Title: The Beard

Rated: T (Teen)

Genre(s): Romance/Humor

Pair(s): Jeff/Adam

Summary: Jeff's reaction to Adam's beard.

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone.

Warning: Slash!

OOOO

Jeff stared down at his husband's face, dumbfounded.

To the ill-informed outsider, the taller blond looked to be the same man that had waltzed into Jeff's heart all those years back. But Jeff knew better. Sure, the soft blond curls that fell on the man's shoulders were the same. The familiar coal lashes dusted across his tanned cheeks, and his lovely rose-colored lips were parted slightly as he exhaled. He looked… normal. All except for that forest of fur that had taken over his face. It was evil. It was vicious. It was the beard.

It had started out as a little bit of stubble. Jeff hadn't really minded it then. In fact, he had loved the feel of it as it tickled his skin. But then, that little bit of stubble had transformed into a field of fur, and then in had morphed into a full out forest. The Canadian looked like a mountain man! And it didn't settle well with the Charismatic Enigma. It didn't settle well with him at all. So, he sat on the foot of the bed, staring at his husband. And the Canadian continued to slumber on, oblivious.

What Jeff didn't realize was that the Canadian had felt him staring for the last half hour or so, and had been awake for all this time. He didn't understand what had crawled up his husband's ass lately. The man avoided him like he was the plague – he wouldn't even kiss him! And, truth be told, Adam was sick of it! He was a cuddler and he wanted to be held. But damn if, whenever they came close, Jeff wouldn't come up with some lame-ass excuse and run off to his studio, where he would hide for hours on end.

Then, Jeff started to climb off of the bed. Or, to be more correct, he started to climb over Adam to climb off of the bed. The blond man caught his elbow and pulled him back so that the Enigma fell onto his stomach. "Eep!"

"Jeffy!" Adam whined, his voice laced with exhaustion. "Kiss me."

"Why?"

Adam's eyes became wide and started to fill with tears. "Do I need a reason for you to kiss me?"

"Baby… don't be like this." Jeff pleaded. He was tired, and all he wanted to do was climb into bed and sleep for a month. But damn if he wasn't mesmerized by that stupid beard! "I'm just not in the mood for a kiss, OK?"

"With your insatiable libido, when are you not in the mood for a kiss? It's me, isn't it? You're tired of me." Adam started to panic as realization overtook his features.

"Babe." Jeff tried to calm him down.

"I know that, ever since I retired, we haven't been able to be together much, but…" his lower lip trembled. "It's Punk, isn't it? You love him and you're gonna leave me to be with him and -,"

"Babe." Jeff tried to obtain his attention once more, but once more he was ignored.

"If you don't love me any more, then man-up and tell me to my face!"

"BABE!" Jeff screamed, too exhausted to handle the other man's antics anymore. "I'm tired, and we have breakfast plans with Phil and Mark tomorrow. Can we please go to sleep?"

His question was met with silence. Jeff sighed, before he rolled over and looked at his husband's back. The man's shoulders trembled as if he was crying, and the occasional sniffle could be heard. Carefully, Jeff tried to reach out to him, but the minute his hand touched the other's skin, the Canadian flinched away and burrowed himself more deeply in the blankets. Jeff frowned. Why did his husband have to be some damn overdramatic? It wasn't like that one little kiss caused the end of the world…

"G'night, Addy."

Jeff's statement was met with silence. Mentally, he prayed that his husband would be in a better mood for breakfast tomorrow. There was only room for one overly-broody man, and that was Mark. Once more, he tried to reach out to his husband. Once more, he was denied. So, with a sigh, he turned off the light on the bedside table and snuggled down on his side of the bed. The bed felt so much colder, even if he wasn't in it 'alone'. And from that moment on, he knew that it would be an excruciatingly long night….

OOOO

"Penny!" Daylee ran over to the other three-year-old as fast as her little legs would carry her, before she threw her arms around the slightly taller girl.

"Day-Day!" Penny giggled cutely.

The four wrestlers took a moment to appreciate the cuteness. It was almost like the two were sisters, they were so close. They had known each other since birth. Ironically, they had been brought home on the same day, and had met for the first time one week later. Since then, the two were almost inseperable. More often than not, Adam would end up with babysitting duty while the other three wrestlers toured – this, of course, only strengthened the idea that the two were sisters. But it had been two weeks since they had last seen each other, and it was obvious that each had been missed by the other.

The waitress, a tall blonde with blue-raspberry eyes, waltzed over to them and took her order booklet out. "What can I get for y'all?"

"I'll have bacon and eggs, with the eggs over-easy." Jeff ordered. "And he'll have the same." He ordered, before his husband had a chance to open his mouth. With a laid-back smile, he handed the menus back to the waitress.

"I'll have the shortstack with a side of sasuage." Phil said.

Mark scanned the menu once more, before he handed it back to her. "Water will be fine."

"And what about you two cuties?" The waitress flashed the toddlers a smile. "What do y'all want to eat?"

Daylee blinked her pretty green eyes lazily. "I want… whatever sissy wants!"

All eyes turned to Penny, who looked over the menu slowly. Even though she couldn't read, it made her look really cute. Then, she turned her heartbreakingly blue eyes on Phil. "C-Can we have pancakies, Daddy?"

"Sure baby."

The waitress took down the last of their order. "Alright. I'll be back with this in a few minutes."

With that, the small group fell into a comfortable discussion about anything and everything. However, the tension between Jeff and Adam was more than obvious. Whenever the Charasmatic Enigma would lean in close, the taller man would flinch back as if his skin was on fire. Phil and Mark didn't want to be rude and intrude, so the topic was never breeched. But over the course of the wait period, the tension became increasingly worse. By the time the food arrived, Adam looked like he was about to burst into tears.

Then, the food arrived. The tension was broken. Because, really, who was going to stand between Adam and his food? No-one in their right mind. Adam tore into his food like it was his last meal on earth, and the two little girls giggled as they watched him miss a piece of egg with his fork once… twice… three times. Jeff shook his head, multicolored locks falling all over his shoulders. Carefully, he sliced up Daylee's pancakes, while Phil did the same for Penny. They had settled into a comfortable silence.

"Phil?" Adam asked suddenly.

The Straight Edge Savior raised an eyebrow to show that he was listening. He had been picking up way too many traits from Mark recently.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" The serious note in his voice worried Phil, and the brunette nodded.

OOOO

"So, what's on your mind?"

"Has Mark ever made you feel… unloved? Like there was some part of you that could be different… would be better different… but he never came out and told you what it was?" Adam asked.

"Yeah." Phil smirked at the memory. "It was all the body hair, dude. There was a while there when I let my beard go unattended, and it was like a bush had taken over my face. He never mentioned it aloud, but the day I shaved, it was like he was an entirely different man or somethin'."

"Y-You think Jeff's been avoiding me because I haven't… shaved?" Adam asked, a note of curiousity in his voice. He had never thought about it like that.

"It's worth a shot." Phil shrugged. "I mean, it's only hair. Give it a week. It'll grow back. Hell, if you're lucky, it'll come in overnight."

Adam smiled a little. "Hey, do you think you could do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"I'm gonna head to the store, 'cause I'm gonna need a new razor to shave off this mess. You think you can tell Jeff to meet me at the hotel around one-ish?" Adam said.

"Sure thing, man." Phil watched as he started to walk toward the car. "And, good luck with that!"

OOOO

Jeff came back to the hotel at 1:30 PM. He figured that he should give his husband some space, but when he entered the hotel room, he heard soft music coming from the back. The minute he released Daylee, she started to run to her little bed in the corner. It seemed that even she was in on the plan. Jeff couldn't help but feel a little left out. But soon enough, his eyes found a little note taped onto the side wall. It was written in his husband's immaculate (not) hand. His eyes scanned over the words, before he smiled.

Baby –

I have a surprise for you. Trust me, you'll love it. Meet me at the bed, and I expect my kiss.

- Adam

Sure enough, The Charasmatic Enigma was surprised. There, on the shoddy hotel bed, was his husband. His clean shaven husband. As in, no forest. No bush. One-hundred percent Adam Copeland-Hardy. Adam smiled at his shocked state, before he reached up for his arm and pulled him down on the bed beside him. Jeff couldn't help but giggle as his shoulder hit the flimsy mattress. This was how it was supposed to be. No angry lovers, no tear-filled nights… only the two of them, forever…

"Can I have my kiss now, baby?" Adam teased, his voice light.

"You can have anything you want, baby." And with that, Jeff crashed their lips together in the kiss that both had been craving for what seemed like forever…

And damn if he didn't miss that beard, even just a little bit.