Red Headed Hurt

Aiden's Point of View

Sitting at the bar eating, bacon and eggs as Irish clears sleep from his beautiful eyes I can't help but think about the last morning after we had sex. It was one of the hardest days of them all.

-Start Flashback-

Irish Point of View

I can get strong if this is my reward. If he is my reward. Laying here with him sleeping on my chest. Nothing separating our skin. Feeling his breath, hearing him sleep, smelling his scent, still able to taste his lips on mine. I can get better for this, for him. I think back to what he said right after, as I gently laid my body down onto his, hot panting and exhausted.

"Are you ok Irish?"

-chuckle- "I wouldn't be smiling this hard if I wasn't ok. How are you?"

God his eyes. So grey they almost look purple with specs of blue. Eyes that looked past the drugs and violence, the poverty and sadness, the bruises and scars; to the guy I wanted so badly to be.

I roll over on my back bringing him with me. It's then that he says it, the thing that breaks my heart and makes me regret. That makes me want to get stronger that much harder.

"I'm ok... no I'm perfect. I haven't been this happy in so long. I've been so lost without you and I didn't even know it. I'm so sorry for what I did to you."

His voice trails off and I look down to see exhaustion take him. An hour later here I am, arms locked around him - afraid to fall asleep. I feel weak and I'm starting to hurt. My muscles are beginning to quiver and I know it's coming. Before long it hurts to breathe and I hold onto him tighter. I'm scared. " Fuck! Please God let me get through this, let me be..."

AHHHH!

Aiden's Point of view

"AHHHH"

-Internal thought: The scream, what a terrible scream. Where is it coming from? Who is screaming?-

I wake up from my dream to realize it's Irish screaming. He's so pale, the eyes that were shinning before I went to sleep are dead blue and we are drowning in his sweat. I start to panic. I jump off of him and run for the jug of water and a rag. I sit him forward as he wails and slide in behind him pulling him up to my chest. He's on fire, I didn't know a body could get this hot. I take the jug and pour water frantically on the rag, and wipe off his face.

He screams again as his body starts to convulse causing me to knock the partially full jug onto the floor. I wrap my arms around him and squeeze him tight trying to stop his trashing, but I'm not strong enough. I thrash with him as we involuntarily slam into the wall... over and over again. I scream out, I scream his name, I scream for help. I'm crying, no I'm bawling, I can't stop it; my back is on fire from the severity of his trashing. My arms are sore as my muscles scream in agony. My ribs and chest are one big bruise taking all his weight and working to try and lessen the impact. He lets out a wail of pain and his body sits all the way up as a mix of spit and blood fly from his mouth and then he slams back into me. Hard.

-Bam-

My head hits the wall this time and I see stars. The room begins to go dim and I feel sick like I might throw up. My eyes are heavy and everything is spinning. "No!" I won't pass out, I have to stay awake! I dig my nails into my arm as they wrap tighter around Irish and let the pain bring me back. I do it over and over again until I'm screaming as well. And like this we go on, him thrashing, me holding on to consciousness through pain and force of will and holding on to him for dear life. Time doesn't even register anymore. I don't know how long we have been here, but slowly the convulsions turn to tremors and then slowly the tremors stop and he takes small shallow breaths.

The clock reads 8:37am... it's 8:37am and no one is home, no one is here to help me... no one is here to help him. My body is shot, I don't think I could move right now if the place was on fire. My spirit is broken, and my heart breaks more and more with every shallow breath he takes. He's dying. I don't know how I know, but I can feel it happening, I can feel him slipping away. I'm fading to; my grip on consciousness is fading fast. I search myself for some part in me that still has strength, that still has the resolve and will - everywhere I look is tapped dry.

As I begin to lose hope my mind takes me to a memory. It's warm, I'm sitting outside my old middle school halfway through my first day of 6th grade crying my eyes out and suddenly I feel an arm go around my shoulders. I can't look up, I'm afraid... then a hand rests on my shoulder and squeezes. When I turn I see the brightest blue eyes I've ever seen. This was the first time I met Irish. Tears start to fall and my eyes burn as I come back to this moment. I gently move the hair from his forehead. He's so pale.

"Please don't go!"

And with those words, I drift away... it almost feels like his hand is gripping mine...

-Internal thought He's gone, I know he's gone I fell asleep and he slipped away.-

My eyes flutter open, and I can hear Irish breathing. I can hear him breathing! I focus and look down, down at his chest steadily rise and fall. I start to cry again, but we are not out of the woods yet; I pull all my reserves of strength together. I slowly move Irish off my chest and lay him down to a grimace on his face. I slide off the bed and fall down hard pain shooting through my knees, but I stand. Grabbing onto the window ledge I stand up and open it. I turn back to him and look at the wall, the impacts are evident. Over the next hour and a half, I slowly and painfully move around the room opening windows and turning on fans, I very painfully roll the sweat-soaked sheet from under Irish and lay him back down on the fitted sheet underneath. I wipe his face and lay a cool towel on his forehead using the remaining water that didn't spill across the floor in the jug - throwing dirty cloths from the closet down to soak it up.

After I'm done getting him cleaned up, I close the window to the side and then climb across the bed to close the window above his bed. I fall backward catching myself only to collapse on the floor; an act that was tiresome the first time and exhausting the second. I pant and wheeze my adrenaline is gone, and the shock is gone as my hands shake. The sun is up and shining bright and my only thought is if we will ever make it out of this room as I lay my head down on the side of his bed.

A hand runs across my face and I fight to open my eyes to look up at Irish weakly looking at him. The tiniest of smiles peaks across his lips before exhaustion washes it away. My upper body is so exhausted that I have to use all the power in my legs to help me get onto the bed with him. I slowly lay my head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat. It's strong and steady and I start to cry, I didn't know I could cry so much in one lifetime let alone one day. His hand rubs my aching arm as I can't hold out, and I succumb to injuries and emotions and exhaustion. We both fall back to sleep and I say a silent prayer for God to get us through this; for both of us to wake up.

-End Flashback-

Today was a much better day and I hope to have so many more days like this with him.

"Alright Aiden it's time for you to get going, you're not gonna be late on my watch. I'll leave yall alone to say good bye."

I watch Naomi walk down the stairs and hear the door open and close.

I look at Irish and I see a birhgt but sleepy smile in place of the frown I was expecting.

"What are you so happy about?"

"This, us, you. -chuckle- For the first time, I'm happy to be alive and looking forward to things. I'm gonna stay in the house or the back garden just to be safe though, and I need to call the police like Naomi said and send the report to the school. That's a little overwhelming, but I know it has to be done. "

"Good boy," I ruffle his soft hair. "We have to make sure everything is in order before you go back. Can't let them hurt you again."

"I am worried about you too. My dad saw you."

"He saw me from behind, not my face, so I doubt there is much to worrry about. And I have my family name to protect me so don't you worry."

He leans over and kisses me gently through his smile as we hear the door open.

"Coming, coming, sorry." I grab my bag and sling it over my shoulder giving him one more kiss before I head off to school. I wonder what today will