Title: What Hurts the Most
Rated: T (Teen)
Genre: Romance/Hurt/Comfort
Summary: Jeff and Adam have a fight, and Adam's worried that he finally went too far. Will Jeff come back?
Pairing: Jeff/Adam, Matt/Evan
Disclaimer: I don't own Jeff, Adam, Matt, or Evan.
Warning: This story contains SLASH/YAOI, don't like it? Then, don't read it!
OOOO
"You think I didn't see, Jeff?" Adam snarled, infuriation obvious on his face. But beneath all of the frustration, all of the infuriation, there was a certain amount of heartache that leaked to the surface. How could Jeff do this to him? "I saw how you threw yourself at her! Am I not sufficient for you now, is that it?"
"No, Adam… baby… just let me explain? Please, can you just let me explain?" Jeff tried to reason with him, but he knew that his efforts were in vain. Adam was furious, and when he was furious he could be stubborn as hell.
Adam frowned, and it twisted his features awkwardly. "I don't want to hear it. I'm tired of your excuses."
"It's not an excuse! I wouldn't lie to you!"
"I don't want to hear it!" Adam fumed. "Y'know what? If you think it is OK to sleep around on your husband, fine. Go ahead and find that tramp. Just don't expect me to be home when you come back."
Jeff watched as Adam started back for their bedroom, a suitcase in hand. "No, Adam. I love you. I can't be without you. Please, don't do this. Please, don't leave me…"
"Y'know… sometimes I wonder if that's really true. Do you love me, Jeff? Do you really? And then, I wonder how I ever ended up with a multi-colored, outcast freak like you. All you do is hurt me, Jeff." Adam mumbled, blonde locks concealing his face from Jeff's eyes.
"Is that… Is that what you really think, Addy?" Jeff's green eyes were lowered to the floor, and his hands trembled at his sides. It had been years since someone had called him that, but it still hurt like it was the first time.
"Honestly, I don't know what to think." Came the response.
"What the hell kind of answer is that?" Jeff snapped.
"Y'know what? Just get out! Get out! Get out! Get out!" There was a sort of vicious note to Adam's voice, and Jeff flinched. He had really done it this time. But was it true that his husband thought he was a 'multi-colored, outcast freak'?
OOOO
Jeff was a wreck. He hadn't died his hair in two weeks, and it had come in blond at the roots. Most of the rainbow of colors had been washed out of the thick tresses, but a bit remained to make it look all the more… interesting. He had become attached to his brother's hip, and as much as Matt loved his baby brother, he was starting to become annoying. All he would do was sit around and mope about Adam, but he would do nothing to fix the situation. It had kinda started to piss him off, actually. And he knew that the more time he waited to confront Adam, the worse the situation would become.
The younger Hardy currently sat at Matt's dining room table, lazily stirring his bowl of cereal. He had been doing so for the last fifteen minutes. The cereal had turned to mush, and Matt knew that he wouldn't eat it. Matt sighed as he fixed two more bowls of cereal for Evan and himself, before he sat down at the table and handed one to his lover. The other man smiled and thanked him. The two had refrained from most physical contact while Jeff was about, mostly so that they wouldn't make him sadder than he already was. It wasn't often that Jeff was so down.
It was more than obvious that Jeff missed his husband. In the five years that they had been married, it was rare to see the two apart. And the last two weeks had really taken their toll on him. Making up his mind, Matt excused himself from the table and went into the back bedroom. He knew what he had to do. He took his cell phone and dialed his brother-in-law's number, looking out the window distractedly as it rang. Absently, he wondered if the other man would even pick up the phone. Was he in the same kind of slump as Jeff?
"Hello?" The pitiful sound came over the line, followed by a sniffle.
"Adam? Is that you?" A small noise confirmed his suspicions. "God, man, you sound awful. You miss Jeff that much, huh?"
"Yeah, I miss him. But he hasn't answered my calls or returned any of my texts, so I kinda figured that it wasn't mutual. After what I said to him, I wouldn't doubt that he didn't want to see me again…" Adam whined.
"Listen, man, Jeff needs you. You should see him mope around here. He needs love. He needs you."
"He hates me." Adam said.
"If he hated you, he wouldn't be sittin' at my dining room table with nothin' better to do than stir his cereal all day. He wants to come back home, Adam, and I have an idea…"
A few minutes later, Matt came back out into the dining room to find the two men exactly where he left them. Jeff was still stirring his cereal and Evan was looking on with something akin to pity. Matt walked over and set his hand on his baby brother's shoulder. The smaller man let out a soft grunt, but that was all the acknowledgement that he received. Sighing, Matt claimed the seat that he had recently vacated. But his previous action had caught Jeff's attention, and the younger Hardy now stared at his older brother openly.
"That was Adam on the phone, Jeffro. He says there's some stuff or yours at the house that he doesn't want anymore, and that you can either pick it up or it'll be at the dump." Matt said.
"Like what?" Jeff deadpanned.
"His ring."
"Oh…" Jeff looked down, obviously hurt by this. "I'll… I'll head over later today and pick it up. And, I'm not all that hungry anymore." He dumped his cereal down the drain. "I'll be in my room."
Once Jeff was gone, Evan turned to his boyfriend. "Are you sure about this?"
Matt nodded. "Positive."
OOOO
Jeff used his key to enter their house, realizing that this would probably be the last time that he would see it. Out of habit, he tossed the keys onto the dining room table. However, what he found there caused him to pause. It was an envelope, with the words 'READ ME' written in Adam's messy scrawl. Carefully, he opened the flap and flipped it over. The ring fell out into his hand, but it was followed by a note. Curious, he unfolded it and found that it was also written in his husband's messy scrawl. His eyes scanned over the words, not believing what he saw.
Jeff,
You had my heart from the very beginning, it just took me awhile to realize it. And even now, after all of these harsh words have been exchanged, nothing has changed. This ring is like my heart, yours forever. Even if we're not together, I will always love you. So please, take the ring back.
Adam
He didn't even realize what he was doing, but soon enough he arrived at the bedroom he used to share with his husband. The man was curled on his side, their two-year-old daughter Daylee beside him. Carefully, he toed off his shoes and climbed into bed with them. Adam's beautiful hazel eyes flickered open, and he broke into a smile that Jeff had to return. This was his life, and he couldn't believe that he had almost given it up. He couldn't even remember what their argument had been about, but he didn't want to dwell on it.
"I'm so sorry, baby. I never should have said those things about you. I don't deserve you, and I never will. I would understand if you left me and never looked back." Adam mumbled, his eyes downcast.
"It's OK, baby. I'm sorry too. I never should have left like that."
"Never leave me again?" Adam locked eyes with his husband, a small smile toying at his features.
"Never." And they sealed the promise with a kiss.
OOOO
A/N: Just some sweat Jedam to start the morning. As always, review! I also take story suggestions!
