Time - (Identity V-Elisop)

Chapter 16

(CW:MENTIONS OF SCARS+ MENTIONS OF JERRY CARL)

Aesop and Eli were both outside of the kitchen, Eli was looking through the window making sure nobody like Emily or Martha were there and could see or hear them sneaking back in.

"I can't see Emily so I'm assuming she's still in the med office," Eli said as he kept peering through the window.

"Good, here I'll unlock the door," Aesop said as he took the keys out of his pocket.

Trying to open and unlock the door quietly was tricky but he managed eventually.

"I don't think Emily is downstairs even," Eli whispered as he took his shoes off.

"Emily went to bed, the only people here are me and Martha," Another voice said in the darkness.

"Who's that?" Aesop asked in a small panic.

"Don't worry it's just me," The person spoke.

"Why are you even awake?" Eli asked.

"I was in the 2v8, and I know you two weren't" He smirked,"So what's the deal with sneaking out?"

"I-" Aesop was lost for words, he didn't know whether to admit it or just lie.

"We were just taking a walk in the woods," He explained.

"At two in the morning..?" He asked curiously.

"Yes..." Eli hesitantly agreed.

"Nah, I really don't care" The person laughed, "Just go upstairs,  I'll cover for you if anyone like Emily asks"

"Thanks Edgar," Aesop said.

"You're welcome," He said with a grin as he got himself a glass of water.

Both Aesop and Eli went upstairs while Edgar returned to the med room to keep Martha company.

"Good thing Emily wasn't awake," Eli said as he entered Aesop's room.

"Yeah," Aesop laughed a bit.

"I'll just change, alright?" Aesop spoke as he started looking through his closet.

"Sure, I'll turn around," Eli said as he sat down on the bed, facing away from Aesop.

One part of him wanted to ask him about the scars he had, and the bruises that clearly didn't heal. Perhaps the wounds linked to the nightmares he suffered, it wasn't like anybody's past in the manor was particularly nice.

"Aesop...can I ask you about something?" Eli said with hesitation.

"Yeah, just a moment," Aesop replied, he had a feeling he knew what Eli wanted to ask about.

After Aesop buttoned up his shirt, he sat down next to Eli.

"So..what did you wnat to ask about?" Aesop asked although he practically already knew.

"I'm really sorry and I apologise if this is a bad question" Eli spoke.

"I...I noticed that you have a lot of scars and bruises.." Eli said hesitantly.

"Yeah, I see you've noticed," Aesop said as he blinked away tears.

"Hey...you okay?" Eli asked as he put an arm around Aesop.

"Honestly, no..." Aesop said.

"I'm sorry for asking about-" Eli started apologising before Aesop cut him off.

"No, I should probably tell you," Aesop cut Eli off.

"You really don't have too..." Eli said apologetically.

"Just...let me," Aesop said as he moved Eli's hand off him.

"Jerry...he did most of it," Aesop began to explain.

"Your...ex-mentor, right?" Eli asked in a small voice.

"Yeah, that's him..." He continued.

"The cigarette burns on my back and the bruises and cuts on my chest, along with the cuts on my arms as well.." He explained as his voice got more uneasy.

"I'm so sorry..." Eli said as he took Aesop in his arms.

Aesop stayed in his arms for a long while, he was too tired to cry but the feelings of fear stayed.

They were both laying down next to eachother now, Aesop was still uneasy so he had his head on Eli's chest.

"Aesop..?" Eli asked after a small while of silence.

"Hmm?" The embalmer hummed.

"I'm sorry for bringing the mood down after our date," Eli apologised as he stroked Aesop's hair.

Aesop smiled. The way he said 'date' made him smile. They really were happy together, not everyone was cruel and heartless, some people were the direct opposite and were actually sweet, loving and perfect in every way.

"It's alright, trust me, it's fine," Aesop said with a  genuine smile.

"You sure?" He asked.

"Of course...come here," Aesop said as he sat up to be directly next to Eli.

Aesop rested his head on Eli's shoulder and put his arm around him, resting his hand on Aesop's lower back.

"Goodnight, my love" Eli said as he pulled up the duvet over him and Aesop.

"Goodnight," Aesop replied with a yawn as he started to fall asleep.

_____________________________

The next morning was nothing special.

Aesop woke up first for a change, but stayed in bed with Eli since he was still tired.

They only ended up getting around 4 hours of sleep since they fell asleep at 3 AM, and woke up at 7:10 AM.

Emily also slept in until around 9, she was exhausted and Martha took medical duty over for a small while.

When they went downstairs for breakfast, the coordinator brought up something which managed to keep Aesop and Eli alert for the rest of the morning.

"Also, I found that the back door was unlocked in the kitchen, although I did lock it," She spoke up as she sat down at the table next to Vera.

"Maybe you thought you locked it, but didn't actually lock it?" Vera suggested as she filed her nails.

"No, because I remember-" Martha started speaking before somebody interrupted her.

"No, because I went out the back door last night for some fresh air, I must have forgotten to lock it." The painter said, almost as if on cue.

"Oh, well I don't care about you going out so long as you don't get lost or anything" The coordinator said as she drank a glass of water, "Just remember to lock the door next time,"

"Oh come on Martha," Edgar said as he leaned back slightly in his chair, "It's not like anything could happen,"

Martha went back to her converstaion with William, Jose, Tracy and Vera after that. Aesop silently thanked Edgar for taking the blame, all Edgar did was give him a smile.

"I'll be back in a moment," Edgar said as he got up from his seat.

And following his usual morning habit, he went to go visit the prisoner in his room, he wanted to make sure he ended up getting sleep after the 2v8, since he was in it with the painter.