Sound and Touch

It was several months after moving to Haven Hollow before Aiden and Ryker started socializing in the city. The first few times they went to Club X, they noticed the DJ. Ryker mentioned off-handed that he thought remembered him from his time in fighting. It made Aiden paranoid that maybe the DJ was one of the fighters his brother employed and he was sent to find him. He clung to Ryker's arm and Ryker told him softly that it was okay, that he wouldn't let anyone hurt him.

When they actually met the DJ, Tobin Cass, it was pretty clear that he wasn't from his brother's pool of muscle headed idiots. Tobin was loud and funny but he also had a similar sadness to him that Aiden noticed in Ryker.  Tobin started hanging out with them when he wasn't working. He and Ryker would fight some but in a playful way. Having Tobin around seemed to make Ryker happy and what made Ryker happy, made Aiden happy.

On the rare occasion that Ryker was out and Aiden was lonely he would call up their friends, but it always felt overwhelming. Tox was just so full of energy and Tobin and Tox together was so much energy that by the time they left, Aiden was exhausted. He appreciated how they would come and hang out but it wasn't something he had the energy for too often.

On one of Ryker's longer sojourns, Aiden didn't call anyone. He got lonely and sad, but he also couldn't bring himself to even put up the energy to call for their friends to come to join him. He was sat in the window of their apartment watching the lights over Haven Hollow, curled in one of Ryker's hoodies, when a knock came at the door.

Aiden stared at the door, thinking for a moment that the didn't hear it, that he was imagining it. Then another knock. Fear zinged up his spine and he slipped out of the window and quietly moved toward the door, snagging a bat from next to the couch just in case he needed to defend himself. He rocked up onto his toes to look through the peephole.

There stood Tobin with a few bags of groceries and a bag of food from one of the local restaurants. He was alone.

"Aiden?" He called just as Aiden went to creep away from the door and pretend he wasn't there. "I brought dinner and some groceries. I don't know if you need them or not. Haven't seen Ryk is a minute so I thought you might could use the company."

Aiden cussed under his breath and opened the door, eyeing the deer. "You didn't need to do that."

"No, but I wanted to." Tobin smiled and waited for him to move so he can go in. "I figured you could use some low key company."

Aiden eyed him and kept just out of reach of the other Knitten. "Have you heard from Ryker? Is that why you came by?"

"Nope," Tobin replied as he unbagged the groceries. "I figured if I haven't seen you in a week, that means that you're probably home alone. I got a little worried so I thought groceries were in order."

Aiden was lifting one of his ears to listen to him. He was suspicious of Tobin and wanted to keep his eyes on him. They didn't hang out alone, this was weird. Tobin had his back to him and was humming to the music that was just sort of playing from his headphones. Tobin's ease helped Aiden relax a little.

"I got your usual order from the vegetarian place we usually get stuff from," Tobin said, pulling plates down. "I also got a movie if you're up for that."

"You really just decided to do this on your own?" Aiden asked, watching him.

"I guess I was lonely?" Tobin shrugged some. "Xav's out of town, Tox has disappeared and... Well, my other friends are busy."

Other friends. Aiden always forgot that Tobin hung out with Lucifer and Hunter and their ilk as well. He wasn't sure why Ryker tolerated that from Tox and Tobin. Loyalty was important and it was weird to him that Ryker didn't ask that of his friends.

Tobin set food out on the bar top and set to getting them drinks. "You okay there, Ai?"

Aiden jumped a bit at the use of 'Ai' to get his attention. Only Marcus called him 'Ai.' He wrinkled his nose some.

"Why did you call me that?" Aiden moved toward the bar counter.

Tobin shrugged some. "I like nicknames. It took me forever to get people to call me Toby, so... Do you not like being called Ai?"

"My cousin calls me that." Aiden climbed carefully into the bar seat.

"Oh." Tobin frowned some. "I don't know a lot about your family, but is your cousin one of the good ones or the bad ones?"

Aiden lifted his ear with the back of his wrist again and tilted his head. "Marc's a good one. The good one."

Tobin nodded some and stayed on the other side of the bar island to eat. "I am pretty sure I have a bunch of cousins, but I ain't met any of them."

"I always forget you're an orphan." Aiden frowned some, dropping his ear to eat.

"Do you have trouble hearing?" Tobin asked with a tilt of his head, and lifted his hand like how Aiden had held his. Aiden blushed a bit at this.

"Yes." He snapped a bit. "I don't appreciate you pointing it out."

Tobin held his hands up in a way to calm him. "Whoa, whoa. It's cool. I only ask cause my ma was. I remember some sign but not like a lot."

Aiden tilted his head some. Tobin didn't offer up about his family often and Aiden was confused by what he was talking about.

"Sign?" Aiden asked, taking a bite of his food.

"Yeah, y'know?" Tobin did something with his hands but Aiden didn't get it. "It's like... talkin with your hands? Ma lost her hearing before I was born and Pa made sure I learned how to talk and sign. Though I don't remember a whole lot about either of 'em."

"I didn't know that there was a hand language." Aiden replied, eating his food.

"I'd offer to teach ya but I'm about as smart as a pile of bricks and I don't remember a bunch of it," Tobin replied and started eating his food now that Aiden was actually eating.

"Who told you that you were stupid?" Aiden asked, tilting his head some.

Tobin stopped mid-bite and his teal eyes met Aiden's ice blue. He put his food back down and shrugged, looking down.

"It ain't no one person, Ai--den," He replied, moving the food around on his plate. "I know I'm dumb."

Aiden frowned and shook his head. "I don't get it. You're very good with emotions and music. I'd say you're not stupid, Toby."

Tobin looked up at the use of his nickname and smiled some. "Yeah, well, you ain't gotta be smart to be good with people,"

Aiden nodded some and ate his food. A companioned silence settled between them as they ate their food. Once the food was eaten, Tobin took the time to wash the dishes. Aiden watched him, his head tilted some.

"You're... different when you're not around others," Aiden said, watching him intently.

"You ain't a fighter and you ain't high energy," Tobin replied, drying his hands and turning to face Aiden again. "I want to accommodate what you need as a friend."

"We're friends?" Aiden asked, almost a little shocked by that.

"Ain't we?" Tobin's smile fell a bit.

"I... just sort of felt like you were more Ryker's friend than mine." The bunny replied and tugged his ear anxiously. "I guess we're friends?? I... didn't have friends before Ryker."

"I get that,' Tobin nodded. "I also get that you're... cautious."

Aiden tilted his head, his ear held up so he could hear again. "Cautious?"

Tobin put his hands on the counter and tilted his own head, thinking on what needed to be said. "You... shy away from being touched. Especially by me or Tox. You lean into Ryker, which, yeah, duh, he's your guy. But like... I make sure to stop myself from touching ya because I know you flinch. And I try to keep Tox at a distance because he's touchy-feely and hyper."

Aiden frowned. He didn't realize that he was broadcasting so much. He pursed his lips and watched Tobin as he continued talking.

"I know that there is something there. Like, I can tell when someone's been hit." Tobin continued, watching Aiden back. "You flinch like someone who got hit a lot. You ain't looking for that kind of hit that Ryk or I do. We get hit to feel somethin' and we hit to let somethin' out. But there is a difference. Ryk and I ain't got the words to explain why we fight. We just fight. It's another language of hands."

Aiden leaned away from him when he mentioned hitting. "How could you possibly know that just by watching me?"

"I used to flinch." Tobin shrugged. "I used to flinch and step back from hands comin' at me. Eventually, you either live in fear of them hands or you start hitting back. You ain't got the strength to hit back, but you've got Ryk and I out here with more than enough fists to keep ya from flinching."

Aiden felt himself relax some. "I do flinch."

"Ya ain't gotta tell me why, but I get it." Tobin nodded. "But... If it's okay, I am gonna try touchin' ya more. Just to help you stop flinchin'."

Aiden wrinkled his nose at that. "Why?"

"It'll take the fear outta being around your friends." Tobin shrugged. "I just want ya to know that I got your back."

Aiden tilted his head again and looked thoughtful. "I... appreciate that, Toby."

Tobin smiled some. "Cool. If ya ever want me to not touch you, just say so. You're a strong guy and you shouldn't have to flinch."

Aiden laughed and shook his head. "I am not strong."

"Ain't ya?" Tobin tilted his head. "You pulled yaself out of hell, Aiden. I'd say that's pretty damn strong. I don't know a hell of a lot about you, but I know about the Castillos. I grew up in them streets."

Aiden blinked and raised his eyebrows. "Ryker did mention seeing you back when he was fighting."

"I got out of school and couldn't make money. So I tried fightin'. I did it for about... a year?" Tobin scratched at the underside of his chin. "People didn't like me and the fight guy told me to beat sand. I left shortly after that and ended up here."

"You... never joined the family, did you?" Aiden pulled at his ear with anxiety again.

Tobin laughed and shook his head. "Nah. I was a miscreant, but I wasn't no badass. I ain't evil, either. I couldn't stomach the shit they did."

"You're rather soft with how rowdy you are, huh?" Aiden smiled a bit.

"Yeah, I guess so." Tobin laughed again.

"Hey, Toby?"

"Yeah?" Tobin came around the bar, pulling out the DVD from a cloth bag that he had the groceries in.

"Thank you," Aiden looked over to him. "I... I appreciate this."

"No problem." Tobin smiled at him. "I ain't got family, so I gotta keep my friends happy, y'know?"

"Yeah." Aiden nodded.

---

Over the next few months Tobin started touching Aiden. It was small at first. Touching his shoulder or elbow. Aiden would flinch still for a long time before eventually, he got more comfortable with Tobin being close. Tobin would come over alone whenever Ryker was gone and would cook and make sure to keep Aiden occupied when he could. Eventually, Aiden sought out Tobin's attention. He would lean against him while watching Ryker do things and Tobin would put an arm around him.

"Are we... cheating?" Aiden asked Tobin out of the blue.

"What?" Tobin raised an eyebrow. "No? Why would you think that?"

"I don't... know? I just know that I like being around you and I feel... weird about it?" Aiden frowned.

"Nah," Tobin shook his head. "You ain't looking to kiss or screw. I think there is a word for it. Hang on."

Tobin pulled out his phone and looked something up. "We're... 'Queerplatonic Partners,' Xav showed it to me."

He held his phone out to Aiden so he could read it. Aiden stepped over to be closer so he could read and leaned into him while lifting his ear with his wrist so he could listen as Tobin read the screen to him.

"A queerplatonic relationship is a relationship that isn't romantic or sexual but is more than just a typical friendship." Tobin read, his arm slipping around Aiden's shoulders automatically due to him being close enough for that. "I might've asked Xav about it a bit back? I ain't great with terms and stuff, but Xav is always happy to help me figure stuff out."

"So you thought we were cheating too?" Aiden gave him a teasing look.

Tobin blushed and scratched at his cheek. "Maybe? But when I explained it, Xav had an answer. I dunno. I was starting to worry that Xav and Ryk might get angry with us? I... I like hanging out with you and I also don't want to piss off Ryker and make y'all break up or somethin'. I know that he's... Well, he's Ryker."

Tobin grinned a bit. Aiden laughed and shook his head.

"I love him a lot," Aiden said and leaned against Tobin. "Like, a lot a lot."

"I know." Tobin nodded. "I love Xav, too. He..." Tobin shook his head and laughed. "He drives me crazy, but I would kill for the man."

"I doubt that. You couldn't kill someone even if you wanted to." Aiden teased and poked Tobin's cheek. "You might be a rabbler-rouser and a fighter, but you're about as soft as a lamb, Toby."

Tobin laughed again. "True that. I can't stand the idea of hurtin' people."

"Hey, Toby?"

"Yeah, Ai?" Tobin looked to him, stuffing his phone into his pocket. Aiden smiled, having grown used to the nickname from someone other than Marcus.

"Thanks for being my QPP." Aiden replied.

Tobin nodded and smiled. "Thanks for being mine."