As the days grew shorter and the weather continued to get colder, Flynn and Aaron had never been happier. With all their problems now behind them, they were looking forward to a shared future again. They'd even had a look on the internet at a few flats and houses for rent, just to give them an idea of the cost and it shocked them both how expensive it was. It looked like living together wouldn't become a reality for them any time soon. In the weeks that followed, the Dales were hit by some freakish bad weather. First, it snowed constantly for days, then the temperature plummeted to below freezing making the roads especially around the village impassable. Thankfully, there followed a couple of days where the weather picked up a bit so Flynn took advantage and phoned Aaron and arranged to meet him in the Woolie for a drink. When he arrived, Aaron was sitting with Adam and Alex. For some reason he couldn't explain, as soon as he saw Aaron, he got a feeling that something wasn't right. He looked fine, relaxed and happy but some sixth sense told him things weren't what they seemed. Their eyes met and Aaron came straight over.
"You're late" he said giving him a quick kiss.
"Yeah I know, I'm sorry. I stopped off at your place to drop some more stuff off and couldn't get away from Paddy."
"In the mood for a chat was he?"
"Something like that. So, you alright?" Flynn asked trying to keep his voice it's usual tone.
Aaron smiled at him. "Course I am, why wouldn't I be?"
"Just checking, that's all" Flynn said.
Aaron pulled a face before continuing. " So, are you stopping at mine tonight?"
"What, on a school night, don't know about that" Flynn said shaking his head.
"Since when has that ever stopped you? Come on, you know you want to." Flynn smiled at Aaron. He couldn't think of anything that he'd like to do more. "Go on then but you better let me get some sleep. I've got a mad day tomorrow."
"I'll let you have a couple of hours or so if you're lucky" Aaron said.
Flynn ordered his drink and they went to sit down with Adam and Alex. They had a good evening, playing darts, having a few drinks and a laugh. Flynn kept an eye on Aaron and, just once or twice, he thought he saw something in his eyes but just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone again. When they got home, they watched a bit of TV together before they went upstairs. As he was getting undressed, Flynn watched as Aaron took off his jumper and sat down on the bed.
"Hey, where's your chain?" he asked noticing that Aaron wasn't wearing it.
Aaron automatically put his hand up to where the chain should have been, his fingers touching warm bare skin instead of cold metal. "Er, it broke when I was getting changed earlier on" Aaron said quietly.
"Oh, Aaron I'm sorry" Flynn said as he sat down on the bed next to him "Come here."
Aaron turned his body and rested his head on Flynn's shoulder letting him hold him, taking comfort from the feeling of Flynn's arms around him.
"I knew something was wrong as soon as I saw you" Flynn said.
"Did you, well no one else did" Aaron said.
"Yeah because they don't know you like I do." Aaron pulled back and looked at him with the saddest expression in his eyes Flynn had ever seen.
"We can always get a new chain" Flynn suggested trying to be positive. Aaron shook his head. "It wouldn't be the same, it wouldn't be Jackson's anymore."
"No, that's true. Well, we'll get it fixed."
Aaron shook his head again. "It can't be fixed, not looking at how it's broken. This is the first time I've took it off since Hazel gave it to me. It feels weird not wearing it."
"I can imagine" Flynn said sympathetically. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Flynn reached out and took Aaron's hand in his. "Are you ok?" he asked "and don't tell me what you think I want to hear, tell me the truth."
Aaron squeezed his hand gently. "I will be, once I get used to not wearing it. It's not like I need to wear it to remember him is it?" He smiled at Flynn who wasn't sure if those words were true or if Aaron was just trying to convince himself but he said nothing. He just leant towards him and kissed him. It was supposed to be a kiss of comfort but as their lips met, it soon turned into a long slow tender kiss that neither wanted to end. As they lay down on the bed and Aaron felt Flynn's bare chest touch his, all thoughts of the broken chain left his head, temporarily at least. For now, all he could think about was Flynn and how he didn't want to ever be without him.
When they woke up the next morning, there had been a fresh snowfall overnight and the snow was still falling as they ate their breakfast. Aaron didn't want Flynn to drive anywhere but Flynn said that he had to and that the main roads would probably be fine. When Aaron left to go to work, he made Flynn promise to phone him when he got to college and Flynn agreed. About an hour or so later, Aaron's mobile rang and he was relieved to see it was Flynn.
"Alright, you made it then?"
"Yeah safe and sound. It took longer than usual but it was ok."
"Good. Take it easy getting home yeah."
"I will now stop worrying. I'll speak to you later." Aaron ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket. As he turned, he slipped and fell over with his leg bent underneath him. Cain heard him fall and looked up from his newspaper.
"Well get up then you big jessie cos you'll be there a long time if you're waiting for me to pick you up."
"I can't" Aaron said, his face twisted in pain.
"What d'you mean you can't?"
"I mean I can't stand up, I think I've done some serious damage."
Cain put his paper down and stood up. "This better not be some sort of wind up or I'll do you some serious damage." As he got closer, he saw the look on Aaron's face and he knew this was no wind up. He got Aaron into a car and took him to the hospital. A few hours of sitting in A&E followed by an x-ray showed that Aaron had broken a bone in his leg. After having his leg put in plaster from his ankle to half way up his thigh and being given some crutches and pain killers, Cain was allowed to take him home. When Aaron spoke to Flynn later that evening, Flynn wanted to come straight over but Aaron told him there was no point, the tablets were making him sleepy and he was just going to go to bed.
The weather continued to be unseasonably bad. With the snow and the ice, venturing out with two fully functioning legs was a risk, never mind when one was in plaster and you needed crutches for support. One week turned into two, Aaron hadn't been out of the house and Flynn hadn't been able to get over to see him either. They spoke every day but it wasn't the same as spending time together. Needless to say, Aaron wasn't in the best of moods. Paddy had been quite glad to go to work every day to get away from him for a bit. Sitting on the sofa with his leg propped up, Aaron checked his watch and saw that it was just after one in the afternoon. Soon he would have to make the tricky decision of whether to watch one of the numerous home improvement shows that seemed to be on every channel at that time of day or tune in to the afternoon edition of the Jeremy Kyle show and watch some family try to solve their problems in front of the nation. Oh, the joys of daytime TV he thought. Just then, his mobile rang and he saw Flynn's name flashing on the screen.
"Alright" he said "what are you doing phoning at this time, shouldn't you be in registration or a lesson or something?"
"I've got a study period so I thought I'd give you a call and see how you're doing" Flynn said.
"I have never been so bored in my life" Aaron moaned.
"And how's the leg?"
"Sore or itchy or sometimes both. I can't sleep properly because it's uncomfortable which means I'm tired all the time so everything's getting on my nerves and not being able to get out of this house is doing my head in."
"So it's going well then" Flynn said laughing.
"Oh yeah I'm having a great time."
"Well, how would you like to spend the weekend at my place? The roads aren't too bad now so I could come and pick you up after college on Friday, we could get a takeaway, watch a couple of films, what do you think?"
"Sounds great but listen, the roads around here are still pretty bad so don't drive over, I'll get Paddy to drop me off."
"Shouldn't you ask him first, he might be busy" Flynn asked.
"Even if he is, he'll do it. After the mood I've been in, trust me, he won't be able to get me out of the door quick enough."
"Well you better not be in a mood when you get over here or I'll send you straight back."
"Somehow, I don't think I will be" Aaron said smiling.
"Good, so I'll see you about six on Friday then."
"Ok. Love you."
"Love you too." After he ended the call, Aaron realised that he hadn't asked whether they would be on their own or not but then he realised that he didn't care. He just wanted to see Flynn again, whether his parents would be there or not.
When Paddy pulled up outside Flynn's house on Friday evening, Flynn must have been watching out for them because the front door opened before Aaron had even got out of the car. Flynn took Aaron's bag from Paddy and moved to one side to let Aaron hobble into the house. Once Aaron was safely inside, he closed the front door and put the bag on the floor. They grinned at each other before Flynn put his arms around Aaron and hugged him. "I've really missed you" he said.
"I've missed you too" Aaron answered. Flynn kissed him softly on the lips and went to walk away expecting Aaron to follow. "Er, hang on a minute, where d'you think you're going?" Aaron said, his blue eyes twinkling. "We haven't seen each other for two weeks and that little kiss is all I get."
"Well, I didn't want you standing for too long. I was going to wait until you were a bit more comfortable" Flynn said.
"Don't you think I've waited long enough?" Aaron replied. Flynn walked the couple of steps back to Aaron and kissed him, a long lingering kiss that made them both realise how much they'd missed this physical contact.
"So, where's your mum and dad then?" Aaron asked as he hopped on his crutches towards the living room.
"Not back til tomorrow night so it's just me and you I'm afraid." They smiled at each other again.
When Aaron made it into the living room, he stopped in his tracks. The dining table that occupied one end of the room had been set for two with tea lights and candles waiting to be lit. Aaron's face fell.
"Aaron what's wrong?" Flynn asked.
"I'm so sorry, whatever it is I've forgotten, I'll make it up to you I promise" he said quickly running through all the important dates in his head.
"You haven't forgotten anything, idiot. I just wanted to do something nice for you, cheer you up."
"That's great but it's a bit over the top for a takeaway isn't it?"
"We're not having takeaway, I'm gonna cook and there's your favourite for dessert."
"With this thing on my leg, I very much doubt that" Aaron said, a wry smile on his face. Flynn smiled back at him. "So, d'you want a beer?" he asked.
"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks" Aaron said. Flynn brought them both back a beer and, making sure that Aaron was comfortable, they sat and chatted for a while. They felt so happy being together again and, even though they had spoken every day, they still had plenty to say to each other. Flynn eventually went to get dinner sorted out and, when he brought the food through, Aaron had already turned the lights off, lit the candles and put some music on.
"I could have done that" Flynn said putting the plates on the table.
"It's fine, besides if you were choosing the music, I dread to think what we'd be listening to." He hobbled over to sit down putting his crutches on the floor. They enjoyed their meal and Flynn started clearing the table.
"I'll just stick these in the dishwasher and then I'll be back" Flynn said.
"Ok" Aaron said flopping down on the sofa. When Flynn returned, he sat down next to Aaron and held out a neatly wrapped present.
"This is for you" he said.
"Right, now I know I've forgotten something" Aaron said "so stop pretending I haven't and just tell me what it is."
"You haven't forgotten anything alright, just open it."
Flynn watched in anticipation as Aaron tore open the wrapping paper. Inside was a small box. Aaron opened it and his mouth fell open when he saw what was inside. He looked at Flynn who smiled shyly at him.
"I know you said you thought it couldn't be done but I managed to get it fixed for you. It's a bit shorter than it used to be but it's still Jackson's, that's the main thing."
Aaron held the silver chain with the cross and medal on it in his hands. He was stunned, left momentarily speechless by what Flynn had done for him. After a few seconds, he managed to say "How did you do this? You didn't even know where I put it."
"No but Paddy did. I phoned him and talked to him about trying to get it fixed. I'd mentioned it to my dad and he said he knew someone who might be able to help. Paddy brought it over to me at college one day. It er it means you won't get much for Christmas from me. I used the money I was going to spend on your Christmas presents on getting it repaired but I thought if it came to a choice of having that fixed or having something new from me, you'd prefer to have that fixed."
Aaron's blue eyes welled up as he looked at Flynn. He opened and closed his mouth, wanting to say something but nothing would come out. Flynn put his hand on Aaron's leg and said "Hey, it was supposed to make you happy."
Aaron took a deep breath in and composed himself. " It has" he said wiping his eyes and smiling at Flynn "more than you know."
"Here, let me put it on for you" Flynn said taking the chain out of Aaron's shaking hand.
"I can't believe you did this for me" Aaron said, rubbing the chain between his finger and thumb like he used to do. "How did you know that I wouldn't go looking for it?"
"I didn't, I just hoped you wouldn't because then I would have had to tell you and it would have spoilt the surprise."
"Thank you. I don't know what else to say." The way Aaron looked at him before they kissed was something Flynn would never forget. Something unspoken passed between them in that moment, something shifted within their relationship again. He didn't know what it was but he could feel it and he was sure Aaron could too. As they settled down to watch a film on TV, Aaron thought back to when they were having their problems and Flynn had asked him what he could do to prove how much he loved him and he couldn't think of anything. Well, he'd just proved beyond any doubt exactly how much he loved him. He could have left the chain broken in the box and left Aaron to get used to not wearing it but he hadn't because he knew that deep down, Jackson's chain still meant something to him. How many other people would have done that for him? He'd always thought that Flynn was a special person but now he knew just how special he really was and he loved him for it.
Much as he wanted to enjoy the film snuggled up to Flynn, Aaron was struggling to stay awake. His eyes kept closing and then his head would fall forward and he'd wake himself up again. Flynn ended up switching the TV off and they went upstairs. It took Aaron a while to get there and even longer to get ready for bed. Flynn offered to help but he insisted on doing everything himself. He eventually got into bed and sighed heavily.
"You ok?" Flynn asked turning to look at him.
"This thing is seriously getting on my nerves now" Aaron said prodding his cast "it's heavy and I hate that I can't move properly."
"Is that your way of saying that I'm going to have to do all the work? Well, it wouldn't be the first time" Flynn said smiling at him.
"Oi, you've never had to do all the work as you put it" Aaron said wincing as he tried to get comfortable.
"Look, all joking aside, we don't have to do anything you know that. I'm just happy that you're here."
"I know" Aaron said "but we haven't seen each other for weeks and it's not like we're gonna get the house to ourselves that often anymore especially if the weather stays as bad as it has been."
Flynn turned onto his side and propped himself up on one elbow, draping his other arm across Aaron's stomach. "So? We do still sleep together when we don't have the house to ourselves don't we? Aaron, sex with you is amazing but so is going to sleep knowing that you'll be next to me when I wake up in the morning, that I won't be on my own tonight wishing you were here like I do every night we're not together. I just love being with you."
"You're going to make me cry again if you carry on" Aaron said not believing how emotional he felt.
"Sorry, I'll shut up then" Flynn said. He lay on his side and watched Aaron fidget as he tried to get comfortable. Somehow, Aaron managed to brush his lips tenderly against his own before kissing him with a bit more feeling. "I love you" Aaron said knowing he'd never meant it more than he did at that moment.
"I love you too" Flynn replied.
That night, Aaron slept better than he'd slept in a long time. He only woke up twice, unfortunately waking Flynn up both times but they soon dropped back off to sleep again. When he woke up the following morning, he felt happier than he'd felt in ages. They made the most of being on their own that day, knowing that Flynn's parents would be back that night. When his parents did return, they were surprised but pleased to see Aaron as it had been a long time since they'd seen him. They chatted for a while before Flynn's dad went to have a bath. It didn't take too long after that for Flynn's mum to start fussing over Aaron, checking that Flynn had looked after him properly and bringing him extra cushions to try to make him more comfortable. She even told Flynn to get off the sofa so Aaron could rest his leg on it but Aaron had said he was fine with his leg as it was. She left them alone while she went to make them a cup of tea.
"Well, it was nice while it lasted" Flynn said looking at Aaron.
"Yeah, it was. Still, I could get used to your mum running around after me, you should take notes" Aaron said grinning.
"Cheeky, I think I've looked after you pretty well since you got here."
"You have. Listen Flynn, I wanted to say to you ..."
"Do you want anything to eat with your cup of tea?" Flynn's mum shouted through to them.
Flynn looked at Aaron who shook his head. "No thanks mum" Flynn answered. He smiled at Aaron. "Sorry, what were you were going to say?"
"It doesn't matter, it can wait" Aaron said smiling at him. They kissed each other softly and tenderly, Flynn wondering what Aaron had been about to say to him, if he would ever get to hear it or if the moment was gone forever.
