Madison - An AJR Fic

The All-Nighter

NEW YORK CITY - Present Day

The light from the television illuminated the apartment with a dim, hazy glow. Adam sat on the couch, his eyes just barely open. He could feel himself growing more and more tired with each passing minute. It would make sense if he just went home and went to bed, sure. But that took effort. Effort he didn't feel like exerting right now. The monotonous sounds of the television droned on in the background.

"Call the number on your screen now to order! Don't miss this special offer!"

Adam rolled his eyes. "I think I will miss it, thanks," He mumbled under his breath.

Outside the living room window, it was starting to rain. Droplets fell heavily on the glass, making the world look blurry. It was impossible to make out any details from the city below, not with the glass being foggy and streaked with water. Not to mention, it was going on 11pm. It was hard to see pretty much anything. At least the sound of the rain was calming.

A quiet click nearby signaled a bedroom door opening. Adam glanced up to see his brothers stepping out into the living room.

"Hey, you wanna hear the new sample?" Jack asked excitedly, poking his head into the room.

"Come on, man," Ryan groaned, flopping into an armchair adjacent to Adam. "Give it a rest. That sample's no good. We spent hours on it and all we have is a boring little chorus line."

"Hey, I'm not giving up yet! We might be able to make it into something!"

Ryan reached forward and grabbed a water bottle off of the coffee table, then glanced up at Jack. "...Not likely."

Jack sighed before sitting down on the couch beside Adam. "How are things out here?"

"Awfully boring," Adam muttered.

Jack scoffed. "You can always come in by us if you're bored."

"That's your place. I don't like intruding on you."

"You're not intruding," Ryan weighed in. "You're part of this, too."

"Yeah, which is why he should get to hear the sample," Jack jabbed.

Ryan glared at him. "Look, we can keep working on it. But it's nearly 11 o'clock, I'm tired."

"Same here," Adam agreed through a yawn. "I don't know if I can even understand a sample right now."

Jack nodded. "Do you need a ride home?"

Adam shook his head. "I'll be fine," A smirk spread across his face. "We're musicians, sleepless nights never stopped us."

"Fair enough," Ryan tilted his head. "But I don't think we want you getting in an accident, either."

Adam paused, then sighed. "I'll...call an Uber."

Ryan gave a thumbs-up as he stood up to go to the kitchen. Jack leaned against the back of the couch and put his hands behind his head.

"...I'm worried, Adam..." Jack mumbled quietly.

Adam scoffed. "Don't be. I'm fine."

"No, it's not that," Jack replied. "I'm worried about me and Ryan being able to write this album," He glanced at Ryan, who was looking in the kitchen cabinets. "We've been working for months, and we've only got...what, three songs done? That's not enough. That's not...nearly...enough."

Adam's expression became somber. "Oh...I didn't realize..."

Jack pursed his lips. "Normally I would leave it be, just let songs come when they do. But...this isn't normal..."