Fanboy (boyxboy)

Coming Home

Brent stretched out on the couch and sighed. Adam looked up from his phone, a text from Eli waiting for his reply.

"What's wrong?" Adam recognized the look on Brent's face as the one he always had when he was bored and had been thinking too long. They were hanging out backstage in the greenroom while Cole and Dax walked through that night's show set up and did interviews.

"Sorry. I'm just thinking," Brent rolled to face him. "I know this is so not important right now but I miss working."

"Ah, yeah," Adam sent Eli a quick reply and faced Brent. "What are you gonna do?"

"I'm not sure. The Voice is fun but it doesn't take up enough time. What about...I mean, are you going to work again? Later?"

"When Cole is gone?  Yeah," Adam could read between the lines of Brent's question. "I don't know what. Songwriting of course. Pastor Ben wants me to work with the worship team too."

"I guess that's hard to plan," Brent gave him a sad look.

"Well, yeah, we don't know when."

"I'm sorry. I know this is a stupid time to care about myself."

"No, it's fine," Adam insisted. "I can't sit around and worry about Cole all day every day."

"How's he doing? He seems okay. Slow maybe."

"Yeah, he's mostly alright. He just gets tired easily," Adam nodded. He didn't feel like listing all the little things.

"Would it be stupid if I tried acting?" Brent changed the subject so fast Adam knew he'd been dying to ask.

"No, you'd be really good at that," Adam smiled. He could totally see Brent as a movie actor.

"You think? I want to try it. I don't know, I just know I can't stay home with the kids. I'm losing my mind."

"Really? Is it that bad?" Adam was still excited that he would get to spend a whole day with Clay.

"Yes. You'll see," Brent sighed. "I love my kids but I can't do it."

"I don't know. I think it could be okay," Adam shrugged. "But I'd have to have kids first. Clay is going to start preschool when we get back."

"Aww, Chloe too. They're going to be so cute in their little uniforms."

"Is Clay going to school with Chloe?"

"Yeah, Eli didn't tell you? He got picked from the lottery," Brent looked around, as if they weren't the only people in the room. "But honestly I think Kylie rigged it. She's on the admissions board and I'm sure she pulled Clay's name randomly on purpose."

"Good for her," Adam laughed. He picked up his phone to ask Eli why he hadn't said anything about school.

"Right? I know it's wrong but I don't even care because it works out for us," Brent stretched and stood up. "Okay, I'm seriously going to pass out if we don't go for a walk or something. I'm so tired."

Brent went home a few days later and Adam was back to being on his own. Well, as much on his own as he could be with both his husband and his boyfriend around. Not to mention Clay, who spent a lot of time with Adam while Eli and Cole were working.

The tour was going pretty well. It was a much more laid-back tour than any of Adam's had been. They did two shows and had two or three nights off so they moved slowly too. The idea was to give Cole plenty of time to rest. Cole had other ideas.

"Okay, I need to get ready," Cole announced one evening and stood up.

Adam watched all the color drain from Cole's face. He took a shaky step forward and then collapsed into the nearest chair.