Alg had slowly but surely begun to take over the dining room with his work things. Books for class were stacked (neatly but not stored), his laptop open and often sporting a small cat sleeping on it because it was warm, his boxes of journals stacked in a corner. It wasn’t exactly the ideal writing space, but Ashdown hadn’t exactly been the ideal writing locale to begin with. He was distracted here and the more unusual aspects were the opposite of inspirational.

He would never presume to take over any rooms in Jeremiah’s house, no matter how much the other assured it was his space as well, and slowly but surely the detective had been migrating Algie’s things. He realized it belatedly when his school books disappeared after the semester had been a couple weeks ended, and then his boxes of journals and his laptop had been moved.

The professor now sat at his computer, a hand rubbing over his brow in the improvised office that had formerly been Zac’s bedroom. The bed was still there, pushed into a corner, but the young man had taken his things - first to Wil and Nasir’s and more recently to an apartment he was sharing with Autumn. There was a desk and a nice breeze from an open window. His boxes of work things were at least out of view in here, even if he still somehow felt like he was intruding. But if Jeremiah assured him it was fine, then it was.

His in progress manuscript was up on his screen, scrolled idly through as he nitpicked his own wording here and there, but he was dispassionate about it and the only saving grace was that his newest release had been finished a while - sitting - until the publisher deemed the time right for a release.

But they wanted to see him.

He clicked over to his email, one from his father with the normal updates on the football team, the fishing back home, and what his friends at the pub had to say. Another email from Meredith, Jeremiah’s mother always having an easier time finding out her son’s whereabouts from Alg than from Jer himself, and another chain of mail from his publishers. He needed to come in, he needed to sign things, he had to look at contracts, they wanted him there. They knew the school semester was ended, knew he had limited engagements and knew as soon as the next semester started that he’d be indisposed again.

Alg would have to go back home.

“Alg?!” Jeremiah’s voice came from downstairs with the sound of the front door opening and closing.

“Upstairs,” He rubbed his jaw and sat back with his arms across his chest a frown.

Jeremiah’s footsteps came up the stairs, faltered in the hall, and eventually came in the doorway behind the other man. One of his hands, cold as they always were until he got home, slid through Alg’s hair and eventually to the back of his neck down the back of his collar.

Alg tilted his head back, shivering from the chill but he could already feel the other warming up as he touched his skin. Somehow Jeremiah had an easier time with his chilly effects when Alg was around.

The writer’s head leaned back and Jeremiah leaned in for a kiss, “Everything alright?”

Alg grunted and sighed, looking back at the computer, “Dad.. your mum.. And now my publishers.” He glanced back up at his lover, “I’ve got to go home. For at least a week, probably ten days. But I’ll be back.”

Jeremiah didn’t look overly upset, not initially, but he seemed to frown a moment. Of course they didn’t want to be apart, not with everything going on lately, but Alg didn’t have a way around it.

“I’m sorry, Jer.” he glanced up at him over his glasses, “I haven’t really been given a choice. I’ve been pushing them off so now I’ve got to go before the next semester starts.”

Jeremiah’s hand tightened on his shoulder in a reassuring squeeze. Whatever thoughts he’d had were working themselves out. He smiled, leaned to press a kiss to Alg’s hair, and when he straightened up Jeremiah resumed tugging his tie loose while he fished for his wallet and tossed it to the desktop.

“Get us two tickets. I’ll come with you.”

Alg’s surprise must have been visible, he blinked and blinked again, “Are you sure? What about work?” What about…. Everything?

“I’m positive, love. I’ve got plenty of vacation time even with the days I’ve taken lately.” He took a breath, exhaled, “I think we need a break anyway. Even if it’s work for you. Mum will be thrilled, but don’t tell her. It’s always more fun to show up on her doorstep.”

Another reassuring kiss before Jeremiah moved from the room, “It’s only a week Alg.”

Algie still honestly didn’t quite believe it. It wasn’t like they were moving away but he hadn’t seen home in several years at this point. He glanced at Jeremiah’s wallet, back at the screen, and straightened to type out a reply to the publishers, a reply in which he agreed to come back for meetings and insisted they pay for the airfare.