[the_muses_stage]
(From here. This is unbinding in the most unbinding of ways, and I only write this because of Felicity-mun and the voices in my head. So. Not. Real. Life. Jake is str8on_tilmorn.)
"What you might see as depravity is, to me, just another aspect of the human condition." -- Asia Argento
Jake blew on his hands and rubbed them together to fight the chill. He hopped from foot to foot. "C'mon Aaron," he muttered under his breath. Jake had limited time before he had to get home for dinner.
Finally he spotted Aaron walking down the sidewalk towards him. "Sorry," Aaron said, approaching. "Late meeting."
"It's cool," Jake nodded. "Can we go inside? Please?"
Aaron smirked and led the way up to his apartment. "So?"
"So what?" Jake raised a brow. Yeah, he was gonna make Aaron ask for it.
"How'd he look?" Aaron asked, rolling his eyes.
"Big."
"Yeah?" Aaron looked over his shoulder at his best friend, before pushing through his apartment door.
"Too big. Talkin', runnin' all over the damn place." Jake pulled off his jacket, searching through the pockets. When he found what he wanted he dropped the coat on the couch. "Here." He handed Aaron the flashdrive, and followed him to the computer.
Aaron plugged the driver in and booted up the computer. He glanced over at Jake. "What else?"
"He's got a bit of your ugly mug," Jake grinned.
"That's what I was worried about," Aaron smirked. He looked at the computer screen and opened up the folder Jake had brought. He pulled up the first picture and his breath caught. His eyes slowly moved over the face on the screen before him and he sighed. "What're you talkin' 'bout...he's beautiful."
"Yeah...yeah he is," Jake nodded. He kept quiet and just watched as Aaron cycled through the pictures Jake and Grace had taken over the week. Not that Grace knew Aaron would see the pictures. As far as Grace knew, Jake and Aaron only hung out on occasion. She and the rest of the family had no idea that Jake often filled Aaron in on Michael.
He knew Aaron was a sensitive subject in the Braddock family, and he wasn't one to make things worse. He knew Felicity didn't hate Aaron, and that was all he needed to not feel like he was betraying her and her family. Besides. Aaron had been his best friend for decades, and nothing would change that. And he knew Grace would never forbid him from keeping Aaron in his life anyway.
"She...good? I mean, money and everything?"
"Yeah, I think so. It took a fight, but she accepted the cash I sent her on Michael's birthday."
"And you didn't tell her it was from me?"
"No. Told her it was between me and her."
"Good." Aaron nodded, his eyes still on the computer screen.
"You coulda tried to see him.." Jake said slowly.
"Nah," Aaron shook his head. He clicked around on the computer, copying and pasting the pictures to his harddrive.
"Aaron.."
"How many times we gotta go over this?" Aaron looked at Jake.
"Yeah...I get it, I get it."
Aaron sighed again, biting his lip and staring at the pictures. "I'm just like her after all."
"Who?"
"My mom."
Jake shook his head. "You're nothin' like her. She was...an idiot. Selfish. Even though I don't agree with your choice...it's not the same. I know that for a fact."
"But I-"
"Aaron...if he shows up on your doorstep one day...just wantin' answers. Wantin' to know if you think about him or miss him...what're you gonna do?"
"I...I'm gonna talk to him I guess. Try to give him what he needs so he'll know he don't need me."
Jake nodded. "That makes you miles different than her."
Aaron nodded as well. "I guess."
"....he does need you, Aaron."
"Nah, he's better off. And you promised. You said you'd always be there for him. When he needed a guy to talk to or...whatever. You said-"
"I know." Jake sighed and started to stand, ready to brush off the same old argument. "But I ain't you. I'm not his father."
"No, you're better than his father. If you can be to him what you've been for me...I want him to have it." Aaron paused, then shook his head. "He's...the only thing...that's ever been mine."
"...she woulda been yours too," Jake said quietly, not ready to push it.
Aaron ignored the comment and shook his head. "You gotta look out for him."
"I will. I do." Jake said with a sigh as he clapped his hand on Aaron's shoulder. "He's my nephew. I would anyway."
"Good." Aaron nodded. He frowned slightly. "What's this?"
"Oh. That's a video I shot."
Aaron quickly pulled it up and hit play. Suddenly the screen came to life in Jake and Grace's living room. Michael was playing with his cousins. Aaron smiled. "Damn, your brats are gettin' old too."
Jake grinned ear to ear. "Yeah, they are."
"How's Grace?"
"Perfect."
"You make me sick still," Aaron rolled his eyes. He watched Felicity come on the screen to sit down near Michael. Michael jumped into her lap and they were both talking and laughing. "He's gonna be good, I think."
"He's gonna be great."
Aaron nodded and closed the video, leaving the screen blank as he still stared at it. "Yeah.."
"Come home with me for dinner."
"Nah, I've got plans."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, sure," Aaron nodded. "Grace'd probably throw things at me anyway."
"Alright. Lunch later in the week?"
"Sure."
"Okay...see ya, Aaron." Jake headed for the front door, and Aaron stayed where he was.
"Bye, man." He looked up finally towards Jake. "Thanks...really."
"Anytime," Jake nodded.
Aaron watched his friend leave, before turning back to the computer and turning on the video again. He tilted his head slightly as he studied his son.
"I...don't know why I keep starin' at it," Aaron muttered, holding onto the picture of the newborn boy.
"Because...you're his old man," Jake answered.
"I don't even know him."
"Yeah, well...this is what they call unconditional love. You had to learn about it sometime."
"What you might see as depravity is, to me, just another aspect of the human condition." -- Asia Argento
Jake blew on his hands and rubbed them together to fight the chill. He hopped from foot to foot. "C'mon Aaron," he muttered under his breath. Jake had limited time before he had to get home for dinner.
Finally he spotted Aaron walking down the sidewalk towards him. "Sorry," Aaron said, approaching. "Late meeting."
"It's cool," Jake nodded. "Can we go inside? Please?"
Aaron smirked and led the way up to his apartment. "So?"
"So what?" Jake raised a brow. Yeah, he was gonna make Aaron ask for it.
"How'd he look?" Aaron asked, rolling his eyes.
"Big."
"Yeah?" Aaron looked over his shoulder at his best friend, before pushing through his apartment door.
"Too big. Talkin', runnin' all over the damn place." Jake pulled off his jacket, searching through the pockets. When he found what he wanted he dropped the coat on the couch. "Here." He handed Aaron the flashdrive, and followed him to the computer.
Aaron plugged the driver in and booted up the computer. He glanced over at Jake. "What else?"
"He's got a bit of your ugly mug," Jake grinned.
"That's what I was worried about," Aaron smirked. He looked at the computer screen and opened up the folder Jake had brought. He pulled up the first picture and his breath caught. His eyes slowly moved over the face on the screen before him and he sighed. "What're you talkin' 'bout...he's beautiful."
"Yeah...yeah he is," Jake nodded. He kept quiet and just watched as Aaron cycled through the pictures Jake and Grace had taken over the week. Not that Grace knew Aaron would see the pictures. As far as Grace knew, Jake and Aaron only hung out on occasion. She and the rest of the family had no idea that Jake often filled Aaron in on Michael.
He knew Aaron was a sensitive subject in the Braddock family, and he wasn't one to make things worse. He knew Felicity didn't hate Aaron, and that was all he needed to not feel like he was betraying her and her family. Besides. Aaron had been his best friend for decades, and nothing would change that. And he knew Grace would never forbid him from keeping Aaron in his life anyway.
"She...good? I mean, money and everything?"
"Yeah, I think so. It took a fight, but she accepted the cash I sent her on Michael's birthday."
"And you didn't tell her it was from me?"
"No. Told her it was between me and her."
"Good." Aaron nodded, his eyes still on the computer screen.
"You coulda tried to see him.." Jake said slowly.
"Nah," Aaron shook his head. He clicked around on the computer, copying and pasting the pictures to his harddrive.
"Aaron.."
"How many times we gotta go over this?" Aaron looked at Jake.
"Yeah...I get it, I get it."
Aaron sighed again, biting his lip and staring at the pictures. "I'm just like her after all."
"Who?"
"My mom."
Jake shook his head. "You're nothin' like her. She was...an idiot. Selfish. Even though I don't agree with your choice...it's not the same. I know that for a fact."
"But I-"
"Aaron...if he shows up on your doorstep one day...just wantin' answers. Wantin' to know if you think about him or miss him...what're you gonna do?"
"I...I'm gonna talk to him I guess. Try to give him what he needs so he'll know he don't need me."
Jake nodded. "That makes you miles different than her."
Aaron nodded as well. "I guess."
"....he does need you, Aaron."
"Nah, he's better off. And you promised. You said you'd always be there for him. When he needed a guy to talk to or...whatever. You said-"
"I know." Jake sighed and started to stand, ready to brush off the same old argument. "But I ain't you. I'm not his father."
"No, you're better than his father. If you can be to him what you've been for me...I want him to have it." Aaron paused, then shook his head. "He's...the only thing...that's ever been mine."
"...she woulda been yours too," Jake said quietly, not ready to push it.
Aaron ignored the comment and shook his head. "You gotta look out for him."
"I will. I do." Jake said with a sigh as he clapped his hand on Aaron's shoulder. "He's my nephew. I would anyway."
"Good." Aaron nodded. He frowned slightly. "What's this?"
"Oh. That's a video I shot."
Aaron quickly pulled it up and hit play. Suddenly the screen came to life in Jake and Grace's living room. Michael was playing with his cousins. Aaron smiled. "Damn, your brats are gettin' old too."
Jake grinned ear to ear. "Yeah, they are."
"How's Grace?"
"Perfect."
"You make me sick still," Aaron rolled his eyes. He watched Felicity come on the screen to sit down near Michael. Michael jumped into her lap and they were both talking and laughing. "He's gonna be good, I think."
"He's gonna be great."
Aaron nodded and closed the video, leaving the screen blank as he still stared at it. "Yeah.."
"Come home with me for dinner."
"Nah, I've got plans."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, sure," Aaron nodded. "Grace'd probably throw things at me anyway."
"Alright. Lunch later in the week?"
"Sure."
"Okay...see ya, Aaron." Jake headed for the front door, and Aaron stayed where he was.
"Bye, man." He looked up finally towards Jake. "Thanks...really."
"Anytime," Jake nodded.
Aaron watched his friend leave, before turning back to the computer and turning on the video again. He tilted his head slightly as he studied his son.
"I...don't know why I keep starin' at it," Aaron muttered, holding onto the picture of the newborn boy.
"Because...you're his old man," Jake answered.
"I don't even know him."
"Yeah, well...this is what they call unconditional love. You had to learn about it sometime."