A/N – Another update! Yay! I seem to have three updates waiting to be published on here. I was steaming away this morning. I'm debating whether to ration them or put them all on at once. I'm quite enjoying writing this fanfic. Is it me or is that a lot of smiling Aaron lately? You would thought grief stricken you wouldn't be cracking any smiles for a while but it's nice to see him happy for once. Please read and review!

Just before dinner, when Jackson got back from work, he came crawling back to Aaron with his tail between his legs. He'd had a lot of time to think about what had happened during lunch and he'd begun to regret ever doubting Aaron. Anyone with Half a brain cell would see how loyal Aaron was. He had been in the wrong there and he needed to correct it. He went upstairs with a few hand picked flowers from Edna Birch's garden and knocked on Aaron's bedroom door.

All he got was a "Come in" shouted through the door.

He popped his head past the door first; unsure what sort of welcome he would receive. Aaron was laying on his back his eyes closed as he listened to his radio. He was still in his overalls, the arms tied tightly round his waist.

"Sorry." Jackson told him, as he walked into the room, his arms behind his back.

Aaron opened his eyes as Jackson neared him

"I brought you a present." Jackson said, pulling the flowers from behind his back with a cheeky smile. "I knew I should never have doubted you. I was wrong.

"Whatever." Aaron sighed staring up at his ceiling.

"Don't you want these?" Jackson offered. "I had to sneak into Edna's garden getting these."

"Shouldn't have bothered." Aaron tried to grunt but a smile was seen from the corners of his mouth.

"Don't lie, you love 'em!" Jackson exclaimed as he crashed down on the bed and placed a kiss on Aaron's forehead.

"Yeah, yeah." Aaron said sarcastically, as Jackson began to trail kisses down the side of his jaw.

He was surprised. Unlike last night he felt comfortable with Jackson kissing him as he laid on the bed. Maybe he really was getting over what had happened. More confident than before that he could handle it, Aaron slide his hand around Jackson and pulled him closer to him. He could feel Jackson wanting more, so he slid his hand up inside of his shirt to feel his skin and tickle him softly with his fingertips. Jackson wanted to the same. The only way he could that was if he un tied the not in Aaron's overalls to gain access up his t-shirt. As the kissed he began to work on his overalls and Aaron was glad that he didn't mind Jackson starting to undress him. Finally he was getting back to normal. He enjoyed it when Jackson did eventually untie the tight not in his overalls and slip his hands up his shirt, riding the material of his shirt higher and higher up his torso. All the time they never broke the kiss.

The flowers picked from Edna's garden laid abandoned on the floor as Jackson and Aaron became locked together, tugging and pulling at one and other's clothes a little to forcefully. It wasn't long before both men were topless. Needing a breath of air Jackson was the first to pull away, smiling longingly at his boyfriend. It wasn't until then that he noticed the bruises on Aaron's body. They were big and purple, tainting his pale toned skin.

"Aaron, what happened?" Jackson asked, trailing a finger across a huge bruise on the teen's hip.

"er . . . Fight with Darrel, remember?" Aaron half lied.

"But you're covered in them." Jackson said counting the bruises that marred his boyfriend's body.

Aaron shrugged. "Don't matter, come on jay." Aaron breathed pulling Jackson back towards him.

He couldn't help notice the purple and black bruises that tainted his skin but he couldn't just fret over them. Aaron would hate that, so he brought the lie that was thrown his way, none the wiser that to before.

When they laid in bed after, Aaron was pleased that he hadn't been plagued with flashes of Darrel with his hands all over him. He was glad that he could put it all behind him now and not have to worry about it. As for the texts, he'd ignore them. Darrel would soon get bored. For now Jackson was all he cared about.

"Fancy going to a house party later this week?" Jackson asked Aaron as he tailed patterns along the top of his muscular arm.

"Yeah, why not." Aaron shrugged, ever the enthusiast.

"Nice one. It's this Saturday. Sophia's holding it at her house in Hotten." Jackson told Aaron.

"Sophia?" Aaron forgot. He'd been to consumed by the Darrel business lately he hadn't given much attention to anything else.

"She was at Max's birthday." Jackson reminded him. "It's her boyfriends birthday I think."

"Sounds all right." Aaron yawned tiredly.

Saturday came quicker than he thought. Jackson soon told him to not wear the red checkered shirt he'd considered wearing before to one of their dates in the early days. He told him it made him look and he'd shot back he thought he liked big. Jackson threw a rolled up pair of socks at him after that. So instead he found himself standing at Sophia's door wearing jeans and a pale blue shirt Jackson picked out for him with Jackson at his side wearing his red checkered shirt also.

"Can't see why I couldn't wear my red shirt." Aaron moaned.

"I can pull mine off." Jackson teased before the door swung open, revealing Darrel standing there in a dark shirt.

"Jackson! Aaron!" Darrel greeted as if he was surprised to see them there.

Aaron stomach dropped, he felt sick, physically sick! It was as if his heart had suddenly leapt into his throat. He wanted to go home. He wasn't going to stay at a house party if Darrel was there, he couldn't bare to be within a thousand metres of the man without wanting to rip his heart out.

He turned to Jackson, hoping he could plead with Jackson with just one look his way. It didn't work. Jackson was side stepping Darrel to get into the house, searching for Sophia to say hello. Aaron kept close by Jackson. He was terrified to be left alone. Even though the house was packed with people he didn't know he wasn't going to give Darrel a chance to be near him without Jackson around. They found Sophia in the kitchen, drinking wine and chatting to Max and another few people he didn't know.

"Oh hi Jackson!" Sophia cried as she spotted Jackson. She flung her arms around him and did the same to Aaron who tensed under her hold.

"Everyone this is Jackson and Aaron if you don't already know them." Sophia announced to the kitchen. "They're the sweetest couple I've ever known."

Jackson smiled at that comment and Aaron's cheeks burned red as everyone looked their way. He hated attention. He noticed Darrel in the doorway looking extremely annoyed by Sophia's comment, so he edged close to Jackson, slipping his hand into his. Whether it was for security of safety he was after or to rub Darrel's face in it, he achieved both.

Once Jackson had grabbed them both a bottle of beer each, they made their way through the house talking to people they knew before they sat down in the lounge. For a while they stayed in their seats on the sofa, talking to anyone who came to join them. A few hours later and they'd been through several bottles of beer and were laughing loudly along with a man they'd just met as he told him about a funny story that had happened to him at work involving a drunken cockney man at a JLS concert.

"I'm gonna need the loo." Jackson announced. "too much beer, sorry."

"You're not leaving." Aaron said quietly, hoping he wasn't. Even though he was surrounded by people, he didn't want Jackson to leave him.

"I only need the loo Aaron." Jackson laughed before disappearing up the stairs.

Aaron watched him climb the stairs before looking round the room, searching for Darrel. He wanted to know exactly where he was so he could dodge him if he had to. He checked his watch and hoped that the older man wouldn't be long before turning back to Michael, the man they had been talking to.

"So, you're a mechanic." Michael said trying to start the conversation again.

Aaron nodded. "Yeah, qualified a few months back."

"So not for long then." Michael commented. "How old are you then."

"Eighteen." Aaron told him.

Michael's eyebrows rose slightly. "You're the youngest here. All of us are over twenty one." He laughed. "Wish I could be under twenty years again."

"Yeah." Aaron mumbled.

"Yeah! Not much to worry about do you." Michael moaned. "I've got a wife now and have to take care of the bills at home. Not such a fun life."

"How old are you then?" Aaron asked, shocked to hear Michael was married, he didn't look old enough.

"Twenty seven." Michael told him. "Nearly ten years older than you."

"Woah." Aaron smirked, he was nearly as old as his mum. "That is old."

"I'm still not ready for my pipe and slippers just yet!" Michael protested.

"Whatever granddad." Aaron cheeked before taking a sip from his nearly empty beer.

"Another?" Michael offered already getting to his feet.

"Nah you're alright." Aaron declined, he'd already had more than a few and he didn't want Michael to leave him as well.

"Sure I can't tempt you?" Michael continued, getting to his feet.

"Go on then." Aaron sighed, knowing their was no way he was going to be able to stop Michael from getting one for himself.

"Good lad!" He told him as he disappeared into the kitchen.