i said two weeks and it took a bit longer. sorry. finals and life got in the way. enjoy!

TRIGGER WARNING: statutory rape, emotional abuse/manipulation, underage drinking

She couldn't believe it. Her own family didn't support her.

Her mother didn't want her around anymore, her father's in jail. And now, Maylene can't respect that she's in love.

So now she was knocking on Aaron's front door, trying to choke down tears. The door swung open, a boy of average height with a mop of green hair staring back at her. He smiled. "Hey, pumpkin."

"I can't deal with home right now." Whitney barged her way into his apartment, flopping on his couch. He ran a hand through his hair, sitting down next to her. He draped his arm over the back of the couch, Whitney curling up next to him.

"What happened after I left?"

"We had a screaming match, so I just needed to be out of there for a while." She looked up at him. "I'm sorry for barging in."

Aaron kissed her forehead. "It's fine, you're always welcome here." He pushed himself off the couch, walking into his kitchen. "Hey, that new episode of Wonder Girl Vampire came out today. Wanna watch it?"

"Really? I thought there wouldn't be a new one this week."

"I was surprised too. I bought the new volume of the manga if you wanna read it."

"The new volume came out?!"

Aaron walked back over to the couch, handing Whitney a cup. She assumed it was water, and took a big gulp. She swallowed, her throat burning, which put her into a coughing fit.

"Jesus, Aaron, what is this?"

"It's a signature drink of mine." He grinned at her. "It's good, right?"

Whitney hesitated, looking into the cup. It was clear, but she could see carbonated bubbles. "Is this Sprite and…?"

"Vodka. And a little bit of Everclear."

"Vodka?! What's Everclear?!"

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. It'll loosen you up a bit, take your mind off your fight with Maylene."

Whitney looked up at Aaron, and back at the cup. She took another small sip, her face scrunching together. He put in way more alcohol than Sprite. But this was better than being back in Veilstone.

"Are we gonna watch the episode or what?" Whitney asked. Aaron chuckled, sitting back on the couch with a remote in hand. "Of course we are. Just relax and drink."

As the episode played, Whitney stole glances at Aaron, who looked a little bored. He continuously asked her if she was almost done with her drink, and when she was, he was eager to refill it. She just tried to focus on her favorite show, and keep her mind clear. But, it was hard when it was becoming fuzzy.

XXXX

She had four full cups of Aaron's signature drink. It was only four in the afternoon and she was definitely feeling it.

Her tolerance was a lot better than she had originally thought, since she wasn't blacked out. She was very drunk, that's for sure, but not shitfaced.

The episode of Wonder Girl Vampire had long ended, and now Aaron was pressed against her body and had his hand running up and down her thigh and his lips tasted like sin. Her face felt like white noise and her fingers were numb, like Aaron was sucking her soul out with every hungry kiss. She felt like she sinking into the couch as his hand slid down her pants, then, he stopped suddenly.

"Are you…o…kay?" Whitney slurred. Aaron hoisted himself off of her and the couch. "I'm okay. I think we should leave, though."

"Wh…Why?"

"There's too many people in this complex." He muttered, mostly to himself.

Whitney sat up on her elbows. Her vision had really fizzled, and they had been laying there making out for a while. That clearly didn't help. "What are you talking about?"

He kneeled down to her level. "We should start our life together somewhere else. Where no one will find us."

Whitney perked up at the mention of commitment. "Yeah…" She laid back down on the couch. "I like that sound. Good sound…"

Aaron helped her off the couch, leading her out of his apartment. She giggled, "What's it so sunny for? Can't see…Hey! Sun!"

"Whitney, you're drunk."

"N' you're cute."

He loaded her into his car, shutting the passenger door. She fell asleep at that point. She heard Aaron snicker to himself and start the engine, and she, and the car, were out.

XXXX

Whitney woke up a few hours letter in a bed. She didn't remember how she got there. Hell, she barely remembered anything after they finished watching Wonder Girl Vampire. She sat up quickly, squinting at her mild headache. She was in a log cabin, and the room was very cozy, but…whose house was she in?

"Aaron?" She called, her voice hoarse and slightly panicked. "Aaron!"

The door swung open, Aaron at the doorway. "What?"

She let out a sigh of relief, "Thank God, I thought I was kidnapped or something." She stretched her arms above her head. "Where are we?"

"Celestic Town. I have a house out here."

She laid back down on the bed. "Okay. I don't remember much."

"What do you remember?"

"I remember watching Wonder Girl Vampire. Nothing after that, though. What time is it?"

Aaron looked at his phone screen. "Almost nine. I got a pizza, come and get some while it's hot."

Whitney kicked off the blankets, slinking her way out of the bedroom.

The house was on the small side; the kitchen and the living area were fairly close together, and those were the only rooms out there. In the living area, there was a fire roaring in the fireplace. She smiled. This was perfect.

Aaron looked at her standing in the doorway. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. This is just really nice."

He smirked, walking up to her and resting his hands on her hips. "No one can find us here." He kissed her gently, Whitney leaning into his body. She could stay for the night. She'd call Maylene in the morning, tell her that she's okay. But she wasn't leaving. She was in love with Aaron, and in love with the seclusion. It's just what she needed.

XXXX

She woke up in Aaron's arms and everything felt right.

Her body was peppered with love bites and hot kisses, her hips bruised from Aaron's hands; he went a little rougher than usual last night. But this 100% made up for it.

He shifted behind her, his grip loosening. Whitney squirmed out of his arms, walking to the bathroom. She closed the medicine cabinet, looking into the mirror. There were bite marks all over her collarbone, and a few on her neck. She traced her fingers over them, sighing. He didn't have to mark her up like this; she didn't understand why he was so possessive yesterday. She lifted up her shirt, examining the fine bruises on her hips. Yeah, she definitely needed to talk to him about this.

There was a knock at the door. She jumped at the sound.

"Just a minute." Whitney called, rushing to the toilet and flushing it. She ran the sink for a few seconds, switching it off and opening the door, greeted by Aaron's sleepy face.

"Morning."

"M-Morning." She walked past him into the kitchen, hearing the bathroom door slam. She rummaged through the fridge, pulling out a jug of orange juice. She glanced at the door when she heard the toilet flush, taking a long gulp from her cup. Aaron stepped out, shuffling into the kitchen. Whitney leaned against the counter, staring into her cup.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" She said.

Aaron dropped a PopTart packet on the counter, sitting at one of the stools opposite of her. "Go for it."

"Can you not be as rough as you were last night from now on? I have bruises everywhere."

He glanced at her, smiling. "I guess I'm just so in love with you, it turns me into an animal."

Whitney's face softened. Aaron leaned across the counter and kissed her. "I'm gonna go take a shower." He murmured against her lips. "Care to join me?"

She nodded, Aaron pushing himself off the counter and walking back towards the bathroom. She smiled. He said it. He loves her! That's all she'd wanted to hear for the longest time!

She left her cup in the sink, heading towards the bathroom. He loves her. Everything in the world was right.

XXXX

She was bored.

Whitney had been abusing Aaron's Netflix account for a few hours, but now, she was bored.

"Aaaaaarrroooonnnn…" She whined. Aaron walked out of the bedroom, juggling keys in his hand.

"What are you 'Aaaaarooonn'ing me for?"

"I'm bored." She noticed his keys. "Where are you headed?"

"Gonna go to the grocery store. I haven't restocked this kitchen in months, we're low on food."

Sher perked up. "Can I come? I've been cooped up in here all day, I need some fresh air—"

"No!"

Whitney recoiled back into the couch, her face washing over in confusion.

"I…I was gonna bring you back a present!" Aaron said quickly, walking over to her and cupping her face in his hands. He grinned at her. "You don't want to spoil the surprise, do you?"

"Oh, I didn't know!" She giggled. "I'm sorry. Go on ahead, I'll just be here then."

He kissed her forehead and headed towards the door. "I'll be back soon." He called to her, shutting the door behind him.

She pulled her blanket back over her head, turning on an episode of Gossip Girl. "I'll just…be here."

XXXX

Aaron didn't come back for three hours.

Whitney started to worry after an hour and a half. This was a very small town, so the store couldn't be that far away, or that crowded.

She stood by the window at the two hour mark, dialing his phone. His voicemail came after two rings.

He finally came through the door at five, juggling full bags of groceries.

"Aaron!" Whitney exclaimed. "I was getting worried. What took you so long?"

"Don't worry about it." He said from the kitchen, sorting the groceries into their appropriate place. Whitney stood up from the couch, walking to the counter.

"What do you mean, 'don't worry about it'?"

"I said what I said."

She blinked. "Are you hiding something from me?"

Aaron placed a box of cereal on the counter, looking up to the ceiling and sighing. He looked back at her, his face firm. "You don't trust me or something?"

"Of-Of course I trust you!" Whitney replied. She took a step back. "I just want honesty."

"You want honesty?" Aaron barked. "I'm always honest with you! I can't believe you don't trust me. I thought you loved me, and now you think I'm hiding things?"

"I do love you!" She relaxed her shoulders, shaking her head and wiping her hand over her face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything." She slinked back to the couch, a piece of her wanting Aaron to follow her and apologize, and hug her and tell her he was wrong. He didn't.

She had hope that maybe that present he told her about would make it all better, but a present never came. He rammed into her ferociously that night, to the point where she felt sick afterwards. Whitney loved Aaron, and he loved her too; maybe she could fix this. She had to try.

XXXX

Three days went by, and she couldn't find her phone.

"Aaron?" She called from the bedroom.

"What?"

"Have you seen my phone? I wanna call Maylene."

Aaron poked his head through the doorway. "Why do you wanna call her?"

"I wanna let her know I'm okay."

He snorted, leaning against the frame. "She wouldn't want to hear from you."

Whitney straightened up. "What?"

"You said it yourself. She doesn't support you."

"I was just mad, I don't think that's true…"

"If it wasn't true, then she would let you and I be together. She doesn't understand, again, like you said." He beckoned her over, resting his hands on her hips. "Maylene doesn't support your decisions, which you're old enough to make. She's babying you, holding you back." He smiled. "I'm here for you, though. I'll support you no matter what."

Whitney looked down to the ground, Aaron pulling her against his chest.

"You're safe with me. I'll support you. Who else will?"

Her eyes shot open. He…was right. If Maylene wasn't there for her, who else would be?

She wrapped her arms around him, shutting her eyes as tears pricked at them. He was all she had. She needed him more than ever.

XXXX

A week had passed. Whitney was drained.

She hadn't slept well in days. 90% of her nights with Aaron ended with sex, which was taking a toll on her body. For the past few days she hadn't even reached orgasm, nor much cared to; she just let him in and let him finish, so she could try to sleep. But she usually never did.

But, she got to wake up to Aaron talking about how much he loved her and cared about her, how she was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen. She'd grin into his skin and feel at peace. This was worth it. She was alive. She was okay.

She hadn't left the house since they got to Celestic, though. Aaron was afraid that Maylene called the police, and they would try and break them apart. Whitney could handle staying inside; Aaron was all she had left. She couldn't let that happen.

In the meantime, he was gone for a majority of the days they had been there, either going to the league, or buying her clothes, shoes, jewelry. He spoiled her rotten.

She was folding laundry in their bedroom when she heard buzzing.

Whitney looked around, dropping a shirt on the bed, she stood up, trying to follow the sound. As she maneuvered her way to Aaron's side of the bed, the buzzing got louder. She opened the top drawer of his nightstand. Nothing there. She opened the second, and there, with nothing around it was her phone, blinking 'low battery' and vibrating, begging to be charged.

She couldn't believe it. Aaron was hiding her phone from her.

The door slammed; right on time. She stormed out of the bedroom, holding her phone up.

"Have you been hiding my phone?"

"What, no hello?"

She rolled her eyes, "Hello, why the fuck have you been hiding my phone?"

"Because you're gonna call Maylene."

"And so what if I do!?"

"I was protecting you."

Whitney snorted, "From what?"

He exhaled sharply. "When you call Maylene, you're gonna get nothing that you want to hear. You want her to say, 'I love you and I'm sorry', right? You won't get that. She doesn't care about you. And she'll tell you that! She'll tell you to never call her again."

"She…She wouldn't do—!"

"She will! That's how Maylene is. She's blunt and harsh and will tell you the truth." He sighed, running a hand over his face. "I don't like fighting with you. I just wish you'd understand, I'm doing all of this for our relationship, because I love you. I love us, I love what we have. We have something real, and I wanna protect that, for the both of us."

Whitney was speechless. Maybe he was right. Maylene had never liked her and Aaron being together, so why would she care if she called her? She would look like an idiot calling her up.

"…I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Louder."

She looked up at him. "I'm sorry." She spoke up.

He grinned. "That's what I like to hear. I'm gonna start dinner. Pasta okay?"

She nodded, and he disappeared. She walked back into the bedroom, sitting on the foot of the bed. She put her hands over her face as tears spilled out. Maylene hated her. She looked at her phone, laying on her nightstand. She grabbed it suddenly, walking over to Aaron's side of the bed and putting it back in its original hiding spot. Calling Maylene wasn't an option anymore. It was her and Aaron against the world now. That's how it's supposed to be.

"I got you more clothes yesterday. I wanted it to be a surprise, but I got too excited." He called from the kitchen, "Check the dresser."

Her face perked up, walking over to the wood dresser across from the bed. She opened one of the drawers, running her hands over the silk robe and jeans. She shut the drawer, sitting back on the bed.

Was this her life now? Being cooped up in a cabin for the rest of her days? Was he worth all this? Was he really the one?

Whitney ran a hand over her face. She loved him. Of course she did. Did she love him enough to stay with him in this cabin? To dismiss his secrecy and lying when he's out for long periods of time?

She didn't know. And that's what scared her the most. She left Veilstone with utmost certainty that this was a good idea; now she had to look like a fool.

That night, Aaron ran his hand between her legs and Whitney pushed him away. She vaguely heard him grumble about intimacy was good for their relationship while he shifted back into a comfortable position. She was sick. She was tired. And she didn't know if what she wanted is really the right idea.

XXXX

Maylene was right. And Whitney knew she was right after a week and three days.

She sat on the couch at the end of her second week with Aaron, Tuesday, her face vacant and her body exhausted. He had his feet up on the coffee table, popping chips into his mouth while they watched Jeopardy. She wanted to test something.

"Aaron." She asked. Her voice was hoarse and lifeless.

"What?"

"What's my favorite movie?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. What's your favorite movie?"

She blinked, her jaw tightening. That's something she's mentioned to him before. "27 Dresses."

"Right, I knew that." He paused. "What's my favorite movie?"

"Rocky IV."

He looked at her, a bit taken aback. "Yeah."

She turned away from him and back to the TV. It was the beginning.

She was leaning against him in bed the beginning of the third week on Wednesday, staring absently at her hands.

"What's my middle name?"

"…Paula?"

"Elizabeth."

She was cooking dinner and he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Where am I from?"

"Kanto."

"Johto."

Her jaw tightened as she stirred the stew. He clearly has never listened to her. This was stuff she told him the night they met, at Candice's birthday party.

She was quiet while they sat at the table and ate dinner.

"Stew's good." He said, breaking the silence. She nodded, scarfing down another spoon full.

"You okay?" Aaron asked. "You're usually pretty talkative at dinner. Especially when you make it."

She dropped her spoon in her bowl. "Why are we dating?"

He leaned back slightly, taken aback. "What?"

"Why are we dating? Why am I here?"

"Because we love each other."

"Do you love me?" Her face was stern. "Or do you love company? Do you love that you have someone to fuck whenever you want?"

Aaron was quiet, looking down at the table.

"Why should I stay, Aaron?"

The silence felt like eternity. Whitney basically gave up, digging into her stew again, avoiding looking up at Aaron. She glanced for a split second, seeing his shoulders shaking. He picked his head up, his face streaked in tears.

"Because I don't know what I'd do without you."

He took a shaky breath wiping a hand over his face. "I'm sorry you've been cooped up in here. I've never met someone like you before, and I love you so much. I can't lose you. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

He reached across the table and took her hand. "Please don't leave me."

Whitney blinked, pursing her lips together. "I won't. Don't worry."

He squeezed her hand, sniffling and grinning at her. "I love you so much."

She pulled her hand out of his grasp, getting up from the chair and putting her bowl in the sink.

"I'm going to bed."

"Okay. I'm gonna head out to see some people. I'll try not to wake you."

Whitney walked back to the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She was leaving as soon as possible. Tonight? Not tonight. She was tired. And she wasn't sure if there would be a bed for her if she did leave.

She didn't know what to expect.

XXXX

She sat on the couch on her third Saturday with Aaron, equipped with a gray hood thrown over her head. The news played on the TV, Aaron's hands resting on her thigh. He had to leave for the league soon; he usually begged for sex at this time. Hell, he begged for it for the whole week. He didn't let her sleep some nights with his hands wandering her body, his erection pressing against her. That's all she was to him; a sex toy.

She was done with Aaron. She was done with this cabin. She was done with this cloudy idea of a 'life together'. He was manipulating her. He was controlling her. He limited what she ate; he cut her off from the outside world. This wasn't what she wanted.

Whitney took deep breaths; having Aaron's hand on her body made her completely uneasy and sick.

"I'll be at the league longer than usual today." He said, running his hand up and down her thigh. "I expect some much needed intimacy when I get back."

She exhaled sharply through her nose. "We'll see."

"We'll do, is what you meant."

She bit her lip, keeping her eyes on the TV. He turned her face towards him and kissed her, hand running over her cheek. She kissed back, her stomach in knots.

He hoisted himself off the couch, taking his keys off the kitchen counter and heading towards the door.

"Love you."

Her eyes went back to the news. "Mhm."

The door shut. She didn't move.

An hour had passed when Whitney finally got up off the couch. She needed to wait until he was gone and at the league before she would do anything. She was worried he would come back to the house.

She walked into the bedroom, stopping at the doorway. She was going to take her phone from Aaron's nightstand, but she knew he would call her. She could block his number, but she didn't want to risk anything. She needed him out of her life, and her phone would only bring him and their memories and text messages along with her.

She turned back around and walked towards the door. She placed her hand on the knob, and took another deep breath.

This would be the first time she had been outside in a little over three weeks.

She swung the door open and the sun was blinding. She could hear Starly and Pidgey chirping. A breeze skirted through her hair and under her hood.

Aaron didn't even open the windows of the cabin. He always told her he was afraid someone would see or hear them, and call the police and take her back to Maylene. The more she thought about it, the more Whitney realized how ridiculous he was. And still is. She believed his shit for too long.

She stepped outside, slamming the door behind her. She hadn't even taken ten steps outside and she already felt a giant weight leave her chest. She started towards Route 210, her head hung and her hands stuffed into her pockets. Tears welled up in her eyes, falling to the ground. Maylene was right, and it was time to face the music.