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"Good night. Sleep well." Satisfied that Jeremy would at least sleep on the bed, he popped into the kitchen to grab a drink and a bag of crisps before returning to his own room. Knowing that Jeremy didn't know the layout of his apartment he left the door to his room and the bathroom open, with the light on... after all, you never knew when the call of nature would shout in your ear. He wandered to his bed, perching on the edge of it as he undid his tie. He was so tired. It felt as if it had been forever since he last slept. Changing quickly he dragged the pyjama bottoms he usually kept under his pillow out and put them on before climbing into bed and dragging the covers over himself. He opened the crisps, hoping the rustle in the otherwise silent house didn't wake his guest.... it didn't take long to finish, and soon the wrapper was in the bin and he was snuggled in bed trying to sleep.

But sleep seemed to have other ideas, it eluded him, no matter what he tried he simply couldn't drift off. Too many thoughts.... past... present... future.... this was why he hated stopping. Too much time for his brain to kick into overdrive. He buried his head in his pillow, attempting to count sheep again. What a mess he had made of his life.....

Dante woke to the sound of his alarm. Switching it off he yawned and sat in bed for a moment like he normally did... at least until he remembered... Jeremy was in the other room. He suddenly sat upright. What was he meant to do now? Unable to think of anything else he decided he would just make them both breakfast and act as if it was nothing out of the ordinary... which, he supposed with anyone else that would have been true. Why did seeing someone naked suddenly make everything so complicated? He approached his bedroom door, knocking on it before shouting; "Is it safe to come out?" It was a courtesy since he had no idea what state of undress the guy may have been in. Silence greeted him. Was he still sleeping? Sneaking a peek he soon discovered the bed was away and the room was empty.... he blinked in surprise, checking the bathroom also... but no, the door was still open and it was empty... which meant Jeremy had snook out while he was sleeping again. He almost smiled at the thought.

Pushing it aside he made breakfast and went about his daily routine, he would sort the spare bedding out when he got home. He turned, about to wash his bowl when he saw a note.... strange. Picking it up he read it and frowned. The day off? Why? As far as Dante was concerned he didn't need it... nor did he intent to take it. It did after all read 'you can' not that 'you have to' so he was going to pretend that the letter gave him the option. Putting it down he noted that the photo of Kyle had moved. Had Jeremy looked at it? Maybe that was why he had left....?

A little agitated he returned to his room. Now dressed and ready he gathered the rest of his things. His ribs were aching more this morning, but at least the bruise looked less angry, same for his face. Taking some painkillers before stashing the bottle in his briefcase he left for work.

Thankfully the tube wasn't delayed this morning. Picking a car at random he got on to find there wasn't an empty seat left so he walked to one of the standing bars and held on.

One thought crossed his mind.... what new hell would today bring?

The journey to work had been pleasantly quiet, something Dante was happy about. Bar the odd stare for his black eye he actually felt as if he was making progress. The walk from the station to his office building was also nice, the soft heat of the early morning sun doing wonders for his mood... and as he entered the office he was smiling.

"You're in a good mood Dante." He turned to see Barbara standing by the photocopier. Ah, so she wasn't holding a grudge after he turned her down? That was good... after all, it wasn't because she wasn't beautiful... he simply didn't play on the same team she did. "It's a beautiful day... what's not to be happy about?" He smiled politely at her before making his way to his desk.

Something he pretty much regretted immediately. He had only just settled down to work, his computer still loading when he noticed Jeremy heading his way with a huge pile of paperwork... no explanation before they were dumped on his desk.... he had to be kidding right? He looked up at the guy, confusion clearly written on his face; was he being punished for something? "Take it easy, newbie." "Eh... yes Mr Wilkinson." Was all he managed to say as he started to have a quick look at the top file. He was half way through reading the first page when he heard someone whistle.

"Wooooo.... Damn.... what you do to piss him off now?" Dante looked up to see Phil standing in front of his desk.

"I think it's because I came in today after he gave me the day off....." He said honestly, a slight blush covering his cheeks... why was he being honest about this? Wouldn't a more normal reply have been 'I don't know'?

"And you came in anyway? Man... you must love punishment."

"There is no reason for me to be off though."

"Well Jeremy obviously thought there was... "

"I'm sure I have no idea what you are talking about," Dante replied, attempting to faint a nonchalance he clearly didn't feel, trying to change the subject he focused on work, picking up his high lighter and marking the first piece of data.

"Ha!" Phil laughed at him, "You're a bad liar... it's written all over your face."

"Why don't you go ask him yourself?"

"It's far more fun getting it out of you."

He sighed in defeat, he wasn't even completely sure what the exact reason was. "Fine... if it will make you leave me alone, ... because as you can see I am swamped." He looked up from the paper work and over to Phil. "I broke a few ribs the other night when I got the black eye. Jeremy tried to help but ended up making it worst.... so yeah.... guilt maybe? Or concern... whatever you want to go with. Now if yo-"

He didn't get a chance to finish since Phil burst into laughter, "What happened? You guys do it again? How the hell did he try to help you anyway?" Yet then his tone went serious, and concern flooded his features, "But seriously, if your ribs are broken you should rest up a bit and let them heal."

"You sound just like him." He grumbled, running his hand through his hair. "But I'm not telling you more...." He was putting his foot down, no way he was going to tell Phil that Jeremy had carried him through the crowd to get a seat on the train.... or that he had ended up staying the night because he had been so tired. Despite the fact that nothing had happened he was pretty sure it would get twisted or something.

"Awww.... you're really no fun."

"I know." He said, a look of sadness covering his face as he looked down at his paperwork again.

"Oh no... don't give me that look.... Jeremy will kill me if he learns I made you upset or worst cry."

"I'm not going to cry...!" He protested. A soft stubbornness causing his brows to furrow in concentration as he looked up at the guy.

The conversation went on like that for a while, until Dante finally managed to convince the guy to let him work... either that or he needed Phil to go buy him a tent because he wasn't going to be leaving this place for a month while he caught up. In the end Phil confessed that he was just checking up on Dante because he was worried about him, though Dante had only known the guy a short time he really didn't think that the serious tone suited him..... he could see why everyone in the office liked him. He was easy to talk to... too easy to talk to. After a few threats to drag him in front of Jeremy just to watch him squirm, he had ended up confession what Jeremy had done to try and help.... and that the guy was so exhausted he had fallen asleep on the train and practically needed to be carried to the closest bed.

"He worries me sometimes." Phil said with a sigh, now sitting on the edge of Dante's desk. "He pushes himself too much... and he always seems so tired." The guys turned to look at him, and the gaze made him feel suddenly bare, as if Phil somehow saw his soul... he looked away first. "Do me a favour? Keep an eye on him for me." And with that Phil left.

Dante got stuck into his work, though a small part of him was still trying to figure out what Phil was so worried about... and why the hell did Dante care so much?

Dante was working his arse off, and despite the huge amount of work he had managed to complete just under three-thirds of it. But man... he was exhausted. After the conversation with Phil that morning pretty much everyone else had left him alone once they saw the mountain of paperwork, a few had offered looks of apology though before walking away. He sighed, suddenly feeling like he would never manage to finish it all.

Rubbing his eyes, he was about to pick his pen up again when he heard a voice. "Huh?" He said at first, blinking for a moment while he figured out what was going on, looking up he saw Jeremy.... no, Mr Wilkinson.... waiting at his desk. "Ah, ha, em..." He chuckled a little nervously but nodded. "Yeah, right hereeeee." he spread out the final word while his fingers ran down the spin of the files until he found the correct one to pull out.

"Here." He said holding it out to Jeremy. At that moment his stomach decided to growl... the thing sounded so angry that it actually caught Dante by surprise. Gah! How embarrassing.

Dante fell into silence then, fidgeting with his pen while he tried to figure out if he should continue the conversation about the file or simply continue working until he left for lunch. Some of his colleagues had already left, but several were still working hard like him. The fax machines could be heard zipping and zapping over crisp white paper. The photocopier buzzed over the sound of chatter.

Before he had realised he had any intention of speaking again, eight little words slipped free of his mouth. "Is there anything else you need, Mr Wilkinson?"

Dante nodded while the other said he would get to finish that case before he went home now.... home... after finishing a good chunk of the files his eyes were starting to feel a little square. Still he was used to so much paperwork; his job had once been to check and make sure that pretty much all communication that left the company was correct, bringing anything to the bosses attention anything that was out of place... he had been good at it too. But he supposed it was easier to see someone else's flaws than your own. He supposed in many ways he had been more of a personal assistant than a secretary, despite both jobs having the same title.

He was just about to put pen to paper again when Jeremy surprised him. Looking up again he just blinked and stared a little blankly.... man... I need a break. He shook his head, not really refusing the offer for what it was but because he needed to get away from this desk for a few minutes. "I need to get away from this desk...." He looked over at the mountain of finished paperwork, at least seeing the pile bigger than his 'to do' pile made him feel better. "Would you mind if I walked down with you? Or, I could bring you something back if you wanted?" He said, genuinely offering before sighing softly, and messing with his hair again. Dante was trying his best to put the mess behind him, and it really did seem that after his little outburst yesterday the air really had cleared between them.

In the back of his mind he remembered everything he had been thinking about last night in bed... and he realised he really didn't know anything about this man before him. Part of his mind had wondered if he would have helped him rebind his ribs this morning should he have stayed.... though it was unlikely Dante would ever have had the courage to ask. The night they met had been an anomaly for Dante, he had known what he wanted and had refused to let it out of his sight... but right now? Well, he had no clue what he wanted.

Dante smiled as Jeremy accepted his offer, ok, maybe this wouldn't be as bad as he had first thought... as long as they both made an effort to keep things civil and business like. It was still weird for him, but at least it was getting easier to ignore the random images of that night as they came back to him as flashes.... they were starting to become a distant memory, even if in reality it had only been a few days since then. So much had happened in such a short space of time that he was sure he was going to drown under the weight of it all.

Putting his computer into standby he stood up and joined Jeremy for the walk to the cafe. He had only intended to grab a sandwich and go back up... simply desiring a small walk before being confined to his desk again for a while. He let Jeremy order first, seeing no issue in waiting a few moments longer. He was busy looking at the cakes, wondering if he should grab one. At his old work place he always had a habit of grabbing one after work, but he hadn't managed to since he started working here. Dante had a sweet tooth.... and it often surprised his friends just how much he could eat in one sitting. Seeing a particularly nice looking slice of fudge cake he placed his order for a cheese toastie and the cake. Since his sandwich only needed to be warmed enough to melt the cheese his would be ready just before or the same time as Jeremy's.

"Ah... nah, I was going to go back up. I just wanted a break." He leaned on the counter and crossed his arms before saying in a slightly teasing manner. "You see I've got this mean boss who is trying to force me to sit down all day with a mountain of paperwork." He laughed a little then but didn't look at Jeremy as he said it.... not entirely sure how the guy would take it.

He looked out of the window then, his eyes not really looking or focusing on anything in particular... until he saw... Kyle. His eyes followed him... this was the first time he had seen him since that night. It only took a moment before Dante caught himself and dragged his gaze away... oh look, the floor tiles were really pretty.... he didn't know how he felt about seeing his ex again. It wasn't as if it could exactly be counted as running into him since they hadn't actually spoken, he hadn't even been seen by the other. Dante sighed. Rubbing his chest before he realised he hadn't answered one of Jeremy's original questions. "Don't worry about my chest... it's feel better today." A lie. Good job he wasn't looking at him. The truth was it was aching after tossing and turning all night, thankfully the painkillers seemed to be taking away the worst of the pain. He shifted slightly, turning to look into the kitchen rather than out to the rest of the world.

"He's sounds pretty hot." He rolled his eyes, but smiled despite himself.... not denying the statement at all.

Dante had been looking into the kitchen, so he hadn't noticed Kyle walk in. The door bell rang, he heard that, but he was focusing on Jeremy's words instead of the rest of the world. "I just can't do that... I don't like stopping." He didn't go into more detail, but for as long as Dante remembered he had always enjoyed just being on the move... stopping meant thinking... and thinking never turned out well for him.

Kyle spotted Dante as he made his way to the counter, "Hey. Fancy seeing you here."

That voice. He froze for a moment but turned none the less... Kyle. It hurt just looking at him, and what annoyed Dante even more was that the guy was acting as if nothing had happened. Dante had heard from one of their mutual friends that Kyle had moved on pretty quickly and was in a relationship with some guy from work... the fact that it had happened so fast had always had Dante wondering if Kyle had simply used everything as an excuse to date someone else.... and that hurt more than anything else. "Hey." He said, not smiling like he normally did when people spoke to him.

"Oh come on... don't be like that. Can't we still be friends?" Dante shrugged, not really wanting to get into this at work.

"Not now. I'm working." He said, trying to dismiss the idea.

"Ok, want to meet up after work then?" Dante was about to say a flat 'no' when Kyle's attention turned to Jeremy. "Oh, who is this?" His gaze shifted between the two before he started laughing, "You guys should hook up... you look cute together."

Dante nearly choked on the very oxygen in his throat at that comment. "What? He's my boss Kyle...."

That was when Kyle's eyes widened. "Again? What is with you and bosses."

Dante stared in disbelief.... how could he do that to him again?! Not saying anything or wanting to be here any more he simply picked up the slice of cake that had already been handed to him and left the cafe.

Pausing was just as bad as stopping as far as Dante was concerned, still he smiled softly and shrugged the comment off.

As the door closed to the cafe behind him he heard Kyle shout after him, Oh, come on! I'm just messing around!" Seriously? Messing around... was that all it had ever been? Was it possible he had simply made it into something more? They had had fun right....

He stopped in the corridor. Stop it. He couldn't keep doing this to himself. He looked down at the slice of cake, no longer having an appetite for the thing... but not one to waste cake he took it back to the office and simply put it on the desk without giving it another thought. He just wasn't hungry now... and bring the cake back up after eating it would be just as bad as throwing it away.

Not allowing himself to pause any more he simply picked up his pen and got back to work. At least that had been his intention... in reality he ended up just staring at the paper with black ink... none of the words seemed readable right now... and it took him a moment to realise that tears had filled his eyes, threatening to overflow. He wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his jacket, far from elegant but what did he care right now.... he ran a hand through his hair. Maybe he should have stayed at home after all.

He leaned back in his chair, looking up at the tiled ceiling of the building, one hand still in his hair while the other rested over his broken ribs. Kyle hadn't even commented on his black eye.... did he really not care about him at all? Had he ever really cared? He tried to remember how their relationship had started.... but he couldn't. He was pretty sure he had been drinking that night but the whole think was a blank.... which was weird since he could only remember having two drinks. Scrunching up his eyes he took a moment to just breath.

With a sigh he sat back down and looked at the mountain of paperwork again... but as he did he spotted someone standing just beyond watching him... his gaze followed the legs as they became a torso and then a face... Jeremy. He didn't say anything, what could he say? Instead he just looked towards his computer screen and started fidgeting with his pen. Should he apologise? After all he was being far from professional and he knew how Jeremy hated anything distracting them from work..... but he couldn't bring himself to say anything.