"But Dad!" Thirteen-year-old Adam whined as he stared at the new house they were to be moving into.
"I know, it needs work, but that's why I like it. This way I can make it into our home." William Copeland had been proud of the early Victorian he had found in Cameron, North Carolina. He had hoped that his wife, Mary, their son Adam and their adopted son Jason Reso would like it as well.
Will glanced over to find thirteen-year-old Jason standing by Mary. Mary was smiling at something Jason was whispering to her.
"Will, Jason was just commenting that the big oak tree in the back yard would be perfect for a tree house." Mary voice was music to William's ears, as it had been the twenty years since they had first met.
Will glanced at the tree in question, as it could be easily seen over the top of the two story house. "You might be right. I'll look at it when I have time."
"Dad! I liked Toronto! It's too hot here! All of my friends are there... I don't know any one here... I want to go home!" Adam all but cried.
"Adam, I've explained it to you many times. This is where we will live because this is where my business is." Will muttered to his oldest then looked to his adopted son who was the quieter in his opinions.
"Why can't you move it to Toronto?" Adam whined, but it was a useless argument.
"Because this is where the newspaper I bought is. Toronto didn't need another newspaper." Will said softly looking into Adam's green eyes, they were a perfect copy of his Mary's. Almost unconsciously he glanced at Jason and felt his heart clench. Jason was starting to look so much like his father, Will's best friend before he had died. Alex, Jason's father, had been a kind man with a gentle soul. It still seemed unfair that God had chosen to take Alex and his wife Anne, away when their one and only child was just a baby of four months. Will's mind slipped back to the afternoon in question.
Alex had been taking Anne out on the town for the first time since Jason had been born. They had entrusted their baby with their best friends, Will and Mary Copeland so that young Jason could play with the Copeland's baby boy, Adam, who was only about one month older than Jason. Mary had just laid the boys down for their naps when the phone had rung. It was the police telling them that Alex and Anne had been killed in a freak car accident. Alex and Anne had had no family to speak of, so Will and Mary took in young Jason.
"I kind of like it." Jason spoke up breaking from his memories.
Will shook his head to himself. Alex had always been the mediator, it appeared Jason would be the same.
"I don't care, Jay. It's not home." Adam said as he walked over and cuddled to the boy he counted as a brother. Most boys his age would be embarrassed to be seen hugging, much less cuddling a sibling, but this move was hard for the older blond.
Jason tangled his fingers into Adam's almost waist length blond locks and held the slightly larger boy. "I know it's strange... But I have a good feeling about this place... And we might just get a tree house out of the deal."
Adam straightened with a nod as he put a hand into Jason's hair. This was an old thing for them, mostly they only did it when one or both were scared about something. For a moment Adam's green eyes held Jason's blue and then they broke apart to look over what was to be their new home.
Mary walked to Will's side and smiled up him as they watched their boys walk around the house. "I think everything's going to be fine."
"You know what, Mary... I think so too."
Part 2
"Come on, boys." Mary said as she checked her purse for everything that should be there.
"Yeah, Mom!" they both returned running out of the attic they were sharing. It wasn't out of lack of space that caused them to stay in one room, but rather because they had always had a room together. Also, that way they could have the large attic to themselves.
"We need to get you registered for school... I just hope that everything is in order." Mary said as she hustled the boys into her car and together they drove off.
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"Everything is in order, Mrs. Copeland. Your boys are enrolled already, all they have to do is pick their classes." the principle of New Century Middle School said smiling at the two blond boys sitting politely waiting for something to do.
"We get to pick our classes?" Adam asked excitedly. Back home in Toronto they had had little decision in the classes they attended.
"Yes... Except for your English and Math courses." the principal handed the boys a paper filled with classes that were open to them.
"Thank you, sir." Jason said softly as he and Adam huddled over the paper trying to decide what they would take.
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"I'm glad you got classes you like, boys." Mary said as they stopped in at the local grocer to pick up a few things, before they headed into Sanford to pick up some more suitable clothes for the hot Carolina late summer. Seeing them glance at the ice cream parlor she handed them each a few dollars. "Be back in twenty minutes. Okay?"
"Okay." Adam's voice was bouncy as he all but pulled the lighter Jason toward the building with the bright green awning.
Mary shook her head and went into the grocery hoping that the boys didn't spoil their suppers too badly with the ice cream.
***
Adam looked over the ice cream selection Wilkins Ice Cream Parlor had. Jay silently stood with him and together they decided to get and split a banana split.
While they sat just finishing their sundae they noticed set of small blond boys being picked on in the back, where the owner had put in some pin ball games.
"Get moving, squirt!" the tallest of a group of four said to the taller of the blond boys.
"It's our money, Jim! It's our game." he said his green eyes glittering with anger. The smaller of the boys nodded in agreement with his slightly bigger friend.
Adam and Jason watched for a moment until one of the obvious bullies shoved the green eyed blond into the pin ball machine they had been arguing over.
"Adam, this isn't our fight." Jason said softly but he was already getting to his feet as well.
"What do you think you're doing?" Adam demanded as he grabbed the lead bully's fist before he could hit the downed boy or his small friend.
"It's none of your business." the bully said as his three friends joined him to confront the stranger.
"It is when you're hurting someone for nothing." Adam said as he turned his attention to the boys that had been being picked on. "You two okay?"
"Yeah." the green eyed one said smiling at him and the hazel eyed one nodded.
"Good." Adam turned in time to see one of the bullies start to swing a fist at him. To his great relief Jay was able to block it before it hit him.
"That wasn't very smart." Jason said softy as he swung back at the bully and popped him in the nose, breaking it instantly.
The kid started crying and the bullies gathered around their injured buddy and together they retreated.
"You sure you're okay?" Adam asked as he looked at the boys. The smaller one reminded him of a more delicately built Jay and the bigger one made him smile with the fire in his green eyes.
"We're fine... Thanks for that... You're new in town, aren't you?" the green-eyed one said as he and his buddy grabbed their milkshakes and went with their saviors.
Adam and Jason sat back at the table they had been at and the other two sat across form them.
"We just moved in yesterday. I'm Adam, this is my brother Jason." Adam said grinning at the more talkative of the two boys.
"I'm Jeff, and this is my best friend Shannon... What grade are you in? My brother Matt just started 8th."
"That's what we're in." Jason murmured softly. He didn't know how Adam did it, but younger of the two was amazed at the elder's ability to make friends so easily.
"Cool! Maybe ya'll have some classes together..." Jeff glanced at his watch and gasped. "Come on, Shan! Dad's going to be mad if we're late." Together the boys stood and went to the door. Jeff and Shannon started in the opposite direction as Adam and Jason.
"I hope ya'll like Cameron!" Shannon called as he and Jeff hurried to where Gil was waiting on the boys.
"I hope we see each other again!" Jason called back and the quieter of the boys shared a smile.
"Who was that?" Mary asked seeing her boys waving at some boys in a passing truck.
"A couple of guys we met in the ice cream parlor." Adam hurriedly helped his mother with the groceries while Jason opened the trunk.
"I'm glad you're starting to make friends here." Mary and her boys got into their car and left, wanting to get into Sanford before rush hour.
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"Have a good day at school boys. I'll be waiting here for you after school." Will said as he let the boys out at the front door of the school for their first day of classes.
"Love you, Dad." they returned as they crawled out of the SUV and started up to the front doors of the school.
"This is going to be fun." Adam said as he and Jason pushed the door open and walked to find their home room. The halls were crowded with kids running here and there looking for their own home rooms.
Jason didn't say anything, not that Adam had expected him to. Jason could be pretty quiet when he was nervous.
They found their home room, which they were happy that they were together.
The teacher smiled at them and took their information, then told them to find a seat.
For Jason everything was fine until their second class came up. They had had Algebra in the first block, but now they would go their separate ways; Adam to gym and Jason to Physical Science.
"It'll be okay. You go do your class and then we have lunch together." Adam said before starting off for the gym.
Jason nodded and went his own way, hoping that Adam knew what he was talking about.
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Adam stood looking around the hall outside of the class Jason's science class had been in. When the teacher walked out and locked the door Adam knew something was wrong. A tall dark haired boy had been talking to the teacher but stopped when he seen Adam waiting. The teacher went on leaving Adam and the dark haired boy.
"You waiting for someone?" he asked Adam shifting his back pack on to his back.
"My brother was in that class... But I guess he went onto the cafeteria." Adam said though his gut told him something was wrong.
"Your brother wouldn't happen to have the same long blond hair as you?" the boy asked seeing the long pony tail over Adam's shoulder.
"Yeah... His is a little shorter... Why?"
"Some kids were making fun of him before the teacher got there and he ran out." the boy said obviously upset that he hadn't done anything.
"Which way did he go?" Adam asked as he started looking down the hall way, both ways.
"I don't know... But I'll help you look. I should have stopped the kids who were making fun of him..." the dark haired boy said as he followed Adam's gaze.
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Jason sat behind the Ag building crying to himself.
"Hey, are you okay?" a voice near him asked, causing the blond to jump.
Beside him sat a boy about his age, looking at him with worry.
Jason shook his head and went on crying.
"What can be that bad? Are you hurt?" Shane asked his head tilted to one side as he studied the blond boy. He had delicate features that made him think of an elf out of a book. His long blond hair was twisted into a very masculine braid that hung to the middle of his back. But it was his eyes that spoke to Shane. They were so full of sadness.
"I'm not hurt." the blond said so softly that Shane barely heard.
"Then why are you crying like that?"
"Some guys were laughing at my braid." Jason said as he pulled his braid over his shoulder and stroked it.
"They were stupid. I think your braid's pretty." Shane said then blushed when he realized what he had said.
"Thank you... My name's Jason, you are?"
"Shane. Do you want me to go get a teacher or something?" Shane asked as he stood up and looked around for someone else to help.
"No... but could you get my brother, Adam? He'll be waiting for me outside of room 314." Jason raised his wet eyes to Shane and the dark haired boy nodded.
"I'll go get him. You stay right here."
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"Hey... You!" Shane called when he seen boy with long blond hair standing with his best friend, Matt.
"Yeah?" the blond asked distracted while looking down each hall.
"You wouldn't be Jason's brother, Adam would you?" Shane asked looking at the boy and seeing no resemblance other than the long blond hair.
"Yeah... Do you know where he is?" Adam demanded looking at the new boy for the first time.
"Yeah... Come on." Shane gestured and started off with both Matt and Adam right by him. "I found him crying behind the Ag building."
Adam's anger was already huge, but that made it bigger.
When they finally got to where Jason sat Adam was very upset. He went to his knees by his brother and his hands went for Jason's braid just as Jason's went for his ponytail.
"Are you okay?" Adam asked softly taking in the tear stained cheeks and swollen eyes.
Jason nodded and buried his face in Adam's shoulder, not caring if the other two boys seen his unmanly show of affection. "I can't do this Adam... They're so mean..."
Adam was about to shush Jason's protest when the boy from the science class spoke up. "I'm sorry I didn't stop them... And you shouldn't pay them any mind. They make fun of me all the time."
Jason looked up at him and wondered at the dark haired boy standing with Shane. "Hi, I'm Matt." he said as he and Shane sat by the blonds.
"I'm Jason... Matt... Are you Jeff's brother?" Jason asked as he and Adam separate to sit side by side leaning into one another.
"Yeah... You're the two that saved him and Shannon in Wilkins?" Matt said. He and Shane had both heard about the blonds that had saved Jeff and Shannon from Jim and his buddies.
"Yeah. Jay... You feel like going to lunch?" Adam looked into Jason's blue eyes.
Jason nodded and with their new friends went to the cafeteria.
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That night as Adam lay in his bed and Jay in his across the attic, Adam heard something that made him get up and go to Jason's side.
When he got over to Jason's bed he found him curled on one side and crying into his pillow.
Without a word Adam crawled into bed with him and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy.
"What's wrong?" Adam asked softly.
"I can't go back, Adam... I can't." Jason sobbed as he turned over and buried his face in Adam's loose hair.
"Shush... It'll be okay... We have every class together tomorrow. And the next day the one class we don't have together you have with Matt. You'll be fine." Adam said holding Jason while he continued to cry.
"You'll be fine." Adam said again after he thought Jason was asleep.
"Love you, Adam." Jason whispered softly.
Adam looked down and seen the boy in his arms was almost asleep. "Love you too." Adam pressed a kiss into Jason's hair and followed him into dream land.
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"Hey, isn't that Shannon?" Jason asked the first Saturday after they started to school. Mary had gone to do some shopping and the boys had stayed behind to mess around.
Adam looked up from where he sat on the other end of the swing from Jason.
"Yeah... HEY SHANNON!" Adam yelled at the boy riding down the rode on his bicycle.
Shannon glanced into the yard of the old Victorian. He had heard his parents talking about how someone had moved into it. He was happy to see it was the boys who had saved him and Jeff the other day.
He turned up the drive and road up to the house smiling. "Hey."
"What'cha doing?" Adam asked as he and Jason went to the steps.
"Going down to see Jeff... I didn't know you lived here. I haven't seen you on the bus." Shannon got off his bike and sat beside the other two blonds on the swing.
"Dad drives us. Mind if tag along? It's kind of boring just sitting here." Adam stood up when Shannon nodded and then the elder two blonds went to the garage and dug out their bikes. After leaving a note on the refrigerator for Mary, they left.
Together the three blonds road down the road to the very next house one the road. It turned out that Adam and Jason lived right in between Shannon's and Matt and Jeff's.
"Come on, it sounds like they've already started." Shannon said as he rode his bike around the side of a nice ranch house about a quarter of a mile from where Adam and Jason lived.
The older blonds followed him around the house and found Matt and Shane on a trampoline while Jeff sat in a lawn chair watching the weird moves they were doing.
"Hey!" Jeff waved as soon as he had seen the two blonds with his friend.
"They live in the old house between us." Shannon said excitedly as he sat beside in the chair beside Jeff's.
"Cool... Welcome to our wrestling training." Jeff said pointing to where Matt and Shane were battling for the win on the trampoline.
"Wrestling?" Adam and Jay asked at the same time not knowing that this was a cross roads in their lives and in the next few minutes they would decide their future when they answered the question Matt asked. "Do you want to join us?"
Part 3
Sixteen year old Adam sat in the swing wondering where Jason was. They were going to be late to pick Matt, Jeff, and Shane up. Matt had arranged for them to wrestle Stanford, if they got there on time.
"Come on, Jay!" Adam called as he looked into the house.
"Sorry." Jason said running out his hair still wet from the last minute shower he had taken.
"We can still make it." Adam said as he threw his equipment bag into the back seat of his and Jason's car.
It should have taken them forty minutes to go and get the guys and get into Stanford proper. But with Adam behind the wheel it took them twenty-five.
Jason and Shannon were up first in a singles match against one another. Then after a couple other matches Matt and Shane would go up against Adam and Jeff. Both matches went perfect except in the last minutes of the tag match, Shane landed a kick to Adam's back just wrong and the blond knew he was going to be feeling that one later.
When it was time to go home Adam threw the keys to Jason who looked at him in worry. He knew Adam would never give up the keys without a fight.
"My back's hurting. I'm going to take some pills and try to go to sleep on the road home." Adam explained when Jason demanded what was wrong.
Jason took this with a nod and allowed Adam to take some mild pain relievers before crawling into the front side and falling asleep.
The other four crawled into the back were soon chatting softly about the matches, while Jason drove back to Cameron.
During the ride home Adam had shifted to lay with his head on Jason's shoulder.
By the time they had made it home the others were out of energy as well and all of them decided to crash at Adam and Jason's.
Soon they were all tucked away into Adam and Jason's attic, which had become their interior gym and dreaming spot. Adam relaxed in a chair while they shoved Adam and Jason's two full sized beds together. Then, once everyone was down to their boxers they crawled into the bed, totally comfortable with each other and their lack of clothing. If anyone had asked them why they were okay with something like that they would say something along the lines of, "We grab each other in and throw each other by vital areas. You'd be comfortable with someone if you did that to them every day".
But in the middle of the night Jason was awakened by a pained groan from his left.
Turning over his found Adam laying on his stomach and in the moon light coming in the windows Jason could see the large foot shaped bruise on the larger blond's back.
"I'll go get some more pain killers." Jason said softly to Adam who nodded and tried not to cry from the pain in his back.
Jason was gone only a few minutes and when he returned Adam gratefully swallowed the pain pills.
"Roll over. I brought the liniment." Jason held up the tube and smiled at Adam.
Adam rolled back to his stomach and tried not cringe when Jason sat down on his butt and started rubbing in the soothing cream.
Soothed by the mild pain killer in the cream Adam soon found himself drifting. Jason listened to his breath as it evened and deepened before he moved gently off of the bigger blond and laid back beside him.
Jason looked over at Adam and tried to understand what it was he was feeling. When he looked at Adam he seen the boy he grew up with and the man that boy was growing into. But there was something else. Something he couldn't quite comprehend. It was warm, and it made him feel good. But it wasn't the same thing he felt when he looked at
Matt, Jeff, Shannon, and Shane, all of whom he looked at as his brothers. It was closer to his heart. Something warmer. He knew it was a form of love... But he didn't know what kind. He wished that he could just ask someone, but some how he didn't think anyone would understand.
Sighing he reached out and touched the side of Adam's face and reached back and put his fingers into the hair that seemed to draw him when ever he was within arm's reach. Without thinking he drew Adam to lay on his shoulder. When Adam snuggled closer Jason felt something happen that hadn't happen before... Something he thought was only suppose to happen when he looked at a woman. He got hard.
What in the world? Jason felt himself harden further as Adam's now past waist length hair brushed over his navel. Then it hit him.
I'm in love with Adam... As in man and woman kind of love... Oddly enough it didn't frighten him or worry him. It made a strange kind of sense. They had always been closer than normal brothers. And it wasn't like he was attracted to other men... At least not that he had ever noticed. He glanced over at the other four guys in the bed. Nope still the same there. Guess it's just Adam. But then it had always been just Adam. Jason sighed happily and hugged Adam closer, who snuffled in his sleep and rubbed his nose over Jason's heart.
"I love you, Adam... More than I think I ever realized." Jason whispered into Adam's hair. But you won't ever know... Because to you I'm always going to be your little brother.
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Adam woke up with his head on someone's chest. He looked up to find a peacefully sleeping Jason holding him tightly even in sleep.
"Morning." a deepening voice said from beside him.
Adam rolled his head and looked over to where Shane lay smiling sleepily at him.
"Morning." Adam said with a jaw popping yawn.
"Sorry about your back." Shane said gesturing to the bruising on the blond's back.
"It's okay. Part of the job." Adam returned as he watched Shane glance at Shannon who was snuggled up to Jeff who was snuggled up to Matt. "You do know that you're in love with him, right?"
Shane gave him a sad smile and a nod. "Yeah, I do. Just like I know he's in love with Jeff."
Adam knew how sad it was for the person he loved to be in love with someone else. Jason was as straight as a guy could get without being a homophobe.
"Sometimes life sucks." Adam muttered as he eased off of Jason and went to shower and take care of a little something that had developed the moment he realized he was in the arms of the man he loved.
Shane watched the built blond go and wished with everything that was within him that he could love Adam and not Shannon, but he couldn't. He looked over at the kid who was just now fourteen and knew he would have to wait for him to grow up. Shane just prayed that Shannon would come to love as much as Shane loved the tiny blond.
Shane rolled over and went back to sleep and hoped for dreams of better days.
Unbeknownst to them, there had been a set of listeners to their conversation. Matt and Jeff looked at one another and then at Shannon and Shane.
"I feel bad." Jeff muttered against Matt's ear.
Matt wrapped his arms around Jeff and pulled him closer. "There's no reason to. You can't help the crush Shannon has on you."
Jeff nodded and curled up tighter to Matt who sighed softly and nuzzled his brother's hair. "Why don't we go take a shower down in one of the second floor bath rooms?"
Jeff grinned and was up and out of the bed running with Matt hot on his heels.
Some things I hope never change. Jeff thought as Matt turned the shower on and let it warm up. Grinning Jeff jumped in and that grin turned hot as Matt got in right behind him.
Some people would think it wrong for two brothers to be as they were, but Jeff didn't care. As long as he had Matt he was happy. Matt spooned up behind him and after getting a hand full of shampoo started washing his brother's blond hair.
It had never gone beyond hand jobs and blow jobs, but Matt had planned on Jeff's sixteenth birthday, if they were still together, which Matt hoped and prayed so, Matt would allow their love making to go on to the next step. It made him kind of nervous to think about, but it was in the future, so he would worry about it then.
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Adam groaned as he came all over his hand in the shower in the bathroom that he and Jason shared. One of these days jerking off isn't going to work. Adam thought to himself as he hung his head and allowed the shower to wash away his release.
Sighing he finished washing and got out ready to start the day.
Just as he was finished dressing and was about to leave, Jason came in yawning slightly.
"Morning, sleepy head." Adam said trying to sound normal.
Jason just kind of waved and turned the shower back on while stripping. Adam tried to do the right thing and not look, but Jason's morning erection drew his attention. At sixteen Jason definitely had nothing to be ashamed of.
Blushing Adam turned away and went about blow drying his hair. By the time he was done Jason was only starting to wash his hair.
"I'll see what Mom has for breakfast." Adam called and got a half syllable grunt from Jason in the shower.
As soon as Adam had closed the door Jason sunk against the side of the shower.
Then remembering that he had a not so small problem to take care of Jason sat about day dreaming of Adam and jerking off.
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Still in bed Shannon rolled over and found Jeff and Matt gone for their morning shower. He knew about them being together. In fact he had since almost the very beginning of the brother's relationship. At first he had been jealous and hurt, but then he realized if he loved Jeff as much as he thought he did, then he had to let him be with who ever made him happiest. It wasn't long after that Shannon realized that he did love Jeff... But just as a brother. And now he had no one.
Shannon was about to roll over and snag the pillows the brothers had left when a strong set of arms clasped him around the waist and pulled him to a firm chest. The small blond rolled as much as he could and smiled at the picture Shane presented. Dark haired rumpled with sleep his mouth slightly parted drawing soft breaths in gentle sighs. He looked like an angel fallen to earth... or a demon cursed from hell.
Without much thought Shannon leaned up and brushed a gentle fleeting kiss to Shane's lips before snuggling into his strong arms. Maybe one day I'll be able to tell Shane that I don't have a crush on Jeff anymore... But I seem to have fallen in love with someone a little older with darker hair, strong arms... The man who's holding me right now.
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"Where is it?" Adam demanded as he dug for his photo album. He needed one of the pictures for the card he was creating for Jason's seventeenth birthday.
"Where is what?" Jason asked coming into their attic and seeing the mess his friend was making.
"My photo album... I can't find it!" Adam said angered and frantic.
"Adam... It's been where it's always been. In our trunk." Jason went to the trunk he had named and dug out the photo album Adam had been so desperate for.
"Yes! Thanks, man." Adam unthinkingly pressed a kiss to Jason's lips before relieving him of the photo album and went running. Jason stood there for a moment then smiled and pressed a hand to lips. Adam had kissed him. It had been quick, not much more than a brush of the lips... But it was more than before.
While Jason was thinking over the kiss Adam was hurrying to Matt and Jeff's, where Jeff was waiting to do a large sketch of Jason for the birthday card.
He still couldn't believe it... He had kissed Jason... On the mouth. No tongue, but it was still a kiss. Sighing, Adam's mind was distracted from his driving so that he didn't see the truck in the wrong lane. Didn't hear the horn of the car behind him. Didn't notice that anything was wrong until it was too late to do anything.
Then in a crush and scream of metal, Adam's world went dark.
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"Jason?" Mary called up to her smaller son, hoping her fears and tears didn't show in her voice.
"What is it?" Jason asked hearing the emotions in her voice.
"Baby... I don't know how to say this... Come here and sit down." Mary looked out to where William was getting the car ready to go.
"What is it?" Jason asked again as he sat on the arm of the chair his mother sat in.
"Baby... Adam's been in an accident. A very bad accident. The doctors won't tell us anything over the phone. We need to go." Mary wasn't surprised when Jason pulled her to her feet and propelled her out of the door.
Just as they were about to pull out, Matt, Jeff, Shannon and Shane pulled in. "We just heard." Matt yelled as Shane swung the passenger door open. "Come on. We can get you there faster."
Jason looked at Mary and Will then ran to the smaller faster sports car Matt drove. "DRIVE CAREFULLY!" Will yelled as the car pulled out of the drive and then roared down the road.
"Our baby just has to be okay, Will... He just has to be... I can't lose anyone else to car accidents... I can't." Mary cried as Will drove off, slower than the boys had, but faster than normal.
"He's strong. He's got a lot of people who love him." Will wished his words were a little more convincing.
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Jason was out of the car and running for the hospital as soon as Matt had the car stopped. He ran to the nurse's desk and huffed out "Adam Copeland..."
"Oh... let me see... Oh, dear... Come with me. You would be Mr. Copeland's..." the nurse left off as she lead him down a corridor.
"Brother. How is he? Is he okay? How bad was he hurt?" Jason's heart was beating so fast he was kind of glad that he was in a hospital, because at the rate it was going he was about to have a heart attack.
"I'll allow the doctor to give you the details, but I can tell you that he is alive and will recover." the nurse stopped by a door and gestured for Jason to go in.
"Thank you." Jason muttered as he went in to find a doctor standing over a bed in which a very familiar form was laid out.
"Adam." Jason breathed as he went to the large blond's side and ignored the doctor on the other side. Adam's eyes opened slowly with a hazy look in them.
"Hey... Jay." Adam slurred slightly then glared at the doctor who had a disapproving look on his face.
"What happened?" Jason asked seeing that the man he loved was indeed whole.
"Dumb ass crossed the center line and hit me head on." Adam's word were soft and barely understandable from the pain meds the doctors had pumped into him.
"What's wrong with him, doc?" Jason asked acknowledging him for the first time since entering the room.
"Both an arm and a leg have been broken. Both are simple compound fractures so they'll heal on their own and don't require any surgery. You, Mr. Copeland, are a very lucky young man." the doctor turned and walked out leaving the patient with his family member.
"Oh God, Jay I was so afraid... I was alone here and they wouldn't tell me anything about what was wrong with me." Adam started crying and Jason wrapped his arms around his shaking shoulders.
"It's okay. Mom and Dad will be here soon... And I'm here now... I'll always be here." Jason added the last softly into Adam's hair.
Adam whimpered and nodded. Just as they were breaking apart Mary and Will ran in to find their sons sitting side by side smiling at one another.
"My baby." Mary cried as she ran over and hugged her son around the cast on his arm.
"It's okay, Mom. Just a broken arm and leg. The guy who hit me is still in surgery from what I hear." Adam said as he allowed his mother and father to love on him and Jason just sat there smiling at them all.
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Adam sighed as he lay in his bed in the attic. It had been a week since the accident and three days since he had got out of the hospital. He was sick and tired of laying around and doing nothing.
Jason came in and smiled as he sat down beside Adam.
"Hey, I thought you might like some company other than me, Mom, and Dad." With those words the two Hardys along with Shannon and Shane walked in carrying different things. Matt had a large cake with the words 'get well soon' on it. Jeff carried a wrapped gift. Shannon had a handful of strings attached to blown up balloons. Shane held another wrapped gift.
"HI!" Adam said happy that he was getting to see his friends without his mother right there making certain that he wasn't over-tiring himself.
"Hi yourself. You feeling a little better?" Matt asked as he cleaned off the top of the trunk at the end of the bed and put the cake there.
"Yeah... It's going to be forever until I get the casts off and then I still have to rebuild my muscles." Adam said with a sad sigh, but perked up when Jason handed out paper plate and Matt started serving the cake. Adam groaned when he seen it was his favorite, chocolate cake with champagne icing.
They sat and ate their cake until Adam demanded his presents.
"Okay." Jeff said all but bouncing. He handed Adam the first present with a grin. "This is from Matt and me."
Adam opened it to find a pair of hand-made ring tights. He recognized the handy work Matt was getting famous for.
And they were made of the light blue PVC Adam and Jason had been looking at in the clothes store in Cameron. The same stuff that had been too expensive.
"This is too much." Adam said grinning as he looked them over.
"We thought you would need incentive to hurry up and get better. Now when you go out to the ring you'll have all of the women wanting you and the men jealous." Matt returned as he and Jeff grinned at one another.
"Now this one... It's from me and Shane." Shannon handed him the second present and watched as Adam ripped into it. Inside was a set of knee and elbow pads dyed to match the ring pants.
"This is great... I can't wait to get out of the casts so I can try them on and get back in the ring." Adam reached out and hugged his friends then seen Jason holding something.
"Here's something else for you."
Adam looked into Jason's eyes and took the present. For a moment Adam just sat there until Jason gave him an exasperated look. "Well, don't just sit there holding it... Open it!"
"Okay, don't get you panties in a wad." Adam joked as he slowly opened it. Inside was a duster made of the same material as his new ring pants.
"Can't have you not matching can we?" Jason said softly.
"But this stuff was so expensive... You didn't need to do this." Adam's voice was just as soft as he ran his hand over the shiny blue PVC.
"Yeah, I did." Jason gave Adam a soft smile and he tried not say anything that might embarrass him in front of their friends.
"Where did you get the money for this? This had to have cost." Adam said as he held up the mid-calf length coat and looked it over.
"It doesn't matter. It was my money to with as I wished." Jason turned his head and was about get up and go when Adam caught his arm.
"It was your birthday money, wasn't it?" Adam asked pulling Jason to sit on the bed beside him.
"It doesn't matter. I wanted to do something for you... Make you feel better." Jason's voice was soft as he allowed Adam to take his hand and look into his eyes.
"Damn it, Jay you were going to use that money for a down payment on that car." Adam said as he held Jason's hand and tried to read what he saw in the other blond's eyes.
"The car's already gone. And I put the rest in my account. It'll be there when I find another car." Jason whispered unthinking moving his hand up to cup Adam's cheek.
"Looks like we'll be both be looking for another car since I trashed ours." Adam said breaking the moment and Jason moved his hand.
"Yeah." Jason mumbled and moved away a little only to be held in place while everyone else moved in closer looking at the younger of the two blonds angrily.
"Your birthday is tomorrow isn't it?" Jeff demanded as he glared at Jason, mad at him for not reminding them.
"Yeah." Jason looked any where but at his friends. "I think we should remember that Adam needs us more right now than I need anything for my birthday."
Jeff and Adam were about to jump all over him when, to their great surprise Shannon leaned over and punched him as hard as the small blond could in the shoulder.
"Owe! What was that for?" Jason fighting the tears clouding his eyes.
"For being such a duffus. It's your birthday, man. We will not do NOTHING for it. Shane come on. We have some planning to do." the small blond grabbed the older boy by the hand drug him out of the house as quickly as he could.
"I guess I don't need to do that to you, huh Matty?" Jeff said standing up.
Matt shook his head and after nodding goodbyes to Adam and Jason they went to catch up with their departing friends.
"Oh great." Jason heaved a sigh laying down beside Adam with a groan.
"It's not that bad... Now could you go get Mom for me?" Adam slightly pushed at Jason who looked up worriedly at him.
"Are you hurting?"
"No, I just have something I need her to pick something up for me." Adam said reaching under the bed and pulling out his money tin. Inside he had about four hundred dollars saved up. If Jason was going to spend his savings on something for him it was only fair for
Adam to do the same.
"I can pick whatever it is up for you." Jason answered ready to go get his boots on and run where Adam needed him to go.
"Naw, I want you to stay here and keep me company." Adam thought quick and knew by the light blush on Jason's cheeks he had said something right.
"Okay. I'll go get her."
A few minutes later Mary came upstairs smiling at her eldest. "You needed something, sweetie?"
"I need you to run into town for me." Adam handed her the money tin and a list of things he had just gotten from Matt over the phone.
"Okay... What..." Mary stopped and looked at the coat, pants, and pads laying on the bed. Then it hit her. "Oh... Something for Jason?"
"For his birthday... which I forgot." Adam was about to hang his head but Mary didn't let him.
"It's okay. You had a good reason. I'm just glad that I had it on the calendar and Will had already gotten him his present or we might have as well." Mary shook her head at her own forgetfulness.
"I think it'll be fine, but you need to hurry and get this stuff and get it to Matt or it won't be done in time." Adam said and Mary nodded hurrying out to do that.
"Jay!" Adam called when he heard Mary's car pull out and Jason still hadn't come back upstairs.
"I'm here." Jason was walking upstairs slowly trying not to think about who was waiting on him upstairs.
"Come here." Adam had snuggled down under the covers, more than a little tired from all of the excitement.
"What do you need?" Jason asked seeing Adam yawn and start his pre-sleep ritual. First he yawn, then stretch, beat on his pillow before turning on his side and snuggling down and sleeping.
"Come here." Adam said again as he finished beating his pillow.
"What?" Jason asked as he stood by the bed.
"Lay down with me... I haven't been sleeping to good... Nightmares." Adam said the last softly. He hadn't wanted to tell anyone, but if it was the only way to get Jason into his arms, then so be it.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Jason sat down on the bed after pulling off his jeans and slipping into a pair of ratty sweat pants. Adam held open the covers and Jason slipped in. Adam didn't even realize it, but without thought both their hands went for the other's hair.
"Rest now. I'll keep the nightmares away." Jason said softly.
Adam mumbled something as he laid his head over Jason's heart and fell into the best sleep he had since the accident.
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