Title: Binding Hearts
Author: Pixiestyxs
Fandom: Original
Pairing: Several, main Heath/Aiden
Summary: A lonely shifter gets more than he bargained for one night.
Archive: sure I don’t care as long as you let me know
Rating: FRT
Parts: 8
Status: Complete
Series/Sequel: The Inbetween Universe
Website: Valley of the Pixies
Disclaimer: These are all characters of my own creation. If you want to play with them let me know.
Author’s notes & Warnings: This used to be the story The Inbetween but I have changed the name since it has expanded beyond the one story with another in the works. I recommend visiting the page that details the history of the universe these stories are played in.

Part 5

They entered a gaily decorated building fifteen minutes later marked The Sunshine Café. Being nine o'clock on a Sunday, they had to wait another fifteen minutes before being seated. In that time, Aiden hadn't let go of Heath's waist but Heath didn't seem to mind. Once he had figured out why Aiden had gotten so mad at Thane he quickly grew delighted. So Aiden was interested in him.

Heath smiled at Aiden as he sat down across from him. The little two-person table was situated in a corner of the back room. The chairs they were sitting in were padded with bright yellow vinyl and the tabletop was made of the same material.

Their waiter brought them menus, took their drink orders and then they looked through the menu in silence. Aiden looked over his menu at Heath. "So what's good here?"

"Well I'm getting the banana pancakes," Heath answered. "My friends recommended the ham and spinach omelet, but that's only if you like lots of spinach and lots of garlic."

"Great," Aiden proclaimed, "two of my favorite foods. I think I'll get that."

The waiter brought them their drinks, coffee for Heath and apple juice for Aiden. He waited for their order.

"I'll have the short stack of banana pancakes," Heath told the man. He took a sip of the coffee and smiled at the strong and slightly bitter taste- just the way he liked it. He poured a packet of sugar and a splash of milk into his cup and stirred it. The Sunshine Café made the best coffee, Heath thought.

Aiden shook his head at Heath in amusement. "I'll have the ham and spinach omelet please." He handed his menu to the waiter and smiled at Heath. They sat and talked about different things while they waited for their food. When their food came, they kept talking. They learned about the other while they ate.

Aiden learned that Heath was an only child who loved his fathers with all his might. He loved to draw and that was why he became a graphic artist who worked at an advertisement firm in West Verona City. Also, Heath had only graduated from the university the year before with top marks.

"So have I seen any of your work?" Aiden asked laughingly. Heath shrugged.

Heath learned that Aiden really wanted to know if he had any relatives. He wanted to go to college and learn about the news. That was Aiden's dream: to be a journalist.

The waiter brought the bill and Aiden reached for it. Heath slapped his hand away, put his credit card down, and handed both the bill and his card to the waiter. The man nodded at him and walked away to scan the card.

"It's my treat," Heath said smiling at the Shifter across from him.

Aiden grinned back at him. "I had a great time. This was a good idea." He took Heath's hand that lay on the table and gave it a squeeze. Heath entwined their fingers and squeezed back. He accepted his card from the waiter, let go of Aiden's hand, and signed the receipt.

"We might as well go to Wonder," Aiden said with a scowl. He got up, pushed his chair in, and waited while Heath put his car away and stood up. When Heath stood beside him, Aiden leaned towards him and gave him a light peck on the lips. The skin around Heath's eyes crinkled with laughter and he grabbed Aiden's hand. They walked out of the restaurant hand in hand.

They sauntered to the subway and got on a train heading for Wonder. Aiden was a little apprehensive about the whole deal because he knew Merta would be there. As if sensing his thoughts, Heath squeezed his hand in reassurance.

"It will be okay, Aiden," he said looking into Aiden's eyes. "I won't let him do anything to bother you. Okay?"

"Okay," Aiden affirmed. He wasn't worried about himself- he knew Merta wouldn't hurt him. He was more worried about what Merta might try to do to Heath.

"So when we get to the fair, what do you want to do first?" Heath asked as the train pulled into their station.

"I don't know, Heath. I've never been to the fair before," Aiden replied nuzzling his head under Heath's chin as they walked to the street above.

Heath dropped a kiss to Aiden's head and wrapped his arm around his waits. "We'll just take it as it comes I guess. Right now we just need to get your stuff."

"Yeah," Aiden said smiling sweetly at his … what was Heath to him? He knew Heath wanted to mate with him but he didn't think he was ready yet. He would like to be boyfriends and see where that took them.

They saw Wonder's building rise ahead of them and sped up a little. They just wanted to get this over with and go on their date.

Aiden tried the front door only to find it locked. He knocked, wondering if Merta was even there. The door opened and Rinku stood in front of them, his hand on the doorknob.

"Aiden?" he asked. "What are you doing here? I thought you got fired."

Aiden grinned. "I did. I'm just here to collect my things."

"Oh. Who's this?" Rinku asked motioning to Heath with his head.

"I'm Heath, Aiden's date. We're stopping in on our way to the fair," Heath said smiling suavely at the older man.

Rinku shot an amused look at Aiden with his cat-like green eyes. "Nice to meet you Heath. I'm Rinku, a friend of Aiden's and the bartender here at Wonder."

"Nice to meet you too," Heath stated, shaking the older man's outstretched hand.

"Well," Aiden said brightly, a large grin on his face," we had better get my stuff so we can go. It was nice seeing you again Rinku."

"You too Aiden," Rinku murmured. He nodded to the two Shifters and walked back to the bar.

"Well let's get this over with," Heath said, wrapping an arm around Aiden's shoulders and tugging him close to him.

Aiden laid his head in the crook of Heath's neck and nodded. He kissed said neck and giggled when Heath shuddered. He pulled away and kissed Heath on the cheek. Heath made to pull him close again but Aiden scampered away blowing him a kiss.

Heath shook his head in amusement and followed the teen to the employee locker room. They went into the cage-filled room and Aiden zeroed in on his locker. He spun the combination into the lock as Heath came up behind him. Aiden put all the things he had left there into a backpack that was hanging on the door. He slammed the door shut and turned around. He took in the sight of Heath leaning against a locker and nonchalantly buffing his fingers with his shirt.

"Done there your highness?" he asked, snorting in laughter. Heath jumped and put his hand behind his head chagrined.

Aiden playfully slapped Heath's shoulder. "Well Prince Heath, ready to go finish our date?"

"Yeah, let's blow this joint," Heath said taking the bag from Aiden.

"Oh you're leaving so soon?" Merta's gruff voice uttered from a secluded doorway to their right.

"Merta, I didn't know you were here. Rinku didn't say anything about you when I talked to him a few minutes ago," Aiden murmured slightly fearful of the large man.

Heath heard the fear in his date's voice and stepped in front of him protectively. "What do you want now, you over grown koala bear."

Merta sneered at the wolf. "Oh it's you again. What are you doing sniffing around my mate?"

"Your mate?" Heath repeated angrily. "He's not your mate. He's not anyone's mate. Did you try to woo him? No!" he exclaimed stalking towards the bear. "You just demanded that he mate with you with no regard to his feelings. It was the same thing I did, but now I’m trying to rectify that."

Aiden smiled at how readily Heath defended him. He was happy that Heath had finally realized what he had done and he might even reward him after all this was said and done.

Merta roared in anger and shifted shapes. He swiped a huge paw at Heath who only barely managed to jump back. He shifted to his wolf form and charged at the bear. He snapped his jaws at Merta's hindquarters in retaliation.

Part 6

Aiden backed up to the far wall away from the two Alphas. He knew that if he interfered now he would get hurt. As a Beta, he wasn't as strong as the Alphas and he sometimes cursed that, like right now. He bit his lip in anxiety as he watched the fight.

So far, Merta seemed to have the upper hand. He was boxing Heath around as if he was a stuffed animal. He threw Heath towards the lockers and the wolf slammed into them with a thud. He lay on the floor panting and Aiden could hear him wheezing painfully. He made to step forward and help but remembered that he couldn't interfere. This was a fight to see who would make a better mate for him. As much as he hated this he couldn't help but be turned on that they were fighting over him.

Merta stomped over to Heath's hurt form and loomed over him. He bent down to pin him into submission when all of a sudden Heath lunged for his throat. Try as he might, Merta could not shake the wolf off. He nodded his head in submission for fear that Heath would tear his throat out. Heath let go and growled at him. Merta shifted back to his human form and stumbled back to his office.

Aiden smiled happily and started towards Heath, but stopped as Heath growled and stalked over to him. Aiden looked at him in confusion and backed away from him. Heath shifted when he reached Aiden and trapped him between his arms. He leaned forward and kissed the fox. Aiden moaned, wrapped his arms around Heath's neck, and deepened the kiss. They kissed passionately like this for several minutes until Aiden felt Heath pull away. He looked at the older man through hooded eyes and did not fear what he knew he would say next.

"You, my beautiful fire flower, will be my mate in time," Heath said huskily, cupping Aiden's chin in his palm. "I will woo you and make you love me as much as I will love you. I have fought for you and will continue to fight for you until you are mine."

Aiden's eyes sparkled with lust and happiness. "Yes, I believe you. I might not have before but I do now." He stood on his tiptoes and kissed the tip of Heath's nose playfully. "But I would like to be wooed. It will make our mating that much more special."

"You’re right," Heath answered. He drew Aiden's mouth to his for one last fiery kiss and stepped away. He took Aiden's hand, scooped the fallen backpack from the floor, and strolled from the room. They stopped at the bar to allow Aiden to say farewell to Rinku and then left the club.

"So," Aiden asked as they stood on the street," how do we get to Elton for the fair?"

Heath turned to him incredulously. "You still want to go?"

"Of course," Aiden laughed, smiling brightly. "We are still going on a date, aren't we? I'm not letting anything ruin this for me."

"Okay," Heath grinned at him. He brought Aiden's hand to his mouth and kissed it. Aiden blushed and slapped his shoulder.

"Stop that, you're embarrassing me."

"Oh very well," Heath sighed mock sadly. "We can get to Elton by train. It's just outside the city. There should be a station just down the street if I recall correctly."

They walked sedately down the street to the train station. They boarded the train after Heath paid for their fare. Heath put his arm around Aiden's shoulders and pulled him closer, essentially telling every one to back off.

Aiden laid his head on Heath's shoulder and sighed happily. "So when should we be there?"

"In about half an hour," Heath answered squeezing Aiden's shoulders. He smiled at the dozing shifter and then looked out the window.

~

The train pulled into the Elton station and the two Shifters wasted no time in getting off. Heath led Aiden through the city, really a town, until they came upon the fairground. Again, Heath paid for their tickets and they walked in.

Aiden looked around at the sights in awe. He was so excited that he didn't know what he wanted to do first.

"Well? What do you want to do?" Heath asked, laughing at Aiden's expression.

"I...I don't know where to begin," Aiden said looking around. "Everything looks like so much fun and … and … and it's overwhelming!"

Heath smiled at him. "How about we start with a ride. They have a couple of roller coasters here."

"That sounds like great fun," Aiden exclaimed excited. For once he was acting his age of eighteen and Heath liked this side of him.

They traipsed to one of the roller coasters and got in line. After a few minutes they got on the ride. They rode the twisting and turning ride for all five minutes of it and then got off when the ride was over. Aiden and Heath spent the rest of the day riding rides, eating fatty foods and getting to know one another better. When it got dark around eight o'clock Heath pulled Aiden onto the Ferris wheel. They rode to the top and their car swung lightly when it stopped.

"Like the view?" Heath asked. Aiden scooted closer to him and snuggled into his side. He looked out into the darkness and saw in the distance Verona City all lit up. He nodded and smiled up at the older man. Heath ran his fingers through the hair at the back of Aiden's neck, making him purr.

The ride started up again and they left the fair when it reached the ground. Aiden couldn't stop yawning and Heath knew as much as he didn't want to that they should leave. They boarded the train and rode it back to the city. At a station near Aiden's apartment they got off. At a leisurely pace, they meandered to Aiden’s building.

They walked up the stairs and stood in front of Aiden's door. Heath looked around the hallway nervously. He cleared his throat.

"So did you have a good time?"

Aiden smiled and nodded. He leaned forward and gave Heath a light kiss. He drew back and said, "I had a wonderful time."

"I'm glad," Heath admitted. "I wasn't sure if you would."

Aiden shook his head. "No, no, I had a really great time. I'm just a little tired. Too much excitement I guess."

"Oh," Heath sighed. "I guess I'll leave you now. I wouldn't want to make you miss your sleep." He turned to leave but Aiden stopped him.

"You could come in and stay the night with me." Aiden said, a blush staining his cheeks.

"Are you sure?" Heath asked. He'd never imagined that their first date would end with him staying over.

"Only to sleep mind you," Aiden reminded him, his blush not fading in the slightest.

"Okay, I'd love to."

Aiden unlocked his front door and ushered Heath into the front hall before shutting the door. "Would you like something to drink?" Aiden asked, taking Heath's jacket and scarf and hanging them in the front hall closet.

Heath shook his head. "No, I'm okay."

"Alright." Aiden yawned. "Sorry, I'm so tired. You wore me out."

"Well then, we should go to bed. I do have work in the morning," Heath suggested as he watched Aiden yawn again.

Aiden nodded and they walked into Aiden's bedroom. Rummaging around in his dresser drawers, Aiden pulled out two pairs of pajama pants. He handed one to Heath and then sauntered into the bathroom.

While Aiden was in the bathroom, Heath shucked off his shirt and pants and pulled on the pajamas. He folded his clothes and laid them on a chair next to Aiden’s dresser. Aiden came out and smiled at Heath.

"Do the pants fit okay?" he asked.

Heath looked down at the foot or more of leg showing and laughed. "They're a little short."

Aiden laughed with him. "Sorry about that. I don't have any thing big enough for you."

"That's okay Aiden. I'll just have to bring my own next time we have a sleepover." Heath declared. Aiden giggled and Heath looked toward the bathroom. "I'll head to the bathroom and brush my teeth."

Heath did as he said he would and came back into the bedroom feeling refreshed. Aiden was already in bed and only the bedside light was on. Aiden glowed ethereally in the soft light.

He beckoned Heath over with a smile. Heath walked over and climbed into bed. He took Aiden into his arms and gave him a gentle kiss. Aiden nuzzled his head under Heath's and turned out the light. Several minutes later, the only sound in the room was a light snoring.