Early Lytton b-day: Intrusion
I hesitated to write this, but Lytton once expressed interest in knowing more about Sasha, so I decided to go for it, in honor of her birthday. This takes place right after Here and Now, Part 2, which I recommend reading first.
Jaden's bedroom floor was a minefield of potentially hazardous detritus. The Lego pieces keeping watch, ready to alert the sharp tools and bike parts to be on their guard. The stacks of books barricading in the hidden depths beneath the bed. Earlier, many of the defensive forces had been rudely shoved aside by two hulking offenders, and they intended to make up the lost ground.
An intruder with stockinged feet picked his way across the front lines. His agile movements rendered all defenses useless, easily slipping past each defense as easily as the most accomplished spy. His ability was at odds with the flannel pants and long-sleeved t-shirt that he wore, his long copper hair hanging loose around his shoulders. He drew up beside the bed, despite the noble efforts of a partially-transformed Optimus Prime figure to hinder his movements.
Jaden did not stir at his intrusion, and so after a moment of hesitation, listening to the other blond's deep breathing, he took his silence as consent. With that same smooth grace, he lifted the corner of the comforter, and slipped beneath it.
Jaden tended to thrash around in his sleep, even when he was as exhausted as he must have been today, and so neither of his pillows was actually under his head. Sasha pulled one beneath his own strawberry blond head, and curled into a ball on his side.
Ten minutes passed before Jaden rolled over with a sleepy groan. "Goddamn you're like a living sauna. Are you trying to boil me?"
Sasha sat up, pushing aside the covers. "Sorry. I'll let you sleep."
The other blond sighed, reached out a hand, and grabbed him by the wrist. Against Sasha's skin, his hand felt cool as rain water. "Come on, you whiny girl. Don't go storming off and being emo on me."
Warmed by the overt invitation, he climbed back under the covers, while Jaden tried to peel them off. He lay on his back beneath a thin blanket and sheet, feeling the sweat on his bare torso begin to cool. Sasha curled up beside him, emanating warmth like a wood stove. "How are you feeling?"
He grunted. "Like I got my throat ripped out by a fucking manticore. And for the record? I'm done playing bait. Neil can jump up and down in front of the monsters while I do the hero thing."
"It wasn't a very good plan, in retrospect."
"Yeah, who the fuck thought of that one?"
"I'm pretty sure it was you."
"Obviously you're both idiots for trusting my judgment."
"It would have worked out fine if you hadn't taken your eyes off it."
"Oh, right." Jaden turned to him, his storm-blue eyes glistening in the light from the window, a smirk curling his lips. "You're telling the ADHD guy not to take his eyes off something."
There was once a time when that smirk could have made a thrill of butterflies dance in his stomach. "I didn't think it could still pounce like that, not after we injured its leg. I thought you could outrun it anyway."
"So did I, obviously."
"I'm sorry."
Jaden stared up at his ceiling, though it was too dark to see all the posters taped to it. "Doesn't matter now. It was worth it. Endymion's here." He used his full name, instead of the shortened "Endy," with an ounce of reverence. Sasha knew that there was a lot of posturing on Jaden's part, a lot of flippancy and carelessness hiding the same desperate wish that they all had. Sasha remembered a Jadeite who had held Endymion in the highest esteem, his admiration unwavering, even when he knew him as a person and not just a hero of their kingdom.
"I still can't believe it's him."
His smirk could have lit the room. "Why? Because you have to admit you were wrong, now? You were so convinced that he wasn't."
"I never said he wasn't, I just wasn't convinced that he was. He's not... the way that I remember."
"So what if he's not? That doesn't make him any less our prince, does it?"
"Of course not. I'll serve him no matter who he is. I'll even grow to love whoever he is now. But it was Endymion who we lost, and I don't... want to think about a world that doesn't have him in it. Mamoru is our prince, but I just don't know if he is also Endymion, and I'm scared to think about what if he isn't."
He would never have dared to confess such a thing to anyone else. Kain would have been disappointed in him for even entertaining such thoughts. Neil would have shouted with fanatical zeal. And never would he desire a breath of it to be hinted to Mamoru, who had done nothing to deserve such disappointment. Jaden simply turned on his side to face him, pulling a pillow beneath his blond curls.
"He is. You'll see that he is."
"You sound so sure of that. You really wanted it to be Mamoru."
He shrugged, his bare shoulder moving up from beneath the sheets. "Sure I did. Yeah, Mamoru doesn't carry himself like Endy did. He doesn't swagger, he hasn't looked twice at any girl who passed his way, and he sure can't hold his liquor. But I see him there, sometimes. I think he hides it, the way that Endy hid what a good guy he was because it was easier that way. I think they've got that in common, not wanting to show their true nature too much."
"Maybe you're right. I guess we'll find out tomorrow."
Jaden sighed sleepily, closing his eyes. "Seeing as how I managed not to bleed to death today, I think we'll have plenty of time to figure it out."
Sasha studied him in the dim light, tracing the bare shoulder that faintly shone with sweat, up his perfectly intact throat, to his jawline, softened with pale stubble. He reached up and brushed his fingers over the side of his neck, unable to resist the urge to see whether it was truly healed. Jaden grunted into his pillow. "It's fine. Stop fussing."
He felt like he should say something. That they had known each other since they were kids, since before they were born, had been through everything and had come out of some of the worst ordeals of their lives together, and he would kill Jaden if he'd actually gone and gotten himself killed now. Instead, he slid his fingers up into his blond curls. "Your hair's getting long. You aiming for Cobain again?"
Jaden did not even dignify that with opening his eyes, grumbling sleepily into his pillow instead. "Fuck you and your mom and everything you've ever touched."
"Does that include you?"
"Man, I hope so. Your mom just isn't enough anymore."
"How about tonight?"
One blue eye slid open, fixing on green. "How about you go to sleep? I left half my throat on the pavement back there, and I don't take pity-fucks."
Jaden's bedroom floor was a minefield of potentially hazardous detritus. The Lego pieces keeping watch, ready to alert the sharp tools and bike parts to be on their guard. The stacks of books barricading in the hidden depths beneath the bed. Earlier, many of the defensive forces had been rudely shoved aside by two hulking offenders, and they intended to make up the lost ground.
An intruder with stockinged feet picked his way across the front lines. His agile movements rendered all defenses useless, easily slipping past each defense as easily as the most accomplished spy. His ability was at odds with the flannel pants and long-sleeved t-shirt that he wore, his long copper hair hanging loose around his shoulders. He drew up beside the bed, despite the noble efforts of a partially-transformed Optimus Prime figure to hinder his movements.
Jaden did not stir at his intrusion, and so after a moment of hesitation, listening to the other blond's deep breathing, he took his silence as consent. With that same smooth grace, he lifted the corner of the comforter, and slipped beneath it.
Jaden tended to thrash around in his sleep, even when he was as exhausted as he must have been today, and so neither of his pillows was actually under his head. Sasha pulled one beneath his own strawberry blond head, and curled into a ball on his side.
Ten minutes passed before Jaden rolled over with a sleepy groan. "Goddamn you're like a living sauna. Are you trying to boil me?"
Sasha sat up, pushing aside the covers. "Sorry. I'll let you sleep."
The other blond sighed, reached out a hand, and grabbed him by the wrist. Against Sasha's skin, his hand felt cool as rain water. "Come on, you whiny girl. Don't go storming off and being emo on me."
Warmed by the overt invitation, he climbed back under the covers, while Jaden tried to peel them off. He lay on his back beneath a thin blanket and sheet, feeling the sweat on his bare torso begin to cool. Sasha curled up beside him, emanating warmth like a wood stove. "How are you feeling?"
He grunted. "Like I got my throat ripped out by a fucking manticore. And for the record? I'm done playing bait. Neil can jump up and down in front of the monsters while I do the hero thing."
"It wasn't a very good plan, in retrospect."
"Yeah, who the fuck thought of that one?"
"I'm pretty sure it was you."
"Obviously you're both idiots for trusting my judgment."
"It would have worked out fine if you hadn't taken your eyes off it."
"Oh, right." Jaden turned to him, his storm-blue eyes glistening in the light from the window, a smirk curling his lips. "You're telling the ADHD guy not to take his eyes off something."
There was once a time when that smirk could have made a thrill of butterflies dance in his stomach. "I didn't think it could still pounce like that, not after we injured its leg. I thought you could outrun it anyway."
"So did I, obviously."
"I'm sorry."
Jaden stared up at his ceiling, though it was too dark to see all the posters taped to it. "Doesn't matter now. It was worth it. Endymion's here." He used his full name, instead of the shortened "Endy," with an ounce of reverence. Sasha knew that there was a lot of posturing on Jaden's part, a lot of flippancy and carelessness hiding the same desperate wish that they all had. Sasha remembered a Jadeite who had held Endymion in the highest esteem, his admiration unwavering, even when he knew him as a person and not just a hero of their kingdom.
"I still can't believe it's him."
His smirk could have lit the room. "Why? Because you have to admit you were wrong, now? You were so convinced that he wasn't."
"I never said he wasn't, I just wasn't convinced that he was. He's not... the way that I remember."
"So what if he's not? That doesn't make him any less our prince, does it?"
"Of course not. I'll serve him no matter who he is. I'll even grow to love whoever he is now. But it was Endymion who we lost, and I don't... want to think about a world that doesn't have him in it. Mamoru is our prince, but I just don't know if he is also Endymion, and I'm scared to think about what if he isn't."
He would never have dared to confess such a thing to anyone else. Kain would have been disappointed in him for even entertaining such thoughts. Neil would have shouted with fanatical zeal. And never would he desire a breath of it to be hinted to Mamoru, who had done nothing to deserve such disappointment. Jaden simply turned on his side to face him, pulling a pillow beneath his blond curls.
"He is. You'll see that he is."
"You sound so sure of that. You really wanted it to be Mamoru."
He shrugged, his bare shoulder moving up from beneath the sheets. "Sure I did. Yeah, Mamoru doesn't carry himself like Endy did. He doesn't swagger, he hasn't looked twice at any girl who passed his way, and he sure can't hold his liquor. But I see him there, sometimes. I think he hides it, the way that Endy hid what a good guy he was because it was easier that way. I think they've got that in common, not wanting to show their true nature too much."
"Maybe you're right. I guess we'll find out tomorrow."
Jaden sighed sleepily, closing his eyes. "Seeing as how I managed not to bleed to death today, I think we'll have plenty of time to figure it out."
Sasha studied him in the dim light, tracing the bare shoulder that faintly shone with sweat, up his perfectly intact throat, to his jawline, softened with pale stubble. He reached up and brushed his fingers over the side of his neck, unable to resist the urge to see whether it was truly healed. Jaden grunted into his pillow. "It's fine. Stop fussing."
He felt like he should say something. That they had known each other since they were kids, since before they were born, had been through everything and had come out of some of the worst ordeals of their lives together, and he would kill Jaden if he'd actually gone and gotten himself killed now. Instead, he slid his fingers up into his blond curls. "Your hair's getting long. You aiming for Cobain again?"
Jaden did not even dignify that with opening his eyes, grumbling sleepily into his pillow instead. "Fuck you and your mom and everything you've ever touched."
"Does that include you?"
"Man, I hope so. Your mom just isn't enough anymore."
"How about tonight?"
One blue eye slid open, fixing on green. "How about you go to sleep? I left half my throat on the pavement back there, and I don't take pity-fucks."