Chapter Twenty-Four The End of The World
Chapter Twenty-Four
The End of The World
Aaron found himself, once again, hunched on a doorstep.
Battered and bruised, not just his ego, but also in places he could see. Aching in ways he didn’t fully understand. Exhausted and heartsick, he slouched forward, resting his arms on his knees, thinking he might just lie down right here, let sleep take him.
It was the cruel statistical fate of a care leaver to sleep rough. Where everyone eventually guessed he’d end up. If not behind bars like his parents, then he’d be on the street. Was told he would be. The first family had said as such when they’d beaten him senseless. He should thank Kenny for giving him a reason to prove them wrong. Desperate to meet the man who’d helped incarcerate his parents, he’d gained a thirst for education and that was what had brought him here right now.
The irony stung .
He had his student room, of course. He could go back there. But the thought of going alone, after everything, of being next door to Rahul’s vacant room, killed him a little more than he was already.
There was Taylor. And Mel. The Halloween party was probably in full swing by now.
But…that wasn’t where he wanted to be.
The night wrapped itself around him like a heavy cloak, stifling and endless. And the soft rustling of leaves whispering through the stillness was the only sign that time was moving at all. His pulse drummed a relentless rhythm in his ears as he sat there, knees drawn up, mind unravelling in a tangle of fear, anger, and shame. He kept staring at the dark horizon, searching for something— anything .
Then a distant hum.
He sat up straighter; the noise cutting through the quiet like a lifeline. Moments later, twin headlights pierced the darkness, beams sweeping across the drive until they found him, illuminating him in their harsh, unforgiving glow. He didn’t move, couldn’t breathe, as the sleek silhouette of the Discovery came into view.
The SUV rolled to a stop, engine purring before it died. But before the headlights flicked off, the driver’s side door flew open. Kenny stumbled out, shoulders hunched, frantic and uncoordinated. So unlike how he usually was that Aaron chuckled. But his breath caught when Kenny fumbled, face flashing with exasperation as he ducked back into the car to yank the handbrake. The abrupt mechanical groan sliced through the night, jarring and raw.
Then he was out again. Racing toward the porch like he was crossing a battlefield, not a quiet yard. His hair was a mess, face etched with panic, like a man chasing something already slipping through his fingers. Aaron watched, frozen in place, as Kenny reached the steps, the tension radiating off him in waves.
He then dropped down beside Aaron, collapsing more than sitting, breath ragged, as he braced himself on his knees. There was no careful composure, no collected exterior. Just raw emotion cracking through every controlled layer Kenny usually wore.
Aaron turned his head, taking him in. The worry in Kenny’s eyes was unbearable. As if he’d been carrying the weight of the world just to get here. Aaron went to speak, but no words came out. He didn’t know what he wanted more. The comfort of Kenny’s touch or the sharp pain of rejection to make the numbness go away.
“I looked for you,” Kenny said as he settled onto the cold step. “At the hospital. I thought you’d…disappeared.” He gulped, as if the thought pained him.
Did it?
Or would he be relieved not to have to deal with him?
Aaron couldn’t muster a smile. “Thought I’d get out of there before your girlfriend saw me.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Her daughter almost being slaughtered because of you put a dampener on things, eh?”
“You could say that.” Kenny studied his face in the dim porch light, eyes searching. “How are you?”
Aaron tried for a grin but failed. “Got a couple stitches out of it. That’ll earn me bragging rights with the lads.” He forced a wink, but even he could feel the weight in it. “Bit pissed off my favourite hoodie got ruined, though. I’m a broke student. Can’t exactly afford a new one.”
“I’ll buy you one.” Kenny’s offer was ardent.
Aaron shook his head, then met Kenny’s gaze. For a second, he held it, warmth spreading through him, but it wasn’t enough to smother the raw ache inside. His throat tightened. “I’m not okay,” he choked, the words spilling out of their own accord.
“I know.” Kenny dragged him into his arms, holding him close, cradling Aaron’s head as he pressed a kiss to his temple.
Aaron allowed himself to sink into it, into him, Kenny , let himself be cared for, even if only for little while.
“I should’ve realised sooner.” Aaron sniffled against Kenny’s shoulder. “I should’ve known .”
Kenny stroked along Aaron’s neck. “You couldn’t have known. Don’t torture yourself with it.”
“You could’ve delved inside my head. It’s all there.” He prodded his temple. “Like it’s been unlocked and now tumbling out like a house of cards. I can’t stop it. Don’t know how to. I’m drowning in it.”
Kenny tightened his hold, grounding him. “We’ll sort through it together.”
Aaron pulled back, studying him with uncertainty. “Will we?”
“Of course. If you stay here. If they don’t take you away—”
“They can’t. Adult now, remember?”
Kenny looked at him as if he knew full well he was an adult. But he kept whatever he was thinking to himself. “It’ll take a lot of therapy.”
“Therapy?” Aaron snorted, shuffling back, wiping his nose with his sleeve. “Would rather have a lobotomy.”
Kenny’s mouth quirked in a small smile. “I could perform that for you, if you’d like.”
Aaron’s head snapped up, startled, then let out a soft laugh, the tension breaking. Slowly. Cautiously. “How’s the girl?”
“She’s alive, thanks to you. She’ll need a lot of support, but she’s safe.” Kenny nudged Aaron’s shoulder with his own. “Because of you.”
Aaron swallowed hard, looking away. “She looked so scared. How can people look at that and… not care? Get off on it? Want to see it?”
“There are some disturbed people in the world.” Kenny reached out, cupping Aaron’s chin. “You’re not one of them. You cared. And you surprised me.”
“Why? Did you think I’d carry on the family business, too?”
Kenny shook his head. “No. But tonight could have unfolded in a hundred different ways, dependent on your actions and reactions.”
“Are you gonna give a lecture right now?”
“Do you want me to?”
“Go on, then, doc. Talk psycho to me. You know it turns me on.”
Kenny held his gaze for a moment, then couldn’t help himself. Whether it was his innate need to evaluate behaviour and situations, or because of what Aaron had said, it didn’t matter, because off he went.
“The choices you made tonight only you could have made. Because you’re you . The inner architecture that drove you to protect Alice, even when every instinct probably urged you to run, comes from who you are, your experiences, your values, your personality built up from every experience you’ve ever had. Every decision made comes from the distinct traits woven into your personality.”
Aaron blinked back the tears forming. The lump in his throat. “Are you saying I’m decent?”
“I’m saying you’re inherently good. Even though bad things have happened to you.”
Kenny was hellbent on driving that home, or maybe he was showing off. Peacocking for Aaron, knowing that he was his student. He was there to learn from him. Regardless of whether that came from within a classroom or here, on his doorstep. In his arms.
“People make choices every day based on their experiences and influences. Sometimes they’re driven by survival, sometimes fear, and sometimes by something deeper. Our experiences try to trap us in the same patterns, locking us into responses we think we can’t escape. But tonight, you proved you’re more than just a sum of what’s happened to you. Maybe you remembered what it feels like to be that scared, that alone, and you couldn’t let someone else go through it. That’s empathy.”
“So I’m not a psycho?”
“No.” Kenny held Aaron’s gaze, the gravity of his words solid, unwavering. Then he leaned forward, their faces close, pressing a soft kiss to Aaron’s lips. Chaste. Gentle. But there . Though it wasn’t the kiss that had Aaron’s heart leaping. His next words did. “I’m really fucking proud of you.”
Aaron lowered his head, hiding his smile, but when he peered back up, he let his vulnerability show. He shed his layers. Because Kenny could see through them, anyway. “I really want you to take me inside,” he breathed against Kenny’s lips. “I want to sleep in your bed. I want you to hold me.”
Kenny’s exhale warmed his cheek. “Oh, God, Aaron …you have no idea how much I wish I could do that.”
“Door’s right there, doc. You got a key, right?”
Kenny’s furrowed brow was deep and unforgiving. “If I let you in tonight, I might not let you leave again.”
“That’s not a deterrent for me, doc.”
“It has to be for me.”
Aaron’s smile faltered, and he dropped his head, resting against Kenny’s chest. “Why?”
“A variety of things.” Kenny ghosted a hand up the back of his neck, fingers gentle. Soothing . “If you want me to help you heal, to get you through all this, and understand who you are, then I can’t blur those lines. Not with you. Not with all you’ve been through. You need clarity, and a chance to become yourself. Everything I said before is still valid. Despite how I feel.”
Aaron stiffened, closing his eyes, every word feeling like yet another beating. “How do you feel?”
“Like I’m falling apart.”
“Same.”
Kenny inhaled a sharp breath. “But I’m your professor. That alone…” his voice cracked. “If you stay here, at this university, under my authority, then this can’t happen. I’d be risking everything. My career. My integrity. And you’d be risking even more.”
Aaron peered up. “You think you have to protect me?”
“Who else is going to?”
“So you don’t feel this?”
“Fuck. Yes . I feel this. Every single wrenching bit of it. But I’m so much older than you. I have to be the level-headed one here. For both of our sakes. I can’t fall into this, no matter how easy it feels to do so. Not now.”
“Then when?”
Aaron hadn’t ever wanted another person before. Not needed anyone. But the ache for Kenny, for his tender kiss, his fierce touch, his protective arms, gripped Aaron so hard, he wasn’t sure how he’d go back to the way he used to be.
Did he want to?
Yes . Because this goodbye Kenny was giving him fucking hurt .
“I’m here for you,” Kenny said in his ear, avoiding the question. “Always. And we’ll work through this. Together. But you and me, we’ll destroy each other.”
Aaron rose just enough to look Kenny in the eye. “If I wasn’t me… if I was just some twink you met in a bar, no mess, no baggage, no problems … would you kiss me right now?”
A hint of regret flickered within Kenny’s eyes, and he waited a while before answering, heavy with honesty. “No.”
The sting of that truth hit sharp and bitter. But before Aaron could pull away, Kenny cupped his face, stroking his thumb along Aaron’s jaw, and leaned in, a whisker away from his lips. “Because they wouldn’t interest me the way you do.”
He then closed his eyes as he kissed Aaron. Soft. Tentative. A kiss that felt like a promise and a goodbye. Aaron melted into it, heart aching, needing it more than he wanted to admit. He shuffled closer on the step, gripping hold of the material on Kenny’s coat, pressing forward, mouth opening enough for Kenny to brush his tongue against his.
Aaron’s chest tightened and fluttered all at once.
Then Aaron pulled away, forehead against Kenny’s. “That’s it,” Aaron parroted Kenny’s words. “The last one.”
Kenny opened his eyes, the intensity within them tapdancing down Aaron’s spine, and a small, almost devilish smile tugged at the corner of his mouth when he repeated Aaron’s line, “Liar.”
The word hung between them, and Aaron knew he wasn’t the only one in denial. He watched the surge of conflicting emotions play across Kenny’s face, feeling the truth in that one loaded word. He wanted more, but the fracture between them was too sensitive, too fresh to mend with one kiss. And somewhere, a part of him understood Kenny’s reluctance wasn’t rejection.
It was self-preservation.
Slowly, Aaron nodded, heart heavy but resolute. “I’ll go.”
He stood, Kenny’s hand falling from his shoulder, but he used it to grab Aaron’s, tighter than he should for someone telling him he didn’t want him. “I can drive you back.”
“Why? You think the boogie man is out there to get me?” Aaron stroked his thumb over Kenny’s knuckles. “He’s gone now. I dealt with him.”
“You did. Like a legend. But I can still drive you back to your room.”
Aaron held his gaze. Bit his lip. “I’m not going back to my room.” He let Kenny piece that together and, eventually, Kenny slipped his fingers from Aaron’s. “See you in class, doc.”
“See you in class, Aaron.”
Aaron meandered to the end of the driveway, glancing back to see Kenny still sitting there, watching him go, expression unreadable in the dim light. So he hummed. Dream a Little Dream Of Me. And each step he took away stretched the taut thread holding them together, thinner and thinner, but refusing to break.
And as Aaron sank into the night, he knew this wouldn’t be the last time they’d find each other at opposite sides of a door, struggling to bridge the gap between them. Not the last time their choices would drive them together, only to tear them apart. And, deep down, he understood they needed this time to sort through how they’ll deal with what came next.
Because Aaron wasn’t done here yet.
So he rounded the corner and Kenny’s porch light faded, but Aaron knew he was destined to come back here. Back to Kenny. Eventually. It was fate.
What it took to get there, though, was the real game.