Aidan hoped sleeping on it would help, but by the next morning, he felt just as hollow.

He had been lucky for so many years; somehow avoided them. But… those very real people showed themselves to him again.

A grim reminder. Just like the wound he had to waste his first aid kit on. It wasn’t as big as it felt, but it still hurt like hell back in that alley.

All his thoughts were starting to culminate in one person. Cedric. It happened after he had been a little more public with him. It would be impossible to see that man now. It was only going to bring the past back… right?

His concerns were already spiraling out of control, but there was no stopping it. Hiding had to be the single correct option.

A whole week slipped by. Aidan couldn’t bring himself to contact anyone. Both Leo and Cedric kept trying to reach out to him, but he didn’t respond to either of them.

It was around midday, and the streets were bustling with people. A perfect time for Aidan to get out and hide among them. All he needed was groceries, but he was still cautious of familiar faces.

However, much to his dismay, a pair of eyes met with his. When the person realized who was standing a short distance away, it was too late for Aidan to hide. And though he kept walking, Leo easily caught up to him.

“Explain yourself. You know I get concerned when you do things like this.”

Aidan slumped his shoulders in defeat but didn’t know how to reply. That only made Leo more worried.

“…I’ll let you pet a dog while you tell me. As in… I’m inviting you over. I don’t like that empty look. Something’s up. And trust me, a husky helps.”

Aidan looked down at the ground with a sigh. It took him a second, but then he nodded.

Since they were already walking, all that changed was a shift in direction.

It was a quiet and tense trek to Leo’s house. They had to walk far outside the inner city to get there.

Once they walked through the fence that led to his garden, Aidan’s expression lit up. A husky came bounding toward them the instant Leo closed the fence.

“Woah there, easy.” Leo had to pull the dog by its collar, ensuring he didn’t jump on Aidan. From the way it ran, that was very likely. As the dog was held back, Aidan moved his hand over the back of its head. The soft fur had a surprisingly calming effect on him.

He knelt down, coming face to face with Leo’s excited canine. Its reaction was to try and lick his hands, which Aidan gladly let happen.

Leo’s eyes narrowed on him, but he didn’t say anything. He let go of the collar, seeing that his friend seemed to have calmed down the beast.

“So… want to tell me why you disappeared?”

Aidan didn’t respond at first, purposefully not looking back at Leo. His body felt heavier than ever, but he still managed to stand up again.

“…It’s impossible to escape them. I don’t know what to do.”

Though cryptic, they had known each other long enough for Leo to catch on.

“Oh… Oh no. Aidan…” He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around him. The husky perked up in surprise. Aidan reciprocated, holding his friend even tighter. He didn’t expect it to feel that good to say something.

“I was going to mention the scar, but I’m sure you don’t want to revisit that scene.”

Just the word was enough to make Aidan’s hand twitch.

“You …”

“Ah, sorry.”

Despite their words, the mood was still lightening up. Aidan couldn’t have asked for a better person to be by his side.

“I won’t bring it up again. Unless, of course, the exact details are important.”

They both pulled away so they could see each other and the dog with his pleading eyes, who was trying to get their attention. Aidan ran his hand through its fur once again.

“Yeah… that’s not important. I’m just not over that they’re still everywhere. I was beginning to believe they didn’t exist anymore.”

“Most adults do tend to keep it to themselves compared to kids and teenagers.” Leo paused, letting out a sigh.

“But… it’s never really going to go away completely. The best we can do… is live. Whichever way that might be.”

Aidan couldn’t look away from him. He knew Leo’s experience backed up his words.

“…Leo. You’re the only person I’d hear that from, and take it seriously.”

Leo’s expression was unreadable, but his lips did curve up a bit.

“You give me too much credit sometimes.”

Leo chuckled, giving Aidan a friendly pat on the shoulder. Why did Aidan feel like he was being told that a lot.

“It might be a lot, but it’s well deserved.”

Leo reached for Aidan’s hand. The one combing through the dog's fur.

“Are you trying to make me fall for you? Cause it’s working.”

Aidan laughed. For the first time that week.

“Okay, now I’ve officially said too much. Can’t have you seeing me differently all of a sudden.”

“Haha, oh please, I could never date a fiend like you.”

“Wow, I’m hurt.”

Leo slowly shook his head with a smile.

“By the way, since you haven’t been responding to me… what about that guy?”

Aidan looked away.

“…I might have given him the same treatment.”

“Then I think you know exactly what to do now.”

“Hold on. Let me stay here for today. I need to pet your dog more.”

“Told you. He’s a very helpful boy.”

“I love him already…”

Maybe, just maybe, he was going to be alright.

It was dark and cold outside the restaurant. Only a faint glow came from behind the front windows. Aidan leaned against the wooden building, holding his phone up to view the message chain shining from its screen. It contained some pretty vague texts from him about meeting at some address. And a very confused Cedric. Even so, he hesitantly agreed to come see him.

There—in the distance—a familiar shadowy form came walking in Aidan’s direction.

He had less of a gleam in his eyes than usual, which was to be expected. Distinguishing between whether he looked annoyed or concerned was tough. Though either were replaced with widened eyes once he saw what Aidan was standing outside of.

“Is this …? I was wondering why you had me drive so far outside the city.” When his eyes landed on Aidan again, he furrowed his brows.

“Wait, that’s not what I want to ask. Where were you?”

Aidan intentionally avoided eye contact, a sinking feeling in his gut.

“Uh… thank you for coming, despite… you know.”

Cedric sighed, somewhat irked by his evasiveness.

“I might not like that you disappeared, but I’m not just going to say no to seeing you again. I care about you.”

Aidan looked up after hearing that.

“I- I really am sorry. I’ll tell you why in a minute, just… let me lead you to our table first.”

Cedric eyed him silently, before nodding.

Aidan guided him through the building, where a host showed them to the table that had been reserved for them.

It wasn’t inside. The chill breeze swept through their hair, as the moon shone above the calm waves not far from them. People were strewn across the place, chatting with each other. The place looked incredibly close to how Cedric had imagined it.

As they sat down, he still couldn’t take his eyes away from the view. The blue and orange combination was so captivating.

“I’ll admit… this was rather nice of you.”

Aidan cautiously watched him. Seeing Cedric so serene wasn’t a common occurrence.

“I thought you might enjoy it. But yes, let me tell you what happened.”

Aidan recounted everything that went on after they said goodbye that day.

“… It brought back a lot of things I’d rather forget.”

The whole time Aidan was talking, Cedric had been rendered speechless.

“I… I should have walked you home or something… I…”

“No, don’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault. …But I do appreciate the thought.”

Though Cedric wanted to push it further, he understood and didn’t try to refute it.

“…Where are they? I’ll get them. …Okay, I’m kidding. Surprising as it may sound, I’m not an aggressive asshole like them. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to do anything if I see those people near you though.”

“Hmm… you know… imagining you winning a fight against them is kind of enticing.” Aidan had a faraway look. And Cedric couldn’t conceal his smile, as he moved back on the chair.

“You might be a little more messed up than I thought.”

“Alright… I’m also kidding. Kind of.”

Cedric let out a short laugh.

“I prefer being aggressive… consensually.”

“Ah, you don’t say. Speaking of… all that. I've been wanting to get away from the city. Even more than just this restaurant. More secluded and for a longer time.”

Cedric raised a brow, an amused smile on his lips.

“Oh? Is there a chance I’m involved in that plan?”

A red hue spread from Aidan’s face to his ears.

“You… could be.”

“Where are we going?”

“I was thinking of renting out a cabin of some kind for the weekend. Far away from all the noise. And people.”

“That does sound nice… but I’m not letting you pay for all of it.”

“No, no. I want to.”

“At least let me handle half.”

Aidan went quiet, his attention was fully captured by Cedric.

“…Okay. We’ll split it.”

“Perfect. Just like what we should be doing tonight, if you feel like calling the waiter over, that is.”

“Cedric, please. I invited you out. Let me do it.”

This time Cedric was the one who needed to think.

“This is the last time I'll let you do that.”

“Hm? Worried our roles are being switched?” Aidan was joking, but the subtle way Cedric shivered made him a little suspicious.

“Wait, actually?”

“I… I can’t help it. I’ve always been like that.”

Aidan leaned over the table, eyes locked on Cedric’s.

“Well… then let me be the one to tell you this. You don’t have to be the leader. I can care for you too.”

Cedric didn’t know how to reply to that. Some cogs seemed to be turning from the look on his face.

“…Let’s get something to eat, shall we?” There was a certain shakiness in his voice and some visible heat on his face.

Aidan just smiled. Based on the last time they had this kind of talk, he knew exactly what that meant.

“Yes.”

Hidden behind an almost endless number of trees, stood a striking wooden cabin. It seemed to have been very well maintained. That much was clear.

The scent of wood was calming.

“You chose well, Aidan.” Cedric walked toward the surprisingly ornate door, a large bag in his hand.

“It’s pretty, huh? …I can’t wait to escape for a while.” With a smile, Aidan moved up next to him. He had a bag as well, but his wasn’t nearly as big.

“When you told me about the idea, I already saw it in my head. I could definitely use a weekend like this. But you especially.”

Aidan slipped past him, unlocking the door with the key he had been given. That wasn’t without a quick look at Cedric, of course.

“Yes. Make me forget… I know you’re very capable of that.”

Cedric chuckled. He knew exactly what Aidan was insinuating.

As they walked through the cabin, its cozy interior did wonders to make them feel at home. There weren’t any big and obnoxious artificial lights, only smaller ones with a dim glow that almost made it look like candlelight.

They reached the living room, where Cedric placed his bag on the sofa table. When he did, his eyes drifted away from the other man. He moved his arms more carefully than usual, as he opened it. Aidan could tell something was up, but he didn’t know what.

“Cedric?”

As he dug through the bag, he looked back at Aidan.

“So… I took something with me.”

“Something that isn’t an obscure sex toy?”

“Hmm… It could be used that way if you wanted to.”

Aidan let his bag fall to the floor and peered over into Cedric’s. What he was pulling out of it looked a lot like a collar of some sort. Black and made of leather. That seemed to be a favorite of Cedric’s; or just what most looked like.

“Oh…”

With a soft smile, Cedric opened it.

“Do you… understand the significance of this?”

Aidan walked closer, placing his hands over Cedric’s.

“I do… I’ve done my research.”

Guiding Cedric’s hands closer to himself, he let him wrap it around his neck.

“And yes… I want to.”

Aidan watched him carefully, as Cedric closed the collar.

“Based on my experience with most things in life, I didn’t know I had enough luck to meet someone like you.” Cedric lingered by Aidan’s shoulders and the base of his neck. He kneaded his fingers into Aidan’s skin, earning an approving sigh in response.

“Mm… so sappy.”

“Hey.”

“Haha, I’m just not used to it. But thank you. I like this side of you too…” He rubbed Cedric’s wrist with his thumb.

“I appreciate that. …And don’t worry, this isn’t about to become a regular thing.”

“I won’t mind it once in a while.” Aidan leaned in closer, his voice lowered to a whisper.

“But I much prefer it when you’re fucking my brains out.”

“Oh, Aidan. How vulgar.”

“I know you love it.”

Cedric slipped two fingers under the collar. And But I much prefer when you’re fucking my brains out.”

“Oh, Aidan. How vulgar.”

“I know you love it.”

Cedric slipped two fingers under the collar. And with a surprisingly strong grip, held Aidan in place.

“That, and everything else.”

“Charmer…”

Aidan’s smile was calm. Secure. He couldn’t be happier.

As the cabin lights flickered, the end of the night was slowly arriving. But that was only the beginning of Aidan’s new and somewhat unconventional lifestyle.

With Cedric, only great experiences lay in wait.

“Now. Make the rest of the world disappear.”