For the Love of Super Soldiers

All Together Now

So when I said I'd be updating more frequently, I also forgot that I said low in quantity and high in quality. I keep forgetting that what I write doesn't have to be exponentially long and, yet, EVERYTIME I WRITE, I get upset because I feel like I haven't written enough. As of late, though, I've been doing college stuff for college so...there's another excuse? But now I am out of college on summer break and I've honestly just been bumming around so I hope you all forgive me! I will beg if you want me to. If you don't already, catch me on the internet somewhere (else?)! Enjoy, my Darlings.

💛

Chapter 16: All Together Now

I opened my eyes to darkness. The earthy scent flowing through my nostrils definitely wasn't my own; the warm arm slung over my waist had a farmer's tan that couldn't begin to compete with the dark skin it laid upon.

"So you're awake. Finally."

The arm lifted and nudged me in the side. A second later, Aaron's jawline came into focus. I glanced up at him.

"Don't stare at me." I put my hand to his chin and turned his head in the opposite direction.

"How can someone who sleeps so peacefully have so much disdain for attention?"

"Are you listening to yourself? That made absolutely no sense." I stretched.

"With how antagonistic you are while awake, the calmness of your slumber leaves nothing but fascination to be felt. Hence, your being stared at."

I rubbed my eyes and simply peered at him. "I'm the one who has a way with words, remember?" My God. I shouldn't have let him follow me back to my room after our talk; I could feel the protectiveness radiating off of him in waves.

"Well, get up. We're supposed to be doing something productive."

"I'm laying in my bed, delirious, with you next to me. That isn't productive enough for you?" I asked cheekily.

"You must want to stay in the bed. Do you want to stay in the bed? Because that's easily becoming more and more of a possibility with every passing second." His eyes were twinkling and the protectiveness was gone.

"Alright, alright." I waved him off nonchalantly but shot up off of the mattress nonetheless. I wasn't going to take the chance with my subconscious and Aaron actively working against me. I was bound to make a mistake.

"You're no fun, Miss Lieutenant."

"And you're just now figuring that fact out. The earth continues to spin on."

Clearly, I had fallen asleep after exposing some skeletons in my closet to Aaron; a decision that I hadn't exactly worked out the ramifications of yet. So far, all I could gather as a consequence was emotional exhaustion.

All that left Aaron's lips was a slight grunt. "I'll meet you downstairs. Apparently, it's time for a family meeting." His fingers hung in the air after forming quotation marks.

"A family meeting?"

"That's what King Elizabeth has started calling them."

I massaged the area between my eyes. Maybe if I rubbed hard enough, I could pretend that Victorian was capable of not being a nuisance. Or maybe I could just paint a bullseye and have Aaron take aim.

"Right. Of course he did. What else would Victorian use?"

"He could have said pow-wow or-" Aaron started.

I held up a hand. "Please don't."

As much as they seemed to hate one another, they were extremely alike. An image of Aaron, Jarvis, and Victorian standing shoulder to shoulder flashed in my mind. I could easily picture them as the pseudo Three Musketeers.