Nathaniel

29

Nate pov

I knew what I was doing when I offered myself to take Aidan's place. I just hoped his father would go for it.
I knew Aidan was coming here the minute he said he was "going on a walk."
He'd been acting shifty and closed off ever since he'd lost his memory stick. I wasn't sure whether I'd been living in a dream the past few weeks where Aidan had been more loving and trusting than usual for an abused boy, or whether reality had crashed down on us both. I hoped it was neither. I may have known him only a few weeks, but I loved him way more than I loved anyone in my life and I couldn't possibly see anyone in Aidan's place. He was mine. He'd captured my heart in his tender grasp the day I first met him.

"Alright. Okay." Thomas' anger diminished immediately as he considered my offer. Who knew why, or when he would next explode, destroying all in his path.
I looked over at my broken, defenceless boyfriend. His body was mangled and beaten to a pulp. It almost looked worse than the day I found him unconscious in the street. A small pool of blood was forming on the floor at his feet. His bare chest was splattered with blood and bruises, my shredded hoodie lay at his feet. He didn't wear a shirt under it today.
'Feeling the fluff of the hoodie against my chest makes me feel closer to you Nathan.' He'd said so innocently this morning.
It was obvious his father hated me being Aidan's boyfriend. Ripping the hoodie was a clear act of defiance against me. An act to warn both me and Aidan of the dangers of his wrath if we were to continue going out.

But that would never stop me.

"I'm going to give you a proposition. I'm going to take both of you with me. That way neither of you can blab to the authorities. But I won't lay a finger on Aidan again. He'll be free to roam the grounds and have what he likes. I don't care."
"And what happens to me?"
"You'll be my son. I'll do with you as I please. And you will keep my every order. Just as Aidan would do. Got it?"
"Got it." I murmured. I expected him to say something along those lines. But I didn't expect him to take Aidan too. He'd outsmarted me.
"Are you boys ready to go hmm? Better go to the loo now whilst I finish packing. It's a long journey and I don't want to stop."
"Where are we going?" I dared to ask, hoping he was dumb enough to tell me. Instead of a reply, I received another slap round the face. That was answer enough.
Aidan who had been silent throughout this exchange finally looked up from his bloody trainers. "Don't hit him." He whispered. "He didn't do anything wrong."
Thomas turned towards Aidan slowly.
"I suggest you shut your mouth before I take back my offer. You're still my blood. You'll always be mine." He thought for a moment. "Aidan. Go show Nathaniel where the bathroom is. I'll just be in my office packing."

As soon as Aidan's dad left the room, Aidan collapsed into my arms, sobbing his little heart out. I wiped his tears with my sweatshirt sleeve.
"Shh. Hey. Hey. Don't cry."
"Why would you do this? You're going to get hurt.
And it's all my fault."
"It's not your fault Aidan. I know what I'm doing."
"Do what he says Nate. Do it without question. He'll hit you for everything."
"I'm going to be just fine Aid. He doesn't scare me."
"He scares me." Aidan murmured into my shoulder. I sighed. Everything Aidan said hurt me. Hugging his shoulders gently, I placed a kiss into his matted hair. I couldn't bare to see my boyfriend hurting like this.
"How cute." His father spat. "Time to go boys. The car is just in the garage. This way." He pulled each of us up by our forearms. Aidan whimpered with the man's touch. Whether that be from pain or fear, I'm still not sure.
I virtually had to carry Aidan to the rundown old car. He could barely hold up his own weight. He lent his whole weight on me, dragging his previously booted leg behind him. It had swelled to double its size. His healing process had been hindered massively. It may even be worse than it was initially. It just wasn't fair.

Slowly, the garage door lifted from the concrete floor, light flooding in through the increasingly large gap. This was it. This was the end of it all.