Three months passed by without much drama. Fred started therapy, making marked progress through processing his fraught childhood. Aaron supported him heartily as he worked through those issues. Fred took Aaron as his date to a couple of dinner parties hosted by his employer. Aaron reciprocated with his firm's annual summer celebration picnic. Most of their colleagues weren't phased by the couple. There were a few assholes here and there, but overall, the response was positive or neutral. It helped that the higher ups in both Aaron and Fred's respective companies didn't give a shit who they were fucking as long as they got their work done and both men excelled in their positions.
Fred had tried to reach out to his mother one last time. She only asked if he was still "living a sinful lifestyle" and when he replied that if she meant to ask if he was still in a loving relationship with Aaron, then yes, he was. After his confirmation she had ignored him. That had been a hard day, but he had wanted to try one more time, for his own closure. Closure on his terms not hers.
His efforts to reach out to Jennifer had garnered a little more of a response. On Taylor, Jennifer's second son's birthday, he had reached out to wish him a happy birthday and tell her he was thinking about them. It took her all day to respond but she did finally. She simply said thank you and sent Fred a picture of the four boys together at Taylor's birthday party.
Another hard day, knowing he hadn't been invited to the party. Not that he would have been able to go. In the background of the picture of the boys was Russell, beer in hand looking drunk and sloppy. Fred wouldn't have wanted to go without Aaron, and he couldn't guarantee that it would have been safe for them to go.
The two men spent increasing amounts of time with Aaron's parents who warmed quickly to Fred as the months passed without so much as a hint of him jerking Aaron around. Of course there was plenty of time spent with Mark, Kate, and Madison. Aaron did start going to see Madison for his haircuts and loved hearing all the tea she spilled as she cut his hair.
Life was beginning to fall into a comfortable, predictable pattern for the couple. Aaron had gradually let go of his slovenly ways and would help clean more often than not. Cooking was not his gift, however, so Fred mostly took care of that. Both Aaron and Fred felt things couldn't get any better than this.
On a quiet Friday night, they lounged together on the couch, watching a horror movie, with a bowl of popcorn on the coffee table between two beers. Aaron had propped a pillow on Fred's lap and stretched out next to him. Fred had an arm draped over him, slowly stroking up and down his bicep as they watched the film.
"Are you fuckin' serious?" Fred exclaimed as the main male lead ran back into the forest from his hiding spot to go after the female lead. "Why do they do that? He should just get the fuck out of there. Get the cops or something!" Aaron chuckled as Fred reached for one of the bottles.
"I'd leave you in the forest and go for help, Freddie," Aaron said. Fred looked down at him as he sipped his beer.
"Awww, that's so sweet baby. Going for help is always the right way to go." He squeezed his boyfriend's shoulder and ran his fingers back down to his elbow. Aaron sighed contentedly.
Fred's phone started buzzing wildly on the table in front of them. He glanced down at the phone. Suddenly the doorbell rang as well, twice in a row and a fist banged on the door. Aaron jumped at the noise. He loved horror movies, but they always set him on edge. He sat up and grabbed the remote to pause the film.
"What the fuck is going on?" he asked.
"My dad is calling," Fred said. "I guess I should answer it." A fist pounded at their door again.
"Stay here," Fred said to Aaron. "I'll get the door."
"But..." Aaron started.
"Just stay here," Fred said. Something was weird, his dad calling and the pounding on the door starting at the same time was weirding him out. His phone kept ringing as he looked through the peep hole.
"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, unlocking the door and flinging it open. "Ben?! What the fuck happened to you?"
Fred's oldest nephew stood at his door. His longish dark blond hair was ruffled, light brown eyes bloodshot, his left eye bloomed with a black and blue bruise, a twin bruise was on his opposite cheek, and he had a bloody lip.
"Uncle Fred," he croaked and started crying.
"Fuck, come in here," Fred said, ushering the tall boy into the house. Aaron stood up from the couch and caught a glimpse of Ben.
"Jesus! Ben!" Aaron said. He moved swiftly and took him by lightly by the elbow, directing him to sit at the dining room table. "Sit down, what happened?" Ben just kept crying, his sobs coming in huge hiccups. Aaron thought they sounded like sobs of relief.
Fred's phone had stopped ringing at some point but started anew now. His dad, Paul, was calling again. He answered quickly.
"Dad?" Fred said as Aaron went to the kitchen to grab a bag of frozen peas. Aaron listened closely as he carefully put the bag of peas on Ben's swelling eye.
"Here kiddo, hold that there," Aaron said. Ben brought his hand up to hold the bag to his eye. Aaron noted the scrapes and redness on his knuckles and glanced at his other hand, which bore the same marks.
"No, no it's fine. It's OK. He's here now," Fred was saying. "No, he looks like shit."
Aaron carefully pushed the long hair off of Ben's face to inspect the bruise on his cheek and the split lip. He sucked a breath in through his teeth. Going back to the freezer he dug around looking for an ice pack. He couldn't find one but did find a bag of corn that had migrated to the back of the freezer. Tossing it on the counter Aaron grabbed a paper towel, ran the corner under some cold water and squeezed out the excess. Sitting down in a chair across from Ben, he held the bag of corn on the bruised cheek.
"Does that hurt? Too much?" Aaron asked. He dabbed carefully at the split lip, wiping away the blood that dripped from the cut.
"No. It's OK," Ben croaked out. His sobs had stopped but he was still sucking his breath in and out too fast. Aaron put the paper towel aside and gently rubbed Ben's shoulder.
"You're safe Ben," Aaron said as Fred finished up the call with his dad. "You need to relax; you're going to hyperventilate. Slow deep breaths, kiddo." Aaron started to take deep breaths in through his nose and out through his mouth and Ben did his best to copy it. Fred slammed his phone to the kitchen counter and stalked over to Ben.
"Let me see," he ground out.
"Fred," Aaron said warningly. "Relax." Fred's fiery eyes caught Aaron's and he took a deep shuddering breath. He seemed a little calmer, but Aaron still noted the fury that remained.
"Can I see your face, Ben?" Fred asked him. The boy lowered the bag of peas from his eye and Aaron pulled away the corn. Fred gently cradled Ben's face in his hands, turning it, pushing his hair carefully out of the way.
"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Fred asked quietly. Ben held up his hands and Fred looked them over.
"What happened Ben?" Fred asked. Ben's face crumpled again, fresh tears coursing down his face. He didn't cover them though, just let them flow freely.
"My dad," he muttered, his breathing going ragged and rapid again.
"Ben," Aaron said. Ben looked at Aaron, and he started taking his deep breaths again. Ben nodded and mimicked him until his breathing evened out once more.
"You're safe here Ben," Aaron reassured him. Ben took another deep breath, tears still rolling down his face, as if they would never stop.
"My...my dad did it," he said. Fred's hands clenched into tight fists, the knuckles going white.
"Why?" Aaron asked gently when he noticed Fred was seething, far too angry to ask any coherent questions beyond how he should kill Russell.
