Dishonoured 🌿 Book 2.5

Baby Steps

The idea was on Aidan's mind all night. He was glad for his short shift to be over; no surprise visits this time to distract him from the doldrums. Time crawled by. He did as much of his closing activities as he could after last call, and was out the door by ten after.

Cain was dozing as a movie played when Aidan got home at last. He did his best to be quiet, but Cain always was a light sleeper. He gave Aidan a quizzical frown over the back of the sofa, and paused as Aidan stopped before Noah's door.

"Sorry," Aidan murmured, though didn't elaborate. Noah's light was on, so he knocked.

"What?"

"Come on, we're going out." Aidan backed up as he heard movement on the other side of the door.

Noah peered through the crack. "Where?"

"You'll see." Aidan made for the front door, trusting Noah would follow.

"Why?" His wary voice was just behind Aidan.

"You'll see," Aidan repeated, stressing the latter. He paused in the doorway to glance back at Cain. "We'll be back before dawn."

"Er ... okay," Cain called as they left.

The temperature had plummeted since the afternoon, and delicate webs of ice coated the windows of the other cars in the lot. They got in Aidan's, which was still warm from his drive home, without a word. Purpose stayed Aidan's tense nerves. He drove too fast through the empty streets.

Noah was quiet for a while, longer than Aidan expected. As he turned onto the highway Noah turned and murmured, "Where are we going?"

"I said, you'll see."

"Am I in trouble?" His level tone caught Aidan off guard, and he glanced over only to catch Noah's steely eye.

"No." Aidan sighed, and the speedometer climbed to one-ten. "We're going for a run."

"Oh." He was silent for a time, chewing his thoughts. "Why though?"

Aidan's grip on the wheel tightened. "Because ... well, we need it. We have shit to work out."

He hummed softly, nodding. "Are we going to fight?"

Aidan glanced over again; though his tone was mild, tension radiated from him.

"No, just ..." Fight wasn't the right word for what was to come. "Scrap."

Another quiet hum was the last sign of life from him during the drive. They fixated on the empty road, the passing woods, gathering memories for fuel. At least, Aidan assumed Noah was as well. The speedometer crept higher and higher. They arrived at the rest stop in record time and stretched in the dim moonlight before heading into the woods.

Normally Aidan associated the crisp, clean air out there with fun and relaxation. This sense of fire and urgency made the brief hike unfamiliar. Noah was a half step behind to his left, full of silent calculations. When they reached the spot where they usually parted ways to shift, Aidan gave a thin smile before strolling for his clearing some dozen metres away without a word.

Even though he had shifted just hours prior, Aidan had no trouble finding it a second time. Everything about this endeavour felt different. Noah and Aidan had only run together, without Sam or Cain, just a couple of times. Then, Noah had moved with a notable limp and could only jog for so long. Now, he had most of his mobility back, and the injury barely impacted his other form. Or if it did, he hid it better. Before, it had felt like babysitting. This time was novel, charged with the promise of colliding tensions.

Aidan rose and shook out his fur. Adrenaline was already coursing through his system. He had given a great deal of thought to how this could go, how it might go wrong. All returned to him then. He strolled through the path he had forged, pushing worries aside. He trusted Noah to not take this too far. And if he did, well, Aidan could handle him now. His injury, yes, but also thanks to his improving speed. Sam was keeping him on his toes. If Noah attacked him—a true attack, aiming to maim or kill him—he would have no qualms putting him on his ass.