Adam flips through his Advanced Chemistry III textbook restlessly, mind far away. He wonders where Nick is now. The other man said he'd be back eventually, he just needed time, time to go back to Delaware and finally close the chapter of his previous life. But it's been more than a month now with no contact from Nick, and the absence is like an ever-present itch in the back of his head.

It's ridiculous that he misses Nick like this when he barely knows him. They are, in essence, just two people resurrected and dumped in a house in Maine, new identities and all. Sure, both of them used to be second-rate backup vessels for two archangels in the middle of history's most epic catfight, but they never knew each other personally. Yet for some reason God had decided to revive them and place them together in a new life.

"The old man thought that the two of you deserved a second chance, and I agreed, so here you are. I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth if I were you," Death says calmly, standing in the middle of the living room where Adam and Nick had woken up in."

Adam's thankful to be free of the Cage, even though he doesn't actually remember anything from his time there – "Another gift," states Death – and Nick probably is, too, even though the other man doesn't recall what happened either after he said yes to Lucifer. Privately, Adam thinks he was in Hell, because good things don't happen to people who consent to angels, and because he doesn't think God is sadistic enough to pull Nick from Heaven.

Two weeks in, Nick told Adam he was going back to Delaware for closure, said he would be back, and left. Adam nodded dumbly, unable to voice the don't leave me here alone burning in his throat, and instead said see you around.

Adam registered for college and a month and a half later, here he is, alone.

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The next day, he lets himself into the house and stops, staring at the unfamiliar jacket hanging on the coat rack just inside the door. A delicious scent is wafting through the air, and Adam dumps his bag by the couch as he takes rapid steps towards the kitchen. Nick's back is towards him as the man stirs a pot on the stove.

Adam unglues his tongue from the roof of his mouth. "You're back."

Nick switches the stove off and turns, giving him a cautious smile. "Sorry I took so long."

"No, no, it's okay," he says, suppressing the I thought you weren't coming back swimming in the back of his mind. He feels a little light-headed from relief. "So, um, what are you cooking?"

"Pasta with beef bolognese sauce. I noticed there wasn't much in the fridge, so I bought some groceries and whipped this up. You don't mind, do you?"

"Why would I? This is your house, too," Adam responds sincerely. The tension leaves Nick's shoulders as the other man's smile becomes more genuine.

"I saw the textbooks on the table. You're doing a degree in Chemical Engineering?" Nick asks later as they're eating.

Adam nods, mouth full of pasta as he practically inhales his food. He hasn't tasted anything this good for a long time.

"I thought you said you were a pre-med student, before." Nick watches him eat with fond amusement.

Adam carefully chews and swallows. "Yeah, I was. But I thought I'd go for something new. Fresh start, you know?" His voice is too casual and he knows it doesn't fool Nick.

Adam's not ready to talk about how the thought of being a doctor, being up close and personal with bloody wounds and people in pain, makes him break out in a cold sweat. He's not ready to mention how sometimes when he's walking past the park, the fluttering wing beats of a flock of birds taking flight sends his heart into overdrive, and he has to spend several minutes sitting on a bench with his head between his knees, taking deep breaths to calm himself. He may not remember what happened in the Cage, but some things have carried over nonetheless.

The sharp-eyed man doesn't ask, instead nodding in acceptance. Adam thinks that with enough time, he'll be able to voice these things to Nick, because even after only two weeks, he's discovered that the older man is a great listener. He hopes that Nick will eventually talk to him, too, because he witnessed the way Nick had frozen earlier with his eyes fixed on the blades in the knife rack.

Nick came back to him, and the warmth in Adam's chest from his presence is a telling sign. The two of them are broken and screwed up in their own ways, but Adam thinks that as long as they're together, they're not beyond fixing.