Aaron and Robert were snuggled up against each other in bed and they were asleep. But a scream woke them up, Aaron immediately jumped out of bed and he ran out of the room. Robert ran after Aaron and he ran into Chas's bedroom, his heart melted when he saw that Aaron was hugging Chas and that he was rocking his own mother back and forth.

"It's alright, Mum. Nobody's gonna hurt you" Aaron soothed.

Chas was crying and she clung on to Aaron "He was lying on the floor and my hands were covered in blood. I shot him, I killed Robert!"

Robert's heart broke when Chas told Aaron what she had dreamt.

"You didn't shoot, Robert. You caught him when he fell and that's why there was blood on your hands. It was Ross that shot Robert and nobody's gonna harm you". Aaron comforted his mum.

After a few minutes Chas fell asleep and Aaron put her back to bed. Aaron then stood up and he saw that Robert was stood in the doorway.

"It's just her PTSD. It's normal for her to be like this when something triggers it" Aaron explained.

Robert opened his arms up for Aaron "Come'ere, Aaron". The younger man walked over and hugged him. "I'm sorry that you went to prison because of me".

"It's okay." Aaron sniffled.

"Let's go back to bed and I'll hold you if you like?" Robert asked.

Aaron nodded and his breathing hitched.

"Sshh ssh it's Okay. Come on, Aaron" Robert soothed before he walked Aaron back to their bedroom. He put Aaron to bed and he climbed into bed and laid next to his boyfriend "Talk to me".

"It's gonna get worse. My mum's gonna have to go into hospital and she's gonna be having nightmares a lot" Aaron sniffled.

"I'll help you when you have nightmares and your mum's gonna be fine" Robert reassured.

"I just don't wanna see her so scared all of the time. She doesn't deserve it" Aaron started to cry.

Robert moved closer to Aaron and he held his boyfriend "Sshh it's alright. Chas will be okay, we'll get her help".

Aaron clung onto Robert "It's not fair".

Robert stroked Aaron's hair "I know, Aaron. Ssh sshh it's okay, baby. It's okay".

Aaron cried into Robert's chest "I don't want to see her so scared. I hate seeing her suffer".

Robert hated it when Aaron cried and he kissed the younger man's head "We'll get her through this. Your mum's gonna be okay".

Aaron cried for a few minutes before he fell asleep in Robert's arms.

After a restless night, the couple woke up and commenced their daily routine, before they had breakfast. During this time Liv had decided to have some fun, she thought up the best way to scare Robert. She walked into the back room and sat with the couple as they ate. Aaron could tell his sister was up to something and he watched her carefully, as she grinned from ear to ear whilst picturing Robert's reaction. It is until the words had escaped her mouth that she will realise the damage.

Liv leaned in and whispered close to Robert's ear in a low, gruff voice in an attempt to sound like a man, "You've been a naughty boy".

Aaron's eyes widened and Robert looked up in surprise, before narrowing his eyes in horror towards Aaron. Memories resurfaced in Aaron's mind and he started to tremble.

"Don't ever say that again. That's what Gordon used to say to Aaron!" Robert shouted at Liv.

"Sorry... I-I meant it as a joke... I didn't think". Liv stuttered when she realised what she had done.

Aaron opened his mouth to speak but he fell to the floor instead. His breathing was strained and his chest felt tight, he could not speak and he could not move.

"Baby!" Robert exclaimed as he stood up and rushed over to his boyfriend. He knelt down next to Aaron and he realised what was happening "It's alright, Aaron. Just force yourself to breathe and it'll be over soon".

Aaron was crying and he hung his head.

"Liv get a blanket out of the cupboard" Robert instructed. He then looked at Aaron and he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend "Sshh it's alright. You did nothing wrong" he cooed as he rubbed Aaron's arm.

Liv rushed over to the cabinet and he opened the cupboard, she grabbed a blanket and she ran over to Robert.

Robert took the blanket and he wrapped it around himself and Aaron, he then wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and he stroked Aaron's hair "Sshh it's okay. I'm here and I'm not gonna leave you. You're safe now".

Aaron was shaking and he was crying, he was struggling to breathe but he felt safe in Robert's arms.

After a few minutes, Aaron was alright but he held onto Robert. The older man continued to stroke his boyfriend's hair and he rocked Aaron from side to side.

"I wasn't naughty" Aaron managed to get out.

"You're right. You've done nothing wrong, I'm gonna take care of you from now on. I promise" Robert whispered.

Liv went to school but she could not stop thinking about Aaron, she began to plan how to make Robert's life a nightmare. Hopefully Aaron would not be caught in the middle of the storm again.

Robert helped Aaron over to the sofa and he laid his boyfriend down to rest. He then crouched down next to Aaron and he stroked his boyfriend's hair "You okay?"

Aaron nodded and he sighed "I'm sorry".

"Don't back daft, you have nothing to be sorry for" Robert smiled kindly at Aaron.

The door opened and Nicola stormed in, she saw Aaron and Robert and she cleared her throat to speak.

"Don't you two have somewhere to be?" Nicola glared at Robert.

"Yeah I do. Aaron doesn't have the strength to do much today, I'm staying here to be with him" Robert stated.

"You can't do that!" Nicola exclaimed.

"I just did. Bye, Nicola" Robert mocked a wave to Nicola.

An angry Nicola stormed out of the backroom and went to work.

"You didn't have to do that" Aaron stated.

Robert looked at Aaron "I know. But you're exhausted and I want to".

Aaron smiled "Thanks".

Robert kissed Aaron "It's nothing. Try and get some sleep".

Aaron nodded and he closed his eyes to rest. He was asleep after twenty minutes and Robert stayed with him for a bit. Once Aaron was fast asleep, Robert stood up and he went to wash up. After two hours Aaron woke up and he looked around, he stood up and he walked into the kitchen. He saw that Robert was leaning on the counter and that he had his hand covering his eyes.

"Robert?" Aaron asked.

Robert quickly moved his hand away from his eyes and he looked at Aaron "Did you have a nightmare?"

Aaron shook his head "No. Have you been crying?" he asked when he saw that Robert's eyes were red.

Robert forced a smile and he sniffled "I'm fine, don't worry".

Aaron walked over to Robert and he held the older man's hand "What's wrong?"

Robert kissed Aaron's hand "I was just thinking about when you had that absence and that flashback. And then you had a panic attack this morning. I just hate seeing you like that" he sniffled and his breathing hitched.

"Hey Come'ere" Aaron pulled Robert into a hug "Please don't cry".

Robert held onto Aaron's hoodie "I'm can't help it. I love you so much" he smiled.

"I love you too. You can tell me when you're upset, please don't shell away from me" Aaron softly said.

After Robert had stopped crying, the couple walked over to the sofa and they laid down so tha Aaron was lying on Robert's chest. Robert had his arm around Aaron and he was stroking his boyfriend's hair.

"I used to be scared to be this close to men" Aaron said as he snuggled up against Robert.

"That's understandable. So what changed?" Robert asked.

"I fell in love with you and you make me feel safe." Aaron answered.

Robert smiled and he kissed Aaron's head "I'll never give you any reason to be afraid of me. I'll always keep you safe".

Aaron smiled "And I'll always keep you safe". He looked up at Robert.

Aaron and Robert kissed for a few minutes before they went back to hugging. Robert's phone started to ring and he answered the call. "Hi, Bernice... five o'clock?... Alright we'll be there... see ya" Robert then looked at the picture on his phone.

Aaron looked at the picture and he smiled "I look terrible in pictures".

Robert looked at Aaron "No you don't, you look beautiful".

"Prove it" Aaron scoffed.

"Okay I will" Robert said before he opened up the gallery on his phone. He pressed on the first picture that he had of Aaron.

"You still have that picture?" Aaron asked.

"Yep. It may have been in a barn but you're still really sexy". Robert smirked.

Aaron smiled as he thought back to the day the picture had been taken.

'(The memory: Aaron and Robert in the barn, they were getting dressed after they had just made passionate love. Robert pulled his phone out of his pocket and he looked at Aaron, he saw that Aaron had no shirt on and that he was only wearing his jeans.

"I've got an idea" Robert smirked.

"That's never good" Aaron scoffed.

"Can I take a picture of you?" Robert asked.

Aaron looked at Robert "Why?"

"Because you very s3xy and I don't have any pictures of you" Robert answered.

"Fine, but then I get to take a picture of you" Aaron walked over to Robert.

"Deal" Robert smiled before he kissed Aaron.

Aaron stood with his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and he smiled.

Robert took the picture and he smiled when he saw it "Very sexy".

Aaron looked at the picture "I look stupid".

Robert put his arm around Aaron's shoulders and he pulled his boyfriend close "You look gorgeous".

Aaron smiled and he kissed Robert "I get to take a picture of you now".

Robert stood in front of the wall and he smiled as he crossed his arms.

"There's something missing" Aaron said as he walked over to Robert, he unbuttoned Robert's shirt so that his pecks could be seen and then he walked back over to where he was.

Robert smiled and he put his hands in his pockets.

Aaron took the picture and they giggled as they finished getting dressed)'.

"Sentimental are you now, Sugden?" Aaron asked.

Robert smirked "I just like having special memories of you, Dingle".

Aaron smiled "You know".

Robert smiled "I know. I love you too" he kissed Aaron.

Aaron moved and he rested his head on Robert's chest, Robert held his hand and continued to stroke his hair. Over the course of the day, Aaron regained his strength but Robert made sure to stay close just in case something happened.

Aaron got a bottle of wine from the bar to give to Bernice and he changed into his black shirt. As soon as Robert saw him, he saw the smirk on Robert's face and the mischievous look in his boyfriend's eyes. "What?"

"Nothing" Robert smirked.

"You're looking at me again" Aaron stated.

"I like to look at you" Robert stated.

"That's a little weird" Aaron raised one eyebrow.

"You know that you like it" Robert crossed his arms.

"I do like it when you look at me like that" Aaron admitted.

Robert grabbed Aaron's belt and he pulled his boyfriend close, he then wrapped his arms around Aaron's waist "We've got twenty minutes until we have to go. Imagine what we could get up to in that time".

Aaron smirked and he wrapped his arms around Robert's neck "You'd like that wouldn't you?"

Robert smirked "I'd like it when more if it was with you".

"We don't have time, Rob. Last time we had some fun before going out Vic didn't stop going on about how immature we are". Aaron sighed.

Robert stood up and he kissed Aaron "I could make it worth your while". He then started to kiss Aaron's neck.

Aaron moaned when he felt Robert's lips on his neck "I know that you could".

Robert pulled Aaron close and he ground himself against his boyfriend "At least let me kiss you like this".

Aaron nodded "Okay".

Robert moved and he started at Aaron's lips "I want you".

Aaron gripped Robert's blazer and he moaned "Robert".

Robert gripped Aaron's hips and he held the younger man firmly against his body.

The door opened and Liv walked in, she felt sick when she saw her brother kissing Robert "Ew, Aaron! Call the exterminator to get rid of ratface already!"

Aaron pulled away from Robert and he looked at Liv "Don't be rude, Liv" he said firmly.

"You're forcing me to go to a meal with a group of OAPs. It's not fair!" Liv shouted.

"Don't make a scene, Liv. You have no choice in this, end of!" Aaron shouted.

Liv stomped into the bar and she slammed the door behind her.

Aaron flinched when Liv slammed the door and Robert noticed. Robert kissed Aaron's shoulder and he held his boyfriend's hand. The couple and Liv walked to Bernice's house. Liv had complained since she had wanted to stay at home, but Aaron had scolded her and said that they were to eat as a family. Liv grumbled and walked into the house.

Aaron followed only to feel a hard spank to his butt. Aaron spun around, trying to be as angry and stern as possible but he failed miserably upon seeing Robert whistling innocently. Aaron shook his head and mumbled "Cheeky git" under his breath before carrying on.

After greetings and welcomes had been made, Aaron, Robert and Liv sat down and began to enjoy their meal. Liv found it all boring and instead began to question Robert about random things at first but it slowly became more and more specific.

"So... remember that time you were shot? How did it feel? Did it hurt a lot?", Liv asked as she poked at her food.

Robert was taken aback by the question and was lost for words. "I try not to think about that night".

"Did your blood spurt out everywhere? Did you say anything? Did you see Aaron shoot you?" Liv asked.

"I don't want to talk about it. But no... it was not Aaron. I hated myself for thinking that Aaron had shot me" Robert admitted.

Aaron held Robert's hand "Hey it's okay. You don't need to talk about any of it" he then looked at Liv "We're not talking about this, Liv. Just finish your dinner." He then picked up his knife and fork again.

"Are you scared to go out at night? Do loud noises scare you? The guy could come back and finish you off. That puts me and Aaron in danger. Did you die when you were shot?" Liv asked.

A fork clattered against A plate and Aaron pointed sternly at Liv, "Home! Bed! Now!"

Liv rolled her eyes, "Finally! I thought I'd be stuck here all night!" Liv got up and left, leaving the couple to finish eating in peace.

"I'm so sorry about that, Diana" Aaron apologised to Diane.

"Its fine, Love. The wine you brought makes up for it all" Diane smiled.

Aaron nodded but he still felt embarrassed and awkward.

Robert placed a hand on Aaron's thigh and He began to stroke his boyfriend's leg. It was assuring, but also a massive turn on for the younger man... and Robert knew it.

"What even attracted you to Aaron, Robert? No one really expected you two to be relationship material" Doug asked.

Diane kicked Doug's leg to scold him.

Aaron bit the skin under his bottom lip and he tensed up. He felt out of place and he desperately wanted Robert to reassure him that he was alright.

Robert felt Aaron tense up and he thought for a second "His eyes, his lips, his build, his big heart, his bravery and his stubbornness" he answered.

Aaron looked at Robert and he held his boyfriend's hand.

Robert looked into Aaron's eyes and he smiled "As well as the fact that he was something that I desperately wanted, but I couldn't have him. That was until I told him that I loved him and he said it back to me, that was when I knew that he was mine and that I was his".

Aaron smiled and he squeezed Robert's hand.

"That's so cute" A drunk Bernice crooned.

Andy rolled his eyes "I'm gonna get Bernice home, Diane. Thank you for inviting us". He then helped Bernice home.

"Aaron, you're twenty four aren't you?" Diane asked.

Aaron nodded "Yeah".

"Do you have any plans for your twenty fifth?" Diane asked.

"I've never really made a big deal about my birthday. I've not planned to do anything that day" Aaron answered.

"That will be changing. You've got me now" Robert smiled at Aaron.

Aaron smiled at Robert.

Everyone engaged in convocation until it was time to go home. Aaron and Robert walked in through the back door and they kissed. Aaron took Robert's hand and he led his boyfriend upstairs, they shut their bedroom door before Aaron laid down on the bed. Robert crawled onto the bed and he smirked as he leaned over Aaron.