Title: The Break-In
Rated: T (Teen)
Genre(s): Romance/Humor
Pair(s): Jeff/Adam
Summary: There is a break-in at the Copeland-Hardy residence.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, besides my OCs.
Warning: Slash!
OOOO
Jeff stared at the front door in bewilderment. Well, that sucked.
He rocked back and forth on his heels, while the cold bit at his skin. All he wore was a flimsy black shirt and his old white sweats, but they were little defense from the arctic chill. He had been out there for a half-hour now. Somehow, he had lost his set of house keys (and car keys as well) and know he had to wait on his husband to come downstairs and unlock the door. However, as it became later, Jeff became less and less certain that this would occur. And after an hour, he knew that he would have to take alternative measures.
First, he decided to try and trick the lock. He fished around in his pocket for a few seconds, before he retrieved his wallet and pulled out his credit card. Kneeling down on the hard, concrete platform, he slid it into the crack of the door and tried to find the lock. Occasionally, he would jiggle the handle and try to force his way in, but several minutes passed and he was still unsuccessful. Finally, with one hard shove of the credit card, the plastic snapped in half and the door caved… only to reveal that Adam had used the chain-lock as well.
Then, he went around back to the side of the house where he knew the kitchen was. Knowing Adam, the window over the stove would still be open. It was an old habit that the older man had picked up when Jeff had first tried to cook (and had almost burned the house down while he was at it), and he had been trying to air the smell of charred toast out of the kitchen. He had left the window open all night, and the stench was gone by the morning. Jeff snapped the window frame back and climbed inside, where he landed on the tile floor with a thud.
"Shit!" He hissed, before he threw a hand over his mouth. The clock in the kitchenette read 12:46 AM. No need to awaken the whole house…
Jeff tried to stand, but once he got to his feet and took his first step, he slid and fell back down on his ass. He let out a yelp as he made contact with the hard tile once more. What the hell? And then, he saw it. The faint outline of a pool of water in the darkness. Occasionally, the moonlight would reflect off of it. But why was there a pool of water in the middle of their kitchen? Jeff struggled to his feet once more, and using the counter to maintain his balance, he looked down at the marble surface and found a note.
Note to Self ~ Fix Broken Sink.
That was just like Adam. Jeff rolled his eyes, before he walked out of the kitchen and into the dining room – careful to avoid the pool of water. There, on the table, was the mail for the week. Absently, the Charasmatic Enigma wondered if any of it had come for him. So, he took a seat on one of the chairs and started to rifle through. Not ten seconds later, there was a horrible screech. Then, the chair collapsed out from under him. Jeff let out a muffled string of curses as he blindly reached for the table and stood once more. A note fluttered out from the stack of mail.
Note to Self ~ Buy New Kitchen Chair.
Trying to shake off the embarrassment, even if there had been no-one around to see his plunder, he walked into the den. He was so close to the staircase, the last barrier between him and the bed he shared with his husband. But it seemed as if fate had another idea for his destination. The floor. Again. His foot connected with an unstable surface, and before he could even begin to wonder what had happened, he was down. One of Daylee's bouncy balls rolled away and connected with the door.
Once again, what the hell? Daylee knew better than to leave all of her toys on the floor where someone could trip over them. Testing the waters, he kicked his foot out. At least five toys rolled out of the way, some larger than others. So, Jeff shifted so that he was on his hands and knees. If fate wanted him down, he would stop testing fate. He was already exhausted beyond belief, and wasn't above crawling to his destination. As he soldiered on, he saw at least twenty other small toys on the carpet. And then… was that another note?
Note to Self ~ Pick Up Daylee's Toys. Someone Could Trip Over Them.
He needed to stop buying his husband sticky-notes.
OOOO
"Daddy?" Adam awoke to the sound of a little voice beside him, and it took him a moment to remember that the toddler had been sleeping with him while Jeff toured with TNA. "Daddy, I heard a scary noise…"
"It's probably just the wind, baby. You shouldn't be worried." Adam muttered, already falling back asleep.
Just then, the sound came again. This time, it was followed by a string of muffled curses. "Daddy… I think that there is somebody in the house. Will Daddy check?"
"There's no-one in the house, baby-girl. Just go back to sleep…"
When the next thud came, both heard it loud and clear. Adam shot upright in bed like a lightning bolt, absently pulling the toddler closer to him and hiding her behind his back. She cowered behind him, her little hands bunching the material of his pajama shirt. All thoughts of sleep left him as he slowly slid out of the bed, the toddler trying to come with him. She hooked her little legs around one of his and tried to squeeze as much of his midsection between her arms as possible.
Carefully, Adam untangled the toddler from around his body and set her down on the bed. Handing her Jeff's favorite pillow, he tucked the blankets around her slowly and leaned down to kiss her forehead. She calmed a little at the sentiment. Once she had settled down, he handed her one of the stuffed animals that had fallen off of the bed in the middle of the night. And then, his eyes scanned the darkness for the item that Jeff had insisted he keep in the bedroom 'just in case'. Adam had never been happier that he had complied.
Slowly, he lifted the sleek, black metal baseball bat into the air. It resembled the one that Sting often used on TNA. He swung his arm out to the side, loving the way that it seemed to slice their air into two. Yes, this would do just fine. Daylee watched him out of the corner of her eye, wanting to know how all of this would play out, but unable to beat her own exhaustion. Adam offered her a small smile as her eyes finally fell closed – a silent promise that he would be safe and return to her in a little while.
And then, he set out to take-out their intruder.
OOOO
Adam quickly located the shadow moving around on the floor, unable to stand in the maze of toys. He smirked. The intruder was right where he wanted them. With one swift movement, he raised the bat – the man (or, at least it looked like a man. It could've been a woman with all that hair…) looked up at him and opened his mouth to say something. He raised his one hand in defense, catching the end of the bat before it could strike his back. However, Adam quickly wrenched the bat free of his hold.
"Adam, wait!" Jeff tried to yell, but it was too late.
The bat came down hard on his back, and he was out cold. Adam took that opportunity to turn on the light, before he blanched at the sight in front of him. His husband was sprawled out on the floor, a tad stunned that Adam had hit him with the bat. Then again, it really was his fault. But that didn't make Adam feel any better. Quickly, he fell to his knees beside the other man and pulled him into his arms. Jeff half-heartedly glared at him, the pain of the intial blow starting to subside.
Daylee's voice came from the top of the stairs. "Papa? Why did you hit Daddy with the bat?"
"I am so sorry, baby." Adam slowly laid Jeff out so that he was on his back, relaxed. "Do you want some ice? Some Tylenol? You're a real bastard, y'know! You gave your daughter a heart attack!"
"I think I gave you one too." Jeff smirked, the pain still evident in his eyes.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Adam started to rant, already on his feet – he went around in circles, grabbing water and Tylenol and trying to pour the water into the pill bottle.
"Babe? Babe? It's OK. It was my fault."
"God - I could have seriously hurt you! What if I did? D'you need to go to the hospital?"
"Adam, if anyone needs a hospital right now, it's you. You're about to have a panic attack over nothing. I'm fine, you're fine, and Daylee is fine. That's all that matters." Jeff tried to rationalize with the hysterical man.
"Really?" That seemed to calm him down a bit.
"Actually, I'm proud of you." Jeff continued. "If this had been an actual intruder, I promise that he wouldn't be walking straight for a very long time."
That only seemed to tip off Adam once more. "Oh my God, I am such a horrible husband! I can't believe I hurt you! Where the hell is that damn heating pad?" It was then that the electrical cord for the heating pad fell in the ice water. "Damn it! Um, let me think… the hair dryer!"
"Babe."
"Has Papa finally lost it?" Daylee asked Jeff.
"I'm not sure, baby-girl." Jeff answered honestly. "I'm really not sure."
"He'll be in a back-brace, and he won't be able to wrestle for months, and it will be all my fault, and -," Adam continued on as he tried to find the hair dryer in the cabinet under the sink. He was moving around when, all of a sudden, his foot landed in the puddle of water and he slipped, landing flat on his ass. "Shit!"
"Babe?" Jeff asked, his voice laced with concern.
Adam managed to stand, only to slip in the same puddle and land in the same spot. "Damn it! Where the hell is all this water coming from?"
Just then, the cabinet doors burst open and a flood of water came over the floor. Adam was soaked in a matter of seconds. Jeff and Daylee just stood back and watched, fascinated. It only took a minor tsunami for the storm that was Adam Copeland-Hardy to calm, and then he was laughing. Laughing. Jeff had to wonder if he wasn't the one who just got hit with the baseball bat. Slowly, Jeff climbed to his feet and walked over into the newly-destroyed kitchen. He leaned on the island counter, watching his husband try (and fail) to stand.
"You feel better now, babe?" Jeff asked uncertainly.
"Yeah." Adam answered, his voice still a little unsteady. Finally, he got ahold of himself and managed to stand. "Are you sure you're OK? We don't need to go to the hospital or something?"
"I'm fine, love." The answer was unbearably honest. He really couldn't even feel where he had been hit anymore. "I know that it was an accident – you would never even dream of doing it on purpose."
"Not even in my worst nightmare."
Jeff smirked. "So, how about we make a little deal. We forget all of this ever happened if you promise me one thing."
"And what is that?"
"To never use another sticky note again." Jeff spit out the words 'sticky note', as if they had left a vile taste in his mouth.
"I think I can live with that." Adam smiled. And suddenly, everything was OK again.
OOOO
A/N: Well, how was it? I love reviews!