Home Again

It took another three days before the doctor's felt it was safe to discharge Aiden from the hospital and by then a lot had happened. Not only did he now have a father but Becca had been sent off to a boarding school, Lyla and Spencer were staying in a hotel and Derek had started spending the nights in Aiden's room.

Although he was released from the hospital, Aiden wasn't fully healed yet. However, Derek had to go back to work and couldn't stay with him all the time. Mrs. Hudson could look after Aiden during the day but Derek didn't want him to be alone at night. So, when Derek got home from work, he stayed in Aiden's room. Even if he still had work to do from home, he wouldn't go to his study but brought his laptop with him into Aiden's room. Even their dinner was brought up to them by Mrs. Hudson.

Derek gave permission for Aiden to invite anyone he wanted to the house whenever he wanted. Of course, Yuki was the first to get an invite. The first day Aiden was back home, Yuki and Isaac came over for dinner. Mrs. Hudson was informed by Derek about Isaac's relationship to Aiden and she made sure to nag him and list all of the things he should never do. The last thing she said was that if he ever caused any harm to Aiden, she'd turn him into fertilizer for Mr. Hudson's roses. It was only after Isaac swore he wanted nothing but the best for Aiden that Mrs. Hudson turned back into her warm and friendly self.

The rest of the weekend was spent in exactly the same way as the previous week, laying in bed and being bored out of his mind. Aiden would be going back to school that coming Monday so Mrs. Hudson and Derek were both very insistent that he get as much rest as possible before then. While it was true that rest was a good thing and he couldn't argue much since he was still in pain, he was starting to go a little stir crazy from being cooped up.

Of all the injuries Aiden had, his broken ribs were the most annoying. It was because of them that he wasn't able to use crutches and had to use a wheelchair instead. He could hardly do anything alone and that included taking a shower. At the hospital, the nurses had helped him stay clean by washing his hair and bringing him water and a washcloth but at home he had to rely on Derek.

Both Friday and Saturday night, they got away with washing his hair and then Derek would leave him with a washcloth and water just like the nurses. However, by Sunday, Aiden desperately wanted a proper shower. So, Derek helped him wrap his leg cast in plastic and then helped him get undressed.

When Aiden's sweatpants and underwear were the last things that needed to be taken off, Derek wrapped a towel around Aiden before removing the clothes. Aiden couldn't resist teasing him.

"Oh come on! It's not like you haven't seen me naked before." Aiden winked and Derek groaned in frustration before scolding Aiden and carrying him into the bathroom.

"You, be quiet." Aiden laughed but stopped teasing him for the time being. Derek set him down on a plastic chair he placed in the shower earlier and handed Aiden a bath sponge and soap. Then he started the water and stood off to the side while Aiden scrubbed himself. Derek was careful not to get Aiden's cast wet even when he looked away when Aiden had to move the towel.

After he was covered in soap suds, Aiden took the shower head from Derek and started rinsing himself off while Derek held his leg up so the running water wouldn't leak through the plastic.

Finally clean, Aiden was carried to the tub to soak in the warm water with his cast on the edge of the tub. Derek was trying really hard not to let his eyes wander across Aiden's body or let his gaze linger in any one spot for too long. Naturally though, Aiden noticed all of it.

Derek was getting ready to leave the bathroom but Aiden reached up and grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Why are you so quick to run away?" Derek turned slightly towards him but still tried not to look directly at him.

"I'm not running away. I'm just leaving for a bit so you can relax."

"Really? Well there's no need for that. In fact, I'm sure I'll be able to relax much better with you here. Besides, you'd just have to come back soon anyway to help me get out of the tub." Aiden smiled playfully. "Why not join me? There's enough room for both of us here."

"No, definitely not. That's dangerous."

"Huh?" Aiden played dumb. "What's so dangerous about a bath? I don't bite. Rather, I think biting is more your style." The top's of Derek's ears turned red and he pulled his hand free from Aiden's.

"Why you cheeky little…! Bathe alone!" Aiden couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud as Derek almost ran from the room. It took almost thirty minutes for him to turn up again but he stayed outside the door and called in to Aiden. "...Are you done now?"

"Yep!" After Aiden answered, Derek slowly opened the door the rest of the way and went inside the bathroom closet for towels. He took one over to Aiden and wrapped it around him as he lifted him out of the tub. Then, he carried him out and set him down in the desk chair before retrieving the second towel and using it to dry Aiden off. Last but not least was helping Aiden into his clothes.

When Aiden was dry and dressed, Derek picked him up once again and laid him down in bed. Aiden waited for Derek to turn off the lights and climb into bed next to him and then he snuggled up to Derek while Derek pulled the blankets tighter around Aiden. It had become a habit in the last few days for them to fall asleep like that.

At first, they tried to sleep normally in case Mrs. Hudson came in in the morning to check on Aiden but they soon found out that, no matter how far apart they were when they fell asleep, they'd always wake up in each other's arms. Derek was worried that Aiden might hurt himself while rolling around in his sleep so they decided to just start out holding each other instead. It was safer that way. That's the excuse they used at least.

"Comfortable?" Derek asked after they were settled.

"Very. You?"

"Mhm." The sound of Derek's heartbeat played like a lullaby in Aiden's ears and he smiled. He felt so peaceful and happy that it almost scared him.

"...Derek?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you." Derek's arms tightened around Aiden but he was still careful not to aggravate any of his injuries.

"For what?"

"For making me feel like I could finally call somewhere home and really mean it." It was silent for a moment before Derek responded.

"Hmph and you called me cringey…my, how the tables have turned." Aiden burst out laughing which hurt his ribs.

"Ha ha ha! Ugh. Alright, so we both have our cringey moments. But still…I mean it. Thank you." Derek kissed the top of Aiden's head.

"Don't laugh. And as long as you're happy, that's all the thanks I need."

"...Oof! Cringey and cliché! That was intentional, wasn't it?"

"Mhm." They both laughed. "I said don't laugh! Think about your poor broken ribs, will you? Hah. Alright, sleep now."

"Don't I get a goodnight kiss?"

"You already did," Derek pointed out.

"What? Seriously? A kiss on my head doesn't count."

"Too late."

"Hm…fine. I'll just get one for myself." Not leaving Derek anytime to react, Aiden pulled their faces closer together and kissed him.

"Mph!" When Aiden was satisfied, he released Derek and snuggled back against his chest.

"Okay. goodnight!" Derek sighed. It would be a while before he would be able to fall asleep after that. Aiden always seemed to know just how to test Derek's patience. A few more months till Aiden's birthday was starting to feel like an eternity.

Laying there in Derek's arms, Aiden couldn't help the smile that naturally formed. Even though he almost died not long ago, he was glad it made him realize just how much he truly felt at home with Derek and Mr. and Mrs. Hudson. In the past, whenever he had referred to where he was living as home, it was only out of convenience. How could he ever feel at home while living with people who hated him and actively tried to ruin his life?

Regardless, he finally had a place to call home and it was right there in Derek's arms.