'Do you believe me now?'

Aaron and Cain – one shot

Everybody tells him that it wasn't his fault and that he shouldn't believe his dad's lies. Aaron nods but deep-down he still believes that he deserved it all.

Can the one person he least expects to convince him?

If you like this story, the author would be over the moon if you could leave a review.

Thanks and enjoy!

'Why do you treat him like he's some kind of leper?'
'I don't!'
'Yes, you do! Don't you think he's noticed?'
'I don't know what to do! I'm a doer, not a talker. Not good with this stuff like you and Paddy...'
'You don't have to say anything. All you have to do is treat him like normal - that's all he needs. Be straight with him because right now, he thinks you're blaming him.'
Cain drew in a sharp breath, he hadn't realised that. 'I'll go and see him then. Where is he?'
'At work.'
He immediately grabbed his coat and slammed the door on his way out, leaving his sister shaking her head in the kitchen and wringing the tea-towel in her hands anxiously.
…...

'Aaron?'
'What are you doing here?' Was the welcome he received when he walked into the scrapyard.
'I came to see you.'
'Oh, he speaks!' Was the other's bitter sarcastic reply. ' You can't even look at me since Mum told you and I see it in your eyes that you don't see me in the same way!' His voice broke and his eyes immediately grew wet like they seemed to do at the slightest provocation since his dear old dad came back. Aaron stubbornly turned away to examine the car engine he'd been tinkering with before Cain showed up to hide his tears. He hated breaking down in front of his uncle most of all who saw him as weak and a crybaby and even though Cain had never said such a thing, Aaron just knew he did.
The eyes never lied.
Even worse - his uncle's next words seemed to confirm his fears.
'You're right, I don't see you in the same way.' He admitted frankly.
Aaron angrily whirled round to face him. 'I knew it! You're disgusted with me, aren't you? You imagine all those things he made me do...'
'I said I don't see you the same way.' Cain's voice was soft.
'I knew it! Now get lost!' He gave him his back and began working on the old engine again.
'Wait – let me finish. What I mean is I see how strong, how resilient, how amazing you are now to go through all that alone and still carry on like you do. How you're so different from him because you're good. Whatever lies he told you…'
Aaron turned back to face him with an incredulous look on his face. Cain never praised anyone, least him and now he was practically gushing compliments. What the hell was going on?
'Then why did you stop speaking to me? Every time I came into the room, you'd make some excuse to leave.' He replied shakily.
'Because I was disgusted with myself, not you. For not seeing or realising and falling for his act. I didn't know what to say to make it better. Didn't seem that I could do anything to help you until now. Because I've come to tell you I think you should drop the case.'
Aaron's eyes widened in confusion.
'Because without another witness or God forbid – a victim, I don't think you'll win...Listen - I know you're hurting yourself again because of the stress.' Cain explained.
'So, I just let him win?' Aaron whispered incredulously, the tears torrenting down his face. His uncle's betrayal was too much after how hard he'd tried to take Gordon down. And everybody knew what happened to him for what?
For nothing.
Cain shook his head as if reading his mind. 'You've already won, son, because he thought he could keep getting at you and you would never tell. Now everyone knows what he did. What he is. His life is over and he doesn't have to be locked up for that to happen.'
Aaron was crying for real now, openly and unashamedly as was his way and Cain edged closer to hesitantly put a hand on his shoulder.
'There, there. It's OK. Everything'll be OK. Shh.' He hushed awkwardly.
Aaron looked up at him through his tears in surprise. This wasn't how his uncle was with him normally. Be cruel to be kind was Cain Dingle's lifelong motto and he certainly didn't do touch.
'I love you.' He heard his uncle announce before he felt Cain's hand flutter gently through his hair, as if to lend credence to his words. And when he brushed back his fringe from his face in exactly the same way his mother did, his eyes grew wide and he just stared, the tears standing in his eyes.
'What?' The young man whispered. He wasn't scared exactly but he wasn't sure what was going on. It was like Cain had morphed into a different version of himself.
He didn't know this man.
'l meant it. I love you, silly.' Cain let his hand fall to his side haplessly.
Aaron shook his head, still unable to believe.
'I do! Just as much as Debbie and her kids – you're Chas' so that makes you just as much mine. Just as much as them because your blood. Kin. And I would kill to protect you and stop someone from hurting you, just the same as I would do for any one of them.'
Aaron sobbed harder and when his uncle moved even closer to him looking unsure how to help, he launched himself at him without warning. The older man tensed up slightly at first before he wrapped his arms around his nephew to pull him closer to him. Surprisingly, the tough man found that it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
'It's over.' He patted his nephew's back gently. 'One way or another, it's over. You've already beaten him...you beat him.'
Aaron rested his head over his uncle's shoulder and fisted the back of his shirt as he let go. Breaking down without inhibition in front of Cain felt strange to him, especially when he thought he despised such shows of weakness but now he he knew Cain thought the opposite about him.
He knew it when he felt his uncle's arms tighten around him and he heard him murmuring in his ear how brave, how strong he was. Telling him that he didn't have to hurt himself anymore. That he wasn't bad, not bad, not him.

When his uncle held him and told him that, Aaron finally deep-down believed it.