A/N Just a heads up for this, the editing is very rushed as well, but it's not my main priority.
I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the first one! It was, once again, very fun to write.

When Brad got to work on Tuesday, there was a warm cup of coffee on his desk. This wasn't exactly new– it happened often since Aiden began to work as his assistant– but the blond boy usually had class in the morning on Tuesdays and didn't get into work until later. Confused, Brad set his briefcase down on his desk and picked up the mug, cautiously sipping at the dark liquid. It was bitter on his tongue, just how he liked it. No one besides Aiden made his coffee this well.

"You look confused". The voice came from in  front of him, and he quickly raised his head to look at his assistant, who was framed in the doorway. It seemed strange that just over a month ago he'd seen the younger man in tight shorts and nothing else while he was so clearly made to wear a suit. "Is it not made right?"

"No," Brad denied before realizing that word could be interpreted either way. "I mean, it's good. Thank you". The blond smiled, pleased. "I thought you had class this morning".

Nodding, Aiden moved further into the office. There was a manilla folder in his hands that Brad knew was filled with his early morning paperwork. Usually on Tuesdays he'd have to go get it from his father himself, and he found he was relieved that he could skip the morning interaction. The most recent deal he was negotiating was quite important and he hated discussing it with his father, who always commented on things he could improve on.

Aiden placed the folder on his desk and then leaned against it casually "My morning class got canceled, but I'll need to leave around 11:30 for my noon class. I should be back around 2:00 since we're getting out early today. What would you like me to pick up for lunch along the way?"

"You don't need to do that," Brad was quick to assure, pulling out his desk chair and taking a seak. As he began to sort through the folder, he added, "if you want to go home after class you don't need to come back".

"Nah," Aiden dismissed, green eyes down on the papers Brad was sorting through. "Who else would feed you".

Pausing, Brad frowned. "I eat when you're not here".

The look on the younger boy's face was one Brad felt he'd seen from his mother one or two times. "Not things that are good for you".

Huffing, Brad looked back down at the papers. The top one delt with financials, and he passed it off to the accounting major standing in front of him without raising his gaze again. It was probably bad business practice to allow someone of such low status within the company handle important paperwork, but he'd long since learned that Aiden produced flawless work every time without fail, and it saved him a much needed time. "I'm a grown man. I can chose what I eat".

"Yes," was the response he got. There was the sound of a chair being pulled up to the other side of the desk. Usually in the mornings, instead of retreating to his desk to do the work, Aiden remained and they worked on paperwork together. "That's why I asked you where you wanted food from instead of picking up food from where I want to eat".

"Don't you need time to do your homework?" Brad inquired, concerned that Aiden was prioritizing work over school. "You're usually here before me, and most days you stay as late as me as well. When do you get any school work done?"

A thoughtful hum left the blond man. "Usually from one to three in the morning".

Brad was quick to raise his head, hoping to see some sign of joking within Aiden's expression. Green eyes didn't even raise from form in front of him. "You're serious?"

"Yeah". As he confirmed, Aiden scribbled something out on the paper with a pen and wrote a new number.

It took Brad a moment to think of something to say in response. "That's unacceptable".

Aiden looked up at him then, seeming unconcerned. "What's unacceptable is letting this chance go to waste. I never thought I'd be able to get an internship because I couldn't afford to not get paid for work, so this is an amazing opportunity for me".

Frowning, Brad lowered his eyes a little bit. It was strange to him to hear someone stress about something he'd had an endless supply of his entire life. "I can offer you a higher hourly pay so you're able to go home earlier".

"I'm not only here for the money," Aiden protested, giving his attention to the form again. "This is a great way for me to learn". The boy clicked his pen a few times absently. "You should keep sorting through those or we're going to be here all morning..."

"Oh". Slightly embarrassed that he needed his assistant to remind him to get back to work, Brad cleared his throat and did what was instructed.

They were quiet for the next half an hour or so, working through their own stacks of papers.

It was Aiden who finished first and rose from his chair. "Three of these are fine and need your signature. The others need to be typed up again so I'll take care of it. I'll get them to you before I head out". Nodding, Brad didn't raise his gaze. "I'll get you more coffee as well. You haven't touched the cup since you sat down and I'm guessing it's cold".

"Ah, yes," Brad confirmed, looking at the forgotten mug. This was a common occurrence. "Thank you".

"Uh-huh". With his stack of incorrect paperwork, Aiden crossed the carpeted room to the door. When he reached it, he turned, and then smiled at the sight of Brad watching him. "Please continue thinking about what you'd like for lunch, sir".

***

Brad wasn't sure how his father found out, but he supposed that didn't matter. What mattered was how he talked his father out of forcing him to fire his hardworking assistant.

"Why did you not mention this to me earlier," the older man was in the process of lecturing, his thumbs pressed against his temples as if the conversation was giving him a headache. "I would have never agreed to this".

That's why, Brad thought. He didn't say it though. Drawing attention to his wrong doing wasn't the way to get what he wanted from his father. What he had to do was focus on the benefits of them hiring Aiden.

"He's very hard working," he supplied. "He's efficient in his work and has yet to make any mistakes. Once he graduates from college I think you should offer him a full time position with salary in the accounting department under Garett".

His father didn't seem pleased by the suggestion. "We're not looking for any more accountants".

"Then I think you should offer him a position in my department. I know it's a higher position than you usually give new employees, but the workers like him, and he's-"

"Brad," his father cut in. "He used to be a stripper".

Resisting the urge to sigh, Brad defended, "he's a student".

"You were a student once as well," was his father's rebuttal. "I didn't see you making decisions like that".

"He wasn't doing it for fun, father. Not everyone gets to go to college and not worry about money," Brad argued back. It wasn't often that he didn't just give in to his dad, but he felt strongly about this one. Losing Aiden wouldn't be good for the company. Or him, he considered as an afterthought. He really did eat much better and more frequently with the younger boy's pestering. "Father, I know you think that hiring someone with this type of background could affect the company's image, but I promise you that you don't need to worry about it. He's well liked but staff and clients, and his dedication tends to motivate other employees. He's an asset to our company".

There was a long moment in which his father just looked at him, and then the man sighed, leaning back in his chair. "You're serious about this?"

"I am," Brad confirmed. "You've noticed the numbers coming from my department. We've been more efficient lately. Having him to help with some of my busy work gives me more time to interact with potential clients".

His father looked away from him, not saying anything as he considered this. Patiently, Brad waited. "I have noticed that the boy is rather prompt. He's always here first thing in the morning to gather your paperwork... what time does he get in". 

"On days he doesn't have class he's here before me," Brad admitted, knowing this was something his father would like to hear.

There was another moment of silence, and then, "an accounting major, you say?"

Brad almost sighed in relief. "Yes," he confirmed. "A good one".

His father groaned softly and closed his eyes. Brad knew that if it was anyone else, they would have immediately gotten fired, but it wasn't often that Brad stood up for an employee, and he knew his father didn't take that lightly. "This is really important to you, huh?" His dad asked. Suddenly, his voice was no longer in Business man mode.

It made Brad relax a little.

"Yeah. He is". It came out without thinking. His father's expression shifted into something unsure.

"He is?" The older man echoed, sounding kind of distracted.

"I mean..." Brad trailed off, wondering what to say. He wasn't sure why the words arranged themselves in that way. He didn't care for Aiden outside of their boss employee relationship, and he didn't want his father to be mistaken about this. "He makes my coffee just right".

His father's heavy gaze remained on him for a second longer, studying, and then the man looked back down at the paperwork on his desk. "I'll have to have him make me a cup," was his response, immediately followed by, "why don't you head home for the night. If I'm recalling your schedule correctly, you have an early meeting tomorrow morning".

"I do," Brad agreed, turning to look at the clock on the wall adjacent to him. It was nearly midnight. "I guess I should go get some rest".

His dad hummed, and Brad started towards the door of the office, thankful that the conversation was over and he was getting what he wanted. "Good work today," the older man offered.

"Yes," he replied. "Thank you, father".

***

When he got back down stairs, Aiden was still at his desk outside of Brad's office like usual, though he'd fallen asleep on an open text book in the time that Brad was gone. For a moment, the older man paused in front to the desk, looking down at the peaceful sleeping boy. He didn't want to wake him after their conversation that morning, though he knew that if he did, he'd probably be able to convince Aiden to go home since he was leaving as well.

Gently, he reached out a hand and shook the blond's shoulder. With a groan, Aiden raised one of his hands to push the disturbance away. Amused, Brad chuckled.

The sound seemed to bring the younger boy to, because his green eyes cracked open slowly. As soon as he realized where he was, he sat up quickly. His left cheek was red for where it had been resting on his book, and he raised his palm to rub at the corner of his mouth. "Sorry," he managed, sounding as tired as you'd expect a person who'd just fallen asleep at their desk to.

"It's alright," Brad assured, lowering his hand to his side, fingers curled into a fist to resist the strange urge to reach out and tuck strands of blond hair behind the younger boy's ear. "I told you that you didn't need to stay".

"Yeah," Aiden agreed, nodding his head sleepy. "I know. I thought I could make it until you were done with your meeting... How'd it go?"

"Good," Brad admitted. I don't think you're going to get fired. "I'm heading home. You should do the same".

Humming, Aiden nodded his head again. For some reason, he only ever agreed to leave it Brad was going as well. Brad didn't really mind this all that much– it meant they got to walk out together every night and he felt a little less lonely even though he was still returning to an empty apartment– though he wished Aiden wouldn't overexert himself just for the sake of watching over him. He was a grown man, and he didn't need his college student assistant taking care of him the entire time he was at work.

"Grab your coat," Aiden instructed, standing from his chair and pulling his own off of the back of it. "We can walk out together".

"Yeah," Brad agreed, moving to the coat hanger by his office door to grab his jacket. "Are you okay to drive?"

A beat of silence, and then, "are you worried about me?"

Brad frowned, looking down to button his coat. "I just don't want you to fall asleep while you're driving".

When he looked up, Aiden gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm okay".

They left together as usual, taking the elevator down to the first floor as Aiden's voice filled the space. The only time Brad really spoke was to ask his assistant more questions, always deeply invested in the answers.

"Do you have more homework to do tonight?"

"Not really. Did most of it while you were meeting with your father. None of it is due yet anyways".

"Do you have exams coming up?"

"Yeah. In a few weeks. I'm excited to be done with the semester".

Curious, Brad raised his eyebrows. "Plans?"

Slim shoulders rose and fell. "Nah, not really. It'll just be nice to not leave work every day. I feel like I could be of more help to you if I didn't have class". It was quiet then for a moment as Brad considered how to react to this. Aiden grew impatient. "Am I allowed to ask you some questions too?"

"What?" Surprised, the older man turned his face down and to the side to look at the other man. When they were standing so close like that, Aiden seemed even shorter than he actually was.

"Well," The blond began, ducking his head so Brad couldn't clearly see his face. "It's just that you know a lot more about me than I know about you".

Frowning, Brad didn't respond right away. He wasn't a huge fan of talking about himself. In his opinion, there wasn't anything interesting to share. Still, it was true that he knew quite a bit about Aiden by this point, and it didn't seem fair to refuse to answer any questions that he had. It wasn't like there was anything he was hiding. "I guess you can ask me things," Brad agreed. As if he hadn't been expecting this, Aiden turned his head up quickly to look at him, their eyes meeting.

The elevator dinged and opened.

Neither of them moved right away, just staring at one another. The door began to close, but Aiden was quick to kick out his leg and stop it, cheeks flushed a little pink as he broke eye contact. "Okay," the younger boy said, though he didn't know what it was in response to. "Are you close with your family then?"

This certainly wasn't the question Brad was expecting to be asked, and he didn't make a mince to follow Aiden out of the elevator, considering it. His family was kind of weird.

"Hey," Aiden said, getting his attention. Brad raised his head to see the younger boy holding the elevator door for him, eyebrows raised as he waited for him to get out. "Was that no good?"

"It's fine". He finally moved forward, stepping into the lobby. "Why do you ask that?"

"I was just curious," Aiden responded quickly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his winter coat and tucking his chin under the collar. "I just noticed that Garett comes to visit you quite a bit and doesn't seem to talk about work most of the time, and sometimes when I'm running things to different departments, the twins stop me to ask about you".

It took Brad a moment to understand what Aiden was talking about. "The twins? Oh. You mean Joseph and Daniel".

Green eyes peeked up at him. "Are they not twins? I just thought because they looked so much alike and are always together-"

"Have a nice night," the security guard at the door interrupted as they passed. Brad nodded his head in the man's direction while Aiden smiled and waived.

"They're not twins," Brad corrected, stepping ahead to hold the door open for Aiden to pass through. "There's actually a third one. He moved to Europe though".

"Triplets?" Aiden concluded, seeming surprised. He lifted his head slightly so he wasn't muffled by his coat. "So they're five of you then?" 

Shaking his head, Brad let the door fall closed, sticking his hands into his pockets as well. It was snowing a little bit, and he looked around to appreciate it. "No, there's seven of us".

Aiden, who had also been looking around at the snow covered surroundings, was quick to look up at him again. "Really? Seven? I always wished that I'd come from a big family. I only have an older sister".

"We're all boys," Brad added.

His assistant laughed. "Wow. That must have been crazy when you were growing up."

"Umm..." Brad trailed off, wondering what to say about this. They were about a block from the parking ramp the company used, and he shot a look at the smaller boy out of the corner of his eye to see if he was cold. Aiden didn't seem at all bothered by the temperate. There were small tufts of snowflakes clinging to some strands of his blond hair.

He must have been quiet for longer than was acceptable in a conversation, because green eyes flicked up to look at him curiously.

"It wasn't too exciting," he managed, forcing himself to stare forward. "I'm the oldest, so my father always expected the most from me, so I never got very close with any of my brothers. They kind of all interacted with one another while I did other stuff".

"Oh". Aiden sounded sad. "That sounds lonely".

It was a little bit, but Brad just shrugged his shoulders. "It's not too bad now though. Garett and I interact quite a bit, though he annoys the hell out of me. The third oldest, Pierce, doesn't like me very much, but at one point he couldn't stand even being in the same room as me and it's not that bad anymore".

There was a pause, and then Aiden huffed. "I don't like him".

Brad found himself so caught off guard that he actually laughed. It wasn't something that happened often, and Aiden's steps faltered. "What do you mean you don't like him?"

"Well," the boy seemed flustered. "Why doesn't he like you?"

Sighing, Brad shook his head slightly. "I think I was a little too hard on him while we were growing up. He hasn't always made the best decisions and I just wanted what was best for him. For some time it seemed like he was going down a bad path and I didn't want things he did when he was in high school to ruin his future. Everything seemed to work out on its own though without my help which is good".

It was quiet for a few more steps, the snow crunching satisfyingly beneath their shoes. "What about your other brother then. The one besides Garett and Pierce and the triplets?"

"Kalen?" Brad said the name like a sigh. "Kalen's the favorite. He's... seven years younger than me".

"He's the favorite?" Aiden sounded shocked. "I thought you'd be the favorite. Your father very clearly trusts you with a lot".

"That's true," Brad agreed. "But Kalen's the baby, and I could never get away with the things he does".

"Oh?"

They were almost at the parking ramp, and like most nights, Brad found himself not looking forward to when they parted.

"He pretty much just does what he wants," Brad summarized. "I actually think the two of you would get along well".

"Really?" Aiden looked intrigued. "How old is he?"

It took Brad a second to remember. "Almost twenty six now".

"Twenty six," Aiden echoed, voice distant. "That makes you thirty three".

"Yeah," Brad confirmed. They were at the door to the parking ramp, and he swiped his id so they could enter, once again holding the door open for his assistant to pass through first. "Is my age unexpected?"

"No," Aiden responded quickly. "Though, you don't look that old. You're just mature and very boss like so I figured you were somewhere around there. I just... I hope the age difference between is doesn't make you view me like a child".

Aiden stomped the snow off his shoes, his back to Brad so he couldn't see his expression. This was where they usually parted ways. As the second highest employee in the company, Brad had a VIP parking space on the first floor, as did his brother that worked there as well. Aiden usually parked somewhere on the floors above.

"I know I thought you were seventeen when we met, but I have since taken notice of your dedication and work ethic," Brad assured. Aiden turned back to him, green eyes wide. His blond hair was slightly damp in some places where snow melted on him. "I don't see you as a child".

"Good," Aiden breathed softly. Brad didn't realize how close the were standing to one another until the shorter boy reached out and grabbed his tie, pulling him down to his leave with a startling amount of strength. "Don't".

The kiss that was placed on Brad's lips then was quick and warm, like a jolt of electricity running from his mouth to his toes before leaving him. Just like that, it was over.

He didn't move for a very long time, just stood there, frozen despite how warm he suddenly felt as his assistant whispered a goodbye and made his way up the stairs away from him. By the time Brad gathered himself enough to move, Aiden was long gone.

A/N I think I'm gonna stick to writing 30 minutes before I go to sleep every night, so the next chapter should be out soon, but I can't exactly say when. Exam week is coming up so I might actually have to prioritize real life for once.
<3 Ivy