by J P Sayle
Aaden’s words registered a few seconds later. Greg opened and shut his mouth as his immediate problem was pushed to the side with the obvious elephant in the car.
“Err… did you just read my thoughts?” The accusation in his tone had a loud groan float into the car.
“Well, the thing is, it’s kind of part of the package. I have the ability to read thoughts, usually when someone is in my presence, but it seems different with you. I can’t read them all, but if I focus or if someone projects really loudly, like you just did, I can hear them. I mostly just block them and only listen if I want to hear them.”
As Aaden carried on explaining, Greg’s eyes grew wider. Chewing on his thumbnail, he struggled hard to remember all his thoughts. He parked his job misery aside and tried to jog his memory. His panic choked him when he considered all the naughty thoughts he’d had before Aaden and he had gotten together.
His head fell forward, hitting the steering wheel, his eyes shut, and heat filled his whole body at some of the things he could have projected, loudly. “Oh mother of all that is holy, why me.”
The quiet chuckle Aaden let loose had his head firing up and his eyes narrowed. His anger started to simmer under the surface of his despair. “Why the hell didn’t you explain all this to me before? I thought it was just the connection with Max. That when you or he spoke that linked us, and that I had to be present. I can only imagine the laugh you had at my expense…”
Greg shut up as Aaden thundered. Yanking the phone from his ear, he could still hear him word for word.
“Hold your horses right there. I have never actively listened in on your thoughts, not once. I can only hear you now because I had a vision…” The sudden stop in conversation had Greg glance down at the phone, thinking he’d been cut off.
Greg let out a gasp. The reality of the situation became increasingly bizarre.
Had he just said vision?
Greg slapped his forehead, convinced he’d somehow been transported to the twilight zone. “Vision, do you mean as in psychic vision, because seriously, you have to be fucking with me. And okay, you’ve done a great job of distracting me from thoughts of losing my job, but really, did you have to take it to the twilight zone?” Greg ended on a high screech, unable to contain the hysteria from escaping when all Aaden did was tut.
Greg listened as Aaden went on to give him a blow-by-blow account of what had gone down in the office. He recited everything that had been discussed. “I only get visions when I’m meant to help someone in trouble. Evidently today, that’s you. Come to mine, and we will figure this out. But I don’t believe what happened was your fault unless you think it genuinely is?” Aaden’s confidence in him wiped the legs from under him. If he had been standing, he was sure he would have fallen under the unwavering belief Aaden had in his abilities.
Back to sniffing but for a totally different reason, Greg agreed reluctantly. He knew it was going to be hard to discuss all this in front of Nick, or maybe Nick already knew about Aaden’s special abilities. Greg rubbed at his temples, hoping that the jackhammer that had decided to take up residence would subside.
Finishing the call, he rang Paul in the office. Unable to face Martin or Stuart and their angry disappointment that he knew would come soon enough, he explained he wouldn’t be back in till Monday.
Well, that is if I don’t get the sack before then.
Slouching in the seat at his gloomy thought, he switched on the engine. Flicking on the heater full pelt, he placed his hands in front of it, hoping to ease the chill coating his skin.
There was no way he was going back for his coat or his bag. There was nothing important that couldn’t wait to be collected next week. He pulled down his visor. The small mirror had him groaning in despair as his red, puffy, desolate blue eyes peered back at him. His red hair sprang out in several different directions, making him think he’d be a perfect candidate for Worzel Gummidge. Patting at his hair several times, he gave up when it wouldn’t play ball.
“Not only do I feel shit, but I have to look shit too.” The whining had him cringe. “Stop it right now. Think, you stupid fool, think what could have happened and stop worrying about your stupid hair and face.” He watched his cheeks pink when he saw a woman two cars down watching him talking to his reflection.
Okay then, add total dingbat to the never-ending fuck-up of a day.
Yep, that was me.
After he put the car in gear, he drove out into the grey morning, pretending that his life had not gone from it’s a Wonderful Life to Armageddon and total destruction. Driving on autopilot, he drove in silence, wracking his brain for how he could have fucked up so badly.
He could still remember how happy he’d been to have been given the opportunity, the trust to do a good job. Stuart being his staunch supporter, and now he’d not only let himself down but Stuart too. He could still see the look of disappointment in his grey eyes. Disillusionment that he’d not only encouraged him but had put in a good word with Martin when he’d doubted Greg’s ability because of his nervousness. But hadn’t he worked on that, hadn’t he made sure to be more confident?
Is that why I fucked up because I got too cocky?
Going in circles, his mind wouldn’t rest, his gut telling him he had done a good job, that he had been meticulous in checking the data. He loved his job and the new responsibility. He would never purposefully do anything to fuck that up. Pulling up at the curb outside Aaden’s, he didn’t see Nick’s small black Mercedes-Benz van. Shutting the engine off, he sat staring up at Aaden’s home and a sense of calm worked its way past the anxiety of the morning’s events.
The dismal feel to the place he’d first felt had been dispelled weeks ago. The awful grey paint was yet to be changed, and he knew was last on the list of jobs. Yet there was still a welcoming feel to the place. Aaden, it seemed, had bred new life into the house. The new windows gleamed, even in the gloomy grey light of the morning. He watched as the door opened as if he had conjured Aaden up.
Greg exhaled. His heart kicked against his ribs when Aaden faced him. The filthy, ripped jeans and dirty T-shirt did nothing to detract from the strength that poured out of every fibre, every muscle as he stood towering in the doorway. His lush lips tilted up in a half smile. His onyx eyes gleamed as his large hand beckoned him to come.
Greg licked his suddenly dry lips. A sudden realisation that they would be alone for the first time all week hit him hard. It held him still for a second longer before his now interested cock knocked against his zipper, letting him know there were other ways to be consoled.
Not sure what his face had portrayed, he watched Aaden’s nostrils flare and his eyes darken to black coals a second before he was striding towards him.
Aaden
Aaden crouched under the slab of brown-speckled, vibrating marble. He held it in place as Nick drilled the holes into the correct place to secure it to the base units he’d spent the last few days making. Aaden felt his muscles cramp. Gritting his teeth, his knuckles whitened holding on to the top. He prayed Nick wouldn’t be much longer. He knew better than to say anything. The several temper tantrums he’d thrown in the last four days had been enough to make his ears bleed.
How the hell he’d forgotten how much of a little shit he could be when he was working was beyond him.
I must have blocked it from my memory. It had to be that because why would I be so stupid to want to work with an anal arsehole that had to have everything absolutely perfect. Why?
“You might not be talking, but I can literally hear you thinking. Just another couple of minutes, and it should be sorted.”
Nick’s musical voice floated down to him. Aaden rolled his eyes heavenward, sticking his tongue out.
“Stop that, you dick.”
The laughing eyes that peered under the marble gleamed with mischief. Aaden’s urge to do it again had him bite his tongue. He supposed he should be happy it was smiley Nick rather than the crazed lunatic who screamed blue murder at him.<
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“You stop looking at me and get on with what you’re supposed to be doing. I know I have a fucking broad back, but this fucking thing weighs a bloody ton. And you have the easy job…” His mind blanked as his eyes flashed with colours.
“Fuck, not now.” Not aware he’d spoken, Aaden held on to the worktop, forcefully endeavouring to stop the vision that seemed to be drilling a hole inside his skull when he resisted.
“Hey, what are you playing at?” Nick’s question sounded far away as his legs crumpled under him. The top tipped towards the floor, crashing into the floorboards. He lost the ability to focus on anything other than the images forcing their way into his mind.
Aaden shuddered, his eyes aching. He blinked them slowly, hoping it would stop the pain from worsening. He took a couple of deep breaths to ease the rawness that was swirling inside him. The side effects never got any easier to deal with. It took a moment for the warm touch to his face to filter past the pain. The glass that was pushed to his lips brought him instantly back into the room.
Oh fuckity fuck, Nick.
Aaden attempted to put on his neutral face to mask the turmoil caused by the vision and Nick being present to witness him zone out. Not sure how long he’d been out of it, he chanced a quick glance up at Nick’s face. The plan of pretending everything was fine died a quick death at the genuine worry lines that were etched into Nick’s face.
Giving himself a moment to settle, Aaden took the glass from Nick’s hand, pleased to see he was reasonably steady as he sipped at the water, letting it ease his parched throat.
“So, do you want to tell me what the fuck that was all about? And before you lie to me, don’t. I know you’ve been having these odd episodes since we were teenagers.” The shocking statement had the glass wobble in Aaden’s hand. Carefully, Aaden placed the half-empty glass on the dirty floor next to him.
He gave Nick’s pale face a considering look.
His brain still a bit dazed, he wondered how much he should share, but he had a more pressing problem to deal with. Greg.
His eyes flickered about the room, struggling to recall where he had left his phone. Seeing it sitting next the kettle on the finished worktop, he gathered himself, standing. He gripped the wall to his left, getting his bearings when the room spun uncontrollably.
“Okay, so we are playing charades. Is it one or two syllables?”
Nick’s sarcasm didn’t hide the concern he could see on his face when he looked at him. “I’ll answer your questions, but I need to ring Greg first. There is something wrong. I can feel his distress.” Aaden left it at that for the moment. He watched Nick’s concern turn to confusion, but he went and retrieved Aaden’s phone, not asking any further questions.
Grateful, if even for the short reprieve, he rang Greg.
Aaden tried to shoo Nick out of the room as he spoke to Greg, hoping for some privacy. The mutinous, scrunched brow that formed into a deep scowl told him to stop wasting his breath. By the time he’d finished talking and asked Greg to come there, he knew he’d not only created a shit storm with Greg with his confession, but he’d also opened up a can of worms he wasn’t sure Max was going to be too happy about with Nick.
Aaden gave a shout for Max, not sure what he could do about this total fuck-up. “Max, we have a bit of a situation here. You better get your backside in here so I don’t have to explain it twice.” The resignation in his voice had an instant response.
“What have you done? Odin’s Raven if you have fucked things up with Greg, I’ll, I’ll curse your fucking dick and make sure it falls off.” The seriousness of Max’s voice saying those words had his hand move down, cupping himself.
Could he do that?
“You bet your arse I could.”
The words were flung at him as Max sailed into the kitchen. Aaden rushed to explain, his hand staying put.
“I had a vision involving Greg. I collapsed in front of Nick. I rang Greg and inadvertently read his thoughts and then somehow or other let it slip about the visions. And to top it off, we talked about my connection with you in front of Nick. I’m not sure if he heard all of what Greg said. I hope he didn’t.” Aaden stopped short, the hand he’d moved while talking moved back to cover his cock when Max shot him with a “are you for fucking real” look.
Nick inadvertently interrupted before Max could start in on him.
“Visions. Hearing people’s thoughts. Talking to your cat. Is there something you need to be telling me? Have you been spending the last sixteen years in the funny farm instead of the army? Because if you have, that’s okay. We all have problems, man. I’ll still love you, no matter what your issues are.” Not sure if Nick was being veracious or joking, his deadpan face offered little clue.
Max offered no support. His angry hissing when Nick had been speaking had made it harder for Aaden to focus on Nick.
Aaden growled at no one in particular. Checking the time, he knew he only had about twenty minutes to sort this before Greg arrived.
He motioned to the beautiful hand-carved bench Nick had made. It sat against the far wall out of the way, waiting for him to knock out the old pantry and create an alcove for it. “Sit. I’m not sure how to explain this or even if I should, but here goes nothing.” Aaden sat down at the side of Nick, attempting to explain all that had happened to him since he was fourteen, after Max had come into his life. He skipped the part about soulmates and Greg’s and his Viking souls. He wished he’d also skipped the bit about how Max and he could have conversations, when Nick bounced off the seat.
His arms flew around his body as he stomped around the cluttered floor, causing dust swirls to rise. Aaden and Max sneezed in unison. Nick continued to stomp, his fists clenched. Aaden was unsure what had him so mad as he swiped at his itchy nose with his dusty hand.
He waited for him to speak.
“How could you not tell me?”
The world of pain in that one simple question had Aaden hunch. Nick threw him a hurt expression, hitting him with deadly precision. Nick paused in front of him, his small finger jabbing at his large chest.
Aaden’s gut clenched. Calming his breathing, he tried to keep his raging pulse from exploding out of his chest.
“I’m sorry, but Max explained I shouldn’t talk about it. I was a selfish teenager thinking it was great to have a superpower. I can tell you. I soon changed my mind when the visions started. The horrors I witnessed over the years. Shit. I couldn’t have shared those with you, Nick. Made you suffer too.” Aaden raked his fingers through his hair, trying to find the right way to explain it. “When Max came into our lives, it changed things for me. I had just realised I was gay, and then you find you can hear your cat. It was a crazy time.” A quiet mutter had him stop.
“What did you say?” Not sure he’d heard correctly, but he was sure Nick had said it was a crazy time for him too.
“Nothing, it’s nothing. You could have told me later when you went to the army. Anyway, it’s too late for what-ifs or maybes. You didn’t, and now I know why you became distant. It answers a lot of questions I had that I was too chicken shit to ask. I thought you didn’t love me anymore. We look so different. I thought you hated me when you stopped wanting me around.”
The strangled declaration had Aaden moving. He pulled Nick into his chest, tucking his head under his chin. His large biceps bulged as he squeezed Nick to him. “I love you so much, man. I always have. I just didn’t want you to have to carry a burden, a burden that I had been thrust into holding whether I wanted it or not. It was all so weird. Hell, Max was convinced there for some time I would run screaming to Mum and Dad about talking cats.” Aaden attempted to lighten the mood. “Could you imagine Mum’s face?”
Nick’s wet chuckle had Aaden lift his chin. The love shining up at him had him hug Nick tighter. “I’m not great with the mushy stuff like you, Nick. But you need to remember you’re my brother, and no matter what, I love you.” His heartfelt words settled between them, helping to heal the crack that had
developed in their relationship over the years.
Nick squeezed him before sitting back. “I’ll make myself scarce. I need more wood anyway to finish the corner unit. Text me when it’s safe to return. I think I may not be the only one you need to apologise to. Let’s hope Greg doesn’t think you need to visit the funny farm when you explain that shit you carry inside you. I like him. He’s good for you. He makes you smile, and for a while there, I had thought you’d lost the ability.” Nick stopped, giving him a thoughtful look. “If he does decide you need committing, give me fair warning, and I’ll come and rescue you. Now I know you weren’t being an arsehole to me, I won’t hesitate to help. Well, I may hesitate a bit after the years of suffering you put me through. Oh, and by the way”– Nick paused on his way to the door–“I’m gay too.”
On that statement, Aaden watched flabbergasted as Nick strolled out as cool as a cucumber, his large grinning face turning for a second before he raised his hand, giving him the finger.
Gay.
His lips flapped together, unsure what to say to that.
Why the hell hadn’t he said anything before?
Aaden mentally slapped himself for his own stupid thought. Same reason as you, arsehole.
He was distracted from berating himself by the sound of a car engine stopping outside the house after the sound of Nick’s engine faded away. Aaden shot out of the kitchen, his booted feet leaving dusty prints as he thudded to the front door.
Showtime.
He inhaled as he opened the door. He sought out Greg’s form sitting behind the steering wheel. The forlorn expression and drooping sag of his shoulders spoke volumes. He could see the moment Greg noticed him. Offering him a small smile, Aaden lifted his arm, beckoning him in.
He watched Greg closely. He could see through the windshield his pupils dilate when Greg’s gaze travelled over Aaden’s filthy, clothed body. The feel of Greg’s stare moving over him felt like a warm caress skimming over his flesh. His body instantly reacted. His ripped, dirty jeans tightened painfully.