Misunderstood||Aidan Gallagher (Age regression)

Sixteen

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"Can I be honest?"

"Uhm sure?" Jace responded quietly looking at Rob, "Don't get me wrong, I was proud of Aidan coming out and everything. But I always felt like something was off with Gage, like a screw was loose or something you know?" Rob said.

Jace nodded, he looked over into the living room and saw that Aidan was sitting next to Lauren while watching a movie that was showing on TV with his head on her shoulder.

"Yeah.. just from what I saw when I picked him up a couple of days ago he was really scared," he replied with quietly, looking back at Rob.

He saw that he was doing the same thing as when he checked on Aidan earlier, meanwhile Aidan would glance over in the kitchen where his dad and Jace were. He was trying to not eavesdrop into their conversation.

But he would hear his name be quietly said by Jace and it paranoid him, this was Jace though, that's what he kept having to remind himself.

The reminders he'd remind himself about was that he wasn't in a sketchy neighborhood, he wasn't in an apartment where there were holes in the wall, shattered glass in random spots on the floor.

And the last, and most important one, no manipulation, no lying, no gaslighting, and no blaming for something he didn't do.

Aidan kept catching himself dozing off, it didn't help that Lauren was running her fingers through his hair. For as long as he could remember his mom has always ran her fingers through his hair.

It was her way of comforting him, whether he was upset or couldn't sleep.

He never told her to stop or would pull away from her, if anything there used to be times when Aidan would sit next to her on the couch or in bed and ask her to play with his hair.

"Mom.. do you think I'm childish?" Aidan whispered, Lauren still continued running her fingers through his hair. "I don't think you are, even if you are that's part of your personality" she replied with.

"Why do you ask?"

He sighed, loudly he felt even though he didn't. "Gage said I always was" he answered, "He's just an alcoholic who needs a lot of help, but your friend doesn't think you are"

Aidan glanced over back at Jace, catching himself start to to smile and forced himself to look away. "He's just being nice.. I'm sure if I hadn't told him any of this we wouldn't-" he stopped himself, Aidan was scared to say how he felt about Jace.

Not that it was anything bad, he just didn't know how his mom would react to him liking somebody new already.

Even though it's been about a week, but Aidan still felt guilty about the fact that he started to like Jace when he was still with Gage.

He was afraid that made him a whore, but would it even count when your partner doesn't even treat you right in the first place?

Like it's been said in the past, Aidan is too pure and innocent for a cruel world like this. Especially with society, it was too fucked up.

"Wouldn't what?" Lauren asked, wrapping both her arms around him. "Nothing, I forgot" he lied, Aidan looked down at his feet to distract himself from where the conversation was going.

Lauren smiled slightly whenever she would see Aidan's head turn in the direction where Jace was, "Do you like Jace?" she whispered.

Yes, he did. But Aidan didn't want Jace to know that he did, he felt that it might be weird. Plus he's also the guy that's practically been taking care of Aidan, that would most definitely be weird he thought.

Aidan shook his head, "No.. why?" he looked at her. "You look at him a certain way, it's certainly not the way it was with Gage. But you always have a slight smile everytime you look at him"

Was this true?

He looked down, wondering if that actually did happen. "I just- it.. ok maybe a little" Aidan confessed, feeling embarrassed. "It's ok if you do, I mean he seems pretty nice and you trust him" Lauren said getting up.

Now that was true.

Aidan stayed on the couch, he kept to himself for the meantime. He hated how his parents came out to see him and he fucked it by spilling this whole situation on them, idiot, he thought.

When he looked up he saw Jace coming over, not long after he sat next to Aidan. The opposite side that his mom was on not long ago now.

"How are you feeling? Jace asked, like shit, Aidan thought.  "Tired since I uhm couldn't really sleep last night" he responded, part of it was true. The other part he didn't know how to feel, he knew he wanted to be angry.

But it was hard for Aidan to even be angry, he was never really angry in life to begin with.

"I'll take your parents to their hotel room, you wanna stay here or come?"

Before Aidan could answer his mom spoke up, "It's ok if you stay, I understand" she responds while smiling. That made Aidan feel a little better, because he was beginning to feel bad thinking about wanting to stay.

Jace stood up and him and Aidan's parents left, it was only Aidan now. He had never been left alone in Jace's apartment, Jace was always here with him.

It felt weird being alone and without Jace.

Confessing to his mom was really messing with him, he honestly forgot about that 'small crush' he he had on Jace. He was so used to being with him that.. he felt like he really was with Jace.

God I'm fucking delusional he thought.

Aidan stood up, he hated being alone. Whenever he was and he wasn't regressed his mind would tell him things that he wish it didn't.

And I know what you're thinking, Aidan is really the one thinking it, which is why he knows. It's his way of wanting to forget about people he doesn't like, even things that arent a person.

His mind for example.

Aidan hated the way he thinks, he hated his mind. He felt as if it was as hurtful as Gage, which it could be more hurtful than Gage sometimes.