Man Overboard [Aiden][Andrew]

by AJ Tue Oct 23, 2012 9:03 pm

Finally the chill was beginning to set in. As Aiden took note of the change of seasons with clapped hands, puffs of warmth blowing into them, he briskly crossed the street. Soon it would be time to pull out scarves and boots and, in the chance of snow, the shovel as well. Not that winter was a bad thing; it was quite nice in Aiden’s opinion. The first signs of snowflakes heralding the epitome of winter joy, the holiday season. But right now wasn’t quite that time yet. It was indeed cold, yes. But not chilling. It was still windy, but it was the type of pining winds that told autumn was losing its last tendrils of the season.

Making his way over to the bridge, the last stretch before reaching his neighborhood, the man was walking along the pedestrian way when his eyes caught sight of something across the street. He needed to head in that direction anyways, so the man let himself be led with sole attention on the object. As he was crossing the last intersection, Aiden’s curiosity had gotten the better of him as he slowed his pace to examine just what it was that glinted in the gutter. Probably not the best idea Mr. Officer.

by **Andrew** Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:42 pm

Andrew shivered as he walked, tugging the hood of his jacket up so it covered his ears. He really needed to look into getting another one. Maybe a windbreaker or something that wasn't quite so air permeable. He should probably call Ceara too, just so she didn't start worrying that he had lapsed again.

Shivering again, he was about to shove his hands into his pockets when he spotted someone jaywalking just ahead of him. And they weren't even going that fast either. Honestly, if you're going to do something like that, you should go faster even if it looked like there wasn't a vehicle coming. Green eyes blinked in surprise as the person was recognized.

Huh. Who would have thought that Aiden had it in him, as straight-laced as he came across. And he was distracted again. Honestly, how had the guy lived as long as he had if he kept doing stuff like that?

Andrew smirked, angling toward the other (he wasn't sure yet if they could be considered friends). He would be careful not to get too close, but he still wanted to see how high he could make him jump. It would be only fair after all.

And then Andrew saw one of those said vehicles speeding toward the bridge they were on. Eyes flickering between it and the other man, the harbinger realized that he was going to get hit if he didn't move.

"AIDEN!!!"

Andrew broke into a run, slamming into the oblivious, now startled, ex-cop and pushing him aside, one of Andrew's arms around his waist. He wasn't expecting to trip on a raised bit of concrete though, so their combined weight made him stagger into the guardrail. Before they could regain their balance, the pair tipped over it.

The redhead held on tight, twisting them in the right way that he was curled around and below Aiden, clenching his eyes shut. They hit the water with a splash, Andrew's back being the first part of either of them to strike. Which proved for an odd sensation for the brunet. He was able to see that they had struck the water, feel it close over them again, but the impact with the river itself he hadn't felt. He hadn't been hurt by the fall in anyway. That wasn't to say that the cold river couldn't still kill them between the cold and drowning.

Andrew's grasp slipped as his head began to spin. He didn't really notice when they drifted apart some. And he could not get up the coordination to make for the surface, sinking even further and inhaling some of the water.

by AJ Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:02 pm

There really wasn’t much time to register what had just happened. Last he recalled, Aiden was about to bend down and finally pick up the object he had been aiming for when someone had shouted his name. The next thing he knew, Aiden found himself free falling with face watching the bridge he been on just a moment ago, fading and towering overhead with every millisecond.

Splash

As if he needed another wake up call, the sudden plummet of temperature in the water cleared up any remaining haziness in Aiden’s brain as he surfaced with a breathless gasp. Trying his best to keep his head above water (the cold was dangerously numbing to his senses), he turned left and right, shouting out for his rescuer.

“Andrew? ANDREW?!”

Crap. Discarding the winter coat –which would only drag his movements- Aiden swallowed one big gulp of air before diving back under. On one hand it was a good thing the water was cold, it made it clear enough to see. One the other hand, the former cop knew there was a time limit to just how long either of them could stay; both of them needed to reach surface, fast.

A faint trail of bubbles was sprouting to his left, and looking down at the source, the diver found the boy unconsciously drifting; well, he was the one who took the brace of the impact. If only Aiden had been more careful, if only he just ignored that stupid thing (he never even found out what it was) and walked on. None of this would have happened. If he hadn't been so careless Andrew wouldn't- He shook his head. Now wasn't the time for that.

Wrapping an arm around the redhead, Aiden kicked at empty space, using his stronger arm to propel the two of them. Without having anything to push himself off of, the trek back to the top was a long and slow process. Even for Aiden he could feel his lungs compressing as they strained to push out what little air was left in him. Shit, he wasn't going to make it. No, he had to make it. He was so close, just a couple more…

The surface broke with water splashes disrupting the calm flow of the river; the older male dragging the younger one to the nearest shore. Aiden made sure that they were both safely grounded, coughing up the freezing water out along the way, before turning to check on his rescued rescuer. Andrew wasn't stirring. He checked his pulses. Faint, but still beating. He bent an ear closer to the boy’s face. There was breathing, but they were very shallow and strained. Not wasting any more time, Aiden pulled into use the basics he learned from training, heel of hand to the chest, the other hand placed on top and press 30 times; the whole time making silent prayers. Tilting Andrew’s head back to clear the airway, Aiden listened again for breathing. If the chest compressions didn't work, he’d have to try the next thing…

by **Andrew** Thu Oct 25, 2012 4:28 am

Andrew dimly felt an arm wrap around his chest and start to tug him somewhere. He had no idea if his eyes were open or closed (he was pretty sure they were closed, but he was so cold and his whole body was starting to go numb already that it was hard to tell) or which way was up, but something told him that he could trust the person holding him (and who was it? Was it Aiden? Had he been hurt in the fall?). Not that he would have been able to fight off whoever it was even if he had wanted to.

He could feel this dark haze falling over his mind (and oh god, Ceara. He had promised her that he wasn't going to leave her, but here he was, breaking that promise, slowly drowning. At least it was cold so he couldn't really feel it. Would that be a comfort to her? Or that he had died trying to save someone else - would she be able to find solace in that? It didn't matter, she'd be so angry and heartbroken, she might even hate him for it) and how everything was just seeming to drift away (but he was the one in the water. Shouldn't he be the one drifting?).

And then suddenly he was somewhere even colder, a cold wind passing over him and tugging at his waterlogged clothes. He still wasn't breathing, he knew he wasn't, and that terrified him. Was he going to die, suffocate here, just because his body had forgotten how to breathe?

Hands appeared on him, at his neck and face, pulling at his clothes a little as they settled on his chest (they were both warm and cold. How could something be both warm and cold? It didn't make any sense to him. But then, not much of anything was making sense right now. And why the hell couldn't he at least open his eyes?!).

Someone's mouth covered his, breathing warm air into his lungs, forcing them to expand around the water (he wanted more of that warmth. He didn't know who it was - though Aiden was likely - but he knew that he needed the warmth, and the air it brought. Or was that the other way around? This didn't matter either. He just wanted more). A couple of breaths later, and his lungs were reminded that they could do this on their own. He jerked, coughing harshly as he managed to roll onto his stomach, choking on the water he had swallowed as it came back up.

Once he had coughed up all of the water in his lungs, Andrew sagged and fell to the side, shivering harshly. God, his head and throat and chest hurt and he was so friggin' cold. He managed to turn slightly, enough to look up at Aiden with half-open eyes. "You... you o-ok-kay?" He wasn't even thinking about his own condition, not really caring at the moment. Aiden was the one who had almost been hit by a car, he was the one the redhead was concerned over.

by AJ Thu Oct 25, 2012 5:12 am

When the sound of sputtering life surfaced from the boy’s chest Aiden fell back, slightly startled. Watching as Andrew’s body began to reclaim its functions, he waited with bated breath. Please let him be alright…Please. The man had reached out a hand to help pat whatever water was left in the redhead’s body when suddenly, Andrew dropped back down; probably drained of energy from coughing alone.

“I should be the one asking you that,” Aiden muttered, worried eyes scanning Andrew for any other signs of injury. Well he seemed to be able to move on his own without any problems, aside from the sluggishness from numbed cold that is. Now that he made sure that the kid was okay (somewhat), Aiden slowly allowed the self berating to flow in his head. If he was the cussing type, he probably would have a brain full of censor blocks by now, but instead replays of the last 5….8 minutes kept replaying; with each repeat increasing the horror of what Aiden’s carelessness had caused. How could this kid be asking for his wellbeing when it was clear who the injured party was?!

Finally, wrapping an arm behind Andrew, Aiden helped to prop him up first to a sitting position and –once making sure the former position was stable- raised him to stand on his feet. The whole process was done very slowly and carefully; making sure Andrew had his bearings before raising him higher. Once standing, the chill of the wind became more apparent. Now it wasn’t the water that was at risk, all of Andrew’s rescue efforts would have been for naught if the two simply caught pneumonia right then and there. The next objective was to get dry...and warm. Whichever came first, so much the better.

“Come on. We need to get out of this cold.” By sheer dumb luck Aiden had managed to pull ashore to the other side, meaning they had less than a block to travel before reaching the familiar steps of home.

by **Andrew** Thu Oct 25, 2012 5:31 am

“I should be the one asking you that.”

The teen blinked slowly, a little sluggishly. What did he mean by that? Andrew was fine. Except for being soaked and freezing and nearly having drowned... Okay, maybe fine was stretching it somewhat, but he'd been worse off before. Several times in fact.

He grunted softly as Aiden slowly helped him up. Oh, he did not want to be vertical right now, but staying here was a stupid idea. He clenched his eyes shut for a few moments as his head swam. Opening his eyes again, he gave a nod to the older man but made no move to step away. As cold and wet as they were, there was still a little bit of body heat given off by each of them. Plus, the redhead was pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to walk on his own just yet.

“Come on. We need to get out of this cold.”

Andrew wasn't going to argue with that. Of course, his teeth were chattering to hard for him to have been able to even if he had wanted to. He remembered the last time he had been suffering from hypothermia - it hadn't been pleasant. At least this time he could feasibly warm up with a luke warm shower and have some cocoa or tea or something afterward. And Aiden was just going to have to deal with sharing a bed. It was that, or Andrew was going to show up on Ceara's doorstep considering how close he had just come to dying, and he kind of doubted that Aiden would let him leave tonight.

He was quite content to walk leaning against Aiden, one arm slung around the other's waist as he held Andrew's shoulders. They must have made an interesting sight, soaked and shivering, their hair plastered to their skulls and neither of them dressed properly for the weather. Which... "Hey, you lost your coat," he mumbled, absently setting his head on Aiden's shoulder. He was just so friggin' tired right now.

by AJ Thu Oct 25, 2012 3:18 pm

How Andrew’s level or priorities were ordered, Aiden couldn’t even begin to guess. He paused halfway up the stairs to simply gape at the redhead’s last comment. Of all the things to worry about, the coat was the last thing on Aiden’s mind. But as he opened his mouth to snap some sense into the boy, Andrew’s head had plopped down onto his shoulder. He gave up. Now wasn’t the time to be arguing over what was considered more important. With a sigh Aiden simply replied,

“I have more…”

Thank God the neighborhood was quiet today, with the sore sight they were one could only imagine the stares they would attract. However only a couple cars passed by them and the only person they ran into was a mother from down the street who had given Aiden a skeptical look before scooting her boy to hurry on. Aiden decided to consider it a good thing in this case that his neighbors didn’t like to pry into other people’s business. In fact, most of them were very private people, with only a simple pumpkin (usually un-carved) in the window being the only indicator of whether they were welcoming of trick-or-treating kids. Well, at least it was quiet.

The last steps up the stairs seemed to take what seemed like eternity, both of them by now either too numb from the cold to bother lifting their foot that extra inch or simply too drained of energy to want to move a muscle. The chilling wind didn’t help their joints either. But somehow, in some miraculous way, Aiden managed to pull out his key and turn the knob as they both trudged into the familiar wooden floor.

Why was it that every time Aiden brought Andrew over (although to be fair this was only the second time), they somehow managed to enter the house soaked cold and wet?

by **Andrew** Thu Oct 25, 2012 5:15 pm

He had more coats? Must be nice. But that wasn't too surprising either since Aiden clearly had a good job and knew how to take care of himself. If Andrew had any less respect for the man, he might be tempted to steal one of those coats since he clearly wouldn't be hurting if Andrew did.

The redhead bit back a soft moan at how his limbs were locking up and it felt like there were thin knives shoved into his joints. He had been through this before so he knew that this was a good thing, that he wasn't in too much danger just yet. But they would have to do something soon, both of them would.

Even though they were inside now, Andrew wasn't willing to let go of Aiden, wanting to cling close to the bit of warmth he could feel through both of their soaked clothes. It didn't help that he was a bit concerned that he wouldn't even be able to stand on his own right now. He shifted how he was standing against Aiden, wrapping his other arm around the older man's waist.

by AJ Thu Oct 25, 2012 5:44 pm

Although the faint warmth that had wrapped around him was nice, Aiden knew he couldn’t stop moving until they were in the all clear. The first step, as he headed over to the small contraption near the staircase, was to change the room temperature, not drastically, but enough to be warm. While the thermostat began to work, he shuffled the two of them over to the couch, gently lowering Andrew down onto the cushions. At the boy’s protest when he tried to pull away, Aiden reassured the redhead with a pat on his head.

“I’ll be right back. If you can, try to take those wet clothes off and wrap yourself with this.” He reached for the sofa comforter on the other hand and placed it in Andrew’s hands. If he came back and Andrew was still struggling with the task, at least he would have dry clothes to help with. Actually, a chill was starting to set in his own body, but right now Aiden’s focus was on the boy’s welfare. With his health, he could probably endure this a little longer than the younger one. Turning into the back hall, Aiden set off to get the shower tub filled and search for some clean clothes (maybe give it a couple seconds in the dryer to warm it up), taking his own shirt off along the way.

by **Andrew** Thu Oct 25, 2012 7:27 pm

Right. Get out of the wet clothes. He knew that. Otherwise, the soaked and freezing material would leech away what little warmth he could gain from being inside a warm house.

Andrew's hands were stiff and clumsy from the earlier cold, but he managed to toe off his waterlogged shoes and strip off everything he was wearing before bundling himself in the comforter and looking forlornly at his bag. He was willing to bet that everything in it was ruined. Which meant that the stupid camera he had slept with Steve for was just a lump of worthless plastic and circuitry. So much for the idea of using it as an additional source of income. And his phone. That was ruined too. He hoped that Ceara didn't try to call him before he could get a replacement.

He sighed and tugged his feet into the blanket, starting to shiver in earnest. But shivering was a good thing. It meant that his body was starting to warm up again and this was just how it was trying to make sure he stayed alive, no matter how painful it could be.

He glanced around, wondering where Aiden had wandered off to. He really didn't want to be alone right now. Not after half-drowning.

by AJ Thu Oct 25, 2012 11:19 pm

The more he moved around the more his body protested, resulting in a battle of wills as Aiden went about, his own skin shivering Goosebumps from the breezes he creates while hurrying to get Andrew dry. Snatching up a shirt and some sweatpants from the folded pile, the man made it back to the living room and saw that Andrew had indeed done as he was told and was now lying in a cocoon of red cotton.

“Hey, I brought you some clothes.” Aiden put a hand on the boy’s shoulder to make sure he wasn’t drowsing off. “Hang in there a little longer.”

Was it supposed to be a good sign that the redhead was shivering? Well, medically speaking, yes. But just the sight of the Andrew coping with such violent tremors made it hard to believe so. It only served to further Aiden’s resolve to hurry and get the boy back to a stable condition. Tucking the clothes under his arm, the man laced his other arm to support the kid so he could walk.

Getting Andrew to the bathroom felt more like lugging a live size rag doll than helping a human walk as two pairs of feet shuffled at a steady pace to the sound of running water. Well the fact that Aiden could feel a bit more warmth coming from Andrew’s body than earlier seemed to be a good sign as he pulled the curtains back.

"You're gonna be okay."

by **Andrew** Fri Oct 26, 2012 10:36 am

Andrew blinked slowly, feeling the hand on his shoulder. How the hell had he missed Aiden approaching? He had just been looking for the man. He mist have been a bit worse off than he had thought he was.

Hang in there? He supposed he could do that, but he didn't see why. He could let go and land no problem. Unless there was a vat of acid or molten metal or something underneath him. Blinking again, he looked down at his bare feet as he was pulled up. They were on the ground. Frowning softly, he looked up at Aiden again. Had the man hit his head or something? " 'm not hanging though," he pointed out, leaning against the ex-cop and clinging to the blanket it around him. It was a nice blanket, warm, and Aiden was going to have a hell of a time getting it back later. If it was any smaller, Andrew would have just shoved it into his bag and be done with it. But his bag was wet so if he did that, he'd get the blanket wet. And he liked it dry. Plus, if he put it into his bag, then he couldn't use it and he really wanted to.

Hearing that they were approaching running water, Andrew balked a little. Or, he tried to, but since Aiden was mostly carrying him, it wasn't like he could too much right at the moment. Oh, it was just the bathtub. The redhead blinked a little at the water. What if it was cold? No, Aiden wouldn't waste the time or money on cold water, not when he could just as easily drag Andrew back to the river and dump him back in.

Whatever. It didn't matter. Andrew just wanted to be warm again. And if letting Aiden do whatever would give him what he wanted, Andrew was perfectly willing to. It helped that he somehow trusted the older man already.

He coughed a little. Oh great, now he was catching something. Just what he needed.

by AJ Fri Oct 26, 2012 5:02 pm

Aiden’s reassuring words had been more of a willful plea than a statement for the other because in his mind he was silently repeating Please be okay. And it seemed his fretting state was not for nothing as he heard Andrew mumble, “ 'm not hanging though."

So maybe Andrew wasn’t as fine as he appeared. As the older man lowered the two of them to sit on the edge of the tub so he could dip his fingers in to check the water temperature (it couldn’t be too hot), Aiden heard a startling noise from the redhead; he was beginning to cough. Great, just what he needed. It really was turning into a race against the clock as Aiden reached to unwrap the blanket from his guest, not really wanting to separate Andrew from his comforted state of warmth but needing to get him over to a better remedy.

Before letting Andrew submerse himself into the lukewarm tub, Aiden helped him get used to the water by cupping his hand and tipping it over to help the redhead’s body get accustomed. After he made sure that the water wouldn’t give him some startled heart attack, he helped ease Andrew into the water.

by **Andrew** Fri Oct 26, 2012 10:04 pm

Andrew let out a pathetic sounding whimper when Aiden took away the blanket, exposing his still damp skin to the slowly warming air. The comforter had been much warmer and he'd rather have it back. He was reaching out for it when Aiden nudged him into the tub. He yelped at the sudden submersion, not really having noticed the small bits of water the taller man had been trickling over him.

Andrew caught Aiden's shoulders and nearly pulled him into the tub alongside the teen. And then the warmth started to sink in. The redhead let himself slid further in, letting go of Aiden as he sank in with a soft moan of pleasure and let the water come up to his chin. He could be quite content to just fall asleep here. And he really didn't give a damn that he was completely naked in front of Aiden.

Though that reminded him... He lifted his head to peer at Aiden. "You need to warm up too..." Looking at the tub he was in, he judged it was big enough and shrugged. Pushing himself up somewhat, he reached out and drug Aiden into the tub. His clothes were already soaked so that didn't matter much.

Andrew leaned forward and tugged Aiden back against his chest and yawned, letting his eyes slip closed. At least with Aiden there, Andrew didn't need to worry about falling asleep and accidentally drowning.

by AJ Sat Oct 27, 2012 8:02 am

Really, the last time Aiden had dealt with a situation like this was when his 7 year old self had tried to singlehandedly give their family dog, a giant retriever, a wash in the bathtub. Not only was the canine easily twice the child’s weight but the poor pooch never lived up to his breed’s moniker as he was deathly afraid of any water larger than his dish bowl. It went without saying that little Aiden lost the tug of war match with his pet in the tub, leaving the boy alone soaked and soapy.

Not that Andrew was being considered as a dog, no not at all. But Aiden’s reflexes saved him from plummeting headfirst into the water when the redhead had caught him by the shoulders, preventing him from repeating his past mistake from his childhood days. With one hand pressed against the tiled wall and the other gripping the edge of the tub, Aiden was precariously hanging over Andrew as the boy submerged himself in. That was a close one.

With a sigh of relief the leaning man bent his elbows, ready to push himself upright to go get some milk warmed up when he noticed a pair of emerald bright eyes watching him. With a wide eyed blink Aiden stared clueless at what Andrew had just said. Alright, so he was beginning to sound a little more coherent…a little. Deciding to entertain the boy’s observation Aiden began to reply, “Yeah I know, I’ll take a shower after I-“

But before he could finish a pair of arms (who knew they could be so strong?) emerged with a splash and dragged Aiden back down with it. In the moment of surprise the man had taken in a gulp of water and thrust his head back up sputtering. His ragged breaths didn’t help calm him down for what came next.

“Uh A-Andrew…I need to get ou-…...m-my pants..…tub….” but it was no use. Thank God Andrew couldn’t see his face right now, as Aiden’s cheeks had warmed up a lot quicker than expected. How did things manage to turn out like this?!

by **Andrew** Sat Oct 27, 2012 1:38 pm

Even taking into consideration that Andrew was naked and Aiden half, the gesture was intended completely innocently and as a way of showing his concern for the older man. He huffed softly, lifting his head from the brunet's shoulder. Honestly. He was worried about his pants? They had been soaked to begin with. Oh, whatever. If he was so worried about the pants, then they needed to be removed from the equation so they could both focus on warming up.

Andrew leaned forward a little, pressing closer to Aiden's back, and dropped a hand to the ex-cop's lap, unfastening both the belt and pants he was wearing before Andrew shifted and pulled some sort of odd movement that resulted in said pants coming off and leaving Aiden in his socks and underwear. The redhead used one foot to lift the pants out of the water and dump them onto the floor before settling back again, wrapping both arms around Aiden's chest.

"There. Now warm up or you'll get sick too," Andrew muttered with a yawn and closed his eyes. He really didn't have a problem with their position since he didn't have much modesty to begin with.

by AJ Sat Oct 27, 2012 4:16 pm

Well, rationally speaking, there was nothing wrong with what was happening it was completely medical. Remembering the first aid handout, it had been to remove wet clothing, warm said person with lukewarm/tepid temperatures or blankets or body heat and drink lots of warm, sweet fluids (which was supposed to be the honey milk yet to be made) all the while making sure not to re-expose the treated person to the cold. Check and check. Aiden was doing everything by the book. And besides, Andrew probably didn’t mean anything else by it (even if he might not be all the way there in the mind at the moment).

However the bathtub scenario kept on going like a roller coaster ride. Just when Aiden had finally come to a satisfying conclusion that this was nothing to fret over, he felt a pair of nimble hands make their way down his chest; and no they weren’t his hands. He could feel Andrew draw closer, as well as his quiet breathing, on his back as he gaped. “W-w-wait Andrew what are you-“

But as much as his own hands flustered to try and shoo the redhead’s hands away, the work was already done. If the situation hadn’t been so bizarre Aiden had a lot to marvel about. One being just how big his bathtub was (he never knew it could fit two full size people) and two, just how nimble Andrew was (well, given his profession it probably shouldn’t have been too surprising). This was probably nothing to the kid behind him as he simply said, “There. Now warm up or you'll get sick too."

Aiden simply sat silent for awhile, a little dark cloud forming around his head from all the confusion and all the energy it took to deal with not only what happened earlier today, but right now as well. I give up. It was just too much work at this point to fight or overthink anything; so instead the man decided to simply go with the flow. If he was going to stay here, he may as well get comfortable. And so he did, shifting a little, and leaning back slightly.

Just for a little while.

Reaching a hand back, Aiden searched around till he found Andrew’s forehead, checking for fever. “You feeling better?”

by **Andrew** Sun Oct 28, 2012 10:25 am

Andrew grumbled softly as Aiden's hand landed in his hair then moved for his forehead, nearly poking him in the eye in the process. He moved one hand to catch Aiden's and drop them both into the water. "I'm feeling warmer," he replied, absently tugging Aiden closer. He was warmer due to the water and could now feel the shivers that were slowly fading from the older man's frame. "Still tired though. You?"

He nodded lightly, only half-listening. He was really thinking on what had happened and how close he had come to drowning. Ceara was going to be thrilled that he had almost died because he had fallen into the river after saving someone from getting run over (please note the sarcasm). Actually, now that he was thinking about it, what the hell had Aiden been thinking, stopping in the street like that?

Andrew shifted a bit to free his hand and arm just so he could lightly punch Aiden in the side. "So what the fuck were you doing anyway? I had thought you were smart enough to know that stopping in the middle of the goddamn street was a bad fucking idea!" He hit Aiden again, a little harder this time. "How the hell is it that you haven't been killed yet or raped or anything considering how damned oblivious you are most of the time?!"

by AJ Mon Oct 29, 2012 3:55 pm

“I’m…okay.” He lied. Well physically speaking, yes. Although right now he as worn out, Aiden would be fine; his body had been through worse. Mentally? Not quite the same story. His brain was drained from the rush of events and he wasn’t really in the right state of mind to try and go about processing just what and how everything had happened. And although not being able to get to the bottom of things was a pet peeve of his, as much as he tried to replay the events on a never-ending repeat it was like trying to study a textbook in the dead of night; re-reading the same paragraph over and over again with nothing sinking in. Although the key point was clear, if Andrew hadn’t been there things would have turned out much worse. “By the way…thank you.”

There was a moment of silence between the two, Andrew quietly nodding to Aiden’s words and Aiden taking the break to splash some water on his face. Tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling, the man was planning to close his eyes and unwind for a bit when a new thought entered his mind. The ex-cop was able to be physically fine because he hadn’t taken the blunt of the fall, he didn’t suffer the sharp pain of breaking through the icy water of the river. How was Andrew still able to even move after that? He was about to ask the redhead when a slight jab hit him in the side.

"So what the fuck were you doing anyway? I had thought you were smart enough to know that stopping in the middle of the goddamn street was a bad fucking idea!"

“H-hey! Knock it off.” Water was starting to jump out of the tub in messy splashes. But the punches didn’t stop there. In an attempt to block his blind side (although not quite succeeding), Aiden tried twisting his body away from the violent boy but the only outcome was them losing more water. “I thought it was okay because I’ve been crossing that same street to get home for awhile now. I just happened to see something in the gutter today so I was -ow- going to see if it was something anyone might’ve lost.”

Another jab.

"How the hell is it that you haven't been killed yet or raped or anything considering how damned oblivious you are most of the time?!"

“I can take care of myself- Stop that!”

by **Andrew** Mon Oct 29, 2012 5:36 pm

Aiden thought that since he had traveled that way so many times and nothing had happened that nothing would happen? Gah! That was... That was so stupid! And it just pissed Andrew off more. Though, it wasn't until Aiden's comment of being able to take care of himself that Andrew figuratively snapped. He wanted to move? Andrew would oblige.

With a quick surge of movement, Andrew was able to half-reverse their positions, sliding out from under Aiden. He slammed the brunet's shoulders against the edge of the tub where Andrew had just been leaning and pinned him with one forearm over the ex-cop's collarbone, settling over Aiden's hips with the same movement. And while yes, Andrew was smaller than Aiden, stature didn't matter overly much for this. Leverage was the important thing and Andrew had that. Not giving the least bit of care at the water that had splashed out, Andrew leaned forward to glare into Aiden's eyes, his free hand slapping against the tile behind the older man's head as he braced himself.

"You know what the funny thing is about thinking you can take care of yourself? Something's going to end up happening to prove you wrong. You get into a situation that you can't get out of again and get hurt or worse." And he was talking from experience here, flashing back to that night last week when Ceara had knocked some sense into him. Now he was trying to do the same with Aiden, and hopefully before something happened to the man. "Think about it. Normally you should be able to handle me no problem, but right now? You're kind of screwed. I could drown you or choke you or even rape you. And you're in this position because 'you can take care of yourself'," he snarled, a mocking tone to his voice at the end of his tirade.

before i forget again:

by AJ Tue Oct 30, 2012 3:49 am

Was this day ever going to end? Somehow or another Aiden had never really escaped the violent torrents of the river as today he continued to be thrown left and right, fastballs and curveballs by some higher force (who was probably highly amused at the moment) called Life. And in that same manner of somehow or another the former cop, who was never arrogant or prideful but rather confident in his abilities, found himself surprisingly one upped by some punk redhead kid he had been kind enough to show a little hospitality to before; as now –in his own house- he was being held somewhat hostage and a little at a loss to change his current position.

“Andrew, knock it off.”

He tried forcefully removing the harbinger’s arms and then rolling his body to the side, trying to slip out from under Andrew’s grip, but no luck. The older man was very much trapped and it was embarrassing that he was at a physical disadvantage. When a forceful hand rushed very narrowly next to his head, Aiden knew something else besides today had triggered within his captor. Andrew was serious.

"You know what the funny thing is about thinking you can take care of yourself? Something's going to end up happening to prove you wrong. You get into a situation that you can't get out of again and get hurt or worse."

Did this mean Andrew was….worried? About him? Aiden blinked in a daze not quite at Andrew but rather at this new realization. Should he feel moved? It was a bit hard to feel grateful though when he was being pressed down in the water so that it was skimming around the edges of his ears and mouth.

"Think about it. Normally you should be able to handle me no problem, but right now? You're kind of screwed. I could drown you or choke you or even rape you. And you're in this position because 'you can take care of yourself'."

At the first two options Aiden could have let out a scoff, even in his humiliated position. I’d like to see you try might have been his annoyed retort at Andrew’s antics but that last one made him stop. Oh…so it was coming from personal experience. With Andrew on top, the fluorescent light gave new brightness to the boy’s face as Aiden finally managed to take a good look at something unsettling. And the abuse didn’t stop at his face as pale green eyes made its way down and took notice of the redhead’s neck, torso, hips…just what had happened since they last ran into each other?

“……….”

Aiden snapped his gaze back to Andrew’s glowering face, eyes narrowing as he reached out to touch the harbinger’s face.

“What happened?”

by **Andrew** Tue Oct 30, 2012 4:19 am

Andrew jerked his head away from Aiden's hand, a light frown breaking through his glare. What the hell did Aiden mean? And what had he been looking at? Remembering his bruises, his expression went suddenly blank and he looked away.

"Nothing."

The redhead pulled his arms back and stood with a soft splash, stepping out of the tub and grabbing a towel. He refused to look at Aiden or even turn toward him, quickly drying himself off. No, he wasn't back to a normal body temperature just yet, but he was close enough that he wasn't in any danger anymore and would recover fine on his own.

Finally wrapping the towel around his waist, Andrew sighed and glanced back at Aiden with dull eyes. "What do you think happened?" he asked, voice matching his eyes.

Aiden was smart, it wouldn't take much effort for the ex-cop to connect the dots and reach the correct conclusion. It would just depend on how into denial the man would slip. And Andrew really hoped he didn't start to lecture over it or say that the harbinger had brought it on himself since he was a slut. If the second happened, soaked clothes or no, he was leaving.

by AJ Tue Oct 30, 2012 4:57 am

At first it seemed like Aiden had breached a point of no return, seeing as to how Andrew had abruptly detached himself from his previous ire and stood up. It was over just like that. He, on the other hand, remained where he had been pressed, leaning back on the tub with only his head above the porcelain to watch the redhead leave. The older man was about to give up hope on an answer when the youth looked back at the last minute, an exasperated look on his face with words that only confirmed what Aiden had been afraid was the truth.

As the door clicked shut, Aiden submerged himself all the way in what water remained, a heavy sigh bubbling with his descent. Of course, how could he have been so naïve? I can take care of myself…who better knew that phrase than the kid who had been so wary of strangers that he relied on no one but himself; not sparing a care for anyone except maybe his cousin. Well, that is…until now. Maybe. Aiden was in no position to lecture the harbinger on what it meant to look out for yourself; and even then look what happened to Andrew. Prostitution was a dangerous profession as is, with mortality rates increasing by the five-fold for adults. And it didn’t seem like Andrew had an ability that helped defend himself physically. It would have been easy for the ex-cop to simply tell the boy how dangerous and at risk it was to remain in that “career” but he knew better; no one ever chose to sell themselves. More bubbles escaped from frowned lips.

After finishing with a warmer shower and cleaning up the mess of water works, Aiden shuffled out to the hall, finding some sleep pants and a clean shirt from the laundry from the opposite side. Still ruffling his hair with a towel, the brunet made his into the living area to find Andrew had stuck around. When their eyes met, Aiden reluctantly looked away, instead heading over to the fridge to grab some milk. They were both probably in the safe zone but it didn’t hurt to be sure (or at least for some comforting sweetness). While hovering over the stove top, and back to the couch, Aiden took his time, trying to think of the right words to say before finally letting out,

“I’m sorry.”

Sorry for underestimating Andrew, sorry for causing him to risk his own life to save his carelessness, sorry that he couldn’t protect the boy from harm.

by **Andrew** Tue Oct 30, 2012 5:17 am

Andrew closed the door to the bathroom and leaned back against it momentarily, scrubbing his hands through his hair in aggravation. What the hell had gotten into him? Especially that stunt in the tub. He was lucky that Aiden hadn't thrown him out immediately. Huffing softly, he pushed off the door and wandered out to the living room again. And oh dammit, he had left that blanket he had been wrapped in earlier in the bathroom. Oh well, it wasn't like there was only the one in the room, he just happened to like that one.

Grabbing another blanket, he wrapped it around himself and curled up on the couch, having dropped the towel on top of his soaked things. Aiden hadn't said anything yet so Andrew was just going to see how things turned out.

He had dropped into a light doze when he heard Aiden come down the hall and looked up, meeting his eyes. The teen frowned softly when Aiden looked away. What, was he uncomfortable now that Andrew had basically said that he was raped? How was that worse than his just being a prostitute? And why the hell wouldn't he say anything, moving around the kitchen in a stifling silence. One that Andrew couldn't bring himself to break either.

“I’m sorry.”

The harbinger frowned, pausing from where he had been reaching one arm out to accept the mug of warm milk. "For what?" Hopefully he wasn't apologizing for something stupid or out of his control.

by AJ Tue Oct 30, 2012 5:58 am

He hadn’t heard the boy move from the couch and so was rightfully startled when he turned to find Andrew reaching over the island for his share. The slight flinch caused some of the milk to spill over onto his hand and so after he handed the mug to the boy, Aiden brought the hand to his lips, soothing the burning sensation and cleaning the drink that had spilt. Blowing slightly over his thumb, Aiden finished attending to his hand and was now simply staring at his hand while biting down on his lower lip in thought; a habit from his child days.

“You were right…” he finally started. “I should have known better . . . not only did I undervalue you I was downright careless today. I wasn’t intending to lecture you in any way. Well, more like I’m in no position to say anything. I have no right to judge and I must’ve sounded really hypocritical. And for that, I’m sorry.”

Well, that wasn’t all of it. The main reason he was sorry that eclipsed all his other shortcomings was probably the only one out of Aiden’s control but it was also the one that pained him the most. He took a small sip in an effort to muster up the guts to just spit it all out.

“But most of all,” why was it so difficult all of a sudden? He wasn’t the one who had suffered so why did his chest feel so heavy? It wasn’t exactly pity but showing this weak side might piss Andrew off further. Regardless, Aiden looked up to match those waiting eyes. “I’m sorry for what happened. For everything that happened.” It was true. Andrew’s history was probably one of the more tragic ones Aiden had encountered and more than anything the man wanted to make sure that it stayed what it was, a history, in the past, and nothing more.

“I can’t stand worrying what might happen to you and I hate the fact that as much as I want, I can’t do anything to protect you. I wish I could do more but I’m quite powerless to do anything. And for that I’m sorry.” He gave a weak grin. “It’s kind of pathetic huh?”

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