It Was Always You

This Love Has Taken Its Toll On Me

So my inspiration for this came mostly from the first couple nights of the blind auditions (if you watch The Voice regularly you'll know what I'm talking about.) Blake pissed me off a little bit during the first few episodes so I wanted to expose and expand on that. I have no idea how they feel in real life, this is just my fictional interpretation of events. I had been wanting to do an argument fic for a while and I finally found inspiration. Thought it'd be interesting to try something different. Hope you like it.

"Why don't you keep your fucking mouth shut? For once."

Blake calculates that as the exact moment he lost Adam. Maybe for good.

He's drawn back to the present by the sound of Carson's voice softly speaking his name.

"Blake?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Blake glances at his surroundings. They're sitting in a smoky bar amidst a few guys playing pool and a couple others sitting at the bar, but otherwise they're alone. Blake takes a sip of his drink.

"Look, maybe it's none of my business. But you and Adam are great friends and I'd hate to see something come between you, especially this early in the season."

"Man, it's nothing for you to worry about."

"I saw what happened on that stage, Blake. I'm your friend. Maybe I can help."

Blake takes another sip. God knows he needs help. He sighs. "Alright."

Carson nods his head approvingly. "Okay. Start from the beginning."

***

Blake is the first to arrive on set. He sits down on a sofa in the backstage lounge area and pulls out his phone.

"Hey Blake, glad you're on time. And not drunk," Carson jokes as he hurries by, finalizing things for the first day of the blind auditions.

"I'm always drunk!" Blake calls back, but Carson is already gone.

"Yo, Shelton!" He turns at the voice to see Adam strutting through the door. "Long time no see. Did you miss me?" the rock star asks.

"No." Blake laughs. "Okay, maybe a little." They've seen each other a few times between their hectic schedules but now they'll be seeing a lot more of each other on a daily basis. As much as Adam drives him crazy sometimes he really did miss the guy.

He stands up and they share a brief hug. Christina and Pharrell come through the door next. Carson stops by to tell them that they've got some time before they start taping, then he's off again. The coaches catch up with one another, talk about where their lives lead them on their hiatus, share stories and news.

Somehow Adam ends up next to Blake on the sofa, and Blake is glad that no one else is allowed back there, because he's sure they'd be snapping all the pictures they could get and the headlining online article tomorrow would be something about their 'bromance.' Blake likes Adam as a friend, nothing more, and sometimes the media can paint the wrong picture. Besides, he cherishes the time all four of them are alone together, which isn't all that often.

The start of the tapings is taking longer than usual; they're experiencing some technical difficulties, the producers say. Blake is beginning to feel the after-effects of his late-night drinking, plus he didn't sleep well at all. His head hurts, and all he wants to do is lie down. He tilts his head back and closes his eyes. The story Christina is telling no longer makes sense in his mind. He's drifting off, wishing to stay awake but eventually letting sleep take over. He vaguely remembers hearing Adam say something before he's out.