Title: A Stolen Moment
Part: 2
Author: Shanyn
Rating: PG 13
Notes: There's a part in the Before They Were Superstars video where Adam talks about the hardships he and Jay went through getting started. He mentioned a particular time where they were sleeping in a gym in Canada during the winter and the power went out and how they all had to cuddle together, ya know- for "warmth". *chokes* These guys are so inspirational...
Disclaimers: Standard stuff- not making any claims about their true sexuality, none of this ever happened- I have no money, please don't sue...


Adam lounged around with Jay, loving the way his friend rested so casually in his arms as he cracked jokes in a hushed voice about the sleeping wrestlers around them. Despite his earlier disappointment, Adam couldn't help smiling and laughing quietly at Jay, who seemed oblivious to his friend's inner turmoil, and began making fun of Adam, too. After a while, Jay grew restless and insisted that the two of them get up and get showered before the others woke up. Adam followed his friend into the locker room, where they showered in silence for a few minutes, until Jay suddenly broke out into song.

"I tell you over and over baby, that you don't know how you make me feel. I wanna know if it's alright, if I let you know what's the deal- oh, oo, " he sang, wildly off-key. Adam grinned and shook his head.

"I can't believe you're over there singing Backstreet Boys' songs. And very badly, I might add."

"Not Backstreet Boys- 98 Degrees," Jay answered back indignantly. Adam snickered.

"Whatever- I can't believe you know the difference anyway."

Jay ignored this and resumed singing more loudly and off-key than before. Adam made a crack about Jay's secret dream being to join a boy band, not to become a wrestler.

"Ow!" he scowled as Jay's bar of soap sailed across the shower and nailed him in the back of the head.

"I wanna know-oh what you like- oh, I wanna make you feel alright- I gotta let you know, oh baby how I feel- I wanna feel, ohh, the way that lovers do. I wanna make sweet love to you..." Jay sang happily.

"You're gonna get that damn song stuck in my head," Adam grumbled under his breath, scooping up the bar of soap and tossing it back in Jay's direction, but had to grin as Jay continued his terrible singing and he found himself humming along quietly. Jay finished his shower first.

"Thank god!" Adam declared, as silence finally descended in the showers once again. This time he ducked, and the bar of soap went sailing over his head. He stayed in the shower for a few minutes longer, and as he had predicted, the song Jay had been singing was indeed stuck in his head. Unable to help himself, he began singing the chorus himself.

"I hear you!" Jay yelled from the other side of the locker room, laughing, and began singing along with Adam.

Adam groaned and turned the taps off, making a mental note never to shower with Jay again. Jay stopped singing in mid-word, and Adam cocked his head quizzically in his friend's direction for a minute before shrugging at the strange silence and stepping out of the shower. He whistled quietly to himself as he wrapped a towel around his wait.

As Adam turned the corner coming out of the shower, he spotted Jay examining his reflection critically in the mirror. He was about to make a quip about guys who primped in mirrors too long being statistically more likely to become members of boy bands, when he realized what Jay was staring so intently at. A huge purple and blue bruise discolored the smaller man's neck. Adam felt his heart drop into his stomach and begin pounding so hard that he thought it was trying to kick its way out. He tried to back around the corner and slip back into the showers, but it was too late- Jay had already spotted him. They locked eyes over the mirror.

Adam swallowed nervously and walked slowly over to the sink next to Jay, stooping down and pulling a hairbrush from his duffel bag on the floor. Jay watched him thoughtfully; massaging the hickey on his neck as Adam began working the brush through his wet, tangled locks. Adam refused to look up at his friend as the silence grew heavy and uncomfortable.

"It wasn't a dream, was it." Jay said finally, breaking the silence. It was a statement, not a question. Adam chanced a quick glance up, relieved that the disgust and hatred he expected to see on his friend's face wasn't there. Jay still wore the same thoughtful, considering expression as he studied his friend's face in the mirror.

"It was you." The mild expression on Jay's face was sharply contrasted by the steel bite in his voice. Adam looked over at him warily and gave a reluctant nod, setting the brush down and stepping away a little. He hated being on the receiving end of Jay's quick temper.

"Why?" Jay's blue-gray eyes were flashing with barely concealed outrage.

A dozen or more excuses flitted through Adam's mind as he continued backing away slowly. He could say he had only been half-asleep himself, he could say he thought *he* had been dreaming too, he could say it had been so long since he had gotten any and he had been so horny that he hadn't realized what he was doing... The truth slipped out before he could stop it.

"I love you," he whispered. He continued backing away until the wall was only a few feet behind him, and stopped as he realized that he was cornered.

He saw the anger in Jay's eyes flare briefly as his friend considered what he had just said.

"You love me? So you just thought you'd take advantage of me and violate my body while I was sleeping?"

"It was just going to be a quick kiss- I didn't think it would hurt anything- I just got carried away." Adam stumbled over his explanation in humiliation, wanting to shrink into himself.

"You didn't have any right to touch me like that!" Jay yelled at him, finally letting his temper get the best of him, and shoving Adam into the wall. Adam nodded dumbly; not able to make his mouth form the apology he wanted so desperately to get out.

"Have you done this to me before?" Jay asked, advancing on Adam.

Adam shook his head silently, looking around desperately for a way to slip out and not finding one.

"Why should I believe you?"

"I swear," Adam said miserably, looking down as Jay came to a stop less than a foot away.

Jay landed a sharp, stinging slap across his left cheek. Adam's back slid down the wall and he sank slowly to the floor, inhaling a sharp breath as he tried to blink the tears away.

"That was for taking advantage of me in my sleep," Jay said, his voice shaking with anger. Adam lowered his head in humiliation, not bothering to respond, knowing that Jay had every right to be angry with him for violating his trust.

Jay stepped forward again, the tips of his feet coming into Adam's vision. Adam closed his eyes as Jay squatted down in front of him, unable to look his friend in the eye. He felt Jay's hand touch his cheek, the long fingers gently caressing the spot that still burned with the force of the slap he had landed only moments ago. Adam opened his mouth to tell Jay how sorry he was, and gasped in surprise as Jay's soft lips met his, responding automatically by kissing him back. He parted his lips further as Jay's tongue gently pushed its way into his mouth, meeting and caressing it with his own. Jay murmured into his mouth, deepening the kiss for a moment, then pulling slowly away.

Adam gave an involuntary groan of disappointment as he felt Jay's lips leave his, opening his eyes to see the smaller man staring intently into his face. Adam looked up at his best friend, confusion written plainly across his face. Jay gave him another one of his crooked grins.

"*That* was because I love you, too."

Adam grinned back and pulled Jay down into another kiss.