Los Angeles, 2017
Aiden stands outside of the venue, leaning against a wall, holding a bag of ice on his bloody knuckles. The cool breeze whips around him, helping a little to calm him down, subsiding the anger a bit. He knew that punching Kid on live television might not have been the best idea, but it was the right thing to do. People like that needed to be put in their place, and Aiden was determined to put him there.
Immediately after security had rushed to the stage, the cameras finally turns off, and Aiden was drug off stage and brought out here to wait for someone to come talk to him. He didn't know if Kid would press charges against him, but at this point he didn't really care. He wouldn't stand for anyone to talk to Rio like that.
"What the hell was that?" He hears a familiar voice say, and he turns to see Daphne walking out of a door and approaching him angrily. "I asked you to get my son of the stage not punch one of the biggest names in music in the face."
"Did you hear what he said to your son?" Aiden asks incredulously, wishing that he could find it hard to believe that she wasn't the least bit worried about how Rio was feeling, but he couldn't. "He basically told a suicidal person that the world would be better off without them. He tried to trigger, Rio!"
"Oh, here we go with this bullshit again." Daphne says, shaking her head and laughing. "Rio isn't suicidal. He's normal, healthy. You know what isn't healthy for him though is having you around."
"What?" Aiden questions. "Are you crazy?"
"No, and neither is my son, but I'm starting to think that you are." Daphne says. "So, the night is over, you can leave now, and never come back into our lives again. We'll be much better off without you."
With that, she turns on her heels and walks back to the door, opening it and turning to look at him one last time.
"And one last thing, Officer Sawyer." Daphne says, "Rio could never love you."
With that, she walks into the building, the door slamming shut behind her.
Aiden shakes his head, feeling the urge to punch the wall, but he figures banging up his other fist wouldn't be that good of an idea.
"What the hell is wrong with you, boy?" A booming voice, dripping with anger, echoes from behind him. Aiden turns to see his father quickly approaching, and for a moment Aiden thinks that James might hit him. "I get a call saying that I need to come pick my son up because he's punched a rapper in the face?"
"Dad," Aiden tries to say, but James holds a hand up to shut him up.
"And on top of that, I get a call from a lady from that church saying that she'll keep you lifted up in prayer and knows that God can remove that demon from within you." James says. "So, I had to google it and find out that you're some..." He trails off, a look of disgust crossing his face as he gives Aiden a once-over. "...I can't even say it. I got sick, physically sick when I saw the picture. God, I just want to vomit thinking about it."
Aiden's heart sinks, though he knew this was coming, he knew this would be how his father reacted.
"Do you know what this does to our reputation? What about those dreams and hopes you were going on about? How do you plan to win an election and fix the community when you're broken yourself?" James questions.
Aiden looks down at his feet, he's too hurt to even cry.
"You can't, Aiden. You can't." James says, shaking his head. "How do you think this would make your mother feel? Huh?"
For the first time since his father started scolding him, he didn't feel pain or hurt, all he felt was anger, a fury that he's never experienced before, slowly boiling up inside of him until he can't take it anymore.
"How dare you say that? How dare you bring mom into this when it's your fault that she's dead?" Aiden yells, his chest swollen up and his hands balled into fist. He didn't know when it happened, but sometime he had dropped his ice pack and it had landed on the ground at his feet.
"What?" James asks, looking at him crazy, as if there's no possible way that Aiden's mother's death could've been his fault. "Are you crazy?"
"No, but you thought I was. I told you time and time again what was happening to mom, what Ike was doing to her, and you didn't listen." Aiden says. "I saw the cuts and bruises, I saw how he treated her in public, I saw how badly he was hurting her."
"Your mother chose to leave me and get married to another man." James shouts. "It wasn't my place to stick my nose in her marriage."
"It's your fault it ended between the two of you! You were too worried about our image, too worried about work, to even pay your family any attention. You were too busy trying to be Superman for the city when you couldn't even save your own damn family!" Aiden shouts back, his entire body shaking with anger now, hot tears falling down his cheeks.
"You better watch what you say next, boy." James says warningly.
Aiden stares at him for a beat, and then he quietly says, "I hate you."
James takes a step back, his face falling as he hears the words coming from Aiden's mouth, and for the first time he sees hurt in his father's eyes, but he doesn't care.
Aiden walks by him, brushing against his shoulder as he does, and he keeps walking until he can flag down a taxi, and he gets in.
"Where to?" The driver asks him.
"Just drive." Aiden says softly, looking out the window, and watching as the arena slowly disappears from view.
•••
Rio, Daphne, and the rest of the crew walk back into Rio's house a few hours later. They had to run from the press, which was practically following them around like a funeral parade. Rio has been quiet ever since he was picked up and carried off the stage by a security guard. The only thing he can think about is the look in Aiden's eyes right before complete and utter chaos broke out.
"How are we going to fix this?" Daphne barks into the phone to the publicist. "It's your job to figure that out!"
Rio walks through the living room and past the posters of himself barely dressed hanging on the wall. He walks into the master bathroom, shutting and locking the door, and then drawing a bath for himself.
When the bathtub is full, scalding hot, and steaming, Rio steps out of his clothes and sinks into the water. The heat of the water burns his skin, but he revels in it, he wants to get his mind on something other than the pain he feels inside.
His eyes stare up at the ceiling for a while, the image of Aiden's eyes meeting his on stage playing over and over, and it feels like he's still in that exact moment. His eyes trail over to a shelf built in the wall, and he looks at the jasmine scented bath salts.
He adds some to the water, letting the scent waft into his nostrils, and transport him back to a much happier time.
Rio sits in the tub a few weeks ago, except this time there's a pair of strong legs on either side of him, and he rests back on a muscular chest that despite being rock hard is actually pretty comfortable. He holds one of Aiden's large hands in both of his, tracing the outsides of his fingers, the thumb on his other hand rubbing circles on the inside of his palm. Aiden's other hand rests on Rio's thigh, gently rubbing the skin beneath the water, his chin rests on top of Rio's curly head.
"You never told me about your dreams." Rio says, breaking the comfortable silence the two had been sitting in for a while. Luckily, Daphne was gone for a few hours, and they could finally enjoy the bath together they had been discussing for the past couple of days.
"What?" Aiden questions.
"I mean," Rio clarifies, "what you want to do with your life. Surely you don't want to be my bodyguard all of your life."
"I always want to be your bodyguard baby, even if it's not my official job title." Aiden says, kissing the top of his head.
"Then what else?" Rio asks, a small smile on his face as he thinks about an always with Aiden.
Aiden is quiet for a moment. "Promise me you won't laugh."
"I promise I'll try my hardest not to." Rio says, his interest peaked.
"Okay," Aiden says with a deep breath, "I want to be a politician."
"A politician?" Rio asks.
"See, I knew you'd make fun of me." Aiden says.
"No, babe, I'm not making fun of you, I swear. It's just...not what I expected that's all." Rio says.
"I have my master's degree in political science. I mean I don't want to be president or anything like that, but I want to start out local, work on my neighborhood, making it a better place, then I want to expand to mayor of the city, and then maybe governor. And who knows? Maybe I'll run for Senate one day." Aiden says, and for the first time Rio hears something in his voice that he's never heard before, at least when he's talking about stuff other than Rio -- and that's passion.
Rio turns around in the tub, some of the water and the bubbles sloshing over the side and splatting on the floor. He looks into Aiden's eyes, and Aiden looks back.
"I think you can be anything you want to be, babe." Rio says, "And I stand by your one hundred percent."
Aiden smiles, leaning forward and kissing Rio gently.
"Thanks, baby." Aiden says.
"And quite frankly, I'd vote for you if you ran for president." Rio says with a smile. "But I have a serious question."
"What?"
"Why haven't you started yet? I mean, you have your degree, what's stopping you?"
"Being a cop for a few years was the first step in the plan, get my name out there, build up some trust among people." Aiden says, "And then I run for mayor in 2020 and see what happens."
Rio nods his head, "What does your father think about all of this?"
"That they're nothing more than pipe dreams. I mean, he says he'll support me if I do it, but he doesn't think I'll make it very far." Aiden says with a shrug. "I don't care about what he thinks though."
"Good," Rio says, kissing him again, "because I think you can go all the way."
"Oh yeah?" Aiden says with a smile, wrapping his arms around Rio and pulling him into his lap, sloshing even more water out of the tub. "Think I can go all the way with you right now?"
"Your odds are looking pretty good, Mr. President." Rio teases, placing his soapy hands on either side of Aiden's face with a laugh.
"Oh, you're definitely going to get it now." Aiden says with a smile, diving in and playfully biting Rio's neck.
Rio's laughter echoes around the bathroom.
"Rio," Daphne's voice calls from the other side of the door. "I've got to go talk to some people, you'll be alright alone?"
"Yes," Rio says. He listens as she walks away from the door, before he slips his head beneath the water.
•••
Still wet and naked, Rio walks out of the bathroom, dripping water as he walks to the living room. He looks at the speaker system that's set up to play through the entire house, and when he turns it on, one of his songs come on.
So girl, I want you to give it all to me, give it all to me, give it all to me.
Rio leads Aiden through the front door, and he looks around in awe, it's the night that they sat outside of the airport in Rio's car and ate. It's also the night they shared their first kiss.
"You know I pass this building almost every day and I never knew how nice it is in here." Aiden says, looking up at the grand chandelier before following Rio deeper into the penthouse. "It's nice."
"Thanks," Rio says, hands stills tucked in Aiden's jacket pockets. "It's nice, I guess."
"It's better than nice." Aiden says, eyes looking at the blown up magazine covers that Rio was on hanging on the wall, and then the plaque that certified that Masterpiece had gone double platinum. "You've had quite the career not to have dropped an album yet."
"I'm lucky." Rio says, looking at the framed portraits, and then looking back at Aiden, whose eyes are still scanning the walls in awe. A smile tugs at Rio's lips, he was cute.
"This is a beautiful place, but it's not as beautiful as you." Aiden says, eyes looking back at Rio, and Rio feels himself start to blush. "Thank you for tonight. I needed that."
"Please, I should be thanking you." Rio says, stepping closer to Aiden. "It felt good to finally talk to someone, just to have a real conversation. It was fun."
Aiden smiles back at him, and then looks at the stereo system. He presses the play button.
"No, don't." Rio tries to stop him, but it's too late, his voice is already trickling through the speakers.
"So girl, I want you to give it all to me, give it all to me, give it all to me."
Aiden starts to chuckle, and Rio rolls his eyes before turning it off.
"Hey, I was listening to that." Aiden protests with a grin.
"No. You were making fun of it. There's a difference." Rio says, starting to walk away.
Aiden grabs his arm to stop him, turning him back around. "Don't be mad. I'm sorry, okay? I was only laughing because something tells me that that wasn't you."
"Of course it was me. My voice." Rio says.
"True," Aiden replies, "but not your words. You didn't write that."
"I didn't." Rio says, shrugging. "My stuff isn't good enough for mainstream music."
"Come on, that cant be true." Aiden says. "Sing me one of your songs. Something that you actually wrote."
"No," Rio says, "no way."
"Come on. Please." Aiden says with a pout.
"As cute as that is, no." Rio says, "and that's final."
"Okay, fine." Aiden says. "But why not? Why don't you just take control and tell them that's what you want to do? Not these sexualized songs."
"It's not that easy." Rio says. "I don't have any control over my career. Never have, and never will. I've come to terms with it."
Aiden looks at him, and it's a look that Rio's seen before, it's the same look he gives those dogs on tv when the commercial for beaten and neglected animals comes on screen.
"No, don't look at me like that." Rio says. "Don't feel bad for me."
"But I do." Aiden says, looking up at the pictures. "That person in these pictures, he's not you. This person standing in front of me right now, this is the real you."
Aiden reaches forward and tilts Rio's chin up to look at him in the eyes.
"And he's perfect."
Rio reaches up, gently touching his lips, and it's almost like he can still feel Aiden's lips against his that night. With a shuddering sigh, Rio walks away, passing the pictures on the wall and trying to pretend like they're not there -- like they don't exist at all.
He passes through the kitchen, looking up through the skylight in the roof, and seeing the night sky, dark storm clouds covering the few stars that you can see in the city. Outside, thunder rumbles, and a flash of lightning illuminates the sky.
"When you said you would cook for me, I didn't expect all of this." Rio says, walking into the kitchen with a smile as he looks at Aiden at the stove. Outside, rain pours down and thunder rumbles. The two planned on ordering out, but neither of them wanted to go pick it up, and they also didn't want to hassle with delivery. That's when Aiden offered to cook their meal for them.
"Oh, no?" Aiden questions. "What were you expecting? Me to cook something out of a box?"
"Truthfully?" Rio says, picking up a raw carrot and taking a bite of it. "Yes."
"I'm hurt." Aiden says, touching his chest and pretending to be in a pain. "But no, my moms taught me how to cook when I was little. I used to just sit in the kitchen and watch her until she let me help."
It's the first time Aiden has ever mentioned his mother, and Rio doesn't exactly know what to think. He jumps up and sits on the counter top facing Aiden, taking another bite of carrot, and wondering if he should question this any further. After working up some courage, he decides to.
"You never talk about your mom." Rio says. "Why?"
Aiden is quiet for a moment, to busy sauteing some onions, but really searching for words to say. He never talks about his mom, to anyone, but he and Rio had opened up with each other already, why couldn't Aiden just open up fully?
"She died." Aiden says, turning off the stove and turning to look at Rio. "About eight years ago. When and she and my dad got divorced, I thought it was probably the best thing. Their marriage wasn't the best, you know? He was never around, she was always afraid he didn't love her, and somewhere along the way she stopped loving him.
"Well, she met someone else, and they got married. He seemed nice at first, but then I started to notice there was something different about my mama. She was...weaker. She didn't have that same spunk anymore, and she was always afraid. Then I started to notice the scratches and the bruises, and how she'd try to cover them up. Then, one night, I was maybe eighteen, I walked in and saw her beaten and bloody on the floor. Her husband, Travis, had gotten drunk that night apparently, and he was convinced she was cheating on him, so he beat her."
Aiden's voice starts to trail off, and Rio notices him getting a distant look in his eyes, as if he's been transported back to that moment.
"I wanted to kill him that night, but my mother wouldn't tell me where he was, she told me not to, that it would only make things worse." Aiden says, his voice starting to get a little uneven, starting to become saturated with his anger. "So I went back home and I told my dad, I told him what was happening and how he needed to do something to stop it. He said he would, but he never did.
"Three weeks after that, my mom was dead." Aiden says softly. "Travis killed her, beat her too badly, choked her to death, and it's all my dad's fault. It's all his fault."
Rio watches as tears stream down Aiden's eyes, his own eyes welling with tears.
Aiden pulls himself out of it, wiping away his tears. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Rio says, reaching forward and pulling Aiden close to him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and holding him close. Aiden circles his arms around Rio's waist as he slots himself between the other's thighs. "I'm sure she'd be proud to see the man you are today."
"Thank you," Aiden says softly, sniffling as he nuzzles Rio's neck.
Rio opens the french doors that lead to the balcony, stepping out onto them, and letting the rain that's started to fall cascade down on his naked body. He opens his arms wide and tilts his head up to the sky, closing his eyes and letting the rain pelt against his skin.
•••
Later that night, Rio slips into his bedroom, now dressed and dry. He kneels down next to his bed, leaning down and reaching beneath it to pull out a shoebox. He opens it, and inside are lots of folded sheets of paper and journals, full of lyrics.
He opens one up in particular, a song titled Choose Me.
Rio passes the folded sheet of paper to Aiden, and Aiden takes it, looking into Rio's eyes.
"And this is your favorite one?" Aiden asks.
Rio nods his head.
They sit on Rio's bedroom floor. A few minutes before they have been cuddled on the couch watching a movie, and Rio felt the sudden urge to finally show Aiden his songs -- the songs that he wrote.
Aiden slowly unfolds the paper and reads the title. "Choose Me."
Rio takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and then quietly starts to sing the words as Aiden reads them. When he's done, he opens his eyes, looking at Aiden, to find him staring at him.
"What do you think?" Rio asks.
Aiden is quiet for a moment, and then he smiles. "It's amazing. Even more amazing than I expected it to be."
"I just...no one will ever hear it." Rio says with a sigh.
"They could." Aiden says. "You just have to make sure that they do, Rio. It's all up to you."
"But it's not. You know that it's not, Aiden." Rio says. "None of this is my choice."
"Make it your choice." Aiden says. "It's up to you to take the power back."
Rio looks down at the paper in his hand, and then he looks up. He knows what he has to do.
•••
Aiden feels a few drops of rain on his skin as he sits on the grass in front of his mother's gravestone. He's been here for hours now, just trying to clear his head, and sort his life out. He's hurt, afraid, and angry all at once.
Sitting here, though, has calmed him down a little. He almost feels like his mother is there.
Aiden's phone starts to buzz in his backpocket, and he starts to ignore it, figuring it's probably just his father -- who is one of the people he wants to ignore right now. But something keeps nagging at him as it keeps vibrating, and he fishes it out of his pocket and looks to see it's Rio. Not Rio's cell phone, but his house phone number that he rarely ever uses.
"Hello?" Aiden answers.
There's a beat of silence on the other end, just heavy breathing, and Aiden can feel his heart drop, the rest of his body going numb.
"Rio," Aiden says, a little more frantic now. "Baby, what's wrong?"
"Come get me." Rio says softly.
Then, the line goes dead.
Aiden stands up, hurrying out of the graveyard as the rain starts to pour, and by the time he's in his car he's completely wet.
•••
Luckily, he still has a key when he arrives to the house, and he runs in. He's shocked when he sees things smashed, and broken. The pictures that were once on the wall are shattered against the floor. The couch is missing cushions. Vases and other items are broken and scattered across the floor.
"Rio!" Aiden calls out, walking over glass, which crunches beneath his shoe. He walks into Rio's bedroom and sees him laying there on the floor, curled up in a ball next to a bag. He looks tired, exhausted, and there are a few cuts on his hands.
Aiden kneels next to him. "Are you okay? What happened?"
Rio looks up at him. "I got back the power." He says, his voice groggy and low energy.
"Are you okay?" Aiden asks again, searching him for any other signs of harm.
"Take me away." Rio says. "Let's run away together. Just you and me."
Aiden looks at the packed bag next to Rio, and then he nods his head. He stands up, grabbing the bag in one hand, and then scooping Rio's body up in his arms.
"Okay, baby." Aiden says, carrying him out of the room. He grabs the first aid kit before leaving, opening the door, and carrying to his car. He puts him in the passenger seat and buckles his seat belt for him.
•••
Twenty minutes later, Aiden leaves a sleeping Rio behind in the car to run into his house and grab a few things for the trip.
He slips in, and immeidately sees his father sitting on the couch.
"Aiden," James says, standing up when his son enters.
"I don't want to talk to you." Aiden says, walking back to his bedroom, his father following him.
"Can't we at least talk about this son?" James questions.
"No." Aiden says, grabbing a bag and starting to shove clothes in. "There's nothing to talk about."
"We have plenty to talk about." James says. "I think we need to go back and see the therapist that we saw after your mom passed away."
"You mean after she was killed? Because of you." Aiden says, zipping the bag. "No thanks."
Aiden walks past his father, out of the bedroom, and to the bathroom. He grabs his toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant.
"Where are you going?" James asks.
Aiden walks past his father again, ignoring him, and walking out of the hose.
James walks out of the front door. He watches as Aiden throws his bag in the car.
"Aiden!" James says, but Aiden continues to ignore him.
He watches as Aiden backs out of the driveway, and as soon as a street light illuminates the windshield, James spots Rio in the passenger seat.
"Aiden!" James calls out again, but it's no use.
The last thing James sees the red glow of taillights as Aiden and Rio disappear down the street.
✨Beyond the Lights✨