Disclaimers: I do not own AFI or anyone associated with them. This is fiction And totally not true in any way. In other words: this never happened.
The Story:
Adam woke up around nine the next morning. He shifted slightly to the right, thinking he has once again piled too many pillows to his left again. He moved and adjusted, then tried going back to sleep. To his annoyance, the pillows toppled over and followed him, pushing into his back.
He made a low noise of annoyance and reached back with one hand to move them.
Adam yelped suddenly and became fully awake, sitting up with a bolt. �Holy�� he stopped his shout when the person next to him moaned and winced from the loud noise. They reached down, without pushing their black hair out of their face, and pulled the blanket over their head. �Don�t yell.� came a muffled voice.
Adam took a few gulping breathes to calm the rapid beating of his heart. He fought his urge to shout again. What the hell? Who the hell was this? How drunk was he last night? If this was that lunatic Sherry again. . .
But before he could finish the thought, the person sat up sharply and threw the blanket down. Davey sat beside him, glaring at him through sleep-shut eyes. �What the hell, Adam? Do I look like a freakin� Sherry?!� he pushed ineffectively at Adam�s shoulder, then tossed himself back down onto his pillow.
Davey? Adam�s memory came back to him. This was Davey. They met again at the bar yesterday, after years of separation, and Adam offered to house Davey for a while. Adam looked sideways down at Davey�s covered form. Last night. . . did they. . .?
From under the covers, he heard Davey�s snort. �Geez, Ad, you normally get blackout drunk? Can�t remember what happened, can you? You want me to help?� soft chuckles. Mischievous chuckling.
Adam had to smile. He rubbed his arm and looked out the bedroom window at the bright blue sky. �I never would have thought you�d be like that, Davey.� immediate silence from under the blanket. �I always thought I was the mischievous one.�
The bed creaked as Davey moved next to him. He looked and saw they were now face to face. Davey moved his hair out of the way but didn�t lose contact with Adam�s eyes. �You are. What? You didn�t think that all our time together, some of you didn�t rub off on me?�
Adam smiled close-mouthed. �I figured that�s where my dark side went. I�ve mellowed a bit, sad to say.�
Davey grinned beautifully. �Don�t worry. I�ve done some growing since you last saw me. I�ve got enough for the both of us, and then some.� He looked carefully at Adam�s mouth. After a few seconds, Adam realized Davey�s eyes had slipped closed and he was now leaning toward him.
Adam leaned back. �Uhm, Davey?� He asked, getting the other�s attention.
Davey�s eyes shot open and he saw Adam�s worried expression. He frowned. �What? Geez, Ad, it�s just a kiss! What�s wrong with that? Look, I haven�t seen you in years. I really, really miss you! Don�t tell me you haven�t missed me, too!�
Adam flushed. �Yeah, I missed you, Davey. It�s just. . . well, it�s just that I don�t know what this is. I mean, you�ve lived life in your own way. So have I. I�ve had girlfriends, Davey. Not once have I had a boyfriend. It�s just not my way.�
Davey listened to this with a blank expression. Adam had a feeling something heavy was about to happen. But to his surprise, Davey smiled gently. �I had guessed as much, Ad. I knew what kind of man you�d turn out to be, even as young as thirteen. I knew you�d probably marry some silly, cheerleader-type girl and have a boat load of kids running around, screaming their heads off. I already knew. I wasn�t expecting anything else.� He put a warm hand against Adam�s face and looked his face over. �I only wanted a kiss. Even though I would have liked for things to go further, I�d settle for a kiss any day. Come on, one little kiss?� he blinked his eyes adorably and pouted.
�Damn, you�re good.� Adam laughed, already leaning in to comply. The kiss was supposed to be light and brief, but Adam felt himself being drawn in like iron fillings to a magnet. His lips parted and his head turned slightly. Davey mimicked him and tangled his fingers in the hair at the back of Adam�s head.
I remember this, Adam thought to himself, I remember kissing Davey just like this. We were smaller, I know, but�
But we were wiser than anyone knew, Davey finished the thought for him. Hearing the ghost of Davey�s thoughts in his head, Adam sucked in air sharply and kissed harder, his hand holding Davey by the side of his face. Davey responded by suddenly clenching his fingers closed, pulling Adam�s hair gently. His other hand, however, began to travel across to Adam�s lap.
Davey felt Adam panic suddenly and growled in anger when the other pulled away. �Davey,� Adam began breathlessly.
�No!� Davey said through gritted teeth. �You can�t! You fucking tease! You said you didn�t, then you kiss me like that?! What the hell, Adam! Make up your mind!�
Adam closed his eyes and sighed. �I did, Davey. But I think we�ve given Jade enough of a show for the moment, that�s all.�
Davey�s eyes went wide as he turned to the door. There stood Jade in the open doorway, holding a cup holder with three cups of coffee. His skin was unnaturally white and his eyes were wide and frozen as they stared at the two.
�Uh,� Davey looked around hurriedly. He still had on his clothes, which was a good thing, but just the sight of seeing them kissing, and seeing that they had slept in the same bed. . .
�Yo! Adam! You awake?� Hunter came down the hall. �Jade, he up? What�s going�� he stopped dead as Jade moved aside to let him see. His jaw dropped open.
Davey looked back at Adam and saw his was now leaning his head against his fist, looking solemnly at his lap. Davey decided to break the silence. He smiled up at Jade. �Ooh! Coffee! You shouldn�t have!�
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The four of them sat at the table in the kitchen, glancing now and then at each other, then hurriedly away. Only Jade didn�t look away. He stared at Adam and waited patiently. Davey sipped his coffee and stared at the marks on the table. Hunter would look up at Davey, but turned away quickly when Davey looked back up at him.
Adam sighed heavily. �Okay, okay, alright. Ask.�
�You two fuck or something?� Jade asked bluntly. Adam winced but didn�t look up. Davey turned slightly red.
�No.� he answered for them both. �We didn�t. You ought to know by now Adam�s straight.�
�Of course I know.� Jade sneered at him. �But seeing you two all cozy-like in bed together, well, that just gets thoughts going, doesn�t it?�
�Jade, don�t.� Adam held up a hand. �Just don�t. It�s not like that. I remember now. Last night, Davey offered to sleep on the couch but I insisted we share the bed. The couch is shit, you know.�
�Yeah, it is.� Hunter agreed. He ducked in shame as Jade threw him a glare.
�But still,� Jade went on, insistent on getting the full story. �What the hell were you two doing kissing like that? I know you must have missed each other, but damn! You two put my best to shame.�
Davey smiled faintly. He arched a brow and looked at Adam. �You want to tell them, or do you want me to tell them?� Adam looked up and met his eyes, understanding completely what he meant. If Davey told them, he�d tell them the complete truth. If Adam told them, he�d be able to tell a fabrication of lies and mask everything that really happened between them years ago.
Adam looked from Hunter to Jade. He saw his friends. The two people he knew for several years now. Not as long or as throughly as he�d known Davey, but knew them nonetheless. He looked back to Davey, expression sad. �I�m sorry, Davey. But I can�t lie to these guys. They�re like my family.�
Davey smiled and patted his arm briefly. �I know. I knew when we were at the bar, how much they mean to you. I�ll tell them, don�t worry.� He looked at Jade and Hunter. �You want to know just about our. . . relationship, or do you want to know the whole, long, boring tale?�
Jade and Hunter exchanged a glance and smiled widely at Davey. �Everything!� Hunter said happily.
�Yeah!� Jade put in. �We�ve got nothing to do today, anyway. Tell us! How�d you two meet?�
Davey sipped his coffee and nodded. �Okay. That�s a good place to start. How we met.�
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Panting, the skinny, scrawny boy named David felt the warm, sweaty hand abruptly release from his grip. This makes him stop. He turns and sees Adam, the dark-haired, moody and somewhat popular boy he secretly has had a crush on since kindergarten, slowly move into the alley and sit heavily on an empty crate upside down against the building. He pants, also, but he doesn�t look up. David can tell he�s angry.
�A-Adam?� David says slowly, �Adam? Are you mad at me? I�m sorry you hit your friends.� He sniffed and realized he was crying. �I�m sorry, Adam, I�m sorry.� And because he was so used to being the center focus of anger at home, David walks into the alley and sits on the ground. He pulls his knees up and hides his face behind them as he cries and rocks back and forth.
Adam hears him and wipes his own eyes. Yes, he was mad. He was mad he had to fight his own friends. His own friends who, under Michael Dunn�s urging, had decided to beat up on a poor, defenseless kid. Sure he was mad, but how could he be mad at this little boy in front of him? This little boy, who almost looked like a little girl. . . whose very crying was making Adam, himself, cry? No. He wasn�t mad at him.
�Stop crying, sissy.� Adam said. �Only girls cry like that!�
But that only made David cry more. Adam�s guilt doubled by the minute. He wiped his face on his shirt and knelt down in front of David. �Look,� he said unsurely, �I didn�t mean to call you sissy. My dad says that. He says that boys don�t cry, only girls. He says that boys that are weak and cry are sissies.�
Adam moves to sit beside David and puts an arm around his shoulders. David flinches. When he sees that Adam isn�t going to hit him, David moves quickly. He wraps his arms around Adam and buries his face against him. Adam, not having any younger siblings to look out for, sits puzzled. He doesn�t know what to do. Boys don�t hug. But this little boy appeared not to know that. This little boy. . . was shaking! And he felt cold!
The instant he felt David tremble, Adam encircled him with both arms out of instinct. This close, Adam could smell David�s golden blond hair, which was so long it ended in a braid nearly all the way down his back. It had a scent somewhat like bubble gum. Strawberry bubble gum. Adam�s hand came up to touch the hair, then gently stroked until David calmed down.
David sat still, hands gripping Adam loosely but firmly while Adam�s fingers ran through his hair.
�You got soft hair.� Adam said, surprising himself.
David looked up at him and sniffed, eyes pink and puffy. �You like it?� his voice was just above a whisper.
�Yeah, I like it.� Adam squinted. �But why you have it so long for? It makes you look like a girl.�
David pulled away then. He looked down at his shoes, finding them suddenly interesting. �My mom braids it every night. She likes brushing it.� He muttered so quietly, Adam had to lean closer. �My dad says my mom�s a crazy bitch. He�s always calling her that.�
Adam looked at David�s shoes, also. �Is she? Is she a crazy bitch?�
David paused, then nodded. �Yeah, I think she is.� He clumsily wiped his eyes. �My mom thinks I�m a girl.�
Adam frowned. �Why does she think that?�
David thought about it. �Dunno. Something to do with. . .� he blushed pink and hid his face behind his knees again.
�With what?� Adam asked. This was kinda interesting.
David peered up with one eye. �I�m not supposed to say. My dad told me not to say. He says. . . He says never to tell anyone. He says if I tell, I�m going to hell.�
Adam�s eyes widened. That serious? He looked up and down the alley. It was empty, but it was after school. All the kids came to this store to try and nick candy. It wouldn�t be easy to explain why they were sitting together in the middle of an alley.
Adam stood up. �Come on, let�s get outta here. I need to go get my bag from school. You got a bag?�
David shook his head. �No, but I�ll go with you. . . if you want.� He shrugged meekly. Inside he was hoping very badly that Adam would want David along.
Adam shrugged. �Whatever.� He started walking. David hurriedly followed. They walked in silence, Adam only looking up when they crossed the street. David snuck glances at him, taking in every bit of him.
Adam was gawky, that was for sure, but he also had a way about him that intrigued David. His eyes were clear blue and his expression was almost always blank that people thought he was upset or angry most of the time. No one knew him like David knew him, though. David knew there was more thought to every action Adam made than he let others on to. Deep thought and wise choices. . . and not to mention the ideas Adam came up with!
Ever since kindergarten, when Adam and David had the same class (unknown to Adam, the oblivious) David would wonder at the images Adam created when they finger painted, or the ideas for games he and his friends would play at recess. He was just. . . awesome, for lack of any better word for an eight year old. Awesome.
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Hunter and Jade listened in awe to Davey�s tale, imagining everything so clearly in their minds. Everything from Davey�s hair down to the trash littering the alley behind the corner store. When Davey fell silent from his own thoughts, they cleared their throats.
�So, after that, you two were like, the best of friends?� Hunter asked.
Davey blinked. �Hhm?� he smiled. �Oh, no, not like that. Uh. . . oh, yeah. After we went back for his bag, Adam told me �bye and we each went home. The next day, I saw him playing a game of catch with his friends. The same ones he beat up protecting me.�
�What?� Hunter asked in disbelief.
�That jerk!� Jade said, throwing Adam a glare. Adam simply grunted as he looked up at his friends, chin resting on the tables� surface.
Davey laughed. �No, you don�t understand. It wasn�t like that. We were just kids. What do kids do? They form alliances, break those alliances, create new ones, then eventually go back to their original friends they first started out with. It happens all the time. I was just glad to go back to watching Adam from my safe corners. It was safer that way. For everyone.�
Hunter grinned at Adam. �Aww, did Adam have a little stalker?�
�Aww,� Jade said, smiling also, but only faintly. He turned back to Davey. �Okay, now tell us the rest.�
Davey sighed. He and Adam exchanged a brief glance before he nodded. �Okay,� Davey said, �you�ll hear the rest. But you might not like how it ends.�
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