this chapter takes place after Aaron and Leo were saved and reunited. clarifying just in case lol.
Bonus chapter | Future
Aaron and Leo sat beside each other on the couch in their living room, spines uncomfortably straight and lips pulled into polite smiles.
There was one thing both of them had been desperately trying to avoid all this time. Except it was right in front of them, breathing, living, and even whining quietly.
"Aaron, darling? You look... stressed."
Aaron snapped his head up and stared at the woman sitting opposite him. He forced a nonchalant smile, wringing his fingers in his lap. "No, I'm great."
"Do you wanna try holding my baby? He's only three months old."
Aaron's heartbeat raced. "No. No thanks. I'm fine."
The woman (she was a neighbor but Aaron couldn't remember her name) bent down and picked the baby from the bouncer seat, cradling him in her arms. She approached Aaron with light steps, eyes lovingly set on the newborn.
Pretty much how the captors used to stare at Aaron. He subconsciously gripped Leo's knee, squeezing, then scooted further against him and away from the woman. "I don't know how to hold a baby. I'm probably gonna drop him so I'm just... I'm just"-Aaron fidgeted in his seat uncomfortably-"this couch's really not comfy. I'm just gonna go sit somewhere else."
Aaron quickly sprang off and plopped down on an armchair near the door. He caught Leo's eye across the room, and he regretted leaving him there.
"Yeah," Leo suddenly said, mimicking Aaron's awkward shifting on the couch. "Aar's right. I don't like this couch either." Then he got up and squeezed himself beside Aaron, just about sitting on his lap.
Aaron scooted aside so he'd offer more space for Leo. They fit on a single armchair, which should be concerning, except the fact that they couldn't even handle a baby in the room stole the spotlight.
Aaron only noticed that his mom had been staring at him when found it in him to glance up. He quickly averted his gaze. Beside him, Leo pressed his elbow into Aaron's ribs and mumbled, "Are you okay?"
Aaron refused to look at Leo. His little brother could cope with a baby's presence better, and Aaron didn't know if he should be proud of Leo or angry with himself for the incapability to grow past what'd happened.
Leo was too busy watching Aaron and Aaron was too busy trying to calm down, that they didn't pick up the slightest bit of the conversation that went on between Jannette and the woman.
Aaron only lifted his chin when he heard the woman pull herself to her feet, heels thudding against the carpeted floor. She exchanged some final words with Jannette but Aaron didn't really focus with the fuzz in his head.
The woman passed by Aaron with the baby in her arms, making him push himself further back into the chair for a second. She disappeared into the foyer with his mom. He let out a long sigh.
"Aar?" Leo said.
Aaron looked at Leo. "Don't worry, I'm fine. It's just that today's... it's the worst day possible for an actual baby to show up."
Standing up, Aaron gestured Leo over as he headed for the bedroom, but halfway through and Jannette cut his way off.
"Can we have a word, Aaron?" she asked.
"No."
Aaron kept walking forward but she caught his arm and forced him back. "We need to talk, Aaron. Come with me."
Aaron let out a way too obviously exasperated sigh and reluctantly followed her into the kitchen.
"Sit," she said, oblivious that Aaron was glaring until she sat down, fingers clasped on the table, and glanced at him again.
These were like three commands already and today Aaron wasn't feeling it. Two years ago, same date, same day as now, he was in a psycho's house. Constantly being commanded to be this and that. Did she really think this attitude would help?
But Aaron sat nonetheless, refusing to meet her eyes.
"Aaron," Jannette started, "if you, by any chance, feel like... like you need to see a psychologist again-"
"Mom." Leaning back in his seat, Aaron lifted his chin skyward and sighed. "I don't wanna talk about this."
"You can't keep running from your problems. You couldn't even stand a baby in the room. You were shaking, Aaron."
"I wasn't shaking. I'm just upset today, alright?"
"Aaron-"
"Jannette," said Zach, Aaron's step-father, as he strode into the kitchen. Aaron glanced at him through the corner of his eye then quickly looked away. "Don't pressure him."
Zach was a decent man. Seriously. He never pressured Aaron about his insecurities, never mouthed a wrong word. But Aaron couldn't get past memories out of his head, couldn't bring back the craving for a father anymore. It died long ago.
"I know my son, Zach," Jannette argued, eyes soft but stern. "He won't admit he needs help. He's stubborn like that."
"He's not Aar if he's not stubborn." Leo walked into the kitchen and directly headed towards Aaron. Grabbing his wrist, as if he knew Aaron was uncomfortable, he urged him off the chair. "Come on, Aar."
Aaron looked up at Leo and smiled wholeheartedly for the first time since morning. Leo always made everything better. Except... Aaron glanced at his mom again. He couldn't disrespect her like that in front of Zach, storm out mid-conversation even though he really wanted to.
"Leo, sweetheart." Jannette looked at Leo. "Your brother wants to vent about this, but he needs a little pushing. You know him."
So the problem was: Leo hated Jannette. Aaron had made the mistake of telling him what'd happened years back-when she'd returned after years-long departure, met Aaron in a café, then slapped him-and Leo suddenly despised her.
"No," Leo said. "He doesn't want to talk about it. He wants to leave. He's just too polite to say it."
"Aaron." Zach looked at Aaron, patting his shoulder in a way that gestured him to go. "Go with Leo. You're a mature boy, I know that if you feel like you need help, you'll say it, right? I trust your decision."
Aaron looked up at Zack. Blinked a few times. Then smiled softly. He appreciated this attitude. "Thanks," he said, and stood up then followed Leo out.
Sighing, Jannette looked at Zach. "Aaron will never change."
"Who said we need him to change?" Zach smiled as he stared at the door, trying to catch a last glimpse of the boys. He focused on Jannette again. "Isn't this mindset the reason he doesn't like you, Jannette? The last thing you wanna do is pressure the kid. Give him time. He's just in a bad mood today."
Outside the kitchen, Aaron and Leo walked along the corridor then rounded a corner into their bedroom.
"Can we go out, Aar?" Leo asked. "Can we get ice cream?"
Aaron nodded. "Yeah. Just let me get my phone-" He'd been turning around, and he stopped when he spotted his phone on Leo's bed. The last thing he remembered was leaving it on his desk, by the window. Squinting, he grabbed it and turned to Leo. "What's my phone doing on your bed, Leo?"
Leo bit his lip, blue eyes widening momentarily. Then he relaxed again and frowned. "Yeah, Aar. What is your phone doing on my bed? I don't like people putting their stuff on my bed."
Aaron laughed quietly. He knew Leo too well. So he wasn't really surprised when he checked his phone, specifically the the last thing he'd texted Erika, and for some divine, completely mysterious reason, he'd sent her this:
Hi Erika. Don't come today. I'm busy with Leo.
"I don't know," Aaron drawled, showing Leo the screen, "but I don't remember texting Erika today."
Leo weakly shrugged a shoulder, knowing fully well that Aaron caught him. He refused to meet his eyes anymore. "Aar... I just wanted-"
"Whatever. Come, let's get ice cream." Aaron shoved the phone in his pocket and headed towards the door, but Leo remained confused behind. He spun back to him. "Leo? Come on."
Tilting his head, Leo blinked at Aaron. Why wasn't he angry if he knew he'd texted Erika? "So you're just gonna ignore that I..."
"Exactly." Aaron caught Leo's wrist and towed him behind. He understood what Leo felt about Erika, that he wasn't used to 'sharing' his brother with anyone. So instead of yelling at him, Aaron decided to make it up.
At the front door, Aaron looked back and yelled, "I'm going out to get ice cream with Leo!" then grabbed the car keys and opened the door, stepping outside.
Aaron got into the car, and it took Leo a minute to get all settled in the passenger's seat with his expression still a little puzzled.
"Seatbelt," Aaron reminded Leo. When Leo didn't move (he hated seatbelts uncannily), Aaron reached over and crossed it over his chest then clicked it in place. "It's for your safety."
As the engine started and they revved into the road, Leo stared out of the window. He tried leaning forward but the seatbelt constricted him, so he just gave up.
"Aar?" Leo leant his head against the glass pane, watching the road-side race past him in a blur. Aaron hummed questioningly. "Do you think I should see my real dad?"
"No."
"But-"
"No." Aaron gripped the steering wheel tighter, subconsciously tensing.
"Why? You saw your dad, Aar. And you talked to him."
"I talked to him?" Aaron snorted. "I couldn't even speak."
"Did it help? Seeing him."
"No. It didn't change anything. I didn't feel anything."
"But you cried all night the day you saw him, Aar."
If it was possible, Aaron clutched the the steering wheel harder-maybe hard enough to dislodge it. "I didn't cry all night," Aaron protested quietly. "I cried just a little. I was confused, alright? And thanks for comforting me when you heard me crying."
Leo perked up slightly. "Oh. Sorry, Aar. I didn't want you to know I was awake. But I can give you a hug now. Want a hug?"
Before Aaron could even speak, Leo was already unbuckling the seatbelt and leaning over the space between the driver's and passenger's seats, trying to reach Aaron.
"God, Leo, not right now! I'm driving." Aaron single-handedly pushed Leo's chest, forcing him back into his seat whilst keeping his eyes on the road. Leo complied. A few second of silence, then Aaron glanced at Leo for a split-second. "When we get there you can hug me, yeah? Sorry."
Leo smiled a little, nodding. "It's fine. I'm sorry."
The rest of the ride was silent. But not
the awkward type-the peaceful one. When they made it past the outskirts of their village, now driving straight into the neighboring town, Leo perked up and leant forward, staring at the buildings with the same fascination he'd always harbored.
It was an odd thing; the world still amazed Leo. It'd been two years but still he'd need a lifetime worth of learning. One day this stage would end though, and Leo's eyes wouldn't sparkle anymore every time he'd see something. Anything. Aaron didn't know if he wanted to get there.
Aaron parked the car across the street from the designated ice cream shop and relaxed in his seat, glancing at Leo. It'd taken around ten minutes to get here. Aaron thought Leo would have forgotten about the hug, but no-Leo was already preparing, unbuckling, curving over to Aaron's side with a soft smile.
There was something halfhearted about this, the way Aaron curled only one arm around Leo while Leo hugged him off the side like he was scared he'd lose him.
"I don't like seeing you sad," Leo mumbled. "It makes me sad."
"I'm not sad." Aaron leant his chin on Leo's shoulder even though he knew he shouldn't be doing this in public. People liked to misunderstand. As he tilted his head, he noticed an old lady staring at them outside the car. "Oh shit. Um... yeah let's stop now, Leo."
Leo and Aaron pulled apart, and they found the lady still staring as she passed by. Laughing quietly to himself, Aaron mumbled, "I swear we're straight," then got out of the car.
Leo didn't seem to understand, but he followed Aaron out as well. Both stood by the pavement, waiting for the pedestrian's green-light so they'd pass.
Leo's hand subconsciously reached for Aaron's. Cars still scared him, traffic in general. Aaron held it and crossed the street with him until they were standing just beside the shop.
There, Leo let go of Aaron's hand even though he wanted to keep holding it. Over time, he'd learnt that he wasn't allowed to kiss Aaron's cheek or hold his hand in public, because people would understand it in other ways. Which didn't make sense for him, because Aar was his brother and people were just stupid with their assumptions.
Leo followed Aaron up to the girl taking orders behind the counter. When it was his turn to order, he said he'd take the same one as Aaron.
"Three dollars each, please."
Aaron brought up his wallet and paid, but in the meantime Leo was trying to do the maths (which he'd only very recently gotten introduced to). Three dollars each. So that was three two times.
Aaron noticed Leo suffering, so while he waited for the change, he held his hands out, palms facing the floor and fingers poised in Leo's direction. "Count them, Leo," he said. "Three, two times."
Leo counted Aaron's fingers one by one, then looked up and skeptically said, "Six."
Aaron smiled. "That's right! Good job."
The girl behind the counter gave them an incredulous look, nose scrunched and mouth half-open. "Isn't this dude, like, fifteen?" She pointed nonchalantly at Leo. "How doesn't he know how to-"
"Seventeen, actually. Keep talking," Aaron said, leaning his hip against the counter. "And if you hurt his feelings, I totally won't smash this cash register on your head."
The raven-haired girl shut up on her own and handed Aaron and Leo their ice creams, muttering something under her breath that Aaron didn't make the effort the catch.
Aaron and Leo headed over to a table close to the wall and sat there opposite to each other, with Aaron's back facing the entrance. Leo started eating his ice-cream, but there was barely any effort put into bringing up the spoon to his lips. Almost like he was reluctant.
With the spoon still in Aaron's mouth, he glanced at Leo and frowned. Mused for a second. "Hey, don't you like the flavor? I chose chocolate because I know you like it."
"No, it's good. I like it."
Aaron kept a careful eye on Leo then leant forward, arms on the table. "I know what you're thinking about. Leo, you don't need to be ashamed of yourself. People are stupid, they talk without thinking."
Admittedly, Leo was a little hurt about the raven-haired girl. At first he'd never understood people's weird looks, but now things made sense. People thought he was weird, out of place. Stupid.
"If it makes you feel better," Aaron said, smiling slightly, "I can go back and actually smash the cash register on her head."
Leo's smile was wide enough to bare his teeth. He laughed a little, finally finding it in him to glance at Aaron. But then his eyes drifted a little further, over Aaron's shoulder, and his expression faltered. He leant back in his chair.
Aaron frowned. Before he could even glance back, a hand landed on his shoulder, fingertip brushing by his neck. And it was the neck part that pissed him off, made him jerk away before he could even realize who it was.
Erika. She frowned at Aaron's reaction, and when he looked at her he wanted to bang his head into the wall. It was hard to explain that today specifically, he couldn't stop thinking about how Cara used to touch him.
Leo understood the reaction. Skillfully avoiding Erika with his eyes, he kept his gaze on Aaron.
"Hi," Erika skeptically said, smiling in a weirded-out way. Then she relaxed again and waved at Leo, but didn't make a move to sit down. "Saw your car outside when I was passing by. Thought I'd say hi."
Leo hoped she wouldn't actually sit with them, but he felt bad for Aaron. So he shrugged (barely) and mumbled, "Sit with us if you want. But not beside Aar."
This snapped Aaron out of his trance. Not beside Aar. This couldn't be out of jealousy; there was something else, and Aaron saw it in the almost panicked expression on Leo's face.
"Why don't you want her to sit beside me?" Aaron asked, head slightly tilted.
Leo looked partly ashamed and partly sad. "Because I don't want her to get pregnant now."
Aaron choked on air. He hunched forward, elbows on the table, coughing like a stone was stuck in his trachea. Beside him, Erika had a what the hell? look on her face but she was too busy patting Aaron's back to actually stare at Leo.
As soon as Aaron recovered, he arched his spine away from Erika's hand and stared at Leo. "Leo," Aaron said, almost smiling now. "How... why would you think that?"
"I asked my tutor how babies are made. She told me a girl and a boy have to sit beside each other, then God will send a baby to the girl's womb. They have to like each other first. But they don't even have to sign papers! Can you believe that!"
Aaron gave Erika a look, then glanced back at Leo, desperately trying to contain the laughter. "Well, she's not lying entirely. It's more like they have to sit on top of-"
"Aaron!" Erika shouted, swatting him on the head with her purse. "Goodness, Aaron. You're bad influence on Leo." She faced Leo with a soft smile and held out her hand in a cajoling manner. "Don't worry, Leo, okay? That's not how it happens. We would never have babies before getting married. Aaron's not even ready."
Aaron just nodded, letting Erika do that talking. Leo was looking at her through his lashes, and if anything he looked embarrassed more than ashamed now.
"I gotta leave now," Erika said as she shouldered her purse, brown hair falling to one side. "I have to run some errands. So have fun." Before turning, she pecked Aaron's mouth then smiled at Leo. "Hey, and you should know that you have a special place in Aaron's heart, Leo. No one can take it. I'm his girlfriend, but you're his brother."
This was vaguely comforting for Leo. He'd started viewing Erika as a competitor over time, someone there to steal Aaron from him. But to have her admit he had a special place in his heart... that was kinda good.
Aaron didn't look at Leo when Erika left, swirling the melting ice-cream around in the carton-cup instead. Then he lifted his gaze. Set it on Leo. "Finished yours? Wanna leave?"
Leo felt like Aaron wanted to shout at him for messing up. For making Erika leave. So the fact that his voice didn't sound angry eased him. "Yeah," he said, slipping off his chair and rounding the table closer to Aaron. "And I'm sorry."
They left the shop, but then stopped at the pavement outside. Leo stared at their car across the street and the pathway to the center of the town to their right. He wanted to walk around a little, except he felt too ashamed to tell Aaron anything.
He didn't need to. Aaron understood. "Let's wander around a little," he said as he strode forwards then stopped and gestured Leo over with a cock of his head. "If you wanna go home, it's fine. Whatever you want."
"No, I like walking around." Smiling, Leo followed Aaron along the pavement, further down into the center of the town.
The place wasn't crowded; a stone fountain centered around a few people, maybe four or five, and there wasn't much noise except water splashing against water. A good thing for Leo because he never liked crowds.
Aaron watched as Leo walked towards the fountain; he still had a tiny little prance to his step, especially when he'd spot interesting things and hurry towards them. Leaning against the stone edge, Leo dipped a finger in the water then lifted it. Close to his lips.
Aaron narrowed his eyes. "Leo, what did we say about this stuff?"
"Not supposed to taste everything." Leo remembered it on his own, and he shot Aaron a playful smile before drying his finger against his thigh. "I wasn't gonna put it in my mouth, I promise- hey, what's that?"
Leo perked up, blue eyes wide, and stared at something over Aaron's shoulder. Before Aaron could glance back, Leo had already gotten up and sprinted off to whatever he'd seen.
"What's- oh my shit," Aaron mumbled when he looked back and found a canvas set up in the distance, hiding the person behind it. "Leo, Leo, no! Wait!"
As Aaron hastened to catch up with Leo, he could only think of one thing: Lou. He hadn't seen him ever since they'd reunited once after that party. And now he remembered Lou had said sometimes he did portraits for money.
Aaron grasped Leo's arm less than a meter away from the canvas. "Don't. It's nothing." Then he clutched his other arm and turned him around, but Leo was rigid in his hold. Shocked.
Leo looked at Aaron. "That's... That's-"
"No one. Let's go home.
Behind the canvas, Lou suddenly peeked up. "Hey, sorry my paint brush dropped, can I help- oh... oh God."
Silence. Leo turned back to the canvas. So did Aaron. Then Lou stared at Leo and Leo stared at Lou and Aaron wanted to throw himself off a cliff right now.
Leo's jaw dropped. He didn't say anything. Aaron let go of his arm.
Lou's eyes softened as he fumbled with the art supplies spread out on the bench beside him. "Well, uh... I'll- I'll just go because this clearly isn't the best time to... you know-"
Except Leo stepped closer to Lou, now frowning. He tilted his head a little. Lou refused to meet his eyes and hurriedly tried packing his shit.
"Look at me," Leo said.
There was something about Leo giving a command that made Lou freeze. With a hand still on the supplies, he looked at Leo again, trying to understand if he should be worried about the frown. He wondered if Leo hated him now. Which was understandable, and he'd never ever blame him for it but...
It looked like Leo was inspecting Lou's face more than anything, noticing how his features had changed. Then he smiled. Barely, but it was there. "...Grandpa Lou?"
Lou broke out into a nervous laugh. "Yeah," he mumbled, shoulders tilted forward and a hand on his knee. He couldn't hold eye-contact for too long. "Yeah, I'm definitely not a little psycho anymore."
Aaron watched Leo's side-profile; he looked queasy and awed and longing and nervous all at the same time. Like he wanted to talk, but wasn't sure if he was hallucinating or not.
Leo's hand blindly searched for Aaron. He gripped his arm, clenching his sleeve hard in his fingers before turning to him with wide eyes. "Aar... you see him too, right?"
For a second, Aaron debated saying no and dragging Leo to the car. But he nodded instead. "Yeah, it's him."
Lou had finished packing his supplies. "So I'm just gonna go because I really don't want to mess anything up-"
"Wait," Leo said, grip on Aaron but eyes on Lou. "Don't go."
Of all things, Lou looked at Aaron for guidance. As if saying, should I go? That was probably because Aaron had told him he didn't want him to see Leo yet.
"Talk to him," Aaron said. "Don't run away. He won't stop thinking about it if you do."
Lou nodded and stood up straight. He almost felt like crying as he took a proper glance at Leo: so much taller, shoulders a little broader. He looked like a teenager. No more baby Leo. Now it was Leo. Just Leo. The Leo they'd destroyed. The Leo Lou had destroyed and he knew he'd never forgive himself for it.
"Hell," Lou mumbled, shaking his head. His laugh sounded like a cry to Aaron. "You grew up so much. I... I don't know what to say."
"Yeah. I can read and write better now." Leo fiddled with Aaron's sleeve. "You changed too. Um... how come you're here?"
"Cheap place here."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
Leo hesitated for a moment. "You... You saw Dominic and Cara?" The names came out of his mouth with weird force, like he still wasn't used to it. "Are they out?"
"Not yet." Lou laughed bitterly to himself. "They need longer than me."
Leo's hand slipped off Aaron's sleeve. His eyes suddenly turned sad. "I grew up, Lou," Leo said, staring straight at Lou. "I learnt. I understand things now. They... The psychologists tried to make me hate you. All three of you. But it never worked. Dominic's always gonna be my first hero."
Just as he finished, Leo let out a long sigh, like the words had been weighing down on his chest.
Aaron watched the way Lou and Leo looked at each other and it was the chord connecting them that knocked a realization into him: these two had a connection Aaron would never understand. Right now he was an outsider. Two years. Leo had spent two years with Lou. Not just a month.
Leo took a step forward. It felt like he was debating between a hug or a handshake. With a nervous exhale, he extended his hand to Lou.
Lou was visibly straining, trying not to cry or laugh or fall apart. He took Leo's hand and shook it. The awkwardness in it killed Aaron even though he wasn't even part of it.
"It was nice seeing you again," Leo said. "I'll never forget you, and I know I'll never be able to get what happened out of my head. I'll always be thankful for all three of you. But now, good luck starting a new life, Lou. I'm happy with Aar."
The level of maturity in this didn't startle Aaron-he'd heard this notion back when he'd first reunited with Leo. And if anything, Leo was the better one at handling shit like this. Still though, Aaron noticed the underlying shock; Leo's hand shook at his side.
"Thanks, Leo," Lou finally managed to say. It startled him hard, unlike Aaron-to see baby Leo now speak like a grownup. Nervous but confident. He admired it, Leo's courage. His strength. His ability to keep his shit together even though Lou could swear Leo wanted to run away now. "I'm honestly speechless. I... I literally can't say anything. God. Look at you, so mature. I can't ask for anything more than your forgiveness. The fact that you have the courage to look me in the eye is a blessing alone. Don't wish me luck-I know I don't deserve it."
Leo didn't reply for a second. He stared at Lou's face, almost like comparing him to his past self. "You know," Leo said, "I don't really think your eyes are ugly."
Lou understood the reference. He laughed aloud as he took his canvas off the easel, mumbling, "Greatest compliment ever," and he wasn't being sarcastic.
Aaron didn't quite understand this, didn't even know how it tied to the speech Lou had just given but it seemed adequate for both Leo and Lou. When Aaron caught Lou's attention, he gave him a smile. "Good luck."
There was pain in Lou's eyes but he walked away anyway after saying, "Thanks, for letting me talk to him. And for taking care of him."
Aaron turned to Leo when Lou was out of sight, and he was frozen, like the situation was just dawning on him.
Leo snapped his head in Aaron's direction. "That... That actually just happened. That wasn't just in my head?"
"No."
Leo stared for a second, then took a firm step forward, clutched the front of Aaron's clothes and pulled him roughly closer. "I think I need to throw up, Aar."
"Huh. So now it's starting to kick in. Come." Aaron careened Leo along with him to the nearest bin, watching as he retched into it. His hair fell over, so Aaron raked a hand through and brushed them up again until Leo finished.
Leo straightened, but his chest was heaving a little. Aaron asked, "Feeling better?" and he got a hesitant nod for a response. "Let's go back to the car, yeah?"
Leo nodded and stuck to Aaron's side like glue as they walked back to the car. There, he wordlessly climbed into the passenger seat, so distracted he forgot to close the door. Aaron shut it for him then rounded the car's front to the driver's seat.
But he didn't start the engine. Instead, Aaron leant back in his seat and stared out of the windshield.
Leo sighed. "I shouldn't have done that."
"It's my fault. I should've been more careful where I'm taking you."
"No, Aar." Leo turned his head towards Aaron. "Not about seeing him. I mean I shouldn't have said what I said. I should've told him: piss off, I hate all of you."
"But you can't say that," Aaron easily explained Leo's feeling, "because that's not how you feel."
"Yeah." Shoulders straightening, Leo twisted his torso so he could get a better look at Aaron. "It's so frustrating."
Frustrating. Leo chose the exact word Aaron had in mind. He'd call it frustrating too. "Yeah, that's how I feel too."
"You saw him before?"
"Yeah."
"The day you came back from visiting that 'old friend' and you spent the entire night throwing up."
Aaron laughed, but he sounded ashamed. "Yeah. Exactly. I don't know what I was thinking, going to him with my own feet."
"I bet it's what I was thinking when I told him look at me instead of running away."
"I think so." Aaron curved a leg under him, getting a bit more comfortable because he knew this would turn into a talking session. Leo was the best therapist so far. "Wanna talk about it?"
Leo nodded; he understood what Aaron meant with that. And he liked talking to him about it.
"Dominic was your favorite? Before I came."
"Yeah." Leo propped his feet on the dashboard. "He was the first one I saw when I first woke up, so it kinda just stuck in my head that he's my hero when I finally warmed up to them. Lou's the second."
"So Cara's the... you didn't like her a lot. Which obviously I don't blame you for, because same."
"I liked her, but she did something once. Before you came. And ever since then I couldn't love her like Da-Dominic and Lou."
"Oh."
Leo felt that Aaron didn't want to push him. But he trusted him, and he'd tell him anything so he continued, "She tried kissing me on the mouth. And it reminded my of my real dad so... yeah."
Aaron's heart stuttered. He'd realized Leo's dad had abused him like that but the awful thing was that Leo still didn't understand it. "Yeah, you know what? Change the subject."
Leo suddenly looked a little more confident, and he gave Aaron a playful look, turning to his side. "Now I wanna ask you."
Aaron nodded. "Sure."
"Do you like Zach? Like, do you feel comfortable around him?"
"I don't hate him." Suddenly, Aaron couldn't look at Leo anymore. He shrugged one shoulder. "But I also don't feel one hundred percent comfortable around him. I don't know. It's weird."
"But you let him touch you. And you didn't flinch or anything, even though you flinched with Erika today."
"She touched my neck. That's different-you know what Cara was like, Leo. And I was trying to be polite with Zach. Erika wouldn't feel offended if I jerk away sometimes. She understands me."
"Yeah, I know." Leo nudged Aaron's arm, smiling at him. "Trust me, I know what Cara was like. I'm the expert here."
Aaron laughed, lolling his head back. Making this a joke was the best coping mechanism, as it turned out.
"You know, there's a reason I said Dominic's my first hero. Not just my hero," Leo said. Aaron faced him again. "It's because you're my second, and you're the best one."
Aaron smiled and watched Leo lean over, but this time not for a hug. Leo froze halfway through. "Can I, Aar? Because we're kinda in public," he said, shoulders slouching again.
"Of course you can."
Leaning in, Leo pecked Aaron on the cheek then pulled back again, settling down in his seat. "You said one day I'll grow up, and I won't hug and kiss you like a child anymore, so I'm trying to make it up for that now."
Aaron laughed. He couldn't imagine Leo ever growing up and behaving precisely like an adult, but it would come one day. Maybe that was a bad thing, maybe a good thing-whatever it was, right now it didn't matter.
Starting the engine, Aaron said, "Let's go home now before you start throwing up again. Also... let's not tell my mom about this entire thing."
*_*_*_*_*
hellooo, i'm so so sorry this is super long. Hope you enjoyed anyway ❤️ fun fact: I've started re-uploading Teenage Baby, if you didn't know! You can find it on my profile.
I probably wont be writing any more bonus chaps, so if you have any question about any character or something/are struggling to imagine a certain scenario, you can ask me here and I'm 100% ready to answer!