Buried Ashes (MxM)

7-Beth Is At Work

Mason

Aiden and I spent weeks getting to know each other. I didn't think I would ever be fully sated of him. Everything about him was just addictive.

He taught me a lot of things. Like what I thought was a hearing aid was no regular hearing aid. It was a processor for his cochlear implant. It wasn't the same as normal hearing, but it helped him to recognize sounds and voices. He had ordered a new one that he now wore. I was glad I beat the shit out of those assholes who broke his other one.

He was also teaching me sign language. Each time I saw him, I was eager to learn more. I was picking it up surprisingly well. Soon, I would be able to communicate with my mate using only my hands.

He signed every time he spoke, though his speaking pattern was clear enough that I needed no translation. He told me that was due to a lot of speech therapy when he was young. I tried to sign most of what I said to him, as well. Though when I got caught up on a word and couldn't remember the sign for it, he would help me. Without his cochlear processor, he could read lips somewhat, but it made it much easier for him to understand with signing. He did wear it most times, but he would occasionally take it off. His explanation being that hearing can get exhausting.

Currently, we were relaxing together. I had taken him to one of my favorite spots. A beautiful cliff that overlooked a large lake. I brought a blanket for us to sit on, and laid it flat across the grass. 

We spent our time talking, him holding my hands and telling me how captivated he remained by my eyes. He told me that my eyes were the only grey eyes he had ever seen. It made me think for a moment. I hadn't seen anyone else in the pack with grey eyes either. Except for Jackson. I shrugged it off as I admired my mate.

Scooting closer to him, I played with his gorgeous curls. He blushed and stared up at me. I let my gaze travel across his face, eventually landing on those beautiful lips. He must have noticed me staring as he leaned in and pressed his lips against my own. As with every touch of his, I was tingling with goosebumps from the contact.

I moved my lips against his as I cradled his head. His lips were so sweet and soft compared to my own. His arms wrapped around me as he moved to straddle my lap. I held back a growl from the move and deepened our kiss.

I nibbled his bottom lip and greedily tasted his sweet tongue when he let me. It had me growing hard, with the same happening to him as he rolled his hips against mine. 

He pulled back and looked up at the sky, seeing the stars that had appeared as we lost track of time.

"It's getting late. I should get home," he mumbled to me.

"Come to my place. My mom's at work," I said in a rush. He chuckled and pulled out his phone, seemingly texting someone. After a moment, he returned it to his pocket.

"I let my mom know I'm with a friend," he said with a grin. 

I stood, holding out a hand to help him up, which he accepted. I quickly grabbed the blanket and stuffed it in a side pocket on my bike when we returned to it. I placed a helmet I brought for him on his head and placed a chaste kiss on his lips before hopping on the bike. I placed my own helmet on, and soon felt the warmth of my mate pressing against my back. He wrapped his arms around me and held tight as I started the engine and began the drive back home.

My mom worked at the orphanage in town. Owned it, actually. She had lived there for a little while as a child. The older lady who had it before her died about ten years ago, and left it to my mom in her will. She would often spend evenings helping to get the kids settled. I knew it would be late before she got home.

After the long drive home, I parked my bike in the driveway, and removed my helmet. After getting off, I helped Aiden remove his helmet and held his hand as we walked to the front door. I shuffled through my keys for a second before finding the one I was looking for and unlocking the door. I was surprised to see the lights inside the house already on as I led Aiden inside, still holding his hand.

Before I could make my way upstairs to my bedroom, something stopped me in my tracks.

"Mason, that you?" my mom's voice called from the kitchen. Aiden was wearing his cochlear processor, so he heard it too. He looked up at me, wide eyed. My mom appeared moments later, seeing us standing by the staircase, holding hands. 

I wasn't necessarily keeping Aiden a secret. I didn't care who knew, I just wanted him to have a chance to get to know me better before my mom attacked him with questions, coos, and compliments. I wanted their introduction to be more gentle. I also wanted to talk with her beforehand about Aiden being deaf, so she didn't accidentally say anything incredibly offensive when she saw the processor tucked behind his ear.

"Mom. Yeah, it's just me. I didn't see your car in the driveway," I told her as her gaze landed on Aiden beside me with a small smile.

"It's in the garage, sweetie. Who's this?" she asked. I looked down at Aiden who seemed unsure of what to say or do in this situation.

"Uh, this is Aiden," I told her. "Aiden, this is my mom."

Aiden stepped forward confidently and smiled at my mom.

"You have a lovely home, Ms. Whitlock," he told her, his hands signing the words while she remained oblivious to the gestures. Her smile grew.

"Oh, none of that. Call me Beth, dear," she said as she stepped forward to get a better look at him. "Are you two...?" she didn't finish the question as she looked back and forth between us. Aiden looked up at me, blushing.

"Yes, we're mates," I answered her unspoken question. Her face immediately lit up as she grabbed both of Aiden's hands. I cringed at the action. She was unknowingly limiting part of how he naturally knew to communicate. She didn't know any signs, I was sure, but it just came naturally for him to sign while he spoke. It's what he was comfortable with.

"Oh, sweetie, why didn't you tell me? How long has it been? Has he been good to you, Aiden? Does your family know?" Aiden was obviously overwhelmed by the amount of questions flying out of her mouth while she held his hands. This entire interaction was what I wanted to keep him from experiencing. I stepped in and gently pulled him from her. 

"We're just going to hang out in my room, okay?" I told her as I led Aiden back to the stairs. 

"It was nice to meet you, Beth," Aiden told her, simultaneously signing his words. She noticed then. As we turned to walk upstairs, she caught sight of the processor tucked in his curls, and his hands interpreting his clear words while he spoke to her. Once he had his back turned to walk upstairs beside me, I watched her facial expression change as if she had just seen the saddest, yet most adorable thing in the world. I shook my head at her, silently begging her to not be offensive toward my deaf mate while I kept my arm around his waist. She didn't say anything else, and I was grateful for that.