Discipline
Aiden’s file sat on his desk thoroughly analyzed to no real breakthrough. He knew Aiden had been a businessman in life, although only during the day. At night, his soul had led a promiscuous lifestyle filled with drugs and alcohol that had numbed his senses and helped him sleep. A handful of failed relationships had discouraged him from pursuing them any longer and turned him to hookups with strangers; unsafe practices that didn’t seem to have helped him much in the long run, stemmed from resentment and rage. Bad role models in his youth had led him to making a string of bad choices that had, somehow, landed him a couple hundred thousand dollars in the end. Interesting how that had worked out for him.
All in all, he'd lived a life surrounded by people, yet very lonely, alienated from his peers in every institution, estranged from his family, skeptical about love. It explained his insufferable behavior, but didn’t explain his connection to Zea or how he knew about him, the exact words he’d said that day after practice. Had Zea really come back to haunt him? Had he spoken through Aiden somehow? None of it seemed possible. Getting up, Nathaniel left his office.
The glass enclosure that formed Charmaine’s office closely resembled a lotus flower made of diamonds, with a big glass chamber in the very center, surrounded by diamond structures that jutted out from the ground, angled and sharp. When sunlight hit, it traveled through glass and refracted in multiple directions, shining all across the room, coloring it in various hues.
Charmaine was visibly relieved to see that The Bleeding had disappeared, even if its effects could potentially still be in Nathaniel's bloodstream; no one knew for sure. There just weren’t enough cases for a study, but they assumed it left the host’s system at some point, because everyone who'd been afflicted had eventually recovered. When he told her it'd disappeared after visiting the waterfall, all three of her eyes squinted and a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips, stretching lipstick across her face. Differently from Aiden, her cockiness was completely justified.
“You’re welcome for the tip.” She leaned back on her chair, hands resting on the desk, laced. The refracting light gave her skin a beautiful glow, blue eyes shining. “Have you noticed any changes so far?”
“None yet. I don’t think it’s been long enough.”
“Perhaps.” Her voice was low and thoughtful, eyes glancing off for a moment, pensive. “How’s Mr. Aiden doing?”
“Finally starting to acclimate. He’s not exactly a social butterfly, but he’s been going out, at least.”
“Did you put him back in his place?” she asked, eyes locked onto his face, words cutting through him like a knife. Last night was still fresh in his mind, Aiden in his lap, pushing down against him, cedar wood intoxicating his lungs; a sin, a mistake, the worst possible breach of contract he could’ve committed. Enough to permanently retire him from the force and revoke all his hard-earned privileges. Starting from rock bottom again. Oh god, not again; his heart hammered, sweat budding on his forehead. He was ruining his life. No, Aiden was.
“I don’t believe I’ve managed to do that just yet.”
His response was taken with much criticism; the look on Charmaine’s face was a mixture of disgust and disappointment. It forced him to keep talking, hoping to explain himself like an idiot, which wasn’t so out of the ordinary when it came to her.
“Like I’ve said, he’s difficult. He’s complicated, and stubborn, and somehow, in his own way, kind of masterful too. His exact skillset eludes me, but he’s smarter than he seems. He managed the postal system within the first two days.”
“Well, the postal system isn’t exactly too far off from what they have on Earth, now, is it? Any human could easily figure it out, but I digress. Despite how intelligent and cunning he might be, there’s simply no comparison to you, an archangel. He might try to trick you, but I’m sure you can see right through him.”
“Well…” Shit. “Yes,” he lied, “but the fact he’s even trying to trick me is just bizarre to think about. This is where his soul has come to rest, so why is he going out of his way to deceive me? Residents don’t lie, because they have no reason to, so what’s his justification? What is he looking for?”
It couldn’t just be sex; there were far too many pieces in this puzzle. Sex was simple, and after a couple of rejections, people usually moved on, but not Aiden. He had letters strewn all about him, a mission to find someone specific, and knowledge of very descriptive moments of Nathaniel’s past. None of it added up. Sure, he'd been flirting since day one, but it was clear that that was just part of his personality and that getting Nathaniel to sleep with him was probably just a fun game. He'd mentioned his type was the impossible, the immoral and out of reach, so he'd pursued just that, just to prove he could do it. Like the dumbass he was, Nathaniel had fallen for it, because of course he had. In his defense, though, Aiden had pulled out the big guns on him.
“Aiden is a sly fox by nature, Nathaniel; he made it far into the corporate world. It’s obvious he’d carry some of that baggage over, but if playing mind games with you during these first few days is what’s helping him acclimate, then humor him. There’s nothing a human soul can do to a military official that would actually affect them. You’re the boss here.”
At this point, he should’ve known that talking to Charmaine wouldn’t make him feel any better, because it never had. Yes, he was responsible for everything that happened to Aiden until the end of the month and the errors of last night weighed entirely on him. As an authority figure, he should’ve been the one dealing the cards. He supposed that, coming back from the war, he'd grown unaccustomed to the demands of his other job and the fear of treating Aiden too harshly, as if he were one of his soldiers, must have softened him up. Like Charmaine had said, Aiden needed discipline and letting him take the reins the way he had last night had only made things worse. He was smart. Underestimating what he was capable of had been Nathaniel’s biggest mistake.
Later that night, he decided on a new approach. Because Aiden seemed to thrive on his anger and annoyance, he’d show up in great spirits and try to be as friendly as possible without actually falling for any of his tricks, of which there should be many, seeing as he'd finally gotten what he wanted and would most likely taunt Nathaniel for the rest of eternity. He didn’t think Aiden had told anyone yet, and since the gods only interfered in matters of extreme importance, they should be fine. He was fine. The waterfall had cleansed him, the secret was contained, and even if Aiden did try to tell anyone, his credibility, on a scale, would simply never compare to Nathaniel’s, so either way, he was fine. It was all good. Aiden might have won last night, but he’d never win again.
There still wasn’t a doorbell in Aiden’s apartment, which made him wonder if there would be one at all. After knocking, a hand instinctively rested on the handle as he waited to come in, but of course, this time, there was no invitation. Instead, the door flung right open and Aiden came out to meet him, taking a step into the hallway, as well as into his personal space. A hand found the back of his neck and pulled him into a big kiss, hard and heavy on his face, that pushed him back a step, shocked. So shocked that he didn’t even kiss back. He wouldn’t, either way.
Parting from him, Aiden grinned wide and walked back into the apartment, leaving him outside for a minute, eyes wide, heart punching him in the ribs. What the hell? A brief glance around the hallway reassured him that they were alone, but the peepholes on the neighboring doors still made his blood run cold. Walking in, he made sure to lock the door.
“I know you don’t eat and I don’t have to, either, but I love food, and I don’t know if you know this about me, but I love cooking. So I roasted a turkey and some potatoes, and I know it’s probably because this is Paradise, but that was the best dinner I’ve ever had.” Aiden rambled on, talking while circling the kitchen island to a near-empty plate, a bottle of wine and two glasses; one half-full, the other unused. He had a hand towel draped over a shoulder and the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up to the elbows, meaning he'd probably just finished eating.
Taking a couple of steps toward the kitchen, Nathaniel watched him pick up the bottle and fill the empty glass.
“You didn’t give me a library this time around, so I stopped by my old address for some of the books I'd been reading, thinking it belonged to somebody else by now, but it’s still totally empty. Did you know that? No one’s living there; I could just walk in and get whatever I wanted.”
Ah, shit; he hadn’t updated the system yet, or gotten Sio to do it. The first house was still marked as occupied and this place as available, which wasn’t exactly a problem, just inconvenient. Another item on the bottom of his to-do list. People didn’t really live in this district; the apartments here were only ever used for quick visits, so he wasn’t exactly in a hurry to fix that.
With both glasses sufficiently full, Aiden set the bottle back on the counter and took the glass he'd been drinking from, fingers holding it delicately. Their eyes met and the attention, the fact Aiden was looking at him made something in his chest flourish, yet poison it at the same time.
Still in silence, Nathaniel took a seat across the island from Aiden and raised the other glass for a toast, earning a small smile in return, sweet, faux coy. He almost looked endearing when he wasn’t being a brat.
“The literature you guys have on the order of angels is pretty impressive, you know,” Aiden continued, pausing for a brief moment to sip from his glass.
Nathaniel brought his own up, but ultimately decided not to drink from it. Obviously, Aiden noticed that, but didn’t seem to care, watching him over the rim.
“It definitely lacks in every other department that isn’t angels, but, you know. At least it's extensive in that regard.” A flick of the wrist and the contents of Aiden’s glass swirled. “Is it true that your line of work is extremely strict and has a shitton of rules?”
“Every profession has its own set of rules,” Nathaniel explained, voice low, studying the way Aiden held the glass, light refracting over his hand.
“Sure, but is your job different from the others in that aspect or just about on par? Like, are there a hundred little clauses in the contract you have to follow or risk compromising your job?”
His chest grew cold. “Any profession that contributes directly to the well-being of human souls has a lot more nuance to it than careers that don’t interact with humans at all. It’s a delicate job.”
“So it is true.” Those words were practically whispered into the glass as Aiden sipped from it again, eyes sharp, perfectly trained on him. A tongue swiped over his lips. “Are delicate jobs usually given to soldiers? It seems to me that a decision like that would only compromise the task. You’re rough.”
“You’re not very delicate yourself.”
“I could be,” Aiden confessed, voice low, making his heart beat differently. “But that’s just not your type.”
“The fact you think you know me, or what my type might be, is laughable, but I commend the confidence with which you said that. Almost made me believe it.”
Aiden smirked. “Confidence is your type.”
His eyebrows bounced to showcase disinterest, eyes glancing off instead of rolling right into the back of his skull. Aiden was good, but he’d rather not feed into his ego; he clearly already knew a lot more than he led on to brag about it so carelessly. At this point, it wouldn’t even be surprising to learn that he not only knew exactly who Zea was, but also the ins and outs of Nathaniel’s friendship with him. This man was a perfect snake in the grass.
“You’re handsome when you’re angry,” Aiden commented, cheeky on purpose, teasing him.
Their eyes met again and one of Nathaniel’s brows raised up, vexed, skeptical. He offered Aiden no comment on that, making the smirk in front of him widen.
“What do you think about me?” Aiden asked, a different tone in his voice now, less cocky, more candid; utterly unreadable. “I’m sure you know exactly how I feel about you, but I have no idea what you think about me. You’re kind of a mystery.”
“I think you’re the most demanding assignment I’ve ever gotten. You’re a handful.”
Aiden’s smile faltered. Regrettably, it hurt to see it. “Do you hate me?”
“No.” And he meant it too. “I could never hate you.”
Brown eyes squinted, curious. “What does that mean?”
“We’re not born to hate; we’re beings of light and compassion. We have liquid radiance in our veins and leniency in our hearts. We live to serve the gods and protect Paradise, not hate the ones in it.” Harboring hate was a trait of the damned, but that wasn’t a comment worth mentioning right now. Not to a human, anyway.
Thick eyebrows slowly scowled as he talked, Aiden’s focus squarely on him, seeming to take note of every word that left his mouth. It made him incredibly self-conscious.
“If you don’t die, can you still be killed?”
What a suspicious question. Perhaps he should answer this one carefully. “Our physical form can expire under certain circumstances, but our consciousness never will. Whether or not you still call that living is up to you.”
“Can you get another body?”
“Yes. The Valley heals all.”
A look from Aiden, curiosity written across his face, but no more questions. At least, for now. Knocking back the rest of his glass, Aiden set it down, eyes scrutinizing it, fingertips touching the flat bottom. Pensive. “Am I going to be alive forever?” The question was asked down at the glass.
“Yes. Aren’t you glad to be in Paradise?”
No reply. Instead, Aiden reached under the counter and pulled out a second bottle of wine, which, in its own way, was answer enough. A flick of the wrist, the delicate way that his fingers held the bottle, and wine poured into the glass, swishing as it fell. The color of his skin, beautifully golden on the inside of his arm, allowed his veins to peek through the wrist, faintly violet. The sight brought Nathaniel back to the light breeze across the meadow, vetiver in the air, the sway of the overgrown grass. The sound of the bottle against the countertop brought him back to the present the same way tides dragged sand into the ocean. The Bleeding was still in effect.
Aiden raised the glass for a new sip, bottom lip on the rim, brown eyes fixed on Nathaniel's face, and his breath caught embarrassingly. There was something in his chest, a weight, a feeling that he couldn’t name, which he attributed to Aiden all the same. It couldn’t be good, because nothing that ever came from him was good, despite how deeply Nathaniel's lungs filled up and how quickly his blood raced; Zea in the back of his mind, their corner of the woods practically tangible. He just couldn’t tell, but still watched Aiden bring the glass down and lick his lips anyway, pink tongue flashing for just a moment, pushing his heart deep into the bed of that feeling, the very bottom of his heart. Something was different, heavier, resonating, although it was probably just The Bleeding again.
“Are angels the only celestials the human mind can safely comprehend, and is that why they’re the only ones allowed on this side of the valley?” Aiden asked, voice low, with none of the allure from before. Good; Nathaniel could breathe again.
“You’re asking me a question you already have the answer to.”
“I want to know if you’ll lie to me.”
“Angels don’t lie. You know that too.”
With the glass in hand, Aiden circled the counter and left for the living room, prompting Nathaniel to get up and follow, his own glass forgotten. He wouldn’t drink it, anyway.
“You know, you come off as artificial sometimes, like there’s a soul inside that wants to express itself, but you’re smothering it in the name of protocol.” Aiden took the exact same seat from last night. When their eyes met again, memories swept over Nathaniel like a landslide; Aiden heavy in his lap, hot on his skin, breathing into his ear. His body shivered, heart beating out of his chest.
Instead of sitting next to Aiden, he walked past the couch to a nearby window.
“I know there’s a whole lot more to you than just some soldier blindly following orders, so when am I going to see it? When are you gonna let go and be real with me?”
“I already am,” Nathaniel answered absently. Outside, neon signs for live sex flickered across the street in bright, hot pink. “You’ve already seen everything I had to show you.”
“No, I only got a glimpse of who you really are and I want him back. He’s a lot more human than I thought angels could be.”
Turning away from the window, his eyes fell back on Aiden, the seriousness on his face, eyebrows drawn the tiniest bit together, eyes warm like ambers. The weight in his chest grew—what was it? Refusing to continue this conversation, he dropped his gaze to the end table between them, stacked up with books and opened envelopes. The one on top had Oracle written on it, so he picked up the stack for a quick look only to find that they'd all come from her. Aiden must’ve sent her at least five different questions for all of these long-winded responses. Had he finally found who he'd been looking for? Was it Zea?
“Are you seriously going through my mail right now?” Aiden asked, a raw emotion in his voice, loud and offended. He straightened up, eyebrows drawn into a scowl. Touching these letters had put him on a quick defensive. Huh.
“You sure have been chatting the Oracle up in your free time,” Nathaniel remarked, easy and casual. “Who were you asking about?”
“No one in particular. I’m doing investigative work on where I live, so I can understand this place better. I’ve told you that.” Aiden spoke while rising from his seat a bit, arm outstretched to make for the envelopes. The advantage that came with being on his feet allowed Nathaniel to easily hold the envelopes away from him, just out of reach. Aiden must’ve found it infuriating.
“Are you afraid I might read it?”
“I don’t see why you should.” Thoroughly vexed, Aiden left the wine glass on the coffee table and got up to confront him, walking over with a deep scowl and a hand out to get the envelopes back. Nathaniel refused to oblige. “That’s a serious violation of privacy.”
“I haven’t exactly broken any rules, but considering just how upset this is making you, I take it the contents of her replies are extremely personal.”
“Can you just fucking give them back?”
“Did you ask her about your life back on Earth? Or maybe how you got up there, to Paradise?”
“Nathaniel.”
“What’s so personal that you could’ve asked her? Unless this isn’t about you at all and you just don’t want me to see it.”
Aiden made for the envelopes again, but with a lot more intent this time around; one hand braced across Nathaniel's chest as the other one reached for the letters. Out of instinct, Nathaniel held them out even further, over his own head, where he knew Aiden couldn’t reach. The immediate response to that was a hand on his shoulder, pushing down for leverage, as if Aiden were trying to climb him, even though their height difference was minimal.
“What are you so worried about?” he asked, fighting Aiden off with his forearm. The weight on his shoulder forced him to take a step back for balance, or he’d bring the both of them down. “Who are you investigating?”
“That’s none of your fucking business!” The reply came through gritted teeth as Aiden leapt, scratching him on the shoulder. If Nathaniel hadn’t spent most of his life on the battlefield, he would definitely have collapsed under Aiden’s weight, but as it was, the push only sent him stumbling back, falling against the window pane behind him. The envelopes, of course, were snatched right out of his hand, and before he could get up, Aiden shoved him on the chest, vengeful.
With his blood boiling, Nathaniel pushed himself off the window and grabbed Aiden by the shirt, taking this to a whole new level, since Aiden didn’t know how to play nice. Right away, Aiden fought him off, trying to push him away, or at least get Nathaniel's hands off of him, but for every push there was a pull, which only forced Aiden to try harder. Hurting him was off the table, though; Nathaniel just wanted to send a message, chest burning with offense. Nothing like this had ever happened in the army.
It was obvious that Aiden had no idea how to fight; his moves had no method behind them, no experience, but he still did his best shoving and pushing, until an elbow hit Nathaniel square in the stomach, crossing the kind of line that just evaporated the rest of his patience. This was too much. Aiden lunged for him then, fist aimed at his face, but his form was so poor that a simple dodge took care of it, arm seized and twisted behind his back. The momentum caused him to land face-first onto the window, an angry grunt in his throat, cheek pushed up against the glass. His free hand grabbed the frame for support, envelopes strewn all over the floor. Taking a step closer to him, Nathaniel pulled on his arm, watching the visible side of his face twist in pain, a groan muffled behind gritted teeth.
“Do not disrespect me,” he warned sternly, his voice almost a growl. His body leaned closer to Aiden, nose pressed to the side of his face. “You’re not in charge here.”
Breathing in deep, Aiden closed his eyes, jaw set. “Are you gonna fuck me like this?” The question came through gritted teeth, making his blood burn and his chest fill up, forehead against Aiden’s temple, hand squeezing Aiden’s forearm. God fucking dammit; it all came back to this. Every attempt at discipline somehow always related to sex, as if that was all Aiden’s mind could think of, constantly drawing parallels between the two.
Was that how he saw it? If Nathaniel played with the connection, could he finally get through to him? Speaking in a language he could understand, using his own logic to reach him—maybe. So far, absolutely nothing he'd tried had worked, but this might. With his pulse racing, Nathaniel pressed himself against Aiden, watching the way his hand twitched on the glass, teeth biting into his bottom lip.
“Is this what you want?” he asked, breathing into Aiden’s ear, making a shiver race down his body.
“Yeah.”
He let go of Aiden’s arm, which didn’t immediately fall back to his side. Instead, that hand dropped to the waistband of his own pants and tugged on it, struggling in their closeness. A step backwards added an inch between them, and while Aiden pulled his pants down, Nathaniel slipped the tunic off his own shoulder, belt unlaced from his waist. The softness of the linen dragged down his body as it fell, gathering at his feet, soon kicked aside.
With Aiden’s pants halfway down his thighs and his forehead resting against the cool window pane, one step closed the distance between them and two hands grabbed Aiden where thighs met hips, squeezing a bit. A thrust, gentle, careful, and he pushed himself in, making Aiden’s hands close into fists, face hidden from view. Well, his view, but the sidewalk could definitely see them. Bottoming out, he held Aiden by the hips and picked up a pace.
He told himself this was discipline, despite how intensely his stomach burned or how fast his pulse raced, hips meeting with Aiden’s fast and hard, skin shivering with every sound that escaped him, directed at the window, enclosed by glass. Aiden staggered forward, braced with both forearms on the window frame, forehead resting on one of them. This was a lesson; it would culminate into one and he’d learn it. For the first time, he’d learn it.
A hand touched Aiden on the back, under his shirt; palm flat on his skin, traveling up his spine. The hem of his shirt rode up, exposing the shivers that formed with Nathaniel's touch. Aiden leaned into it, arching his back, forehead lifted off the window, head tilted back towards him. Still under Aiden’s shirt, he moved his hand up, touching his neck, feeling his pulse under a thumb. Aiden swallowed, hands closed into fists, shoulders moving up with a shiver. A small whimper left his throat and set Nathaniel’s entire body on fire.
The hand on Aiden’s neck pulled him back slowly, softly, spine in a beautiful arch, arms forever braced against the window frame. Without really thinking about it, he brought Aiden close; the back of his head rested on a shoulder, a firm grip around his throat, just shy of squeezing it. Normally, he’d do it, but something told him not to. A small lean allowed him to nuzzle Aiden’s jaw, cedar wood deep in his lungs, groans muffled on the warmth of Aiden’s skin. Their hips met hard, fingers deep into the meat of Aiden’s thighs, heart racing with his little whimpers, blood piping hot. The way Aiden jerked and squirmed was so good that he almost forgot himself. This was a lesson, after all.
Letting go of Aiden’s neck, he dragged a hand down his chest, palm pressed flat against his stomach, feeling the way his muscles tensed as their hips met, firm and taut. The lower he traveled, the noisier Aiden became, turning his face away with a gasp. With his mouth on Aiden’s neck, Nathaniel teased him; tracing his navel, moving down an inch, but never low enough. Ultimately, Aiden grabbed his wrist and forced it down, getting a smirk pressed against his throat in return. Obediently, Nathaniel jerked him off.
A sudden clarity reached him then, through the rushing of his own blood and the fog that engulfed his brain, in a ray of hope that tied it all together, an act of discipline ready for execution. This was how he’d reach him. His hand worked as their hips met, breath coming in short, and the way Aiden squirmed, tensing up against him, breathless and loud, told him they were both close. He shivered, eyes trained on Aiden the whole time, watching him lean against the window and whimper, gasping for breath, very close. Would Aiden tell him? Just as the thought crossed his mind, Aiden did, making him pull out completely. A surprised noise left Aiden’s throat, spine straightening out of shock.
Aiden turned to throw a glance over the shoulder, but was promptly met with a hand that grabbed the back of his neck and shoved his face against the window, holding it there. The way Nathaniel's body pressed up against Aiden’s boxed him in, fist squeezing his cock, mouth to his ear.
“You don’t call the shots, I do. You don’t order me around and you don’t disrespect me either. Do you understand?”
Aiden shut his eyes as he talked, breath coming in short, fogging up the window. “Yes.”
“Don’t make me want to hurt you.”
Quietly, Aiden nodded, face flushed red, biting his lip. In the wiggle room between them, less than an inch, Aiden moved, pushing back against him, trying to get even closer. He was getting off on this.
“Will you be good?” Nathaniel asked, voice low, making Aiden shiver. He felt it against his own chest.
“Yes.”
“Do not bullshit me right now.”
“No, I promise.”
Deep inside, he didn’t believe that, but would allow Aiden the benefit of the doubt given the current circumstances. Sooner or later, he’d show his true colors. What mattered was that the message was received. So, he let go of Aiden’s neck. Taking Aiden's hips, he eased himself back in, a reward for good behavior. A hiss mixed in with a moan left Aiden's throat, traveling straight to his crotch, hands squeezing Aiden's thighs. Steadily, he resumed the pace from before, stroking Aiden through it, letting the heat rise up again. Noisy and shameless, Aiden groaned for him, pushing back in time with his thrusts, making his blood sing. This exhausted, it didn’t take long for Aiden to get close again, hands in tight fists, body jerking forward. When he said it this time, Nathaniel pressed a kiss to his ear.
“Now ask nicely,” he ordered, a lot sweeter than before.
“Please,” Aiden pleaded, face turned away from him, “let me cum.”
“Good boy.”
Pushing into Aiden until his body tensed up, he held his breath, lips just below Aiden’s ear, waves crashing through him like a cleanse. For a moment, there was stillness, and the body against his was so close that it might as well be an extension of himself, warm against his chest, pulsing into his hand. When Aiden relaxed into his arms, he let himself exhale, heart swelling with every beat, cardamom intoxicating his lungs. Hesitantly, he moved away from Aiden, one rational thought away from pressing a kiss to his jaw.
Fully clothed, he crossed the living room straight for the front door, because his point had been made, checks had been administered, and there was nothing left for him to do here. Sure, there was a heavy weight around his heart that made it hard to breathe and desperately begged him to stay, but that was just another voice pushed into the back of his mind. There was absolutely no reason he should stay.
Just as he walked past the television mount, however, Aiden called out his name, making him stop dead in his tracks. He didn’t want to turn around; it’d make it so much harder to leave. Sin crawled up his arms, reminding him why he should get going, but still he turned, because of course he would.
Leaning his back against the window, Aiden buttoned the front of his pants, face pumping red, a strange look there, new, that didn’t belong. Forlorn? The fact Nathaniel couldn’t accurately read it absolutely killed him. For the first time, Aiden looked nothing like Zea, and he realized that he didn’t actually know anything about him.
“I meant what I said,” Aiden admitted, pulling the hem of his shirt down.
“Yeah, you better have.” With that, he turned to leave, despite how painfully his heart choked him.
Rocks crunched under his sandals, displacing with his weight. The distance between him and the water closed quickly. The calm, black surface reflected bright stars along the lake, shining a big circle under the moon. Water submerged his feet as he stepped in, cold on his ankles. This time, he didn’t go for a swim. The skin on his arms crawled, and the muscles on his stomach burned, so he knelt down and pushed his hands to the bottom of the lake, feeling the water lap his flesh and purify his soul. Staring straight at the surface, he saw his own outline, a dark silhouette with a halo over its head. At that moment, it seemed unjustified.
“I had to do it,” he explained to the figure that watched him, hands grabbing at the stones and the dirt that lined the lake’s bedding. “Forgive me.”
Both arms bent at the elbows as he lowered his head into the water.
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