy now?"

 

"No, Sebastian, I'm not. You knew I wouldn't be. And you know why."

 

"Because when I have too much sugar and caffeine it's a sign that I'm pushing too hard," Seb peevishly parroted the explanation he knew by heart. "It also makes me irritable and short-tempered and yelling at my boss and co-workers isn't good for my career. And it keeps me from sleeping well which means that not only am I cutting into my own sleep time but I'm keeping you awake, too.

 

"But I have to push, Adam!" He continued passionately. "This is my first major exhibit on my own, the Prima Donna is a pain in the ass to work with, and I can't expect everyone else to work their asses off while I shut myself in my office for a nice lunch and quiet time!"

 

"And I haven't asked you to," Adam replied evenly. "I've simply asked you to moderate your sugar and caffeine intake and eat lunch at the appropriate time, even if it means eating while you work. Now," he pushed his chair back from the table and stood up. "If you're not going to eat any more dinner, why don't you do the dishes and then work off some of that excess energy by cleaning the kitchen. That includes sweeping, mopping and baseboards."

 

"Adam!"

 

"Would you like to add walls?"

 

"No, sir," Seb muttered, eyes on the floor as he struggled to keep his temper.

 

"Good. And Seb?" Adam paused in the doorway. "Do it again tomorrow and you'll be spanked. Understand?"

 

"Yes, sir," Seb muttered, miserably this time.

 

It wasn't fair, he thought dismally as he tackled the baseboards a little while later. It wasn't just that he was missing his favorite tv shows. He knew Adam would record them and he could watch them later, although it wasn't the same as curling up and watching them together. It was that there was no way he wasn't going to be spanked the next night.

He knew that no matter how hard he tried he wasn't going to be able to avoid sugar or caffeine or pushing to get things done. He would try, of course, and his intentions would be good. But he would get caught up in work and dealing with the crises and there wouldn't be time for lunch and he'd end up hitting the vending machines. And he'd be spanked.

 

Even praise for his job on the kitchen and the fact that Adam had waited to watch tv with him didn't improve his chastened mood.

 

It still hadn't improved the next morning when, after a night of tossing and turning, he awoke with a headache and eyes that felt full of grit. Even a long shower didn't help and he dressed and stumbled down to what felt like an obscenely bright kitchen, eyes half-closed as he reached blindly for the coffee pot. Just as he got the mug filled and on its way to his mouth, anticipating the first heady gulp, it was removed from his hand.

 

"No." Adam told him firmly.

 

"But, Adam!" Seb begged shamelessly. "Just one cup. Please!"

 

"What's the first thing on your agenda this morning?"

 

"Staff meeting."

 

"And what do you drink during the staff meeting?"

 

Seb's eyes widened in horror. "Adam, *please* don't take my Starbucks!"

 

"Coffee here or coffee there? Your choice."

 

"There," Seb chose grudgingly. He put his mug on the counter with one last longing glance and picked up the messenger bag he used for a briefcase, only to have it removed from his hand as well. "Adam!"

 

"Breakfast," Adam told him firmly.

 

"I'm not hungry. I'll grab something later. I promise!"

 

"What's the rule?"

 

"Fruit, protein, carbohydrate, before I walk out the door," Seb automatically parroted the stupid rule. "But I don't have time-"

 

He broke off as Adam handed him a toasted bagel and an open jar of peanut butter. With an audible sigh, he slathered peanut butter on the bagel and shoved it in his mouth, knowing from experience that it was faster than arguing. After gulping down the glass of orange juice Adam handed him, he grabbed his bag and escaped before the man could think of any more idiotic rules to enforce.

 

Riding his bike through the quiet tree-lined streets on his way to work calmed him down, as it always did, and he split his time between enjoying the fresh-washed feel of the day and organizing his schedule. He was in such a good mood by the time he locked his bike and headed into Starbucks that he even skipped the extra shot Adam had forgotten to warn him about.

 

The mood evaporated quickly once he got to work, though. Donna Prime was one of the most lucrative artists the gallery handled but she had more than earned her nickname. By 10:00 he found himself standing in front of the vending machines, tense and irritable, his stomach growling, breakfast a distant memory.

 

"Just walk away," he urged himself. "You can do it. You're a big boy. You can manage to survive until lunchtime."

 

"You going to buy something or are you just looking?" one of his co-workers joked impatiently.

 

"Sorry, Wes," Seb replied, stepping out of the way. "I'm just looking. Why don't they ever put anything new in these machines?"

 

As Wes got his soda and left, Seb's hand strayed toward the change in his pocket. Just one coke wouldn't hurt, he reasoned. After all, Adam had allowed him one coffee. If he had one coke now, he could get a bottle of water and a sandwich for lunch and-- The ebullient ring of his cell phone interrupted his thoughts and he cursed as he glanced at the caller id before answering.

 

"What??" he demanded defensively. "I'm just standing here! I didn't *buy* anything!"

 

"I'm not psychic," his partner laughed. "I'm between classes and I thought I'd call and ask how it's going. Not good, I take it."

 

"I'm trying, Adam," he whispered, suddenly desperate for comfort and reassurance. "But I'm starving and I don't have time to go get anything."

 

"That's the other thing I called about," Adam told him. "I forgot to tell you I put a thermos of oj slush and a bag of trail mix in your bag this morning. You'd better go drink it before it thaws too much."

 

"You did? Thanks, Adam," Seb replied gratefully. He loved fruit juice blended with crushed ice, so thick he could eat it with a spoon, and trail mix was also one of his favorites, a variety of tastes and textures that he could toss back by the handful while he worked.

 

"Just doing my job," Adam said with another laugh. "I need to get back to work. I'll talk to you later, ok? Bye, love."

 

"Bye." Seb closed his phone and headed for his office and messenger bag, vending machines forgotten. He could do this, he thought hopefully. If someone going out would bring a sandwich back for him, he could work through lunch and have everything done by the time the Prima Donna arrived for a walk-through at 2:00. After that, he was home free.

 

His hopes were dashed less than twenty minutes later when Wes appeared in the office they shared, angry and frustrated. "The Prima Donna just called. She wants to make more changes in the layout."

 

"We just got all of the last changes made," Seb yelped. "What the hell does she think she's doing?"

 

"Ruining our lives?" Wes suggested flippantly. "She'll be here in about thirty minutes and she wants to go over the changes and then talk to you about a flaw in her contract."

 

"We are NOT rewriting her contract!" Seb's voice rose along with his stress level. The Prima Donna's descents never lasted less than two hours and this sounded like a major issue. There was no way he'd get rid of her in time to have lunch and there was no way he could eat a sandwich in front of her.

 

As Wes left the office Seb groaned and rested his head in his hands for a minute, then picked up the phone. Maybe if he threw himself on Adam's mercy...

 

"Take her out for lunch," Adam suggested after he had heard the whole story. "You'll get to eat, you might get more accomplished without all the interruptions and, who knows, maybe she's always so cross because she skips meals and has too much sugar and caffeine."

 

Seb laughed even as he protested, "I can't do that. I don't have enough cash and she'd never go for it! Besides, what am I supposed to do, have her sit on my handlebars?"

 

"Take her to The Thai Place. It has good food, it's within walking distance and you can put it on your credit card."

 

"I don't know..."

 

"I'll make a deal with you," Adam offered. "You ask her and if she refuses you can delay lunch until after she leaves."

 

"All right. Hell!" his tone changed as he heard a strident altercation in the hall. "She wasn't supposed to be here for another half hour! Talk to you later, Adam. Love you. Bye."

 

 

"Is dinner ready?" Seb asked as he entered the kitchen and dumped his messenger bag in the corner. "Sorry I'm so late. I'm starving."

 

"It's all right, you called," Adam replied, capturing Seb for a welcoming hug and kiss before he took a pot roast from the crockpot. "What did you have for lunch?"

 

"Pad Thai. Thanks for the suggestion. She liked the idea and we got a lot done. Maybe you were right and she's hard to get along with because she's always hungry. Or maybe she just toned it down because we were in a public place. Anyway, thanks."

 

Seb washed his hands and finished setting the table, feeling smugly victorious. He had done it. The mountain that had seemed so insurmountable the night before had been conquered and he could look forward to a quiet comfortable evening with Adam instead of tears and recriminations. He wasn't foolish enough to think he had done it all by himself, though. He took the platter of meat from Adam, set it on the table and enveloped him in a deep, ardent hug. "Love you, Adam. Thank you."

 

"Love you, Seb. Anytime."

 

The End