Chapter Text
If one word could be used to describe the atmosphere, she would choose awkward.
More like extremely awkward; the kind that makes a person want to say something, but can’t find the right words, or any at all.
Jesse exhaled sharply and stuffed her hands in her overall’s pockets. She cast a glance to Aiden and Lukas as they quietly walked down the dirt road leading to Beacontown. She had finally found time after the Admin’s defeat to visit Isa’s world to speak with Aiden in response to his letter, where Lukas tagged along with her. There they greeted Isa, Reginald, and Milo, and, to her relief, they found that the community was thriving. Maya and Gill had decided to remain in that world, for reasons unknown to her. Then, once the time came, the pair departed for Beacontown with Aiden in tow.
Jesse took a moment to study Aiden. He walked several paces behind her and Lukas, where his eyes were cast down, and his feet scuffed the ground. It had been such a long time since she had last seen him, and there were things still familiar and some were not. For example, his attire consisted of a green shirt and jeans, and his eyes were a piercing green. Though, in contrast, his once tall posture sagged, like his confidence was drained, and his usually slick, brown hair was ruffled.
Jesse turned her gaze to Lukas. Every few minutes, the blond glanced conspicuously over his shoulder at Aiden. On their way to Isa's world, she asked his thoughts of Aiden “redeeming himself”(as he put in his letter) and him returning to live in Beacontown. Lukas avoided nearly every curious question, shrugging them off. It was very unlike him, and even more so when he didn’t speak a single word to his former friend in the time they had been together.
Once the trio entered the city, Jesse steered them to a back road route. She did not feel like attracting the attention of the city’s inhabitants - especially if someone connected the Aiden in Lukas’ popular book to the one by their side. Once they finally reached the Order Hall and stepped into it, she finally broke the silence and said, “This is our stop.” She had already decided and explained to Aiden that he would stay in one of the spare rooms in the Hall, where she also lived, until he built a shelter of his own.
Lukas hesitated. “Jesse, are you sure you want to . . . stay here? Aiden can always stay with me.”
Jesse raised her eyebrows and glanced questionly at him. He returned it with a shrug. Odd. The way he was treating Aiden, he didn’t want to touch him with a ten foot pole.
Her brown eyes widened once she caught his meaning. She quickly said, “No, it’s fine.”
Aiden bristled beside her. “Stop talking like I’m not here. And seriously, Lukas? Do you have a problem?” He folded his arms over his chest.
Lukas’ blue gaze bore into him. “You’re kidding me, right?” He laughed humorlessly. “You tried to murder a city and haven’t said a single sorry this whole trip, and you think I’ll leave you alone with Jesse? Funny.”
Aiden scowled and stepped forward. “Maybe if you hadn’t run off to follow Jesse like a lost puppy back then, you could’ve talked some sense into me.”
Lukas opened his mouth to reply, but Jesse pushed between the two before the conversation could take a turn for the worse. “Lukas, Aiden, cut it out. First of all, I can take care of myself if anything did happen - which it won’t.” She glared at Lukas, whose eyes darted away from hers. “Secondly, it’s been a long day. Lukas, you can head home.”
“Fine,” he flatly said and backed up. “I’ll see you around, Jesse.”
“See you.”
Jesse waited until he was gone, and she turned to Aiden. “All right!” she said, a bit too brightly. “I’ll show you around, and then you can let me know if you need anything.”
“Jesse, wait.”
She paused and turned to face him. “Yeah?”
“I’m . . . sorry.” He looked at the ground, unable to meet her eyes. “For everything. For Sky City, for the teasing, for . . .” He ran his fingers through his hair, and his shoulders slumped. “I don’t even know why you came back for me.”
“Aiden,” she said, and he glanced up, tears glimmering from beneath his short eyelashes. “I forgive you. It’s okay, and it’s in the past.”
He shook his head and ran a hand over his face. “No! There’s no way in hell that you can forgive me. I-” he stopped, seeming to choke.
Jesse’s features softened. “Aiden, look at me.”
Aiden ducked his head lower and covered his face with his arm as he furiously wiped at his cheeks.
“Look - I’ve forgiven people who’ve done much worse things than you did.” She sighed. “When I say I forgive someone, I mean it. So do believe me when I say it’s okay.”
Aiden dropped his arm and his tear-stained face scrunched, like he was ready to start crying again. “Really?” he whispered.
Jesse felt a piece of her heart break at the raw sight. “Really.”
She stepped forward; she had never wanted to pull someone into a hug more than at that moment. But she didn’t - not after their past was just cleared, as that was a line she was hesitant to cross.
Instead, she said, “C’mon. I’ll show you to your room.” To lighten the mood, she added with a smile, “I think you’ll like it. I picked one with green walls, and you’re far enough down the hall from me so you won’t have to hear my snoring.”
That elicited a soft chuckle from him. As they began to walk, she heard a statement so soft, she thought she had imagined it.
“Thank you.”