CHAPTER SEVENTY
NICKNAMES

Aaron was once again sat alone in the big empty house, pretending to watch tv. Laying on the large couch in the living room with his arms folded over his chest as he looked blankly to the show playing.

Steve was out with Dustin and Robin - like usual. Aaron didn't know why he or Kimmy didn't get invited out when the trio would hang out, the two of them had been there when the three had grown close as well.

The blond didn't like to think about it too much, he learned a long time ago what to expect when it came down to Steve and his friendships, he was just taken aback that after all the two had gone through, it was still like that.

It was like there was a double standard. Steve was allowed to befriend Dustin - who was now his best friend when Dustin was one of Aaron's best friends first. Now of course the two weren't as close, but Aaron believed that Dustin's friendship with the blonds older brother played a large part in this. Dustin always jumping at the chance to hang out with Steve even if it meant not hanging out with Aaron to do so.

Aaron didn't blame Dustin, or even Steve for that matter, he couldn't tell Steve or Dustin who they could or couldn't be friends with.

However Steve clearly didn't think the same. It was one of the few things that the two brothers would actually argue about.

Aaron wasn't allowed to really even talk to Steve's friends without the older boy growing annoyed, it had always been like that. However now apparently that included Robin and sometimes even Dustin if it fit the situation and that pissed Aaron off.

It wasn't even just friends. When Steve was dating Nancy, Aaron wasn't even allowed to talk to her. But Steve could go up to Kimmy when she was over and talk to her about all kind of nonsense even after Aaron would tell him to leave? It wasn't fair. And it annoyed the life out of the younger boy.

He couldn't even bring it up because he felt like he would look like he was overreacting in the eyes of others, and he couldn't blame them. No one really knew how far the two brothers had come in their relationship, Aaron didn't like to talk about it.

With that said, he also never liked to bring it up to Steve in fear that they'd revert back to their old ways and he certainly didn't want that either. But because he never brought it up, it was just building up and building up and making him more and more frustrated.

It felt like the blond was always walking around on eggshells to protect other people's feelings, even if it meant his own ended up hurt. But no one really needed to do the same was prepared to do the same for him.

Maybe that's why he hung out with Lucas and Kimmy so much, it felt like sometimes they were the only two that really considered his feelings and took time to realise that just because he was good at not always showing how he felt, didn't mean he didn't get hurt the same as those who tended to show how they were always feeling did.

Just because he didn't rush to defend himself didn't mean he was lying or in the wrong, he wasn't good with confrontation when it came to himself - usually only when it came to others who he cared about. He wasn't the best at sticking up for himself unless it was between himself and his brother when they were bickering.

He didn't know what to expect when it came to Steve, he knew that they were brothers and that they weren't even the same age - he couldn't expect them to be best friends all the time.

He just hated being left in the house alone with nothing to do. It was summer, he should be doing something. Even if he just had someone to watch tv with would be better than him watching it himself.

He'd asked Lucas if he wanted to hang out, but the boy had completely forgot that he was leaving for his family vacation the next day. Lucas claiming that his parents had forced him to stay home and pack, seeing as he had yet to start packing and they were leaving early the next morning. Aaron couldn't help but assume that forced was maybe the tiniest bit of an exaggeration.

The blond had also called Kimmy but was met with no response.

Officially, he and the girl had been dating for about two weeks. However, they had never actually kissed since. It was obvious that they had both wanted to, it was just that neither the two of them knew how to bring it up, or how to actually just gather the courage to do it.

Aaron wished he wasn't so awkward about it all. Mike clearly had never had an issue with just kissing El, same with Lucas and Max, even Dustin and Suzie had probably been able to just jump right into a relationship after they'd started dating.

It frustrated him because he desperately wanted to get past the awkward stage and just be like all his friends were with their girlfriends.

But he didn't know how to do it. He overthought it too much.

He supposed he just had to... not even think twice about it. The next time he wanted to kiss her or even hold her hand he just had to do it without over complicating it.

Suddenly his heart dropped and he flinched violently, jolting up from his spot on the couch frantically when there was an abrupt heaviness on his shoulders.

"What the fuck?" Aaron snapped, looking to a laughing Kimmy with wide eyes. "Seriously, what the fuck was that for? I didn't know you were coming over-"

"Yeah, because I wanted to prove to you that your statement about me just walking into your house whenever I wanted would scare the shit out of you." She laughed at his taken aback expression, laughing harder than Aaron was sure he'd ever seen her do so. "My point has been proven and I will continue to knock-"

"Yeah, because you scared me on purpose!" Aaron exclaimed, only causing the girl to laugh more. "If you had... I don't know, maybe told me you where here when you'd walked through the door, then I wouldn't have been scared."

"But it's funny." The girl shrugged, still snickering as she spoke.

"Whatever." Aaron rolled his eyes halfheartedly at her, turning away from her so he could sit back down on the couch.

"So, where's Steve?" Kimmy asked him calmly as she sat next to him.

"Out with Robin and maybe Dustin I think." The boy shrugged, trying his best to look unbothered. However his dull mood suddenly changed and he gasped, turning to face the girl sat next to him with a smile. "Guess what?"

"What?" The girl asked curiously, sending him a perplexed smile.

"I have to show you something." He told her with an excited look, standing from his spot next to her and grabbing her hand and pulling her to stand. "You might not think it's that cool, but I just got it yesterday."

"I'm sure it is cool." Kimmy reassured him as he practically dragged her up the stairs.

The blond only dropped her hand when he reached his room, rushing over to his closet and grabbing whatever it was he had wanted to show the girl.

The brunette stood at his bedroom door, watching curiously as she watched the boy take a large box from his closet and place it on his bed.

The girl walked over and sat on the opposite side of his bed as she watched him unbox whatever he had wanted to show her.

"Okay," he told her excitedly, showing her his new fancy hockey stick. "Look, it's so cool right? It's the best one you can get! I got loads of stuff yesterday, like, gear and shit."

"What for hockey?" Kimmy stupidly asked, not sure why he would buy all this hockey gear when he didn't play competitively. "You're not on a team."

"I know, but I think I'll try out for the team when we start school." He told her seriously, wanting to get her opinion on it. "Do you think I should? Like, that I would actually get on the team?"

"I think you should do it." She nodded at once, knowing he had wanted to try out for a while. The girl remembered when he had told her that he wanted to try out for the high school team even back when they'd first become friends, he'd obviously put thought into it. "I think you'd be good, you've been playing for years. I think you'd regret it if you didn't try out."

"Yeah," he nodded as he carefully packed away his expensive hockey stick. "By the way, don't tell anyone, I haven't told anyone. I still don't know if I'll even do it."

"Okay, I promise I won't say anything." She told him, a small smile tugging on her lips as she spoke.

It wasn't that Aaron didn't want to tell the party about what he wanted to do when they started high school, he did. He was just anxious as to what their reaction would be. The blond didn't know why he was so stressed over it all, he was probably overthinking it all.

"Do you want to see the other stuff I got?" He asked her as he put the box away. "It's probably a bit boring, but-"

"I wanna see the stuff you got." Kimmy told him with a smile, readjusting herself so she could sit more comfortably. "Did you just decide to buy all this yourself?"

"No, I wanted to for a while." He told her as he rummaged for his new hockey gear. "But Steve's been too busy to take me and I called my parents but..." he trailed off, pausing for a moment as he thought about what to say. "They're just busy. So I just went myself."

"I would have come with you if you wanted." The girl surprised him by saying, the blond appreciative of her offer knowing that she would have been bored to death.

"I might have to go back if, you know, some stuff doesn't fit right or something." He lied, knowing well that everything he had got had no need to be returned. "I'll tell you, and you can come with me if you want."

"Okay." She smiled at him and nodded her head. "Just tell me if you end up wanting to go."

Aaron nodded his head as he walked back over to his bed where she was sat and proceeded to show her all his new gear, even if she didn't really know what she was looking at.

...

Aaron ended up walking the girl home hours later, they'd ended up watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, a movie that Aaron had found on tape from when Steve was little. Aaron had told Kimmy he'd never seen it and that the movie had come out the year he and Kimmy were born.

Kimmy thought the movie was a little weird but strangely she enjoyed the movie. She thought it was cool.

Aaron however thought it was the most bizarre thing he had ever watched. He hadn't liked it at all. And the fact that it had lots of songs only pushed his point further, he hadn't liked it at all.

"It was so stupid." He told her in a blunt voice. "And it was so scary! I'll never be watching that again - not ever."

"You're being so dramatic, Aaron." Kimmy shook her head at him. "It wasn't that bad. It was much better than-"

"If you even dare say National Lampoon's, I swear to god." Aaron sighed at her, sounding genuinely disappointed with her. "I've already told you that National Lampoon's is off limits."

"Yeah, and so is every other movie you find slightly amusing." Kimmy retorted teasingly. "You're too picky with movies, Aaron, Seriously. You never like the same movies as I do."

"Because your taste in movies is not as good as my taste in movies." Aaron told her seriously. "And I am not picky with movies, you just critique all the movies I like and I have to defend them-"

"We are literally having this conversation because you didn't like the movie and I did, and you were critiquing it." Kimmy told him with raised brows. "Don't even try deny it, superman-"

"Do not start calling me that, Kimmy, seriously." The boy shook his head at her, nothing but sincerity in his voice. Kimmy grinned, only having brought it up because she knew how much he had hated the movie when they'd watched it together. "Literally call me anything else - not superman." 

"I don't know." She shrugged, trying to sound completely serious as if she was actually thinking it over. "I'll have to see, I think you suit the nickname."

"Well I don't." He shut down her claim. "So let's maybe think about another name."

"I don't even know why you didn't like it." She told him curiously. "It was a good movie, you're just far too judgmental with every movie you watch."

"I am not!" He exclaimed, sounding genuinely offended.

"You are!" Kimmy laughed, finding the entire conversation far too amusing. "You won't even let me call you superman."

"Yeah, because it's embarrassing." He laughed at her, looking to her with a furrowed brows. "You wouldn't like it if I called you superwoman, would you? Don't lie."

"Well... no." She reluctantly told him with a shrug.

"Exactly." The blond nodded, grinning to himself at having 'won' their 'argument'.

Kimmy narrowed her eyes at him in thought, biting the inside of her cheek as she thought of something else to say, wanting to get the last word - as childish as it was.

"Well, thank you so, so much for walking me home. " The brunette sighed sarcastically as the two approached her house. "It really is so gracious of you, Sparky."

The blond furrowed his brows in confusion before quickly catching on as to why she had called him Sparky. It was what Ellen called Clark in the National Lampoon movie that he liked, his cheeks growing pink in embarrassment.

"Shut up." He mumbled embarrassedly, nudging her shoulder with his own as he walked.

"What?" She exclaimed as she threw her arms up in a defeated manner. "What's wrong with me calling you Sparky? You like The National Lampoons!"

"Still..." he trailed off, not knowing what to say in response. "I guess it's better than fucking superman-"

"Was there need to curse, Aaron?" Kimmy asked in a teasing tone, knowing he ended up cursing more often than not. "You say the words fuck and shit more than anyone else I have ever met."

"And I will continue to say it as much as I want." He told her with a nonchalant shrug. "Freedom of speech."

Kimmy simply hummed in response, shrugging her shoulders at his words.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Aaron asked her in a slightly curious voice, knowing that he'd see her anyway, he didn't need to ask.

"You'll see me tomorrow." The brunette nodded with a smile, messing around with the bottom of one of the two of her loose braids.

The blond boy smiled back at her, Kimmy waving at him goodbye. Although just as she went to step back he leaned forward abruptly to give her a kiss goodnight.

Kimmy would be lying if she said she wasn't taken by surprise, however she would also be lying if she said she hadn't wanted him to or if she said she wasn't glad he had.

She had been slightly taken aback, seeing as they hadn't kissed since their first date.

However she hoped now that they had gotten the first kiss since dating over with that it would happen more often.

...

I wrote this while online shopping for makeup at the same time so there is probably lots of mistakes so sorry if this chapters bad LMAO.

Anyway hope everyone is enjoying the story so far!!!

Hope everyone has had/is having a great day!!

- AJ :)