Aiden [Book Two]

1

Aiden glowered at the brunette below him, fighting the grin from taking over as he tried to remain stoic. It was difficult to resist the twinkling eyes staring back; they radiated a long awaited, and deserved, joy.

"I swear, if you don't stop pinching me..." His voice trailed at the delightful smile, knowing his threat was empty. Nothing would stop the relentless teasing.

His boyfriend was a monster; and he loved it.

Aiden's heart melted upon seeing the pale boy whose face had caught the sun recently. His typically pearly cheeks flushed peach and warm.

After two weeks of being locked up in the house, recovering from surgery, getting out again felt good.

Nathan struggled for the first few days, combating exhaustion and muscle fatigue as he tried to rebuild his life. His body felt weak and fragile, making him doubt if the surgery to repair his shoulder was the right choice.

For a while, the elder could do very little other than sleep. His arms were heavy, making basic tasks like brushing his hair, cutting food, and getting dressed difficult. He needed support with almost everything.

Washing and drying his hair required an extra pair of hands, to which Aiden was more than happy to help.

But as things became easier, Nathan finally had some optimism for the future.

"I'm never taking my shirt off around you again."

The brunette's lower lip jutted in protested, creating a cute face he knew his boyfriend couldn't resist.

Nathan glanced at the sun-kissed skin as his heart ached with pride. Removing his shirt around others required courage from Aiden. Initially he was reluctant, but eventually his bravery shone through, and let their small group of friends glimpse at his tragic history. At the countless scars littering his slender body and the dark stories that they represented.

He was a precious and deserved better than his suffering.

Nathan extended a hand to brush his fingers across a nick on the boy's tight stomach. That particular mark didn't come with a story because Aiden couldn't remember the individual incidents. 

A lot of the trauma blended together and became a tangled web of pain and sadness.

Casting his eyes to the pool, Nathan watched five other boys as they clowned around, before looking back to the orange-haired boy leaning over.

Aiden propped himself on his elbow, staying upright so he wouldn't slip and crush Nathan's injured shoulder. 

Looking from above, he sparkled like an angel in the sunlight.

The bare torso was exquisite, but had nothing on the natural glow of the younger boy's face.

Following the moment the boy showed his facial scar to the group, a glimmer of confidence grew in him. At school, Aiden concealed the laceration with make-up, but at home, with friends, he let it show.

He'd always be shy and conscious about it, but knew the others wholly accepted who he was. Shame was unnecessary, as his new friends respected and loved him.

There was something beautiful about how freedom looked on Aiden.

Nathan smiled as his free hand lifted, stroking his fingers across the damaged left cheek in wonderment, the long, thin scar spanning half of his boyfriend's face. 

He'd never understand why someone would hurt such a loving boy. But they had each other now, and that was the important thing.

The brunette glanced towards the pool again; the group of wild animals still pounded inflatable balls and dunked one another under the water during another hectic game of polo. Their usual loud and rapturous nature made it impossible for them to hear as Nathan whispered sweet-nothings to his lover.