The Nice Mrs. Hudson

It had been two weeks since Aiden moved into the new house. He had gotten used to things rather quickly and he found himself to be quite fond of Mr. and Mrs. Hudson. They were an adorable couple and the nicest people he had ever met. They were exactly what Aiden had always imagined grandparents to be like. Although he had no comparison since he had never met his own grandparents before but that didn't matter.

During the last two weeks, Derek hadn't been around much. Mrs. Hudson said that was rather normal as he was usually incredibly busy with work. Aiden was a little relieved that they wouldn't be running into each other too often. After all, it was bad for his heart to be exposed to someone that attractive for too long. Small, infrequent doses of eye candy were much safer.

If there was one thing to complain about, it was the fact that his aunt and cousins had now fully moved in as well. It was more bearable lately because Lyla and Becca spent most of the days shopping, getting their hair and nails done, and going out to eat at expensive restaurants. Spencer also spent most of his time hanging out with his friends doing who knows what. However, whenever they were around it seemed like they were more obnoxious than they used to be.

It was especially difficult for Aiden to hold himself back from smacking them whenever they would make a rude comment to Mr. or Mrs. Hudson. Just after they arrived Lyla tried to take charge and order Mrs. Hudson around like a slave. Aiden snapped and ended up "accidentally" knocking Lyla, and Lyla's brand new and very expensive phone, into the pool. She was livid but stormed off in a huff when she managed to climb out of the water.

Later that night, Derek came back early to speak with Lyla. Aiden didn't know what he had said to her but from that moment on Lyla didn't order around Mrs. Hudson anymore. Of course she still made rude remarks and had a bad attitude but that was par for the course for her.

The smell of fresh coffee and waffles filled Aiden's nose as he walked through the front door. It was eight o'clock in the morning and he had just gotten back from his morning run. When he closed the door, Mrs. Hudson popped her head out from the kitchen and spoke cheerfully.

"Aiden, dear, breakfast will be finished in about twenty minutes if you want to wash up first." He smiled brightly back at her.

"Okay! I'll be back down in a bit then." Aiden turned and went upstairs to his room. Once there, he went over to his closet and grabbed a short sleeved white crop top, underwear, and a pair of black jean short shorts. Then he hopped into the shower to wash off all the sweat from exercising. Ten minutes later, he was dressed and headed back downstairs to the dining room. When he walked into the room, he unexpectedly saw Derek sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. "Oh, good morning."

Derek, who had been looking at his phone when Aiden first walked in, looked up and his eyes imperceptibly widened for a moment. If he had been drinking his coffee at that moment he probably would have choked. It took a second to respond due to the sight in front of him.

It was obvious that Aiden had been in a hurry to eat breakfast since he came downstairs with his hair still wet. He was using a small towel draped around his neck to gently dry it but there were still a few droplets that escaped and slid down his neck. The clothes he chose to wear showed off a lot of his smooth skin. Derek's line of sight was drawn to Aiden's stomach where he saw a belly button piercing he didn't remember seeing before but it clearly wasn't new.

"Ahem, good morning." Derek cleared his throat and returned Aiden's greeting before taking a sip of coffee and averting his gaze. Aiden didn't seem to notice anything and walked over to the table with his bare feet and sat down in his usual spot. The seat where Mrs. Hudson always put his food down was to the right of Derek's seat, which was at the end of the table.

"No work today?" Aiden asked while still drying his hair.

"I only have a lunch meeting today so I get to take my time."

"That's nice. I like not eating alone." Aiden hadn't intended anything by what he said. It was just a fact that he enjoyed having someone around when he had a meal, even if there was no conversation. When he said that, Derek had looked over at him and seen a beautiful smile spread across the boy's face. The morning sunshine was streaming through the windows and lit up behind Aiden, making the area surrounding him sparkle in Derek's eyes. Badump! His breath hitched as he felt his heart thumping hard against his chest. Derek convinced himself that it was just a result of the caffeine starting to kick in and ignored it.

A moment later, Mrs. Hudson walked in carrying some plates. She set one down in front of Derek and the other in front of Aiden. She went back and forth a few more times bringing more plates and bowls with her as well as some tea for Aiden since he wasn't much of a coffee drinker.

"There you go boys. Enjoy!" Derek gave a nod and started eating while Aiden grinned at Mrs. Hudson.

"Thank you! It looks delicious as always."

"Thank you dear. You're so sweet! Eat up!" She went back to the kitchen and Aiden started eating as well. He was enjoying his food and was halfway through it when he heard commotion coming from the hallway. He slowly lowered his fork, closed his eyes, and sighed in resignation.

"You've got to be kidding me." Why were they awake already? They usually slept a lot later. There was a small clinking sound and Aiden turned to see Derek finish his food and set down his utensils. He took one final sip of coffee and stood up. "Wait! You're leaving? Right now?" Aiden asked. Derek slightly smirked.

"Yes. Enjoy the rest of your breakfast."

"...Coward." Aiden huffed. As if he would be able to enjoy anything now. Derek chuckled softly as he walked behind Aiden and out of the dining room.

"Good luck." With that, he left the room. Then, Lyla and Spencer walked in. They were arguing about something but Aiden wasn't paying any attention. He was staring down at the remaining food on his plate, debating whether to stay and finish eating or make a run for it like Derek had. In the middle of his contemplation, he was suddenly hit on the back of his head.

"Hey! Pay attention when someone is talking to you, you trash!" It was Spencer. Aiden slowly turned to face him while taking a breath to calm his anger. If he retaliated now it would startle Mrs. Hudson and he didn't want that.

"Oi." His voice was low and steady as he spoke. "Do you not remember what happened the last time you put your hands on me? I don't mind giving you a refresher." Spencer faltered and took a step back. He looked nervous before moving to the opposite end of the table and angrily sitting in the seat. Lyla sat down near Spencer and glared over at Aiden.

"Don't you threaten my son!" Then she slammed a hand on the table and shouted to the kitchen. "Hey! Where's our food? We're waiting!" Aiden, who had just stood up to leave after deciding it would be impossible to finish his meal, had opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Mrs. Hudson.

"Oh my! My apologies. Here you are." She set a plate of waffles down in front of them and turned back around to go to the kitchen. She winked at Aiden as she passed. Just then, both Lyla and Spencer took huge bites of food and their faces twisted in disgust.

"Ugh!" The two of them choked and spluttered, trying desperately to spit out the food. "It's disgusting! What did you do to our food?!"

"Oh no! It seems I've made a dreadful mistake. Instead of sugar I accidentally put salt in the batter. I'm so terribly sorry. We don't have enough ingredients to make anymore for you. I'll have to go shopping later." Mrs. Hudson said apologetically from the doorway.

"Pfft!" Aiden quickly covered his mouth to stifle his laugh and rushed out of the dining room after a covert thumbs up to Mrs. Hudson who smiled sweetly. All the way back to his room, he could hear the ranting and raving coming from downstairs. Mrs. Hudson really was the best.