Aiden x Reader (but you're Ashlyn)

Episode 14

>>>><Preparing><<<<

Ben worked on my arm, and I appreciated his focus, though I didn't mention my shoulder—it had slipped my mind entirely. Logan and the twins were busy dismantling chairs when a loud crash echoed through the room. I whipped my head around, startled. It had come from Aiden.

There must have been some tension between Tyler and Aiden because Tyler immediately snapped, "Hey, watch it! You should've done that in the bathroom. Now there's glass everywhere!"

Logan stood up quickly, his voice a bit shaky. "I-I'll get the broom."

I let out a small squeak of pain as Ben applied antiseptic to my wound. Aiden must have noticed because he walked over, handing me a piece of cloth to squeeze.

"I never took you for the leader type," I said, trying to distract myself from the sting.
"I'm not... but my parents are," he replied.
"Your parents?"
"Yeah, they were both in the military."
"Oh—so you're used to situations like this?"
"Well, not like this, but I did take a few kickboxing classes."

As he spoke, my mind drifted. I started replaying the hit over and over in my head. I could have blocked it, dodged it—anything other than just letting it happen. The physical pain wasn't the worst part; it was the blow to my pride that stung more than anything. The dull, throbbing ache in my shoulder refused to fade.

I snapped back to reality when Ben poked my shoulder to indicate he was done, making me wince slightly.

"Thanks, Ben. You're pretty good at this," I said, trying my best to muster up a smile. Ben gave a slight smile in return.

"Lol, yeah, he's used to patching me up," Aiden chimed in.

"From...?" I asked, curious.

"Mm, various things? Skateboard tricks, rock climbing, hiking, jumping off tall places, stuff like that."

The room fell into a quiet lull until I felt a hand on my shoulder, drawing my attention. I flinched at the contact and winced as my shoulder throbbed again. My eyes shot open, and I was met with Aiden's concerned gaze just a few feet away. He sat down next to me, his presence calming in a way I hadn't expected.

I could feel his eyes on me every few moments, but I avoided looking at him, zoning out as I often did in situations I didn't want to be in. I focused on anything but his attention—and the burning sensation in my shoulder.

After a while, I walked over to Taylor and Tyler, observing their progress. "How many of these do we have?"

"Uh- 8 plus the ones we're taking off right now," Taylor replied, her voice tinged with nervousness.

"Good, so there's enough for all of us," I said, feeling a bit more relieved.

"D-Do you think those things are still outside..?" she asked hesitantly, glancing around.

"They're still outside," I confirmed. "I can hear them...but not in a normal way."

Logan spoke up, curious. "What do you mean?"

"Remember what I said about my sensitive ears back at the Sorrel house?"

"Ooh, that's right! You can locate them and hear them moving around," Aiden exclaimed, intrigued.

"Sort of... They make a certain sound that I can hear," I began to explain, but Tyler interrupted with his usual impatience. "Can you get to the point?"

I shot him a glare before continuing, "As I was saying, we all have something to contribute."

Tyler rolled his eyes. "So what's the plan? You plan on using your magic hearing to save the day?"

I thought about it for a moment before responding, "No—well, yes, but later. I think we should stay here, rest, and prepare ourselves. There isn't much to do right now, so try some mental exercises."

"Mental exercises?" Aiden asked, his expression puzzled but still smiling.

"Yes. Imagining ourselves in different situations and thinking about how we'll react. I learned that from my dad when I was younger. Anything that puts you one step ahead is worth doing," I explained, trying to steady my nerves.

"If you're not asleep, then that's what you should be doing," I said, standing up. "We'll take turns keeping watch." I turned to Logan, who looked like he was barely holding it together. "Logan, is it still 12?"

"O-oh, um, let me check... It hasn't changed."

If he noticed it wasn't working an hour ago, we'll reset the timer every hour.

"Okay, I'll take the first shift. Who wants to go after?" I asked, glancing around at everyone.

718 word count