The boy Next Door.
Title: The Boy Next Door.
Author: lovenhardt1
Banner: qafmaniac
Word Count: ~10.500
Pairing: Adam/Tommy (high school AU).
Rating: PG13
Disclaimers: The people you might recognize in here are NOT mine. I'm not making any profit, I'm only doing this for fun. There is no way this ever happened and so on.
Beta: jamie2109. Thank you sweetie for all your help!
Type: Romance with just enough angst to make it good.
A/N: I had some really incredible cheerleaders on this fic!!! I love you all dearly! And I couldn’t have done it without you! So THANK YOU!!!
Summary: Adam watched the removal van drive up and park in front of the house, he watched people running back and forth with boxes and furniture, like busy ants, until it was all unloaded onto the front lawn. His eyes kept drifting back to the teenage boy who looked a little lost and a whole lot pissed as he was walking up to the house with sports-bags in both hands and a guitar case slung over his shoulder. He was glaring up at his new home and biting his lower lip.
The kid disappeared into the house but Adam saw him again in the room that faced his own. Their eyes met across gardens and Adam knew, fucking knew, that his life would never be the same. Gorgeous brown eyes looked back at him, a sad expression caught in them.
Adam’s heart clenched at the sadness and instantly wanted to make the boy feel better. He flipped the page on the notebook he was writing lyrics in and wrote a hasty ‘you ok?’ on it and held it up to the window for the kid to see……
Please do not link/copy/share/whatever this anywhere. Thank you.
8 MONHTS EARLIER.
The thing with Nina lasted about four months. The months of misery Adam called them to himself whenever he tried his best to be happy for Tommy. Tommy really seemed to like her to the point of being nauseating about it.
Adam tried to back off a little when it hurt too much or when he got too many annoyed looks from Nina, but Tommy wouldn’t let him. No, Tommy just patiently explained to the both of them why it was absolutely necessary that they watched this particular movie in Adam’s room or some shit like that. And Adam caved every single time, and he loved Tommy a little more for the effort to hang out with him. But as much as he wanted to hang with Tommy, he really didn’t want to be stuck in his own room watching a, God forbid, horror movie of Tommy’s choice, and listening to two horny teenagers make out in his bed. Or maybe he just wanted the earth to crack open and swallow Nina and leave a horny Tommy with him. Yeah that’s what he wanted. But since that wasn’t going to happen, would it be too much to ask for some time alone with his best friend so they could actually talk or maybe just watch a movie together where Tommy curled himself around Adam the way he used to?
Another thing was that Adam was fairly sure Tommy was utterly clueless to how Adam felt but it was a whole other story with Nina. Adam had the distinct impression she could see right through his act. And she used it to stake her claim every chance she got, which really made it damn hard to pretend to like her, even to keep Tommy happy.
It was tiny things like a small but thoughtful look at Adam before she kissed Tommy stupid and panting. And then she'd wink wickedly at Adam right before leaving them to join her girlfriends. Or the way she looked suspicious when she came over to Tommy’s house and found Adam there, like Adam had tried to make a move on her boyfriend.
As if Adam would ever actually do that, because when he finally admitted to himself that he wanted Tommy, he felt kinda awkward and shy, and there was no way he would ever work up the nerve to act on it. At first Tommy hadn’t noticed anything was off, but one day he came up to Adam’s room with a movie in his hand and declared that it was time for some ‘guys and guys only quality time’. He'd flopped down on Adam’s bed, waving the movie in front of him and demanded to know what the hell crawled up Adam’s ass. When Adam brushed it of as nothing, Tommy just kept doing what Tommy did best - he'd looked at Adam, searching for an answer, before giving in with a little shrug. Then he'd cuddled against Adam as they watched a movie and forced him to relax. That day was awesome and awful, but mostly awesome.
Somehow that afternoon did the trick and Adam relaxed around Tommy, and the days passed, but Adam’s resentment towards Nina grew, not entirely because she was Tommy’s girlfriend but because she gloated and because she did it when Tommy couldn't see it.
So every kiss he had to witness, every time he saw Tommy walking with his hand curled around Nina’s or every time he had to say good night before Nina so Tommy could say good night to her the ‘proper way’, killed him a little. But the worst part was the times he saw a note in the window saying that Tommy had other plans. Notes like “off to the movies” or “using my hard earned money on dinner tonight J”. Every one of those notes made Adam feel rejected, and he damn well knew that he wasn’t, that he was special to Tommy, just not that kind of special. It sucked.
One day he saw a piece of paper with a broken heart on it hanging in Tommy’s window. And Adam let out a little gasp. Fuck really?? Shit. A million thoughts ran through his head. Was this about Nina? Or was there something else that had broken Tommy's heart? He hoped this was about Nina, even though the thought of Tommy sad was heart breaking in its own way. With very mixed feelings, Adam ran over to Tommy and, much like four months ago, he took two steps at a time up the stairs and hurried down the hall to find him.
He found Tommy curled up on his bed watching something Adam couldn’t care less about on the TV. Adam stood still for about twenty seconds before quietly entering the room. Tommy looked up and they locked gazes. Adam was thrown completely off guard at the hardness and anger he saw. He had expected a sad Tommy, not a pissed off Tommy.
“What happened?” Adam asked softly, moving to the bed and sitting down, scooting up to the headboard. Tommy tossed him a pillow and Adam offered a smile as he got comfortable. Tommy looked at Adam for a while in silence and Adam realized he was waiting for him to make space to cuddle. Adam lifted his arm and Tommy settled in by his side before Adam let his arm rest around Tommy’s shoulders. Tommy sighed a little and Adam squeezed a little, urging him to talk, secretly loving the closeness and warmth coming from Tommy a little too much.
“She dumped me. We’re done,” Tommy said in a calm tone that didn’t quite match the look Adam saw before.
“Oh. Why?”
Tommy glanced up at Adam. “Because she is a jealous bitch, that’s why!”
That didn’t come as a surprise to Adam, but he didn’t want to say anything bad about Nina. How he felt was one thing, but it would be a whole other thing to rub it in Tommy’s face. Tommy who had seemed very infatuated with her, like yesterday. So instead Adam asked, “Jealous of who? Did you do something stupid?”
Another quick glance up at Adam and this time Adam saw something he couldn’t decipher in Tommy’s eyes, but it made Adam’s heart beat a little faster. Tommy looked away fast and picked at some imaginary lint on the jeans clinging to Adam’s thigh. “Um, you. And, other than spending time with you? No.”
“Me? But I tried to give you guys more space.”
“I know you did and it kinda pissed me off, Adam. No offense but you’re my best friend and best friends don’t need to do that, there should always be room for the people you love, it’s that simple.”
This time Tommy didn’t look up at Adam, which Adam was a little relieved about. Hearing that Tommy loved him, even though Tommy frequently said it, still made his heart want to burst. It didn’t seem to acknowledge the difference between friendship and something else. Adam sucked in a much needed breath, before trying to sound reprimanding. “Tommy.”
“It is! Jesus.”
Adam briefly thought that this was exactly one of the reasons why Tommy was so loveable, before catching Tommy’s hand and keeping it still. The way Tommy was touching Adam’s thigh, feathery light and almost not was maddening and had to stop.
“Yeah, but I just wanted you to be happy, Tommy, and I thought if-”
“Yeah, I know. The thing is, she kept saying that I needed to let you go. But I don’t wanna! You’re my best friend, end of discussion. Damn it,” Tommy said, and there was an edginess to his voice that made Adam think this wasn’t the first time Tommy had argued that. Tommy inhaled before continuing,
“But then a week ago she told me I had to choose and I kinda just laughed it off and told her that you do not choose the people you care about, and you never choose who you love the most. I guess she thought it meant I would choose her because she got really pissed when I told her I had to go hear your singing lesson.”
Adam was stunned. Tommy went to hear him sing today? And why the hell hadn’t he seen him? “You went to hear me sing?”
Tommy was quiet for a while before he twisted his hand in Adam’s and Adam reluctantly let it go, but Tommy didn’t take it away. No, instead he began to play with Adam’s fingers. Just gently touching, driving Adam insane. When Tommy finally spoke he really messed with Adam’s poor brain.
“I always do. I love those forty-five minutes spent in the back row letting your voice wash over me.”
Adam swallowed hard. What should he make of this? What did it mean? Tommy had always been very supportive of Adam when it came to singing, but Adam had just figured it had something to do with their mutual passion, music. But this had to be more than that, didn’t it? Adam silently screamed at himself, God he could not keep doing this to himself, Tommy was straight and not into guys at all, let alone into him.
“I didn’t know you did that. I’ve never noticed you there.”
“Naw, that’s your time and I never wanted you to lose focus on your singing, so I kinda just listen and then I leave.
“But if you don’t talk to me, then why wouldn’t you just ditch it to spend time with Nina? It’s not worth getting dumped for.”
Tommy laced their fingers together and then let go again immediately after. Adam wanted to grab his hand and make him do it again. Damn those long slim fingers felt so right between Adam’s. Adam felt like the worst friend ever. Here he was supposedly listening to his best friend go through his break up and all he could think of was how perfect Tommy felt against him and that he just wanted to entwine their fingers again so, so much.
“Um, I barely saw you last week, and I just, I dunno, Adam. It’s just a thing of mine, okay?”
“Yeah okay,” Adam said softly, even though he didn’t understand it at all. He was so out of his depth that it wasn’t even funny.
“She said she wouldn’t be my number two after that.”
“Number two?”
“Yeah, she said that I always put you first and that she was tired of it. She said she was beginning to think that maybe I was just as hung up on you, as you are on me.”
Adam felt like someone had knocked him over. She actually told Tommy? Bitch! He barely succeeded in putting on his best innocent face, when Tommy looked up and caught Adam’s eyes. He seemed to search for something, and Adam wanted to squirm under that gaze, but kept still and let Tommy look.
“Oh. Um, what does that even mean?” Adam asked. Tommy had said something about Tommy feeling the same, and Adam really wanted that cleared up. Like desperately.
Tommy looked away and Adam was sure he imagined the tiny pinkish tint Tommy’s cheeks had taken on.
“Beats me. Anyway we’re not together anymore and,” Tommy sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, “maybe that’s a good thing.”
Tommy shrugged lightly and sighed. Adam didn’t know what to say so he just let out a little, “Maybe.”
Tommy curled closer and Adam wrapped both arms around him rocking them a little together, making Tommy laugh. And suddenly the mood was lighter, a bit more playful. Tommy looked at Adam, and those damn brown eyes had gone soft and warm again and a smile played at his lips.
“More time for us to hang again, I mean, I miss you, dude. I missed this,” Tommy said before poking Adam gently in the ribs.
“Yeah, I missed this, too,” Adam admitted. “You’re such a cuddle slut.”
“Hell yeah, and since I’m now without a girlfriend, then I’m all your cuddle slut.” Tommy laughed and went for Adam’s ribs in earnest, tickling him mercilessly. Adam made a halfhearted attempt to stop him only because he was supposed to. Tommy hands were on him and God did Adam want them to stay there, tickling or not. That day turned out pretty good Adam thought.
A month went by and Adam didn’t know if he was in heaven or hell. Tommy spent every possible moment in Adam’s house, which was all kinds of awesome. But he also seemed to withdraw a little from Adam and that made Adam think he'd done something wrong. Every time he asked Tommy about it, Tommy would send him a full blown smile and say that everything was fine and ask what Adam wanted to do. Adam saw there was something hidden in Tommy’s eyes though, and he couldn’t let go of the idea that he was the reason Tommy didn’t seem all that happy.
One day in particular made Adam confused and upset. It began with them walking to school and Adam had playfully nudged Tommy’s side and asked if it wasn’t about time he started dating again. Tommy had looked up at Adam through his lashes, looking a little shy and that was when Adam noticed that Tommy was blushing. Adam put an arm around Tommy’s shoulder, and Tommy leaned into the one armed hug, fitting perfectly against him, and Adam scolded himself for doing this to himself all the damned time.
“You’ve got a crush on someone,” Adam said matter-of-factly.
Tommy’s blush deepened and he shrugged, kind of dismissive, the little movement made his shoulder rub against Adam, which pretty much melted his brain. Adam didn’t ask about it, and Tommy sighed heavily and pulled away from Adam with a sad glint in his eyes. Adam wanted to pull him back and chase that look away but he had no idea how to do it, so he echoed Tommy’s sigh and they walked the rest of the way to school in silence.
Then at lunch Tommy sat down beside Mia and leaned his head on her shoulder, something he used to do with Adam. It made Adam want to get up and leave, especially when Mia pressed a small kiss to Tommy’s hair and she got that completely content look from Tommy and a little secretive smile. Mia ruffled his hair and whispered something Adam couldn’t hear, and he knew he was staring at them but he couldn’t look away.
Brad kicked Adam’s ankle under the table, making Adam hiss and turn to glare at him, but Brad, the fucker, put a hand over Adam’s and squeezed it lightly and his ridiculously pretty eyes were soft and pitiful. Adam wanted to cry and hide somewhere safe with Brad. To yell at the world for being totally unfair or to at least pour his heart out to someone that knew. Brad was perfect for that obviously.
When school ended that day and it was time for Adam’s singing lesson, he found Tommy already sitting all the way up back in the last row, waiting with his chin in his hands, looking at Adam patiently. Adam’s heart began beating a little faster, the way it always did when he had Tommy’s undivided attention.
“Hey!” Adam said loud enough to know it traveled to Tommy, and he got a small nod in return.
Mrs. Connelly rushed in and Adam had to warm up his voice and get singing and, before he knew it, the lesson was over and Tommy came down the stairwell quietly.
“Oh, I see your boyfriend has stopped being shy and is coming down to join us,” Mrs. Connelly said warmly. Adam felt his eyes go huge and he immediately began to explain.
“No, no, no, Tommy is not my boyfriend; he’s my best friend, that’s it. And he’s straight.”
Mrs. Connelly raised her brows. “Oh, I’m sorry I just assumed-”
“It alright, Mrs. Connelly,” Tommy said smiling coldly. “To Adam, I’m just one of the girls. I swear he has no clue that I was born with a dick.” Tommy brushed past Adam and Mrs. Connelly fast, and Adam stood there with his mouth open, feeling totally lost. What the hell was wrong with Tommy these days?
Mrs. Connelly patted Adam’s shoulder and said, “I think you two need to talk, Adam,” before leaving him with his train of thoughts.
So that was what Adam had decided to do, when he heard Tommy’s voice in the kitchen talking to Leila before coming up to Adam's room.
His decision flew out the window though, when Tommy flung the door open and, with a joyful smile, threw three CD’s on the bed.
“Oh my God, Adam, I found these in the little music shop near Mia’s place. They’re awesome!” He took one of the CD’s out and put it on. He was all excited and Adam thought 'what the hell' and went with it. For two hours they discussed music and lyrics and it was good, until it wasn’t.
It started with a friendly disagreeing on the lyrics and that turned into playful wrestling on the bed. And Adam damn well knew he was tormenting himself but Tommy writhing and squirming under him was just too good to ignore and maybe, well not maybe, he did get a little too carried away, but he honestly didn’t know what went wrong. All of a sudden, Tommy pushed with real force against him and in a panicked voice begged Adam to let him go. When Adam did, Tommy had jumped off the bed in a hurry and went straight to the bathroom. He stayed in there forever, or at least long enough for Adam to worry, and to get rid of his embarrassing erection, which by the way was a total bonus.
“You okay in there?”
“Fine.”
“Please talk to me.”
“Nothing to talk about.”
The door opened and Tommy looked flushed and very self-conscious. Adam got off the bed and met Tommy in the door.
“What is up with you?” The love in his voice was so clear that it would probably embarrass him later, but at this moment he didn’t care.
“Nothing, Adam. Listen imma head home, I’ll see you tomorrow morning, okay?”
“Yeah, okay.”
Adam looked at Tommy intently and Tommy flickered his gaze away and mumbled, “Let it go, Adam, you don’t wanna know, not really.”
Tommy looked up with a determined expression on his face and pushed up on his toes to kiss Adam on his cheek, making Adam struggle to keep a moan from escaping. And then Tommy was out the door, yelling a good night to the rest of Adam’s family. Adam went over to his window and watched Tommy run over the lawn and jump the small fence the way he always did. When Tommy disappeared into his house, Adam wrote him a note saying, ‘it can’t be that bad! I’ll still love you, best friends forever, right?!’ and put it up in the window for Tommy to see when he felt like communicating again.
When Adam was getting ready for bed that night he looked over to check if Tommy had written a reply. He had, and the note made Adam even more confused.
‘maybe one day and maybe you won’t feel like that after, ILU2’
**
PRESENT.
Adam was lying curled up on his bed, cradling his pillow tight when he heard the front door in the neighbor house open and close. He got off the bed quickly and hurried to the window, heart beating fast, hoping to see Tommy, but it was Dia and Lisa, and they’re going out not in. Adam’s heart clenched and he ran his hand through his hair and shot a glance at the cell phone and grabbed it. It was time to bite the bullet and just call him for fucks sake! He thumbed speed dial paused. Finally, he swallowed and dialed Mia’s number, heart in his throat, but desperate to talk to Tommy.
“Mia Tyler.”
“Hey it’s Adam. How is he?”
“How do you think, Adam? He saw you kiss Brad for Christ sake.”
“Can I talk to him? I swear, Mia, it was one kiss and it didn’t mean anything.”
“Um, I’ll ask him, okay? But don’t get your hopes up.”
Adam sat down on the bed and waited, picking on a loose thread on the bedspread. He could hear Mia speak to Tommy but he couldn’t make out Tommy’s response. His mind wandered back to the day that made everything right in Adam’s life.
TBC here