Cookies 'n' Cream 23, Rainbow Sherbet 6: Protective
Title: Protective
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Cookies 'n' cream 23 (break), rainbow sherbet 6 (purple), malt (PFAH: Aaron : You're hot and you're cold/You're yes then you're no), hot fudge.
Word Count: 1156
Rating: R, for not so many f-bombs but a lot more threatened violence.
Summary: Aaron is protective, or, beware the nice ones.
Notes: Told you he'd get his.
"He said what?" Aaron asked.
The frightening thing was that he didn't shout it, or yell it, or raise his voice in any way; he just inquired, like he was asking about the weather. If anyone else had seen him, Clara thought, they might think he was unaffected by what she'd just told him.
She knew different.
"He just..." She waved a hand helplessly. "It doesn't matter."
"The hell it doesn't," Aaron said, still in that too-calm voice. "Clara, he scared you. You don't scare that easily."
She shrugged, knowing he was right, still not wanting a homicide on her hands. "Pregnancy hormones."
"Like hell." He snapped that, and Clara felt a little relieved. "He scared you, he threatened you. What would have happened if Ivy hadn't come?"
"I'd have kneed him in the balls and called the cops," she replied, hoping she was telling the truth. "It was on a crowded street in broad daylight. I was never in any danger."
Aaron reached for her, but apparently thought better of it mid-motion and let his hand drop. "Things happen fast," he said. "You're... Clara, if anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do."
She stepped forward, eased herself against him, and slipped an arm around his waist. After a moment, he put his arms around her. "Nothing did happen," she said. "I was upset, yeah, but that’s not worth..." She stopped, unsure how to finish that sentence.
Aaron sighed, and bent his head to hers, pressing his forehead against hers. "I'm glad you're all right," he said.
Which was a suspiciously easy capitulation, even if Clara hadn't heard the cold core of anger still in his voice. She pulled her head back, looked him in the eye. "Don't do anything stupid. Please."
"I have nothing stupid in mind," he said.
It was not reassuring.
--
That fucking bitch, Kevin thought furiously, on his way to work the next morning. That fucking bitch. Lied to him the entire time they were together, probably fucking this Kendall asshole the whole time, probably laughing at him the entire time.
It hurt, a lot more than he'd expected. It had hurt when Clara walked the first time, but it hurt so much more now. He'd really loved her. He'd thought she'd loved him.
He'd been planning on proposing, right before she walked. Had a ring picked out.
Well, fuck her. She'd clearly never cared for him at all, not like he'd loved her.
Kevin swiped at his eyes, and narrowly avoided walking into someone.
"Sorry," he muttered, glancing up briefly. A man, brown hair, blue eyes, glasses, cowlick. No one he knew. He moved to step around him.
The man's hand shot out and closed around his upper arm. "Kevin Vargas?"
He blinked. Someone from work? "Yeah, that's me."
The man smiled, all teeth. "My name's Aaron Kendall."
The name rang a bell, but Kevin couldn't place it. "Have we met?"
"No." A pause. "You dated my wife once, I believe."
His wife? Who... The name clicked and rage flashed through him again. That asshole Clara was fucking. "You," he said, almost snarled. "Don't worry, you can have the bitch."
Kendall's grip on Kevin's arm tightened. "Don't talk about Clara that way," he said, pleasantly. "In fact, I'd like you to not talk about Clara at all. You upset her pretty badly."
"I upset her?" Kevin shouted, trying to jerk his arm away and failing. "She was the one fucking people behind my back! You should fucking know, you were one of them!"
"Not that it's any of your business," Kendall said, still in that calm, pleasant tone, "but even had Clara and I met when she knew you, which we had not, we do not, ah, fuck. We're both asexual. I believe she's told you that."
The man sounded like he was chatting at a bar. Kevin wanted to punch him for that alone. "Let go of me," he said, between gritted teeth.
"No." Kendall tightened his grip-- Kevin could feel the bruises forming, purple and dark-- and leaned very close. "How does this feel, Kevin?" he asked, voice going soft and silky. "Knowing I could really hurt you. I could break your nose right here and now. I could slam your head into that wall until your skull cracks open. Odds are nobody around here could stop me before you were dead, or at the very least a bloody mess. How does that feel?"
"You're psychotic," Kevin said, to cover the rush of fear.
Judging from the flicker of satisfaction in the other man's eyes, he hadn't covered well enough. "No, I don't think so," Kendall said. "I just have this thing when people threaten my wife. It makes me angry. Unreasonable, I know, but there you have it."
"I'm going to call the police," Kevin said.
"And say what?" Kendall asked, his tone one of polite interest. "That you threatened a pregnant woman and refused to back off when she told you to? People saw you, Kevin. My sister, for one. Some of Clara's co-workers. They like her, I think you'll find. They'll be happy to testify against you. Whereas you and I, here and now... people see us, they think we're having a friendly conversation. You can tell the cops what I said, but it'll be your word against mine."
He smiled. It looked friendly. Kevin knew it wasn't. "Do you know, I think I'll win that one. You see, I'm such a nice person, Kevin. People really like me. They'll say, he could never do a thing like that. Not Aaron."
"Let go of me," Kevin said, quite calmly, considering. "Right now."
"I'm not finished," Kendall said, a lash in his voice. "Stay away from Clara. Don't contact her again. Or else..." He leaned in very close again. "Or else I'll call the police, Kevin, and I'll tell them what you did to her. And I'll call her father, and her brother, and tell them too, and her friends. And I'll tell my sister she's got a free hand. You remember my sister, don't you, Kevin? She's short, but she's nasty. And then, once all of them are done with you--"
His voice dropped to a hiss, his expression went dark, and Kevin froze in sudden, absolute terror. "I will break every bone in your entire fucking body. Even the little tiny ones in your ears, and those are quite difficult, but rest assured I will find a way. I will shatter them. And then I will press charges for assault." He let go abruptly, and shoved Kevin away from him.
"Are we clear?" he asked, in a perfectly normal tone.
"You're psychotic," Kevin said, again, rubbing his arm.
"No," Kendall said. "Just protective. Stay the hell away from my wife." He gave another of those friendly-unfriendly smiles-- Kevin, still rubbing his arm, controlled a flinch-- then turned and walked away.
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Cookies 'n' cream 23 (break), rainbow sherbet 6 (purple), malt (PFAH: Aaron : You're hot and you're cold/You're yes then you're no), hot fudge.
Word Count: 1156
Rating: R, for not so many f-bombs but a lot more threatened violence.
Summary: Aaron is protective, or, beware the nice ones.
Notes: Told you he'd get his.
"He said what?" Aaron asked.
The frightening thing was that he didn't shout it, or yell it, or raise his voice in any way; he just inquired, like he was asking about the weather. If anyone else had seen him, Clara thought, they might think he was unaffected by what she'd just told him.
She knew different.
"He just..." She waved a hand helplessly. "It doesn't matter."
"The hell it doesn't," Aaron said, still in that too-calm voice. "Clara, he scared you. You don't scare that easily."
She shrugged, knowing he was right, still not wanting a homicide on her hands. "Pregnancy hormones."
"Like hell." He snapped that, and Clara felt a little relieved. "He scared you, he threatened you. What would have happened if Ivy hadn't come?"
"I'd have kneed him in the balls and called the cops," she replied, hoping she was telling the truth. "It was on a crowded street in broad daylight. I was never in any danger."
Aaron reached for her, but apparently thought better of it mid-motion and let his hand drop. "Things happen fast," he said. "You're... Clara, if anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do."
She stepped forward, eased herself against him, and slipped an arm around his waist. After a moment, he put his arms around her. "Nothing did happen," she said. "I was upset, yeah, but that’s not worth..." She stopped, unsure how to finish that sentence.
Aaron sighed, and bent his head to hers, pressing his forehead against hers. "I'm glad you're all right," he said.
Which was a suspiciously easy capitulation, even if Clara hadn't heard the cold core of anger still in his voice. She pulled her head back, looked him in the eye. "Don't do anything stupid. Please."
"I have nothing stupid in mind," he said.
It was not reassuring.
--
That fucking bitch, Kevin thought furiously, on his way to work the next morning. That fucking bitch. Lied to him the entire time they were together, probably fucking this Kendall asshole the whole time, probably laughing at him the entire time.
It hurt, a lot more than he'd expected. It had hurt when Clara walked the first time, but it hurt so much more now. He'd really loved her. He'd thought she'd loved him.
He'd been planning on proposing, right before she walked. Had a ring picked out.
Well, fuck her. She'd clearly never cared for him at all, not like he'd loved her.
Kevin swiped at his eyes, and narrowly avoided walking into someone.
"Sorry," he muttered, glancing up briefly. A man, brown hair, blue eyes, glasses, cowlick. No one he knew. He moved to step around him.
The man's hand shot out and closed around his upper arm. "Kevin Vargas?"
He blinked. Someone from work? "Yeah, that's me."
The man smiled, all teeth. "My name's Aaron Kendall."
The name rang a bell, but Kevin couldn't place it. "Have we met?"
"No." A pause. "You dated my wife once, I believe."
His wife? Who... The name clicked and rage flashed through him again. That asshole Clara was fucking. "You," he said, almost snarled. "Don't worry, you can have the bitch."
Kendall's grip on Kevin's arm tightened. "Don't talk about Clara that way," he said, pleasantly. "In fact, I'd like you to not talk about Clara at all. You upset her pretty badly."
"I upset her?" Kevin shouted, trying to jerk his arm away and failing. "She was the one fucking people behind my back! You should fucking know, you were one of them!"
"Not that it's any of your business," Kendall said, still in that calm, pleasant tone, "but even had Clara and I met when she knew you, which we had not, we do not, ah, fuck. We're both asexual. I believe she's told you that."
The man sounded like he was chatting at a bar. Kevin wanted to punch him for that alone. "Let go of me," he said, between gritted teeth.
"No." Kendall tightened his grip-- Kevin could feel the bruises forming, purple and dark-- and leaned very close. "How does this feel, Kevin?" he asked, voice going soft and silky. "Knowing I could really hurt you. I could break your nose right here and now. I could slam your head into that wall until your skull cracks open. Odds are nobody around here could stop me before you were dead, or at the very least a bloody mess. How does that feel?"
"You're psychotic," Kevin said, to cover the rush of fear.
Judging from the flicker of satisfaction in the other man's eyes, he hadn't covered well enough. "No, I don't think so," Kendall said. "I just have this thing when people threaten my wife. It makes me angry. Unreasonable, I know, but there you have it."
"I'm going to call the police," Kevin said.
"And say what?" Kendall asked, his tone one of polite interest. "That you threatened a pregnant woman and refused to back off when she told you to? People saw you, Kevin. My sister, for one. Some of Clara's co-workers. They like her, I think you'll find. They'll be happy to testify against you. Whereas you and I, here and now... people see us, they think we're having a friendly conversation. You can tell the cops what I said, but it'll be your word against mine."
He smiled. It looked friendly. Kevin knew it wasn't. "Do you know, I think I'll win that one. You see, I'm such a nice person, Kevin. People really like me. They'll say, he could never do a thing like that. Not Aaron."
"Let go of me," Kevin said, quite calmly, considering. "Right now."
"I'm not finished," Kendall said, a lash in his voice. "Stay away from Clara. Don't contact her again. Or else..." He leaned in very close again. "Or else I'll call the police, Kevin, and I'll tell them what you did to her. And I'll call her father, and her brother, and tell them too, and her friends. And I'll tell my sister she's got a free hand. You remember my sister, don't you, Kevin? She's short, but she's nasty. And then, once all of them are done with you--"
His voice dropped to a hiss, his expression went dark, and Kevin froze in sudden, absolute terror. "I will break every bone in your entire fucking body. Even the little tiny ones in your ears, and those are quite difficult, but rest assured I will find a way. I will shatter them. And then I will press charges for assault." He let go abruptly, and shoved Kevin away from him.
"Are we clear?" he asked, in a perfectly normal tone.
"You're psychotic," Kevin said, again, rubbing his arm.
"No," Kendall said. "Just protective. Stay the hell away from my wife." He gave another of those friendly-unfriendly smiles-- Kevin, still rubbing his arm, controlled a flinch-- then turned and walked away.