AARON & JACKSON

-1912: The Aftermath-

"Trouble"

Aaron stared at his reflection in the mirror, his tired eyes looked awful and his banging head made him feel crap, he wasn't hung over as such just a little groggy. He frowned as the events of the early hours of the morning ran through his mind, in a way he'd been assaulted. Or was I? he asked himself as his frown deepened. An unwanted kiss from another man. Or was it? He asked himself. A sexual grope from his friend that wasn't hinted on or asked for. Or was it? He asked himself once more. He dropped his head and stared down into the sink and shook his head. "You get yourself into some situations Livesy but this is by far the stupidest!" he cursed himself quietly before walking out of the bathroom and heading downstairs, as he reached the bottom he suddenly felt like a child the morning after getting told off, guilt filled his eyes. He blew out a breath and stepped down and began to walk along the hallway to the kitchen. "Up early again then?" he asked as he saw Jackson cleaning his plate from breakfast.

"Uh huh" Jackson mumbled. "You should eat"

"Nah I'm alright" he replied as he leaned against the kitchen door with his arms folded. "You off work again?" he asked with a frown.

"Yeah, and you should eat"

"And I said no" he replied sharply with a glare toward Jackson.

Jackson frowned and seconds later continued what he was doing. "Got stuff to do so wanna get it done ASAP"

Aaron flicked up his eyebrows, not surprised at his reply. "Again? That's the second time this week" he wondered what was going on. "What's so important? Can't you just relax at home?"

"No, actually I can't but maybe if I wasn't busy I'd spend the day in the pub" he said clearly and with a hint of annoyance.

"Err! You were fine with me going!"

Jackson turned to face him. "Was I? And then you stroll in after one am? Nice that Aaron, just nice!" Jackson sighed and flung the t-towel onto the bench.

"What is wrong with you?" Aaron asked with a raised voice.

"Nothing Aaron, you better go or you'll be late"

Aaron looked up at the clock then pushed himself up off the door. "Yep suppose I better" after grabbing his work jacket he left the house and slammed the door behind him.

Jackson let out a loud sigh and shook his head quickly.

Arriving at work Aaron grabbed a helmet and his tools and headed down the mine, it was dark, the low lighting from the lamps was just what he needed, to be in the dark for a while. As he approached his section he saw Mark was already there working, he chose to walk by him and start working, staying quiet until spoken too.

It was a good five minutes before there was any conversation, despite Mark noticing Aaron several minutes before hand. Mark stood up straight and looked at him. "Listen Aaron…mate I-I don't know what happened last night, I was drunk, I went too far"

Aaron scoffed loudly.

"Look! I'm trying here…"

"You tried to take advantage of me"

Mark pulled a face. "Don't say that"

"It's true, you touched me."

"I-I guess I did it because I've wanted too since we met" he explained with a shrug.

"Still doesn't give you the right"

"No, no it doesn't" Mark replied, he sounded genuine.

"I've got a boyfriend Mark"

"Shame"

Aaron rolled his eyes and bit his lip in annoyance. "You aren't coming between us"

"That will only happen if you let it"

Aaron sniggered. "See! I-I knew you weren't being nice there just for the sake of it! I won't let that happen! We might have to work together but don't talk to me, touch me or catch me off guard and kiss me, I wouldn't put it past you, let's just get this shift done then we can go our separate ways"

Mark didn't reply he pouted as he thought over Aaron's words, as he turned away a sly smirk came over him, he wanted Aaron. Oh! It would happen, at least he believed.

Lunchtime came quickly and Aaron literally threw his tools down to the ground and headed out of the shaft as quick as he possibly could. Mark followed behind at a normal pace.

Out in the hot sunlight Aaron was relieved, he needed the fresh air and to be in an open space away from Mark for a while, the atmosphere down there all morning had been tense. Aaron had no sandwiches with him but he didn't mind. He slumped down to the ground and sat with his eyes closed facing up at the warmth of the sun.

The light darkened for an instant as someone had passed him, he heard the gravelly footsteps and the crunching of the stones and dirt as whomever it was, he assumed Mark sat down beside him. Aaron opened his eyes and turned to see Mark; he wasn't really surprised. His short dark hair, his eyes, the stubble, the general presence of his body near his and even that smirk made Aaron think. He swallowed hard, had some unknown entity flipped a switch for him and made him feel things for whom before all this, was a close friend. Unknown to Aaron, Jackson was on his way over.

"I didn't like what you did last night, I mean it Mark"

"Your body said otherwise"

Aaron rolled his eyes. "Involuntary, come on even though I didn't want it, obviously the bloody thing is going to react when there's a hand stroking it through my pants"

Hand. Pants. Aaron certainly wasn't being discreet.

"Oh come on you know you wanted it Aaron"

Aaron clenched his jaw and shook his head. "Alright, it felt good, but you shouldn't have done it"

"You should have moved"

"I did! A bit delayed yeah but I was drunk!"

Felt good.

"The delay says it all" Mark smirked as he bit into his sandwich. "Look" he began as he swallowed what he had eaten. "I like you, a lot. I can't help that, but like you said I'm a go getter, and I do get what I want Aaron" he told him quietly.

Aaron's anger was clear and he shot a look at Mark before getting in his face. "Yeah? Well not from me you won't! So pack it in! I don't want it"

"Stop fighting it Aaron" Mark smiled.

Aaron shook his head and looked around, his eyes widened instantly as he saw Jackson approaching. He then quickly got up and walked to him.

Jackson was preoccupied with his thoughts, with the words he'd heard from Aaron as he'd approached. He focussed on him and forced a smile.

"What you doing here? You never visit me at work, thought you were busy?"

"Didn't realise I couldn't" he spoke bluntly. "I changed my mind, I'll go tomorrow instead"

"Oh, right…so this is what? You checking up on me?"

"No, I wanted to see you after this morning, what is wrong with you? Got something to do with him over there, looked like you were arguing"

Aaron frowned and shook his head quickly. "It's work stuff"

"Is it top secret?" he asked as he watched Aaron carefully, he knew him so well it was obvious something was up and after hearing those words on his way over it made those suspicions worse.

"No and alright it's not work stuff but if you must know, we had a bit of a run in last night in the pub, that's all."

"Why?"

"J-Just stuff…Jackson" Aaron said as he breathed heavily.

"Hmm…something I need to be worried about?" Jackson's eyes were big, aware of every expression, every change in body language that Aaron made. Jackson wasn't stupid.

"Eh?" Aaron scowled. "In what way?"

Jackson smiled slightly. "What?" he chuckled.

Aaron swallowed hard. "O-Oh…I-I dunno I j-just…don't know what you meant, why would you get worried?" he scoffed, looking away slightly. "I mean, I can handle myself"

Or someone can handle you by the sounds of it Jackson thought to himself. "Yeah, I know you can but he looked pushy, what happened?"

"He's gay, he told me last night and he also told me he likes me then I told him where to go. End of."

Jackson frowned. "You like him back?"

"Eh? What? No. What do you take me for?"

Jackson began to snigger. "A big fat liar that's what" he told him as he got in his face. "You can handle yourself Aaron but from what little I heard when I was walking over here, he handled you"

"Woah! Hang on a minute…y-you don't know the full story"

"Felt good though didn't it?" Jackson asked with an angry expression before he turned around and walked away.

"JACKSON!" Aaron called after him but it didn't work. His shoulders slumped and he turned back and stopped in front of Mark who was still sat.

"Boyfriend I take it?"

Aaron sighed and turned back to see him walking further away. "Yeah, at least I-I think so…I don't know. Anyway got work to do, I'm going back in"

"Fair enough"

The afternoon went silently; normally they would chat and laugh but today, that well and truly was the last thing Aaron wanted to do, act as if everything was fine, it wasn't. They hadn't spoken to each other for hours after lunch until suddenly out of the blue Mark broke the silence.

"What did you mean when you said you weren't sure if he was your boyfriend?"

"Things have been weird and I haven't helped one bit, it's my fault" Aaron told him quietly as he chipped away angrily with his tool.

"It'll work itself out in time"

"Oh what's this?" Aaron laughed. "You're being nice? He heard certain words when he was walking over that I would never have dreamed him hearing, so yeah I'm-me and him are in trouble"

Suddenly out of nowhere a loud explosion ripped through the mine and the ground shook tremendously, Aaron and Mark were knocked off balance and fell. The heat coursed through the tunnels with speed, whatever had just happened was close because debris, the ceiling above them began to collapse.

Mark's eyes widened when he saw the direction of the falling rocks and wooden beams he lunged over Aaron's body but Aaron looked on his horror and lunged up and forced Mark out of the way before he moved to protect himself. Seconds later Aaron's screams filled the tunnel.

Aaron cried in pain as he lay on his back, his legs were trapped by a large thick wooden beam and several chunks of rocks, with the falling of the beam it allowed it all to fall in and trap them.

Mark sat stunned as he was lying awkwardly up against the wall. He breathed heavily; he could barely see Aaron through the smoke. "Wh-Why-Why did you do that?"

"Because there was no point in both of us being hurt…I-I thought I was clear" he cried.

Mark crawled across to him, keeping low avoiding the denser smoke and the heat above. He felt for him as he waded through the smoke, when his hands made contact with him he knew he was lying on his back, he looked down and couldn't see his legs. "C –can you feel anything?"

"No, what the hell happened?"

"I-I don't know…"

"Possibilities then?" Aaron asked in a frustrated tone.

"The safety lamps, a few or one of them maybe…faulty…it has happened before in other places"

"Well too bad for us…" Aaron let his eyes close and open again. "We're stuck aren't we?"

"Uh y-yeah" he frowned as the situation dawned on him. "Yeah we are"

"Oh just great" Aaron groaned.

"D-Don't get worked up…we've got a problem I know, b-but I'm going to try and get us out"

"I'm not going anywhere with you"

"Excuse me?" Mark asked with a deep frown on his face.

"You heard, you aren't touching me do you get that? You aren't getting to have me! My boyfriend thinks I'm having an affair now thanks to you"

"You were the one talking loudly out there not me"

"I was angry" he spat. "What did you expect? I wouldn't have been, if you hadn't have done anything in the first place"

"Just going round in circles now Aaron"

"Yeah well…you better hope we survive and I get to sort it out with him otherwise I'll kill ya"

Mark scoffed. "You don't mean that"

"You don't know me well enough to assume that" Aaron told him as he watched Mark moving around, to the point where the rubble began and his legs disappeared.

"I know you well enough to know you're fighting your feelings" he told him clearly and silence fell between them.

…

"Evening lads!" Hazel cheerfully greeted as she let herself in.

Jackson was sat drumming his fingers on the table in the kitchen.

Hazel stopped short, confused. "Where's Aaron?"

Jackson pouted and shrugged his shoulders while he stared at his drumming fingers.

"What now?"

"You don't want to know. But I will tell you he's nearly two hours late"

"Pub again?" Hazel asked as she sat down.

"Probably, he didn't say he was going but he'll be putting off coming home"

"And why would he do that?"

"Because me and him need to have a word that's why"

Hazel frowned. "Hang on this isn't about what you talked to me about yesterday is it?"

"No" Jackson replied as he looked her in the eye.

"What then?"

"He came home at one this morning, he was in a bad mood…which is a bit contradictory considering what I heard at lunchtime"

Hazel sighed impatiently. "And what did you hear?"

"Aaron and one of his mates talking, I went to see him at work he was outside on his lunch. They seemed to be arguing, I heard a few things…hand pants and felt good…"

"No he wouldn't…"

Jackson shrugged. "The lads gay which I found out after I heard Aaron saying those words…makes a bit of sense now…"

"Did Aaron tell you his side?"

"No, I didn't let him. I walked off, he called after me but I ignored him, I'm so mad at him right now…h-he could be but he couldn't be and not knowing is driving me crazy. But if he didn't want this or me then why has he stuck it out so long?"

"You can't think like that until you hear his side Jackson…"

Jackson nodded. "I know but I love him so much and if he's done anything with that lad then, I-I don't know where we go from here"

Hazel didn't reply but there was a knock on the door a few seconds later. "I'll get it" Jackson nodded and she got up and walked along to the door and opened it. She was greeted by a miner, the dirt and clothing told her instantly. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, we have on our employee records that Mr. Livesy lives here?" he asked as he checked over the paperwork.

"He does" Hazel nodded as Jackson walked up behind her.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I'm here to inform you that there's been an accident in the mine, an explosion actually…"

"Oh n-n-no no no…" Jackson breathed and Hazel turned and placed her hand on his arm to comfort him.

"We have five people unaccounted for and Mr Livesy is one of them, we believe he's been trapped with his co-worker in the section they mine…rest assured we are doing everything in our power to rescue them"

Jackson jumped into action and he grabbed his jacket. "He was meant to finish a few hours ago and we're only getting to know now!?" Jackson asked angrily.

The miner bowed his head. "I-I'm afraid so but we've had to assess the situation, count and recount our employees who made it out and brief emergency services and inform the other four families"

Jackson nodded quickly. "Alright erm…I'm coming down…"

"I'm sorry si-"

"I said I'm coming down! I'm not sitting here waiting to know if he's alive or dead"

The miner nodded. "As you wish"

"M-Mum c-can you wait here and…and I-"

"Jackson love…I'll be here…t-try not to panic" she said with a smile but the tears in her eyes said it all.

TBC…