[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

393

@aaron @jules

Sonnet didn't speak to the wannabe comedian, simply nodding shortly at her, before turning her gaze back to Aaron. After all, he was the reason she was here. He'd called the meeting, presumably to call in the favour she'd owed him. She didn't show the same distraction as he did, confident that there was no one in the immediate vicinity, and even more confident in her abilities to escape the situation if necessary.

Aaron's story grew interesting, clearly the men that had attacked them by the store had been part of the same gang, at least they had been if the method was anything to go by. Using explosives to cover their tracks risked attracting the attention of someone higher up, but it also meant there was little left to look at when said higher ups arrived.

As she listened, Sonnet looked warily at the blue-haired woman once more. We. So she must be a Hero then. The continuing story only confirmed her suspicions, her cover being blown could mean only two things, either she was some sort of confidential informant, or she was a Hero. If she was an informant then surely his information would have been more concrete. Hero made sense, especially if her daughter was already a meta. Heroes were almost exclusively powerful metahumans, it made sense that their children, if they had any, would be similarly gifted, at least inevitably.

"So they have the…" She turned to the woman, "Your child?"

Turning back to Aaron, she mused for a moment, she had already started to put out feelers after she'd been attacked by the group, so far she'd heard nothing of value. But the knowledge that this was not their first attack, and that they seemed to have a clear objective would make a difference. Following those leads would be much more productive than the flimsy ones she'd had to go on before.

No doubt law enforcement would have an interest as well, but the Yakuza had a direct line to the underworld. She would find some information on the group, and then she had a score of her own to settle.

"I will put the word out, I have a few people that deal in information, but it won't be instant. These things take time, take negotiation, encouragement. Do you have somewhere safe to stay with your… friend?"

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

Shaking his head, Aaron answered.

"We got away, with her daughter. But only by the skin of our teeth. My friend here even killed the super they sent along to deal with me, so don't let her warm and soft exterior fool you." He gave a small smile to Jules. "And...you don't have to do any of this, if you don't want to. It would be helpful, but I'm not looking to tie your hands or cash in chips. I want this to be a collaborative effort." He knew how her types thought- hell, his buddies back in Afghanistan owed him their lives many times over. And he owed his to them too. It was part of the life. He'd clear his throat.

"I took her to a safe house, yes. You need to be careful too....the only way they'd know where these kids are is if they had tracking on them somehow. You start poking at soft spots, they might not take too kindly to it."

He had dealt with people like that, before. People who took their privacy so seriously, they killed whole villages for it without blinking an eye. He'd hate to see Sonnet end up dead on his account, and he had no doubts that whoever was funding the operation and pulling the strings likely had the will and ability to put this stout and powerful meta out of their misery.

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Deleted]

As Aaron introduced them, Jules reflected the curt nod that Sonnet had given her, albeit a little more warily. It was faintly amusing to her, considering their shared ancestry – she was getting flashbacks to her childhood and the various bows her grandparents would use. She’d had half an instinct to use something more formal herself but didn’t want to make things any weirder than they already were.

Her eyes widened in alarm as Aaron described the previous attacks – including one that he and Sonnet had been present for. Jules hadn’t even made the connection, too busy being concerned about her own situation, but all the links Aaron was making made perfect sense. She was shocked that the little girl had already developed metahuman abilities – it was widely known that most didn’t manifest until some point in puberty – but not entirely unsurprised that Em may have latent abilities of her own. Jules could only hope that Emily would be a little older than that girl before such things became an issue. As he glanced back at her, she gave him an affirmative smile, confident in his conclusions thus far.

Sonnet spoke finally, and Jules shook her head. “No. She’s safe.” Likely driving Dr. Hunt mad at that very moment but hopefully in her classically, annoyingly adorable way.

She let out an embarrassed laugh at Aaron’s comment about her ‘warm and soft exterior’, unsure whether to take it as a compliment or not. She recovered quickly and fixed Sonnet with an even look, wondering if the news of her combative prowess would raise her slightly in the woman’s regard.

Jules heard the pause in Sonnet’s words as she referred to her as Aaron’s friend. It was fair, they’d only just met after all. Anyway, it was time for Jules to have an awkward pause of her own.

“The man I… killed, he referred to a ‘he’ of some kind. Their boss, I guess. He seemed to suggest that the boss would have appreciated me being brought in alive for my ‘figure’.” Jules pulled a face of disgust. “Could be that they make a habit of taking women as well as children.” She paused for a moment, and then shrugged. “I don’t know if that helps. They also mostly seem to be relying on guns rather than completely filling their ranks with metas, I think.”

Sonnet Matsuda | @aaron | 392 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

380

@aaron @jules

Sonnet eyed the other woman once she heard that she had apparently killed whatever metahuman had been sent to deal with Aaron. She'd fought him, knew just how tough the brick-meta was, anyone who had been sent to kill him must have been tough, unless the group had underestimated him like she had. Even so, the look she gave Jules this time was tinged with faint respect. At least the woman could look after herself, but then she was a Hero, it was to be expected that she could deal with threats.

"I'm aware of what I do and don't have to do."

She snapped the response. Aaron clearly wanted to think of this relationship as more of a friendship. Sonnet couldn't afford to do the same. He was a Hero, a federal agent. She was a member of the largest criminal organisation in the world. This meeting shouldn't even be happening. But she owed him, and she owed the group that had attacked them both.

Her ill-temper faded a little however at his next comment. She grinned like a shark. "Oh that's what I'll be counting on."

She looked over to Jules as the woman spoke again. Frowning at what she heard. The Yamaguchi-Gumi were heavily involved in human trafficking it was true, but Sonnet had always stayed away from that side of the business. Something in her had always found it distasteful. It had probably held her back in the rise through the ranks. There was a lot of money in that kind of trafficking, a lot of customers willing to pay princely sums. That had only increased since the Event, and Sonnet knew that the brothels run by the Yakuza in New York City had a number of metahumans with special talents within their walls.

"There is a lot of money in metahumans, I can only imagine the price goes up when they're still young, but how would they know that your child has, or will have abilities. And how did they find you. Despite this guy's best efforts," she nodded at the burly ex-soldier, "It's not that easy to find out a Hero's identity. Maybe that's what we need to focus on, find out how they're finding people. Remove that and they'll come out to play."

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

Aaron hummed.

"Mm...I don't know. I don't think they operate like a sex ring. Usually, those types are more discrete in their operations. These people don't even bother trying to hide faces. They didn't originally target you, Jules, which says you might have worked out just as well for what they wanted from Em. I think they're more interested in powers than in the figure. Likely that man was just being a pig."

He looked to Sonnet, giving a nod.

"I thought about that too- but I don't think they'll make that easy. If they have a way to either uncover identities or track those with powers, they're going to protect that with their lives. I figure we first need an in. Some weak point we can push at til it breaks." He folded his arms, working his bottom lip between his teeth for a second as he thought to himself. "What we may try doing....is using someone as bait. Either you, Jules...or..."

He didn't want to suggest Em, but he couldn't think of another option other than-

"There is also Claire. My friend in California. She's got a unique ability, similar to tracking. If I asked...I'm sure she'd help."

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Deleted]

Jules could see that Sonnet came from a different world to herself. She looked almost hungry to seek out dangerous situations, uncaring as to the consequences. Sonnet was obviously very confident in her abilities and obviously not afraid to use them to get what she wanted… by any means necessary. After all, by the look on her face, Sonnet’s opinion of Jules seemed to have improved considerably since Aaron had revealed the result of Jules’ altercation with one of the intruders. Ending another’s life was obviously not something that she actively avoided.

She listened as Aaron considered the attackers some more, nodding extremely enthusiastically at his comment about the man being a pig. That she could believe.

The second Jules heard the word bait, she was on red alert. Her eyes fixed firmly on Aaron as she watched – dared – Aaron to finish that sentence in a way she wouldn’t agree with. She made a noise of agreement to her own name and listened with approval as Aaron tailed off, shifting the focus. No, even Aaron, who was obviously not opposed to ruthless tactics himself, wouldn’t be so stupid as to suggest she use her own daughter as bait.

“I’m happy to be bait if we need it. I can handle myself,” she added firmly, sounding a little more confident than she actually felt. “This your friend on the west coast you mentioned? Sounds like she could be really valuable… Her help would be good. And I’m a big fan of any plan that gets Em as far away from New York as possible, if we need to go to her, that is.”

She frowned. “The Hero program will be looking for us too. Definitely me – they’ll know it was my address and there’s no way that explosion went unnoticed. I don’t think we want to be on their radar, just in case… right?”

It was perhaps a little obvious that Jules was in over her head at this point. She was eternally grateful to have Aaron by her side for this ordeal. Damn… how would she even start to pay him back for it all? More drunken table dances? He hadn’t exactly objected to the first.

Maybe 100 table dances would settle her debt.

Sonnet Matsuda | @aaron | 374 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

436

@jules @aaron

Sonnet gave a nod. Baiting out this group was a logical next step, the way they had operated showed that they were willing to act violently to keep their existence a secret. That meant whatever criminal operation they were engaged in, it didn't require the knowledge of the rest of the underworld to succeed. That was unusual. Most had to at least interact with other organisations. Even the Spades on the West coast had some dealings with the Yakuza and the Triads, they had to. One couldn't simply ignore the biggest criminal organisation in the world.

Apparently, this group had decided they could. They weren't going through any of the major human traffickers in New York, Sonnet didn't have much interest in human trafficking herself, but she would have heard if there was a significant increase in the trade of metahumans. They were an exceedingly rare and valuable resource, or at least the powerful ones were. Anyone on Sonnet's level or above could fetch hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars from the right buyer.

"Bait makes sense." She jerked her chin towards Julia, "But if they've already run into her then they'll suspect something. Especially since you're involved again, if these guys can stay this secret then they've got connections, influence, and a shit load of money. They won't have been able to do this at all if they were stupid enough to get pulled into a trap like that. We need someone they don't know, which means either me or your friend."

She tensed at the mention of the Hero Program, there was now no possible way that the other woman was not a Hero. She shook her head, if Kenshin found out she was dealing with one member of the Hero Program he'd have her finger, if he found out she was dealing with two then he might just take her whole head. Sonnet was rather attached to her head.

"I have somewhere I can take you, it should be safe there, but there'll be a few rules. The first one is to shut up about that damn program." She glanced at Aaron, then back to Julia, "I don't know what kind of person you think I am, but it's not exactly good for me to be seen helping the Federal government."

She paced, stopping a little further away from them and jerking a thumb in Aaron's direction, "I owe you, and I owe them. Maybe if I can prove they're trying to muscle in on our territory I'll get more support, but I can't risk involving the rest of my organisation."

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

Aaron shook his head.

"I can't ask you to do that. Helping me point a finger at them is one thing, putting yourself on their radar is an entirely different level of involvement. I appreciate the offer though." He looked to Jules. "I thought about contacting the Program too. Problem is, it's entirely plausible they could be involved. A new government agency with vast over reach and a reason to hate their number one killer isn't on my list of organizations to trust right now. They have our files, real names and actual addresses ripe for use in a situation like this. I want to give Dom the benefit of the doubt, which is why my gut instinct is to look elsewhere. But if we come up empty, the Program becomes enemy number one."

He was unsure how Jules would feel about that. She seemed to love the program and everything it did for her, so it made the idea of them being behind this a very hard pill to swallow for her. In Aaron's opinion, no person or agency was perfect as they were all created by people. Individuals filled with lust and greed and hunger for more. The program was no different in his opinion, and if they did do this, he'd do to them what he did to all those who came for him and those he cared about. He'd burn the place down and piss on the ashes. For now, though, he wanted to keep up the charade. Because if a new powerhouse was out on the loose, the Program could help in a big way. He chewed his lip.

"As for getting us a safe house, I believe I've found one. If they knew where we were, they'd have already come for Em. They'd find a bigger problem in my father than they expect but we'd still have heard. Which makes me think there must be a range to their machine. Somewhere the size of central NYC is a big ass place to cover but there are plenty of other holes we can hide in. If that changes, though, you'll be the first to know. Your idea about involving another group sounds interesting. Kick the beehive, see what comes out. I like it."

**************************

Ben lay the child face down in Aaron's bed, bringing the covers up to keep the lower half of her form warm. He pat her back a few times as she stirred from the movement, but after a few minutes she settled. Standing, he put his hands in his pockets and sighed. He'd long dreamed of laying a grandchild in his older sons bed. Allen hadn't been seen in years, his other son having steeped himself in an entirely different environment than Aaron. When the older man discovered that Ben had another boy after he went off to war, he doubted there would be much excitement. Shock and outrage, perhaps.

He chewed his bottom lip and walked out, leaving the door open a crack as he made his way over to the house phone on the table. Dialing the number, he held it to hear ear and cleared his throat as the line became active.

"Geoffrey. It's Ben. Aaron's back. We should meet, and soon."

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Deleted]

Jules bit her lip – Sonnet had a point. They would be expecting her to be on high alert now that she had escaped them once and it would raise a few eyebrows if she were to suddenly place herself in an obviously vulnerable position. Especially when they now knew that she and Aaron were more than capable of taking them on; it was not a fight they were going to walk into blindly unless they had a secret weapon up their sleeves.

Fortunately, Sonnet seemed to be Aaron’s own secret weapon and she seemed more than capable of navigating her way around New York’s criminal underworld. Aaron seemed reluctant to have her involved any more than strictly necessary which had Jules wondering at the nature of their relationship. Not exactly friends, but to say they were any kind of professional associates was probably also an overstatement. He had alluded to not wanting to “cash in chips”, and there was also the fact that they had encountered the group before together.

She quirked an eyebrow subconsciously in Aaron’s direction as she followed the train of thought. Definitely not your conventional hero – man had been dabbling in extra-Program activity that was probably not on their list of marketable endeavours.

She kind of liked it. It made him exciting.

Then Jules realised she was staring, still lost in her own internal monologue, and she glanced away quickly, tuning back into the conversation. Sonnet was continuing to offer her aid, but she was more than bristly at the idea of the Hero Program. Jules nodded, faintly amused at the other woman’s insistence. “I have no idea of the kind of person you are, but I think it’s best if it stays that way. The less we know about each other the better.”

Despite the situation, despite the words, Jules felt an odd sense of solidarity with the teleporter. The feeling of shared ancestry, most likely. It was a powerful instinct.

There it was. I owe you. Jules wondered what she could have done to be in Aaron’s debt, realising suddenly that that was yet another shared trait between them. Did Aaron make a habit of being in the right place at the right time? He probably had all kinds of favours he could call in – not that Jules was complaining in the slightest.

She tilted her head suddenly. She agreed with everything that had been said, had nodded dutifully and wordlessly to indicate as much, but some rather unrelated concerns had popped into her head as she considered Em and her current refuge at Ben’s home.

“We need more clothes,” she blurted, quickly rushing to explain herself. “Much as I’m enjoying the thrift store get-up, I can’t live in the one outfit and neither can Em. I know it seems a dumb priority,” she added, the slightest of a blush rising to her cheeks and flecks of ice inevitably rising to meet it. “But we should grab at least something, especially if we need to travel to California. The dirty runaway look will give us away in seconds.”

Plus, who wanted to wear the same underwear several days straight? Nobody, that’s who.

Sonnet Matsuda | @aaron | 528 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

432

@aaron @jules

It was strange that Aaron was treating her like a friend, she certainly didn't consider him one, yet when she had offered herself as bait he'd turned it down. He hadn't asked her to do so, she'd offered, knowing there was nothing the group could do to stop her or slow her down. She clenched her jaw, it was just like the men of the Yakuza to behave as if she was fragile as well. At least most of them had learned not to say it her face though. Still it would have been too much effort to break Aaron's fingers or nose for the insult. Or so she told herself.

"Whatever."

She shifted her position, moving back towards the two of them. She still didn't trust either of them, but she at least had faith that they wouldn't try and stab her in the back at this exact moment, although she still didn't know what the blue haired woman, Jules, could do.

She eyed Aaron's friend as she spoke. "Trust me; I have no desire to know you any better than I do right now."

She cocked an eyebrow at the mention of Aaron's father, he hadn't struck her as the family type, but also it seemed that he had some other trick up his sleeve. Was he also a metahuman? After all, she couldn't imagine that someone could pose much threat to this group without that benefit, ex-military or not.

"Gee thanks," she borrowed a saying she had often heard accompanied by sarcasm. Her default mode, partially thanks to her damaged vocal chords, was sarcasm, but that didn't mean she could be extra sarcastic when she felt like it. "We'll need to kick the beehive before my people will come out. I've not heard of this group, and that means my boss won't be interested until they're a problem."

Her attention was pulled back to the woman as she blurted out what was apparently on her mind. "I thought the dirty runaway look would have fit right in with California, but if you really want clothes then I can have someone get them for you. I'm sure he would offer," she nodded towards Aaron, "But if they're as dangerous as you think then it's probably unwise to go out in public for something so trivial."

As if the woman really expected Sonnet to go shopping for her. It was insulting, and Sonnet was half-tempted to educate her as to just who she was dealing with, but Aaron was there, and the Yakuza lieutenant still didn't know what Jules could do.

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

Aaron had no idea that Sonnet was misinterpreting his intentions, or thinking his reasoning to be so....well, sexist. Aaron instead was still facing them both, and his eyes would meet Jules who suddenly glanced quickly away. He resisted mightily the urge to smirk, as he would were they alone, intead making sure no attention was drawn to it by giving a nod to sonnet.

"Agreed. They are looking for her and Em, but I doubt they'll count on two heroes looking to the criminal underworld for assistance. Anything you can offer clothes-wise would be helpful, but don't steal it. I can pay whatever the cost of extra clothes are." That's right, even now he was insisting Sonnet resist her base instincts. If she disapproved or refused, he'd find a way to get clothes for Jules from somewhere else. His closet at his fathers house was likely still stacked with them for himself, after all.

"Okay. Then We'll meet back here, same time, in one week. If you can get Jules some clothes, just text me where you leave them and I'll scoop them up and leave the money behind. Make sure a receipt is with them so I know how much to leave." And to make sure her perky, sketchy ass doesn't steal them and try to take his dough. Despite this fragile alliance, he wasn't going to believe she was some kind of changed woman. He'd step forward to offer his hand for a shake, regardless. Not only was he asking for her help, but she was trusting him in a similar manner whether she wanted to acknowledge that or not.

"And thank you."

If she took it he'd give a firm but measured shake before turning to head back to his car with Jules.

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

256

@aaron @jules

Sonnet was glaring at Aaron by this point, so she dragged her gaze away before she discovered if she had a hitherto unknown ability to kill people with a look.

”I may be a criminal, but I am no thief.”

She was aware of the irony in her words, but it was true. The Yakuza did not pick pockets or steal away items of value. That was not their style of crime. They intimidated, bribed, and blackmailed, and they operated industries that the government disapproved of, but they were not truly thieves. If Aaron had said the same to any member of the Yamaguchi-Gumi the response would have been the same.

”I will buy the clothes, and I do not need your money.”

Her tone was clipped and short, and this time it brooked no argument. It wasn’t as if Sonnet was short of disposable income, she was a Shateigashira after all, a high-level lieutenant in command of several territories and with the loyalty of a group of chinpira of her own. The cost of a few clothes would be no great inconvenience.

After the insult she inspected his hand for a moment, before reluctantly taking it and shaking once. She released his hand as quickly as she had taken it, looking towards Jules. Perhaps the other woman expected a hand shake as well. Regardless, Sonnet gave her a firm nod, before stepping back from the two of them.

There was a sound like a sudden inhalation and the two Heroes were alone in the warehouse.

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

Sonnet was amusingly hostile to Jules - she was almost over eager to demonstrate how little she cared. It was all just Business to her, huh? If the situation hadn’t been so serious, Jules might have smirked a little at her comment about having no desire to know her any better, but instead she just nodded curtly in understanding. She could hardly imagine the two of them were going to start arranging coffee dates together, anyway.

At least she had agreed to have somebody acquire clothes for them, even if the matter of paying for them seemed to be somewhat of a sore point (somewhat exacerbated by Aaron’s insistence that she didn’t steal them). Jules was simply feeling annoyed that she couldn’t offer to pay for her own clothes but there was the small issue of being on the run. She didn’t even want to make any moves with her online banking, just in case it was being watched.

She realised suddenly that if they wanted to get to California, her lack of ID might be an issue. Hopefully Aaron had further tricks up his sleeve.


Sonnet shook Aaron’s hand - a quick movement that just about counted as a social pleasantry - before looking across to Jules. Jules thanked her as well, matching Sonnet’s nod with a gentle bow. Nothing too formal or ridiculous, but enough to express her gratitude.

There was a strange sound, a rush of air, and Sonnet was gone.

“Time to see what state Em’s left the house in, I guess,” Jules said with a wry smile as they walked back to the car. “I’m betting she’s fast asleep - your dad seems like a pro.”

Either that, or Em had been a tiny little terror and they were about to be forcefully ejected from the safe house. Jules rather doubted it but… there was no such thing as certainty when it came to the behaviour of toddlers.

“That was good. You’ve, uh-” Jules stumbled over her words, not even sure what she was trying to say, and shrank a little into her seat in embarrassment. She was just eternally grateful for the way he’d taken command of the situation - the way he was continuing to make her feel like everything was okay even if it very much wasn’t. It would be. “Thank you, Aaron.”

@aaron | 394 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

Aaron nodded, smirking himself.

"Yeah, my dad's pretty good with kids."

Why did she think he got on so well with her? He kept that little joke in his own mind, when she started in next he frowned. They'd been driving for a few minutes and he was turning the corner to his house when she thanked him. He would pull into the drive way and turn off the car, a small from on his face. Did she feel she owed him something? He didn't like that. She and him were thrust into this together, and it was just something he was familiar with. He understood this kind of life, this kind of danger. Yes, he cared about her too, but that was besides the point.

"Jules-"

His dad's door opened, and his head moved over to look as his father walked out. Opening the door, he got out and asked where his father was going. The man held up his keys, offering a "gotta run some errands!" before making his way to the Porsche that sat in the street. Closing the door, Aaron would wave Jules on to follow him as headed up the walk way. Coming in through the door, Aaron held it open for her before closing it and removing his jacket, tossing it on the chair. Now that Ben was gone, That left him alone with Jules and a sleeping child, who likely was exhausted from the days events and in more of a need for a nap than any of them. The hero behind him had gotten some sleep, and Aaron was used to operating in this kind of structure, as previously noted, so sleep was not on the menu. Still...she had been impressive. Strong willed, brave. He respected the hell out of that. And there was the matter of her thanking him. Hands on his hips, he took a deep breath.

Turning back, he was sure she was likely to expect some words out of him. Instead, he gave her a slow once over, his eyes roaming down her form and back up to her eyes, his gaze having taken in her lips and hair and hands and neck and-

Hands dropping from their resting points at his sides, he moved forward and would bring his right hand up to cup her cheek, fingertips threading into her hair as he'd press his lips to hers gently, a small intake of breath the precursor to his tongue roaming softly over her own. Planting another small kiss on her lips after, he'd open his eyes to search her own. To be honest, though they had just met, he'd wanted to do this since he brought her home from the bar. He'd tried to restrain himself, but he'd had enough and wanted her to know his interest wasn't intrinsic. It was overt. Obvious. His left hand, resting on her hip, felt skin, and he felt a nice shiver up his spine- though that wouldn't be obvious to her.

"Thank you, for trusting me today."

He had to see her reaction first. Normally, he'd toss someone over his shoulder and take her into the bedroom for a romp but....he found he actually liked her. He had little interest in a one night stand and less interest in something meaningless. So if she came back with the same interest, he'd act on that. If not, or if she stopped him before he could get too far, he'd know he misread things and re-calibrate.

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Deleted]

There was the smallest of frowns of Aaron’s face. Jules matched it with her own for a second, worried that she’d inadvertently offended him. Maybe Sonnet’s prickliness had managed to rub off on him though, somehow, she doubted that. He’d started to say something when the open door caught his eye and distracted him, and Jules followed his gaze to see Ben on his way out. He must have been waiting for them to get back so he could head out and, judging by his lack of a small shadow by the name of Emily, Em must be safely asleep back in the house.

He didn’t stop to chat, instead waving his keys at them and saying something non-committal about errands. Jules gave him a small wave goodbye as she got out the car and followed Aaron inside, still slightly concerned that the few words she’d managed to actually get out of her mouth had been the wrong ones. He didn’t seem angry though as he held the door for her – not that she imagined he’d forget his manners even at the worst of times. The man seemed to have an almost impenetrable code of principles.

Thank you, she said, this time with just a smile in case he didn’t want to hear the words out loud again.

Her first instinct was to check on Em, who was nestled cosily in a blanket in what looked like the deepest sleep a human being was capable of. Jules was so jealous of babies and their sleeping prowess. She’d love to be able to follow her daughter’s napping schedule.

Her second was to look back at Aaron and try to find some better words. She looked up at him, feeling far too many things at once to know where to begin unpacking them all. There was that burning gratitude, that desperate thankfulness for his care and protection, but there was so much more too that was threatening to make her light-headed if she dared to stop and analyse the fluttering in her chest too closely.

As he took a deep breath, Jules realised that she’d been holding her own; probably not helping the light-headedness. She let it out in a slow exhale, watching him curiously now as he broke their gaze. Jules felt his eyes on her, slow and deliberate, and flushed in giddy embarrassment at the attention. He didn’t give her much time to process that, however, and before she could ruin it with an awkward joke his hand was on her cheek and his lips were on hers and her eyelids had fluttered closed.

Her lips parted gently and she felt her entire body wrapping up in the magnetism of the kiss, pressing herself against him with a surprising lack of hesitation. It was unexpectedly tender, but wholly powerful with it, and it ended, too soon, punctuated by a smaller, even softer kiss. She opened her eyes in surprise, meeting his and finding what she saw in them borderline intoxicating.

“I… of course I trust you.”

It was strange to say it with such certainty. There was a firmness laced into the slightly flustered delivery of her sentence, the sentiment unquestioned.

She looked down at her feet for a moment, feeling very much like she wanted to just burrow into his chest and hide her ice-speckled face in his arms for a while, but also very much like she wanted to do that again. Jules took a rather shaky breath, giggling softly at herself, before lifting her chin up and meeting his gaze once more. She found herself smiling at him as she rose up her tiptoes, arms wrapping around his neck, but paused just short of bringing her lips to his.

Instead she fixed him with an expectant, hopeful look, and waited patiently for him to take control again.

@aaron | 640 words

LAIKA OF GS!