Chapter 43
Sunday morning came softly over the park.
Mist still lingered low over the water while sunlight stretched carefully through the trees, warm gold spilling across the dock in broken pieces. Somewhere nearby, birds called out across the quiet, and the occasional fish jumped just enough to disturb the stillness.
Inside the tent, Chase had somehow already been awake for over an hour.
Which Aria knew because apparently surviving the military and captivity had permanently ruined the man's ability to sleep past sunrise.
Unfair, honestly.
Especially considering he had looked entirely too good sitting outside when she finally crawled out of the tent, still half asleep, hair a mess, wrapped in one of his hoodies while clutching coffee like it personally offended her to be awake.
He had been sitting near the fire pit with fishing poles propped beside him.
Shirtless.
Completely shirtless.
Like they hadn't had an entire emotional crisis about this less than twenty four hours ago.
Apparently something about yesterday had shifted.
Not fully.
But enough.
Enough that he had let himself breathe a little.
Enough that when she had stepped out and visibly paused at the sight of him shirtless, he was not alarmed.
He had looked up over the rim of his coffee cup.
That sexy grin already waiting for her.
"What?"
She blinked once.
Then twice.
"...Nothing."
His eyes narrowed immediately. "Sweetheart."
She sighed dramatically. "You're just rude."
His brow furrowed. "How am I rude?"
"You look like..." she waved vaguely in his direction. "That without effort and then you expect me to function before caffeine."
The grin got worse, oh so dangerously worse.
"Oh." He leaned back slightly. "Now that you mention it I do remember you admitting that you think I'm pretty."
She rolled her eyes so hard it nearly hurt. "You are unbearable before coffee."
"You still came outside wearin' my hoodie."
"That means nothing."
He smirked at her, "To a man that means I'm winning."
"You are not winning."
He had looked entirely too pleased with himself anyway.
An hour later, they stood near the edge of the lake with fishing poles in hand while sunlight warmed the back of their shoulders.
Or more specifically, Aria stood fishing while Chase stood mostly being annoying.
"You know," he said casually from beside her, recasting his line with entirely too much arm, "for somebody who claims she likes fishin'..."
She narrowed her eyes. "What?"
"You complain a lot." he answered.
"I am not complaining."
"You've complained about bugs, humidity, dirt..."
He counted dramatically on his fingers.
"...and the emotional trauma baiting your own hook apparently caused you."
She gasped. "You have always baited my hook for me."
"I wanted you to learn how to do it for yourself."
"I just knew, I just knew you were never going to shut up gloating about this."
His laugh came easy now.
She hated how attractive she found him when he laughed.
Especially shirtless.
Especially when the sunlight hit all those stupid muscles and the slight mess of dark hair and...
Nope.
Not doing this.
"You know," she muttered, eyes narrowing, "I could absolutely push you into this lake."
His brows lifted slowly. "Oh?"
"So fast."
He tilted his head. "That flirtin' Sweetheart?"
"Threatening."
He smirked again, "Close cousins."
Before she could respond...
A tiny voice suddenly cut through the quiet.
"Oh my God!"
Both of them turned.
And immediately, everything changed.
A little boy stood near the path leading toward the water, wide eyed and entirely too fascinated.
Maybe four or five he was tiny with his brown hair slightly messy.
Little rain boots on despite there being absolutely no rain.
And standing a few feet behind him was a young woman.
Her black and pink hair was piled messily up on top of her head.
She wore an oversized cardigan that slipped carelessly off one shoulder over a fitted tank, paired with a long flowing skirt that brushed near her ankles as she walked.
A massive diaper bag hung heavily from one shoulder despite the fact the little boy looked far past needing one, and somehow, balanced against her chest, was an impossible pile of toys, stuffed animals, snacks, and random items that she was clearly struggling to manage.
And the second the words left the little boy's mouth, her expression dropped.
Immediate horror.
"Finnick Monroe!"
The little boy pointed directly at Chase.
Entirely unbothered.
Entirely fascinated.
"You have scars!"
Everything in Chase went still.
Still enough Aria noticed instantly.
The teasing gone.
The ease gone.
His shoulders tightened almost imperceptibly.
Jaw shifting once and he looked lost, like something inside him quietly shrank.
Aria's heart hurt at the sight, because his words from yesterday suddenly came rushing back.
Frankenstein's monster.
I wish you never had to see them he had said in shame.
Meanwhile, the woman was already halfway to dying of embarrassment.
"Oh my God," she groaned, shifting the bag on her shoulder. "Finn, baby, we do not yell observations at strangers."
Then immediately to Chase she appologized.
"I am so, so sorry."
But Finn, was completely unfazed.
Actually, he looked excited. "I HAVE A SCAR TOO!"
And before anyone could stop him, the child had already shoved up the leg of his little pants.
Proudly displaying a noticeable scar along the side of his leg.
Chase still hadn't moved. In fact he hadn't really said anything.
Aria stepped in.
"Oh yeah?" she asked with an easy smile, crouching slightly near him. "How'd you get your scar?"
Finn puffed up immediately.
Like this was his moment.
"I had cancer!"
The woman, closed her eyes briefly. "We usually don't just lead with that..."
"But I DID," Finn announced dramatically. "Grace doesn't like when I tell people they cut the bad spot out!"
He pointed proudly at his leg. "But now I'm okay."
Aria's expression softened instantly.
"Oh wow," she said gently. "You're really brave."
Finn nodded seriously. "The doctors said that too, they told me scars mean you're brave."
Then, without hesitation, he pointed at Chase again.
"You gotta be SUPER brave."
And for the first time since they arrived, Chase blinked like the words had caught him off guard.
Super brave.Not broken.Not damaged.
Finn, apparently deciding silence meant permission, wandered another step closer.
Completely fearless.
"I got mine cause the doctors had to cut the bad stuff out," he explained proudly, pointing again to his leg. "But yours look cooler. How'd you get them?"
Grace made a noise somewhere between embarrassment and surrender.
"Oh my God, Finn!"
"What?" he asked innocently.
"You cannot just point and demand strangers explain their scars."
"I'm being nice."
Aria pressed her lips together hard, already trying not to laugh.
Meanwhile, Chase still hadn't really moved. He still looked a little stunned. Like his brain hadn't caught up yet.
Then Finn tilted his head, his little eyes now entirely serious.
"Did yours hurt?"
That seemed to finally pull Chase back, his shoulders loosened just slightly.
"Yeah." Chase answered.
Finn nodded thoughtfully. "Mine hurt too."
He considered this for a second, then shrugged. "But then I got popsicles."
That got the smallest sound out of Chase, it was not quite a laugh, it was closer to one surprised exhale through his nose.
Grace noticed immediately.
Thank God, because she had also noticed the way Chase had frozen before.
The way his whole body had changed.
And now guilt sat all over her face.
"I really am sorry," she said softly, shifting the mountain of stuff in her arms. "He's four and apparently has absolutely no social filter."
Finn gasped dramatically. "I have a filter!"
"You absolutely do not."
Aria smiled despite herself. "It's okay, he's actually very sweet."
Finn puffed his chest out proudly. "I know."
Grace rolled her eyes heavenward. "Humility is not his gift."
Then, suddenly something occurred to Finn.
His little eyes widened. "You a superhero?"
Chase blinked. "What?"
"The scars." Finn gestured wildly. "And muscles."
Grace immediately looked mortified again. "Oh my God, Finnick!"
"What? Superheroes got them big muscles like him... Hulk!"
Aria outright laughed this time.
Actually laughed, and for the first time since the interaction started, the corner of Chase's mouth twitched. It was like he didn't quite know what to do with any of this.
"I'm not a superhero. I was a soldier," he said quietly.
Finn narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You were a soldier?"
Chase nodded once. "Yeah."
That was it.
Done for.
Finn's entire face lit up. "I KNEW IT."
He spun toward Grace. "Grace! I told you!"
Grace sighed softly. "You tell me everybody is secretly a superhero."
"No I dont," Finn said seriously. "Just cool people."
God, something about that landed directly in Chase's chest.
Because this kid, this tiny human, wasn't scared of him and his scares, he wasn't uncomfortable around him... he was fascinated.
Admiring, even.
And before anyone could stop him, Finn stepped closer again.
Small hand hesitating near one of the scars along Chase's arm.
Not touching, just curious.
"Do they still hurt?"
Grace caught it immediately. "Finn." Gentle but firm as she reminded him. "We ask before touching people."
His little face dropped instantly. "Oh."
Then quietly to Chase: "Sorry."
And something in Chase softened.
Really softened.
"It's okay."
His voice came quieter than before.
Careful.
Then after a pause, he held his arm out slightly.
"You can touch this one if you want."
Grace blinked obviously surprised.
Aria was too. Because yesterday he barely wanted her to see them.
Now this tiny kid stood there studying his arm like he had just been handed treasure.
Finn touched one lightly.
Tiny fingers moved careful over Chase's scars with curious wonder.
"Whoa." Then, with complete sincerity he added: "You look really cool."
Chase actually looked away for a second.
His jaw shifting as he swallowed hard.
Maybe nobody had ever said that before.
Then quieter he asked: "You think so?"
Finn looked personally offended. "Yeah!"
He pointed proudly to his leg again.
"We match."
For a second, Chase didn't say anything, he didn't really seem to know what to say.
Then quietly with his voice a little rough around the edges he spoke, "Guess we do."
Finn grinned so hard it practically took over his whole face.
Grace looked somewhere between relieved and exhausted.
"Okay," she said gently, finally setting the mountain of toys and chaos down near a bench. "We have officially bothered these very nice and obviously patient strangers enough."
"We're not bothering them," Finn argued immediately.
Then to Chase he asked,"You fishin'?"
Chase glanced down at the fishing pole beside him. "Yeah."
Finn gasped like this was the greatest news of his tiny life. "I WANNA FISH."
Grace closed her eyes briefly. "Baby, we came to feed ducks."
"I don't wanna feed ducks anymore."
"You loved ducks ten minutes ago." she exclaimed.
"I'm over ducks now... their boring."
Aria had to physically bite back a laugh.
Grace looked profoundly tired.
The kind of tired that settled into somebody too young because life had handed them way too much way too fast.
"I'm so sorry," she muttered quietly. "He gets attached to people approximately five minutes after meeting them."
"Three minutes," Finn corrected proudly.
Grace sighed and held up three fingers, "Three."
Then quickly to Chase again:
"And seriously, thank you for your service. I..." she hesitated, clearly recognizing him now. "You're Chase, right?"
That caught him off guard, his shoulders tensed automatically.
Not defensive, he was just uncertain.
"Yeah."
Something softened in Grace's expression immediately.
Not in pity but in recognition followed by respect.
"My mom used to watch for all the updates when they were still searching."
Her voice gentled. "She cried when they never found you."
Her words were so unexpectedly tender that they took Chase by surprise.
Because nobody ever really knew what to say to him about his experience.
Most conversations were awkward and avoiding.
"She would've wanted me to say thank you," Grace added quietly. "For serving."
Chase looked down briefly, he seemed almost uncomfortable with the attention.
Then nodded once. "Thank you."
Grace shifted awkwardly. "Well..."
She motioned vaguely toward Finn. "We should probably go before he fully adopts you."
Too late.
"Can I stay?" Finn asked immediately.
"No."
"Please?" He begged dramatically.
"No."
"I'll be quiet."
"You have never once been quiet." Grace admonished.
Finn ignored her completely his tiny hopeful eyes already back on Chase. "Can I fish with you?"
Silence.
Grace immediately shook her head.
"No, buddy, they're having a private weekend."
"It's okay."
The words came out before Chase even seemed to think about them.
Everybody looked at him.
Including him, honestly, it was almost like he surprised himself.
Then he shrugged one shoulder. "If y'all want."
Grace blinked. "Oh, no, really, we don't wanna intrude.."
"You're not."
And for the first time since meeting them, Chase smiled.
The kind Aria had been seeing more this weekend.
"We got room."
Finn absolutely lost his mind. "YES!"
Grace pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh my God."
"Can I hold the fish?"
"We have not caught a fish." Chase appologized.
"I believe in us. We can do it together." Finn said smiling up at Chase.
That got a real laugh out of Chase.
And as they walked toward the water together Finn immediately launched into what could only be described as a deeply unnecessary explanation about worms.
Aria caught Grace watching Chase for a second.
Something thoughtful in her expression, then softly Grace smiled and said.
"He's really good with kids."
Aria startled at the words, because suddenly, she saw it too.
The patience.
The gentleness.
The softness Chase seemed almost embarrassed to have.
And before she could stop it, a dangerous little thought slipped into her head.
He'd be really good at this.
The rest happened fast.
Mostly because once Finn decided something, apparently the entire world just had to catch up.
Which was how Chase found himself kneeling near the tackle box while a very serious four year old stood beside him asking approximately nine hundred questions a minute.
"Do fish sleep?"
"I guess."
"Can fish drown?"
"No."
"Can ducks drown?"
"...Also probably not or at least I wouldn't think so."
"Can worms drown?"
Chase blinked.
Actually paused to consider it.
Then looked over at Aria.
"Can worms drown?"
She burst out laughing. "You were a Navy SEAL and somehow I'm the one you're askin'?"
"I feel like this falls under nurse knowledge."
She stopped laughing to glare at him in annoyance. "It absolutely does not."
Finn gasped dramatically. "You don't know?"
Grace pinched the bridge of her nose. "Finnick, baby, not everybody knows everything."
"That feels like a lie Grace and we don't lie, you said so."
Aria laughed again, because this kid was ridiculous and amazing.
Meanwhile Chase looked weirdly invested in the worm question now.
"I actually kinda wanna know now too."
Grace shook her head. "I'm so sorry."
"No," Chase said quickly.
And honestly?
He looked amused.
Really amused.
Like somehow this tiny tornado of a child had bulldozed right through every wall he had spent years building.
"It's okay."
Then to Finn: "You wanna help me bait the hook?"
Finn froze.
Eyes huge.
Like he had just been invited into a sacred ceremony.
"...For real?" he asked, in awe.
"For real."
Grace opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
"You sure?"
Because now she looked nervous.
Not because of Chase, because of Finn.
The child equivalent of a tiny drunk raccoon with unlimited confidence.
Chase glanced back at her and something softened in his expression again.
"Yeah, I got him."
Simple.
Easy.
"He's okay."
And God, something about the way he said that, like he knew what it meant to ask somebody to trust you with something precious, like their child.
Made Aria's chest ache.
Finn immediately crouched beside Chase.
Far too close.
Zero personal space.
"Okay," Chase said, reaching into the tackle box. "First lesson."
Finn nodded seriously.
Ready.
Focused.
Completely locked in.
"We don't eat the bait."
Finn gasped. "I wasn't gonna!"
Grace muttered under her breath: "He absolutely was."
That got another laugh out of Chase.
Aria couldn't stop staring.
Because this, this version of him, felt new.
His endless patience with the child was just so protective.
And maybe it was the morning light or the fact that he'd finally stopped hiding himself but seeing him shirtless now, so comfortable in his skin while talking to the little boy with such care, it made her so happy.
"Okay," Chase said after helping Finn hold the pole. "Now you gotta be patient."
"I hate patience."
"Yeah?" Chase asked.
"Yeah." The little boy frowned towards the water.
Chase nodded solemnly. "Me too."
That surprised a laugh out of Grace. "I thought soldiers were supposed to be patient."
Chase looked horrified. "Oh no." Then dead serious to Finn: "Never trust the movies or everything you hear on the tv."
Finn nodded like this was groundbreaking information. "Okay."
Grace laughed harder this time.
Shaking her head.
"You are absolutely feeding into the chaos."
"Feels rude not to, guys share information."
That earned him a smile from her.
Then quietly, while Finn became fully distracted yelling at the water to "PLEASE LET US CATCH A FISH," Grace stepped a little closer to Aria.
Voice softer.
"He seems really good."
Aria blinked.
"What?"
Grace motioned slightly toward Chase who was now crouched beside Finn.
Helping tiny hands hold the fishing rod.
Actually listening to a story about dinosaurs with complete seriousness.
Like it mattered.
Like Finn mattered.
"He seems like..." Grace hesitated. "I don't know."
Her expression softened.
"Healed, safe... okay."
Aria, nodded. "He is... and he's getting better everyday."
Aria looked back toward him.
Toward the man who somehow still didn't realize what he was worth and smiled.
Then without warning Finn screamed.
"WE GOT ONE!"
Chaos erupted immediately.