Max feels... heavy. Pain is throbbing down his body in a way it hasn't since they won the ROH tag titles. Everything feels heavy, impossible to move from his head down to his fingers. He thinks they twitch a little, but something stops him, keeps his fingers pinned down. He makes a soft, pitiful little moaning sound, trying desperately to move, when he hears something shuffle next to him.

"Oh shit, Max?"

It's Adam's voice, he'd recognize it anywhere. There's a soft pressure against his fingers, and then somehow the weight disappears. He groans and wriggles his fingers, forcing his eyes open. "Adam," he mumbles, blinking helplessly up at the ceiling. "Wha..."

"You got hurt," Adam tells him, resting a hand on his chest. "Do you remember anything?"

"I..." Max exhales. "I wrestled Garcia."

"Yes, and you beat him too," Adam says, stroking his collar bone gently.

"Of course I did," Max murmurs with a sort of dazed smugness. "But... where are we? What..."

"He hit a piledriver on you off of the top rope," Adam says, remembering all over again how it felt to see that happen and not being able to do anything to stop it. "They have to run tests, but considering the way you were knocked out, uh. They're concerned about your neck. So we're at a hospital."

"A Chicago hospital?" Max grimaces. "Dammit..."

"Don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on them," Adam says with a small smile, stroking Max's jaw. "But you really have horrible luck at All Out, man."

Max grimaces. "My curse, I guess," he sighs, resting his head back against the pillows and peering up at Adam. "You must've gotten a really last minute flight in to be here with me."

Adam looks uncomfortable. "Well, uh. Actually, I was already here. I was going to surprise you, but... I guess in a way I was the one surprised. Not in a good way though."

Max stares at him. "You were going to surprise me with something?"

"I was," he says, stroking Max's fingers. "But it's ok, I think it's safer for us to wait until you get out of here. Don't worry, you'll enjoy it just as much later."

Max pouts up at him. "But I'm in pain and I'm scared and I want it now, Adam."

Adam hums. "If I give it to you now, will you let me keep it somewhere safe until you can properly take care of it?"

Max blinks. "Yes? I think so?"

Adam hums. "Alright, I guess I'll trust you," he says, teasingly slow as he plucks something out of his pocket with one hand while holding Max's hand up with the other. Max looks really confused as Adam slowly presses something to his finger, searching his face. "Max," he whispers.

"Adam," he gasps, staring in awe at the ring being held against his fingertip. "You- how-"

"I searched pretty much all of New York for it," he laughs, rubbing his thumb over the Dynamite Diamond Ring. "I wasn't going to let Garcia take something I knew was so special to you."

Max sniffs. "I can't believe you went to so much trouble."

Adam shrugs. "What can I say? I love you that much, Max."

Max exhales shakily, looking up at him. "I love you too."

Adam is careful, delicate around the neck brace, kissing Max gently. "Now, I can't let you wear this for long, we don't want it getting stolen again, but... Will you be mine forever?"

Max gapes at him, feeling choked up with emotions. "What a stupid question, I have been yours for well over a year by now, baybay," he says, sniffling a little as Adam pushes the ring gently onto his finger.

"Yeah," he says softly. "Guess it's nice to hear it though." He chuckles, leaning in to kiss Max again. "At some point, we're going to have to not be injured for these big important emotional moments."

Max laughs tiredly, still crying a little. "I think that's impossible," he murmurs, unable to take his eyes off of Adam as he sinks back into the pillows, visibly exhausted.

"Sad but true," Adam muses, rubbing his finger lightly over Max's knuckles, watching him as he drifts off back to sleep.