I've had this half written on my computer for a few weeks, so thought it was time I finished it. Maybe 3 chapters, or a bit more. We will see!
"You're smiling," Robert said, briefly glancing at him before returning his attention to the road.
"Ah well, can you blame me?" Aaron said. "I'm happy." It had been a rare occurrence in the past.
"Happy looks good on you." Robert grinned, that lopsided smile that stopped his heart for a moment.
"Robert! Look out!" Aaron shouted, seeing a van weaving across the road, the driver clearly losing control. For a few moments it felt like everything was going in slow motion as Robert swerved into the hedge, trying to avoid the oncoming van. It didn't work.
The sound of the van crashing into the car was louder than Aaron thought possible as the car rolled over. The impact made him shake in his seat, but by the time the car stopped moving he felt like he was roughly still in one piece. He looked at the drivers seat, and Robert didn't look in good shape at all. Blood was welling from his mouth and his eyes were closed, bent over the steering wheel. The car was severely dented on his side too. "Robert, no," he said under his breath. "Come on, look at me!" he shouted, fighting with the seat belt to try and get him out of the car.
"…mm.."
"Good," Aaron said. "You're alive." Then he looked down at his chest. Robert's shirt had gone dark with blood, welling from God knows where. "Oh God." Making a decision, he got out of the car and he pulled Robert out after a long struggle, eventually laying him down on the side of the road. He hurried in his pocket for his phone. "Ambulance!" he begged into the phone. "I don't know where we are. Car accident between Emmerdale village and Hotten. It's an emergency." He almost threw the phone aside as Robert started coughing blood, clearly in pain.
"Robert, look at me," he said quietly. "Come on, you need to look at me." After a moment his eyes flickered open, taking another few seconds to focus on him. Aaron smiled. "Just stay with me."
"You're bleeding," Robert said, seeing a cut on Aaron's head.
"Forget me," Aaron said impatiently. He wasn't important. "You alright?" Then felt like kicking himself for asking that right now.
"Not so good," Robert said. He coughed heavily, blood coming up, which Aaron tried and failed not to panic about. "I'm not going to make it, Aaron."
"You're not going anywhere," Aaron said. "Okay?"
"Aaron, I can't breathe," he said tightly. "And my chest… feels like… it's going to explode."
Aaron looked down and swallowed uncomfortably. His entire upper body was blood soaked, so thick it looked black. "Oh, my God."
"This is bad," Robert said. He frowned in pain as he coughed again, more blood coming up. "Aaron…"
"You're going to be fine," he said.
"I can tell when you're lying to me," he said. "Don't lie."
"An ambulance is coming," Aaron said, a hand to his cheek, trying to comfort him. "Come on, you just have to stay with me for a bit longer." He could feel Robert's cheek, cool against his own warm skin. Silently he begged Robert not to leave him.
"Aaron…" Robert said, keeping his eyes focused sharply on his. "I'm dying."
"No," he said, shaking his head. "Don't be stupid."
"I love you," he said, eyes urgent, as if needing Aaron to understand how important this was. "I love you."
"No, don't," Aaron said. "Don't do this, don't say goodbye to me."
He closed his eyes, exhaling softly. "Robert!" Aaron screamed. "Don't you dare! You have to look at me."
"I'm so tired. I need to sleep."
"No, you don't."
"Don't," Robert breathed, keeping his eyes on Aaron's. "Don't spend the rest of your life unhappy."
"Stop it," Aaron said firmly. "You're not going anywhere."
"Oh God," Robert said, closing his eyes. "I don't have the energy to argue with you."
"Then stop arguing," Aaron suggested.
"Aaron, kiss me," he asked.
"No," he said stubbornly. It felt like kissing him really would be saying goodbye, and he couldn't bear that.
"Please," Robert said. "I feel… far away." Aaron swallowed against the lump in his throat, and leaned over him, kissing him gently. Robert barely responded to him, and Aaron could taste his blood. When they parted Robert was looking at him urgently, eyes wide.
"I don't regret anything with you," Robert said, his breathing coming in short gasps now. "Not one thing."
"Stop talking like this," Aaron warned. "I'll start getting really annoyed." Robert smiled slightly, a tilt at the corner of his mouth. Which stayed there frozen. "No, come on." Robert's eyes had closed and the silence was damning. His gasping for breath had been so loud, now that it'd stopped, Aaron could hear nothing but the wind. "Come on, look at me," he begged. "Please Robert, don't do this to me." He reached for Robert's wrist, desperately feeling for a pulse. It was there and Aaron sighed. Still alive. For now. He needed that ambulance hurry the hell up.
Not entirely sure which way this is going to go yet! Let me know, and thanks for reading.