Adrian Moretti (theneedtofeed) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2019-11-20 01:14:00 |
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Entry tags: | #january 2018, aaron, aaron x adrian, adrian |
Who: Aaron & Adrian
Where: Seaview
When: Early afternoon Sunday 01/07
Status: Complete
Adrian had been right. The walk back into town did suck. It was freezing out, he was tired and more than a little anxious now that someone had seen him eat a fucking deer like some wild animal. He hadn't recognized the man - not that he'd gotten a great look at him with the flashlight beam in his face for most of the duration - but he was almost certain he would recognize him if he saw him again. Adrian really hoped that would never happen. It was tempting to go straight to Seaview. It was closer than the cemetery and he was in desperate need of a shower. If he wasn't worried about his car he might have given into that temptation but everything he owned was in that car and that included his food and the damn beeper.
He was a damn mess when he finally parked the car outside of Aaron's place, shivering from the cold now that he was more human again, his skin itchy from where he hadn't been able to clean the blood off yet, his feet sore and his body aching. He'd slept on his own grave for hours, his body currently hated him. At least Aaron's house was warm still and he tossed his filthy clothes in the washing machine before taking a shower, only just barely managing to stay awake long enough to hang them up to dry. He hadn't wanted to stay at Aaron's place too often, scared that he was too easy to find there, but damn if today wasn't a good one to make an exception. Aaron's place was a mess but it was warm and his bed was soft. Adrian hadn't slept in it before but he did now because fuck it. He needed the comfort.
He woke up with a start to the sound of a key in the lock. It said everything about how on edge he was that the very quiet sound across the apartment managed to wake him and he was out of bed and with his knife in his hand in seconds, peeking out from behind the bedroom door wild-eyed and tense. For some reason he thought it'd be that guy from the night before but that didn't make much sense. More likely it was the people who were actually looking for him. That surge of panic was a reminder why he didn't get comfortable often. If he'd slept like he usually did, slipping out the window wouldn't be a problem, but he was naked and vulnerable and currently cursing himself for the fact.
Aaron had spotted Adrian’s car in his trailer’s short driveway when he’d gone out for lunch, and it had still been there when he passed by again. He knew Adrian didn’t like to leave it in plain sight, especially during the daytime hours, so it sparked a tiny bit of concern in him. He’d given Adrian a key and told him to make himself at home as much as he needed to, so it wasn’t really his business why he was there, but still. He was feeling more and more like a brother to Aaron, a brother that was in a heap of trouble, so naturally Aaron wanted to help him out.
After a brief stop at Caden and Roxy’s to raid the fridge a little, Aaron went back to his former home. He let himself in -- quietly, in case Adrian was asleep -- and closed the door behind him. A bit of guilt nagged him again at the state of the place. If he was going to sell it, he really needed to start working on cleaning up. But for the moment he just felt bad Adrian had to “live” in tons of messiness if he wanted a bed. Poor guy. “Adrian?” Aaron called softly into the house, moving toward the kitchen. He set the plastic bag in his hand down on the kitchen table. “It’s me, Aaron.”
Adrian breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Aaron's voice, although his heart was still beating too hard and fast for his liking. Last night had him rattled and it would take a while to get over it, he could just feel it. "Be right out," he said just loud enough to be heard, then grabbed a sheet off the bed to wrap around himself. Aaron really didn't need to see him naked. The knife stayed in the bedroom for now as Adrian headed out to the living room, giving Aaron a faint smile. "Hey, sorry, I really needed to do laundry." And shower. So much fucking blood. Aaron did not need to know that part. Adrian stopped himself from rambling, picking up on the smell of food. "Did you bring me lunch?" he asked, his smile widening a little.
For a strange split second, Aaron thought Adrian must have a girl back in the bedroom, to come walking out in a sheet like that. Maybe that was a hold-over from his own life, when he used to have plenty of girls in and out of that room. That was a sign of a normal life though, which Adrian definitely didn’t have. Laundry made more sense. “Aw dude, I’ve got like ... old sweats and stuff ...” he said, a small wave of embarrassment washing over him. Those sheets likely weren’t clean themselves. “Oh, uh, yeah! Roxy made some tamales the other night, we had a lot left over, so ...” Aaron gave a sheepish little grin and nudged the bag, then hurried toward the bedroom, dodging around Adrian. “Lemme find you some real clothes, man.”
"Nah it's cool," Adrian said hurriedly. "Mine are in the dryer," he gestured vaguely and shuffled across the room to get there. It was one of those instances where he wished nudity wasn't such a big deal, this guy was likely gonna marry his sister, they were practically brothers but... propriety, or whatever. "Have you seen Mila?" he asked when he'd made it to the dryer and started picking things out of there. His jacket was still hanging up to dry so that might take a while longer but at least the rest of his clothes were ready. His sister always felt like the right topic with Aaron, something they both cared deeply about, the one thing they for sure had in common.
Aaron stopped short, a bit relieved that Adrian’s clothes were ready. Not that he gave a shit about nudity, he just wasn’t positive that he had any actually clean clothes still at this place. He needed to do some laundry and to get rid of the stuff he didn’t ever wear anymore. While Adrian got his clothes out, Aaron went back to the food bag to unload it, needing something to do with his hands. “Not yet today,” he said, shaking his head a bit. “Yesterday though. Her par-- I mean, uh ... your parents, like to hang out with her after church, y’know ...” Aaron trailed that sentence off into a sheepish murmur, kicking himself for that slip. “She was good yesterday,” he added, glancing over at Adrian.
Adrian had always hated going to church. It was just so boring, especially as a kid who wanted to be outside, running around and burning off some of that endless energy he'd had back then. It was weird to suddenly miss it now and his chest hurt when he thought of how their old church was gone and there were no signs of rebuilding it yet. "I'm surprised mom lets her out of her sight at all," he admitted with a faint smile. Getting dressed made him feel a little calmer. He might not have his boots on but he was less vulnerable now that he wasn't naked. He took the sheets back to the bedroom and flipped his knife closed before pocketing it. There. Even less vulnerable now. Joining Aaron in the kitchen again he eyed the food hungrily. "Thanks for that," he muttered, nodding toward the containers. "Haven't had tamales in... Forever. How's Roxy doing?"
Church was a big deal in Aaron’s life, or at least it had been, but he hadn’t been searching it out lately. The services had been moved to a temporary location in town, with some new substitute priest, but Aaron hadn’t gone since the church burned down. Granted, he’d been preoccupied with numbing out all of his feelings, but still. He probably needed more God in his life. “No problem, man,” he murmured. Aaron opened cabinets until he found some stored plates and pulled one down, bringing it to Adrian so he could serve up his own plate. The food was cold, but the microwave worked, Aaron knew that very well. He plopped down in one of the kitchen chairs, slipping his hands into his pockets. “She’s okay,” he answered, then gave a little huff and a smile. “Prob’ly sick of me. Her and Caden are engaged now, that shocked the shit out of everybody. Didn’t think it would ever happen.”
Adrian had never been close to any of the Lucas boys but he knew about plenty of their drama through Mila so he at least knew that this was a big deal. He arched his brows in surprise, then nodded approvingly. He wasn't even sure if it was a good thing or not but it was just so nice to hear normal life news and it didn't get much more normal than people getting engaged. Sure, it brought up bad memories but these days, what the hell didn't? He fixed himself a plate then leaned against the counter while he waited for the microwave minutes to tick on by. "I'd think you'd be sick of them too by now, how long are you planning on staying with them?" Aaron had a nice place of his own - however messy it might be - and he seemed to be doing a lot better so it was a fair question to ask.
It was a good question, and it made Aaron smile and feel sheepish at the same time. He shrugged a bit because he didn’t really have a timeline. “Me and Mila talked about moving in together somewhere soon,” he said, hoping that Adrian was on board with that idea. Now that he was back from the dead and all, Aaron was sure his opinion would matter to Mila. Maybe not enough to stop her if he disapproved, but some. “Somewhere not Seaview, of course. So ... I gotta get back to work and get some savings up ... sell this place ... help Mila sell hers. I’d be happy with just an apartment, but a little house would be nice too. Maybe a month or two more, I guess.”
"Oh yeah?" Adrian murmured, pleasantly surprised by that. "Man, she needs to get out of mom and dad's house. I mean, I love them but they're overbearing at the best of times. I can't even imagine how much mom is hovering over Mila right now." He had been somewhat surprised to find she could go outside alone at all but she wasn't a teenager anymore so maybe that was silly. She'd only been twenty-two when he went missing, technically an adult but at the same time not really - at least not in the eyes of Maria Moretti. "I hope you guys find somewhere nice and not haunted," he added, wishing that was just a bad joke.
Adrian didn’t look like he thought that was a fucking stupid idea, or like he hated the idea of Aaron and Mila living together, so that was a relief. Aaron didn’t think he’d given Adrian much reason to hate him, but there was the pill problem, and you just never knew with protective big brothers. He knew how that felt, and Kat hadn’t been through nearly what Mila had. Aaron gave a little laugh and leaned back in his chair a bit. “Yeah, no shit,” he murmured. “We’ll do our best. But yeah, she is. Mrs. Moretti, hovering, I mean.” He had the dumb urge to blurt out that they’d had sex on Mila’s childhood bed regardless of hovery parents, but Aaron caught himself. “But when it’s just us, you can come visit more,” he offered instead.
"Do you guys get along?" Adrian asked, turning to get the plate out of the microwave, stopping it just before it started its abominable beeping. "You and mom, I mean. She's a bit overprotective so if she's treating you okay then that's good news." He wouldn't be surprised if she wouldn't. Hell, Aaron could marry Mila and Maria wouldn't fully accept him until he'd given her grandchildren - if then. Adrian didn't think anyone was ever going to be good enough for her kids and that pressure had doubled now that she only had one left.
“She hated my guts for a while there,” Aaron answered with a chuckle that wasn’t entirely comfortable. “While Mila was missing, she thought I did something to her. Killed her, I guess.” Just like Adrian had, only Mrs. Moretti hadn’t taken him down like a linebacker and tried to stab him. Aaron wasn’t going to directly remind Adrian of that though. “But then Mila came back, and I think she likes me now. At least more than she did. Or she feels bad and she’s just being nice, I dunno. I get to see Mila a lot, that’s all I care about.” Aaron knew her parents were important to her, but he didn’t feel like they could get in the way of his and Mila’s relationship. She could be stubborn when she wanted to be.
Adrian didn't need the reminder, his expression going sheepish for a second before he managed to pull himself together. He'd been ready to kill Aaron when he first got back, he'd believed the whispers around town that he'd hurt Mila and now it just seemed so outlandish to even consider it. Aaron so clearly loved Mila and so far he'd done nothing to make Adrian think he was even capable of hurting her. At least not physically. He cleared his throat, grinning again as Aaron kept talking. "You just keep being a good boyfriend to my sister and mom will eventually love you," he told him as he moved to sit down with his food. "It might take forty years but she will."
Aaron didn’t have any hard feelings toward Adrian or Maria Moretti -- he knew they’d just been scared and worried about Mila. He would’ve felt pretty crazy and violent too if he’d thought someone specific had done something to her. He was happy that she had people who cared about her that much, everybody needed that. Aaron laughed and shook his head ruefully. “That’s my plan, bein’ a good boyfriend,” he said, still smiling. God, he loved her. “Though I hope she’s okay with most of that forty years being like ... good husband instead.” Because he definitely planned to marry Mila, no matter what anybody else said about it ... though he did want Adrian to approve, he’d discovered. His opinion mattered more than Aaron’s own brothers’, somehow.
"I'm sure she'd prefer that," Adrian replied and it was one of those little things he was clinging to, that if something... no, when something happened to him, at least Mila would be well taken care of. He'd just have to make sure Aaron didn't go on a stupid camping trip for his bachelor party but he wasn't about to bring that up now. That was nothing but bad memories and he doubted he had to tell Aaron not to do that. Mila would forbid something like that in a heartbeat because that was her bad memory too. "You just take good care of her, man. I'm counting on you." He hummed happily when he started eating, there hadn't been a lot of home cooked meals in his life for the last few years and Roxy's cooking was apparently awesome.
Aaron beamed, because that was the only thing he wanted to do anymore. He just wanted to take care of Mila and make sure they were both okay. Adrian too, but he had far less influence there. It was hard to worry too much about it when they were sitting down and Adrian was obviously enjoying the food he’d brought. If he really had to eat all the time, he needed a girl like Roxy with him who loved to cook for people. Aaron’s jeans had gotten tighter in the waist since he’d been living with them, that was for sure. “So how’re you doing?” he asked, settling his hands in his front hoodie pocket. “Car running okay?”
The first question was a tricky one and Adrian was relieved when Aaron followed up with one that was easier to answer. "It's running like a dream," he said with a crooked smile in between bites. "I still wanna pay you but I guess I'll just owe you a favor down the road." He gave Aaron a pointed look, quirking a brow at him. He'd tried to give him money but Aaron had been stubborn about it which was both sweet and infuriating. Then again it wasn't like Adrian had a steady revenue so saving money was definitely a good thing. As was free food and it was a bonus when it tasted this good. He realized he might never have eaten cooked food again if things had gone a different way the night before and that just made him appreciate Roxy's cooking even more.
It was second nature to Aaron to deflect from emotional questions, even if he asked them himself, so much so that he didn’t even notice it. The Lucases didn’t talk about their feelings as a rule. He really did care how Adrian was though, and he noticed that he didn’t answer that question. “Favors are better than money,” he said with a smile. Aaron didn’t feel like Adrian really owed him anything, but if the other man felt like he did, maybe he was even more likely to stick around. He didn’t know yet if Adrian’s worry about the people after him was reasonable or if he was overly paranoid, but Mila needed him close by. And Aaron wanted Mila to have what she needed. “I’ll just keep that one tucked in my back pocket for now. You never know what’s coming, I've learned that shit more than anything, I think.” Aaron chuckled faintly, though it wasn’t really funny.
Adrian felt a flash of worry at that because yeah, that was true, and they both owed a big favor to a creepy man who might just be the devil himself. Or a devil at least. Fuck. "You hold onto that," he agreed, his smile a little strained. "You might need it." He wished he could repay it by freeing Aaron of his promise, it really wasn't fair that they were both on the hook for this. "And not just 'cause I owe you. Mila loves you so you're like family to me." It surprised him a little how quickly he'd started believing Aaron really loved Mila, that he was good for her. He'd always thought he'd be more skeptical of any boyfriend she had. Then again the two of them had been through a lot together already and maybe Adrian was just desperate for something to go right.
That was more touching than Aaron would’ve expected, and he felt some mixed emotions fill the back of his throat. He loved his brothers and sister, of course, he wasn’t out wishing for a whole new family, but Aaron had all kinds of insecurities about family obligations and thinking that his brothers didn’t really love him back that much. At least not in the way he wanted them to. He smiled and swallowed, nodding a bit. “I love her more than anything, so you’re like family to me too,” he said. “So ... y’know, mi casa es su casa and all that. If you need like, anything I can give, don’t hesitate.” Aaron wasn’t sure how much Adrian would take him up on that, but Aaron would happily keep fixing his car and giving him a roof if he needed one. “I’ll do my best to take care of her,” he added, more quietly. “I promise, Adrian.”
"I know you will," Adrian said and yet again it struck him as pretty damn amazing how he didn't doubt Aaron at all. It was in the way he looked at Mila, the fact he hadn't run away after everything that had happened, something else Adrian couldn't put a finger on but it was there all the same, making him sure Aaron wouldn't fuck Mila over. "And I'm already mi-casaing the hell out of su casa so uh, no worries there." He needed to make things a little lighter and he grinned at Aaron as he spoke. Aaron's words weren't just empty promises, he was already doing all of that for Adrian in letting him stay in his place, letting him do laundry, letting him shower. Without this little sanctuary Adrian wasn't sure how he would ever have gotten clean after that horrific meltdown the night before.
That faith in him didn’t help the fullness in Aaron’s throat any. It was another thing he was lacking from his blood family. It made him want to hug Adrian tight, but that was probably out of line, so he didn’t. He could read the room enough to know he shouldn’t get all sappy about it, so he just smiled back at his brother-in-law. Aaron did his best to swallow down everything he was feeling, stretching his arms up and back with a little groan to ground himself more in his body instead of his heart. “So like ... anything else you need, man?” he asked. “Toothpaste, snacks, blankets, shit like that?” He was assuming Adrian would be back out in the world in his car soon, no matter how many times Aaron told him he could stay here. “You want me to try and bring Mila over before you head off again?”
Adrian shook his head at the offer of those random things that he was already stocked up on but then the mention of Mila made him feel like he suddenly had blood all over him again and she'd see it and ask him what happened. It was dumb though and he wanted to see her so he nodded. "It's hard to catch her alone," he admitted. "And I can't just text her." A morbid part of him thought it'd be good to see her soon, just in case the stranger from the night before decided he did want to track him down and kill him after all - or out him to the world as the monster he was. He didn't have any real reason to, he could have shot him right then and there if he wanted him dead, but Adrian still fretted. A stranger knowing he wasn't human just set him on edge.
It occurred to Aaron belatedly that Mila wouldn’t want to come to Seaview at all, even to see Adrian. She would probably do it if that was the only way, but Aaron thought he could figure out something better. He felt guilty for a second for forgetting -- it was hard to think of the place they’d lived for so long as a miserable place for her to be. “She doesn’t like to come here though,” he told Adrian apologetically, wrinkling his nose. “It upsets her. Damn. ... I can always take her out, meet you somewhere so you two could go for a drive or something.” Aaron figured they would want some privacy to talk and all. There weren’t a lot of options when one person had to avoid being out in public completely, especially in the wintertime.
"Yeah, s'cool," Adrian murmured, wishing they could meet up at Joyland and have a nice cup of coffee in public like nothing was wrong. "I don't need to talk to her alone," he added with a little smile. "So if you wanna hang out too that's alright. We can park somewhere, doesn't have to take long." He just wanted to see her, a physical reminder of why he was hanging on when sometimes it felt like it'd be so much easier to just let go - whatever the hell that looked like. "You know, I could help you guys clean your places up for when you sell them or give them up or whatever." He had no idea if they were renting or if they'd somehow bought those places, not that they were particularly upscale, but he knew they didn't want to live there anymore and both places really needed cleaning. Mila's place would be easier, it was just the blood and some dusting, Aaron's place was... a mess. Adrian wouldn't be doing that by himself because he had no idea what Aaron wanted to do with half the things scattered around.
Aaron wasn’t sure if Mila would be satisfied with some brief hangout in a dark parking lot, but if that was the best they could do, that was the best they could do. It made him wish that his whole family knew about Adrian being alive and real, so they could use Gavin’s house to meet at. Neutral ground. But none of them had believed Aaron when he’d first seen Adrian, and he hadn’t tried to tell any of them the truth again. It wasn’t their secret to know, and part of him felt kind of selfish about it. Adrian was Mila’s brother and his pseudo-brother, not theirs. They were mean about the baby, so they could fuck off. He looked surprised at the offer of cleaning help, and then laughed a bit. “Aw man I appreciate it, but I wouldn’t wanna like, burden you with this mess,” he said, glancing around them. “I wrecked it, I oughta clean it all up. I know Mila would appreciate help with hers though, she doesn’t wanna set foot back in Seaview if she can help it.”
Adrian looked around as Aaron spoke, scratching the back of his head and grinning. There wasn't that much junk in the kitchen itself but it was pretty bad. "Okay, I wouldn't really know what to do with all this stuff," he admitted. "But I can clean her place up, maybe start packing her things. Trust me, it's not a hassle. It's not like I have a whole lot of other stuff going on." He didn't want Mila to come back to Seaview either, not after what she'd been through. He felt protective of her, maybe overly so, but he felt entitled. Not a lot of people had literally been tortured in some hellish dimension. "But if you need help with all this-" he handwaved vaguely. "You just let me know."
Given what Adrian had said before, Aaron had figured he would want to keep any time in Seaview as brief as he could, concerned as he was that there were people after him who might track him down at any second. But if he could relax that a bit, Aaron saw that as a good thing. “I will,” he answered, giving Adrian a warm smile back. “Did Mila give you a key to her place?” He started to dig out his key ring from his coat pocket -- since Mila herself wasn’t there, Aaron didn’t really need a key to her mobile home, and he was pretty sure she didn’t mind Adrian having one. “I’m sure she’ll really appreciate the help.”
It probably wasn't a good idea to get too involved but Adrian wanted to help and with Mila's house and that was something he could do at night by himself. "No," he replied, keeping the fact he'd still gotten in there to himself since Aaron didn't need to know he was literally breaking into houses now. ...Of course Aaron already knew that to an extent since Adrian had broken the doorknob to his brother's house but this was different. "Thanks," he said when Aaron handed him the key. "How about I just leave it here when I'm not using it, in case you need to go there." He twirled the key and set it down on the kitchen table.
“That works,” Aaron agreed easily enough. He rubbed his palms on his jeans and glanced at the progress Adrian was making on the tamales. He felt not good at small talk all of the sudden, and realized that most people who weren’t Mila didn’t bother to talk to him for this long. “Well uh ... I’ve got a couple errands to run, I’ll check with Mila about getting out today,” he offered. “And I guess I’ll page you when we’re on the way. If not, I’ll stop back by, that sound all right?” God, he wished Adrian would just get a burner phone -- trying to communicate to a pager was just archaic now.
"Page me if she wants to come," Adrian replied. "We can meet in the library parking lot, it's closed on Sundays so there won't be people around." He was well aware of how uncomfortable the beeper was and so it was better to hash out at least a part of the plan in person if they could. "How are you doing, by the way," he muttered belatedly. "With the pain and pills and everything." It was uncomfortable how it both felt like none of his business and yet... He guessed he was making it his business since he gave a shit about Aaron but it still felt like he was overstepping. Aaron was clearly sober today at least, that was something.
He wasn’t great at planning things, so Aaron nodded with some relief at Adrian’s instructions. That made sense. And he had no doubt that Mila would want to see her brother if she could get away. She had her own car and could arrange the meeting herself, naturally, but it felt like a nice thing for him to do for her, and Aaron wanted to drown her in nice things lately, for obvious reasons. He smiled faintly at Adrian’s question and gave a little shrug. “I’m doing okay,” he said. It was mostly true. He hadn’t felt great for several days after he’d let Adrian keep his medication, and the pain was a constant thing, but it was bearable. “No drinks, no pills ... some weed now and then, but.” Another shrug. “I’m makin’ it.”
Adrian still had his pills and he did wonder if going off them was premature but that was Aaron's decision and the fact he wasn't willing to risk going down a bad path spoke volumes of his dedication to Mila. "Weed is fine," he said with a shrug. "As long as you're not one of those paranoid crazies when you smoke." He doubted it, Aaron probably wouldn't keep going back to it if it made him feel worse instead of better. He finished off the tamales and pushed the plate aside, giving Aaron an easy smile. "I'd say give my thanks to Roxy but, you know... Just make sure to tell her she's a great cook."
“Nah,” Aaron assured him with a lopsided grin. He just got sleepy and horny and hungry when he was stoned, sometimes really giggly, the basics. He wasn’t sure if Adrian was asking after him because he honestly cared or just didn’t want Mila involved with a blossoming junkie, but Aaron decided not to think too much about it. He’d done the right thing, even if it sucked sometimes and he wanted to scratch all his skin off because he wanted a pill so bad. Those times were happening less and less, thankfully. “I’ll tell her, while I claim I ate ‘em all,” he said, laughing a bit. Aaron got up to fetch the dish the leftovers had been in and rinsed it off in the sink to carry home. “We’ve almost always got somethin’ left over in the fridge, I’m gonna miss that. I love Mila to death, but she can burn water, I swear.”
"Aww man, she still can't cook?" Adrian laughed. "I don't get it," he added with a shake of his head. "A lot of stuff today is pretty much just... follow the instructions on the box. I don't know how she can fuck that up." He'd never had to cook when he lived at home but he'd learned pretty fast when he went away to study. Not getting a home cooked meal every night - some special a la Maria Moretti - had been painful so he'd needed to make that up to himself. He'd never be as good as his mother but that really was her fault for not teaching him. "How about you? Can you cook?" he asked and it was premature, sure, but he was thinking of any future kids they might have and just how fucked they'd be if Aaron was as bad of a chef as Mila.
Aaron laughed a bit himself, though it was full of affection. He didn’t need Mila to be a top-notch chef, he loved her no matter what. But it was cute that Adrian already knew it was a thing, like she’d tried and failed plenty of times at home before she’d even grown up. Poor thing. “I mean, she can manage some really simple stuff,” he said, wanting to give her some credit while she wasn’t there to defend herself. “I just think she gets impatient and flustered sometimes. I’m not much better, honestly. I can grill stuff, but I don’t like ... cook a lot for myself. Probably should.” He wiped off the dish and then clapped Adrian on the shoulder with his free hand. “Gonna head out now, dude, I’ll probably see you later, yeah?”
"Yeah, just text me," Adrian replied and there was a moment where that little shoulder clap made him weirdly emotional. He missed people, he really, really missed people. Seeing Mila every now and then wasn't enough to make up for all the daily bustle he'd been used to before the infamous camping trip that turned his life upside down. He held it together because it was just a small shoulder touch, smiling at Aaron despite that lump in his throat. "I'll be around."