It's hard to meet Adam's eye after Max gets home from the week's Dynamite. He has the triple B hidden in his bag, not even wanting to look at it right now. The loss of their tag titles hurt almost worse than his body does, the pain in his hip, arm and what Joe's repeated strikes with the chair had done to the rest of him feel secondary to that loss. He had made a promise to Adam, and failed, and his match against Joe will probably go the same way.

"Hey," Adam says quietly, staring at him from the doorway. "Let's go out for awhile. Wanna go for a drive? I could use some fresh air."

Max doesn't, not really, but after how he's already failed Adam, he can't bring himself to say no to him, not over something as simple as this. So he nods quietly, finds his keys and wallet and follows him out. The drive at first is quiet, just the two of them watching the streets pass them by as Max drives around, not really focused on anything but the feel of the steering wheel beneath his fingers, the bite of late December chill in the air.

They've made it a few blocks when Adam clears his throat, troubled eyes resting on Max's face. "Hey, I was thinking. I know you're worried about World's End, but I think we should do something for New Years Eve. Go out somewhere, find a party, let loose a little bit. It's been a really bad few months, and I think we deserve this."

Max scoffs, reaching up with one hand to scrub at his face. "No," he says after a few moments, unable to even think about partying after the match at World's End. He has a bad feeling about it, and he can't even imagine planning anything past Saturday night. Not right now. "I just want a quiet night at home, just the two of us. Ok?"

Adam grimaces, picking at his pants aimlessly. "Look, I understand, but I really have been looking forward to doing something for awhile now, and I really think-"

"Adam," Max snaps, glancing over at him briefly before turning his gaze back onto the road. "I really don't want to do anything for New Years."

"Max," Adam says in that tone of voice he always uses to get Max to see things his way, to concede. "I don't think it's good for you to stay at home and just overthink, it-"

Max grips the steering wheel tighter, careful not to look away from the road. "Adam, I am tired, ok? And I'm in pain, like, all over, so just... just stop. I'm taking things a day at a time just to survive here. If you want to go out so badly, just invite that bitch ass Roddy or something. I don't... I can't do it. Not this weekend."

A lot of angry things are at the tip of Adam's tongue, but he knows if he says any of them, it'll make it worse, and god, even just sitting here, driving around, Max looks tired, beat up, bruised, and guilty. Even still, Adam is frustrated by both Max refusing to even leave the idea a possibility, and bringing Roddy up in the conversation, despite Adam saying they were officially done, at the very least until Roddy started acting normal again, and perhaps apologized for everything he'd put Adam through since his injury. "Fine," he says through gritted teeth, choosing to look out of the window, give Max time to brood and maybe bring himself around to at least wait to give him a more thorough answer until after Worlds' End.

They drive around in silence for awhile longer, Max staring blankly at the road ahead. He's stopped at an intersection, the light finally turns green, he drives through, steadily picking up speed. He's about to turn to Adam and suggest they just go home when something in his peripheral vision catches his attention. A car- barreling into the intersection from the right- isn't even TRYING to stop- Max instinctively floors the gas, swerves hard to the side, putting all his riskier driving skills to use-

There's a horrible, shuddering sort of impact down the right side of the car. The last thing Max remembers is yelling Adam's name, and then... Everything goes dark.

-x

The world feels... wrong. Like, everything is twisted, upside down, turned around. Adam isn't sure what to think, or where he's at. He squints his eyes open, groaning at a steady throbbing soreness down his body. "Wha-" He is at an angle- he can only imagine what kind of natural disaster led to this. Tornado? Earthquake- or... He blinks his eyes open again, relieved when his vision clears... and then immediately hoping that it had not. His breath catches and he stares on in horror out of the windshield- Max's car- on its side- the glass is cracked horribly, the car is smoking, things around them are making noises he's never heard a car make before in his life, and-

"FUCK!" he yells, remembering. "MAX!" he twists as best as he can, pinned by his seatbelt, the only thing holding him in his seat, and... time stops, he thinks his heart stops. He sees Max, and part of him wishes he hadn't. The car had landed on the driver's side, and Max is slumped against the window, not moving, also twisted up in his seatbelt, blood staining the glass beneath him in a sickening display. "MAX!" Adam's legs are shooting pain up warningly every time he moves, but he doesn't care- he needs to know- Max is so still-

He's about to twist again, try to reach out towards him- he can't go too far, his seatbelt is the only thing keeping him from falling, landing on Max, potentially hurting him worse, but he can't just sit here, and he doesn't know where his phone's ended up but the pocket he'd stuffed it in before they'd left is empty, and anything could've happened-

He hears a voice, muffled but mostly audible and he strains to hear better over the horrible sounds still coming from the car. He looks straight ahead and stares at the shadows moving around just beyond the windshield, hopes that it's help. Someone who can reach Max, get him to safety...

"Sir?" a female voice calls to him. "Are- can you hear me?"

"Help," he cries out. "We need help, there- I don't know what happened, but my partner's unresponsive, he's bleeding. I can't find my phone-"

"I've already called 911, help's on the way," she calls back to him, voice shaking a bit. "Your partner?"

"He's in the driver's side, I can't reach him, I don't- I can't even tell if he's breathing." Adam feels on the verge of hyperventilating, not wanting to think it, not able to even really consider if Max had... had...

He hears shuffling, careful movements by the windshield, and then he can see her, or at least some of her- she finds where part of the windshield had completely shattered, crumbled to pieces due to the impact on the driver's side, allowing her to peer in. He hopes she doesn't cut herself too badly on the glass just to attempt this.

She looks in, then up, her eyes widening. "Oh," she breathes out. "God. Ok, uh." She forces her eyes back down towards where Max is slumped and stares at him fixedly. "I can't reach in and check because of the glass, but it... it looks like he's definitely breathing," she says, "Not very steady, but he is. I- I can see his chest rising and falling anyway, it's moving his seatbelt."

Adam closes his eyes, sniffs. "Thank you," he breathes out. "Thank you."

She looks back at him. "I hear sirens, they're almost here, just hang on a little longer."

He nods, shudders. "Do you... do you know what happened?"

"I do," she says faintly. "I was walking down the sidewalk and saw it." She hesitates, licking her lips, then continues hesitantly. "We had the green light on this side, but a car ran the intersection. T-boned you guys. I... I think he tried to avoid it? Maybe?" She glances back down at Max for a minute. "It looked like this car tried to swerve, but it was too late-the other guy slammed full speed into the back part of your car, it careened into the median and flipped over." She looks back at him. "I'm sorry, I was too far away to get the license plate or anything."

"Wait, you- you mean he..."

"Yeah," she says weakly. "It was a hit and run, he was gone before I even got here."

Adam drops his head back and closes his eyes, anger and frustration building up within him. He barely notices when the EMTs arrive, but he does respond when they call in to him, explaining the circumstances as best as he can, Max's condition and what little he can see from his angle. He hears them say something about Jaws of life and know that Max isn't going to be able to drive this car ever again. He closes his eyes and shakes his head, grimacing.

The next while is loud and tense as Adam does his best to keep his eye on Max, wishing he could touch him, comfort him on the off-chance he can hear what's going on while unconscious. Then there's a rush of fresh air and he's out, being placed carefully on a cot. "No, no," he says, grabbing the hand of the nearest EMT. "I need to stay, I need to see that Max is ok- please-"

"Sir," the woman says, patting his hand consolingly. "I understand, but you won't be able to do anything to help your partner if you're hurt and it goes without prompt treatment."

Adam frowns up at her, remembering about the weeks he'd spent held hostage in Roddy's house, his ankle getting worse by the day, and he knows. Max would never, ever want that for him. "Just, please, until they get him out of the car. Please?"

She's not happy, he can tell. But she eventually nods. "Fine," she says. "For now. Unless something changes." As if to prove her point, she begins taking his vitals, staring at him with a frown.

He nods thankfully and turns his eyes back onto the decimated car. "Wait," he says, remembering with a sharp clarity as he turns back to the EMT moving around him. "Max, he has a torn labrum in his shoulder. And he- he recently dislocated his hip, but it was healing. Please, can you tell them so they know?"

"Of course," the woman says, frowning. "Was he in another accident before this?" Her eyes trail down to the roughed up cast that thankfully is still on Adam's ankle, despite how he had gotten wedged under the dashboard when the car flipped.

"No," he says. "We're wrestlers. I broke my ankle back in October, and he was injured during a match at the end of November." She purses her lips and nods, stepping away from him to talk to the emergency crew still clustered around the car, and Adam drops his head back, once more feeling a flood of emotions overwhelming him. The last words he and Max had spoke to each other was about a stupid New Years Eve party, and now...

Eventually the activity grows and they get Max out, careful as they place him on a stretcher and roll him up next to Adam's. He only gets a glimpse of him, but it's enough to terrify him- Max's face and curls are soaked in blood, and what Adam can see of his face is paper-white. He's still, not moving, the EMTs strapping him in to keep him safe. He has a neck brace on, and Adam can't remember ever seeing him this vulnerable, no matter how badly he's been hurt through the various matches they've had, or he's had. Adam grits his teeth, wishing he could touch Max, hold his hand. Something.

The ride to the hospital is horrible, Adam can barely move between the various machines keeping track of his vitals and the radiating pain up his ankle with every jostle. He worries, briefly, that maybe he's done something to his ankle again, but his thoughts keep returning to Max, the last things they'd said to each other. "God," he breathes, tears filling his eyes. "Why did I push him on it?" And even after all of that, his first instinct when he noticed that car barreling at them was to try to swerve out of the way, to protect Adam's side of the car as best as he could.

"Did you say something?" an EMT asks, leaning in closer to try to hear him over the sounds of traffic outside.

"No," Adam says wearily. "I didn't." He rests his head back and tries not to cry, bunching his hands into fists at his side.

The hospital is bright, and loud, and Max is pushed away from Adam as soon as they enter the building. He has no time to ask anything, or get another look at him, he's just... Max is gone, and Adam is getting pushed to his own room, and... Everything just keeps getting worse and worse, and Adam isn't even sure how to stop it.

The doctor comes in to see him and he's barely aware for most of it, just giving vague answers about his ankle and the situation around breaking it, the surgeries it'd required, and once the doctor hears him out, he starts typing in orders to the hospital system for Adam to be taken off for x-rays just to ensure his leg is alright. Adam nods along, not paying much attention, and everything seems to move fast, the x-ray technician arriving a little later to take him down. When he's returned to the ER to wait for the results, Adam realizes he's not alone. "You're who called 911 for us," he says to the woman hovering anxiously out in the hall.

She jerks and looks up at him, hands wringing together anxiously. "And you're Adam Cole," she says, eyes wide as she takes him in, as if doubting her own vision. "Then the other guy was MJF?"

Adam blinks a few times, his mind still racing too much to register why she knows their names so easily, before it clicks with him that she's probably a wrestling fan, and he nods, glances back at the nurse before turning to her, saying, "Come inside, please."

"of course," she says, following as he's pushed back inside. They wait quietly until the nurses leave once Adam's bed is settled and he's reconnected to the machines tracking his vitals. She fumbles with the straps of her bag and then steps closer to him. "Are you ok? What are they saying?"

"They're running x-rays on my ankle to make sure I didn't rebreak it," he says wearily. "As for Max, I haven't heard anything. But look, I need your help with something. I lost my phone in the accident, and I need to notify AEW officials."

"Oh," she says, her lips parting. "Of- of course, yeah." She tugs out her phone and unlocks it before handing it over to him.

He closes his eyes and breathes in before shaking his head. "Shit, I can't remember the number." He rubs at his forehead. "This is..." He exhales shakily.

She hesitates, then holds her hand out. "Let me try something." Her fingers tap quickly against the phone and he watches her, frowning, until she hands it back over. "Try this."

He stares at the screen, then gingerly presses the green dial button. It rings and he focuses on it, closing his eyes as he waits. Finally, there's a click and he frowns, listening to the automated message. It takes a few minutes of menus and pressing a bunch of buttons to get closer to speaking to an actual person, and he hopes that the phone has enough charge to last this call. Finally he makes his way to the actual main desk of headquarters and he exhales, listening to the hold music for a few minutes. Finally, finally, it clicks in.

"Hello, this is Sarah from All Elite Wrestling LLC, how may I help you?"

"Hi, Sarah, this is Adam Cole," he says, before stating his employee ID number. "I need a message sent to Tony Khan."

"Oh," she says, sounding surprised. "Of course. What is the message?"

He keeps his eyes on his free hand as he tells her about the car accident, and Max's condition, and his own potential setback in recovery. Once he finishes, she sounds horrified and promises to inform Mr. Khan ASAP. "Hey, can I give her your phone number?" Adam asks the woman still sitting patiently- he realizes now he hasn't even learned her name yet, cringing at himself for it- and she nods, reciting it to him. "Thank you," he says once he's hung up and handed the phone back over to her. "Um, by the way, I just realized I haven't learned your name."

"Oh," she laughs awkwardly. "Right, uh. I'm Alison."

"Nice to meet you," Adam says, trying. Failing. All he can think about is Max, how pale and lifeless he'd looked the few moments Adam got to see him once they were both freed from the car.

She nods. "I, uh. I can try to find out something about Max, if you want..."

"No," he says. "I know how they get about HIPAA and everything. It's fine. I'll ask the next time a nurse comes in."

"Oh, ok," she says. They sit in awkward silence for a while before Adam sits up and grits his teeth, hissing a little as he tangles his hands in his hair, frustrated. "Is it your ankle?" she asks, shifting anxiously. "I can get a nurse if you need-?"

"No," he breathes out. "It isn't my ankle. I'm sore, but I feel... ok. Physically. Just. Max and I got into kind of an argument before this, and we weren't talking, when..." He waves his hand around. "He was so quiet, and there was so much blood, if he... if..."

She looks like she's struggling to think of something to say when the doctor finally returns, followed by a nurse. He glances at her before turning his focus onto Adam. "Well, we have your x-rays back. You were very lucky, the surgical repairs all held and your ankle is stable. The cast did its job, but we'll probably have it re-cast just to make sure the rest of recovery goes smoothly." He taps a knuckle against the plaster and nods. "Any questions?"

"Max," Adam says. "The man who was driving when we were hit. Do you- can you tell me anything?"

The doctor exhales, eyeing him. He turns to the nurse. "Could you please go check in on that for us?"

"Of course, Doctor," the nurse says, sorting the medicines she'd come in with. "I'll be right back."

"We have pain medicine here," the doctor says. "We double checked it against what you were taking after your surgery, there won't be any adverse affects. You're probably feeling pretty rough about now."

"Yeah," Adam sighs, giving in to it a little bit, now that he knows he's about to have answers regarding Max soon. "I am."

"Here," the doctor says, handing over the cup of pills and glass of water. "Take them. I'll be back in awhile to look in on you."

Adam take the pills and leans back with his eyes closed as the doctor leaves, Alison shifting around quietly on the other side of the room. A few minutes later, the nurse returns and pulls the door shut behind her. Immediately Adam's eyes are open and he searches her face. "Max? Did you find out anything?"

She sighs, pulling the privacy sheets closed around them before casting a curious glance towards Alison briefly before turning back to Adam. "I wasn't able to get a lot of details, but they're keeping an eye on his head injury. He may require surgery."

Adam moves, immediately, shuffling to the edge of the bed. "I need to see him," he says, gritting his teeth against the discomfort this causes him.

"Wait," the nurse says, rushing over to him and pushing him back onto the bed. She falters a little when he stares up at her, gaze intense and determined. "Just hang on. You can go see him, of course, but I can't let you walk around on that cast. We'll get a wheelchair."

"Fine." Adam closes his eyes. "Please, please hurry."

The nurse nods and, to her credit and how busy the place is, and probably understaffed, she does. Has a wheelchair in the room within a couple of minutes, helping him into it and adjusting the footrests so he can prop his bad ankle up as they go.

Alison steps forward before they can wheel him out, and Adam twitches, having almost forgotten her in his single minded focus to get back to Max. "I hope everything goes alright with Max, and yourself," she says, fingers tangling in her bag straps again, a nervous tic. "I'm going to go now."

He nods, looking up at her. "Thank you for everything. We owe you."

"No, no. I... I'm just glad you're going to be ok," she says, smiling weakly at him. "I'll see you around."

"See you," he says, watching her push her way out of the room, before turning his focus back onto getting to Max.

"Here we go," the nurse says, pushing him down the hall.

He digs his fingers into the armrests of the chair, trying to calm his frayed nerves. Max doesn't need him stressed out and anxious, but he's not sure how to stop feeling that way, after how today's gone. An elevator ride later, the nurse pushes him into a room and Adam blinks. The lights are on low, and things are disconcertingly quiet, the only sound being a repetitive beeping noise and a faint wooshing sound. He can't see much from this angle, but the closer the nurse pushes him, the more he realizes, his nails digging harder into the soft padding. "Max," he breathes, tears filling his eyes again. "Oh, Max."

The man is laying in a hospital bed, IVs coming from his hand, oxygen tubes from a mask over his face, other wires from his body to read his vitals. Adam's hand shakes as he reaches out and gently wraps his fingers around Max's palm, careful not to jostle his IV.

"I'm here," he breathes. "I'm right here." He searches Max's face as best as he can, agony twisting his face. "Come on, Max. Open those eyes, huh?" He waits a few moments, then looks up at the nurse. "Has he woke up at all?"

She shakes her head, taking a few steps back. "By what I've been told, no. I'm going to give you two a couple of minutes and find Max's nurse. She'll be able to tell you more."

"Thank you," Adam says, returning to stare desperately at Max's slack features. "Max, baby, I'm here. I'm with you." He gingerly reaches forward and brushes his fingers through Max's curls, relieved to see that they had washed most of the blood off of his skin and out of his hair. "Hey, I'm sorry, ok? You can wake up, I won't push you on New Years. I shouldn't have to begin with, I know you're tired and I know you deserve some time off to just relax. I'm sorry. Please." He rests his forehead on Max's arm and just breathes, exhaling slowly. "Max, please."

He's still leaning there, listening to the steady beeping of Max's vitals, when a nurse slips in. She gives Adam a minute to collect himself and sit up, their eyes meeting. "hello, I'm Max's nurse, Patty," she says.

"I'm Adam, Max's partner," he says quietly, resting his hand back on Max's wrist. "I was in the car with him. Can you... can you tell me anything?"

The nurse exhales, then glances down at the files in her hand. "Adam Cole?" When he nods, she nods back. "You're listed here as his emergency contact, so yes. I can." She looks up at Max for a minute, then glances back at him. "We have noted here the labrum tear and hip injury you informed the EMTs of on sight, We won't know the full scope of it until he wakes up, but we're concerned over brain trauma."

Adam takes that in, breathing growing stuttery and weird. He presses his knuckles against his sternum and shivers. "Why, uh. Why hasn't he woke up yet?" he wonders, staring despairingly at Max. "It's been hours. Do you think...?"

"We're keeping a close eye on him," Patty says, clearly tiptoeing around how she words things. "We'll be doing further tests later but for now, there's really not much definitive I can tell you yet. I promise you we're doing all we can for him though."

Adam exhales, closing his eyes. "Does... did..." He digs his teeth into his lip and exhales. "Are there any other injuries?"

"Cuts from the glass, a couple were serious enough to need stitches, we've already handled that," Patty says. "We've examined him and ran a few other scans, especially on his arm and hip. We had to reset his hip after the force of the accident, we're waiting for images to come back to see if the tear has worsened, but at this point, we're not seeing any new breaks."

Adam exhales slowly, nodding. "Thank you," he says numbly. Outside of Max's head injury and the more minor injuries, he thinks it's sounding like they've been pretty lucky, but he still hates how still and silent Max is. It's not like him at all, and Adam hates every second that goes by that he doesn't get to hear Max's voice or look into his eyes.

The luck fails pretty quickly. Tony calls the hospital directly, and he and Adam have a thorough discussion of his and Max's condition, and what can be done for World's End. Hours pass with no change in Max's condition and Adam sits by his side, tangling their fingers together and lightly squeezing his hand while he waits.

Patty stops by at some point, her last check in before she clocks out for the night. "We'll be monitoring him through the night," she says. "Keeping an eye on how responsive he is. Come morning, we'll have a clearer picture of things, I hope."

Adam exhales slowly. "Right," he says, the mere thought of him remaining like this through the night making him feel sick and shaky. "Yeah." The hospital thankfully keeps him overnight for observation, worried about whiplash and whatever else post-crash, so he doesn't have to worry so much about visiting hours. At some point, when things are quiet and he thinks he can get away with it, he sneaks out of his room and slips down the hall, sits in Max's room and holds his hand. Sometimes he speaks, but too often, his words dry up and all he can do is sit and stare, watching Max's vitals reflected on the machines above the bed.

Nurses find him eventually and they give him a brief lecture for not sleeping, but after exchanging glances, allow him to stay for a little while longer. Adam nods his thanks to them and rests his forehead against Max's knuckles again, only finding a little bit of comfort in the sound of his steady heartbeat.

Morning dawns overcast and chilly, and Adam is officially released after a new cast is fit on his leg. As soon as he has his papers and a fresh pair of crutches, he's up and making his way down to Max's room, arriving in time for the tail end of Patty's first check in of the day.

Patty is there and their eyes lock as she shakes her head at him, Adam's lips pressing together tightly as he tries not to make a noise. "Max," he breathes out finally as Patty walks up to him and rests a hand on his shoulder. "What... what happens now?"

"We'll be keeping a close eye on him. It's really early after the accident, so this level of unresponsiveness isn't too unexpected. But if it lasts..." She sighs. "We'll have to shift into more longterm care."

"What does that mean?" he repeats, feeling more and more of his world spiraling around him.

Patty shakes her head. "Let's not go there until we need to," she says quietly. "Just go sit with him for awhile, I'm sure it'll help."

He nods blankly, returns to Max's side, slips his hand between Max's lax fingers. "I'm here, Max, like I said I would be."

He watches for anything, a flicker of Max's eyes, a shift of his fingers, but it doesn't come, Max remains still, silent, lost in whatever world that car accident had thrown him in.

"You know that woman who witnessed the accident told me what she saw," he murmurs to Max after awhile. "Said you swerved the car to try to avoid the asshole who hit us." He exhales. "I don't remember the accident, but did..." He falters, licks his lips. Wishes things were easier. Wishes Max were awake so they could properly talk about things- the accident, the argument about New Years, everything. "You saw him coming, didn't you?" He squeezes Max's hand. "And you tried to avoid it- tried to get out of the way? He probably would've slammed right into me if you hadn't," Adam murmurs. "I probably would've walked out with a lot worse than a messed up leg and some whiplash. I couldn't sleep last night, I kept envisioning it. And all of this after how I tried to force you into doing something with me on New Years, despite knowing how bad things have been for you the last few weeks." He searches Max's face and shakes his head. "The first thing I'm going to say to you when you're awake is Thank you and I'm so damn sorry, Max."

He sighs and squeezes Max's hand, hoping for some sort of a response, and not surprised when he doesn't get one. "It's ok," he whispers. "I'll be patient. Whenever you're ready to wake up, I'll be here." He leans forward and presses a careful kiss to Max's cheek, making sure not to do anything to the tubes supplying oxygen to him.

The day passes excruciatingly slowly. Adam can only imagine what's happening at World's End, the scramble Tony's going through just to make something work out with the world title. He exhales shakily and watches Max, biting his lip. "You'd hate this," he murmurs. "But it's not your fault. Whatever happens. We'll figure it out in the future, your time in AEW hasn't ended this way. I promise."

Max was to be a free agent at midnight the following night, but now it really feels like his next move had been taken from his hands. Adam hates it, it's all so unfair. He exhales and rubs a thumb over Max's knuckles, staring ahead blankly, the steady beeping of his vitals still the only soundtrack to Adam's life that matters right now.

He doesn't get to spend all day at the hospital like the day before, the nurses push him to leave, get something to eat, go rest. Which all of it sucks because the only place he can think to go to is Max's penthouse, and the place is dreary, empty without him. Piper seems to feel it too, winding anxiously around Adam's feet, meowing piteously. "I know," he mumbles. "I miss him too." He navigates carefully, not wanting to hit her with his crutches or cast, and finally makes his way back over to the couch, exhaling as he lowers himself down slowly and places the crutches on the coffee table where he can reach them quickly.

Despite his wayward thoughts and restless fingers tapping anxiously against the couch cushions, Adam dozes off quickly, the lack of sleep from the night before catching up with him. He's not even sure how much time has passed, exactly, before the buzzing of Max's door wakes him up. He groans and wipes at his eyes before realizing and getting up, hobbling over to the panel on one crutch. "Yeah?" he mumbles.

"Adam?"

He blinks, realizing with a sudden rush that it's Tony Khan himself in the flesh peering up at the device, waiting patiently. "Oh, uh, yes," he says. "Sorry, I was asleep." He quickly presses the button to let him in, and pulls the door open, shuffling aside to let Tony in.

"Didn't mean to wake you," Tony says. "I just wanted to talk about Max's condition and what this means for tomorrow night."

Adam nods, still groggy but trying to shake himself awake, knowing how important this is. "Of course. Do you want anything? Water, or..." He hesitates, not even sure what exactly they have on hand here, his mind still jumbled after the last couple of days.

"No, no, that's fine. Here, let's see." Tony offers some support as Adam makes his way gingerly back through the living room to the couch. "This must be Piper," he says, smiling down at the cat, who blinks up at him. "Adam, first things first, how are you doing?"

"Not great," Adam says, wiping at his face. "Whiplash, they had to re-cast my leg because the old one got wedged under the dashboard when the car flipped, but thankfully no further damage was done to the ankle itself."

Tony nods, a grave look on his face. "I've been to the hospital, and they've informed me of Max's condition." He exhales, glancing at Adam. "Well, I've opened all of my resources to whatever he may need during his recovery, but there are unfortunately things that need to be handled on the business side of things. Since I can't get his opinion on the next steps, I really only see one course of action from here on out." Tony stares at Adam. "In his stead, I'm asking for your thoughts on what I'm thinking the next steps should be."

Adam sits, and listens as Tony details his plans one by one, in a state of shock as he realizes that Max's future rides on his shoulders right now. It's awful, but necessary, and he sits up straighter, trying to force himself to think steadily enough to do what Max would've wanted. Or at least close enough that he won't outright hate Adam once he wakes up.

-x

The hospital is quiet when Adam returns and he trudges through the halls first to the elevator, then to Max's room. He slumps down in the chair next to Max's bed and finds his hand, giving it a squeeze. "I hope I did the right thing," he murmurs, fingers trailing lazily over Max's knuckles. "I tried. I really did." He looks desperately at Max's face and bites his lip. "I miss you, Max. I miss hearing your voice, and looking into your eyes. I know you deserve to rest, and I don't want to push you when this is probably what you need to recover, but... Crap, man. I don't know. It's all just so hard." He rests his forehead against their tangled together fingers and tries to breathe. "Is this even a little bit how it felt when I was injured and couldn't get ahold of you while Roddy had me hostage? Because god, this sucks, man." He laughs brokenly, tears filling his eyes not for the first time since he'd woke up to find his world twisted on its axis in more ways than one.

He's still sitting there, trying to breathe, when there's a twitch. And for a moment, he thinks the rhythm of Max's heart monitor changes. "Max?" he asks, looking up quickly. "Max?"

It doesn't look like anything's changed, but- but still... He squeezes Max's hand and gapes as Max's fingers weakly curl in, brushing against Adam's palm. "Oh my god," he breathes out. "Max, are you- are you close to waking up? I'm here." He stands and leans in, rests a hand on Max's forehead, careful, so gentle. "I'm right here."

His fingers shift again, but nothing else really happens. Adam exhales, a little disappointed, but relieved to at least have that much. He settles back down and waits, watches, hopes, until visiting hours end and he's forced back to the empty, lifeless penthouse where he and Piper take to listlessly wandering the rooms, neither of them seeming too eager to sleep.

8 AM rolls around too slowly, and Adam returns, walking slowly through the halls until he spots Patty. "Hey, Patty," he greets her.

She smiles at him. "Hey, Adam."

He brushes past her but she clears her throat and he turns back towards him, frowning. "Is something wrong?"

"Max has been kind of agitated," she says. "I think he's coming around, but it's slow. Maybe your presence will help."

Adam swallows, remembering how Max had moved, a little, the night before, the feel of his fingers pressing against Adam's hand. "Right," he says, turning and walking as quickly as he could on his crutches back to Max's room.

She's not wrong, he is very restless, his hands twitching against his sides, brows furrowed, eyes fluttering as his head lulls from side to side. It's more activity than Adam's seen from him since they arrived here, but still, concerning. "Hey," he says softly, resting his crutches to the side and leaning against the bed, resting his hand against Max's jaw. "I'm here, baby. It's ok. You're going to be ok."

Max does seem to settle at the sound of Adam's voice, head resting tilted towards him and Adam smiles, running his hand lightly up to rest on the side of Max's face, stroking his cheek. "Tonight's World's End," he says softly. "I know this is far from how either of us wanted to spend it." He strokes a thumb over Max's brow and sighs. "I'm so sorry, Max."

He spends a couple of hours sitting by Max's bedside, lost in thought. It's only when he glances at the clock and realizes that World's End has begun that he stands and shifts over to the left side of the bed, finally doing something he'd been thinking about but never quite found the courage to try. He sits on the edge of the bed, careful to avoid the safety bars, and scoots up with his ankle a few inches above the bed so he won't get his cast stuck or risk hitting Max on the way up, lifting Max's arm and settling in against him once he's in position, sighing as he presses closer and rests Max's arm against his side, cuddling close. "There," he whispers. "Hope you're comfortable. I was just getting tired of being so far away."

Max is warm, and his chest rises and falls steadily against Adam's face, comforting him further. When exactly he falls asleep, he's not sure, but he wakes up to the room half lit and he blinks groggily, realizing that it's well past visiting hours. The night staff had left him alone and he feels overwhelmed by a sudden rush of relief and gratitude, nuzzling into Max once more. It's only when he actually looks at the clock again that he feels a cold creeping dread down his spine. It's past midnight, which means that World's End is over.

He sits up and examines Max's face, relieved to find he seems to be resting peacefully. "I'm not sure what happened," he murmurs to him. "With Joe, or if the Devil finally revealed himself. Who knows. I'm just glad I'm here with you." He presses a careful kiss to Max's cheek and settles back in, wrapping an arm gingerly around his waist. "We'll see how long the nurses give me, huh."

Ends up they give him the full night because Adam wakes up to shift change, still tucked in close to Max. He groans a little, displeased by the sun shining against his eyes, but when he realizes Patty is staring at him, he coughs and sits up. "Good morning," he offers and she sighs, shaking her head at him.

"You're lucky some of the night staff are saps for young love," she says, handing over his crutches and watching as he gets his balance.

"I'm glad I was with him," Adam says softly, his gaze not quite leaving Max's face. "Last night was the night he was supposed to compete for his world title. Before the accident. A lot of stuff was riding on it."

"I see," Patty says. "Well, try not to repeat the same thing tonight." She looks wryly at him, and he tries not to react too much to it- they both know, considering it's New Years Eve, if there's ever a night to want to be with someone late, it's definitely that one.

"I'll try," he says, knowing it's not very convincing by the twist of her lips, but thankfully she doesn't say anything.

The day passes slowly, ticking little by little towards the new year. Adam scrolls through some of World's End results, but he's tired and it doesn't really mean much to him. The only thing that really matters is laying on the hospital bed next to him, fingers curling in sporadically throughout the day. Max is a little more responsive to Adam's voice, turning towards him when he speaks, his eyes fluttering more regularly.

Adam takes the prerogative and heads to talk to Patty. "You were right," he says. She looks unimpressed and he sighs. "Please, I know that it's important to follow the rules of the hospital, but it is New Years Eve, and I promise to not bother any of the staff, or get in the way of the other patients. It's just... this was... is... going to be our first New Years together, and I just..." Adam sighs, frustrated, sad. "I promise I'll leave after midnight, I won't spend the whole night again. Just... please?"

Patty stares at him for a minute, then sighs. "Fine," she says. "I'll make a note of it in Max's file. But this is the only time." She points at him warningly. "Anyone ever tell you it's damned difficult to say no to you?"

"Yeah, i've been told that a few times. Especially by Max himself." Adam chuckles a little, wipes at his face. "You think I'm bad, you should see when Max gets going. Wide brown eyes and a ridiculous amount of charm, when he wants to be." Adam sighs, shaking his head. "Anyway, thank you. I... I appreciate it. More than you'll probably know."

He leaves long enough to get some fresh air, some food, and then he's back, curling up against Max like he had the night before. But this time he talks, smoothing his fingers over Max's chest, feeling the rise and fall of his breaths. "Tony's going to take care of you, whatever you need," he says. "He and I talked, sorted some stuff out. I hope you approve of what I suggested. Tony seemed to think I was the one to ask, figured I'd know what you'd want to do with all of this better than anyone. I hope he was right."

Adam rests his face on Max's shoulder and inhales slowly, matching their breaths together. He's not sure how much time passes, but then he feels it. Max's arm tightens around him and there's a shift under him, a low whimper of pain. Immediately Adam sits up, Max's arm dropping down to the bed and he looks up to find Max's eyes open, his lips parted as he blinks anxiously up at the ceiling.

"Hey, hey," Adam breathes, cupping his face in his hands and searching, begging for something- and then Max looks at him, glassy eyed, exhausted, but there, and Adam gasps, resting his forehead gently against Max's. "Oh my god, Max," he murmurs. "Oh my god." He needs to notify the staff, but he refuses to leave him, so he reaches over and presses the call button, never bothering to move away from Max.

Patty comes in, close to out the door, but as soon as she sees Max's eyes open, she forgets immediately and bustles over. "Well, look who's finally awake," she says, glancing over at Adam for a moment before turning her attention back to Max. "Hello there. You gave your partner an awful shock."

Weary brown eyes rest on Adam for a moment before turning back to the nurse.

"Can you feel this?" She runs a few quick tests, content when he twitches at her running a pen over the curve of his foot, and brushes her fingers over the ridge of his eyebrow with just enough pressure to make him react, wrinkling his nose and trying to move away. "Good, good." She presses her hand in his. "Try to squeeze."

He does, weakly, but it's there.

She nods, and continues checking various things, before Adam looks up. "Is it normal that he's not speaking? Max...Max loves to talk," he says uncertainly, brushing his fingers through Max's hair.

"I wouldn't be concerned," she says. "He's making good progress, just reacting this much to things at this stage is a very good sign. We'll keep an eye on him, continue to examine him. But don't worry, it's best he go by his own speed anyway." She smiles down at Max. "And you were right, I can see how those eyes would be a detriment."

Adam chuckles, still holding Max's hand. "Yeah," he says softly. "Thanks, Patty."

"You're welcome," she says. "I'll notify his doctor that he's awake, he may come in to check on him as well before long." She pauses and squeezes Adam's shoulder. "I'll be in in the morning. Happy New Year, you two."

"Happy New Year," Adam says, watching as Max tracks her for a little bit before turning his gaze back to Adam. "I'm so glad you're awake."

Max exhales, eyes fluttering a little, and Adam leans in, kissing his forehead. "Hey, if you're tired, you sleep whenever you want, ok? I'll be here when you wake up."

Max makes a face, hand trailing up a little to reach out towards him and Adam shifts forward to be easier to reach, smiling slightly as Max's fingers press, trembling, against his cheek. After a few moments, his strength seems to fail him and his hand drops back down listlessly to his side as he falls back asleep.

"It's ok," Adam murmurs, unsure if it's for his benefit or Max's. "You're gonna be ok."

Adam leaves for a short bit, to get something very quickly to eat before he returns to wait for midnight. When he returns, Max is awake, eyes fluttering around the room, an agitated, confused twist to his lips. As soon as he sees Adam, however, he relaxes, slumping back against the pillows. "Hey, hey, it's ok," Adam says, cradling Max's hands between his own as soon as he gets settled and can put his crutches to the side. "I went to get some food. I'm back now."

Max hums, staring at him, and Adam smiles down at him. "Hey, it's almost New Years," he says. "Couple of hours until midnight. I'm happy you're awake."

Max's expression twists, his eyes widening a little. He gapes up at Adam, then shakes his head, struggling. Licks his lips, opens his mouth, then grimaces. "I-" he manages, and Adam's heart leaps at even getting to hear just that much. "I'm so- sorry." Adam frowns down at him and he grits his teeth, gripping the bedding under hands shaking from the strain. "Ru- ruined New Years," he manages after another slow, painful fight to formulate the words. "Again."

Adam immediately leans forward. "No, no-"

"Failed," Max manages, eyes welling with tears. "Failed ev- every... thing. Sorry. I... 'm so f- fucking sorry."

"Max," Adam breathes, horrified, heartbroken for the man before him- still blaming himself for everything, despite all of the weight so many people placed on his shoulders the last few months, everything he had fought so desperately through. "Hey, look at me."

Max sniffs, his eyes roving around restlessly, and it's not until Adam gently reaches out and cradles his jaw, searching his face, that he eventually does meet Adam's eyes.

"Listen to me. Ok? Are you listening?" When Max nods, Adam smiles at him. "Good. Look, you- you defended our tag titles for months, man. Without me, and yeah, you had help once, but other than that, it was all you, Max. You've fought through so much shit, and held on to everything for so long, with so much weight on your shoulders. I- I expected too much from you, and then I made it worse with trying to push you into doing something this weekend, and I'm the only one who should be- who is- sorry." He brushes his thumbs over Max's cheeks, wiping away the tears sluggishly dripping down his face.

"But-" he tries to say, then stops, frustrated at his own inability to speak easier than this.

"No," Adam says quietly. "No buts. Do you know what happened?" He motions around at the hospital bed, not terribly surprised when Max shakes his head. "We were in a car accident," he tells him. "A guy ran a red light and t-boned us. You know what you did though?"

Max shakes his head, eyes locked on Adam's face as he takes this all in, fingers trembling against Adam's forearm as he listens.

"You and your damn driving skills, man, I'm never going to complain about them again," Adam laughs, tears in his eyes now too. "You saw him coming and you swerved hard, out of the way, and thanks to that, he hit more towards the back of the car instead of closer to the passenger side door. Max, if you hadn't done what you did, he would've probably slammed directly into my side, and I... I wouldn't have been as lucky as I was. Max, you saved my life."

Max swallows, hard, reaching out for Adam again, and Adam smiles at him, leaning into his touch. "I did?"

"Yeah, baby, you did." Adam chuckles through the tears, rests his forehead against Max's. "I was so scared when I woke up and you didn't, but... it's going to be ok now." He searches Max's face and exhales. "There's a lot of things to figure out and work through, but we'll get there, Max. Together. I know we will."

Max nods, his eyes closed as he and Adam cling to each other, enjoying the peace for as long as they can, until he nudges Adam and glances at the clock just visible from over his shoulder.

"Hmm?" Adam pulls back and looks, his lips twitching up into a smile. "Oh, hey, it's almost midnight." He pulls his phone out to check the exact time, beaming as he settles in next to Max so they can watch together. As soon as the clock ticks over from 11:59 to 12:00, Adam turns to Max and tilts his head. "Happy New Year, Max," he murmurs, leaning in to kiss him.

Max hums, kissing Adam back. They pull away slowly and Max exhales. "Happy New Year," he responds, resting his head on Adam's shoulder and closing his eyes.

Adam smiles, wrapping an arm around him, content to hold him. There's a lot of things to figure out, Max's contractual status, recovery time for both of them, this whole Devil mess, and everything in between, but for now. For now, things are looking up.