The next few days since Aaron's return home from hospital, seemed to pass by peacefully. Aaron insisted on taking Freddie's school runs. He felt so bad for not being around for him, letting his illness get to him. Freddie didn't argue he was overjoyed each time he saw Aaron standing by the school gates waiting to pick him up. Jackson remained home the rest of the week, wanting to be with Aaron and be there for him. However when Monday came around the builder felt as though he could go back to work. He knew Aaron was still trying to come to terms with having PND again, but in a different form than to before. The builder knew from past experiences it would be a long road before Aaron would feel better again, but he knew that he could leave the younger man whilst he went back to work. He was only a phone call away. They had both agreed that Aaron wouldn't return to work until after his hospital referral appointment later on that week, despite knowing that Aaron wouldn't quite know what to do with himself as Jackson made sure Aaron also knew that Erin would still be going to their mother's during the week like usual. Through all the ups and downs, they wanted to keep the children's routine one permanent structure in their day to day lives.
Tuesday lunchtime Jackson was back home, at Smithy cottage, after getting back from a job in Robblesfield. Aaron had been pleased to find out that the builder would be back that afternoon to keep him company. He had spent the majority of his days wondering round the empty house, going stir crazy as he tried to keep himself occupied. He'd found himself taking a sleeping pill mid morning, so he could crash out and sleep to prevent himself from worrying over Erin and going over to one of their mother's picking her up.
"You've made a complete mess in here." Aaron groaned as he walked into the lounge to find Jackson had spread all his plans and work papers all over the living room floor. He'd pushed the coffee table up against the fireplace to make more room for himself and his work. He was going over the plan's he had put together for their new house. They had managed to find a piece of land to build on, just needed the design. The builder had come up with many different designs and ideas, sketched out in detail and rough ideas. But none of them seemed to work for him. He wanted it just right. Building their house, seemed to be that start of something new for them, they hadn't had it easy and he hoped that moving into their own personal built home would change that.
"So, I'll clear it up." Jackson mumbled round the pen between his front teeth.
"I don't care if you'll clear it up. I tided up in here!" Aaron told him annoyed. It's all he ever found himself doing recently tidying, making sure everything was in it's exact place. Rhona and Paddy had never seen the place looking so perfect. If he wasn't sleeping he was worrying over how tidy and clean the house was to move his attention away from the obvious.
"Chill out." Jackson laughed, removing the pen from his mouth and jotting down a few sums as he sat cross legged in front of his paperwork.
"You're unbelievable." Aaron muttered under his breath as he turned out of the lounge and went back through to the kitchen. He began to make a cup of tea for them. He hadn't noticed it himself and neither anybody else just yet but everything he did had to be so particular.
He took the cups off the shelf in the cupboard above the kettle, placing them down in the centre of the glass board on the kitchen counter, both handles facing directly to the left. He then picked the kettle up, dropped it back down on its stand again and picked it up with a better grip before filling it to the two cup mark with cold water. Aaron placed it back on its stand a flicked the switch on. As the water boiled he went into the fridge beside him picked up the milk and filled the cups exactly with a 1cm of milk each, filling the cup up on his left with tiny little drops several times before he was happy that it was the same level as the one the right. It took three goes of opening and shutting the fridge before he finally placed the milk back and carried on with making his tea. He hadn't even noticed he seemed to be doing these things. By the time he had levelled two teaspoons of sugar out for the right mug and four for the left the kettle was boiled and waiting to be poured.
"Here." Aaron said placing Jackson's cup of tea on a coaster by his side on the coffee table.
"Thanks." Jackson said, picking it straight up, blowing a few times on the top and taking a quick small sip. "I needed that."
"Yeah." Aaron said taking a sip of his own, placing it down, picking it up to take another couple of sips and placing it back down on the coffee table beside Jacksons.
"So I'm nearly done with the plans I think." Jackson told him as he ruffled a few sheets around.
"Oh yeah, how soon till you can get started." Aaron asked. He was dying to have their own space again. As much as he considered Smithy Cottage home, it was too small for all seven of them. It was fine when it was just him and Paddy rattling around several years ago.
"Just got too finish off one or two things off on the plans, then we can get started." Jackson said. "I take it you still like that land we found a few months back."
"Land is land." Aaron shrugged. He didn't care where Jackson built their house, as long as it was safe and close to Emmerdale.
"Right then, I've still got that money saved up from a few odd jobs here and there, plus the insurance money from the fire still put away. Should be enough to get started next month if were determined enough." Jackson told him, grabbing a few sheets of paper, hoping to his feet and plonking himself down beside Aaron on the sofa under the window. "These are the plans."
"Just looks like a load of lines to me." Aaron said unhelpfully as the builder spread the plans out on their laps.
Jackson rolled his eyes. "Well they would to you. Look closely and I'll explain it all to you." He said before pointing to what looked like a box to Aaron. "This is the entrance hall, thought it would be better than walking straight into the lounge or kitchen."
"Good idea." Aaron said waiting for Jackson to continue.
"Obviously in the entrance hall, they'll be the stairs to upstairs. That there is the lounge." He said pointing to a another box, with complicated lettering and symbols surrounding it to the right of the entrance hall, before pointing to another box above that. "Then beside that is the downstairs bathroom. Straight ahead from the entrance hall is the kitchen. . ."
"How can we afford all this?" Aaron asked out of the blue as Jackson explained the rest of the house to him, including the ideas of brick work and roofing. "I mean we're not exactly rolling in it."
Jackson laughed. "That's were you're wrong . . . sort of." He said. "We have the insurance money from the fire, like I said, the money from all the odd jobs I do put away, plus we've been living here since the fire. We've saved a lot by just paying rent to Paddy and Rhona."
Aaron scratched the back of his neck. Maths had never been his strong point. But all the ideas Jackson had seemed expensive.
"So don't worry. I'm not going to get half way through this build and run out of money. It's all sorted." Jackson assured him, placing a kiss on the side of his head.
"Better not. I don't want our kids to live in a house without a roof and half of the rooms missing an outside wall." Aaron joked as he finished off his cup of tea and placing it back down on the coaster.
"Don't worry Mr Livesy, I'll make sure it's fit for a prince and a princess." Jackson said also finishing off his tea. "Give me a few more hours and hopefully the plans will be finished. Then in the next month or so I'll make sure not to book any major jobs, get in contact with that estate agent to buy that piece of land and get building permission, hire a few mates to help out and sort out the building supplies and we should be away."
"Not much then." Aaron smirked.
"Nope, not at all." Jackson laughed.
"If you need any help when I'm not at work, I can help with build if you want." Aaron offered. He wanted to put some of his work into it all. All he had done so far was agree on a few things with the builder and that was it. He didn't want to leave it all to Jackson to do, but he knew what he was doing. He had done it many times before.
Jackson raised an eyebrow. "I can't quite picture you on a building site, too much hard work for you." He said, eyeing the mechanic up and down. "You're more suited to be stuck under a car fiddling with car parts."
"Hey!" Aaron exclaimed hitting Jackson playfully. "Fixing cars is just as much hard work as logging a few bricks around and drinking tea."
"Oh is that what you think I do!" Jackson protested before he pushed the younger man backwards and launched himself on top of him, pinning him to the cushion seats. "Huh? Mr Livesy!"
"Ah, no!-. . .Yeah I do Jackson." Aaron panted under the weight of Jackson.
"We'll have to see about that won't we?" Jackson suggested not making any move to unpin Aaron from beneath him.
"Let me help you on the build and I'll prove to you I can and already do more work than you!" Aaron told him.
"I don't know. . ."
"Jackson!"
"Still not sure." Jackson said easing his weight off of Aaron just a little.
"Jackson!"
"Fine!"
"You're on." Aaron said his laughter vibrating through Jackson. ". . . ah- Jacks'n. You're killing me, mate."
"Aww poor little Livesy." Jackson said pulling a sad face as he placed all his weight on his arms either side Aaron's head. He then began to trail kisses down the side of the younger man's jaw and all the way down to his throat before stopping and pulling back.
"No fair." Aaron whined.
"So fair." Jackson smirked, placing a knee between Aaron's legs and slipping a hand up Aaron's t-shirt.
"I've got to pick Freddie up in half an hour, and James!" Aaron reminded his partner who was intent on driving him mad.
"And?" Jackson said. "We're only making out."
"That's what you think." Aaron groaned as Jackson trailed another set of kisses up Aaron's neck to his lips. "-If you- . . . Carry on- . . . like that- . . . it's not- . . . just- . . . . . . gonna be-." Aaron tried to get out between kisses as the older man assaulted his lips.
"-Look, just shut up." Jackson told him off before he continued.
He was late. He was late picking Freddie up and James. All thanks to Jackson. He knew they had both missed each other during those few days when he was holed up in the hospital, but not this much. Freddie wasn't impressed when Aaron turned up fifteen minutes late. He stood beside a teacher with a scowl on his face while James seemed unbothered by it al. Freddie wasn't going to let Aaron off easily. He didn't say a word as Aaron greeted him. The little boy continued to scowl in a mood that he hadn't been picked up on time. When they got into the car, Aaron left James to strap himself in checking the seat belt just in case afterwards, several times more than necessary. He buckled and unbuckled Freddie's seatbelt numerous of times making the little boy snap at him.
"Dad, I'm going to be late!" Freddie had snapped at him. He was trying his hardest. Jackson had told him it was record speed that was needed to get the boys back from school, changed into football kit, have a snack and taken them back to Hotton for football training. They had both forgotten it was tonight until Jackson had suddenly remembered before Aaron left through the door to pick the boys up.
Aaron managed to get the boys home, before they were severely running behind in time. Jackson got them all kited out, having gotten their kits out ready for them in their room whilst they were driving home. They left them to get changed while they got a snack together for them, knowing they would be hungry after school. They had both been downstairs in the kitchen, putting a few apple pieces and biscuits into separate small containers and filling water bottles up before they heard a fight break out upstairs.
"I'll go see what it's about." Aaron sighed being the expert of fights and violence between the two. He put down the drinks bottle he had in his hand and made his way towards the stairs.
"Thanks."
Upstairs in the boy's bedroom the two had broken out into a physical fight, both of them shouting and yelling at each other as they punched and kicked. Both had only just managed to get their shorts and t-shirt's on, Freddie with one football sock on, his shin's guarded by shin pads, whilst James still hadn't managed to get his shin guards on himself.
"Shut up!" Freddie screamed at James as he flung a fist out catching James round the back of the head as he went to tackle the smaller boy to the floor.
"Woah, woah woah! What's going on?" Aaron shouted, instantly gaining both of their attention. "Stop fighting right now." He said firmly, only ever using that voice when they were in serious trouble.
James not satisfied that Freddie had gotten in the last hit, thumped Freddie over the back, encouraging Aaron's son to hit back and kick the boy in the shins.
"You little-!" Freddie cried out before Aaron cut him off. He was impressed with his son's fighting skills but he couldn't let that over cloud his thoughts at the moment. He wasn't even supposed to encourage it as a father, Jackson would have his balls for even thinking it. He needed to split the two up before they tore each other apart.
"Stop . It. Now!" Aaron yelled more angrily this time, tearing the two apart as they continued to fight. He placed a fair distance between the two and stood in the middle flinging both of them a pissed off glare that scared the two to silence. "Now one of you is going to tell me what the hell is going on." Aaron fumed.
"He started it!" Freddie exclaimed glaring at James.
"I don't care who started it." Aaron spat. "I want to know why you're fighting like a pair of wild dogs."
"Freddie just shoved me out of no where." James accused.
"Only because you said my dad was mad!" Freddie shot back at him, taking a step forward.
Aaron held out a hand against Freddie pushing him back a little. He didn't want another fight breaking out between them. The two shared a bedroom, they needed to get along. He needed to resolve what was going on between the two right then.
"He is though!" James argued, shooting a fleeting look towards Aaron before continuing. "Auntie Charity and Sarah said he was! So did Noah."
"He's not crazy!" Freddie screamed at him.
His family had been talking about him behind his back had they? Great, now they had everyone thinking he was mad and winding Freddie up about it. "What did Auntie Charity say?"
"She said that you've lost it." James repeated to him. "That she's not surprised, you've always had a screw lose."
"Shut up!" Freddie screamed at James again, eye's burning with anger.
"And she's right, you are." James said without thinking about what he was saying. "You always make sure everything's really really really neat, you barely used to sleep, you don't go to work and mum said you're on medication for your brain."
"Right, okay boys." Aaron said buying himself a few seconds to think of how he was going to sort it out, as he knelt down to their level. "James say sorry to Freddie for saying nasty things and winding him up when he asked you to stop."
"No he-!"
"James." Aaron warned.
"Sorry."
"What for?"
"Sorry for saying nasty things and winding you up." James gritted through his teeth.
"Thank you. Now Freddie say sorry to James for shoving him." Aaron ordered his son.
"Sorry James for shoving you." Freddie mumbled whilst staring at the floor.
"Good, now both of you get finished getting changed so we can get you to football practise on time." Aaron told them standing up. "And don't let me hear you two fighting again, if I do they'll be no football for a week. You hear me?"
"Yes!"
"All sorted?" Jackson asked when Aaron got back downstairs again.
"Yeah, everything's fine between those two now." Aaron told him. "Just something silly."
"Boys." Jackson laughed, rubbing Aaron's lower back as he passed him to put the drinks and containers of food into a bag. "Just think when Dizzy's old enough to walk and talk we'll have to deal with more fall outs like that upstairs."
"Yeah." Aaron sighed, taking a seat at the kitchen table. Little did Jackson know what the two had been fighting about upstairs? James had thought he was mad, crazy, lost it. His own godson thought that, after listening to what other people had been saying. He hadn't even picked up on it himself. He hadn't even realised he was fussing so much over how neat everything had to be. He was just keeping himself busy it was either that or sleeping.
"FREDDIE! JAMES! Come on you're going to be late!" Jackson called up the stairs before turning back to Aaron.
"Right I better get these two to Hotton, you don't mind picking Erin up from my mum's do you?" Jackson asked.
Aaron shook his head. "Course not." He told him.
"Right then, I'll see you later babe." Jackson said rushing over to him, placing kiss on his lips before the boys thundered down the stairs and flung them selves out the door. "See ya!"
A/N – Thank you for such incredible feedback! It's always so lovely to hear what you guys think of it so far and your thoughts on the storyline and such like. It's amazing, thank you. I have so many ideas for this storyline now, I think the reason I left it for a while was because I couldn't think of any direction I could take it, but now I have a few ideas waiting to be used. I wonder if any of you guys picked up on the way I wrote Aaron drinking his tea, linking it to an episode on screen before he helped kill Jackson drinking water from Paddy? I noticed his habits and linked it to some of the habits that my friend had who suffers from a stress related illness. I couldn't help but write it into this, sorry. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed it! Now off to write more, maybe another update to what the hell am I doing?