Home - Part Two
This episode is part of a larger story, Soft Touch. If you haven’t yet, you can go back and read it from the beginning right here.
Icy rain crashes against the windows, which are fogged up from the toasty warmth of my apartment.
The constant rush and thrum of the droplets fills my ears, along with the soft sounds of Aiden moving around in the kitchen. It’s early in the morning, as I discovered when I finally checked my phone, but the storm is so intense and heavy that my entire apartment would be dark if not for the glow of the lights. The downpour doesn’t show signs of breaking anytime soon, and it’s tinted the outside world a deep, dusky shade of grey-blue.
I sit curled up on my couch, pressing an ice pack to my shoulder. A hot shower went a long way to revive me, and it feels good to be cozied up in a t-shirt and sweatpants, safe from the onslaught outside. I keep glancing at the windows in disbelief, wondering how the hell we were out in that for so long.
“-rescued late last night,” the voice from the TV is saying. “Justin Hayes and his team were doing routine maintenance on an electrical structure when a rockslide struck, injuring all three of them and separating Hayes from the others.”
My eyes flit back to the news.
Aiden comes up behind the couch. He leans down to slip a mug of coffee into my hand, smiles when I brush a grateful little kiss onto his cheek. Then he straightens up and has a sip of his coffee, resting one warm hand on my uninjured shoulder. Watching, just like I am.
“-extended search turned up no hint of Hayes’s whereabouts,” the reporter is saying, as the TV shows footage of the storm-wracked mountain. “Until late last night, when first responders were finally able to locate and rescue him, just before the storm could make it impossible.”
“Wow. Right in the nick of time, huh?” says the other reporter.
Aiden and I exchange a yeah seriously type of look with each other, then both let out a soft exhale of dazed laughter.
He comes around to sit at my feet, getting comfortable on the rug before the couch. We both set our coffees aside. I drop the ice pack onto the coffee table, then reach for the bottle of aloe.
Aiden drops his rope-burned hands into my lap, and I start gently massaging some of the cooling cream into his palms. Aiden lets out an immediate, relieved sigh.
“-at the hospital, where he’s expected to make a full recovery,” the reporter continues. “Hayes was unable to speak with us, but his girlfriend had this to say.”
Aiden and I both look up at this, watching as the news cuts to a shot of a woman with smeared eyeliner and red-rimmed, exhausted eyes. It looks like they interviewed her in the lobby of the hospital.
She’s crying as she speaks.
“-know what it’s like to get a phone call no one ever wants to get,” she’s saying tearfully, swiping a sleeve beneath her eye. “What it’s like to hear that someone you love is hurt, or missing, or both, like Justin was. To spend over twenty-four hours afraid to hear the worst, and now, to hear that he’s going to be okay...”
Her voice breaks, and she stops, catching her breath before she continues.
“They won’t tell me who found him. The first responders asked to stay anonymous. But, to the people who found Justin, and brought him home - if you’re watching, I just…” Tears spill from her eyes again, rolling down her cheeks. “I just want to say thank you. Thank you.”
Aiden and I have both gone very still, absorbed in watching. He looks up at me as the TV cuts back to the newsroom.
We stare at each other for a moment, and I give his fingers a gentle squeeze.
When we turn back to the TV, the reporter is giving some background on Justin, and next to her on the screen is a picture of him.
In the photo, he’s sunburned and grinning happily, the wind blowing through his blonde hair. One arm slung around the shoulders of his beaming girlfriend, who’s pressing a kiss onto his cheek. It looks like they’ve just finished a morning hike. They’re outside together, in nature.
It’s strange to think that this is the same man who was bleeding and broken and unable to stay conscious last night. The man we nearly watched slide off of a cliff. The man who started sobbing when he realized that someone had come for him. He looks so full of life, in that photo.
And now we know that eventually, he will be again.
I tip forward and wrap my arms around Aiden’s shoulders, put my chin on the top of his head. He folds his fingers around my wrist, and we stare silently at the picture of Justin, not hearing anything the reporter is saying.
The news has switched to the weather by the time I come back to myself from my thoughts.
“-in the affected areas are advised to seek shelter. Schools and government offices will remain closed due to the severe thunderstorm. Heavy downpour and damaging winds are expected to continue into the night.”
Which means we can take a full day and night of rest, thank god. I let out a happy little puff of air.
Aiden hears it. He smiles, then gets to his feet. Tucks his knuckles beneath my chin, tilts my face up for a kiss, then pads into the kitchen to check on breakfast.
I take a long breath of the coffee-scented air, cozying up deeper into the couch - then jolt upright as someone knocks loudly on the door of my apartment.
I glance over at Aiden, who shrugs at me in an I don’t know kind of way as I cross the living room.
As soon as I open the door, Roger comes striding inside, tossing his drenched black curls out of his face.
Luca follows after him, just as soaked from the rain, and closes the door behind himself. He covertly points at Roger, trying to mouth some kind of warning at me.
Roger doesn’t notice. He scowls down at me, his eyes blazing.
“Alright, Jamie,” he says heatedly, stabbing a finger at my chest. “I’ve had enough. We need an explanation, right fucking n-”
He breaks off as I throw my arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. He stares down at me, confused and startled and thrown off.
“Roger,” I groan. “Oh, my god - you caught me last night! Saved me, and saved Aiden too - and Luca, what can I even say-?”
I release Roger and hug Luca, who, unlike Roger, hugs me back. Then I snag Roger again, hug the two of them at once. I’m so grateful for both of them, right now.
“Jamie,” Roger says, in a voice rife with exasperation.
I let him go and step back, but Aiden came over while I wasn’t paying attention, and he answers for me.
“We’re gonna take the time to thank you, man,” he rumbles. “No way around that.”
Roger sighs deeply, then pauses when he sees how seriously Aiden is looking at him. Aiden braces his arm, then looks at Luca. Speaking with his eyes, like he’s so good at.
Both of them stare back at him, then at me. I see it dawn on both of their faces, the realization of just how grateful we are.
“Alright… you’re welcome,” Roger says gruffly, after a moment. “But-”
“You guys want some breakfast?” Aiden gestures to the kitchen. “I made a lot. Jamie and I just realized that we’re fucking starving, after yesterday.”
He turns around, leads the way inside. Luca unzips his jacket, hangs it up, and immediately follows Aiden, to a sigh of frustration from Roger.
“Luc! Don’t go off-mission-”
“You’re telling me you’re not hungry?” Luca calls over his shoulder. “Liar!”
I arch an eyebrow at Roger, who hesitates for another second, then pulls off his jacket, grumbling beneath his breath. By the time he straightens up from taking his boots off, Luca and Aiden are already in the kitchen, talking, Aiden pouring Luca a cup of coffee.
I glance at Roger, then do a double-take when I see that he’s staring very hard at me, his eyes narrowed.
“You seem okay,” he observes, as we start towards the kitchen.
I think of the morning that Aiden and I spent together, the talk we had, the reassurance and warmth and love that flowed from it. We both still have some processing to do, but -
“Yeah, I am,” I tell Roger.
He nods, his eyes going back to Aiden and Luca.
“Well, I’m glad that everyone is just fine,” he says suddenly, his words rapidly picking up speed. “Luc is just super excited, and you two are all good, so - guess I’m the only one freaking out, huh?”
Aiden and Luca pause to look at him, and I do, too. Roger runs a hand over his eyes, takes a staggering breath.
“I can’t fucking believe what I dragged you guys into last night.” He drops his hand and stares at me, then at Aiden, a pained look in his eyes. “You’re here thanking me, after I called you and made you go out into that storm, nearly got Aiden killed, and you too, Jamie - I never should have - this is why there are protocols for things, and this is why they’re supposed to be followed, no matter the - so what, you guys save my life, and in thanks, I almost send both of you over the edge of a cl-”
Roger breaks off abruptly as Luca, who had quietly crossed back to him, gently puts a hand on his chest. Roger stops, takes a deep breath.
“Roger,” I say haltingly, “It’s actually really good that you called us last night.”
“If you hadn’t,” Aiden adds, “We would have been there anyways, only we wouldn’t have saved Justin. We’d be having a very different morning, right now, and not in a good way.”
Roger looks at Aiden, his jaw tensed, his eyes swimming with confusion and distress. He makes a helpless sound, pushing his fingers through his black curls.
“I don’t get this! I don’t get what any of this-”
Roger stops sharply again, looking down at Luca. He blinks hard, then touches a finger to Luca’s sweater, which - is dry.
Luca’s hair, his clothes, his body - everywhere that he was rain-drenched before, he’s now perfectly dry. And Roger is, too, which he realizes when he looks down at himself. In fact, I can feel a faint heat emanating from both of them, like their clothes are fresh from the dryer.
Luca realizes at the same time that Roger does, and lets out an excited little gasp. His gaze snaps up to meet Roger’s. They stare at each other with wide eyes, then both spin around to face the kitchen.
Aiden had folded his elbows on the countertop, his hands around his mug of coffee. He stirs when he notices what he did, straightening up.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He stifles a yawn, blinks the glittering, frosty blue magic from his eyes. “You guys looked cold, and I - I’m so tired, I’m doing shit without thinking about it. Got my guard down a little bit around you two, I guess. Since you already know.”
There’s a short silence.
“Okay,” Roger stammers. “So, um. What the fuck. What the fuck, what the fuck, what the f-”
“Roger,” I cut in desperately, “I thought you and Luca decided that you didn’t need an explanation. That’s what you said, after the fire.”
“Yeah,” he says, struggling, “But - I just - I…”
Roger fades off, and I blink as Kasey materializes in my living room, tucking her translucent black hair out of her face.
She opens her mouth to say something, then pauses in surprise when she sees Roger. Her eyes drift from him to Luca, then to Aiden.
“What the hell, Jamie?” she asks in a betrayed voice, unheard by anyone but me. “You’ve got a whole apartment full of cute guys, and you didn’t even summon me? I thought we were friends.”
“Please?” Luca says earnestly, looking between me and Aiden. “Answer us at least one question? If only just to make Roger feel better?”
“What’s the question?” Aiden asks, shifting uneasily.
“Oh - really? Oh my god - I don’t know!” Luca presses his fingers over his mouth, struggling hard not to look too excited. “I have a thousand!”
“I’ve got one, Aiden,” Roger cuts in. “Does Jamie also have some secret magic ability?”
“Yeah,” Aiden answers, too tired to think about it.
Luca’s head jerks back sharply. Roger freezes, then whips around to face me, his eyes absolutely enormous.
“What?” he sputters. “I was joking! Are you seriously fucking telling me-? What can you do, J-?”
He stops, because - unfortunately - he turned to face me while I was staring over his shoulder, mouthing words at Kasey, trying to tell her that we should talk later. She gets the message and vanishes, but Roger and Luca have both already followed my gaze to find… no one. At least - no one visible to their eyes.
There’s another short silence.
“Jamie,” Roger says again, his voice scraping. “What - what can you do?”
I can’t tell him that I have the Vision, and it’s pointless to try to lie, so I just flap a hand at him. “Don't worry about it.”
“Don’t worry about it?” Roger stares at me with perfectly round eyes, then lets out an anguished sound. “Okay, someone tell me something, or I’m gonna freak the fuck out! Because right now I feel like I put everyone in serious danger last night, and it’s been eating me up, I haven’t even slept! So - if you were going to be there anyways, like you said, then - tell me why! Tell me why, so I know you’re not just saying that to make me feel better!”
Luca is holding Roger’s hand, trying to calm him down, but Roger is so upset. We can’t leave his question unanswered.
I look to Aiden, but he’s dropped his anxious gaze to his coffee. I know how hard it was for him to even talk to me about who and what he is, much less two people he doesn’t know very well. But we have to tell them something, which means I’m left to deal in selective truths.
I hesitate, trying to think of how to put it without revealing too much. Without saying that Aiden is a Guardian.
“Aiden,” I begin, “He’s... hope.”
Aiden’s eyes flit up to my face.
“He’s a second chance for people who wouldn’t have had one otherwise,” I continue, wincing as I struggle over my words. “He’s - the one who’s on your side when literally everything else is working against you. He’s a one-in-a-million stroke of luck for people who are all out of luck. You know when you get that feeling like - the universe must be looking out for me? That’s Aiden, he…”
I falter and fade off, distracted by the way that Aiden is suddenly staring at me. He’s perfectly motionless, his hands slack around his coffee. Radiant warmth and brightness are shining out of his blue eyes.
He quickly drops his gaze to his coffee, puts a hand over his mouth. But I can see that he’s smiling. I can tell from the crinkles at the corners of his eyes.
I guess he likes how I’m putting this, although I’m not sure that I’m getting the message across to Roger and Luca.
“When no one else can save a person,” I tell them, “Aiden hears them calling. Not that they know they’re calling. You’ve called out to him, Roger. He heard you. That’s why he came to save you.”
Luca suddenly and silently closes his fingers around Roger’s bandaged hand. He and Roger are both wide-eyed, listening with rapt attention.
“And Aiden has, um - unique abilities that make it possible for him to do that,” I finish. “Which we really appreciate you guys not telling anyone about.”
Roger and Luca stare at me, then at Aiden. Dazed, trying to absorb all of this.
“That’s also why we really appreciate you calling us last night, Roger,” I add. “We don’t get a lot of time to rescue people. When Aiden becomes their only hope, that’s when he starts hearing them. We would have been way too late to save Justin.”
“And either way,” Aiden says, apparently having pulled himself back together, “We definitely couldn’t have done it without you two.”
Roger and Luca exchange a long look. I watch them, holding my breath. I know that they probably have a million questions, but I’m hoping they can accept that this is really all we can tell them.
“That’s already more than we said we would ask for,” Luca murmurs very quietly, looking up into Roger’s face. “And now we know you did the right thing.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s… okay…” Roger runs a hand over his tattooed neck, the distress slowly going out of his eyes. “Okay.”
I let out the breath I was holding, and I think I hear Aiden do the same thing.
Luca nibbles his lip, then says - “Hey, you guys can always call us for help, in a situation like that. We get that it’s your thing, but you don’t have to do it alone.”
“Yeah,” Roger says immediately. “Call us, we’re there.”
I fix them both with an appreciative smile. Last night was chaos, but it would have been a lot worse without these two on our team. It feels good to know that we have someone we can call, especially in situations where the ghosts can’t be of help. We lose half of our team when that happens, and before now, we didn’t have alternatives.
“You know,” Aiden begins slowly, thinking as he speaks, “If it’s ever looking like you guys might need our help, like last night - you can call us, too. It would actually be really good if you did. You wouldn’t be putting us in any more danger than we’d already be in. If anything, you’d be helping us.”
Roger and Luca look at each other again, this time for a much longer stretch. They have a conversation in silence, then both turn and nod at us.
The entire room seems to let out a collective breath. It feels like we’ve reached an understanding.
Roger looks relieved, but now also exhausted. He wordlessly turns and crosses to my couch, rubbing his tired eyes.
“Need to sit down for a minute,” he mumbles, slumping down onto the cushions.
“And I want to take a look at your shoulder, Jamie,” Luca tells me, beckoning me towards him.
“Did you still want food, Luca?” Aiden asks, reaching up for some plates.
“God, yes. That smells so good.” Luca smiles at Aiden, then turns to face the living room. “Roger, baby, you want some f-?”
He stops, having discovered that Roger has already snuggled up into my couch and fallen asleep.
Luca turns back to us, his pale green eyes filled with warm affection.
“Save him a plate,” he tells Aiden, reaching for my shoulder. “Did you ice this yet, Jamie?”
“Yeah, but it’s still kinda sore.”
Aiden pauses by the stove and looks at us over his shoulder, blue eyes filled with concern. “Is it, like - really bad, or...?”
“Very bad.” Luca looks up at Aiden with a grave, serious expression on his face. “Jamie may even need… Tylenol. Or Advil, I guess. Whatever he prefers.”
Aiden blinks, then lets out an indignant laugh. Luca winks at me, and we both let out a snicker of laughter as Aiden makes a very rude gesture at him from across the kitchen.
Aiden gets busy piling up plates of hot breakfast food, pouring out a steaming cup of coffee for Luca. Luca gently feels and moves my shoulder, making sure that everything really is okay. Roger begins to snore softly on the couch.
I find myself smiling, even with my aching shoulder. I can’t help it.
It feels good to be with the team.
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