Steve kept a dispassionate eye on their client from across the room. A small part of him was feeling a little bit sorry for Aiden. The guy was in a shit situation, and at least he had some kind of honorable impulse to go help his sister. Smacking his bratty little ass had felt good though. Steve had really needed to do that. If Rob hadn't intervened, he would have given Aiden what he really needed – a good, long, hard spanking.

With Aiden settled on the couch. Steve sat at the kitchen table, his fingers running over his smart phone as he read the crime section of the local paper. His chair was positioned to give him a clear line of sight both to Aiden, and the front door and his back was protected by a wall. Steve did nothing by accident and left nothing to chance. As soon as Rob had gone to get some rest, he'd gone around and closed all the curtains. Never knew who was out there with binoculars.

An unpleasant squeaking sound from across the room made him raise his head. Aiden had raised himself from his concerted sulk and was rocking back and forth on the couch, breathing fast. The blanket had fallen off him and even at some distance, Steve could see that his skin was clammy and pale, his pupils were dilated and those baby blue eyes were wild.

With a short curse under his breath, he got up and went over to the couch, crouching down in front of it. Aiden might be a little shit, but he was his client and Steve didn't want him to suffer more than he needed to.

“Okay, easy,” he said, putting a hand on Aiden's shoulder. “Stretch out a little, let yourself breathe.”

“Fuck... I can't...”

“Breathe,” Steve repeated, taking Aiden's hand in his. He wasn't the comforting type as a general rule, but Aiden needed somebody right now, and Rob was getting some much needed rest. They'd been up for twenty four hours straight looking for, then catching and containing this kid and Rob had been starting to look worse for wear. Steve knew he could handle this on his own.

“I'm dying!” Aiden clutched at him, his face contorted with real fear.

“You're not dying,” Steve said calmly. “You're panicking. You need to breathe.”

“I can't!”

He could, because he was talking. He just didn't know he could. Steve had seen plenty of freakouts in his time, especially in the early days of his military training. They could hit anyone anytime, even the most hardcore guys sometimes fell prey.

“What color are the cupboards?”

“Huh? What?”

“The kitchen cupboards,” he said, keeping his voice low and calm. “What color are they?”

“White,” Aiden said, looking confused.

“Good, and the carpet. What color is it?”

“Brown,” Aiden replied in shaky tones. “Why are you...”

“Just answer me,” Steve said, giving his sweaty hand a squeeze. “What color is my shirt?”

Aiden's eyes dropped to his chest. His breathing didn't slow any, but some color came into his cheeks. “Uhm. Tight.”

“Tight isn't a color,” Steve said, cracking a smile. Okay, maybe Aiden could be a little charming in his own way. Maybe he'd clean up alright once he was done sweating and being sick.

“Sorry,” Aiden said, lifting his eyes to Steve's. “Just the first thing I noticed.”

An undeniable spark of attraction zipped between them. If Aiden weren't a snotty little junkie boy, he would have been Steve's type. Aiden was short and had pretty features for a man. Those baby blue eyes were so expressive, and there was a certain cocky vulnerability about him that both attracted and irritated Steve in equal measure. There was no way Aiden could know it, but he was triggering Steve's most primal and dark impulses. Steve liked to dominate. More than that, he liked to own. Weren't many guys out there into that sort of thing, so he kept his desires reined in most of the time, but this boy was going to be in trouble if he didn't watch out.

“I feel a bit better,” Aiden said, sitting back, his hand still in Steve's. “How did you do that?”

“They're called grounding exercises,” Steve explained. “When you start to feel like that, start looking around and noticing things. The way your clothes feel between your fingers, the color of a glass, how the wind sounds. They help calm things down.”

“I know what else would calm things down,” Aiden said, a devious look coming into his eye.

“No,” Steve growled firmly. “You are not getting drugs.”

Aiden yanked his hand away as a petulant look established itself on his features. “Yes I am, and you can't stop me.”

It took everything Steve had in that moment not to grab him, upend him and spank his deserving ass long and hard with his belt. Rob wouldn't approve, because Aiden was sick. He wouldn't be sick forever though, and when he was better, he was going to have to watch out.

Steve stood up without another word and moved back to the table. Aiden pulled the blanket back over himself and curled up in a furious but silent sulk. Steve felt the muscle in his jaw twitching as he returned to his phone and the crime reports. That boy was pure trouble incarnate.