Mika #3
“Good. First off, you’re an idiot for doing all that to save me, but from what I heard, you’re the only reason I’m still around to torment Mika here for several more years,” Reno said, his expression softening.
“So thank you. On my behalf, of course, but also for my brother. One day we might have to live without the other walking this earth, but I’d like to wait until old age makes that happen. ”
“And on behalf of Jake,” Aidan said, and I watched Reno’s eyes narrow.
“Which is the perfect segue for me to say you’re a rotten fuck for telling our business to someone else,” Reno snapped, and Aidan’s eyes widened, looking at me.
“No, no, don’t look at him, you look at me, there ya go.
You betrayed my trust; you told my personal business, and that of the people I think of as family.
You fucked up royally, especially because Bryce fucking Anderson?
Christ of all the people to peddle our information to, Bryce? ”
I gasped. “That’s that fucking—”
“Regulatory board member,” Reno said with disdain. “Who’s had a giant hate boner for Xander for almost a decade, and is president of the committee, I might remind you. He’s never been able to get Xander for anything.”
“Oh,” Aidan said as the weight of it all came down on him.
“Yeah, oh,” Reno said with a shake of his head.
“So be ready to do a lot of groveling in the future. And you’re going to owe me big, and Mika for that matter, for running interference on your behalf.
And if you don’t or you take advantage again, don't think you will, but if you do, remember we know all the best places to bury someone. Not joking.”
Aidan frowned and opened his mouth, but Reno shook his head. “You already broke the no-talking rule once; I’m not letting you go again. I’m going to piss.”
We watched Reno make his way out of the room slowly but carefully, and Aidan blinked. “Should he be up walking around without help?”
“Probably not, but he’s the one of you three who got out in better shape somehow. Jake will be pleased to know his heroics helped save Reno,” I said with a shake of my head as I pulled the chair closer to his bed.
Aidan looked at me. “So, Jake is—”
“Critical but stable. We’re waiting for him to wake up so we can see the extent of any brain damage he might have.”
“It…would be kind of hard to tell the difference.”
I stared at him and let out a huff of breath because, like hell, he was going to make me laugh. “Nice to see that your brain is working enough that you can still turn it off before making a comment.”
“Sorry,” he muttered, his fingers twitching, and I knew what he wanted. “I…was Reno—”
“Telling you without telling you he’s going to forgive you one day and want to trust you again?”
“Yeah.”
“He was,” I said and took his hand in mine, a little annoyed by the look of relief on his face.
“Don’t think you’re out of hot water. You risked your life to save me and Reno, so you’re in my good books and it’ll probably get you points with the others, but don’t think that means you’re free and clear. ”
“I know,” he said quietly. “I just—”
“I know what you ‘just,’” I muttered as I shook my head.
“But Reno, in his infinite stupid wisdom, reminded me what loving someone means. And sometimes it’s not pretty because it means having to look at someone you love and realize you’re so fucking mad at them you can’t think straight.
But it also means that when they fuck up, really and truly fuck up, you have to try to find a way to move past that. ”
“I don’t think betrayal of trust is one of those things,” he said, and it sounded too close to how I had felt when I’d talked to Reno before about what I had done to him. Except now I was in Reno’s position and despite my anger and hurt, I could see what he’d been saying.
“You’re sorry?” I asked, hating it but deciding that maybe there was some merit in Reno’s approach.
“Yes,” he said, raising a brow. “Dunno if I can even say how sorry.”
“And you were trying to figure out how to tell us?”
“Well, yeah, I just—”
“Feared losing us, but you were going to do it?”
“Yes…eventually.”
I knew that cringe was because he wasn’t sure when ‘eventually’ was and I was going to have to process that at some point. “Would you do it again?”
“If it meant coming to the outpost, meeting all of you, getting to have the time I did with you? In a heartbeat,” he told me, and I felt my breath catch. “Even if it means I lose all of you.”
I wasn’t done, but there it was, the thing that made my decision for me.
“I meant,” I said around my tightening throat, “would you do something like that to us again?”
His eyes went wide. “What? No, fuck no. God, Mika. I know I deserve a lot, but not fucking that.”
I grunted. “Fair enough. Now…if you were given a chance to stay and put up with the anger, the mistrust, the attitudes, all of it to be forgiven…are you prepared to do it? Think about what that means, Aidan. That’s a lot of shit thrown your way, sometimes fairly, sometimes not.”
He opened his mouth, but at the pointed look from me, he looked down at our joined hands. His fingers rubbed mine, and then he turned and looked at the empty bed, then toward the door, his face screwed up in a thoughtful expression.
“Yes,” his voice was soft, but there was so much more to it. I believed him immediately.
“Then I guess that’s what we’re going to have to aim for,” I told him, laughing when his eyes went wide.
“Just like that?” he asked, flabbergasted.
“God, now I wonder how Reno dealt with it because you sound like me and I want to walk out of the room so I don’t have to deal with you,” I said with a snort, squeezing his hand.
“No, not just like that. You’ve got a lot of work ahead of you, with me and the others, and that’s if they’re even going to want you around.
So we’ll start with that, and then figure out what to do from there. ”
He nodded slowly and tilted his head back, closing his eyes.
I watched him for several minutes before laying my head next to him, pressing my forehead against his arm.
It really wasn’t as easy as all that, but I had to admit, Reno was right; it was that simple.
I had been forgiven for sins I had committed by someone who had trusted me, despite the fact that I meant no harm.
If Aidan was being honest, and God, I was choosing to believe he was, then what would it say about me if I wasn’t willing to do the same for him?
Aidan grunted. “I just realized Reno’s been gone for a while.”
“You’re right,” I said with a frown, and then growled. “Goddammit, there’s a fucking bathroom in here. He went looking for Jake.”
“In a hospital gown? They’d drag him back.”
“They’d try, but he’s stubborn and he’s not without charm. You might not know it, but before he came to work at the outpost, he was a bigger slut than I ever tried to be. He’s talked a lot of women into his bed.”
“Well, his looks don’t hurt his chances.”
I turned my head to stare at him. “Seriously?”
“Oh, come,” Aidan protested. “You two are literally identical except the hair and maybe some build differences. Of course I think he’s good looking, he looks like you.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Weren’t you the one who said you could tell the difference?”
“Yes,” he rolled his eyes. “But that isn’t the same as knowing you two are identical.”
“Not the point,” I grumbled. “Jesus, can any of you go five minutes without getting on my nerves?”
“You sound like Xander,” he said, and grimaced. “Fuck.”
“Forgot about him, huh?” I asked.
“A little,” Aidan admitted and glanced when my phone vibrated across the nearby table.
I picked it up and snorted as I answered it. “Speak of the devil.”
“Put me on speaker,” Xander grunted.
“Hello to you too,” I said dryly, though I supposed that was what I should have expected after having decked him in the face…twice. I hit the button. “You’re on speaker. Wait, how did you know he was awake?”
“Your brother called me…from Jake’s room,” Xander said, sounding annoyed. “And called a meeting.”
“Reno called a meeting?” I asked, not in the least surprised.
“He did,” Xander said with a huff. “And he took advantage of the fact that he’s hurt to talk our ears off.”
I glanced at Aidan, knowing the answer to my question. “About?”
“Your boyfriend,” he grunted.
Aidan blanched. “Are there any cats left in the bag?”
“No,” Xander said curtly. “Mika, is what he told me true?”
“Unless he misheard me or I misremembered when telling him,” I said, frowning. “Why?”
“Aidan,” Xander said.
Aidan met my eyes, swallowed, and replied. “I’m here.”
“Good, at least you haven’t wandered down to Jake’s room when you’re supposed to be in bed.
Reno’s going to have fun when he recovers and has to deal with Colin after he heard about that,” Xander said, and damned if the man didn’t sound amused.
“It’s your lucky day, if you want to call it that.
Seems everyone here is of the mind that you deserve a chance to prove yourself. ”
“Just like that?” Aidan asked in surprise, and I let my eyes roll to the heavens because I swore if anyone said that, even me, I was going to end up on the news.
“No,” Xander said, and I could actually hear the scowl in his voice. “You’re up shit creek, your paddle is long fucking gone, and your raft is falling apart. Do you know what punishment duty is?”
“Vaguely,” Aidan said, looking nervous.
“Well, you’re going to get firsthand experience,” Xander said. “And, this one is from me and me alone. I want access to your emails.”
“Uh…all my emails?” Aidan asked, and I couldn’t believe he was protesting when he was being given a foot in the door. “What? There’s some old emails I need to clear out that would scar him and anyone else for life!”
“I don’t want to know,” Xander grunted. “I meant the ones you sent to a certain sniveling, infantile, greasy-haired shit for brains.”