– AARON & JACKSON: MY WAY –
"CONFLICTION"
WRITTEN BY DAYNE DINNING
~This fanfic follow on the next morning after The Longest Night
- I do not own the characters, or Emmerdale – ITV do.
Aaron hadn't slept one bit, he was still wearing the clothes from the previous night. His bloodied fist seethed with pain but it was nothing compared to what Paddy was going through. Aaron sat up on the edge of his bed and sighed, rubbed his tired eyes and walked to his door and opened it and walked to Paddy's bedroom door but stopped when he heard him rummaging around in the kitchen. He turned and walked to the stairs. Once down them he simply stood in the doorway nervously with his hands in his pockets. "Hi..." he said quietly.
Paddy had heard him coming so it wasn't too much of a shock; he turned as he put the kettle back on its stand. "How are ya?"
Aaron looked up to the ceiling and shrugged. "Tired...how are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm alright...sore...but it won't last" he smiled.
"That doesn't make what I've done any easier..." he looked at the floor, his guilt seeped from him.
"Good, that's not my intention" Paddy replied bluntly.
Aaron nodded, he understood that.
"But it doesn't mean I don't know how sorry you are because I do" he told him.
Aaron nodded. "What time is it?" he asked.
"Just gone nine"
Aaron sighed loudly. "Cain's gunna kill me!" he turned quickly to run upstairs and change.
"N-No...It's alright I called him, told him you've been up all night sick"
Aaron rested his head on the door frame and closed his eyes, his guilt was killing him. "You didn't have to do that" he told him then he moved from the door frame and turned back to Paddy.
"I know" he told the young lad.
...
"What you doing about work?" Aaron asked as they sat in the living room talking.
"Oh I called a locum, should be arriving soon, I left a note for Pearl explaining everything – well not everything"
Aaron nodded as they both heard the front door opened and Aaron looked at him in panic.
"Hellooo!" Chas shouted through in her high pitched voice.
Paddy saw the panic in Aaron's face. "It'll be fine...just relax..." he told him to which Aaron nodded quickly. "Yeah in here!" Paddy shouted to her.
Chas walked in with a smile. "Oh...thought you'd be at work...you alright son?" she asked.
Aaron shook his head. "Nah, I feel sick" and he wasn't lying and Paddy gave a sideways glance at him.
Chas noticed Paddy was keeping his head down. "Is everything okay?"
Paddy let out a breath and looked up at her. "I was mugged last night..."
Chas face said it all she was horrified. "What? Where?"
"In town...it was dark, was walking back to the car and it just happened, I managed to get back and Aaron helped me out" he lied.
Chas sat in the middle of both men and put her arm around Paddy, Aaron adjusted the position of his hand so she didn't see the state of his knuckles, but all he could think was that it was wrong, the lies, and his guilt worsened.
"I'm fine Chas! Really" Paddy told her.
"You need to get to hospital Paddy how could someone do this?" she raged.
Aaron sighed.
Chas turned to her son. "What's wrong with you?" she frowned.
Aaron shook his head. "Nothing" he replied with a sigh as he stood up and walked to the door, he opened it and turned to face them both and he held up his hand. He couldn't let Paddy lie.
Chas' mouth fell open in shock once more then her expression quickly turned to anger. Aaron saw the flash of disappointment before her angry phase and his eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry" he managed to say and he ran out, slamming the door behind him.
Chas turned to Paddy. "Aaron did that to you!" she shouted as she stood.
Paddy nodded. "But we've sorted it and we're fine now" he told her.
"Oh N-N-N-No! I don't care if you're sorted or not! Why did he do it in the first place!" she raged.
"B-Because I was pushing him Chas...I thought he was dealing drugs and I kept going on at him and he snapped..."
"I'm calling the police!"
Paddy shot up from the sofa and moved in front of her. "No Chas you can't – please...he's feeling bad enough as it is"
"He needs showing that he can't go around doing that to people!" Chas spoke with a raised voice and shook her head in disbelief.
"I said NO Chas! I don't want the police involved; if I did I would have called them by now!"
...
A while later Paddy was alone in the house, he managed to persuade Chas to let him deal with it but she promised that she'd kill Aaron when she saw him. Paddy wandered the house after ringing him several times but got no answer as he expected but he still had to try. Then in his thoughtful pacing Jackson came to mind. "Where is that number?" he asked himself, he knew Aaron hadn't binned it despite his claims but Paddy saw through it. Although at the time he wasn't aware of Aaron's struggle, but Aaron was kind-hearted deep down and he would have kept it to thank him, only now Paddy knew it was something more.
Paddy headed upstairs to Aaron's room, he stopped outside the door, he shouldn't be invading Aaron's privacy again but he needed to do this. He opened his door and stepped inside, he looked around where would you hide a potential love interest's number? He looked under the mattress maybe a bit extreme, he looked under the bed, on top of the wardrobe, underneath it, in his waste paper bin, and it was no good. He sighed and his eyes looked at his drawers. He knew his actions were wrong, him being in there was wrong, he forced himself over to them and opened the drawer; it had a few magazines, a half eaten tube of mints, an old torn photograph of him and his mum, he sighed, saddened by the sight, sunglasses, condoms - *Good lad* Paddy thought, a few pens, loose change and as he rummaged more he felt something at the back of the drawer, paper. Paddy smiled and pulled it out hoping it was what he wanted. He unfolded it and it was Jackson's number. "Thank god" he told himself and he looked at the magazines that were facing cover down and he picked one up and the cover picture gave it away, a very strapping, muscular well built topless man. "Oh Aaron..." Paddy realised it would have taken a lot for him to buy that, and out of curiosity he figured too. He put it back and closed the drawer and left his room.
...
Aaron resurfaced in the village hours after he'd ran out of smithy, a call from Adam roused him back, after being invited for a drink at the pub. Aaron had been home, he'd showered and changed and left straight away to avoid Paddy's questions as to why he told Chas it was him. His hand was sore but he ignored it as he entered the pub.
"Over here mate!" Adam shouted.
Aaron turned and smiled and saw his best mate, Scarlett and another girl sitting at the table. He walked over seeing a pint waiting for him; he sat down next to Adam and in between the unknown girl. He raised his eyebrows and smiled shyly. "Alright?" he asked.
"Yeah thanks, you? I'm Bryony by the way" she told him, as she ran her hand across her long black hair that was covering one of her eyes and moved it out of the way.
"Yeah good...Nice to meet you, I'm Aaron" he replied and quickly turned to Adam. "What you playing at?"
"Nothing to do with me, I know I said just us but...they tagged along...sorry mate" Adam told him
"Nah you're alright" he said as he reached out for his pint and took a big long drink.
"Woah steady mate" Adam laughed.
"No...I really need this mate"
"Hey! What you done!" Adam reached for Aaron's hand and grabbed his wrist so he could see the bruises properly.
Aaron pulled it away harshly. "None of your business" he glared at him.
"So...you're a bit of a bad boy then?" Bryony asked with a sparkle in her eye.
"Oh ignore her Aaron she's already half gone" Scarlett informed.
"Ahh..." he smirked. "Nothing wrong with that"
Adam watched and saw exactly what Aaron was doing and he shook his head as he took a drink from his pint.
...
An hour or so later Aaron was almost half gone himself as Jackson walked into the pub, quickly clocking eyes on Aaron who seemed very cosy with a girl. Jackson rolled his eyes and leaned against the bar. "Yes love?" Diane asked.
"Uh pint please" Jackson asked and he turned his head and looked at Aaron.
...
"So...do you wanna take me back to yours or are you gunna keep a girl waiting?" Bryony asked.
"Waiting for what exactly?" Aaron asked, as he relaxed against the back of the chair.
Bryony didn't reply but simply put her hand on his leg and moved it up towards his groin slowly. Aaron froze and swallowed hard, when he looked at her she was moving closer and Aaron moved his head back quickly and he jumped up panicking.
"Aaron?" Adam asked. "What's wrong mate?"
Aaron shook his head frantically; the panic worsening and he had to breathe slowly then he spotted Jackson at the bar and their eyes fixed on one another. Jackson noted the scared look in his eyes before he turned and ran out.
Adam started to get up to go after him but Scarlett took his hand to stop him. "Leave him Adam" to which Adam sighed and nodded. "What did I do wrong?"Bryony asked.
"No nothing he..." Scarlett began but she couldn't think of a reason why he'd done that.
"I dunno..." Adam shrugged. "Aaron being Aaron. Don't let him get to ya" he told her, but he knew exactly what happened there.
While they were chatting Jackson left the pub and ran after him. "Hey!" he shouted. "Just slow down will ya?"
"What Jackson?" Aaron yelled back as he slowed down and stopped near Smithy.
"What's with all these signals?" he asked. "I come here and find you with a woman; you're messing with my head mate!"
"I didn't ask you to did I?" Aaron snapped back.
"No but Paddy did, cause he's worried about ya..."
"Oh is he now!"
"Yeah and I'm not surprised after you knocked seven bells out of him!" Jackson shouted at him, stepping closer as he did. "Yeah...it's not exactly hard to put the pieces together...as soon as he told me he knew about you being gay..."
Aaron shook his head, gritting his teeth as he stood listening to him.
"I came here to help you, it's not easy! I know that! But I hate violence Aaron and I came to the pub to talk, and now to see you obviously don't give a damn about your actions, no remorse whatsoever...Well you can just get on with it, and to think I was starting to like you..." Jackson shook his head. "You're on your own" he stepped back and slowly turned away.
Aaron sighed. Why couldn't he just talk like a normal person, why all the time did a wall build around him? Aaron headed to the shop, bought a bottle of vodka and headed out of the village.
...
Hours later into the late night, Jackson walked up the path to the front door of Smithy and he knocked and waited. Paddy answered a few seconds later.
"Jackson? I wasn't expecting you..."
"No was a surprise for me aswell" he flicked up his eyebrows quickly as he finished his sentence.
"It's almost twelve...so where's Aaron?"
"That's what I came to find out..."
Paddy frowned. "He's not with you?"
Jackson shook his head. "No...I kinda said some harsh stuff to him earlier and I left...I-I came back to apologise...he's not here?"
"No haven't seen him since he left for the pub earlier"
Jackson sighed. "Right...I'll go and have a look for him; I'll let you know if I find him"
Paddy nodded. "Thankyou Jackson"
...
Jackson put his hands in his pocket as he walked towards the road and he shivered, it was a cold night, he stopped for a second and took out his phone and began to look for Aaron's number but the sound of footsteps to the right of him caused him to stop and look up. Jackson breathed a sigh of relief and shoved his phone into his pocket and ran to Aaron who was walking, well stumbling back into the village. Jackson placed his hands against Aaron's shoulders to stop him. "Aaron?" he asked and made him look at him. "You okay?" he asked.
Aaron laughed. "Thought you were done?" he slurred.
Jackson stood straight, sighed and looked around. "Great! Absolutely smashed out of your face!"
"And?" Aaron scowled.
"Look, I came to apologise, I was a bit harsh"
"Deserved it didn't I?" Aaron snapped back and pulled away from him and continued walking, only to trip on the kerb as he headed up the grassy slope to the front door of Paddy's
Jackson rolled his eyes and ran after him.
"Argh!" Aaron winced as Jackson kneeled down in front of him.
"You alright?" he asked.
Aaron shook his head and started to get upset and the tears were let loose and he placed his hands on his face and started to hit himself in the forehead with them.
"Hey! Hey!" he pulled Aaron's hands away. "Why you doing that?"
"I can't take it anymore...I didn't know she was going to be there or you...she touched me and I panicked...you touch me and I don't...I don't understand it!"
"It's easy to understand Aaron, you're gay...it's nothing to be ashamed of..."
Aaron wiped his eyes and sat and looked at Jackson properly. "Why do you even care?"
Jackson was silent. "Because I like you Aaron..."
Aaron scoffed and looked up to the sky. "You need to get as far away from me as possible"
"You're talking rubbish...and I'm not leaving you in this state" he told him.
"I'm not Jackson, everyone that gets anywhere near me just gets hurt"
"Well I'll take that chance" he said flippantly as he stood up and pulled him up with him. "Come on, time for your bed!" he said as he guided him back to the house.
"You're not coming in my bed" Aaron smirked as he turned to him but his tone was authoritive.
Jackson smirked too. "Well...No I'm not"
"And you're not undressing me either"
"As much as I'm restraining myself...No you're doing it yourself, I have to go anyway, gotta be on site early"
"Ah, me and my big mouth again"
"It's alright; forgotten already...you're drunk you don't know what you're saying"
"Maybe not..." Aaron swallowed hard. "But I know what I wanna do"
Jackson bit his lower lip as his eyes locked on Aaron's. "And what's that?" he asked before looking around. Then he felt Aaron's hand on one side of his face and he turned to him but before he could react he felt Aaron's lips press against his. Jackson's heart raced.
Chas walked out of the pub after having an afterhours drink with Diane. It wasn't something she normally did but she had a nice chat with her, she looked up the village and suddenly stopped, frozen.
Aaron pulled away seeing Jackson's smile grow wider. "Thanks"
Jackson shook it off. "I didn't do anything really...hey..." he stopped him just as he opened the door. "Take care of yourself yeah?" he asked him.
Aaron let out a sigh and nodded. "Yeah..."
"I'll call ya" Jackson told him with a smile then he turned and walked away.
Chas watched her son close the door to Smithy, then she focussed on the person walking away, the walk, the build...she thought she was seeing things instantly but no...She wasn't. Her son was kissing a man.
Everything fell into place.