Chapter 35

Aiden scrolled through the most useless advice ever. Be mysterious. Make him chase you. Wear red. Flirt subtly. 

"What the hell is subtly?" He groaned and kept scrolling. After a while something caught his eye.

"LGBTQ+ Love Advice Chatroom - Join Now!"

Oh. That sounded promising.

Aiden, being the responsible and cautious person he absolutely wasn't, clicked it immediately.

The chatroom was in chaos when he entered. Messages zoomed by so fast he almost had a seizure trying to read them.

DaddyDom69: BROOOO MY CRUSH CALLED ME BRO, I'M GONNA JUMP OFF A CLIFF.

YasQueen: My boyfriend just stole my hoodie and now I have to break up with him.

HornyGremlin: Can someone explain why my man started barking at me during ***beep***

Aiden screamed and scrolled past that immediately. "What the hell did I just walk into?!"

Hesitantly, he quickly changed his name and typed. 

KittyLover: Uh…Hi.

The chat paused for a second making him embarrassed. 

But then…

TeaSpiller: OH MY GOD. A BABY GAY JUST ENTERED THE CHAT. EVERYONE, ACT NORMAL.

GayGoth: throws confetti

BobaBoy: Welcome, little gayling.

YasQueen: OMG, FRESH BLOOD.

Aiden frowned as he glared at his phone in horror. "Baby gay?"

KittyLover: I'm not a baby. I'm 18.

TeaSpiller: AWWWWWW, IT THINKS IT'S GROWN.

GayGoth: SO PRECIOUS.

HornyGremlin: SHH, WE HAVE TO PROTECT IT FROM THE FILTH OF THIS WORLD.

Aiden was already regretting this. But he had a mission. He took a deep breath and typed:

KittyLover: So, um. How do I persuade a guy to date me?

The chat exploded with horrifying advice. 

TeaSpiller: KITTYLOVER. SWEETIE. ARE YOU TRYING TO SEDUCE A MAN?

BobaBoy: GIVE US DETAILS IMMEDIATELY.

GayGoth: WHO IS HE.

YasQueen: DOES HE HAVE MONEY.

Aiden blushed. Why did it feel embarrassing?! But fine. He typed:

KittyLover: He's kinda gloomy and Scary-looking. But he's actually really sweet to me. And..uh…handsome.

HornyGremlin: DO YOU WANT TO DOMINATE HIM OR BE DOMINATED?

Aiden choked on air. It's not what he thinks it is, right? 

KittyLover: WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??

TeaSpiller: Oh my GOD, he's pure.

BobaBoy: SWEET BABY JESUS.

GayGoth: HE DOESN'T KNOW.

YasQueen: LMAOOOOO.

HornyGremlin: OH, WE'RE SO GONNA RUIN THIS KID.

Aiden's heart was pounding. "I hate this. I hate this. I hate this." But before he could run for his life, more messages popped up.

TeaSpiller: LISTEN, BABE. STEP ONE: GIVE HIM A BLOWJOB.

Aiden froze and his already little brain shut down. His soul left his body.

SassySnob: TEA, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STOP TRAUMATIZING NEW GAYS AS ALWAYS. IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU NO ONE ENTER OUR GROUP. 

BobaBoy: YOU CAN'T JUST DROP THAT ON A BABY GAY.

HornyGremlin: NO, NO, LET HIM LEARN.

TeaSpiller: Oh, come on. You all are being dramatic. Don't worry, babe. I'll send you some educational videos.

Aiden let out a bloodcurdling scream.

KittyLover: What educational videos? 

SassySnob: TEA, I WILL BLOCK YOU MYSELF IF YOU DID." 

TeaSpiller: TOO LATE, I'M SENDING THEM.

Aiden yeeted his phone across the bed. "WHAT THE HELL?!" His entire existence was trembling. He was never trusting the internet again.

Meanwhile, his phone buzzed aggressively, the chatroom exploding with messages.

GayGoth: HE LEFT. I REPEAT, THE BABY GAY LEFT.

TeaSpiller: He'll be back. They always come back. Once he watched what me and Snob did last night he would be asking for more." 

SassySnob: NO, YOU PERVERT. DON'T TRAUMATIZE HIM.

BobaBoy: BAN TEA IMMEDIATELY.

Aiden screamed and ignored the notifications. He learned nothing. He curled into a ball, regretting every decision that led him in that group. But even as he tried to bury his face in his blankets and erase the last thirty minutes from his memory, his mind wouldn't shut up.

He should be thinking about Hunter instead. 

The thought of him made Aiden's chest squeeze in the most annoying way. "Why does he have to be so damn difficult?!" Aiden rolled onto his stomach, gripping his sheets. "We could be going on cute dates and stuff, but no, he has to be all 'I don't like you anymore, Aiden'—LIKE A LIAR."

Aiden huffed, kicking his legs. "And I know he's lying. He turned red when I said we should date! That guy looked like a whole tomato! I have witnesses—my own two eyes!"

But then, his excitement faded as his thoughts grew more deeper and serious. 

Would his friends be okay with their relationship? Would everyone be okay with this?

Aiden stared at his hands, feeling his stomach twist. It was easy to joke about it, to chase after Hunter like a little menace, but…what if people found out? What if his friends started looking at him weirdly? Would they laugh at them?

And worse, what if they weren't just weird about it and tried to bully them too? 

His mind flickered to Casen.

Casen, who got bullied for being gay and had to deal with it alone because no one did anything to stop it. 

Because I didn't do anything to stop it.

Aiden's throat tightened. He thought he had good friends, but were they really? When Casen was getting bullied, they didn't care. They even joined in sometimes. And Aiden…he just stood there.

"Shit…" Aiden whispered, gripping his blanket. He never really thought about it before, because it wasn't happening to him. But now…now that the possibility hung in front of him, it made him feel sick. Is this what Casen felt like? Always waiting for the next joke, the next shove, the next insult?

Guilt settled like a heavy weight in his stomach. "I should have done something…"

His thoughts snapped when another memory hit him. The moment Hunter saw Aiden's bruised face, the way his expression twisted, his entire aura going from 'grumpy cat' to 'murderous hellhound.' Hunter looked ready to tear those guys apart with his bare hands. Even when Hunter said he didn't want to be around him, even when he acted like he didn't care, he cared. Aiden knew he did. So Hunter would protect him if someone bullied them. He would, right?

But what if he didn't?

The fear gnawed at his chest. Hunter had told him he didn't even want to look at him. What if he really meant that? What if, when Aiden actually needed him, he just…turned away?

Aiden hated how much that thought scared him.

But then he remembered the rage in Hunter's eyes. The way he clenched his fists like he was seconds away from hunting those bullies down.

No.

Of course Hunter would protect him like he had all this time. Even if he was an emotionally stunted mess of a man, Hunter would never let Aiden get hurt by anyone.

Which meant Aiden had nothing to fear. 

A slow smirk crept onto Aiden's face. "So basically, I can be as annoying as I want and he'll still protect me." He let out an evil little giggle. "OH, THIS IS SO COOL! I WILL HAVE MY OWN BOYFRIEND AND BODYGUARD!" 

Aiden threw himself onto his back, dramatically holding a fist in the air. "HUNTER! I WILL MAKE YOU LOVE ME! JUST YOU WAIT!"

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, AIDEN, GO TO SLEEP AND LET OTHERS SLEEP TOO!" his mom yelled from downstairs. "Unlike you, we have jobs!" 

He flinched. "Sorry, mom!" 

◾◾◾

Aiden stood outside Hunter's workplace, rocking back and forth on his heels. It was a freezing morning, but did that stop him? Absolutely not. He had a mission. Operation: Make Hunter Acknowledge His Existence Again.

As soon as the door opened and Hunter stepped out. His face lit up instantly. "Hunter!"

Hunter took one look at him, then immediately rolled his eyes and turned in the opposite direction. Aiden gawked as his face fell. Was this guy serious?

He scoffed. "Wow. Rude."

But was he discouraged? Absolutely not. He stomped after Hunter like a puppy after its owner wagging its tail and all. "Are you seriously ignoring me?"

Hunter didn't even glance his way.

"Really?" Aiden sped up, trying to match Hunter's long strides. "You're just gonna walk away? After everything we've been through? After all those long, passionate stares?"

Hunter stiffened. His eye twitched slightly before he shot Aiden a glare. "What passionate stares?"

"Don't play dumb," Aiden smirked after finally making Hunter react. "I know you stare at me when you think I'm not looking."

"Eww, that's so cheesy," Hunter looked up at the sky like he was praying for patience. "Go home, Aiden."

"No," Aiden only grinned like an idiot. "I'm your responsibility now. You have to feed me, clothe me, take me on long romantic walks—"

Hunter stopped abruptly and turned, probably to tell him off. But before he could they heard another voice. 

"Hey, Hunter!"

Aiden's head snapped to the side and watched a pretty girl approaching them–no approaching Hunter. She has curly hair and a flirty smile.

Aiden's eyes narrowed slightly as he eyed the girl like she was some wild animal who had wandered too close to his territory.

"Oh, hey," Hunter blinked at her and seemed to be knowing her pretty well which made Aiden's gaze snapped at him immediately. 

"You just got off work, right?" She twirled a strand of hair between her fingers. "I was wondering if I could get your number?"

And to Aiden's utter surprise, Hunter actually reached for his phone to give her his number. 

Aiden's jealousy ignited so violently that he lunged, grabbing Hunter's wrist before he could so much as unlock the screen. "Sorry, sweetheart," he said, flashing her a very fake smile. "He's taken."

The girl looked confused and dumbfounded. "Huh?"

Meanwhile, Hunter closed his eyes to gather some patience. 

"Yeah," Aiden clung to Hunter's arm, practically wrapping himself around it like a snake. His grip was a little too tight, but it was necessary to make sure Hunter was not going anywhere. "Hunter's mine. My boyfriend. My soulmate. My one and only love."

Hunter made a strangled noise. "Aiden—"

The girl scoffed, not ready to back down either. "If he's taken, why isn't he the one saying anything?"

Aiden's eyes glinted at her disgusted glare. "Ohhh, so you already know his name?" He gave Hunter a betrayed look. "So, you are already out cheating on me." Hunter's jaw fell open but no sound came out. Aiden had officially made him lose his mind. Aiden turned back to the girl. "I'll handle you later. First, let's deal with her. Are you a stalker? Oh no, Hunter, she's a stalker. Call the police. I heard those types get really obsessive."

The girl's face twisted in dread. "What the hell?"

"Shhh, no need to get violent," Aiden whispered dramatically. "Hunter, we need to leave before she follows us home."

Hunter groaned, rubbing his temples like he was getting a migraine. He wanted to stop Aiden but he was aware he couldn't. No one can stop Aiden when he reaches the top level of his dumbasery. 

The girl glared at them. "You're crazy."

"Crazy in love." Aiden winked at her, making her lips twitch in contempt. 

"Ugh! I didn't know this is your type, Hunter. I'm really disappointed in you," She stomped off, her heels clicking aggressively against the pavement.

As soon as she was gone, Hunter whipped around, yanking his arm free and glaring at Aiden. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?"

"That?" Aiden blinked innocently. "That was me saving you from a potential stalker girlfriend. You're welcome."

"Aiden!" Hunter clenched his teeth. "She was a regular customer! Do you know how awkward it's gonna be when she comes back? She might even complain to my manager!"

"Ohh, so you do know her?" Aiden's expression darkened just a tiny bit, jealousy creeping in again. "So why were you giving her your number, huh? HUUUH?"

"She's a customer. It's called being polite. You should try it sometime."

"Wow, I'm the rude one?" Aiden gasped and clutched his chest like Hunter had stabbed him. "Who's the one always telling me to be careful of strangers? Hm? Who's the one always lecturing me about stranger danger? But here you are, just handing your number out like a free sample."

Hunter clenched his jaw so tightly Aiden was surprised his teeth didn't shatter. "It's different! She's not—"

"NOTHING IS DIFFERENT!" Aiden huffed, crossing his arms. "How could you betray your own morals like this? How could you betray me?"

Hunter closed his eyes for a second, like he was internally screaming. "I should have let that girl take me."

"Not on my watch." Aiden warned him seriously, like daring Hunter to even think about it. "You're stuck with me now, babe."

Hunter felt chills all over his body hearing those words though he couldn't ignore the way his stomach flipped and his heart skipped a beat. 

"This is your fault. If I get fired, you owe me a job."

Aiden perked up and clapped his hands together. "I'd love to work with you. We'd make such a great couple—I mean, coworkers!"

Hunter turned away, looking like he was seriously considering walking into oncoming traffic. "I am never getting rid of you, am I?"

"Nope. Accept your fate."