Chapter Text
The first time Seb properly meets Aaron Dingle its the end of summer.
He had done a few weekend visits to his hometown over the past couple years. Stayed with Dad and Aunty Vic and Harry in the way to small house at first. Then a weird apartment his dad rented while he redid the farmhouse. Where everything always smelled a bit wet and which took way too many stairs to get to even get to their front door.
The real house had been done for a few months already, but dad had wanted him to finish school back in Bristol before the big move and then Summer was just always nicer at Aunt Megs big house. He’d been here every couple week picking everything for his new room and the new house. Dad even let him paint most of his room black even though he made a face the whole way through and asked Seb about a million times if he was sure.
It looked super cool. Specially once they started throwing the white paint around, odd splashes of it everywhere, and ruined both of their clothes. His dad laughing, laying back on the floor out of breath was the best part. Then they put up a bunch of posters together and picked out a bed and some neon lights. Seb’s room was the coolest thing he had ever seen in his 11 and ¾ years of life.
And so now he was here for good. Six days into sleeping in a new bed in a new house that didn’t smell damp. Breakfasts with Dad and uncle Andy. Walks around the grounds as Dad and his uncle fought over what they were doing where. Today he was in town Aunty Vic looking after him and Harry. Dad had some meeting or other and Uncle Andy kept boring the life out of him with his tractor talk so when Aunty Vic offered to have him after lunch and for tea he jumped at the opportunity. Aunty Vic was a way better cook than Uncle Andy.
However now it’s 4pm and both him and Harry were melting. Seb was laying on the floor, feet up on the couch, looking at the video game on the tv upside down. Harry was trying his best to be invested in it, but it was too hot to think. Seb pointed to the left of the screen as some item passed by without Harry picking it up. He couldn’t be bothered to put it in words
“Alright that’s it both of you. This is depressing. You’re supposed to be kids! Enjoying your summer break playing outside!” Aunty Vic said from the widow which opened into the kitchen. Seb groaned at the thought “None of that mister. Go on then – out the house. Here. 10 pound go grab some ice-lollies from David's” Seb perked up at that and even Harry looked up from the game – almost immediately Mario fell off the platform to his fiery lava death.
They were out the door in less than a minute.
“Careful in the street!”
“Yes aunty Vic” Seb called out as he pulled the door closed behind him. Seb was basically a grown-up he could look after Harry. He had his own set of keys to the farmhouse and everything. One for the gate and one for the front door. Decorated with a super cool skull keychain he’d begged Dad to get him last year. Right after he got told about the house the first time and how it would be his house too. Same as Dad’s and Uncle Andy’s and Sarah’s and Aunty Vic’s and Harry’s. Even Jack’s even though he lived halfway around the world. Sugden land after all.
Seb looks both ways before he crosses the street and he has to fist his hand by his side to not grab Harry’s hand as he does it. He’s just a little scared anything will happen to him. That he will get distracted by some bird and want to look at it and get run over. That Seb will look away for a second and he will be gone. Like mom. He shakes his head and grabs Harry’s t-shirt sleeve pretending he’s just impatient and pulling him along to the shop across the street.
Harry picks something that will without question make his mouth blue for at least 3 days and Seb goes for good old orange lolly. When neither Harry nor Mr. Pollard are looking, he shoves a full-size sneakers bar into the sleeve of his green hoodie. He has plenty of money for all for things, but he does it anyways. Like the trill of knowing Mr. Pollard would never even suspect him.
“That’s all for today boys?” Seb nods pulling the 10 pound note out of his hoodie pocket. It’s way too hot to be wearing it. Seb can feel his t-shirt sticking uncomfortably to his skin under the layer of cotton soften with excessive wear. Seb only really only taken the thing off to sleep and shower. It was his favorite thing in the world – Dad’s first gift to him. The first one he remembered anyways. It felt like something precious when he was scared and alone at Aunty Meg’s house. The edges of the sleeves wear worn out and full of holes, but he had a breakdown last time Dad tried to get him a replacement. They we’re working on it being just an out the house thing now. It worked some days. “Isn’t it too hot for that?” Mr. Pollard asked for the 4th time that week.
“Nop” Seb told him with a grin as he pocketed the change and handed Harry his lolly. “Thanks Mr. Pollard” he called out as the two of them walked outside. They were almost the same height. Seb only had about 2 or 3 centimeters on Harry even if he was two years older than him. He had always been the smallest kid in his class but comparing himself to his cousin bothered him a bit. He decided he wasn’t going to think about it as he dug into his lolly.
“Uncle John is back” Harry piped up while Seb was distracted trying to find the trash to throw out their wrappers. He didn’t want to litter. Not since he saw that documentary with the sea turtles and the plastic straws. It was super gross. It had made him want to cry whenever he mistakenly used plastic for like 4 months after. He didn’t really care what his weird uncle John was or was not doing. He was busy saving the turtles.
“Pity” He managed to mumble deciding public trash cans were not good enough anyways and putting the wrappers in his jacket pocket. He would throw them out in Aunt Vic’s house. Make sure to wash them and recycle them properly. That was the best. His weirdo uncle was quickly walking away from a dark grey Subaru. He looked super shady if anyone was to ask Seb. And they should ask Seb. He had only met ‘Uncle John’ three times. All of them cause Aunty Vic ‘forgot’ to tell Dad he was also coming to family lunch. He always tried to be way to nice to Seb, but he always ended up talking to him like he was an idiot. Seb hated him and his weirdly wide-open eyes.
Seb felt his new keys in his pocket along with the wrappers and he suddenly had a very bad idea. He looked around the street for a second, but it was empty, no one daring to come out with the sun still very much up in the sky as it was. He couldn’t bring Harry along, he didn’t want to be that bad an influence on him. Plus, he was a blabber mouth. He told Dad right away when Seb tried to get him to cut Seb’s hair with the kitchen scissors that one time a few months back.
He looked back into the shop with casual interest and then smiled at Harry “Can you go get us some fizzy drinks? I’m dying” Harry looked at him for a second before he broke out into a big grin. Harry loved when Seb made him feel like a big kid who could do things on his own. He was the baby of the family and everyone still sorta expected him to fall down crying if he tried to do anything by himself.
“Sure!” Harry ran inside after Seb gave him the rest of the money. He would have a good 10 minutes. Harry was very indecisive, and Mr. Pollard did not like when kids took things from the shelves by themselves. He could even have 15 minutes on his hands.
He drops the lolly in the bin right before crossing the street, sweet treat forgotten as he thinks of the best word to scratch into the dark grey paint. Weirdo? To on the nose. Wanker? Too broad. He looked into the distance where his uncle had walked to as if trying to hide. Like a rat. A weasel.
Seb grinned and looked both ways again before crouching by the driver’s door. His new and shiny house key already in hand as he made the big W.
“OI! WHAT’RE YOU DOING THERE” He’s just started the l when he hears it. He’d been looking around every few seconds at first heart beating hard in his chest and somehow making him feel even more like he was sweating buckets. But then he got too engrossed in his work, sharp A and pointy S. By the time he looks up with wide eyes the hood of his jacket is already in fist of the large figure pulling him to his feet. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Seb almost stops breathing. He’s being held by the hood of his jacket back against the hot metal of the car. This man stands above him loud voice and gesturing to the door of the car with his free hand. The man’s face seems to be battling itself – thick brows winning the battle against bright blue eyes that pin Seb to the spot. He’s going to puke.
“Oi! Dingle! Leave him alone!” A voice booms from the other side of the street and Seb can breathe again. He doesn’t much care for his dead mom’s ex-boyfriend and whatever dumb stories he has about Seb being 5 and loving trains. Trains are dumb and Seb isn’t 5 anymore. But dead mom’s ex-boyfriend is also the jackediest person Seb ever saw. Including the fight guys on tv he always wants to watch whenever Dad gets guilt tripped into letting him spend time with Seb. He also really likes Seb and while the feeling is not mutual, he is not above playing the doting pseudo son card right now to not be killed by Angry Brows.
“Do one Ross!” Angry brow shouts at the same time as Seb’s voice finds him again. “He just grabbed me I didn’t do anything!” He starts screaming at Ross while the man crosses the street in long strids and an angry finger already pointed at this Dingle guy. He starts saying and his voice is too high. He sounds like a girl. Like a scared little girl. He tries to pull away from the grasp on his jacket, but the fist doesn’t bulge. “I was just walking by! And then he went crazy!”
“Little fucker keyed my car. Shoulda figured it was one of your litter!”
“I didn’t!” Seb lies just as fast as Dingle says it “I was just looking at it was like this when I got here”
“Sniveling little liar too! Perfect Barton” At that Seb physically scowl, teeth bared in anger.
“I’m not a fucking Barton!” (“Cheers mate”) “I’m a Sugden” he says his chin jutting out at the same time as he pushes at the large man with both hands.
It works this time, and Seb is not sure why but suddenly he’s free and the angry brows are gone. Replaced by this look of surprise quickly morphing into hurt. “..Seb?” The man’s voice is much thinner now as if he didn’t have air left to say more than the one syllable.
Seb is still angry pulling at his jacket to make it hang off him properly. He suddenly gets hit with the fear that its ripped somewhere. That it will hang looser around his frame than it already does. That Dad will have that worried look on his face again when Seb cries about it later. He wants to hit the man, but he also wants to leave before he remembers he was angry just moments before. He looks over his shoulder and sees Harry waiting for him in front of the store. Wide eyes a little wet and cheeks a little red. Like he’s going to cry because Seb got in trouble.
Before he thinks better of it, he runs and grabs Harry’s hand and runs in the opposite direction of Aunty Vic’s house. If he gets home with a crying Harry, he will be in so much trouble.
The first time Aaron Dingle properly meets Seb White he’s crying his small lungs out.
He’s three months old but is about as small of a human as Aaron has ever seen. He stops crying the second Aaron has him in his arms, just looking up at him with these big green blue eyes that are all Robert and Victoria. It breaks his heart a little bit how perfect he fits in his arms. How much this little bundle, all wrapped up in his tiny little dark blue onesie decorated with forest animals just stares into his soul.
Seb doesn’t sleep for a second that he’s in Aaron’s arms – regardless of how many phones calls Robert does and how the light drains from the sky outside the portacabin. Soon it’s almost 9pm and Aaron starts to worry Seb should be asleep. But all the little blob wants to do is look at him. Just look and laugh with his teethless mouth and his baby noises. He doesn’t have the dexterity yet to grab at Aaron’s fat finger when he wiggles them in front of his face. But he laughs anyways.
Every time Aaron tries to pass him back to Robert Seb starts crying again and so Aaron keeps rocking him. Talking at him. Telling him about his day and how much of an idiot his daddy is.
“He won’t settle with me. I think he picks up on all the stress” Rob tells him halfway through the night.
“Or he senses evil” Aaron snaps back hiding the grin by looking at Seb “Might just be proper bright”