Valentine’s Day

The next two weeks of school were tiring to say the least. Getting used to the new classes while being the center of everyone's attention and gossip was hard enough but coping with the wheelchair was even worse. The weekends turned into two days of complete rest which was also frustrating. Aiden felt extremely tense after the doctor at one of his checkups told him it would be another four weeks until he could remove the leg cast and walk as well as another six to eight weeks for his ribs to heal. He had been in a terrible mood ever since.

On Saturday morning, Aiden woke up naturally with no alarm. Even with the curtains pulled closed, there was still sunlight beaming through the edges of the fabric. He was surprised that Derek was already up since they'd usually end up waking each other unintentionally because they slept so close. Every move one of them made would inevitably be felt by the other. Aiden didn't mind though. He liked knowing that Derek was right by his side.

He yawned and stretched his arms but didn't bother getting out from under the blankets. He was warm and comfortable and it's not like he could do anything on his own anyway.

A few minutes later, Aiden heard the door open and turned to see Derek walking in with a tray full of food. There were waffles with fresh fruit and honey, chocolate covered strawberries, a glass of orange juice, and a cup of tea that was still steaming. When Derek got closer. Aiden could see flour on his shirt.

"Oh. My. Gosh. Did you cook?!" Derek set down the tray on Aiden's lap after he sat up. Dusting off the flour he said,

"Yes. Is that so surprising?"

"Yes!" Aiden answered honestly and nodded. "But what's the occasion?" The tops of Derek's ears flushed red.

"...It's Valentine's Day." Aiden's eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. He had completely forgotten that Valentine's Day was even a holiday. He never had any reason to celebrate it so it slipped his mind. Not only did Derek remember but he also cooked him breakfast and personally delivered it to him in bed.

"I'm so sorry! I forgot!" Derek chuckled.

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I actually forgot too until Mr. Hudson asked me last night if he and Mrs. Hudson could have the day off for an impromptu surprise date he was planning. I've never done anything for anyone on Valentine's so I just looked it up online and breakfast in bed was a common thing."

"Where's yours?" Aiden asked.

"Still downstairs," he said while pointing a thumb at the door.

"Hurry and go get it! I wanna eat together!" Derek obediently left and moments later, returned with a similar tray of food, only he had coffee instead of tea. He sat down next to Aiden and they ate their breakfast. Aiden was thrilled. It tasted delicious although not as good as Mrs. Hudson would make it but he kept that part to himself.

After the meal, Derek helped Aiden like usual and carried him downstairs when they were done. The house was quiet since no one else was there. Aiden was gently set down on the couch and then Derek sat down next to him.

"Is there anything you want to do today?" Derek asked.

"Hm? I'm kind of limited in what I can do. Maybe we could watch a movie or play some games. I don't know which ones though."

"Well we've got time so why not both? Any preference for movies?"

"Anything but romance."

"Alright." Derek got up, grabbed the remote, and began looking for a movie to watch. What they settled on was a mystery thriller.

During the course of the movie, Aiden had pulled his legs up onto the couch and leaned over onto Derek. Then, Derek turned to the side and pulled Aiden onto his lap before putting his own legs up and then settling Aiden in between them. With his back to Derek's torso, Aiden could lay his head back on Derek's shoulder. Every once in a while, he'd nuzzle his face into the side of Derek's neck.

The movie lasted a little less than two hours. As the credits were rolling, the two of them tried to decide what they'd do next. They had to consider not only entertainment but their food plans as well. There was still time before lunch and Derek suggested they order in to which Aiden agreed. Thinking Mrs. Hudson might have a stroke if she found out they had take-out for two meals in a row, Aiden then suggested that he and Derek could cook dinner together that evening.

Next, they needed to find a way to pass the time.

"How about strip poker?" Aiden offered with a smirk.

"Denied," Derek immediately shot him down. "What about a game of chess?"

"Chess? Really? I actually don't remember ever playing chess. But it's no fun if we just play the game so we should make a bet to make it more interesting.

"...Okay but nothing that involves removing our clothes."

"Yeah, yeah. So, if I win you have to kiss me and if you win, I have to kiss you."

"Then no matter who wins we still end up kissing."

"Precisely. It's brilliant!" So, with everything settled, Derek retrieved the chess board and the game started. Piece by piece they both started clearing the board in an attempt to win. Neither one could take the lead and things stayed pretty even. Halfway through the game they had to stop and order their lunch but they soon resumed playing.

It didn't take too long after that for them to run into a problem. Derek looked at the board with a curious expression and then looked up at Aiden.

"So, what now?"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Aiden checked, double checked, and triple checked but it didn't change anything. "How could we tie?! What are the odds of that?"

"So I guess this means the bet is invalid." Aiden gasped. That's right. The bet was on who would kiss whom depending on who won but if the game ended in a tie then technically no one won. He wasn't about to give up the chance for a kiss.

"Hm, nope, it's not invalid. We just go with a third option."

"And that would be?" He asked but he could guess what Aiden had in mind.

"We kiss each other at the same time."

"Is that how that works? I don't think it is." Derek raised an eyebrow and Aiden shrugged.

"It is now." After moving the chess board, Aiden made a beckoning motion with his finger. Derek sighed but smiled and moved closer. When their faces were just an inch apart, he stopped.

"So what happens if our timing is off?" Aiden huffed and grabbed Derek's face with both hands.

"Oh shut up already!" Then, he kissed him. It started out as a rather reserved kiss but slowly intensified. Their tongues entwined and their breath warmed the air around them. Before either of them knew it, they were both breathing heavily and wrapped around each other.

"...We should…stop now, Aiden," Derek said breathlessly. Aiden groaned and looked longingly at Derek. He really didn't want to stop. It was torture.

"I know but…no, you're right." He pouted and looked away. Derek brushed Aiden's hair back and gently kissed him on the cheek. The two of them separated to opposite sides of the room as if they didn't trust themselves to actually stop if they stayed close to one another. "I hope you're prepared because we're spending my entire birthday in a hotel room," Aiden added. Derek was speechless causing Aiden to smirk triumphantly.

The rest of the day passed peacefully with them spending the entire time alone together. They watched another movie, played more games, and cooked dinner together which turned out amazing. Derek used to think he'd find spending time in such a way mundane but that was far from reality. Every second spent with Aiden by his side was special. To think, just a few months ago, he never would have imagined such a thing happening. He was glad it did though.

That night, after helping Aiden get ready for bed, Derek went to take a shower. He spent a really long time in there doing who knows what. By the time he got back to the room, he was somewhat grateful to find that Aiden was already asleep. As he moved the blankets, he smiled helplessly when he noticed that Aiden was hugging the pillow that Derek always used.

It was tricky but Derek eventually managed to switch places with the pillow. Aiden didn't wake up but snuggled closer in his sleep. After wrapping the blankets around them both, Derek leaned down and kissed the top of Aiden's head and whispered goodnight before closing his own eyes and drifting off to sleep as well.