Title: Bargaining – Part 1
Author: Castiel! at the Disco (a/k/a calcium_yeah )
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Emmerdale
Genre: Slash
Pairing: Adam Barton/Aaron Livesy
Disclaimer: A collection of people own Emmerdale and its characters. I own nothing.
Notes: Takes place after January 8, 2010 episode, ignoring following episodes.
Summary: Adam wants Aaron to admit he wants him. So, basically, the storyline from the show, except here he's smart enough to use tactics that make it worth Aaron's while.
It was sense memory, right? That flash of something that pulls you off into someplace you've been? Had to be it. Had to be, because Aaron was hit right across the face with it. He'd been standing in the field, telling his former best mate how things were gonna be, and then it was bam, back in Ryan's car again.
It was Adam leaning in that did it. Adam setting off to call his bluff—not that it had been a bluff, he'd meant it up until a second ago. If he'd have needed to shut Adam up, he'd have shut him up.
But then Adam leaned in and Aaron was sat right back in the front seat of that car, face to face and sharing too much personal space. He couldn't think then and he couldn't think now. Just feeling that impulse—that undying impulse that wouldn't let him get on with the night like it was supposed to go.
Move in closer, Aaron.
Nothing clearer than that. Not like he was dying for a kiss. Just something pushing him forward, could've been off balance for all he knew. Someone sat right there, looking all concerned, you're gonna lean in, aren't you? Adam wasn't much for concern tonight though, was he? Tonight he was leaned in trying to provoke some kinda truth out of Aaron; tilting his head at an angle trying to mock the move that had started all this as far as he could tell.
"Well go on then, hit me." Adam taunted him, like Aaron wouldn't do it. Aaron had full on intended to do it. "Or would you rather kiss me instead?"
Adam fucking Barton.
Aaron's throat tightened up and he ground his teeth together. Jaw clenched. Jaw clenched. His brain was screaming at him to say something, to come back at Adam with anything. Aaron's jaw hurt as he pressed his teeth together, holding back words that weren't coming out anyway. He shook his head, finally, and turned to walk away. Wasn't much to say, Adam was gonna believe what he wanted to believe.
Aaron wasn't more than a step away when he heard Adam calling out behind him. He paused where he stood, back to the younger man, who continued to speak.
"See you do that, but you don't ever say 'no', do you?" Adam's voice still held the softness he'd used when he asked Aaron if he'd rather kiss him; Aaron was starting to hate that tone. It was like Adam was trying to be gentle. Like Aaron needed someone to be gentle. "I ask you if you want to try it again, if you want to kiss me, if you had your eye out for a little something more, and you always walk away, but you never deny it."
Aaron tapped his foot for a second, debating whether to turn around or just keep walking and put an end to the conversation. But there was no ending it, was it? Adam would just keep hanging about, telling his stories, trying to make Holly go off him.
Aaron spun around and stepped back to where he'd been standing, right and close to Adam, giving him a chance to get good and weird about Aaron being so near to him.
"Then I want you to listen closely, right?" Aaron tapped Adam's left ear and the other boy tilted his head away with a grimace. "I'm denying it now. Like I said, I prefer Holly."
"Until you tried to kiss me you weren't paying any mind to Holly!" Adam scrunched his face up in confusion, as if he couldn't understand why Aaron wouldn't admit what now seemed so obvious.
"Ya, well, if you wanna believe that." Aaron shrugged. "I happen to like her."
"Right. And would you still be so keen on her if I'd let you kiss me that night?"
"Never tried that." Aaron shook his head.
"Just quit denying it, Aaron! Nobody's even around here but us and we both know what happened." Adam was getting loud and Aaron checked to make sure no one was lurking about listening in on their conversation.
"Could do without you shouting things like that out, mate." Aaron was frowning when he turned back around, and that frown only deepened when he saw Adam smirking at him.
"Told you I'd say I got it wrong if you broke it off with Holly."
"Holly's worth more to me than stopping you running around telling lies about me." Aaron's hands were curled into fists and he bounced his right heel up and down restlessly.
"No." Adam shook his head again. "No, that's not it. I think I just didn't make a good enough offer."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Aaron's eyebrows lowered as he eyed Adam suspiciously.
"Me asking you to go off Holly, saying I would take back what I said." Adam stepped closer and Aaron clenched his jaw again; it had become a subconscious reflex. "Should've known you'd be after something more tangible."
"You're the one keeps going on about it. Sounds like you're the one who's after something."
"And what if I am?" Adam took another step forward, so the two boys' shoes were almost touching. "What if I'm after you to finish what you started? What if that's what you get when you give up Holly? What if you get me?"
"Tssh." Aaron let out a quick sarcastic breath of air and shook his head. "Whoring ourselves out just to prove a point, are we? 's not a good look."
"Isn't about proving a point. I'm doing this for my sister." Adam reached a hand up and placed his fingertips on the zipper of Aaron's jacket.
"Thanks for the offer," Aaron gripped his hand around Adam's fingers and pushed Adam's hand away, "but like I said, I'd rather have her."
"You're using her!" Adam threw his hands in the air, completely frustrated. "I know you want me, why don't you just admit it? You think you won't get enough out of it, that I'm just gonna run off and tell everyone I was right once I hear it? 's not like they'd believe me anyway."
"I told you what happened. I hit my head; I was all over the place. You're the one who keeps banging on about it. But I'll tell you what, if you're looking for a kiss, I'm not the one to give it to you." Aaron turned to walk away again, but Adam jogged ahead and blocked his path.
"Come on then, scared to make the first move again?" Adam was breathing slightly heavier from the brief exertion, mouth hanging open just a bit more, and Aaron had to force his attention back to Adam's eyes.
"Never made a first move the first time." Aaron stuck with the story that was becoming harder to sell.
"I see it, you know? The way you look at me. See you wanting me." Adam's voice was pleading for Aaron to admit what the younger man had started to see so clearly. "I see you wanting me to do things my sister could never do."
"Don't want a thing from you." Aaron shuffled from foot to foot, restless but unable to step around the man blocking his path.
"What're you gonna do then? You gonna push me off of you?" Adam pressed his chest against Aaron; zippers and buttons of Adam's jacket pressing into Aaron's chest where his jacket was unzipped.
"You need to back off." Aaron was breathing heavy, just short of a pant. "Right now."
"Not in much of a mood for backing off." Adam reached into the limited space between their bodies, brushing his knuckles against the front of Aaron's jeans.
Aaron's gaze was darting over Adam's face, from eyes to lips and back, pupils dilated and eyes wide as they could go. Adam could see him on the edge of a decision to move in or walk away.
He was wavering…wavering.
Move in. Clear off.
"I won't pull away this time, you know." Adam kept stroking, and Aaron kept pretending he didn't notice what was happening.
"You pulled away last time—" Aaron started before catching himself, still unwilling to admit what he'd been trying to do in the front seat of that car. "When you thought I tried to kiss you, you pulled away."
"Doesn't matter." Adam shifted his hand, trying to slide it into Aaron's pants, but Aaron clamped his wrist and kept it in place.
"I don't get what you're playing at." Aaron's brain was scrambling for an angle, trying to get what Adam was getting out of this. "You really trying to have it off with me because you want me away from Holly?"
"Does it matter?" Adam tried to push his hand down the front of Aaron's pants again.
"This isn't something you want to go mucking about with." Aaron gripped Adam's wrist tighter, stopping the other man's fingers just as they curled into his waistband. Adam clenched his teeth at the initial shock of pain, then twisted his hand until Aaron loosened his grip.
"You're the one's mucking about, pretending you're into my sister." Adam tugged at Aaron's jeans. "What I did to you just now, you wouldn't have let that happen if you weren't interested."
Aaron bit the inside of his mouth, not responding to Adam's assertion, not breaking eye-contact, not moving except to clench the muscles in his right calf.
Adam sighed and shook his head, moving to back away, but Aaron grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him in, glaring into his eyes.
"Might just be curious how far you're willing to go to keep me away from your sister."
"Only one way to find out, isn't there?"