Aiden sat on the couch, adjusting the controls of his camera. He moved Shadowfax so he could see it in the moonlight spilling into his lap--carefully, to avoid waking up his cousin, whose chin was on his shoulder.
He felt Aru looking at him and felt an urge to break the weighted silence. "Something on my face again, Shah?" he asked, glancing up.
"No," she said, her eyes flickering to the floor. "I just thought you'd try to fall asleep, too."
Aiden shrugged. "I'm Pandava adjacent, remember? I can't follow you guys into your astral meeting with the twins. Might as well stay awake and grab some shots. I wasn't able to get that many in the chakora forest."
Vajra glowed a little on Aru's wrist. Aiden couldn't help but notice how it illuminated and softened her features. He itched to talk to her, to tell her how he felt, but he tightened his grip on his camera and left the words unsaid. It wouldn't be fair to her, not when anything could happen to them.
"I don't miss that place," Aru grumbled, completely oblivious to his conflicted thoughts. "If I'd stayed any longer, Sohail might have passed out from having to endure the sight of me." Her eyelashes started to drift down.
The music pouring from Rudy's enchanted gem seemed to call to him. Aiden squeezed his eyes shut and let out a silent sigh. He couldn't give her certainty, but he could give her his answer.
"Maybe he didn't see you in the right light, Shah," he said. He opened his eyes and looked over to where the moonlight now washed over her face. She looked like her namesake, the morning star. Peaceful, kind, and...well, beautiful. He memorized the moment; her hair spilling over her neck, the half smile, half smirk she wore, her chin rising to spell defiance, even in sleep.
He let go of Shadowfax: he had lost his usual impulse to capture the world around him. Instead he looked around at Brynne, Mini, Aru, and Rudy. His friends--his family. He settled back against the couch, letting the music wash over him and lead him into dreams.
YOU ARE READING
A Series of Aru Shah Oneshots
FanfictionMajor spoilers for all the books. There is an unfortunate lack of Aru Shah fanfiction on the Internet, so I decided to write my own. A lot of Aru x Aiden because I love them, as well as other ships, a lot of angst and fluff, incorrect quotes, and mo...
