Chapter Text
Aiden nodded along to Starchild's request, figuring it could be a relatively easy mission to do. He was bored laying around and doing nothing, doesn't help that Kyle was gone on his own mission for Lydia. “Aiden, it is very important you listen to me.” The boy snapped out of his thoughts, huffing. “Yeah yeah, I got it. All I have to do is grab the weird mushrooms and flowers from the forest and bring them back. It's a piece of cake.” He was all too confident in his abilities to find these herbs, not entirely understanding why this man was being so anxious.
Starchild shook his head, handing him back Aiden's map with markings of known herbs. “Be careful my child, these herbs are not ordinary. We are not aware of what will happen if you inhale or eat them. Which is why I want to study them, they are very delicate. So be careful and bring them back safely contained.” Aiden nodded firmly, grabbing the map and slipping into the side of the bag pocket. He put a thumbs up with a grin on his face. “You underestimate me and my abilities to be careful. When have I ever been dangerous?”
The man gave Aiden a look of knowing, arms crossed. “Need I remind you about your little incident last week?” Aiden's grin turned into a small pout, of course he would bring it up. “That was an accident! I didn't mean to damage our supplies or sorta destroyed the cave- it was a spur of the moment type deal. Not my fault my beast can barely be contained.” Starchild took a deep breath of self worth, something Aiden had been trying to conquer within himself lately.
“My child, I am more than happy to help you fight your demons. I have helped Kyle Crane, although he has yet to fully heal or if he will; I have seen improvements in his behavior. Perhaps, once you are done we can explore that option?” Aiden brushed off the suggestion, not needing another set of therapy. It wasn't like it worked anyways. He waved his hand, taking a step back to the exit. “I'm all good! I will definitely think about it, I'll let you know when I'm on my way back.” He didn't take the time to hear back from Starchild. He didn't want to go through his beast, he had heard it from Kyle that it wasn't the best experience.
Aiden walked out the section of the cave, waving to the nearby exiles. It felt weird not being feared by, it was like he was a part of their pack in a weird way. He did stay in the cave mostly, making it his second home aside; the first one will always be in Villedor. A place he had been missing way too much lately, especially the people. He huffed, shaking his head from the thoughts and hopped down from the ledge of the cave and walked out to the exit.
The light breeze hit Aiden's face, sniffing the fresh air with delight. It was always times like this that was precious and forgetful, knowing they were in a fucked up world. He took one good look at the surrounding areas, walking out from the shadows and into the bright, sunny light. He looked over the cliff, pulling out his map as he scanned through the marked off areas. “Okay- looks like we have a day ahead of us.” He mumbled to himself, seeing exactly three locations.
One was circled down into the river in the factory, great. Another in the forest close by the asylum, and the last one was circled around the park. Aiden groaned at the distance, pinching the bridge of his nose. Of course this man needed herbs from places that are far from each other. It was his lucky day. He decided to go to the forest, seeing that was going to be the most difficult out of the three.
Aiden put the map back into his back, stretching out his arms with a satisfying pop. With a roll to his shoulders, easing in the slight pain, he ran off down the hilly mountain. He reached for his weapon from his back, sliding it off with ease. He ran past the infected, some stragglers being close to him. He dodged their weak attacks, running down the dirt road that led into the farm lands. It wasn't a terrible spot, surely not. He remembers Kyle mentioning wanting to live on a farm, or somewhere secluded, maybe a cabin would be nice.
The man did like his privacy, hell, he even asked Aiden to come along with him as a joke. And Aiden wanted nothing more than to tell him he would for him. That he will stop everything in his life if it meant to be with Kyle. Aiden scoffed to himself, dodging the infected as he ran and spotted a truck. His mind couldn't afford to be distracted, especially not with thoughts of a man who had never shown interest in him. It was a sad experience, but one that he was confident he would get over.
Aiden made his way to the truck, seeing that it was guarded by a lonely infected. He smirked, raising his weapon and smashing the brains out of the infected with a satisfying swish. He watched as the brain matter hit the ground, his bat bloody and gleaming with hope. The infected fell down and Aiden very politely kicked it out of the way. He swung the truck's door open, sliding in and shutting the door. He turned the key, smiling as saw the fuel. “Fuck yeah! There we go baby, full tank.” It was very rare to find a truck with a full tank, but when he does find one, he will be keeping the damn thing.
He revved the engine, hearing it purr, before putting it into drive and dashing freely through the farmlands. The zombies didn't stand a chance against Aiden now, sure he would get some virals here and there but nothing like stopping the truck full force won't do the trick. He looked down at the GPS, very surprised it even worked let alone knows where he was heading to. Aiden decided not to question the logic behind it and kept driving.
It took way more time than Aiden had hoped for, with smashing zombies and going off road a few times to avoid the demolishers. He parked the truck in front of the forest, stepping out of the truck, landing onto his feet. He stood at the entrance, narrowing his eyes at the shadowy and dark forest. Aiden was used to creepy places, having dealt with plenty of nests and traveling the damn country. He's seen some truly fucked up things and he will never get rid of those images. However, the forest had this grasp on the man, it was something unsettling to him. As if something was lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce and attack him.
Aiden shivered due to the cool air, ears twitching to sounds of leaves and branches falling onto the ground. He gripped his weapon, all he needed to do was get in and get out; grab the herbs, dodge zombies, and leave. With one foot step in, he booked it down the rocky road, avoiding unnecessary encounters. The trees swished side to side, whistling in his ear that only made Aiden want to leave a lot sooner.
The trees closed in as he ran towards the asylum. He has never been there personally and he doesn't plan on going any time soon either. He remembers Kyle telling him about a mission he had to do for Lydia. On how he barely scraped by and that was mainly because of Lydia's ability to control the infected. His feet stopped momentarily in front of the building, it was unsettling. The building was in ruins, the windows barricaded by bars and the entrance with wooden planks. There was a loud screeching sound coming from the building, snarls and growls.
Aiden pursued his lips, his senses going off by the noises alone. He hated the volatiles, maybe it was because of fear or his beast wanting to dominate the valley. To Aiden it was ridiculous, he could care less but that part of him, the uncontrollable beast wanted to take and claim. He took a step to the side, eyes never leaving the broken down building until he finally decided to do the mission. The sooner he finishes this mission, the faster he can leave the forest.
He left further into the forest, dodging the trees and nearby infected. He squinted his eyes, using his flashlight to guide his way through the shadows and eventually came across a river, seeing the very flowers he needed on the other side. Aiden huffed, putting his weapon away and diving into the river. He swammed to the other side, managing his way onto the shore. He walked up to the strange, pink flowers. They were buddled up together, with little purple mushrooms surrounding them. The herbs gave off a powerful scent, making Aiden having to take a deep breath before squatting down to take the plants.
Aiden went to grab the flowers, causing the flowers to spit out a strange smoke against his face. He started coughing, inhaling the smoke, his cheeks burning. “What the hell-” he cursed, backing away from the flower. He scrunched up his face, his heart pounding, and he truly didn't know why. He felt his body burning, head reeling in until everything just died down suddenly. Aiden felt the heat leave almost immediately, however it still lingered deep inside him.
Aiden brushed it off, assuming it was some weird plant thing and it didn't actually cause him any harm. He picked up the flowers, stuffing them into a baggie he had brought and picked up the little mushrooms that surrounded the plant. He stuffed the baggie into his backpack, heading back into the river and on the other side of the shore. Aiden wasted no time in rushing back to the truck, not wanting to deal with any more weird and creepy instances with the forest.
Aiden kept having that feeling swirling in his chest, his throat burning from the coughing. It felt his senses becoming sensitive, his beast inside him barking at him to let it out. Even more questions and confusion came up, what the fuck was the deal with that flower? His beast was unpredictable, however this flower made it grow agitated. Internally he cursed at himself for not paying attention to Starchild's advice and warnings.
He made it to the truck, with a sigh of relief he left the forest. The trip to the factory was an experience to say for sure. His mind kept going back to Kyle of all people, admiring his looks, his voice and laughter. His stupid smile, even if he won't admit that he does actually have a heart. Aiden chuckled to himself, feeling his cheeks burn again. The boy had a crush on the older man, not a surprise but damn did Kyle have his mind going everywhere today.
Aiden gripped the steering wheel, turning a sharp corner and made his way to the bridge. He wondered what Kyle was doing, he didn't inform him about the mission he went on. Aiden wondered when he would be back, maybe if he was lucky Kyle would be coming back sweaty and hot. The boy felt his cheeks burn again, groaning at the lewd thought of his friend. “Fuck- get it together Aiden-” he told himself, believing these thoughts would come and go as normal. He didn't know about the day he would be having.
He ran over the bridge, making his way through the valley, smashing zombies and bandits alike. Once he made it to the factory, near the deep river bay, he parked the truck at the ledge. Aiden stepped out of the truck, making his way to the edge of the sidewalk. He gazed down at the river, the water being dark and murky, barely any sight of the bottom. He furrowed his brows, walking alongside the ledge, examining where exactly the herbs may be at.
Aiden continued to walk, occasionally fighting off the infected until he stopped once he found what he was looking for. There was a light glow in the water, a soft alluring shine, making Aiden almost entrance into the water. Aiden held his breath, moving forward as he dangled his feet over the edge. He needed to get that flower, needed it in a way he truly didn't understand. He dived down into the deep water, engulfing himself in water and following the glow eagerly.
The water swished around him, his breath being held as he dived deeper to the floor of the river. His hand touched the sandy ground, finger colliding with pebbles and known greenery. Aiden squinted his eyes, using his flashlight as another guide of light. He was more surprised these flashlights can survive underwater, but he wasn't going to question it. His main priority was to grab the flowers and go back up for air.
As his arms swished by his sides, legs pushing him towards glow, he swam closer to the flowers. He stopped in front of the flowers, the yellow flowers giving off some sort of hum. He felt his lungs giving out, quickly grabbing the flowers only for the thorns to prick his hand. He muffled his winced, looking back up to the surface and quickly swam to the surface.
He felt his hand throbbing in pain, ignoring it, he pushed himself upward. His air take was coming to a close, feeling his muscles burning with eagerness; maybe slight fear of losing his breath. Aiden's head poked out of the water, gasping for the sweet air. He started coughing, inhaling sharply as he looked down to the flowers in his hands. His hand was bleeding, the thorns stabbing him immensely. “Fuck- great, first the smoke and now I'm bleeding.” He grumbled, he moved his arms in a motion to swim to a ledge against the wall.
He climbed up on the ledge, leaning his back against the stone wall. His lungs felt like they were collapsing, coughing up some water as he placed the flowers to his side. He gazed down to his hand, pulling out the thorn with a small hiss. “Damnit-” he wheezed, seeing the blood drip down in the palm of his hand. Without thinking he brought his hand up to his mouth and licked the blood clean, oddly enough it tasted weird. He had his blood before more than once and it never tasted sweet. It always has that sour, metallic taste.
Aiden's eyes traced back to the flowers, the feeling from earlier coming back up. His head was already reeling from the lack of oxygen, but this– this made it worse. He felt that kind of affection building up his chest, his beast audibly making him whine of all things. Aiden quickly shut his mouth, biting down onto his lip harshly. He squeezed his hand, ignoring the pain he felt; it'd go away, it had to go away.
The flowers themselves were beautiful, yellow and shining against the sun. It was a quick thought, his mind going back to Kyle and wondering if the man had a favorite flower. It sounded silly to Aiden, a grown man like Kyle didn't look the type. It would be accurate if he were to bring him meat as an offering– an offering? Aiden scrunched up his brows, he was no animal. He was treating this as if he were courting the man, his beast surely wants to.
A deep grumble came from his throat, “Shut up- he doesn't like us-” he muttered to his beast. He had to keep moving or else he'll stay here till dusk and frankly he wants to finish this mission before nightfall. Aiden stood up, shaking off the water from his hair before grabbing the flowers and placing them into his bag. He looked up from his place, cracking his knuckles and jumping up to grab hold of the ledge. He pulled himself up onto the higher level, grunting as he climbed up and back onto his feet.
Aiden looked over to the other side, seeing his perfectly stable truck being overboard with zombies and he could sense a nearby demolisher making its way towards that exact spot. Great. He lost his only other transport and he had to travel across the damn valley to the camp. He sighed heavily, giving his legs a bit of a stretch before running towards the direction to the camp.
——
Aiden felt like shit. The moment he had arrived to retrieve the last herb, he had killed every damn infected. The herbs just had to be in a difficult area of the forest, being guarded immensely by virals and those spitters. Aiden refused to allow his beast to come out, he didn't want to lose control again. A bigger fear than he would like to admit. As he tore off the last infected, he wiped off the blood from his face with his shirt.
He panted heavily, hutched over the piles of the undead. His fingers twitched around his bat, eyes fiercely turning to the sounds of a wind. It sounded angelic, like a whisper of temptation. A beautiful set of purple flowers, a deep and rich flavor with little greenery surrounding the plant. They sat between an old wilting tree, the poor plant was the only thing alive. It had all of its color and life, something Aiden wanted so badly. It was an addiction.
Aiden stepped over the dead bodies, walking towards the dead tree. He didn't realize the dead branches or the whispers that surrounded him. He squats down in front of the flowers, tilting his head slightly at it. He reached for the flower and out of all of the herbs he had retrieved that day, this one was the most powerful. He grabbed it, watching the petals bloom right in the palm of his hands. His eyes sparkled as another puff of smoke just like the pink flowers, only this time was more in his face. He could taste the flower, smell it, hear it– it was one of the weirdest things he had experienced.
He inhaled sharply and suddenly the petals closed in on each again. The flowers closed together, leaving an alluring mist and a desire Aiden could only hope would be gone soon. “Aiden-” Aiden perked up, his head turning down to his pocket and grabbed his radio. He knew that voice, he recognized that beautiful and enriching sound. “Kyle!” He sounded excited, maybe too excited. He felt his beast burst, a sense of excitement and yearning.
The radio static and he could hear a small chuckle from the other side, only fueling that same kind of love and affection he craves. “Hey- I got word from Starchild that you were retrieving herbs for him?” Aiden smiled widely, placing the flowers into his bag as he quickly left the flowers. He didn't realize the kind of aroma he was producing, as he walked through the forest and his attention was fully onto Kyle. The infected didn't stir near, avoiding him as if he was the one infected.
“You called in just in time, I just grabbed up the last herb and headed back now.” Aiden walked down the hilly mountain, avoiding the infected with ease. His heart pounded against his chest, hearing his beloved mate– no, not his mate. Not yet. “I must be a lucky guy then. I just finished my mission for Lydia and heading to the cave too. I got some loot I figured you'd like, so be quick before I sell it off.” Kyle got something for him? Aiden felt like a dog receiving a treat and he wasn't complaining whatsoever. “Don't you dare sell it! On my way!” He shut off the radio and tucked it into the side pocket of the bag.
Before he knew it, Aiden was running. He had this sense of adrenaline coursing through his body. Aiden hadn't felt this free in a long time and he didn't even need to let his beast out, he was doing this on his own. As he ran past the camp, he dodged zombies and demolishers. They were always annoying to fight off or run from, always in his way especially when it comes to the different types. Aiden huffed heavily, pushing through his burst of energy as he left the camp and into the dirt road. He wanted nothing more than to see Kyle, it was something in the back of his mind telling him he has to see him.
Aiden grabbed a hold of a ledge from an apartment, pulling himself up and pouncing onto another rooftop. The sun burned against his skin, the breezy air hitting his face as he hopped from roof to roof. He could see the bridge going over the beautiful river, over seeing the mountains from afar. He was getting closer to the farmlands, his heart beating faster as he got closer. Aiden sniffed the air, ears twitching to the sounds of an engine. He looked down into the town, seeing a truck moving quickly and smashing its way through the bridge. Aiden knew that smell, he had its scent ever since he met the man. A toothy grin came across his lips as he hopped down and chased after the vehicle.
Aiden was right behind it, ending up on all fours for faster run time. It wasn't like he was intentionally trying to beat it, all he wanted to do was see his potential mate again. It sounded ridiculous but to his beast, it meant something. Unfortunately, the truck beat him to the cave while Aiden stayed back and fought off some infected that decided to get in his way. Aiden huffed heavily, stomping onto a zombie's head and wiped the blood clean off from his lips. He let out a small growl, eyes looking down at the dead body and a hungry clawing its way out.
Aiden shook his head, turning from the corpse and ran off again. He couldn't lose control now, he just can't lose it. His legs were burning, face sweaty, and god did he want to collapse into a bed and never wake up. As he ran across the dirt road, trying his best to avoid the infected and any other problems; he made it to the cave eventually. Aiden groaned loudly, hutched over with his hands on his knees. “Holy fuck- never running like that ever again.” He panted out, looking up and seeing the truck parked and empty. His eyes shifted to the entrance and that same burning he felt earlier lit up again.
His nose twitched to the smell of charcoal and wood, it was a distinctive smell. It smelled like the forest and hard labor, something Aiden had become obsessed with. Aiden pushed himself forward, slipping through the entrance of the cave and followed right up to the ladder and climbed up. It felt like a shift to the air, it smelled different, everyone looked different. Aiden scrunched up to the sight, his vision blurred with colors, barely visible but they were there. His head turned to voices, huffing to himself and ignoring the stares he received.
Aiden moved quickly, trying his best to ignore everything that was happening to him. He walked further into the cave, walking into the mushroom filled cavern. “Guess who's back and alive.” He teased, walking up to Starchild who seemed to be working on another project. Aiden slipped off his bag and grabbed up the bag full of the herbs and flowers, placing it on the table. This caught Starchild's attention, “Ah- thank you Aiden, I really do appreciate it. I hope it wasn't any trouble on your way getting these for me.” Aiden shrugged, sniffing slightly, it was the same smell, same earthly smell he so badly wanted to see again.
“I told you nothing I can't handle.” Aiden chuckled, “Though, I think those flowers are cursed or something. They kept spraying this dust at me and one of them stabbed my hand. It was weird-” Starchild looked up from the bags of flowers, eyeing Aiden carefully. He had this concern written on his face, squinting at him as he adjusted his glasses. “Aiden, what exactly do you mean? I told you to be careful with these herbs. We have no idea on what they are or how they can affect a person, let alone someone like you.”
Aiden huffed, crossing his arms as he stared down at the man. “I feel fine. It was just some dust and I didn't feel any affects, I think you're overthinking this sort of thing. Maybe it's not that bad?” He questioned, but this excuse didn't sit right with Starchild. “Aiden, these could be dangerous, who knows what can happen-” There were footsteps drawing near and voices, the same deep voice he heard earlier. Aiden perked up, the burning turned into flames in his chest as he turned around to see just the man he was destined for. “Kyle-” He whispered and all thoughts left his mind and body, the moment he saw him, he pounced.
“Kyle, Kyle, Kyle-” Aiden praised, dropping onto the man and pinning him to the ground. He held the man tightly who was more or so confused and red in the face. “Aiden- what the fuck-” Kyle breathed out, feeling the arms wrapped around him. Aiden didn't think, how could he when the love of his life was right here with him? It made perfect sense. “Kyle-” Aiden spoke again, burying his face into Kyle's neck and not letting go of the man. He needed to stay here with him, he needed– no, he wanted to keep him in his arms. It was something in his head, blinding him from the reality of it all. “I missed you so much. God, don't ever leave me again.”
Kyle looked over at Starchild with a desperate look, being squished to death by the kid. “Mind explaining to me why Aiden is acting like this? He's fucking squeezing me to death.” Aiden blocked out any noises other than Kyle's, he wanted only his voice and his voice alone. “It seems that our friend here may have inhaled some strange flowers. I told him to be careful but you know how Aiden is. I'm not entirely sure what the flowers did but it may have enhanced his emotions and seeing as he had grown attached to you-” he trailed off, eyeing Aiden who was still attached to the hip.
Kyle let out a groan, falling his head on the ground. “So what? Is he going to be acting like this from now on? He can't live like this!” Aiden didn't understand why his mate was upset over it, he was finally his and before he knew it they would be together and have a million pups together. Aiden liked that idea, eyes sparkling as he pulled from Kyle slightly and stared down at his mate. “My mate.” He leaned down and licked his cheek, causing Kyle to tense and squirmed out of his grasp once he was let loose.
“Fuck, Aiden-” Kyle scolded, scooted away from the man and wiping his cheek from the saliva. His face was flushed and Aiden couldn't help but whine, eyes flashing to smaller pupils. He wanted his mate, it needed him. “Kyle, I think you should be careful with Aiden for now. He may be experiencing some higher emotions and sensitivity at the moment. We don't want to cause him to lose control over himself, especially in the state he is right now.” Starchild warned, moving carefully towards Kyle to help him up. As soon as he tried to reach for the man, Aiden let out a beastly growl, eyes locked in onto the hand trying to touch his mate.
“Interesting. It seems his beast may have claimed you in a way Kyle.” Kyle's eyes widened as he looked over to Aiden, who was now perched in his heels and staring not at him but the hands. “Are you saying, this right now is not Aiden? I've seen his beast and felt it, this isn't that creature-” He tried explaining but all Aiden was focused on was trying to not bite that hand. “I'm not sure. He seems protective over you and clingy. I will have to do some research on these herbs and hopefully find a way to reverse the effects. For now, you need to take him somewhere else. He is not safe here and I highly doubt Lydia will want an emotional beast in the cave.”
Starchild backs away from Kyle, watching Aiden relax and go back to being a lovey dovey man. “It might be best for you to keep an eye on him. He does have an attachment to you and I fear any disturbance with that will cause him to go feral.” Kyle ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath before standing up and watching Aiden do the same. He narrowed his eyes at the man, who was itching to be close to Kyle. “Kyle-” Aiden whined, eyes swishing to a different shade of blue- was it blue? Or was it…pink? Oddly enough, Kyle could sense a difference in Aiden's behavior without Starchild's explanation.
“Fine. But you better be quick with it, I don't need him to be slobbering over me or anyone else.” Kyle sighed with frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose before eyeing Aiden down. “Come on, let's get you somewhere safe and away from people.” Aiden smiled widely, immediately stumbling towards Kyle and picking him up in his arms. He nuzzled his face into Kyle's hair, loving the fact he gets to smell him this close. His beast purred, ignoring the fact his mate was struggling to leave his arms and was speaking to him. It didn't care, he got to be with his mate, his forever mate.
Aiden carried Kyle away, not paying attention to the other colors in the room. His main focus was on the orange color in his arms, keeping him close and avoiding nearby colors. He didn't want anyone else taking Kyle away from him, he was his mate after all. As they left the cave, he put Kyle down who seemed to be relieved and embarrassed. “My mate, gorgeous mate- all mine.” Aiden praised proudly, watching the color turned brighter; everything was so much brighter and he loved it. His beast loved every second of it.
This was going to be a long day for the both of them.