Thanks to Dangling Hearts for the beta-ing.

Seeing Red

Aaron smiled, a weight lifted from his shoulders.

The kiss. It was a promise that everything would work out, that all would be fine. He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, and began whistling along to some tune that had been played in the pub as he made a move to catch the bus back to Emmerdale.

And this evening, he was celebrating his best mates 18th, having a pint after work. And Jackson turned up. Granted, Aaron hadn't taken his calls for three days, but he had just had his first kiss with a man. With stubble. And it was nice, yeah, but still.

He freaked out, told Jackson he couldn't deal with this so close to home. And then Ryan asked if he could join them, and Jackson stayed.

Ryan booked a cab after they all agreed to head into town. As they were making a move for town, Adam was finishing the last dregs of his pint. Jackson, subtly, in a mate-y way, grabbed Aaron's wrist to urge him to a make a move.

Aaron lost it. Saw red. Muttered insults that made him cringe. Swung out at Jackson. Diane ordered Paddy to take him home, as Bob rushed to Jackson's aid.

Paddy dragged him out of the Woolpack, straight back to Smithy Cottage. Aaron made a beeline for the sink, to wash his grazed hand, the same sink that only a month ago Paddy washed the blood from his face at.

"Are you gonna talk to me or what?" Paddy shouted, unable to stop moving on the spot. Aaron ignored him. "All he's ever done for you is shown you a bit of kindness; a bit of support!"

Paddy made a move to turn away. "Yeah, what would you know?" Aaron asked, drying his hands as he moved passed Paddy towards the living room. "Well he didn't deserve that!" Paddy retaliated.

"Why won't ya just stay out of it?" Aaron replied, not wanting any more discussion on the topic.

Paddy followed him into the room, "How can I?" Aaron sighed. "And, well done, by the way. You're doing a great job of trying not to get noticed." Paddy added sarcastically, a round of applause to emphasis his statement. Aaron rolled his eyes.

"What am I gonna tell your mum?"

Quick as a shot, Aaron replied, "You're not telling my mum anything!"

Paddy paused, disbelief crashing his face. "People are gonna think you're some sort of gay basher, do you know that?"

"So?" said Aaron, a look of disgust, tinged with regret on his face as he spoke.

"Is that what you want?" Paddy asked, his voice high with disbelief.

"Well it's better than 'em calling me queer, innit?"

"What's up with ya?" Paddy roared, his anger and disbelief taking hold of him now.

Aaron was ready to reply, when a knock at the front door interrupted the argument. He rolled his eyes again, and turned on the spot to open the door.

Paddy rubbed his face in agitation.

Aaron looked outside seeing no one there. He took a step outside to find Jackson standing at the other entrance.

"What do you want?" Aaron spat, crossing his arms.

"I wanted to talk with ya, ya moppet. Did you really think this would make me leave?" Jackson replied, shaking his hand in front of his already-bruising mouth.

"Just do one, Jackson."

"No, I won't. Have you forgotten everything I told you the other week? Did nothing stick in the short-fused head of yours?" Jackson replied, walking down to him.

Paddy joined Aaron, relieved to see Jackson and not the police. He began apologizing for Aaron's actions, but Jackson begged him to stop.

"No need, mate. I know why he hit me."

"Yeah?" Paddy replied, hoping to prompt Jackson further.

"Right, I'm heading back inside. You two can have your nice, cozy chinwag out here all ya like." Aaron stated, his eyes looking past Jackson towards the pub, were Ryan, Scarlett, Adam and Holly were standing.

"Think I'll join ya." Jackson said, following Aaron inside. Paddy sighed, glad that someone else wasn't giving up on Aaron, but worried about what the villagers were going to think of this situation and, more importantly, how Aaron would deal with it, and returned inside, closing the door lightly as he went.

He found Aaron leaning against the countertop as Jackson sat at the dinner table.

"Everything alright in here?" he asked, heading for the kettle. "Anyone for tea?"

"Could do with something stronger - my jaw is aching." Jackson attempted to joke, but it fell flat. Although, and he wasn't entirely sure, he thought he caught a smile breaking on Aaron's face.

"Do you want some ice for it, it's starting to swell?" Paddy asked, as Aaron, ashamed, began to pick at his open wounds.

"Nah, I wear my wounds with pride mate, like yourself." Jackson replied. "I'll just have a black coffee, cheers."

"I'll make it," Aaron offered, the guilt too strong for him to live with now.

"Go right ahead, just don't think that I'll leave you alone. We, the three of us, need to talk about what happened this evening." Paddy reminded Aaron.

Aaron sighed again. He filled the kettle with water, set it up and flipped the switch to boil it.

"I know. Jackson... I'm... I'm sorry... I just, I... I'm sorry," Aaron exclaimed, his misty eyes exploding with his guilt and sorrow, before turning around and resting his weight against the sink top, staring out the window, willing the tears away.

"Aaron... I know that you regret it and all, that's not the issue. The issue is, you did it. You punched me, just because I touched your hand. It was nothing, just a friendly thing." Jackson replied, resting his arms on the table top.

Paddy closed the fridge and placed the milk on the table top. "And, for all your worry of people noticing you, it was only when you started kicking off did anyone take one iota of notice of you two."

"I know, I just freaked out." The room fell silent, save for the rumble of the kettle as it came to a boil. Aaron grabbed three mugs and made them each a coffee, before passing them out on the dinner table.

"If... I should've just taken your calls, Jackson. I would've. But, when we kissed outside... outside that pub last week, my mate Adam saw us." Aaron started, both hands encasing the piping-hot mug.

"And he was giving you grief, exactly what you thought would happen if you came out?" Jackson interrupted, adding milk and sugar to his beverage.

"The opposite, actually. He wanted Aaron to bring you to the pub this evening, wanted to get to know the guy that was making his best mate so happy. It was just Aaron, Aaron and his disgust with himself, that caused him to ignore ya." Paddy interjected, simply adding milk to his drink.

"Which is why, when I lightly touched his hand, he saw red and lashed out?" Jackson added up, not even looking at Aaron anymore.

"Exactly."

Jackson sat back in his chair, his eyes looking towards the ceiling.

"What have I got myself in for?"