Aiden [Book Two]

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Carefully fiddling with the last button of his shirt, the redhead glanced at the bed, watching Nathan peel the bedding back and slid himself into his usual spot.

The elder made himself comfortable before diverting his attention to the television, preparing for their nightly ritual of falling asleep to the sound of a movie whilst snuggled together.

Aiden looked back to his reflection, hands trembling as he dusted down his choice of nightwear. It had been a while since he choose anything like this.

For months, the teenager battled with the need to bury his body under thick clothing. Both before and after the attack, he struggled to feel confident and safe, resulting in a distinct lack of intimacy with his boyfriend.

Prior to Nathan's surgery, their relationship steadily progressed towards sensual things. Aiden let the brunette touch him, let him explore the slender body, and do things that drove the younger boy wild. And despite his timidness, he returned some of those heated interactions, initiated passionate kisses, and tried defeating the reluctance in his mind.

It was difficult, and Aiden always felt he was letting Nathan down by being afraid, but he tried. And he wanted to try again.

More than anything; he needed to reconnect with the love of his life.

The elder's eagerness to explore the next steps wasn't easily forgotten, and he didn't want Nathan to grow tired of waiting.

That was why, for the first time in a long time, Aiden chose not to grab a t-shirt, shorts, or jogging bottoms to wear overnight. He could have stripped without making a fuss and climbed into bed in his underwear, but the boy passed on the idea.

He wasn't ready to expose himself completely, so he chose something with a little coverage, but still showed enough skin to be suggestive.

Hopefully, Nathan would understand.

The petite boy picked out a cobalt-blue satin shirt that he'd been ignoring since he bought it. Its sleeves were too long and draped over his hands, the hem landed on his upper thighs, and the top button fell too low on his chest, making the collarless shirt slide down his shoulder.

Aiden thought back to the morning the elder teased him for dressing too sexy for school, all because his collar bones protruded a little. Despite the playful taunting, Nathan drank in the sight, making it clear how much he liked it.

Maybe he would like this too.

Taking a few deep breaths and brushing the still damp tangerine strands back, Aiden turned and headed to bed, entirely fixated on the brown-haired boy, heart pounding.

The elder must have felt the intense stare burning into the side of his head, flicking his eyes over and giving a gentle smile as he patted the bed.

That was not the reaction the younger hoped for.

His stomach sank when he dropped onto the mattress.

Nathan did little more than start the movie he'd picked, placing the remote between the pair. He didn't look Aiden up and down like he wanted, didn't make a sassy comment about looking too sexy or dive in hands first.

The sullen teen dropped his head and glared at his bare legs, disappointment rippling through his body as he began scratching at a scar on his inner thigh.

He couldn't help the dark thoughts as they crept in.

Despite a bit of time passing, Aiden still carried a lot of bruising in certain areas of his body. A multitude of colours covered his arms and legs, green and brown marks splashed his back and chest, and fingerprints still wrapped around his throat and wrists.