"So have you finished Dale Head now?" Aaron asked, as Jackson sat down on the other sofa.
"All done and dusted." Jackson answered. "Waiting for my next job to pop up. So for now I can be at home with you."
"Great." Aaron said trying not to smile at the prospect of spending all day with Jackson for a few weeks until his next job came up.
"You're looking forward to spending time me with really." Jackson laughed as he saw Aaron fail at hiding his excitement.
"I suppose so." Aaron said, throwing a cushion at Jackson. "Not like I can get out of it now, is it?" He sighed as he was suddenly reminded of his leg when a slight twinge ran up it after jostling it.
Jackson caught the cushion aimed his way and set it down on the empty seat beside him. "Aaron you do know that-." He started before the teen's mum popped her head round the door.
"I'm off home now!" She announced to them. "Call me if you need anything, I'll be round again tomorrow no doubt. . ."
". . .Great." Aaron sighed as he dramatically dropped his head back to the sofa cushions.
Chas choose to ignore him and carried on. "Behave and remember what I said earlier. I wouldn't put it past me to follow through."
"Yes, yes alright mum!" Aaron groaned.
"Okay then, that's alright love." Chas smiled. "See you later Jackson. Bye love."
"What was that all about?" Jackson asked with a curious cocked eyebrow.
"Nothing." Aaron said as he switched on the TV. "Just threatened lock me up here if I didn't do as she said."
"And I thought my mum was strict." Jackson laughed.
Throughout the night he'd tried to talk to Aaron again. He knew a talk between the two of them was well over due but every time he tried to bring it up, Aaron would either grunt a response as he watched a TV or change the subject. If Aaron didn't want to talk, then there was no point pushing him to. But sooner or later it was going to blow up in their faces and Jackson wanted to be around Aaron when it did.
"So how are we gonna do this?" Jackson asked as he stood at the bottom of the stairs with Aaron. Before when he had a cast on he shuffled up and down the stairs on his bum. But now with a splint on and in recovery from surgery Aaron was no longer able to do that. One little bump could upset his whole leg.
"Go up on my crutches." Aaron told him. There was no other way he was gonna be able to get upstairs.
"Yeah but Aaron, can you get up there on your crutches?" Paddy asked from the kitchen doorway.
"I'm going to have to." Aaron said. "There's no way I'm sleeping on that sofa all night."
Jackson and Paddy both looked at each other.
"I'll be fine. It's not like there's that many stairs." Aaron joked as he looked up to the top. It did look a bit daunting but he needed to prove to himself he wasn't such a cripple by getting up there.
"Fine!" Paddy said. "But I'm going to be following you up. So if you do fall, you'll fall on me if I can't catch you."
Aaron rolled his eyes but pulled himself up onto the first step.
He was exhausted by the time he got to the top. His arm's felt like jelly because he'd put all his weight on them as he pulled himself up each step. He didn't even know if he could make it to his bed by the time he got onto the landing, but he'd somehow made it. Paddy had gone back downstairs when he knew Aaron was upstairs safely and Jackson followed him into the room.
"Argh, my arms hurt." Aaron groaned as he tried to pull himself further onto the bed with his arms but gave up when he couldn't find the strength, falling back on the bed with his leg dangling of the edge and his other at a straight angle.
He looked a pitiful state to Jackson. The older man crossed the room and climbed onto the bed behind the teen. "Sit up." Jackson ordered softly.
"What? Why?" Aaron questioned as he did as he was told.
"Tell me if I'm hurting you." Jackson said as he hooked his arms under Aaron's arms and locked them across his chest.
"What you doing?"
His question was answered when Jackson pulled him back further onto the bed, turned him a little and then pulled him further back onto the bed so his back was against the head rest. "There." Jackson breathed as he let go of Aaron. He crawled further down the bed so he was facing Aaron and sat down.
"Thanks." Aaron mumbled embarrassed as he looked anywhere but at Jackson. He hated it that Jackson had had to move him.
"No problem." Jackson said thinking nothing of it. After all he was just helping his boyfriend right? "Do you want me to grab you some change of clothes, you've been in those since last night haven't you?"
"Just the trousers." Aaron defended, he hadn't been asked to change them that morning. He'd found out on Sunday that none of his trackies were able to fit over his leg splint. "This is clean on this morning." He said tugging at his blue t-shirt.
"Whatever." Jackson said jumping off the bed and heading to the draws to pull out some clean clothes for Aaron.
"They won't fit over. . ." Aaron said as he saw his boyfriend pull out a pair of trackies for him.
"Oh okay." Jackson said before grabbing another pair of pajama trousers and a clean t-shirt and threw them at Aaron's chest. "We're gonna have to get you some trousers that will fit over that, can't have you wondering down the village with just a pair of Pajama trousers covering you up!" Jackson teased.
"Funny." Aaron sneered as he picked the clothes up and placed them beside him.
He had no trouble taking his t-shirt off and replacing it with the black one that Jackson had picked out for him. It was when he was changing his trousers that Jackson was itching to intervene and help out. He didn't know how he managed it, but Aaron managed to take his trousers and off sneak the other pair up his legs and over his hips.
"I know I'm hot Jackson but. . ." Aaron laughed as he caught Jackson watching him as he didn't bother tightening the drawstring on his trousers.
"I'm just amazed at how you managed to get them off and on." Jackson said as he sat on the bottom of the bed again.
"Man of many talents." Aaron teased as he leaned back against the headboard.
"Is that so." Jackson said turning towards him and capturing him another kiss only this one lasted a lot longer. Breathless he pulled away. "I've been dying to do that all weekend." He admitted making Aaron blush.
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't." Aaron said tugging him back towards him.
Jackson was careful not to cause any movement that would disturb Aaron's leg and caught himself before he fell on top of him. Using his arm placed on the other side of Aaron, Jackson placed all his weight onto it to stop himself from leaning on Aaron. He we quickly pulled into another kiss by Aaron, who was making it clear he wanted to take things further.
"Aaron. . ." Jackson breathed as he pulled away to catch his breath before continuing. "Aaron."
"What?" Aaron moaned into the kiss.
"Look, we shouldn't be doing this." Jackson said reasonably. He knew he couldn't rely on Aaron to draw a line.
Aaron paid no attention and pulled him back into another kiss, trailing his hands up Jackson's stomach.
"Aaron, no." Jackson said using his free hand to tug his shirt back down again.
"Why?" Aaron whined giving up on what he had in mind.
"Because. . . I don't want to hurt you." Jackson sighed as he leaned over him.
Aaron scoffed, his mood changing instantly.
"Aaron, don't be like that." Jackson pleaded. He didn't want to hurt him. He knew he wouldn't be able to have much control if they did continue further and he couldn't guarantee not hurting him.
"Like what?" Aaron defended.
"Like that!" Jackson sighed, moving so he wasn't leaning over Aaron any more but sitting next to him. "Aaron I don't want to hurt you okay, we can kiss. . . but that's it." Jackson told him.
"But that's it." Aaron mocked.
"Until you get a little better." Jackson said running a hand down Aaron's arm.
Aaron shrugged out from underneath Jackson's touch and started to shuffle down the bed so he could lie down. "I'm tired, think I'm gonna try and get some sleep now." Aaron mumbled. "Could you switch the light off please."
"Sure." Jackson sighed deflated as he got up to do as he was asked.
He went through to the bathroom to get ready for bed and climbed in next to Aaron when he returned, trying to get some sleep himself. He wondered if Aaron was actually sleeping beside him, but after working himself hard all day to get his last job finished Jackson couldn't stop himself drifting off. He hated to think what Aaron was thinking. He'd no doubt take his brush off in the wrong way. How was he to act though? He would never forgive himself he were to hurt Aaron. No sooner had he been asleep though, had he found himself waking up to the noise of scratching on the bedroom door. He dragged himself out of bed and quietly let Clyde into the room, who'd be pawing at the door for god knows how long. He followed the large Alsatian, knowing his track record for jumping on the bed, until he was certain that he wasn't going to bound onto the bed and upset Aaron. Instead Clyde made himself comfortable in a pile of discarded clothes on the floor and curled up to sleep, while Jackson climbed back into bed to go back to sleep.
In the morning Aaron 'woke up' long before Jackson. He'd uncomfortably lied on his back the entire night staring up at the ceiling as he listened to the older man snore softly beside him, faking sleep whenever Jackson was to stir next to him. How could he sleep? He'd tried, he couldn't say he hadn't. He was tired and worn out physically and mentally, but sleep just would not take him, hadn't for weeks, not properly anyway. For starters he couldn't get comfortable, he hated lying on his back, especially since. . . He just hated it. He preferred to lay on his side, curled up with Jackson's arm snaked round his waist for comfort but he couldn't. Not now with the huge split strapped to his leg, it made everything impossible to do now. Plus there was the court case forever running through his mind. He'd managed to shove it to the back of his mind during the day, keeping himself occupied with other things. Now that he was stuck at home all day with nothing to do he doubted that he would find it that easy to anymore and he hoped that it wouldn't take a front seat like it did at night time. He didn't know why, but he just couldn't seem to forget about Darrel at night times, what he did to him, his face before he pushed him down the stairs, his wondering hands that harshly explored his skin and tore at his clothes. No! He shouldn't be remembering, he needed to put it to the back of his mind. The court case was a couple of months away, so he had plenty of time before he needed to start remembering anything about his encounters with that horrible man.
He jumped when he felt a hand snake over his stomach. "Morning." Jackson groaned as he rolled onto his front and smile at his lover with half open eyes. "How long have you been awake?"
"Not long." Aaron lied. There was no reason for him to tell Jackson the complete truth, he didn't need to worry him anymore.
"I'll get up and get us some breakfast in a minute." Jackson mumbled into the pillow, he always took a good while to wake up fully. Unlike Aaron who once awake was wide awake, albeit a bit grumpy and harder to wake up than most people, but at least he was more coherent than Jackson was first thing. "Once I'm awake enough, give me five more minutes."
Jackson rolled onto his back and flung an arm over his eyes to block out the morning sunlight that was streaming in through the gap in the curtains.
Aaron was in rush to get anything to eat, he found himself thinking about the upcoming court case as he waited for Jackson to return from the kitchen. He could hear him banging about in the kitchen, getting god knows what but it didn't draw his thoughts for long as he began to wonder why the court case was being brought forward. They'd been told they didn't need to worry about until May next year, when they'd set the official date. But now they were rudely awakened to the court case being brought forward to no longer than two months away. What was the sudden new development that had occurred to make them bring the date seven months before it was originally set? Had somebody else come forward? Surely Darrel hadn't attacked others? He wasn't that sick, was he? Or maybe Darrel was protesting his innocence still and had come up with some pathetic lie against him? He'd heard of stories like that in the news and on the TV how the manipulative criminal had spun a web of lies to protect themselves from spending a life time in prison. The very idea began to make Aaron sick to the stomach. He'd felt scared that nobody would believe him to start with, but to think that Darrel would help whoever didn't believe Aaron to believe his innocence instead made the worries and fear spike up in him again.
"I've got cereal and toast, wasn't sure what you wanted." Jackson announced as he kicked the door open lightly with his foot as he held a tray in both of his hands. ". . . You alright, Aaron?" He asked with a hint of concern lacing his tone. He placed the tray on the end of the bed and climbed in next to Aaron again.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Aaron assured him clearing his throat. "What did you say you got?"
"Aaron." Jackson said stopping Aaron in his tracks as he went to reach for a glass of orange juice.
"What? I'm fine, honestly Jackson stop fussing." Aaron shrugged off trying to fake a smile. He could deal with whatever was going on in his head, it was his fears and he'd have to learn to deal with them himself.
"You don't need to lie to me Aaron, you can tell me what's wrong." Jackson told him as he placed a hand on Aaron's hip. He would have placed a hand on the top of his leg, but he didn't want to cause any movement to the teen's injured leg that needn't be. "That's what I'm here for Aaron. You can talk to me because god do I want to know what goes on in that head of yours." Jackson admitted, he'd waited so long to tell Aaron that.
Aaron remained silent for a while just staring at Jackson, trying to figure out what to do or say next. He let out a long breath, closing his eyes before looking at Jackson again and then adverting his gaze to somewhere on the other side of the room. "I can't . . . I don't know why they're bringing the court case forward." Aaron admitted to him. "I can't stop thinking that what if they don't believe and that's why-." Aaron rushed.
"Why would they not believe you Aaron?" Jackson exclaimed placing another hand on the left side of Aaron's face and turning the teen's head to face him. He couldn't work out how on earth Aaron thought that. There was more than enough evidence to send Darrel down for what he did to the younger man, for what pain he caused him. "He attacked you three times Aaron, witnesses and physical evidence from each one." Jackson told him. "No why on earth would you think they wouldn't believe you? I believe you, the police do, your mum and Paddy does!"
"Because it's me!" Aaron snapped at him. He wasn't getting it! He had a record with the police for being a trouble maker, he was young and known as a head case round the village, mental. Darrel seemed so together he was far older than him and as far as he knew he'd had no run ins with the law what so ever up until now. "I'm the head case remember!"
"Aaron, you need to stop thinking like that." Jackson told him sternly.
"But I'm right though." Aaron sighed as he ran a hand down his face. "What if Darrel's made up some story against me?" Aaron let out.
"If he has then we'll deal with it. We know it's a lie and I'm sure the professionals will know it's a lie." Jackson said.
He was right. All they could do was tell the truth, what they had been doing from the get go. It was too late now to turn and run from it all, if it wasn't Aaron was sure that he would have. He didn't want to face it all again, but he had too much to his dislike.
"Now, is that all that's been on your mind?" Jackson pressed, hoping there wasn't more but if there was he would be grateful for Aaron to share with him.
Aaron nodded his head.
"Okay." Jackson said softly. "Just remember I'm here, whenever."
"I think I'll just have some toast." Aaron said as he tried to lean over to grab some.
"Here, let me." Jackson said picking up the plate piled high with toast enough for the both of them and sitting it in between them on the sheets. "Just hope we don't get crumbs in bed."
Aaron shrugged not caring either way as he took a bit out of some toast, nearly eating the whole thing in one.
A/N – Oh my god, thank you for the great feedback and kind words. So happy to see that your all enjoying this storyline. But I must say I'm quite looking forward to seeing the storyline for Aaron on our screens for the next couple of weeks or so! Exciting stuff! Anyway hoped you enjoyed this update, Fingers crossed I keep to this routine of updating!