– AARON & JACKSON: MY WAY –
"BREAKING POINT"
WRITTEN BY DAYNE DINNING
~This fanfic follow on the next morning after Confliction
- I do not own the characters, or Emmerdale – ITV do.
...
Aaron sat up slowly in his bed, his head was hurting badly and he could taste the alcohol; but what was worse was the fact he didn't remember a thing; vodka didn't agree with him and then mixing it with whatever else he must have drank didn't help either. He shook his head slowly and he scowled as the banging inside his head intensified as he moved and swung his legs out and over the edge of the bed. He managed to remove his top when he eventually made it to his bedroom the previous night, after that he just crawled onto the bed and he was asleep within minutes.
He stood up and walked to his wardrobe and took out his overalls for work and got changed. He didn't have time for a shower after he glanced at the clock, it was quarter to nine. Once dressed he delicately made his way to the bathroom, brushed his teeth and splashed cold water over his face, dried it and made his way downstairs and straight out the front door.
Aaron was in a world of his own as he walked down the village, his hands were in his pockets as he walked, he was trying too hard to remember what happened the previous night but nothing surfaced.
"Oh someone looks rough" Ryan stated and Aaron looked at him and raised his eyebrows.
"Yeah just a bit, where's Cain?" he asked after looking around and not seeing him anywhere.
"He's out for the day so it's just me and you lad"
"Ahh right, better for me then" Aaron replied. He regretted going to work now and he sighed. "What's to do?" he asked.
"Erm, a new set of tyres on that one over there mate" Ryan told him.
Aaron turned and walked into garage and grabbed the tools he needed and walked back out to the car and got to work.
...
Ryan had left Aaron to lock up; Aaron was pulling the long iron gate along as Adam walked up to him. "Alright mate?"
There was no expression on Aaron's face. "No not really...hangover from hell"
"Yeah I heard you did a disappearing act...anyway I know why you ran out on Bryony last night"
Aaron frowned. "Why?" everything before the vodka he had remembered.
"Ahh come on Aaron" Adam stepped forward so no one would hear if they were passing.
"I don't know what you're on about"
"Alright..." Adam sighed. "You tried to kiss me before Christmas...you're acting all weird all of a sudden flinching when a hot girl touches you and you run out when she goes to kiss you..." Adam stopped. "You're gay aren't ya?"
Aaron swallowed hard and his eyes looked to the gravel floor.
Silence speaks volumes. "Mate...it doesn't matter if you are...it doesn't bother me one bit"
"Bothers me" he replied sadly and he locked the gate and walked away.
...
Aaron walked into Smithy and heard Paddy in the kitchen and he closed the front door and walked in. "On your dinner?" Paddy asked.
"No, it's a half day today" Aaron told him.
"Ah right..." Paddy replied.
"So...you not gunna ask me why I did it." Aaron asked; he'd been waiting for it; he wanted to get it over with.
Paddy shook his head. "No...You had your reasons; it was your choice to show your hand to your mum...was the right thing to do really..."
"Yeah" Aaron smiled, he was surprised. "She'd have found out eventually, what did she say?"
"She went ballistic, wanted to call the police and everything, but I talked her round don't worry, she said she'll kill you when she sees you though..." he chuckled. "Anyway, gotta get back to work"
"Oh right...didn't think you were going back yet"
"I know...keeping with the mugging story..." Paddy replied as he started to walk to the living room.
"Paddy..."
"Yeah?" Paddy turned to face him.
"I' am so sorry"
Paddy smiled. "I know you are Aaron" he told him and walked off into the surgery.
...
A few hours later Aaron was lying on the sofa watching TV when there was a knock at the door. He closed his eyes and sighed. *I'm comfy* he thought to himself and he pushed himself up and walked to the front door and opened it; when he saw it was Jackson he pushed the door closed again but Jackson stopped him. Aaron sighed. "Thought you were done!" he told him with a raised voice.
"You said that when you saw me last night Aaron!" Jackson told him.
Aaron frowned and pulled the door open. "You what?"
"Can I come in?" Jackson asked.
Aaron's frowned deepened, what the hell happened the previous night? "Uh...yeah sure" he walked back into the kitchen and heard the door close after Jackson walked in.
"Coffee? Tea?"
Jackson shook his head. "No thanks think we should just talk to be honest"
Aaron nodded and told him to follow him to the living room. Aaron turned the TV off and sat down. "So talk?"
"Yeah, I came back last night to apologise but you weren't here...I found you smashed out of your face walking back into the village, I wanted to see you were alright..."
Unaware to both lads the front door opened.
"Y-you said that when that girl touched you, you panicked but when I do...you don't...and when we got back outside here..." Jackson lowered his head. "You kissed me"
"You're lying...I wouldn't have kissed you"
"But ya did" Chas' voice sounded from the doorway to the kitchen.
Aaron swung his head round quickly as did Jackson. He swallowed hard and jumped up. "What?" he asked shaking his head as he backed away from the sofa.
"Aaron...no come on..." Jackson tried.
"Aaron it's alright..." Chas soothed and stepped forward.
"No..." he gasped, shaking his head frantically.
Chas stepped forward again closer to her son. "It's alright...I just wanna help son"
"N-No...No one can help!" he shouted and he ran out of the door behind him.
Chas sighed and rubbed her forehead, trying to think. "Who are you anyway?" she asked in her usual high pitched tone.
"I'm Jackson, I'm a fri-" he sighed. "I dunno what we are to be honest" he told her then looked back at Aaron.
"Oh...like that..."
"Depends on him"
"What? You mean you like my Aaron?"
"Yeah" Jackson said with a frown. "I do, part of me says to run a mile, the other..." he shrugged.
Chas smiled. "Aaron's alright you know...but this, this explains so much...how could I have not seen it?"
"Should we go after him?" Jackson asked.
Chas shook her head. "No, it's best to leave him to cool off"
...
Jackson walked away from the bar with a pint in his hand and walked over to a free table and sat down, seconds later Adam walked in. "Diane you seen Aaron?"
Jackson's ears pricked up as he heard Aaron being mentioned, he looked at the lad at the bar and Jackson stood up and walked by him. "Hi..."
Adam turned to the stranger.
"Aaron left his place a while ago...needed to cool off"
"Ahh...your Aaron's friend?"Adam asked.
Jackson nodded. "Yeah if you know what I mean?"
Adam nodded and looked him in the eye. "Yeah, so what made him run off?"
Jackson nodded his head back towards the table he was sat at and both of them walked over and sat down. "I said some harsh things to him yesterday...I went back last night to apologise...anyway cut long story short...he kissed me and his mum saw...she told him earlier and he flipped out, ran off, she told me to leave him to calm so I came here in hopes he'll walk in"
"Right well I'll have this pint then I'll go see if I can find him"
"Should I come with you?"
Adam shook his head. "No offence mate but you're everything he's scared of at the minute"
Jackson sighed and took a drink. The lad was right.
...
Adam looked around as he stepped outside the pub and he put Jackson's business card in his pocket, so he could call him when he'd found Aaron. *Garage?* he asked himself. It was worth a try, no one would think to find him there at this time of night; but Adam had the best mate card, he thought differently.
When he arrived at the garage he climbed over the gate and walked closer, there was a light on inside. "Aaron come on mate I know you're in there come out and talk eh?"
There was no response. "Don't be like that mate"
He would have bit back by now and Adam frowned finding it unusual and he walked to the window and looked inside.
Aaron was lying on the floor, papers from the desk were scattered everywhere, and he was in trouble.
Adam jumped back away from the window and moved to kick the door in, it didn't work but the desperation within him made him kick the door harder. "Come on!" he shouted, tears filling his eyes.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?" Debbie shouted.
Adam turned to look at her. "Aaron's inside, he looks like he's had an accident!"
"Oh bloody hell!" Debbie grabbed the keys from her pocket, unlocked the gate and ran through and tried unlocking the door.
"It's no good" she declared. "He must have the key in the other side."
"Move out the way" Adam advised her as he took several steps back and then ran for the door, he turned to his side seconds before impact, the door broke open, sending Adam flying into the other wall but he stopped himself and ran over to Aaron and knelt down beside him.
The first thing he saw was two different bottles of pills, he turned Aaron over, he was cold, his lips were blue and his face was white as a sheet. Adam cried. "Oh god!"
Debbie stood frozen. "I'll call an ambulance!" she told him and ran back outside.
"Come on mate! Don't you dare do this to me!" Adam told him aggressively. "Don't you dare" Adam's face scrunched as he fell back onto his backside, sobbing.
TBC...