Chapter Text
Eva slammed down the last box atop a pile of one of many stacks in her apartment bedroom, letting out a huge sigh of exhaustion. She never thought clothing could be so heavy.
“You're not too tired to ditch on help bringing up the couch, are ya little mouse?” yelled a deep voice from the front door.
She groaned & lifted herself from one of the larger boxes, yelling back, “No, I'm not! Just gimme a sec, Rick!” The hulking ex-pilot was leaning against her doorway, smirking at her obvious exhaustion. “I didn't know moving day was going to take this much out of ya, little mouse,” he chuckled, moving out of the way as she pushed past him & out into the hallway.
“Hey, this is no problem! I'll need to build the extra muscle for the hands-on classes anyways.”
Eva Wei had turned 20 years old just a few months ago, & was moving into her first apartment away from home. Having been accepted to Burroughs Academy, one of the leading engineering Earth colleges, it was her time to officially leave the nest. She hadn't really planned on attending any more school after graduating from high school 2 years prior, but it was a compromise between her & her father, Don Wei.
Ever since returning from Oban when she was just 15 years old, the racing spirit that ignited in her heart never waned. The passion continued still today, but her father's deep-rooted anxieties forbade her from stepping foot on the track again. It was something they would bicker & argue about a lot in their time since reuniting as a family, despite their familial relationship repairing as well. But, Don knew that once Eva became an adult, there really was nothing stopping the decisions she makes in her own life.
“Eva, you know I’m only afraid of losing you.”
Don & Eva sat in their dining room together one evening, both seated with a cup of coffee in front of them. She gripped her warm mug, nodding.
That was always his reasoning. Every single time. It still frustrated her, however, even with knowing it was coming from a place of parental protection.
“But I also know...that Maya wouldn't have wanted this. If it's really what you want to do with your life..,” he said slowly, placing one of his hands atop her own, “Then...I'll support you.”
She stared at him, wide eyed in disbelief. He had been so adamant at keeping her away from racing for all these years, & now he was suddenly ok with it?
“Dad, are you...serious?”
“Yes, Eva, completely,” he responded. “I would be lying if I said I wasn't still scared to death, but...I can't keep you from this. Rick agrees too, but you know he has always been on your side with this,” Don informed her while rolling his eyes.
Eva let out a small giggle at her father's weakly annoyed tone. Rick must have been the driving force behind this sudden decision, she assumed. Her dad did always have a habit of being wrapped around his partner's finger. He was the same with her mother, back when she was a little girl.
“But,” he suddenly spoke up, lifting a single index finger in the air, “I would like for you to get an education & background in star ship engineering & mechanics before entering into the racing circuit. I know you would have mechanics & such on a professional team, but I just...Eva, I don't want what happened to your mother to happen to you. I want you to be armed with the knowledge yourself to know if something is wrong, so you can save yourself from any potential danger. Do you see where I'm coming from?”
He had a very good point: Pilots should have some level of engineering knowledge in case of emergencies. Besides, she enjoyed the mechanical parts of racing as well, & had spent years building & maintaining her own homemade rocket seat. So what was the harm in expanding on what she already knows?
“I don't see a problem with that at all, dad. I'd be happy to, even!” she said with a wide smile.
Don let out a sigh of relief and got up from his seat, coming over to embrace Eva in a warm hug. She squeezed him back, feeling true support about her passion for the first time. Not that things had been particularly tough since returning to Earth, but it had been a long & strenuous process.
This particular subject had always been a struggle, for everyone involved. But with this compromise, a large weight had been lifted off both of their shoulders.
It was the first step to getting back into her true life's passion: Star ship racing.
She continued the rest of her gap year applying for scholarships, studying which colleges offered the best programs, & living her home life with Don & Rick. It had taken some time to adjust to having another parental figure in the house again after so many years, but they truly did make a happy little family. Rick was a surprisingly good middle man when Don & Eva had any disagreements or full blown screaming matches. Capable of bring the perspective they needed to calm down, talk it out, & reconcile over many issues they needed to overcome due to the many years of abandonment Eva suffered; Rick became quite a corner stone.
Maybe that's what Don saw in him: A pillar of stability that he was deeply missing & needed. And Rick was happy to provide it, of course.
He even helped Eva with her school & scholarship searching, knowing a tiny bit about the academies out there. There were a lot of difficulties, & she had sadly been rejected by her first few choices due to her high school transcript. Eva was a very smart girl, but her grades were...not very good. Eva had spent way more of her high-school days day-dreaming about her Oban adventure & being emotionally tied up in fixing her relationship with her father, making it difficult to focus on her grades & GPA.
Another year had passed since beginning her college search. Admittedly, she was getting bummed out by the back to back to back rejections. Never ending rejections, it seemed.
Then, one day, the acceptance letter for Burroughs Academy came in the mail. She jumped for joy in her living room, hugging her father & Rick as the celebrated with her. Both Don & Eva were astounded that she had gotten into such a wonderful school, considering the pile of rejection letters she had accumulated, but they didn't look too hard into it. She got in, & that's what mattered! The coming fall semester, she would be starting her first round of classes.
Rick would never let them know that he was good friends with one of the student board members, whom he met in his racing years. He didn't want to pull any strings originally, but he was confident in Eva, so he would just this once for his “little mouse”. What was the harm in opening a door for this young girl he believed in?
Eva dramatically let out a yell & threw herself face-first on her newly placed couch, beads of sweat rolling down her arms & forehead. Rick laughed at the sight, barely breaking a sweat himself, “Hey, I carried like, 75% of that couch. And it was only up one flight of stairs! You're being a drama queen, don't you think?”
A muffled groan from the couch cushion was her response, lazily waving a floppy hand in the air to dismiss his remarks. He lifted her legs off the couch with ease & slipped under them, taking a seat next to her.
“So, you have a lot of unpacking to do, & Don should be getting off work in an hour or so. He said he would bring the last bunch of boxes with him, so you'll be officially moved in after that. Want to order some pizza before he gets here & take a break?”
She shot up at the offer & nodded furiously, “Can we get cheese sticks too?”
Rick let out another laugh & gave her a thumbs up, “Of course, & a two liter of Coke. But, you need to wash your cups first.”
She let out another groan & rolled off the couch, landing on the carpet with a small thump. Rick was right, but her exhaustion made any sort of menial task sound like climbing up a mountain. But, alas, it needed to be done! She was an adult now, & would be living on her own while attending the academy. No one would be around to wash her dishes aside from herself.
Welcome to adulthood, Eva, where you're always exhausted & there's always a dish to clean, she thought while pulling herself off the floor. “Ok ok, I'll wash the cups right now! But...which box were they...in,” she mumbled as she started to make her way to the kitchen area, looking over every box in her search for the cups.
Night came, so Don & Rick left after having their fill of pizza & tearful goodbyes. The leftovers were sitting alone in Eva's small apartment refrigerator, sustenance until she could go shopping properly. The digital clock that was sitting on a closed cardboard box read 9:47PM. She would usually be up for quite a few more hours, but spending the entire day moving had depleted all of her energy.
Eva left the bathroom after brushing her teeth & other typical nightly routine things. Kindly, Rick had offered to put her bed frame together, otherwise she would be sleeping with her mattress on the floor. It would be back problems galore if that was the case. Now that she was going to be hopping back into school, & school that she was actually planning to take very seriously, she needed to take care of herself.
Closing the door behind her, she flipped the light switch off & slipped under her sheets. She let out a sigh, still feeling a bit uneasy.
Not about going to school, no. She was quite excited for it really! Typical high school was never able to keep her attention, but having all her classes focused on the mechanical in's & out's of star ships? She was absolutely thrilled! But living on her own so suddenly? After having spent the last view years living with her father & Rick, it felt...odd.
It was like a newfound sense of freedom, but also loneliness. Something reminiscent of when she was living at Stern’s Boarding School, all by herself in that dark & dank dorm room...but not quite the same feeling. This living situation was due to Don, who insisted she have an apartment to keep her away from the 'party life' of dorms.
Yeah, dad, cuz a bunch of mechanic nerds know how to party hard, she joked to herself, rolling her eyes. Her small grin quickly shifted to a frown, & she rolled to her side.
Fingers curled into a grip on her pillow, a small breathy sigh leaving her mouth. Maybe it was because she was alone, in a new & foreign place, but she missed him.
She missed Jordan Wilde so, so much.
Memories of them being together & experiencing all the new environments they saw together flooded into her mind, bringing familiar comfort. He may have been a clumsy, dense idiot sometimes, but he was always looking out for her, with her 'leap before looking' tendencies. She couldn't count how many times he had saved her ass from some awful or life threatening situation due to her own stubbornness. Together, they shared new & sometimes bizarre adventures, saw sights humans on Earth could only dream of, & formed a powerful, indescribable bond.
Her gunner, her protector, & her friend. She never knew how much she would have missed him until he was gone.
But now, he was taking on the responsibility of the entire universe. Alone, on a planet thousands of light years away.
Often, she thought about what things would be like if he didn't become The Avatar. What would he be doing then? Would he come back to Earth? Would he be back at the military academy that he was enrolled in before being recruited for The Earth Team? Or, would he have taken a job somewhere, or gone to college as well, or maybe...he would have waited to be her partner once again, when she would begin her official career?
She silently wished for this every now & again.
Even though she was dying to get back on the track, she would never have another partner like him again. She knew that.
Right now, laying in her apartment bedroom in a city hours away from her home & family; She was lonely. And she missed her partner.
Pulling the blanket up around her shoulders, she snuggled deeper into the bed. Her thoughts were keeping her mind awake, but her exhaustion was pulling her eyes to sleep. There was a campus tour tomorrow that she needed to be awake for, bright & early. Classes started next week, so she needed to get familiar with the place before then.
Her eyes slowly blinked until they closed for good, & she whispered a soft message to only one person in particular. Whether they could hear or not didn't matter. She always said it once in a while, when she was feeling this particular brand of loneliness. It brought her back to Oban, to that small room in the earth module, the surprisingly sturdy hammock & sheer curtain keeping them apart. It brought her comfort.
“Goodnight, Jordan.”
Notes:
OK so this was mostly a set up chapter lol, next one is gonna have a little time-skip. Should be posted soon-ish? Sorry if the flashbacks weren't too obvious or the story jumped around everywhere. Like I said, this is just set up!
Gee Eva, how come Jess lets you have 2 dads in this fic?
Chapter Text
2nd semester finals were absolutely brutal.
Her backpack slumped off her shoulder as she fell onto a bench outside the main building, gripping her test results. They were...not great.
She had been excelling at the hands-on, technical courses no problem. But the more theory & number-heavy mathematics ones? Not really her forté.
Messing with tools & parts were one thing, but Eva had a hard time grasping things that weren’t as visible or tangible. Give her a crate of parts & she could assemble an entire working engine in no time flat. Question her about the speed of radioactive decay in a specific magnetic field? Stops her like a deer in headlights.
Unfortunately, she would have to retake her ‘Intro to Electromagnetic Theory’ class again if she wanted to move onto the advanced courses. It would be the only one she would need to re-take, but her dad would not be happy about it. At. All.
She could already hear him on the other end of the phone, grumbling his disappointments at her, with Rick in the background trying to calm him down.
Please, Rick, keep him as calm as possible.
The old door clicked behind her when she entered her apartment late that evening, tossing her backpack to the side. She placed her Chinese take-out on her kitchen partition counter. Cashew chicken, fried rice, & wontons would soothe her withered soul tonight.
Slipping her shoes off, she brought the food over to the couch & plopped down with an exhausted sigh. Clicking the TV on, she sifted through Netflix for a good five minutes before settling on a random episode of the same sitcom she had already seen at least 3 times. Savory smells filled her nostrils when she popped open her take-out container, thinking: Time to enter my post-finals depression.
So she sat there, staring mindlessly at the TV, shoving her food into her mouth with low energy. That's how many of her evenings were, regardless of poor test results looming over her head. Almost every night, she was in her apartment alone studying or being distracted by Star Racing news on the internet.
Sadly, all the focus on her grades had given her little time to try & make friends. Other people didn’t give her much of an opportunity, either. Being at a specialized school like Burroughs had lead her to assume it would be full of calm & friendly nerd types like Stan & Koji, but that wasn't the case. Most of the other students were just as absorbed in their studies, if not more so, & kept to themselves.
Eva had made friends with one girl, a senior, in her Mechanical Drafting class during her first semester. She was very sweet & Eva loved her company, but left when she graduated at the end of the semester. Not a whole lot of time to develop a friendship when you only had one class together.
Other than that, it had mostly been Eva on her own, with her father & Rick visiting once a month. To say it was lonely was an understatement.
Before she knew it, multiple episodes of the show had played & her Chinese food leftovers had gone very cold in open containers. A bright lock screen on her phone presented the time, making her jump at just how late it had gotten without her realizing. It was definitely too late to call Don about her finals, so she would just have to do it tomorrow.
Temporary relief settled in for getting to procrastinate on it, but it would still have to happen. She cleaned up the leftover food, switched the TV off, & made her way to the bathroom to get ready for bed.
Her mind was very fuzzy, not helping her mood at all. Perhaps it was exhaustion? Splashing water on her face didn’t help, other than accidentally soak her bangs that she forgot to pin up. A groan filled her small bathroom, a sign that she gave up on the rest of her nightly routine.
It was just one of those lonely, cold, melancholy nights where everything felt too pointless to afford any effort. There had been far too many of these lately, but it wasn't like there was much she could do about it. At this point, she almost wished she had taken a dorm instead, so she would have a roommate for company. The impossibility of it further depressed her, aware that her father would never budge on his anti-dorm policy anyways.
Holding her pillow close to her chest, she curled around it & made herself somewhat comfortable on her bed. Sleeping while holding something had become a bit of a comfort to her. It helped her feel like something else was there with her, at least physically. Maybe a stuffed animal would have been more appropriate, but she made due.
After a few minutes, she closed her eyes & drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow would be another day, but another day alone. Another day of more of the same.
“Alright, new semester, new start! I will not be failing this class this time! I'm gonna kick your ass, physics!” Eva exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air as she exited her apartment.
Swiftly zipping her coat up, she jogged down her apartment stairs with her scarf bouncing behind her. January was nearing it's end, so there would still be chilly winter weather for another month or so. A strong gust of sharp, freezing wind threatened to knock her over when she exited the building, but she stood her ground.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, was going to ruin her fresh slate to this new semester.
She quickly & carefully made her way to the bus stop, thankful that the sidewalks had been mostly shoveled & salted. Slipping & breaking her tailbone on slippery pavement didn’t sound like a good start to her day. Her phone's transpiration app stated the bus would be here in about 10 more minutes, so she bounced around online Star Racing news forums to pass the time.
15 minutes passed, but she figured maybe the buses were just a tad slow today. No big deal, she had planned to get to class early anyway. She had time!
15 more minutes passed, then turned into 20 more. Eventually, a full hour had passed. Ok, it was time to panic a little.
Checking the app again, she was shocked to discover it didn’t say anything about a delay. But there had been absolutely no sign of any bus. Was there a car crash holding up traffic, maybe? She deeply hoped not, but her class was going to start in 30 minutes & she was far from campus. Oh, how she now wished she had taken her rocket seat with her when she moved!
Groaning, she gripped her backpack straps, then took off down the sidewalk. If bus power wasn't there to get her to class, at least she had leg power.
Cutting it close, she made it to her first class in the nick of time, merely one minute before the lecture began. The professor gave her a bit of a stink-eye when she quickly slipped into a seat in the back, but she was still there on time. “Not a great first impression…” she mumbled to herself, pulling out her notebook & pencil. The class went fine, thankfully, but then it was off to her next one.
The next professor decided to pop-quiz everyone with a 'guess the fluid' style quiz. A bit of a surprise, but nothing she couldn't handle. Though Eva had ace'd the quiz, she spilled a good amount of engine oil on her regrettably white shirt. Why, today of all days, did she decide to wear white? Thanks to a worn rag & some water, she scrubbed the smell out. Well, mostly, but the stain was more than obvious. She wore her coat the rest of the day to hide her shame, even if the already comfortable heating of the building made her sweat like a madman.
The rest of the day didn’t improve much for her. All of her preferred lunches were sold out in the cafeteria, she got lost while looking for her 3rd class, & she did slip & fall in the middle of walking traffic. No broken bones of course, but the humiliation made up for it.
She was absolutely done with today.
What a fucking fantastic start to the semester...couldn't have gone any better. Can’t wait for the rest of it, especially for my next class...dreaded Electromagnetic Theory…
Letting out a sigh, she walked into the classroom & took a seat in the middle row. It was still pretty early, with only one other student already seated at a desk. To pass the time, she decided to slip her text book out of her backpack & skim the first few chapters to refresh herself a bit. She was confident she could pass this class the 2nd time around, but underlyingly felt defeated at having to re-take this class. Her only saving grace from additional guilt was the fact that this class was usually full of freshmen, so she wouldn't have to face any other sophomores.
Over the next 20 minutes, other students slowly started to fill in the classroom. Eva instinctively glanced at each new face that entered the classroom, not paying them much mind. They were just faces she would be seeing in class, after all. Nothing more.
About 30 seconds before class started, a large boy in a worn out coat & wool beanie tumbled into the classroom. The commotion he made drew a bit of attention, with other students watching him clamor into a seat right at the very front. The professor merely coughed to break the awkward silence & fiddled with some of his papers before the lecture. The extremely flustered boy began to organize himself, pulling out his own notebook & a very stubby used pencil.
Eva stared curiously, wondering if maybe this guy got lost on the way. Freshman, probably?
Then, he slipped his coat off & stuffed his beanie into the side pocket. Eva's pencil dropped from her hand & fell to the floor beside her as her jaw dropped.
She would immediately recognize that split blond & black hair anywhere.
Is...is that? No, no, it couldn't be...But what if?
Thoughts frantically raced through her head, but she momentarily blocked them out when the professor walked to the front for his introduction. She tried to rationalize herself after tuning out of her professor's introduction, which was just a repeat of the one he gave last time she took this class.
He’s The Avatar now, yeah! He couldn't be here. He still has training to do, keeping him busy. No time to be on Earth, no way. He hasn't even contacted me since Oban, so why would he randomly be at my college one day out of the blue? There is no way! Besides, it's just the hair, you haven’t even seen his face. Maybe the style is coming back…
Her mind was going a mile a minute, eyes glued to this mystery doppelganger the entire time while her professor's voice played as background noise. Minutes of Eva's staring had passed, & the boy finally noticed the feeling of eyes drilling into the back of his head. He turned slightly & looked up at the rows of desks that rose up behind him, scanning for who the hell was staring at him.
Eva stopped breathing.
Oh my god. It's him. That's Jordan.
How could she ever forget that square jawline, those light freckles across the bridge of his nose, & those bright golden eyes from the very last moment she saw him? There was no doubt in her mind.
Her eyes flew to the front board behind the professor as panic set in; The type of panic where externally you seem cool as a cucumber, but inside you're like a hurricane.
She couldn't make a scene, she couldn't make it obvious she saw him! Would he even recognize her? Besides the unescapable fact of aging, her appearance had changed a considerable amount. Her dark black hair had grown down to her mid back, & it was currently tied into a low bun, leftover from her mechanics class. But she had been keeping up with the red dye job on top, so maybe that would give her away?
Wait...duh, Eva! Who else has a star & stripe tattoo on their face?! He'll recognize me right away! With one swift motion, she quietly slammed her book upright & hid her face behind it, hoping he hadn't seen her just yet. She stayed like that for a few moments before peeking over the top of her book, checking if he had noticed her.
Sure enough, he was staring right back, mouth opened slightly & golden eyes intently set on her. A sharp, quiet gasp left her lips & she dove back behind the book, her mind repeating, He saw me! He knows it's me! over & over in her head.
The professor snapped at the boy, your typical ‘What's so interesting? Pay attention, this will be on the test,' type of scolding educators gave. He apologized quietly, too quiet for Eva to hear, & turned to the front of the classroom. Slowly, she set her book back down & spent the rest of her class entirely absorbed in all the questions plaguing her now. She was so lost in her thoughts that, in fact, that she hadn't seen the boy slip out of the classroom immediately when class was over.
When she had snapped out of her haze & realized her missed chance, she scrambled to gather her things & dashed out of the classroom.
The evening sun was setting by the time she had finished roaming the entire campus for any sign of the boy. Unless he was in another classroom already, there was no sign of him anywhere.
She almost wondered if it really was him, or if she was just projecting onto some random new student who had a similar hairstyle. Can loneliness make you see things like this? She was too exhausted to question further.
There was nothing left to do besides go home & start again tomorrow. Maybe she would see him around campus…? If anything, she would be having the same class again the day after, so maybe she could get a better look at him then. Excitement morphed into a disgustingly sour curiosity shrouded in disappointment.
Slowly, she made her way to the bus stop, repeating the same questions over & over in her head in shallow attempts for answers. How could he possibly be on Earth, & at her college of all places? It seemed way too coincidental to make any sense. These thoughts occupied her the entire journey home.
By the time she reached her apartment door, she settled on the conclusion that the boy was not Jordan, & she was just being a creep to a random new student with similar hair.
She had so much hope, more than she should have. Seeing a familiar face would have been great, but if it was Jordan, one of the last people she ever expected to see again? There were few words to describe how happy that would have made her.
That's what made this disappointment so absolutely heartbreaking.
The day started with strong optimism, only to have it gradually be chipped away through all her minor disasters as the day went on. Foolishly thinking she saw Jordan, & knowing it was just her stupid, dreaded loneliness making her see things, was the final nail in the coffin. There was nothing she wanted more than to throw herself into bed & sleep it all away.
Sniffling back some tears, she opened her apartment door & kicked her shoes off as she dropped her bag by the door. “I need a shower...need to toss this shirt out, too,” she whined, slipping the soiled shirt off & tossing it on the floor. She would get to it later. Ready to drown her sorrows in steaming hot water, she made her way to the bathroom.
After an extended shower session, she emerged, dressed in some old pajama pants & black tank top. She would have been in there longer, but hot water doesn’t last forever, & no one liked a cold shower during winter. Eva draped her towel around her neck to keep her shoulders dry from her damp hair & trudged into her kitchen.
“Hmm…frozen meal or leftovers,” she mumbled sadly to herself while eyes scanned the inside of her refrigerator. She ended up closing the fridge & opted for some instant ramen instead. Some nice, warm, sodium filled comfort food to end her terrible day.
The stove burner clicked on, & she placed a small pot of water on top. A tear managed escaped her eye, & she quickly wiped it away with her towel. She thought she had gotten all of her emotions out during her shower, but there still seemed to be some tears left inside. Her eyes were already red & slightly puffy from the intensity of her sobs, so she didn't need it get any worse. It was good that she was letting out her bottled up emotions from all her lonely, stressful days, but she didn’t want to go to class the next day looking like a depressed tomato.
A lone sigh was the only sound in her kitchen as she stared at the water, only warm enough to start forming a tiny layer of bubbles at the bottom.
Worn, & so tired from everything, she really felt the force of her mental & emotional exhaustion in that moment. Alone in her kitchen, cooking instant noodles with only the light from above the sink illuminating the stove top, serving to drive the feeling home.
A sudden loud knock came from her front door, making her jump in surprise. Reading the stove clock, saw it was almost 8:30PM. Who the hell would be knocking on her door this late?
She almost had no energy to be mad. Almost.
Exhausted, looking like shit, & hungrily waiting for her noodles didn't put her in a good mood to deal with some random stranger probably asking for gas money or something.
Letting out a huff, she somewhat stomped to the door, gripping the doorknob & cracking it open just enough to see who the hell it could be. But her hand immediately dropped from the metal once she caught a glimpse of the stranger, causing the door to slowly swing open wider.
The moon was shining through the hallway window right behind the stranger, darkening their face as they loomed over her. Her body went numb, the chill of the winter air barely effecting her bare skin. Swollen eyes gazed at the figure in front of her, tears threatening to escape once again. She had no energy left to keep them at bay as it was, but she was stunned silent. For the second time today, she couldn't believe it.
Jordan Wilde furrowed his incredibly thick eyebrows & gave her a soft smile, lifting his hand up in a small wave.
“Hey, Molly.”
Notes:
BOY I didn't expect this chapter to be so depressing, but what are you gonna do LOL? Poor Eva's just lonely & stressed. :'c But now that Jordan's here, we can get to some good, happy stuff! Next chapter hopefully will be soon~
Chapter Text
Minutes passed while they stood outside Eva's apartment door, drawing out the awkward stare between the two. She was completely stunned, & Jordan was not entirely sure what to do.
“Uhm, Molly?” he asked nervously, leaning down a bit to see if perhaps something was wrong. She flinched ever so slightly as she got a better glimpse of his face. “Jor...Jordan? Is it really you…?” she whispered, slowly reaching out to lightly brush her fingertips against the side of his face. She needed to confirm his presence, in case she was somehow imagining all of this.
Now that she could see Jordan up close, he looked fairly older. He was already a pretty big guy when they first met, but he was even taller now, bulkier, with a slightly longer face & some beard stubble that she could feel as she ran her fingers along his cheek.
Jordan smiled softly and placed his own hand gently on hers, bringing it off his face & down between them. “Yeah, of course. It's me. For real.”
Instantly, she gripped him around the waist, clinging to him as if he would slip from her arms at any moment & vanish into thin air. The dam keeping her tears back shattered, accompanied by loud wails into his torso. Jordan wasn't expecting this intense of a reaction, arms jerked outwards from her.
“M-Molly! H-hold on, let's get inside, your hair is damp...you don't need to catch a cold...M-Molly?” He attempted to break away from her gently, but she refused to let go, arms locked around him. Sighing, he bent down & curled his arms around her back to return the embrace. “Heh, I missed you too…”
They stayed like that for a small while before a windy chill swept over them. Eva, coiled up in the large boy arms, didn’t notice it herself. Jordan felt it though, & knew that standing any longer out here wouldn't be good for Eva.
“Burr! Ok Mols, let’s get inside now..,” he placed his hands gently on her bare shoulders, & found them to be trembling. Finally, she spoke up through her muffled sobs, fingers clutching at his old coat even tighter, “Ugh, J-Jordan...I n-n-never thought that...sniff...that I would s-see you again…!”
Another sigh came from the boy, one filled with concern but with a slight note of happiness to know that she missed him so, “I know, Molly...but I'm here now...Please, can we go inside? You'll get sick…” She loosened her grip & nodded into his chest before slowly backing away from him. Damp bangs kept her face hidden, head tilted down at the ground. Jordan only smiled & placed his hand on her back, turning her gently & leading her inside.
He followed in after her, quickly closing the door behind him, "Its dark in here...where’s the light…? Oh, here.” The double bulbs of the living room bloomed to life with a flip of the switch, illuminating the two. Eva stood there, motionless, face still aimed down at the floor.
“...Please take your sh-shoes off…” she mumbled, & he did so quickly before stepping onto the carpet. “Uh, nice place you got, Mols…” he commented, glancing around as he placed his worn out sneakers among Eva's shoes next to the door. When his eyes fell back on her, he saw her entire body was shaking.
“Oh, are you cold? Uh, should I grab you a sweater? Wait, i wouldn't know where...um, blanket, blanket…” Jordan started stumbling around the living room, finally spotting a fleece throw-over lazily tossed over the arm of the couch. He snatched it & pulled it around Eva's shoulders, hoping he would get her to lift her face up to him again, “Better?”
Eva didn’t respond. She continued shaking, hands curling into tight fists. He only gazed at her with concern, fuzzy eyebrows creased as he waited for her to speak up.
“W-where...why…” the words slowly left her mouth as Jordan tried to catch a peek at her expression. When she finally lifted her head, he could see her still crying eyes hidden past the parts in her hair. Seeing her clearly now, in this state, shook him.
Eva looked like an absolute mess: eyes red & swollen, wet streams of tears painting her face, & damp hair strung all about. He hadn't even noticed the tear-soaked spots in the carpet below her until now. “Why didn't you contact me...? Where were you, all these years…?” she finally asked in a quiet voice, looking directly into his golden eyes. Sadness had evolved to anger, & she had a sharpness in her cracked voice that punched Jordan right in his gut.
He was afraid of this would happen. Jordan's eyes darted to the side, & he took a half step back from her when he didn't know how to answer.
This only made her angrier, & she responded with step forward to close the gap between them, “If you were here, on Earth, why didn’t you contact me?! I-I'm still here, I've been here!" The volume of her voice continued to rise, "I can't count how many times I've wondered how you were, worried over you! I needed to know! Do you know how lonely I've been, how much I've needed a friend like you these past months? You're the fucking Avatar, can’t you see that? Jordan, why...w-why didn't you come see me? Why are you here now? I'm… so confused…”
She was panting, all of her emotions spilling out of her in an exhausting fury. Tears were still steadily running down her cheeks, but she was still & quiet now. All she did was glare at him, awaiting his reply.
None immediately came from Jordan as looked at the floor. Once he had formed some sort of acceptable answer in his head, he lifted his eyes to meet her own. His gloved hand moved, reaching for her cheek, but stopped mid-motion.
The thought that maybe he would break her further if he touched her kept him still. It was so obvious that she had been trying hard all this time to keep it together, keeping the pieces glued & tapped together with every fiber of her mental being. Alas, they could only do so much & last so long.
Jordan hadn’t been there to see her struggles, nor was he observing them with his powers these past years. But, he didn’t need to; She was crumbling before him, plain as day, the end result unfolding. That’s why he was so afraid to touch her, not knowing if his touch would shatter her like glass in this state. He had to consider it seriously, as the very last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt Eva.
After a few moments of contemplating, he moved to rest his hand on her star-kissed cheek & brushed her tears away with his thumb. Maybe there was a small chance he could be forgiven, & be a source of comfort instead of pain. A lump formed in his throat as he examined her reaction. Eva immediately softened with his touch, & he smiled slightly. She couldn't help but notice his hands were slightly larger, rough, & so very warm on her skin. “I'm sorry, I really...I really am,” he said in a low voice. “Here, let's sit on the couch & talk, ok…?”
They sat together quietly in the living room, settled next to each other on the couch. Eva held the fleece blanket around her shoulders with one hand, & gripped Jordan’s coat sleeve with the other. It seemed she was still afraid of him disappearing any second, so she kept a hold on him somewhat. He kept his eyes on her, carefully choosing his words before he spoke up.
“Molly...I-”
“Hold on,” she interrupted him, & his mouth snapped shut immediately. “Eva. That’s my name, remember? My actual name.”
She had almost forgotten, but there was never a good time to tell Jordan the truth behind her hidden identity while they were on Alwas & Oban. Hearing him call her 'Molly' just felt so natural, she didn’t think about mentioning this until now. “Wha-Oh, yeah...I'm sorry, I'm just so use to Molly. I, um, never got to hear the story behind all of that," he mentioned, pushing the conversation along. "Care to clarify?” She nodded before continuing, “Yeah, of course...So...”
Eva recounted her story to him, starting back from the very beginning when she was a child. Jordan’s emotions dramatically shifted throughout her story, shown through the expressions on his face as Eva spoke. Most of them, though, were ones of sadness & pity. After all, Eva's story was mostly a very unhappy one. He had no idea about her mother Maya, Stern Boarding School, Don’s neglect; Absolutely none of it.
“Mol-uh, Eva, I had no idea...I sorta wish you had told me when we were on Oban, but—” he gulped, scratching the back of his head, “—I mean, I get why you didn’t either...Man, I wasn’t expecting such a sad story behind it...But you’re doing ok now, right?” The topic of her current family life brought a small smile to her face, & she nodded before answering, “Yeah, it’s pretty great now, actually...Dad & I are doing fine, we’ve reconciled a lot...and Rick’s in the picture now, too. Honestly, I didn’t see him & dad getting together, but it sorta became more obv—”
Jordan interrupted her by quickly raising a hand, one single eyebrow raised in confusion, “Wait, together? Like, together, together? In the dating way?”
Eva let out a slight chuckle, rolling her hand to emphasize her words, “Uh, yeaahhh? They’ve been dating for, like, almost 2 years now. Got a problem with it, gunner boy?”
“N-no, of course not! Its 2089, I’m no homophobe, jeez! I just, wasn’t expecting them to get together...Uh, no offence, of course,” he said, waving his hands in defense.
Eva laughed lightly before she reaching out to smack his shoulder playfully, “Of course you aren’t, I’m just mess’n with ya! I get it though, I didn’t expect it either. But they’re happy, so I’m happy for them!” Jordan agreed & nodded before taking a second to appreciate the moment. It really felt like they were back to the old days, when they’d chat about this & that between races in the Earth pit or module, jokingly messing around with each other like teens do. Familiar, comforting, & peaceful were all accurate words to describe the atmosphere.
“Oh, wait, I got really carried away with me, my bad,” Eva stated, leaning into Jordan’s personal space unintentionally as she spoke, “You need to tell me why you’re here! Like, you’re still The Avatar right? Why are you on Earth then, at Burroughs? And why now, or wh—”
Jordan swiftly placed a finger on her lips, startling her but effectively silencing her as well, “Hey, hey, hey, whoa! This isn’t 20 questions, Eva. Let me start of with, yeah, I’m still The Avatar." She leaned back, her lips parting from his finger & focused expression on her face, listening to him intently.
"But I’ve finished my training. Did about...uh, five, six months ago maybe? Anyways, I still have all the regular Avatar duties, but The Creators told me I could live out a life on Earth for as long as I want if I don't slack off. They put up a bit of a fight, saying ‘Oh but you'll get distracted, or ignore your duties for mortal pleasures!’" His hands were lifted to make physical air quotes with his fingers through this specific part of his speech, along with a mocking tone of voice, "Whatever that means. But Satis was walking around Alwas while still being The Avatar, remember? So I asked why I couldn't get the same treatment. They basically said they couldn't really stop him, so as long as he kept up with his duties, didn’t abuse his powers, & returned to Oban if needed. That's all he'd need to do, & then he could live an outwardly normal life for a while. It’s the same deal.”
Eva did remember the small elder alien, & his wacky personality that seemed so unfitting of his actual status. She never really considered his life outside of what she saw during the great race, but nothing did seem out of the ordinary most of the time, “Ok, yeah, that makes sense...So, then, did you come here right after you finished training?”
A breath hitched in Jordan's throat slightly, & he turned his head to avoid her eyes. She already made it clear that she was upset with him for not contacting her earlier, & he was afraid of bringing that anger back with his excuses.
“Y-Yeah. I’ve been on Earth for about four months I think? I’ve been spending most of it trying to fit back into society. It’s not like a guy who’s been missing for almost six or seven years can just show up again. I’m sure the government has declared me missing or dead or something, since that’d be the easiest. Am I right?” The tone of his voice was less of a question, & more of a factual statement. And true it was.
Eva could never forget the strict rules laid out for everyone who returned from Oban & the pathetic formal status they gave Jordan in government records. A mere breath of truth about The Great Race would land her, her family, Stan & Koji in the hottest metaphorical water. “You’re missing in action, according to them," she sighed. "We didn’t tell them about you specifically becoming The Avatar, though. Dad thought that could get too messy with political junk.”
“Mmm, I see…” he mumbled, propping his elbow up on the arm of the couch & resting his chin in his palm. “Makes sense, I guess. Better missing than dead though, heh. Hope they broke the news to mom gently…” His voice trailed off there.
The girl's eyes lowered to her hand that was still gripped to his sleeve. She knew the pain of losing a parent, but she couldn't imagine the agony of the reverse. The worst part about it was that Jordan was only recorded as missing, so there would be a lingering hope that he was still out there, alive. That he would come home someday. If Jordan's mom still held onto that hope, even after all these years, Eva wouldn't blame her.
“A-Anyway,” he spoke up, breaking the awkward silence, “So, I’ve mostly been bumming around, doing odd jobs here & there to try & get on my feet. It’s been going...alright? I guess.” His shoulders shrugged, making Eva blink in response, “Uh, is it the good kind of alright, or the bad kind?” she asked, lifting one eyebrow.
Jordan nervously chuckled a bit, “O-Ok, the bad kind I guess. I have a bit of cash to my name, but I don’t...really...have a place to live at the moment…? A real place, at least. I have a bunk in a shelter a little ways off campus, but that’s about it...B-But hey! I’m The Avatar, & that does have some human perks. I don’t need to eat or sleep a whole lot, though I do really enjoy doing that stuff anyway...Helps to make me seem more human too, haha!”
Though he tried to inject humor into his fairly humorless situation, Eva only responded by crossing her arms. His fake laughs quickly ceased, & an appropriately timed drop of sweat rolled down his temple.
She huffed & yanked on his ear, as if she were a nagging mother herself, “You’re an idiot, you know that? I was here, you could have asked for help! You knew that, right? With your powers!”
Jordan released himself from her painful grasp & shook his head side to side, giving a flustered response, “H-hold on, no, I didn’t, seriously! Even if I’m still The Avatar, The Creators made it very clear that I wasn’t supposed to use my powers while acting out my human life on Earth. I can, I guess, but emergencies only. Though...ok...if we’re being completely, 100% truthful...I maaay have pulled some strings to get here...Burroughs, I mean.”
A sheepish grin spread across his face, & Eva’s stern expression melted to one of shock, “Jordan Wilde, oh my god, you didn’t. You seriously broke into Burroughs?”
He blinked at her statement, astounded that she would put it in such negative terms, “B-Broke into? I wouldn’t put it like that! This ain’t a bank, Eva. The thing is, I may have Avatar-magic’d myself onto the enrollment list...But that was it, ok? The only thing, I swear! My text books, supplies, anything else I paid with my own hard-earned money!”
There was a pause, but then a mountain of giggles & snickers erupted from Eva. Really, she couldn't blame him one bit! If she could have just 'Avatar magic’d' herself into college, she would have a long time ago.
“O-Ok, heh, so you’re here now! But, uh, why? What made you think ‘Hmm I have 10,000 years, literally all the time in the world, let’s get my degree!’?”
“Well I need a degree to get a job, don’t I, miss 'know it all'?” He teased, jokingly poking at her forehead. Eva puffed her cheeks out in a pout, but let him continue, “Look, me enrolling at Burroughs while you're here was a complete coincidence, straight up. It was just the closest college to where I already was hanging around, & I don’t have much on me to afford traveling. I figured I could stay here, get my bachelors in mechanics, then maybe hop into the racing circuit…”
Eva tilted her head curiously, remembering Jordan specifically state he was not a pilot, but a gunner. “Wait, gunners don’t really need mechanic knowledge, right? Then why Burroughs? Or, why even go into the racing circuit at all?” His eyes shifted away again, avoiding Eva’s. He needed to find the right words again.
After a few moments, he looked back at her with a sudden serious expression. In a low voice he said, “You. To find you.”
Her lips parted in a small gasp, not expecting that kind of blunt answer.
“I haven’t used my Avatar powers at all to see you since you left Oban. I had no idea where you were, how you where, what you were up to, nothing...But, since coming to Earth, the only thing giving me any direction was you. Honestly, Eva, I...I thought the creators were right when they said I should try to forget about you. That you would just be a painful distraction. And I tried to forget...Avatar training was a great way to keep you off my mind, but of course, I never really did.
"Uh, forget about you, I mean..." he said with a nervous cough before continuing, "I always wondered how you were doing, if Don was still on your ass, how school was going, if you’ve made any friends...Nothing was going to come of wondering, but I already told myself I wouldn't check in on you. Once I finished my training, though, it was obvious to me that I'd really never stop thinking about you completely. I'd catch myself thinking “I hope Molly's doing ok, I wonder what she's up to?” way more times than I could count.
"I knew by then that nothing was going to shake you from my mind. Things are surprisingly boring on the Avatar duty-side of things when the universe is generally peaceful. So, what is there to even do at that point but sit & wonder? That's kinda what made me start asking about living back on Earth. Figured I'd be a good way to kill two birds with one stone: keep myself entertained & busy outside of Avatar stuff, & see you.
"So, once I got here, I thought the best way to find you would have been the way I met you: Racing. I’d get my degree, get a job as a mechanic, & I’d find you again somewhere on the track. I assumed you’d already be out there racing, winning trophies & prizes by the time I was here, but I guess we met again under different circumstances, huh?” Both Jordan & Eva had a red hue to their cheeks, but for different reasons. Jordan had just spilled his romantic guts all over the place, & Eva was trying to take it all in while feeling a deep pang in her heart. Emotions flared inside her as he laid it out crystal clear that he had been thinking of her & missed her all these years.
It made her feel really, really special.
“W-we sure did! You would not believe how confused I was seeing you in class, Jordan! I almost lost my pencil because of you, & I couldn't pay attention for the rest of the lecture!” Eva joked, trying to turn the mood back to a more humorous one. Jordan laughed nervously back, thankful for the change of tone. He didn't want to make it seem like he had only romantic intentions behind wanting to see her.
“You think you were surprised? I swear I was staring for, like, five straight minutes before the professor called me out. I mean, what are the chances?!”
They shared a laugh, leaning against each others shoulders. The sound slowly dissipated, & they just took a moment to smile at each other. “...So,” Eva spoke first, looking into Jordan's golden eyes, “You're here to stay, right…? I'm not gonna show up to class one day, & you'll be gone...forever...right…?” Sadness tainted her voice as her sentence went on, once again shifting the air of the conversation.
Her hand gripped his coat sleeve tighter, unintentionally pulling his arm towards her. Jordan finally looked down to acknowledge her grip, not really having noticed it this entire time. It was obvious to him now how worried she was about this.
He took a deep breath & yanked his arm from her, causing her to let out a small gasp. Before she could react further, he had that same arm wrapped around her shoulders, tousling her hair with his other free hand. “H-hey!” she yelled, trying to sound upset, though her involuntary giggling suggested otherwise.
“Of course I'm here to stay! I may have to head back to Oban if something comes up, but I promise to come right back. Instant teleportation is, not gonna lie, pretty convenient for such a thing, heh.”
Jordan flashed his goofy, lopsided grin at her, & all Eva could do was smile wide back at him. She lifted her arms up, wrapping them around his neck in a hug, “Good. Don't you dare break that promise, or I'll kick your ass. And, welcome back, Jordan.”
He smiled wider & shifted his arms to hug her back, “Wouldn't have it any other way...It's good to be back, Mo-sorry, Eva.” When she pulled back, she shrugged, smirking at him,
“Ya know what? Molly's fine too. Do me a favor though, dude...Go take a shower, you kinda reek…” She plugged her nose & waved her hand in front of it, exaggerating a bit for comedic effect. Jordan squinted before pulling open his coat & leaning down to take a whiff. He recoiled slightly, face scrunched up in disgust, “Ugh, ok actually you’re not wrong. Uh, got a towel I could borrow?”
Later, Jordan walked back out of Eva's bathroom & into the living room, fresh & clean but with the same clothes back on. Sadly he didn't have a change of clothes with him, but at least he no longer stunk of BO. It was incredibly refreshing to take a shower in a proper bathroom instead of a stall at the shelter, even if he had to use lavender scented body wash. It actually smelled pretty nice.
Eva had just slurped the last of her ramen & placed the empty bowl on her small coffee table. Looking up, she jerked a thumb towards the kitchen when she noticed him walk in, “Help yourself to whatever if you're hungry.”
Jordan shook his head & just made himself comfy on the couch beside her, stretching his arms out over the back. “Nah, don't worry. I don't need to eat, remember?”
“Oh yeah…well, offers still open if you feel like it!”
He thanked her & let out a content sigh, closing his eyes to bask in the refreshed & clean feeling. Shifting her posture, Eva leaned over to him & gently scratched at his beard scruff while he had his eyes closed. “Ya know, if you wanted to shave, I have a razor. It's for like, legs, but a razor’s a razor.”
He jumped in surprise at her touch, face flushed, “It’s no big, I don't mind the stubble, really. Helps keep my face warm with the weather, ya know? Built in ski mask! Besides, don't you think I look ruggedly handsome with it?” Bringing his hand to his chin, he lifted one eyebrow & creased the other in a comedic seductive pose.
Eva cackled, kicking her feet into his leg to shove him away, “More like a rugged hobo! Really fitting into your ‘normal every day homeless college student’ Earth persona, huh?”
Jordan made a childish frown & crossed his arms, “Wow, right in my pride. I am so, so wounded. Ouch, oof, God, it hurts.” He rolled his eyes as he went on, words dripping with sarcasm. This only made Eva laugh even more, her body curling up into the couch as she grabbed her gut. This made him smile, once again appreciating how comfortable & familiar this felt.
When her laughs subsided, Eva flinched & snatched her phone off the coffee table, taking a look at the time on her lock screen. “Oh shit, 1:23AM? Where did the time go…?”
The boy shrugged, “I guess time flies when you're catching up. Do you, uh...need me to leave?”
He honestly didn't want to go. After finding Eva again, discussing what he had been doing these last six years, & establishing that he was here to stay, he just wanted to be in her company. At least, just a little longer.
“Actually, why don't you just stay over? It'll be like a sleepover!” Eva cheered, & Jordan was more than happy to accept this offer. “Just like old times, eh? Well, where's my mattress then!? Don't forget to grab the room-separating curtain!”
Giggling, she shook her head & rose from the couch, “I don't have a curtain, or a hammock for myself, but I can drag my bed out here! I mean, why the hell not? It's a sleepover!”
He agreed & got up to go help out. Honestly, it sounded like fun! Not to mention, it would be a little weird staying with Eva in her bedroom all night like a typical sleep over you’d have as a child. That was her private space, & he wasn't about to invade it like some weird, pushy guy.
So, they went to Eva's bedroom & dragged her mattress out, plopping it in the middle of the floor in front of the couch. It was a but of a tight squeeze, & they had to move the coffee table into the kitchen, but otherwise it was just fine. They piled on every single pillow, cushion, & blanket in the apartment onto the mattress, making a cozy nest. Eva opened Netflix, initially for background noise, but Jordan pointed out a new season of a show he had been a fan of back before The Great Race, & asked to catch up on it. She corrected him that he'd actually missed 3 new seasons of it, so she put it on.
Despite his excitement for new episodes, they began talking again & quickly ignored the TV. Hours passed while they asked each other miscellaneous questions, mostly concerning the time they had been apart. Jordan inquired about how high school went, if it was easy to adjust back to life with her dad, & why she was at Burroughs instead of racing. This lead her to explain her deal with her father, which Jordan couldn't find an issue with either. For once, he could see eye-to-eye with Don. Besides, if Eva was happy with it, that's what mattered.
She loaded him with questions too, like what he had specifically been doing on Oban, & what his training entailed. A lot of meditation & focusing his thoughts, she found out. Jordan didn’t elaborate much further, as it was sort of hard to explain a job that was mostly mental work & honestly not very grand. She also asked him how his body functioned, since he didn't need to sleep or eat. It was perplexing to her that he looked older, as if he was genuinely 23 years old, since the Avatar was supposed to be in duty for 10,000 years. He said he didn't fully understand it himself, but aside from not needing to eat or sleep, his body still functioned normally, with the bonus that he wouldn't get sick or injured easily. Maybe he would stop aging, or maybe it would slow down, but for now he wasn't sure. The Creators didn't bother to explain much to him about that, so he assumed they didn't need to.
They talked about anything & everything that night, while laying in Eva's living room, wrapped up in blankets & each other's company. The mattress was only a full size, so they had to squeeze together a bit. They didn't mind though, not at all, as the only thing keeping their focus was each other. A pastel light began to creep through the blinds, though both of them barely noticed it.
Time became irrelevant to them as their conversations continued on into the early morning.
Jordan had been in the middle of a story about an odd job he had taken up while on Earth, when he felt something warm wrap around his right arm. He stopped mid-sentence & glanced over, seeing an exhausted looking Eva with closed eyes curled up around his arm, hugging it close to her. A warm blush spread across his face, & he whispered to her just in case, “Uh, Molly…? You awake?”
Eva grumbled something in response, but it was too quiet for him to hear. He sighed, knowing she was probably passing out due to exhaustion. She already looked so tired when he arrived, worn from her awful day. The excitement kept her up enough for them to talk most of the night away, but that energy would of course only make her crash eventually.
Barely a minute passed before small snores came from her sleeping form, her face burying itself into his bicep. “Damn it Molly, stop being so adorable…” he joked to himself, reaching over to brush the sides of her bangs from her face. Eva had dried tear stains on her cheeks, puffy red eyelids, & slightly messy hair, but such a wonderfully peaceful expression on her face. Jordan thought she looked beautiful.
“Ya know, Mols…” he whispered to himself, bringing back his free hand back to rest on his chest, “...I still love you...I never stopped loving you, really...I'll tell you that someday, I will...For now though, I'm just happy to be here...so...sleep tight, get some rest...you deserve it.”
Maybe he said it now because he was cowardly. Or, maybe he had planned to say it all along but never got a chance before she had drifted off. He figured it didn't matter much anymore. He never intended to rush into her life & sweep her off her feet. Jordan wasn't the brightest crayon in the box by far, but he knew with time she would change. It's not like she ever returned his feelings, not that she really had much time to. Hell, she could have already been in a relationship or forgotten him completely since they were apart.
He was relieved to know none of these things were true. She was still the same girl he had grown & fostered feelings for, intentionally or not, all these years. To merely be accepted back into her life with open arms was the happiest situation he could have hoped for. He would tell her about his feelings later, when the time was right.
Adjusting her blanket a bit for her, he made himself a bit more comfortable & closed his eyes as well, drifting off into the most peaceful sleep he had had since his return to Earth.
Notes:
Oh my god I never intended for this chapter to be so long H. I add too many details whoops. Anyways, hope you enjoyed some mushy wholesome goodness. Jordan should try & do some laundry, stinky boi
Chapter Text
Bright light filtered through the blinds & directly onto Eva's face. The sunbeams burned at her closed eyelids, which roused her from her deep & comfortable sleep. Shielding her tender eyes with her hand, she grumbled & lifted herself off the mattress, feeling her body leave something warm. She was still coming back to the conscious world, & slowly remembering the events of last night as she glanced around her living room.
Turning to her left, she saw her once thought long lost friend: Jordan Wilde, still sound asleep with his right arm reached out to her. She couldn’t help but smile, relieved that he really was still here. With her own propped up arm placed between her body & his arm, a realization came to her as her torso faintly craved a lost warmth. A hot blush filled her cheeks once she realized she had unintentionally been cuddling Jordan's arm in her sleep, which was especially embarrassing considering he probably saw, with not needing to sleep & all.
She was immensely glad that he was still dead to the world so she could wear out the embarrassment. Quickly, she crawled off the mattress & made her way to the bathroom, not bothering to keep quiet as she already knew Jordan could sleep through a hurricane.
In the short time it took Eva to prep herself for the day, Jordan had woken up & was stretching his arms while sitting up on the mattress. A grin formed on her face & she called from the small hallway, “Morning. Decided to sleep?”
He turned to Eva, cheeks dusted pink, “O-Oh, yeah. Well, you did, so I figured I'd catch some Z's as well. You sorta had me trapped, haha, s-so… “
Eva's face flared up again, & she away to avoid eye contact, “Y-Yeah, uh, sorry, I've gotten into that kinda habit...Oh, uh, h-hugging something in my sleep I mean...You could have moved me, ya know.”
The Avatar chuckled a bit, finding her reaction endearing. Eva was usually the stubborn & prideful type, so these moments were few & far between. “Nah, I could tell how exhausted you were. I didn't mind, unless...uh, you did?”
“Nah! W-Well, it's not the first time we've accidentally fallen asleep together, right? No big deal, haha!” Eva tried to joke, shrugging her shoulders in an exaggerated manner.
Jordan nodded, trying to shake off the slight awkwardness before standing up off the mattress, “Can I have a shot at the bathroom, Molly?”
Eva’s heart skipped a beat ever so slightly, still not completely adjusted to her old nickname being in use again, “Y-Yeah, go for it—aaaauuuhhh!” Her speech molded into a yawn, & she covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to keep it contained. “What time is it anyways?” she slurred, rubbing her worn eyes with closed fists.
Her friend shrugged, glancing back at the window to study the beams of sun through the blinds, “Not entirely sure, but from the look of the light coming from the window...I'd say, maybe noon-ish?”
She froze for a split second, heart dropping, “N-Noon?! Noon!”
Eva pushed past Jordan & leapt for her phone, snatching it up in her hands. The boy spun around in surprise as he followed her with his eyes, “Y-Yeah, maybe? Everything ok?”
“No, no, no, not ok! I had a class at nine! Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Panic erupted in Eva as she clicked her lock screen on; The time read 12:48PM.
Color left her face & her body crumpled with defeat onto the floor. Jordan took a tentative step forward with his arms stretched out in concern, “L-Let me guess, you missed it…?”
A long, drawn out groan from the floor was all she could respond with. She clutched the sides of her drooping head & just glared at her phone, it almost mocking her with the screen's back light beamed up at her, “I completely missed it. It was my first advanced course too...Oh my God, the professor is going to hate me…”
Jordan gently patted her shoulder, trying to reassure her, “H-Hey, then it's just the first one! Maybe the professor is the type to do ice breakers on the first day, or just generally take it easy. I doubt you missed much, Mols!”
Eva turned her face up to him slowly, a deeply intimidating scowl darkening her face. He jumped & removed his hand from her shoulders promptly, gulping down a nervous lump in his throat, terrified of Eva’s potential wrath.
She spoke flatly, “No. Mr. Alston is notorious for being one of the harshest professors on campus. He doesn't tolerate goofing off, he dives right into the material from day one, & he hates students who skip. This is a disaster, Jordan, a disaster…”
His thick eyebrows creased together, fear shifting to worry. Now he felt a bit like a fool for trying to cheer her up in this situation, notably so when he knew she had such an awful time lately. He didn't want it to continue on into yet another day.
“Well…” Eva mumbled, finished with her sulking, “...I guess I should send an email apologizing for missing class…Ask if I can make it up...Or ask what I missed...ugh.” Sliding her thumb over the screen, she unlocked her phone & tapped open her email app. She didn't think much of the ‘3 new emails’ note on her alerts, assuming it was spam or something.
However, she was surprised to see an email at the top from the very same professor she was speaking of, “‘Apologies’…? What the heck kind of subject title is that for an email…?” She opened the message & scanned the words carefully.
After a few minutes of silent reading, Eva jumped from the floor, startling Jordan into flinching backwards. She punched the air with one fist, happily exclaiming, “Class was canceled! I didn't miss it! Ah yes!” Alleviation filled her entire being & she took a deep breath before exhaling, “He said he had to cancel due to some family business, but didn’t specify much...He said class is on next week though, so I bet it's no big deal! I'm just so relieved I didn't miss it! Maybe my luck's turning around, eh?”
Eva gleamed a smile at Jordan's direction, & he returned it with his own gin. He hoped that was the case, & that the luck would keep up for her.
He may be The Avatar, all powerful master of the universe, but even he doesn't control the fates like this. All he could do was wish things would continue to get easier on her weary soul.
She didn’t believe in such a thing anyways, not after discovering her entire life had been puppeteered by some vengeful space-crow monster. Even if there was such a thing as fate, Eva didn’t want to accept it; She was here to pave her own path.
Maybe it was a factor of being on her own for so many of her younger years, but she developed a very strict loner mentality of ‘If you want a happy life, you need to make it. No one else will help you, so work your hardest at it.’ Even after repairing her relationship with Don & gaining another family member in Rick, she still kept up a strong sense of independence. Her mantra had been an extra big push for her since starting college, & most likely the reason why she had been working so hard. But it was pretty obvious to everyone but her that it wasn’t necessarily working, & instead wearing her down as she continued to work on everything in life alone.
Jordan saw it especially, despite only having met Eva again for barely a day. And he was absolutely not letting her sink to that low of a point again; He had already promised that to himself. What kind of friend would he be if he didn’t forcibly make his stubborn, lone wolf friend take a break & accept some help every now & again when she was worn to the bone?
Truthfully, there was a bit of guilt leading Jordan to this decision. It’s not like he could have helped at any point, having been away for so long on a planet literally light years away, but he hopelessly wished he could have been there for her somehow. His only solace was that he was here now, & would be, for as long as she allowed him. He had all the time in the world to be there for her.
“Good, I'm happy for ya Mols! Any other classes today?” Eva thought for a moment, “Oh yeah, but not until 4:10. What about you?” Jordan shook his head, “Nah, I don't have many classes in general. I wasn't rushing to getting my degree, so I spaced my classes out a bit. Figured that’d be best since school work was never my strong point, heh.” "
"Makes sense", Eva thought, having assumed the military academy he was previously enrolled in was not even close to as demanding as Burroughs in the book-smarts department. If only Jordan could get grades on sharp shooting, then he’d graduate in no time.
“Alright then!” Eva exclaimed, slapping a hand down on Jordan's tall shoulder, “Wanna grab some lunch before my class, partner? We have more catching up to do.” Admittedly, Eva didn’t want to part from Jordan just yet. She still felt like it had been so long, too long, & she wanted to indulge in this familiar feeling between them for a bit longer.
Jordan nodded back & gave her a thumbs up, “Of course, partner. Wanna grab some burgers?” Something twinkled in Eva’s eyes at his suggestion, “Oh yeah, you read my mind! Been to the Scotty’s on campus yet? Their burgers are great! They have these loaded chips, too! They’re home made & covered with cheese sauce, bacon, jalapenos, onions, all that good stuff. Dude, oh my god, they’re mind blowing.” Eva spread her fingers from the sides of her head, accompanied by a 'Bwoosh!' sound effect to really drive home just how delicious these chips are.
Drooling a little, he let out a wistful sigh, “You had me at bacon. Let’s go!” Eva smirked & tapped the space below her lips with her finger, “Ya got a little something there, bud. Anyways, let me change, & we can head out!”
Eva stepped out of her bedroom a few minutes later, changed into casual clothes perfect for burger dining. Some skinny jeans with faux tears along the front, a snug red tshirt, & a baggy teal hoodie, nothing extravagant or even intentionally fashionable.
Jordan’s breath hitched, though. Watching her flip her long hair out from her hoodie, arms raised while her shapely legs folded over each other with each step; He couldn’t help but be momentarily mesmerized by her. Eva didn't look incredibly different from her teen years on Oban, aside from the longer hair & a more adult body. But she definitely had a more alluring, mature look to her, with a hint of fun rebellion still evident in her dyed hair & spiked earrings.
She blinked, noticing the pink in his cheeks, “Uh, you good, Jordan?”
“O-Oh, yeah, just hungry! Burger time!” Jordan blurted out, swiftly turning to the door to slip his shoes on. Eva dismissed the odd behavior for hunger & slipped her shoes on as well.
They left together, leaving an empty apartment that was still scattered with the blanket & pillow remains of their rekindling night. The evidence was mostly contained in the living room, with the mattress still squeezed in front of the couch, blankets tossed aside, & barely visible indentations in the mattress of the two bodies that had slept there that night.
To many, it would look like a mess, but it was really sanctuary. Last night had been a haven, for both of them, though they would never put such a heavy term on it. Regardless of what you called it, there was no denying that the tear stains on the blankets, Jordan’s lingering scent, & his forgotten beanie were going to be small reminders to Eva of what had transpired, keeping the memories fresh. Hopefully, the feeling of comfortable familiarity would remain long after the stains were washed, the living room was cleaned into its natural state, & Jordan’s beanie was returned to him.
For now, though, with multiple misty breaths escaping into the January air as they walked, they were content. The most comfortable place in the entire universe was the company of each other.
Notes:
OK this chapter was a lil short & boring, I know, but it was needed to get all the characters set in place & what not. Now I can get started on some simple slice-of-lifey fun chapters!
Shoutouts to you if you've eaten at Scotty's, which is a real place btw. Those loaded chips are the bomb.
Chapter Text
A throbbing, pounding headache tortured Eva as she moaned out in pain, tossing & turning in her bed. Shifted around in her comforter, she could feel her body flare up & shiver with chills every other moment.
Jordan watched her struggle pathetically, standing at her bedside. He sighed & crossed his arms, face full of worry but lacking surprise, “You've been pushing yourself too hard, Molly. I know you've been stressed about midterms, but overworking yourself in the middle of a freezing winter isn't gonna help...obviously.”
Peering at him from her blanket cocoon, face flushed & exhausted, she responded with a raspy voice, “Wow, I didn't know you became my new mom. I thought that was Rick.”
He blinked, caught off guard, before letting out a deep chuckle, “Even when you're dying from one of the nastiest colds I've seen, you're still a smart ass. At least now I know you aren't dying.”
He reached down to ruffled her hair a bit before brushing her stuck bangs from her forehead. “Hold on, I'll go grab a washcloth. You are drenched in sweat, Mols.” She closed her eyes slowly & nodded, hearing his footsteps exit her bedroom.
After coming over regularly to Eva's apartment for over a month, Jordan was fairly familiar with the whole place. At this point, he didn't need to ask where things were located; he just knew. He swiped a few wash cloths from Eva's bathroom cabinet, turned on the faucet to a cool temperature, then soaked & rinsed one of them. Jordan returned to her bedside, wiping the coat of sweat from her face with the dry cloth.
Even though he was extremely gentle, Eva let out small groans of discomfort. “Ok, I genuinely don't know if you're being over dramatic or if you’re extra achy, too,” the boy questioned, lifting the now sweaty cloth from her face.
Despite her smiling slightly from his little joke, her expression told him she really was in a lot of pain. That only made him worry that this illness could be something worse than a cold. Carefully, he rested the back of his hand against her forehead & flinched, her skin basically boiling. “Shit Mols, this is bad. I understand now why you didn't answer the door when I knocked. You’re a mess…”
Her eyes rolled & she quipped back, “Gee, thanks a lot, it's always nice to hear how much of a wreck you are...ugh.” She flipped over to her side, away from Jordan, & curled up into a ball, trying to escape a bout of aches & pains.
Good job, Jordan. You're just saying all the right things, aren't ya?, he thought, a bit frustrated with himself. Though he could be gentle with his hands, he was still a bit dense when it came to being gentle with his words.
Leaning over her curled form, he slipped the damp cloth onto her forehead. She blinked ever so slightly at the sudden refreshing cool sensation. “Sorry...Look, sit tight, I'll go grab you some meds & soup, ok? Nurse Jordan is gonna make you alllll better, Molly!”
He enthusiastically flexed his right arm, slapping his left hand on his bicep as he flashed his trademark goofy smile. Eva just nodded her head, having no energy to turn back around to see him off. He was incredibly understanding of that & quickly left through the front door, making sure to close it tightly behind him to keep her apartment free from any possible drafts.
Even though it was nearing the end of February, winter was still going strong. Stronger than it had at the beginning of the semester, as a thick layer of snow blanketed the ground. With weather like this & temperatures in the low tens, it was no wonder an overworked college student would catch a nasty cold, or worse.
After a bit of a walk, Jordan made it to a small store about 10 minutes later & headed straight for the drug aisle. “Let's see...uhh...Chills, head pain, aches...nausea, maybe? I guess it wouldn't hurt...Ok, this should do,” he mumbled to himself, picking a small box of cold medicine off the shelf. Extra strength, just in case.
Then he moved over to the small food aisles, scanning for some soup, something easy on the stomach. He snatched a can & made his way to the register, where the small old woman running the store flashed him a smile, “Ready to ring up, young man?”
Jordan nodded, placing the two items in front of her. The woman scanned the soup first, slipping it in a paper sack she had placed on the counter. She flipped the small box of medicine around, reading the brand name before commenting, “Extra strength, huh? You don't look that sick, my boy.”
The Avatar waved his hands in front of him, shaking his head, “O-Oh, uh, it's not for me. My friend is really sick. She's been a bit careless with her health lately. College, ya know?”
The woman responded with a warm smile, before putting the medicine in the sack, “I see, well, you're quite the peach for picking this up for her. Your total is 24.34$.” Jordan pulled some crumpled bills & loose change from his old coat pocket, laying it on the counter to count it out before handing it to the woman.
His heart dropped a little has he found he need 5 cents more to fully pay for the goods. “Shit,” he cursed to himself quietly.
A bead of sweat rolled down his temple as he turned to the woman, "I'm, uh, a little short...hold on.” He dug his hands deeper into his coat pockets, fingers searching for any possible additional change to put towards the total. When his coat bore no fruit, he fished his hands into his jean pockets. No luck there either.
Sighing, he looked up at the old woman, who was still patiently waiting for him with a gentle smile. “S-Sorry, I couldn't find any more change...I can put the soup ba—”
“No need,” she stopped him, popping open the drawer of the register. “A few cents doesn't mean much to this old gal in comparison to a young lady's health. ‘Specially with midterms coming up, right? I got a lot of students coming in lately for energy drinks, so I know what that means! Haha!”
She scooped the bills & change he had placed on the counter into her hands, putting the payment through before he could say anything.
Stunned by her kindness, his expression blanked when she pushed the paper bag at him. “Your friend is gonna need to get better as soon as she can, so you better get a move on, son!” The woman motioned him towards the door, & he grinned back at her before taking the bad into his hands.
“Y-Yeah! Thank you so much, ma'am!” Jordan quickly vanished from the store, the old woman waving him out as he left. Such a small but important act of kindness made a warmth bloom in Jordan's chest, keeping him optimistic on the jog back to his waiting friend.
Sneeze after sneeze greeted him when he stepped back into Eva's apartment. Loud ones, too, that could be heard all the way from her closed room. He slipped his shoes off & set the soup on the counter before yelling, “I'm back, Molly! Hold on a sec, I'll bring you tissues & the meds!” Filling a plastic cup with water, he fruitlessly searched for the tissue box that never appeared.
Deciding to skip them for now, he pushed the bedroom door open & saw she already had the box of tissues with her. There were also a new mess of used ones scattered around her bed & floor. “You've been completely missing the trashcan, Molly...nasty.”
Groaning in response, Eva gathered a few of the balled up tissues & attempted to toss them into a small trash can in the corner. All but 1 tissue missed.
Jordan snickered & walked over to her bedside, kneeling down to her level to hand her the water & a small packet of pills, “Here, these should help.”
She sat up & nodded, chugging the water & pills before handing the cup back to him. “Thank you…” she managed to get out, followed by a small coughing fit, to which Jordan just gently rubbed her back as she rode it out.
More uncomfortable noises followed her coughing, & she sunk back into the comforter. Eva truly felt absolutely awful, & she was even starting to feel some regret for letting it get this bad.
Jordan grabbed the small wash cloth he had originally left with her & went to the bathroom again to dampen it again. After he returned & placed the refreshed cloth on her forehead, he picked up her little trash can to begin cleaning up the clutter of used tissues.
“Ugh, so gross, I need a hazmat suit! I'm gonna get infected by your nastiness, Mols.” Eva smiled, giggling roughly, “Don't try to make me laugh, it hurts.”
He just grinned & tossed the last few tissues into the bin, then placed it right next to her bed for easy future access. “Sorry about that. Well, I'm gonna wash up from my snot cleaning mission, then I'll get that soup on the stove. Don't miss the trash next time, ok?”
She nodded up at him, “I don’t have your aiming skills, but I'll try...and thank you, Jordan…” Gazing kindly at her, he gripped the knob on her door, “Of course, no problem. What are friends for?”
The bolt of the door clicked as Jordan closed it behind him, & Eva just sunk further into her bed.
Though she desperately wanted to take a small nap while Jordan was in the kitchen, she couldn't manage to fall asleep. Her head was in too much pain from the symphony of sneezes & throat soreness. All she could do was sigh, close her eyes, & wait for the meds to kick in to help relieve her of some pain. Unfortunately, her consciousness kept her busy with negative thoughts.
Damn it, Eva, you really got this sick right before midterms, & you've dragged Jordan into it too? Now you're going to bomb your exams & be the reason for Jordan's grades to drop. How could you have let it get this bad? Her internal monologue just continued to get more & more depressing, but her current state of health made it hard for her to get upset about it. Every word in her mind was stated factually as opposed to self-loathingly, which was perhaps even worse.
That would be, of course, because Eva genuinely did feel bad keeping Jordan busy tending to her. She should be able to take care of herself, otherwise what would she do if Jordan wasn't there & she got sick again? Or something else, like an injury? It was absurd to think it would be a good idea to depend on him.
Aside from his own studies, he was still the Avatar. If he had to leave for his duties, Eva would have no one to depend on besides herself, alone in this small apartment in a college city hours away from her home.
So, she preemptively refused to let herself get comfortable with his help. As soon as she could leave her bed without feeling like death, she would ask him to leave so he could focus on himself instead.
Jordan returned a short while later, pushing her door open with his hip. He held a steaming bowl of soup in one hand, & a fresh cup of water in the other. “Hope you like chicken noodle,” he announced, kneeling next to her bed. Expecting her to start sitting up, he jumped when she flung one arm out & moaned out in a distinctively fake pain, “Feed me Jordan, for I am far too weak to move…” She opened her mouth without waiting for a response, trying to contain her own giggles caused by her awful acting.
The boy's eyebrows shot up, & a blush spread across his face, “Uh, M-Molly, are you for real…?” A few sharp laughs escaped her before she shifted onto her elbows to slowly get up, “Nah, of course not, I was just mess'n with you. Laughing hurt a little, but the look on your face was worth it.” Eva finally managed to sit up & brought her legs to her chest, taking the soup from her friend & placing it between her knees.
Jordan was still a bit flustered, so he just looked away & set the cup of water on her nightstand. “How cruel of you to play with my soft, kind heart like that, Eva Wei.”
She stuck her tongue out at him, picking up a spoon full of broth from the bowl, “Hearing my full name from you sounds like I'm in trouble. I don’t like it.”
He smirked & crossed his arms, “Well, maybe you are! You let yourself get this stupid sick, & now you're grounded.”
Eva slurped her soup, side-eyeing The Avatar, “Mom Jordan strikes again.” Jordan chuckled & winked at her playfully, “Sure did. And after your soup, you're gonna take a nap, ok missy?”
His optimism was infectious, causing her to smile even when feeling bedridden. A source of strength she had yet to notice.
Finishing the last of the soup, she handed the dirty dishes back to Jordan, “Alright alright, but you need to leave. Thanks again for everything, Jordan. I'll try to make it up to you, ok?” He took the bowl & cup from Eva & shook his head as he stood, “Don’t worry about it Molly, really, it's no problem. Get some rest, alright?”
Snuggling back into her covers, she nodded & closed her eyes. The medicine was finally kicking in, & the drowsiness was urging her to sleep. Jordan gazed at her sleeping face for a few minutes, secretly taking in one of the most beautiful things he thought Earth had to offer. Seeing her peaceful, free of pain was quite the reward after all his hard work today.
Eva would absolutely murder him if he said that out loud. So, as he was told, he left her bedroom.
A few hours later, Eva slowly awoke from a heavy slumber. She still felt ill, but considerably better than earlier. The call of nature drew her from sleep, & she slipped her legs out onto the edge of her bed. Getting up with little issue, she was pleased to find herself quickly improving.
After a bathroom trip, she was headed back to bed until she heard some clinking sounds coming from her kitchen. What the hell is that? Jordan should have left...
She peered around the hallway & saw him standing by her sink, a stack of shiny clean dishes on the drying rack next to him. Walking closer, she could see his arms deep in soapy water, sponge in hand to scrubbed at week-old caked on food on various plates & silverware.
“Uh, Jordan? What are you doing? And why are you still here?” she questioned.
His head whipped around & he grinned at her, “Oh, hey Molly, didn’t hear you get up. Feeling any better?”
She slowly nodded her head as her eyes looked around her more pristine than usual looking kitchen, noticing the smell of bleach & cleaners that barely penetrated her congested nose, “Uh, yeah...Have you been...cleaning?”
Jordan nodded & placed a freshly cleaned plate in the rack, dripping hands reaching for a towel, “Yeah, you've let the place, uh...kinda go to shit while you were study-crazy? Only a little bit, though! I decided to tidy up a bit while you slept, so you had one less thing to worry about.”
Her eyebrows knotted together as she looked up at him, & he responded with a look of surprise. Originally, he assumed she would be thankful & relieved. But right now, she mostly seemed annoyed & slightly confused. “I told you to leave, though. You didn’t have to do any of this...you should be in the library, studying, or back at the shelter resting, or-”
“Eva,” Jordan interrupted, turning around fully to place a warm hand on her shoulder with a incredibly light but firm touch. She went quiet instantly, knowing he was about to be serious if he was going to use her real name like this. Joking with it was one thing, but his tone made it clear he wasn't, “It’s ok. I wanted to help out. You're tired, you're stressed, & you're still sick. Let me do a few things for you, ok?”
She stared at him, mouth slightly agape, “B-But...You have midterms too, you need to study...I can take care of myself.”
A stern expression formed on Jordan's face, his eyebrows lowering as he frowned, “I know, & I have plenty of time to study. And I know you can take care of yourself, I'm not here to baby you. But you have a lot on your plate, Eva, so let me help. I don’t enjoy seeing you like this, you know? Stressed out of your mind & physically exhausting yourself until you're ill.”
He ended his speech with a sigh & concerned smile, “You’re bring stupidly stubborn, but you don’t have to do all of this alone. You can depend on me.”
Once again, his words were less than gentle, but that was what she needed at the moment. If he had to be harsh to break through her thick shell, even a little bit, he would do it. She looked away from him & hugged her arms, processing his words.
Her invisible armor was chipped.
“Ah...I'm sorry...Just, I’m so use to it, you know…?”
Of course he knew, but that's why he wanted to make it clear he was here to help & support her. She did understand now, but it was a foreign feeling to her. When it came to her father or Rick helping out, which she always thought was done more of familial obligation, it was fine to her. But this: it was different.
They stood in the kitchen for a few silent moments before Eva whispered, “Well...thank you, then, Jordan...I really do appreciate it…” He let out a sigh & smiled, lifting a hand up to ruffle her hair once more before moving the back of his hand down to her forehead. “You're very welcome, Molly. Your temperature feels slightly better, but you should still get back to bed, ok?”
Her cheeks grew warm, but it was unclear if it was Eva's illness or something more. Simply nodding, she turned back in the direction of her room. Jordan's hand slipped from her forehead & brushed through the edge of hair unintentionally as she moved, resisting the slight urge to reach back out & run his fingers through her locks as she moved away. It was an accident, unintentional, & uninvited, after all.
“I'll come wake you in a few hours for your next round of pills if you aren’t awake, ok? Then we're gonna have a study session!” Eva turned back around with a raised eyebrow, “Study session? Like, in my bedroom?”
“Yeah? Where else?” he questioned, placing a hand on his hip. “Even if you're sick, I know you're still gonna try to study yourself into an early grave, so we're gonna study together. Dream of electric sheep or whatever so we can tackle Electromagnetic Theory when you wake up!”
Eva giggled a bit, but was interrupted by a small sneeze. Sighing from the reminder of her lingering illness, she just smiled & turned back around, waving her hand in the air as she walked to her room, “You got it, partner. Don’t wear yourself out messing with my apartment, or I'll be the one nursing you back to health.”
“I'm the Avatar, remember? I don’t get sick, thanks to that sweet sorta-immortality!” Jordan just laughed to himself before hearing the click of her bedroom door & turned back to the sink. He never did like doing chores, but he didn’t mind if it was for Eva, not at all. There were very few things in the entire universe he wouldn’t do for her.
It would be nice if she had a dishwasher, though, he thought as he scrubbed away at a fork.
Notes:
Who doesnt enjoy a lil sickfic, huh? Damn it Eva, don't overwork yourself like this you dingus. >:C At least she has Jordan. Need me a man who's willing to touch my dirty tissues without bitching too much.
Chapter Text
“Take out, take out, instant meal, instant meal...waaaaay overdue to be thrown away take out! Don't you have anything fresh, Mols?” Jordan called, voice muffled from behind the refrigerator door.
In the living room, Eva on the couch, chewing on her pen as she tapped the edge of her laptop with her fingers. Multiple homework tabs were open on the screen to keep her eyes busy while she spoke, “Nah, but there's some ramen in the cupboard too, that's fine. I'm really good with whatever.”
She couldn't see him from her place on the couch, but Jordan was frowning. Hard. “None of those things are dinner, Molly.”
“They're literally meals, Jordan, just frozen or freeze dried. Therefore, you're wrong,” she rebutted in an annoyed tone.
He stepped over to the back of the couch & draped himself over the edge, making sure Eva would see his annoyed & frustrated expression. “They're meals, ok, but they're not healthy meals. With all this sodium, I'm surprised you haven't had a heart attack. You godda stop eating like this, Molly.”
Eva huffed at him, crossing her arms, “I'm fine! I buy fruit & stuff too. I ate my last apple yesterday, in fact.”
“How many did you originally buy?” he asked flatly.
“Umm...2…but I bought a mango too, & I ate that...” she answered quietly, avoiding his eyes.
He just responded with a silent squint. After a few moments of enduring Jordan's quiet judgment, she yelped out, “What?! I don't cook, ok, I don't have time! What do you want from me?!”
Slowly, a smirk formed on the Avatar's face, “I think you don't know how to cook.”
Her fingers tapped in a rhythm across the edge of her laptop, mind racing to think of an excuse. None came, however, “No...I guess not...But it’s fine, I still get my 3 meals a day. Even if it's take out or frozen, who cares?”
“Um—” Jordan started, placing his hand on his chest, “—I care? Your dad & Rick probably care?”
She couldn't deny that. Her dad even got her an entirely new set of pots, pans, baking dishes, & other utensils when she moved in. Though, she hadn't touched them at all unless they were being used to heat up leftovers that would otherwise get soggy in the microwave.
“Well then, if you care so much, cook me something, Mr. Master Chef!” she challenged.
Jordan's expression shifted, as if a light bulb had lit up in his head. Then, he silently walked back into the kitchen & took a quick look in & around the cupboards to see what he had to work with. Eva had already gone back to checking her homework, stomach still rumbling. Now she was both hungry & irritated.
After 10 minutes of pure noise while Jordan rummaged in her kitchen, he came back out with grin on his face, “Tell ya what! It's too late to get groceries, but I'll come over tomorrow & cook you up my mom's specialty. Sound like a plan?” Eva's eyebrows raised in surprise, as she didn't actually think he would accept this loosely given challenge.
“Wait, can you actually cook? Decently? Because I wouldn't be opposed to it...unless it'll kill me.”
“Yes, I can, & no, it wont. In fact, I bet it'll be the best thing you've had in a while! Nothing like some home cooking, after all,” Jordan said, giving her an optimistic thumbs up.
Admittedly, she was kind of excited about this. It had been a really long time since she had something that wasn't cheap carry out or microwaved. She returned his thumbs up with her own,“Deal, then! I'll even give you money for the ingredients. What are you gonna make?”
An index finger came to Jordan's lips & he winked, “It'll be a surprise. Also, I'll gladly let you cover the grocery bill, as I’m completely broke.”
Hefty grocery bags were gripped in his fists when Jordan entered Eva's apartment the next evening. After taking his shoes off, he walked over to place the bags on the counter.
“Got an apron somewhere?” he asked, pulling out some utensils in preparation.
“Do I look like I own an apron, Jordan?” she replied with a hearty amount of snark, taking note of what tools he was gathering: a cutting board, knife, casserole dish, & a wooden spoon. This knowledge...did not help her figure out what he was making. Knowing the ingredients would help, but they were still hidden away in opaque plastic bags.
Jordan sighed at her original response, “Yeah that's what I figured. Fine, but if I make a mess, I get to use your laundry machine. Now, please leave my kitchen! You’re too much of a distraction, & you'll ruin the surprise.” He started pushing her out of the kitchen & in the direction of the couch, bringing giggles from Eva.
“Wait, your kitchen? You don't live here, dork! But fine, I'll go wait. I have some homework anyways.” She flopped onto the couch & got comfortable, flipping her laptop open so she could get cracking on school work while Jordan got cracking on cooking.
Instead of researching for her papers or answering class modules, Eva surfed through pointless social media sites & watched YouTube videos. She couldn't focus while a myriad of sounds & smells came from her kitchen, a foreign concept in her apartment. Any time she attempted to sneak a glance from the edge of couch to see what Jordan was doing, he would instantly glare back at her. A clear silent message for her to keep her eyes out of the kitchen.
She stopped trying to peek after the first few tries.
Her oven beeped, & a loud pop sound followed after. What on Earth is he doing…? She was so curious & excited, but tried to keep herself busy with yet another recap video of the latest Star Racing season.
Jordan slipped the dish into the oven & came over to the couch, throwing himself onto the empty half, “Phew! Ok, now a little time in the oven & we can eat. You excited about it?”
Closing her laptop, Eva nodded with a spark of childlike anticipation in her eyes, “Yeah, I hope its good! All the smells are making me really hungry too…” The boy draped an arm over the back of his seat & grinned, “Yeah, that's a plus to cooking from home. I do really hope you like it though, since it's my mom's recipe. We made it often for Sunday dinners, since my siblings & dad really like it too.”
Eva sat up, placing her laptop off to the side, “You've never talked about your family a whole lot, actually. Mostly just your grandpa in the war. Did your mom teach you how to cook?”
Jordan nodded, deciding to detail his family situation a bit better for her, “Yeah, she did. I'm the oldest of 3, with my younger brother being 4 years younger, & my sister being 6 years younger. My dad was always traveling for work, so I helped mom around the house when my siblings were little. She was a great cook, & I would help her out in the kitchen a lot.”
She smiled as he recalled his childhood, happy that he felt comfortable opening up about his family life. He had been a bit reluctant to speak on the subject of his family, not due to any negativity in it, but because it was very unclear right now if he could ever be involved in their lives again. Eva was sure he missed them greatly.
“Mom would always bring huge amounts of food to church potlucks too, since she didn't want anyone to go home hungry. When my brother was too little & my sister wasn't around yet, I was the only one who could help her make it all. I complained at the start, & she would always teased me by saying, ‘Oh you'll thank me in the future! A wife loves a husband who can cook!’.”
He chuckled, a little bit of blush coming to his cheeks. “But I came to enjoy it a lot, actually. It felt rewarding to have my family & family friends praise me for my hard work, I guess. Sounds kinda selfish, when I put it like that, though...”
“I don't think that's selfish! I just think you really enjoyed being able to give to your family,” Eva argued, hugging her legs to her chest as she looked up at him. “And it sounds like you enjoyed that time with your mother, too. It's cute, really! Mother-son bonding over cooking, hehe~” she said in a wistful tone, making Jordan blush even harder. He scratched his cheek, his stubble making faint rough sounds, “Y-Yeah, I guess so. Did you ever get to do any cooking with your mom, like, when you were really little?”
Jordan did remember that Maya had passed early in Eva’s childhood, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask about the times they did have together, right?
A soft, bittersweet expression fell on Eva's face. She loved talking & thinking about her mother, but she still missed her every day.
“Hmm, well like you said, I was really little...Dad actually did more of the cooking in the family, since my mom wasn't too good at it.”
Jordan smirked, “Like mother like daughter, eh?”
Eva threw a soft punch at his side with a fake expression of anger on her face, “Hey, I said I can't cook, not that I'm bad at it! There's a difference. Anyways…” she trailed off, scanning through her memories before continuing.
“Mom was really good at making one thing: chocolate chip cookies. Making them was sort of a bonding thing, since even a 5 year old can stir a spoon. Mom would always put in extra chocolate chips too, compared to what the recipe said. She liked them really chocolatey, even though dad would complain about how much sugar it was. But he'd let us get away with it anyways, & always say that this batch was better than the last. It was...really nice.”
Eva's smiled warmly, mind awash with memories of these pleasant times. They were extremely mundane, ordinary moments in her life in the grand scheme of things, but they were also some of her most treasured. Jordan could tell from how Eva spoke about Maya that she meant an immense amount to her. Of course she did, she was her mother, but she was an amazing & irreplaceable person in Eva's life. Though it was far too late for regrets, he was a bit sad that he could never meet her.
He was about to ask her more, so Eva could continue happily reminiscing about her mother, but the oven timer suddenly went off with a loud ‘Beep!’ He rose from the couch & dashed over to the oven, slipping oven mitts over his hands, “Its ready, Molly! I'll plate it up & bring it over, so grab some drinks.”
Eva’s emotions swapped to ones of excitement, nostrils taking in the scent of the freshly made dish, “It smells awesome, Jordan! Hope you like soda, 'cuz that’s all I got.”
She tried to peek over at him as he stood in front of the oven, but couldn't manage to get a look at the dish with his huge body in the way. Opening the fridge, she pulled a few cans of soda out & brought them over to the couch, Jordan following shortly after with two steaming plates.
On them were heaping servings of golden brown chicken & biscuits, with plenty of vegetables swimming in creamy gravy. “Whoa…” Eva gasped while Jordan sat down, handing one of the plates to her with a big grin.
“Here you go, a Wilde family specialty: Chicken & biscuits! Careful though, it's stil—Molly!” Right as he was warning her, Eva was shoving a piping hot spoonful into her mouth.
Her eyes immediately watered as she took a sharp breath, followed by flapping her mouth open in a pathetic attempt to cool it down, “H-ha-hot!!” She snatched her soda from its place on the coffee table & took a swig to cool her mouth, sighing in relief as she barely avoided a burnt tongue.
“Yeah, hot, it's still hot. Blow on it, dork!” Jordan playfully scolded, picking up a spoonful of food himself.
“Pft, sorry I was too excited to try your super special home cooking, Jordan.” she teased, gathering up another bite. Almost in unison, they both blew on their spoons before slipping them into their mouths. Jordan hummed pleasantly while Eva let out a closed mouth scream of joy. The Avatar tried not to laugh from her priceless reaction, fearing he may choke on his food if he did.
He swallowed before speaking, “Well, judging by that, I'll take that as a five-star rating!”
Eva's eyes sparkled & she immediately went back in for another spoonful, “Its delicious, Jordan! I had no idea you could make stuff like this, it's so good!”
The food was really good, Jordan agreed, but Eva's satisfaction was the real treat for him, “Heh, I tried my best! Honestly, it's not as good as my mom's, I'd say. I used pre-made biscuits & canned cream soup, but my mom makes it 100% from scratch.”
Eva was half listening to him, mostly engrossed in stuffing herself. She only responded in hums before she finished her plate, long before Jordan was even half finished with his. He had no idea where she was putting it all, but it was just a solid testament to how much she enjoyed it. “There’s uh, more on the stove if you want seconds?”
“Oh, hell yeah I do!” Eva said, quickly hopping off the couch to refill her plate. She returned with her second serving, & they finished their meals with little small talk about Jordan's special touches as the chef. It mostly consisted of using additional black pepper & a few other spices.
Their empty, cold plates sat on the coffee table after they had their fill. Eva groaned, leaning against Jordan's shoulder with her hand on her stomach, “That was soooooo good, but I'm stuffed. I'm going into a food coma.”
Jordan just chuckled at her, “Yeah, southern food will do that to ya. Get off of me, though, so I can go wrap up the leftovers.”
Eva shifted her body to lean against the arm of the couch, & she called after him, “I thought you said leftovers were bad, Jordan?”
The sound of crinkling plastic filled his ears as he covered the casserole dish with plastic wrap, “Yeah, take out leftovers are bad. Homemade leftovers are good, though. Now you have lunch for tomorrow!” After sealing the plastic edges, he shoved some things out of the way to make room in her refrigerator for the dish.
Walking over to the back of the couch again, he folded his arms on the top as he looked down at her, “You can warm it back up in the microwave, but it'll be better if you do it in the oven, ok?”
She just nodded, her eyes closed in her state of post-meal bliss, “Gotcha. Can you cook for me again sometime? I dunno if I can go back to a life of instant ramen & frozen meals after that. You've ruined me, Jordan!”
He rolled his eyes, “You act like you haven’t had a real meal in months, Molly, jeez! But sure, I'll cook for you anytime. Along as you buy the ingredients. Sound like a plan?”
She gave him a thumbs up, “Absolutely, you got it, partner. Are you...much of a baker?” she then asked, slowly opening her eyes to look up at his face.
“Uh, yeah, a little bit. Had something in mind?”
“Yeah,” she grinned. “Cookies. With as many chocolate chips in them as I want.”
Jordan smiled warmly down at her, resting his chin on his arms, “Of course, partner. As many as you want.”
Notes:
Cute lil sweet chapter, & mom talk! ;A; Maya is auto best mom since she loves overly chocolate ship cookies. Don should be blessed Eva didnt get cavities.
Chapter Text
The living room floor was littered with open textbooks, papers, tools, & a small tarp with an engine placed upon it. Eva hovered over the machinery, dripping with sweat as she toiled away at fixing it up. Jordan sat across from her on the floor, eyes darting back & forth between an open textbook & a small notebook that he was scribbling important sections into.
They had been like this for quite a while, silently working on their own projects as they did most weekends. Finals were nearing, & they both were making sure they had a solid grasp on their course materials.
Currently, Jordan was making notes for a paper, while Eva was repairing an engine for her Advance Engine Mechanics class. It was basically scrap metal when she first got a hold of it, but her efforts were paying off as it was almost fully functional. The only things she needed to do now was install the spark plug, get the pistons adjusted, & fill the small gas tank attached to the side.
Eva popped said tank open & grabbed the small bottle of gasoline, screwing the cap off. Immediately, the intense unpleasant odor filled her living room, & Jordan made a loud hacking sound in displeasure.
“Oh come on, it's not that bad!” Eva mocked, carefully positioning herself to pour the gas into the tank.
At that very moment, a loud rapping came from the front door. Startled, Eva's body jumped & her hands released from the bottle. It tumbled right onto her shirt, the contents spilling all over it.
“Ugh! Aw nooo, my shirt…” she whined, picking the dripping bottle up off the floor & screwing the lid back on.
Jordan had already stood up, pinching his nose shut from the smell, “Oh shit, want me to grab some paper towels while you check the door?”
“God, yes please, thank you Jordan…” Eva sighed, carefully picking herself up to make sure her shirt didn't drip gasoline onto the carpet. She made her way to the door & leaned up to the peep hole while Jordan dashed to the kitchen, grabbing a fresh roll of paper towels from under the sink.
Eva's face grew flushed & she stepped back from the door slowly. In a soft voice, she asked Jordan, “Hey...what day is it…?”
He wasn't entirely sure he heard her, but he answered anyways, “Uh...Day of the week? Its Saturday.”
It was, indeed, Saturday.
Another series of loud knocks came from the door, making Eva flinch while Jordan looked curiously at the door. “So? Who is it…?” he asked, ripping some paper towels off the roll to lay on top of the shimmering tan liquid.
“Hey little mouse, ya home?” came from the other side of the door, the voice muffled but deep. Jordan could have sworn he recognized the voice, but Eva ran over & yanked him from the floor by his shirt collar before he could think further.
“Molly, what the fu—!”
“Shhhh!!!” she immediately silenced him, slapping a hand over his mouth while frantically pulling him in the direction of her bedroom. “Its my dad & Rick! I totally forgot they were visiting this weekend, ugh!"
They made it to her room & she immediately slid open her closet door, shoving things around to make space.
“Oh shit, so that was Rick! It's been so long since I've seen him or Don!”
“Yes—" Eva groaned, one arm pushing a plastic tote to the side while the other had a death grip on Jordan’s arm, “—and it'll be a while longer. They don't know you're here! Or even on Earth at all!”
The boy’s eyebrows knotted together, “W-Why not tell th—wait, what are you doing?!”
Jordan was so overwhelmed with confusion, not understanding why Eva wouldn't tell Don & Rick about him. Also, why she was now shoving him into her cramped closet, being greeted by coat hangers to the face.
“Because! You're still The Avatar! How do I explain why you're here?! And what if they have to tell the government?! It'll be such a mess Jordan, they can’t know you're here. Just-Just keep quiet!”
Jordan could understand her concerns, but did he really have to hide in her already small & packed closet?
Before he could argue a point, he turned to face Eva & yelped, almost falling to the floor in panic. She was starting to slip her soiled shirt off, already pulling it past her stomach,
“E-Eva, what the hell?!” Jordan screamed, hands shooting up to cover his eyes & burning face.
“Oh shut up, Jordan, I'm still wearing a sports bra! Nothing you haven't seen before. I need a new shirt, this one is ruined, grab me one!”
He blindly felt around her hangers & yanked down what felt like a t-shirt, handing it in her general direction. Slamming the gasoline-drenched shirt into the hamper next to Jordan, Eva snatched the clean one from his hands.
Pulling it on in mere seconds, Eva pulled Jordan's shoulders towards to her to him to open his eyes.
Then, she gave her friend a dead serious expression, eyes locked on his, “Ok, just stay here & don't make one. Single. Peep. Got it?”
Bright red face still sweating & flustered, Jordan simply nodded in confirmation. He tried to settle his large, bulky body into the cramped space after Eva closed the closet, mouth shut tightly like she asked. He was not excited to be squished into this confined space with a hamper filled with the stench of dirty laundry & gasoline, but he wasn’t about to disobey Eva & incur her anger.
Another series of knocks came faintly from the front of her apartment, & she bolted to the front door.
Eva swung the door open, accompanied by the loud squeak of the worn hinges to reveal Rick, leaning on his right leg & hands nonchalantly on his hips. Don was standing next to him with his fist raised, preparing to knock once again, “Oh, Eva, you are home! We were beginning to think you were out.”
Panting slightly & exasperated from this sudden whirlwind of events, Eva gathered some form of fake composure & smiled with a small wave, “A-Ah, yeah! Sorry, I was doing some homework. Was very, uh, in the zone!”
Rick raised one eyebrow as his eyes scanned over Eva's current appearance from behind his dark sunglasses: Sweating, still catching her breath, hair a frayed mess, eyes darting around without focus, & mind clearly fretting over something else? Yeah, sure, that could be due to homework.
Smirking, Rick simply replied, “Must be some homework. Hey, we got a surprise for ya, too.” It was Eva's turn to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. Rick stepped out of the way, & behind him was Eva's beloved old rocket seat, leaning against the wall of her apartment building hallway.
Well, her second old rocket seat. After returning to Earth & reforming a normal family life with her father, she took it upon herself to build a new rocket seat. Her original, which had been grafted to The Whizzing Arrow in all its incarnations, was destroyed long ago on Oban. Eva’s strong memory served her well, & accompanied with original blueprints in sketchbooks she retrieved from Sterns, she built a new one quite close to the original. There were a few modern updates & an additional storage compartment added to the back, but the resemblance was strong.
Her eyes lit up immediately, & she clasped her hands together in joy, “You guys brought it! Yes, no more bus for me! Thank you both so much.”
Don smiled while Rick picked the vehicle up with ease, slinging it over his shoulder. “It hasn't been turned on in a while, I think it might need a new battery. We couldn't get it to run,” Don mentioned, stepping inside Eva's apartment. And as soon as he did, his body immediately recoiled at the smell of gasoline. Rick’s face scrunched up as well when he followed in after Don, but less dramatically.
“I hope you're being careful with your homework, Eva. It reeks of gas in here, & that honestly makes me quite nervous.” Don looked over to the tarp in the living room, seeing that the puddle of gasoline around the engine was the source of the odor. Eva hopped over to the mess & picked the dropped roll of paper towels up, “Don't worry dad, it was just an accident. I'm usually careful as can be.”
He sighed, followed by a few coughs from the overwhelming stench. But the apartment hadn't blown up or caught on fire yet, so he believed her for now. Rick just shrugged with a smirk, amused by Don’s exaggerated reactions, “Well, since your living room is pretty packed at the moment, I'll bring your old ride to your bedroom.”
Rick was already right in front of her bedroom door, hand on the knob when Eva's head shot up, “W-Wait, Rick!” Both men turned to her, & she stammered a bit as she tried to think of a quickfire excuse, “U-Uh, um, my-my room is a mess! If-If you think this is bad, you don't wanna go in there, haha! Y-you can set it in here!”
Another sigh escaped her father & he joined her over on the tarp, grabbing some paper towels himself to help with the mess, “Really Eva, you should be taking better care of your apartment now that you're an adult.” A few other nags of the parental sort came from him while he stayed with Eva clean. At least she had fooled Don.
Thunderbolt, however, chuckled & turned the knob anyway, “I doubt it could be any worse of a disaster than your room was back at the house. Ain't gonna bother me kid, I'll just set her in here real qu—”
A stifled cough came from inside Eva's bedroom. Rick & Don’s eyes shot in the direction of the slightly ajar door, & Eva's heart dropped into her stomach.
Jordan had been trying his best to keep calm & quiet in Eva's closet, but the fumes from the gasoline covered shirt were too much to bear silently any longer. He had been holding in a storm of coughs for so long, he couldn't help but need to release at least one. Of course, it had to be right when Rick was opening the door.
“What was that?” Rick questioned, peeking his head into Eva's bedroom. Jordan could hear the quick thumping of Eva's footsteps as she ran to Rick, “U-Uh!”
Her mind raced for another fast excuse, ”Um, p-pests! I have, uh, pests in the walls! S-squirrels maybe? They must have knocked something down in the walls, yeah!”
Don stepped up behind the two, crossing his arms in slight irritation, “You have pests, Eva? Then you should call the apartment management, they need to take care of this. How long has it been going on?”
While Don kept interrogating her about these supposed pests, Rick entered her room cautiously & set the rocket seat against the wall next to the door. Standing in the middle of the room, he took note of how tidy it actually was. Sure, there was a little clutter here & there, but nothing even close to the dump she implied it was.
But he dismissed this fact & decided to focus on pinpointing these pests. “Hey, be quiet for a sec,” Rick commanded, waving a hand in the direction of Eva & Don, who were still bickering in the doorway. They both became quiet & Don walked into the bedroom as well, standing at Rick's side.
“What are you doing?”
“Listening for the squirrels in the wall. If they're making a nest, we should find where it is,” The muscular man responded.
A few minutes of pure silence went by, Don glancing around the room as if he expected to actually see these pests. Rick stayed there in the middle of the room, still as a statue. She stayed standing in the doorway, trying to think of something to pull them away from this facade of a situation.
“Eva, please, I can't take this anymore!” Jordan's voice boomed in her mind, causing her to physically gasp & wince.
“J-Jordan?! That you?! Wait, let me guess, Avatar telepathy powers or something?” Even when speaking in her head, an irritated tone soaked her words.
“Yeah, pretty much, but that's not important! I need to get out of here, your dirty clothes are killing me.”
She huffed & crossed her arms, a tad offended, “Well, gee, sorry I haven't had time to do laundry! It's not even that bad, you're just being a baby. And you can't die anyways, you're immortal. So suck it up!”
Though she couldn’t see him, she could visualize a poor, panicked Jordan curled up on her closet floor, hand firmly clasped over his mouth as he tried not to let out a huge relieving cough. The term ‘drama queen’ crossed her mind, but she removed it immediately in case he could hear that as well.
“Look, Eva, just...just distract them for a second & I'll sneak into the bathroom or something!” His voice whined.
Her arms thrust out in front of her, fingers curled in frustration, “Why not use your teleporting powers or something?! Just leave the entire apartment!”
She could even hear him whimper & groan in their telepathic conversation before Jordan responded, “I'm already on thin ice communicating with you like this. The creators will be pissed if I start getting comfy using my powers whenever I want! I’d leave through the front door, but Don & Rick'll hear me close it. That thing is squeaky as hell.”
Stupid creators with their stupid rules, making everything so much harder than it needed to be. And stupid door, with it’s stupid squeaky hinge! This whole situation could be so easily solved if he could just ‘poof’ out of her apartment without repercussion.
Eva, agitated beyond words, dragged her hands down her face, “Alright, alright! I got an idea, but you better be absolutely silent!”
It was a good thing Don & Rick were completely focused on finding these non-existent squirrels in her wall, with their backs to her while her & Jordan had their telepathic screaming match. It would have been very hard to explain all of the silent gestures she was making during the conversation.
“Th-That wall!” Eva suddenly shouted, Don & Rick flinching before turning to look at her.
“That wall!” She was pointing at the wall opposite her closet, rushing past the two men to slap her hands onto it, “They make the most noise here, so maybe this is where the nest is! Uh, put your ears to the wall & listen closely!”
The two men just looked at each other, perplexed, until Rick shrugged & strode over to the wall. Don followed suit, & they pressed the sides of their bodies against the wall, ears focused on any potential sounds.
Eva stood behind them, intentionally limiting their view of the doorway. “Go, now!” she screamed in her head, unsure if Jordan was even listening. Just in case he wasn't, she crossed her arms behind her back & jerked her hand in the direction of the closet, hoping he would see it as a signal to make his move.
In her peripheral vision she could see Jordan slowly & quietly sneaking out of the closet, his eyes never leaving the group against the wall to keep track of their movements.
Ducking down, he tiptoed out of the room & into the hallway, where he covertly slipped into the bathroom. When Eva heard the small, faint click of the bathroom door bolt, she let out a sigh of relief. They were safe again, for now.
Inside the bathroom, Jordan quickly fumbled into the shower & drew the curtain closed. It was a decent hiding place...as long as no one had to use the toilet.
This would be his little bunker until he could slip out the front door, unnoticed by the older men. He wasn’t sure how long he was going to be there, so he settled down with his knees pressed against his chest. Funny enough, the bathtub was more spacious than his spot in the closet, so he could easily stay here for quite a while.
“Something wrong?” Don asked, lifting his head off the wall to look at Eva.
“W-What?" She gasped, turning her attention back to them, "Oh, no, uh, just letting out a breath!”
Rick pushed himself off the wall, looking at the father & daughter, “Well, I didn't hear anything. Pests must not be home right now?”
Eva let out a fake chuckle, “Ahaha, must be. Anyways, let's go back into the living room! O-Or we could go grab some lunch?”
Don was already walking through the doorway of her bedroom, “Lunch sounds good, I was going to offer it anyways. It's been a while since we've had a meal together as a family, hasn't it?”
“Y-Yeah, let's go now then! I'm starving!” She wasn't actually that hungry, but this was perfect. They could all exit the apartment & Jordan would have plenty of time to leave before they returned. Don was even right in front of the bathroom door as he suggested this, so Jordan surely heard, & was probably thinking of the same plan as Eva.
“There's a new Nourasian & Earth fusion restaurant downtown, does that sound good?” Don asked Eva, who was following behind him into the living room.
They began chatting about lunch plans, but Rick interrupted them from the front of the bathroom door, “I'll be there in a sec, godda take a leak.”
Don's eyebrows creased, “I really wish you wouldn't call it that, Rick,” he mumbled, mostly to himself.
Eva was frozen stiff. Was Rick psychic, or just having amazing luck in this little game of 'Hide the Avatar'?
She couldn’t think of another swift justification to prevent his entry into the bathroom; that would be too suspicious. There were already enough weird & suspicious excuses today. Maybe he could just do his business quickly, & Jordan would only have to endure the incredibly awkward & uncomfortable situation for a minute or two.
Surely he could manage that, Eva thought, with an anxious hope that he could.
Jordan was immobilized in the shower, having heard Rick from right outside the door. It was exactly what he did not want.
They both prayed to God, even Jordan (who you could argue was God), that he didn't notice the boy hiding in the bathtub.
The door creaked open & Rick waltzed right in. Jordan saw his blurry silhouette from behind the curtain & stayed perfectly still. He could see Rick's hulking body walk to the toilet, right next to the shower, & stand there for for a few seconds.
The Avatar gulped silently, sweat beading on his skin. If the overwhelming odor of Eva’s dirty, gasoline-soaked laundry wasn't going to kill him, this suspense surely would.
Then, Rick slowly turned towards the toilet, & there was the swift sound of a zipper to break the silence. Jordan jumped ever so slightly, and in the process, knocked a bottle of shampoo from the edge of the bathtub with his elbow.
The sound of the bottle hitting the floor of the tub boomed in the silent bathroom. He was more than positive Eva & Don heard it in the living room as well.
Shit. Shit. Shit. I'm dead. I'm dead. Eva is going to murder me. I'm dead. Shit.
The silence that followed felt like an eternity as neither man inside the bathroom made a move.
Suddenly, the curtain flung open & Jordan's eyes bulged, staring up at the familiar hulking ex-racer. What a sight it must have been for Rick: seeing this familiar but grown boy with the look of a deer in headlights, cowering in the bathtub of his basically step daughter.
Though, he had no semblance of surprise on his face whatsoever. He had even already zipped his pants back up, as if he never intended to use the facilities in the first place.
“Hey little mouse!” Rick yelled loudly from the bathroom, smirking down at the petrified boy, “I think I found your pest problem!”
Don paced in the living room, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. Rick stood off to the side with his arms crossed, cool as a cucumber despite the thick layer of tension in the room; A polar opposite to Don.
Eva & Jordan sat on the couch in front of them, looking as if they were guilty children caught in a lie. Well, that's wasn't too far from the truth.
“So,” Don spoke up, “Let me get the story straight: Jordan, you've been living secretly on Earth for about a year? And you just so happen to enroll in the same school as Eva? You're also still The Avatar, but you're allowed to be here as long as you don't abuse your powers & keep up with your duties. Anything else I should know about?”
Jordan stared down at his feet, terrified to look at Don, “T-That's about it, sir…” Despite the fact that Don was no longer his boss, the ex-soilder still felt compelled to treat him as such. He had also experienced Don’s wrath in the past, & did not want to potentially ignite it now.
“And Eva,” Don turned his eyes onto his nervous daughter, “Why didn't you tell us?”
“U-Uh…” Her eyes frantically moved up & down, glancing from her father to her hands in her lap. She had her reasoning, which she thought was entirely valid, but she was scared to find out if her father disagreed.
“W-Well...He’s still The Avatar, ya know…? I figured...it could get...messy? With the government, if you knew he was here…” her voice grew quiet as she finished her explanation.
One of Don's eyebrows perked up. He was not expecting a pretty sound logic behind Eva & Jordan's little scheme, “So you tried to hide him in your apartment, & thought we wouldn't find out?”
“Well, you didn't find him,” Rick interjected, finally adding to the conversation.
“W-Well I would have!” Don fired back, crossing his arms to match Rick while locking eyes with him. “Heh, yeah, sure you would have. I already knew he was here when we walked in.”
Everyone turned to Rick, shocked expressions on their faces.“W-Wait, you did?!” Eva shouted, “When did you find out?!”
A smirk formed on Rick's face, “When we were outside your front door. I thought I heard a guy's voice yell, & figured it was one of the neighbors. But when I saw how obviously freaked out you looked when you opened the door, I knew something was up. Honestly, though, I wasn't expecting it to be the long lost Jordan Wilde.”
Rick reached down & patted Jordan on the shoulder, to signify he was happy to see him again. Jordan couldn't help but smile up at Rick, glad that at least someone was being positive about this situation.
“I didn't hear any voice?” Don replied with a puzzled expression. “You're losing your hearing old man. My young & spry ears can hear a pin drop from a mile away,” Rick scoffed, shifting his position to lean against the top of the couch behind Jordan. Eva & Jordan let out their own genuine giggles from Rick's playful jab.
“R-Regardless...” Don huffed, “Jordan, you being here is a big deal. It's not as if I'm not happy to see you, I am...very glad to know you're doing...well?”
The inflection at the end of his sentence implied he was more so asking than implying. Kindness was never Don's strong suit, but he was trying his best here. It was a little harder than usual since Jordan's appearance didn't leave much to the imagination about his current living conditions. Though he had been using Eva's laundry & shower more often, he still looked...a bit of a mess. Luckily, he blended right in with other college students, but that was unimportant right now.
“U-Uh, yeah, I'm good.” Jordan replied, able to look at Don calmly now that the tension in the room was dissipating. “Well, I'm still technically homeless,” he said, hands lifted to make physical air quotes, “but it's not a big deal...Anyways...what are we gonna do about...me, I guess?”
That was the million dollar question here. Really, anything could happen if the Earth Coalition were made aware of Jordan's existence on Earth. The political discourse that could ensue would possibly destroy much of the peace currently held in the milky way if President McMullen were to assume the power of The Avatar was on his side.
A huge conquest of the entire galaxy could happen. It could end in the Earth Coalition lowering themselves to the same levels as the Crogs, using brute force to try & bend other planets to their will.
Or, by having them foolishly destroy themselves & putting the safety of Earth in jeopardy by rushing into war with neighboring planets.
Jordan would never agree to this, of course, as he was a neutral power meant to keep the balance of the universe. This could go south as well, however, in the case where the Earth Coalition would lose faith in the Avatar. The loss of faith, or even a potential war against Oban itself could ensue depending on how upset the president would react over the absolute neutrality the Avatar must abide by.
Worst of all, they wouldn't take neutrality for an answer. They had every power they needed to sway Jordan's position: including threats against those he held dear.
Don Wei was a man of principal. Therefore, he should tell the government this incredibly vital development. But, was that the correct choice, considering how delicate the situation was? He thought long & hard as he stood in front of the group, chin resting between his thumb & index finger. Eva & Jordan had their eyes on Don, anxieties high as they awaited his answer.
“Uh,” Rick spoke, after minutes of silence, “We don’t tell them? Isn't it obvious?”
Again, everyone looked over at Rick, Eva & Jordan smiling with relief while Don gave him a concerned look. “Are you sure, Rick…? If the Earth Coalition finds out we've been keeping this information to ourselves, there could be grave consequences… “
The two young adults couldn't deny that. Letting this secret out was a potential danger to the Earth & galaxy, but keeping it under wraps was a danger to themselves.
Rick just rolled his eyes behind his shades & waved a hand in the air, “Consequences shmoncequences, they won't find out. You worry too much, Don.”
The two turned back to Don, pleading with their eyes. “Please, dad?” Eva asked quietly as she locked eye contact with him. That was all it took to break him.
Resting his forehead into the palm of his hand, he let out a deep sigh before answering, “Fine. Jordan, your secret is safe with us.”
Arms were immediately wrapped around Don, both by Eva & Jordan as they jumped from the couch in joy. Don flailed & let out a surprised yelp, the scene making Rick bellow out a series laughs.
“Thank you so much, dad! I love you!”
“Thank you sir, thank you!”
The two squeezed Don into a tight group hug, showering him with thanks, & the he was doing a terrible job at accepting it. Rick came over to join as well, his huge arms almost able to wrap around the entire group. Everyone but Don was letting out cheerful giggles, but this was quickly broken by Don grunting & squirming his way out of the embrace.
“T-That's quite enough! Y-You're very welcome, Jordan,” Don grumbled, fixing his disheveled clothes as he tried to regain his composure. Rick smirked & rested a hand on his back, to which he immediately relaxed into.
Eva knew that method to calm her dad down. She had learned many of their little relationship quirks that have developed in the past few years. Though they were not affectionate at all in front of others, small touches & gestures were a calming force for Don, & Rick was happy to oblige.
Don cleared his throat, straightening his posture, “Well, with all that out of the way...Jordan, would you like to join us for lunch?” A small, sincere smile had finally graced Don's face, & Jordan happily accepted the invitation. Eva let out a deep breath, almost overloaded with a euphoric sense of relief.
Rick walked over by the front door, already putting his boots back on before the rest of the group. “C’mon then, dear, let's get the kids & go!”
Eva snickered as a blush bloomed on Don's face in response to Rick’s teasing. He turned his face to the floor & shuffled silently to the door to slip his loafers back on, not gracing Rick with a response. Though Thunderbolt was good at calming Don down, he was just as good at getting him riled up, & using pet names was a surefire way to get him flustered.
Jordan stood there, taking this in, as it was the first time he had seen them actually do or say anything resembling a romantic couple. It wasn't necessarily weird to him, but it was different. Something to adjust to, he supposed.
The group spent more time catching up in the car. They had plenty of time to, as Don managed to get them lost in the big college city while trying to find the restaurant. He scrolled through the maps app on his phone while Rick tapped his fingers on the wheel & carried on conversations with Eva & Jordan in the back seat.
“Ya know, I've been wondering something, Jordan,” Rick said as he pulled up & stopped at a red light.
“Yeah?”
“You're on the enrollment list at Burroughs, but how are you still managing to fly under the radar? You'd think they'd be investigating a student with the same name as an ex-military student who's filed under the government as MIA.”
Eva had never really questioned it before, but now that Rick brought it up, how did he manage to slip past this obstacle?
“Heh, it was pretty smart of me, actually!” Jordan stated proudly, puffing out his chest. Using the rear view mirror, Rick looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, “Well? What did you do, Mr. Avatar?”
“My name on the files isn't ‘Jordan C. Wilde’, its ‘Jordan C. Wild’. Like, without the ‘e’ at the end!” His goofy grin was plastered on his face, noise pointed high in the air as he basked in his own ego.
The rest of the car was quiet. Don even broke away from his focus on directions, turning slightly to Jordan with a grimace. Eva looked as if he had just told the worst joke in the universe. Hell, it was up there.
“That,” she said with a deadpan voice, “is so stupid.”
“But," Rick remarked, “clever.”
Notes:
PHEW what a chapter. It probably needs more refinement, but I've been sitting on this for so long that I'm sorta sick of reading it over & over lol. Was fun to write, though! Don & Rick are so fun to write in lol. Hope you enjoyed it!
Chapter Text
“Alright, finals are next week, so make sure you do the review modules online to help yourselves practice the material. For now, class is dismissed.”
Eva & Jordan exited the building, making their way to the parking lot where Eva's rocket seat was waiting. “Ugh, I'm not looking forward to finals at all...mind if I come over for a study session tonight?” Jordan asked while Eva clicked opened the back compartment.
She gave him an elongated “Uhhhh” as the lid slowly rose, & only stopped after she had tossed her bag inside. There was no response to follow it up, however. Her face looked as if she couldn't find the exact words she needed.
Jordan raised an eyebrow, puzzled, & tossed his worn backpack in with his friend's, “‘Uhhhhhhh?’ Is that a 'no', then?”
Her hand slammed the lid back down & Eva straightened her posture before speaking, “Well, it's just like...I won't be studying tonight, cuz it's...my birthday?” Since there really was no good way to bring it up, her words came out a bit awkward & fumbled.
Jordan's jaw dropped, & he grabbed Eva's shoulders intensely, “Your Birthday?! Molly, you should have said something! Happy birthday, partner!”
Before she knew it, he had squeezed her into a tight hug, tilting their bodies slowly back & forth playfully. She giggled, returning the embrace & patting his back heartily, “Heh, thank you, Jordan, but you can let go now!” And so he did, flashing his goofy smile at her.
“We should celebrate, then! Are Don & Rick coming down?” he asked, an excited sparkle in his eye. Eva leaned against her rocket seat, hands in her jean pockets, “Actually, that's the thing: I was going to celebrate, but...by myself. Dad & Rick cant get off work until the weekend, so we we're going to do something then.”
The Avatar's shoulders drooped slightly. To him, your birthday was always a day to spend time & celebrate with your close friends & family. The idea of Eva spending it alone was a bit heart breaking.
“Oh…” he whispered, some of the excitement leaving his face. She noticed his mood drop, so smiled & patted his shoulder to reassure him, “Hey, don't be depressed about it! Dad called me first thing in the morning, so I already got my birthday wishes from him & Rick. I'm perfectly fine with that!”
This, he was relieved to hear, especially if she was content with it, “Ok ok, I understand. Still, how were you going to celebrate?”
Arms crossed, she sighed before responding, “Well...promise not to get all mopey about it, ok?” Her deep red eyes locked on his, a sign her request was serious. He blinked & furrowed his bushy eyebrows, but nodded in confirmation.
“Alright, so, since I spent most of my birthdays alone at Sterns, I made a sort of, ‘birthday ritual’, I guess. I usually get a cupcake or two, some ice cream, & watch my favorite movie.” Her gaze had lowered to the asphalt of the parking lot as she spoke, a feeling of bitter nostalgia forming in her gut, “I couldn't always get ice cream when I was at Sterns, but I could manage the cupcake & movie since i nabbed a portable Blu-ray player as a kid. And it just kinda stuck, so that's what i usually do every year…”
Eva finished her small story & looked back up at Jordan’s golden eyes. Small tears were welled up in them, & he frowned hard to keep them from spilling over. A huff came from the girl, after seeing his glum, puppy-like expression, “Hey, what did I say about getting sad about it?” She turned away from him, pouting in displeasure from his reaction.
“B-But!” he blubbered, “It is sad! It's so sad, Molly!” He reached his arms out to give her another hug, but she kept him at bay by pushing against his chest with her hand. “Its fine, seriously! Its relaxing. Kinda cathartic? And dad & Rick would watch the movie with me now, so it's not like I did it alone for all of my birthdays,” she said with a shrug.
Once again, Jordan was pleased to hear that, so he sobered up from his mini emotional crisis, “Well, then can I come celebrate with you?” Really, he was a bit surprised Eva hadn't already asked him to; Probably so Jordan could spend the time studying or something along those lines.
“Actually, scratch that, I am going to celebrate with you!” he stated before she could give him an answer. One of his arms wrapped around Eva's shoulder, giving her a an affectionate slight jostle.
Laughing, she gave another shrug & fished her keys out of her pocket, “If you're gonna invite yourself, I guess I can't say no! I need to stop at the store on the way home for birthday treat stuff, you wanna come with?” He nodded enthusiastically, grateful that she didn't deny his self-invitation.
They both boarded the vehicle, with Eva in the driver's seat & Jordan holding onto her waist from behind, & set off from campus.
First stop was the baking aisle. Jordan paused in front of the candles, looking over the selection. He reached for the number shaped candles, pulling a ‘2’ off the rack before looking over at Eva. She stood in front of a wall of boxes, deciding which flavor of instant cake mix she was craving tonight.
“So how old are you now? Twenty…?” he trailed off, hand wavering over the other numbered candles while he waited for her answer. “Twenty two. Also, I don't need candles, I'm not a kid.”
Jordan puffed his cheeks out a little & pulled another ‘2’ candle off the rack anyways. “Would you prefer I stick twenty two separate candles onto one cupcake? And don't worry, I'll pay for everything, so you're getting candles!”
Her deep scarlet eyes blinked at him, “Uh, you sure?” He took the small basket she was holding that already contained paper baking cups, “Yup, I'm sure! And don't get any of that instant shit, I'll make you cupcakes from scratch!”
His bushy eyebrows rose to match his cocky grin, & she giggled before accepting his offer, “Grab some cocoa powder then, cuz I'm thinking chocolate. With funfetti frosting!”
Odd combo, but Jordan happily accepted it. He grabbed a container of said frosting off the shelf, since he wasn't really the best at making it.
Next on the agenda was grabbing some ice cream, & Eva wasted no time picking out a strawberry flavor. “Chocolate & strawberries go together!” was her reasoning for the unconventional choice.
“Whatever the birthday girl wants,” Jordan shrugged & placed the container in the basket.
All ready to go, they headed to the check out registers. Jordan had a small bundle of bills with him, saved from more odd jobs he had been performing between classes. It was quite a bit more than he usually had on hand, Eva noticed, looking over his shoulder while he paid. She assumed he hadn't been eating, so there wasn't much for him to spend money on. Being an immortal being had some benefits, it seems.
After paying, he shoved the change into his pockets & handed the grocery bag to Eva. Then, he made an odd request of his friend: “Go wait out by the rocket seat, ok? I'm gonna grab something else.”
Now, Eva wasn't going to be fooled; She knew he was going to get her a present. Any attempt at protest was shut down by Jordan immediately, “No, no complaining, just go. I'll only be a few minutes, I promise.” Not necessarily happy about it, but knowing there was no use arguing about it, she reluctantly left through the automatic sliding doors.
With the groceries shoved into the back compartment with their school bags, she seated herself in front of the handles & started the engine. Jordan came back a few minutes later, holding a small & cheesy ‘Happy Birthday' gift bag in his hand. Eva held her hand out with a mild scowl, ready to receive the gift she never asked for.
But Jordan just looked at her hand & kept his grip on the gift, “What? No presents until after cake!”
She just sighed & rolled her eyes, “Fine! I didn't even ask for it, but whatever, let's go!” He hopped on behind her, & they were at Eva's apartment in just 10 minutes. Much, much faster than walking or waiting for the bus.
A sweet, chocolatey smell wafted around her apartment, & Jordan pushed himself up from the couch to retrieve the cupcakes from the oven. He pulled them out & grinned, actually quite happy with how they turned out. Placing them on the counter to cool, he walked back over to the front of the couch, where Eva was sifting through a box of old DVDs on the floor.
“So, cupcakes are done, but they need to cool before we can frost them. Find the movie yet?” he asked & sat down with her in front of the box.
Eva was flipping over a few blank cases, popping them open to check the disk inside, “Not yet. Blu-ray disks are so old, it's hard to find ones with the proper cases. I know it's somewhere in this sea of blank ones...” Jordan pulled a few plastic cases out himself & began to search with her.
A few more minutes passed before an ecstatic, “Yes!” came from Eva. He lifted his eyes up to his friend, “Oh, didja find it?” Tossing a few cases back into the box, she stood & gave him a thumbs up, “Yeah! Now I need to get the player. Hold on, I think it's in my closet.”
She ran to her bedroom & stared searching through the plastic storage tubs inside her closet, so Jordan decided to check on the cupcakes. Gently, he tapped the tops with his finger tips, “Yup, cool enough.” While his friend rummaged in her closet, he prepared her special birthday treat.
“Found it!” Eva exclaimed victoriously, running out into the living room with the small device raised in the air. “Nice, start it up, then!” Jordan replied, & came over with two bowls. Inside each was one of the frosted cupcakes with two scoops of ice cream, but one was a bit more extravagant. He had shoved the two ‘2’ shaped candles into Eva’s cupcake, though only barely considering how little space there was for them. Definitely made for more of an actual cake.
“Pft, they aren't even lit, Jordan,” she noted as she took the bowl from him.
“Well, I couldn't find a lighter, but that's fine. They're festive!”
She giggled & shrugged, placing the open DVD player on the coffee table & slipping the disc inside, “Sure, festive, let’s go with that.”
They sat on the couch, bowls in hand, then Eva pressed the play button. She finished her cake & ice cream early into the film, with Jordan finishing up soon after. Of course, Eva showered Jordan with compliments on the delicious cupcakes, which he sheepishly accepted. He did have to admit, they came out pretty tasty.
They focused their attention fully on the movie now, leaning in close to each other so they could both see the small screen. It was an animated movie, from the early 2010's. A family story, Eva said, of a single mom with two children who were also part wolf. Jordan thought it was a bit of a silly premise, but was surprised by how the deeply the film played out. The focus was all about the family as the children grew older, & how their familial relationship evolved while they struggled with accepting both the human & wolf sides of themselves.
Eva tried to hide how choked up she was by the climax of the movie, but Jordan noticed easily. It was a bit hard to ignore the hics & whimpers coming from his partner beside him. But he said nothing, deciding to just let her enjoy the movie without any playful teasing.
By the finale, she was sniffling & wiping her eyes, “Man, I love this movie so much.”
Jordan leaned back into the couch as the credits began to roll, “I can see why. It really was good, for being so old.”
His thoughts on the movie were positive, nothing overzealous, but it was pretty clear why his friend had so many feelings about this movie: It was a story about a mother & her children. Considering Eva's motherless childhood, she must have found comfort in a story centering around that relationship in a positive way. If she saw it in her young childhood, it probably only impacted her even more. But, maybe, in a more depressing way.
These days, however, cathartic was definitely the right word.
“It’s a classic! Glad you liked it. What was your favorite part?” They discussed the movie for a small while, their bodies settled into each end of the couch. Jordan threw out a few criticisms, of which Eva agreed with some & disagreed with others. Then she went on about all her favorite aspects, how many times she's seen it, & how she would kill for them to re-release it on a modern format like holodisc.
It warmed Jordan's soul to see her like this, & he was more than happy to be here to witness it.
He suddenly perked up in the middle of her cheerful rambling & jumped from the couch, “Oh, hold on, I almost forgot!”
Eva stopped talking & peeked up from the top of the couch, watching shove his hands into his jacket in the kitchen. He pulled the small gift bag out of the pocket, & frowned to see it was crumpled & squished a bit.
Regardless, he came back over & presented it to Eva, holding it out to her, “Happy birthday, Eva.” His voice was & eyes were full of warmth as she smiled at her.
Caught off guard by the casual use of her real name, she blushed slightly. “Ah, thanks, Jordan…”
She took the bag, stuck her hand inside, & pulled out a small box. The packaging showed it was a small speaker, & the same brand of Walkman she had when they were together on the Earth Team. This one, however, was shaped like a sphere with a flat bottom. It was also pink, with the iconic small ears, single eye, & smile decorating the top. The body of the device was separated into 3 flat speakers, which flipped outwards in a similar manner to her old player.
Jordan scratched the back of his neck, “Its, uh, a bit cheap & small, but it has bluetooth & a USB so you can use your phone with it. Ya like it?”
Eva opened the box & slipped the small speaker into her hands, looking it over. A huge smile slowly spread across her face as she looked it over, happy memories from her old tried & true music device rushing back. “Jordan, I love it. It's so cute, & honestly just what I needed! My old player broke back in high school, & I was so bummed about it...This is perfect!”
She flung her arms around his shoulders, startling him. His face grew red, feeling Eva squeezed him, “Thank you so much, Jordan. Not just for the gift, but for the awesome birthday too.”
He slowly lifted his arms around her back & returned the hug with a smile, “Of course, no problem. Happy Birthday again, Eva.”
She pulled back & set her brand new speaker on the coffee table, “Now, I'm thinking of having some seconds on cake & ice cream! What about you?” Jordan nodded & grabbed their bowls, bringing them back over to the kitchen, “You got it, birthday girl.”
The next day, she was filled with regret. Her stomach was aching from all the sugar of the previous night. She was twenty two now, she couldn't eat like a teen anymore. It was fun, though...I'd gladly do it again, she thought before another groan escaped her, rolling over miserably on the couch.
Notes:
Short lil cute chapter. Now I want cake.
Bonus points for you if you know the movie described in this chapter~
Chapter Text
"So it's by Cedar Falls, right?" The Avatar leaned back in his chair, twirling a pen between his fingers.
"A bit to the west of it, yeah. I reeeeally want to see it, but the forecast says there'll be storms the rest of the weekend, so the sky'll be just full of clouds & rain on Saturday."
Eva sat across from Jordan, slouched pathetically onto the table in the student lounge. The subject of their discussion was a meteor shower that would be coming close to Earth the following week. Not just any meteor shower, either: It was one that only came into view every 174 years, 3 months, roughly 2-5 days, & would last for 2 nights.
Whispers had been flying around campus of a special viewing party that would be taking place at a campsite a few hours away from Burroughs Academy. It apparently had the best view for miles around, with plenty of openings in the forest canopy & devoid of light pollution from the city.
Though Eva wasn't one for the 'party' aspect of it, she was interested in being able to see the spectacle as clearly as possible. The wrench in their plans, however, was that the only clear day they could see it was the same day they had their final exam in Electromagnetic Theory...at 4:15pm.
Realistically, even if they left immediately after their test, the area would already be full of drunk, obnoxious party students by the time they arrived.
As much as Eva wanted to view this once in a (human) lifetime event, she didn't want to deal with loud, alcohol fueled crowds filling the forest.
Jordan hummed & rocked back & forth in his chair, "I think you should go anyway. If it's that bad, you can just go back home."
She rolled her eyes in response, "But it's a 3 hour ride up there. I'd really rather not spend the rest of the night driving back after getting a disappointing whiff of sweaty, drunk party-goers. I doubt they're even going to appreciate the meteor shower…"
Her last sentence was muffled, face now burried in her arms. Jordan couldn't help but smile from the adorable & childish pouting, "Hey, that's just how they are. But you can always find your own space away from the party. It might not even be as bad as you think! Everyone else has finals too, maybe they'll be too tired to bother driving for hours."
He leaned forward & poked her arm with his pen, "If you really don't want to miss out, I think you should go & take the chance. If I come with to keep you company, will that help?"
Finally, he was rewarded with a small smile from Eva. She lifted her head up from the table with a small artificial groan, "If you actually want to come along, then yes. Are you interested in seeing the meteor shower, too?"
His shoulders lifted in a small shrug, "Eh, when you become the master of the galaxy, you see a lot of em. They all start blurring together after looking over so many planets & seeing them over & over again. But hey, they're probably better when you have someone to watch it with, right?"
After being alone on Oban for so many years, Jordan found most things to be dreadfully dull if he was doing it alone. But if he was with Eva, they could even watch paint dry & he would have a fantastic time.
She giggled & nodded, "Yeah, that stuff is no fun when if you do it by yourself. Even if you find it boring, I'll keep you entertained! So, we can leave right after our final on Friday, head to my apartment, pack, & head out. Sound good?"
Jordan flashed a grin & gave her a thumbs up, "Sounds good to me, partner!"
Sleeping bags, a packed cooler, a small tent, & other miscellaneous items were shoved into the tiny trunk compartment of Eva's rocket seat. It was almost bursting, barely able to close, but Jordan finally got it latched with a grunt & a push.
Wiping the sweat off his brow, he let out a breath, "Phew! Everything's packed, so we can get going now!"
"Sweet! Think the drinks will be ok in there?" Eva asked, handing a large pair of orange goggles to Jordan.
He looked at them inquisitively before taking them, "Yeah, they'll be fine, might just get shaken up a little. The goggles are for…?"
She smirked & pulled her own classic pink pair from her jean pocket, "For your eyes, dummy. We'll be on the highway for most of the trip, so unless you want your eyes to dry up, I'd suggest putting them on."
Eva swung her leg up onto the vehicle & straddled herself into the driver's seat, & Jordan huffed & climbed on behind her, "Excuse you, invincible Avatar powers, remember? My eyes will be fine, thanks."
With a slightly irritated expression, she turned to look back at him, keys in the ignition & ready to go...But her hand was firm on the keys set at 'off', not moving a muscle.
"Ok, I admit I forgot about that. But if you don't want to be suspicious & weird, flying through the highway with your bare eyes open to the elements, I'd suggest putting them on. Or, we can just stay here."
Jordan's thick eyebrows creased, a bit embarrassed, & he shamefully slipped them over his eyes. Sometimes, he too forgot that the way his body works now is not the norm. Most of the time it was minor stuff that would be hard to notice, & the chances of someone even taking note of him while driving by was small. However, it was better to be safe than sorry & take the precautions to keep his secret hidden.
Satisfied, Eva flipped the key to turn the engine on, slipping her own pair of goggles over her eyes, "Ok, good to go! Hold on tight, I'm gonna go fast."
He nodded & gripped his large hands around her sides, holding onto her gently. She let out a hardy laugh, loud enough to hear over the rocket seat's engine, & reached back to grab his arms herself. She yanked him forward, his chest bumping against her back, & wrapped his arms around her waist like a belt, "I said tightly! I'll be going really fast, & I don't want you falling off & delaying the trip. Now, let's go!"
Surprised by the sudden force pulling him into her, Jordan's cheeks blushed bright red. He was deeply thankful that Eva couldn't see him right now, what with him behind directly behind her. Hopefully she wouldn't notice his heart practically pounding out of his chest against her back, either. He set his head carefully on her shoulder, trying not to get too close, & tightened his grip around her waist.
With a twist on the handles, Eva revved the engine & took off, driving onto the highway.
They had been on the road for about an hour, & were making great time on their trip. Eva's eyes periodically glanced at her phone, which was clipped onto a small stand in the middle of her handles. A GPS app mapped out their destination, with a small blue dot moving along to indicate their location.
Jordan had spent most of the trip watching the landscape move quickly past him. He didn't want to distract Eva from driving with mindless conversation, & was entertained enough at the various clutches of plant life along the road & slowly weaning sunlight.
Suddenly, Eva spoke up, which caused Jordan to tighten his grip for a second in surprise, "Oh, hey! The GPS says we can cut about half an hour off our time if we take this back road. Wanna go for it?" He peered over her shoulder at the screen, taking note of the bright white path branching off of the highway. "Yeah, sure, why not! The turn's coming up on your right, so I'll keep an eye out!" he yelled back above the intense wind current.
In just a few minutes, Jordan's arm shot out to the side of her, pointing at a gray gravel road hidden behind a thick wooden fence, "I think that's it!" Eva grinned & nodded, setting her index & middle fingers on the breaks in preparation for the turn, "Alright, hold on tight! It'll be a sharp turn!"
Jordan barely had a second to tighten his grip, yelping out as Eva practically drifted the machine off the highway & onto the dirt road. His body yanked on Eva's, his weight almost being thrown from the seat, but she gripped her handles tighter to keep steady while he regained his composure.
"Give me more of a warning, next time!" he begged, still catching his breath from the excitement. "Well, point out the turn faster next time!" She retaliated, focusing her eyes back on the road. Jordan just sighed & settled back into position.
Quickly, they had left the traffic & foliage of the main highway behind.
Their new path took them to the textbook definition of "middle of nowhere". Fields, as far as their eyes could see, were the only thing that surrounded them. Not even a farm building, house, or a lone tree stood on the horizon. This worried Eva slightly, but according to her GPS, they were going the right way.
Another thing that had her concerned, was the increasing roughness of their ride. They were both almost constantly bouncing out of their seats, which was incredibly bizarre for a machine that hovers above the ground.
Suddenly, Jordan blinked & flicked his head around, trying to confirm if their surroundings were really flying by slower. Eva started swinging her head around as well, which unfortunately helped Jordan confirm that they really were slowing down.
"What's wrong? Do we need fuel?" Jordan asked over Eva's shoulder. She was in a bit of a panic now, & she frantically twisted her handles in a futile attempt to push the engine further, "No, I filled it up before we left! I think we need to stop & pull over. Shit ." The curse that left her lips was quiet, but with Jordan's close proximity, he heard her clearly. It did nothing to ease his anxieties.
Pulling over onto the barely existent shoulder, Eva set a foot down onto the road, jolting when it made contact with the rocks & dirt. "You ok, Molly?" Jordan asked in concern, releasing his grip from her waist. "Yeah, just, hit the ground faster than I… should…"
Jordan hopped down from his seat & waited to see what Eva would do. Yanking her goggles up to her forehead, she knelt down onto the road, wincing from the sharp stones pushing into her knees. Her eyes widened when she saw her vehicle barely hovering an inch above the road. "Ok, that's not normal. That's not good."
Jordan walked around the machine to squat down next to his friend, worried about exactly what wasn't good, "Uh, what's up?" She opened her mouth to speak, but instead a small scream escaped her throat when the rocket seat fell onto the gravel with a clunky metal thud. With nothing keeping it steady, it quickly fell over & smacked Jordan's head with its handlebars.
"Ugh! Ok, yeah, this doesn't seem good," he sighed, pushing the machine off of him. Eva immediately stood up & grabbed the handles, pulling it back up, "Sorry! You ok, Jordan?" He rubbed the point of impact in pain, but nodded, "Yeah, I'll be fine."
She sighed in relief & pulled the machine farther off the road, almost into the grass, & pushed out the rusty kickstand with her foot, "I think the magnetic field generator died...That, or something's stopping the current from keeping it active...Ugh, shit shit shit!"
Jordan reached out pointlessly to Eva when she ran over to the trunk & flung it open, "M-Molly!" Their camping items were haphazardly tossed into the grass while Eva dug down inside, & eventually she pulled out a small tool kit she always kept in case of emergencies. "I'm gonna open it up & take a look...Pray that it's something I can fix."
His arms lowered back down when she reclaimed her place next to the side of the rocket seat. Her voice lacked any hope, but Jordan knew there was some form determination keeping her from simply breaking down. It was an aspect of her personality he found really endearing, & it helped to keep him from spiraling in these kinds of situation too. He was always thankful for the strength she constantly, unintentionally gifted him.
The boy stood up & clapped his hands together, as if he was making an important announcement, "Alright, I'll keep a look out for any cars coming by to see if they can help, since I'm guessing they don't have AA for rocket seats…?" Though that last part was meant to be a rhetorical jest, Eva gave an annoyed groan, "No, & honestly this thing isn't even street legal...I'd rather not call anyone & get a scolding, or worse. This is already frustrating enough…"
Fingers fumbling in the small plastic tool case, she pulled out a screwdriver to remove the plate hiding the inner mechanisms of the machine. A warm hand gently patted her shoulder, & she turned to looked up at Jordan who was giving her an encouraging, soft smile, "Hey, it'll be ok. If there's anyone that can fix it, it's you, Mols. Just keep focused & I'm sure we'll be back on the road in no time."
His words & confidence in her lifted her spirits significantly, & she smiled back at him, "Thanks, Jordan." She didn't want to always count on him, but his support had always been such a saving grace for her, especially during their Earth Team days. Honestly, this situation gave her a small sense of nostalgia from the many misadventures they experienced during their time with The Great Race. Maybe there was some blind optimism, sure, but the way it seemed Jordan always truly believed & trusted in Eva lit some sort of fire inside her.
With renewed strength, she turned her attention back to the engine, so Jordan turned his to the road. He stood there on the shoulder, scanning both sides of the gravel path for any potential help that may come along.
Alas, as the sky turned shades of dark red, bright orange, & gold, no help came along.
Jordan sat on the edge of the ditch, sipping from a bottle of water they had packed. He stared out into the fields & watched the sun slowly descend, but was unable to appreciate the beautiful sight. Background noise of distant birds & Eva clinking metal pieces together had kept him on edge the entire time. Worry, both about them being stranded & about his friend's emotional condition, enveloped his thoughts & kept his stress high the entire time.
Abrupt sounds of tools & machinery falling into the gravel startled him, & he glanced over to Eva's impromptu work station. She rose from the ground, strode over to the side of him, & collapsed onto the grass without a word. Dirty, tired hands covered her face, & she released out a loud muffled scream to relieve a tiny bit of the immense frustration.
"No luck, I'm guessing?" Jordan said with blunt disappointment, & pulled out a bottle of water from their cooler to hand to Eva.
She lifted one limp hand & took it, "Its shot, completely. The engine is fine, but without anything to keep it off the ground, we aren't going anywhere. We're up shit creek without a paddle, Jordan, & I don't know what to do…" Her voice cracked with a pathetic whine of defeat.
He could see how utterly exhausted & upset she was, forehead beaded with sweat, with dirt & grease stains speckling her jeans & hands. "Hey…" He stopped mid sentence, watching Eva prop herself up onto her elbows with a grunt & taking a big chug of water from the bottle, "...It'll be ok, Molly…"
Even though she knew her friend trying his hardest to keep her from entering an abysmal pit, she felt herself sinking. Sadly, her emotional state was too worn down to see it as anything more but an empty sentiment. His comfort could only work for so long when things kept deteriorating.
They sat there in silence, Jordan looking out into the vast fields & Eva staring upwards directly into the sky. Young, green stalks of wheat flowed gently along with the breeze, painting their unfortunate situation into an ironically picturesque scene bathed in golden light. A dark blue gradient was starting to bleed into the sky as the sun set further, coloring it with a variety of beautiful shades.
"Hmm...well, why don't we just stay here, for the night?" the boy suggested, looking over at the girl with a single raised fuzzy eyebrow.
Eva glanced over at him, then looked back up into the quickly darkening sky. She took a few moments to asses the situation & their surroundings, coming to a lukewarm conclusion before she spoke, "That's…not an awful idea, I guess. The sky is really clear, at least…"
Jordan looked up towards the coming night sky & was pleased to see tiny stars slowly revealing themselves as the sun dragged the last bits of warm color down with it. "Yeah, it is. You should be able to see the meteor shower really well here. Hell, maybe even better than at the campsite!" He enthusiastically lifted a fist, & a small grin grew on Eva's face.
"Y'know, yeah! And I don't have to worry about some drunk assholes ruining my time." She hopped up from the ground & brushed the grime off her pants, "Ok, then we'll set up camp here for the night & figure out what to do in the morning! Not like I'll be able to work on the engine much with only moonlight."
Jordan jumped up with matching energy, "Yeah! We can still make this fun! You hungry? I can make some dinner, did you pack anything?"
Slightly embarrassed, Eva stuck her hands into her pockets & looked off to the side nonchalantly, "Heh, uh all I really packed was some meal replacement bars...that counts as dinner, right?"
It took everything in him to resist scolding her for her continued awful meal habits. But, with this entirely failed evening, his complaints would do nothing but worsen the already fragile positive atmosphere. "Ok, I guess it's fine. Let's get set up, then," he said with an exhausted sigh.
Notes:
Phew, long time no see! I had some trouble figuring out the order of events, but I think I got the ball rolling on this fic again. I'm really busy this month, so the 2nd half of this chapter may be a while, but it'll come! Trust me~
Anyways, Eva's life is very sitcom-esque, ain't it? At least it's exciting!
Chapter 10: Road Trip Pt. 2
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
"Alright, tent's set up!" Jordan announced, brushing his hands past each other as a sign of a job well done.
Munching away at a cocoa-flavored meal bar, Eva gazed in amazement at how fast Jordan had put the it together, "Wow, that took you, what...like, 5 minutes? Nice job!"
The boy rubbed his nose proudly, soaking in the praise, "Hey, guns aren't the only thing I'm good at assembling!"
Eva tossed him a meal bar from her spot next to their still rolled-up sleeping bags, "Here's a reward: honey oat, your favorite!"
He snatched it out of the air & walked over to her, taking a seat on top of his sleeping bag, "Ah, a classic~ So, when does the meteor shower start? All the stars are gonna be out soon."
As Jordan wolfed down the snack, Eva checked the time on her phone, "Looks like it should start in about half an hour or so. Plenty of time to set up an optimal meteor shower viewing spot!"
This simply meant a worn old quilt on the ground in a spot that had the best view. With the lack of any obstructions blocking out the sky & only short fields for miles around, they had plenty of choice.
"Let's put the blanket on the side of the ditch, so we can lay down on the incline," Jordan suggested, pulling the worn old thing out of the trunk. They each took a corner & spread out in their designated spot. Both of them spread out & lifted it into the air before laying it gently on the sloped grass. Then they brought over their sleeping bags & rolled them out on the quilt, completing their viewing station.
Eva was the first to settle in on top of her sleeping bag, lying comfortably back with her needs pointed up. Her nose scrunched up slightly, & she lifted her arm to cough into the nook of her elbow, "Ugh, been a while since this blanket or sleeping bag got any use. They're a bit musky."
Jordan, who decided to sit up next to her with one knee propped up & his arm leaning onto it, curiously inhaled, "Eh, it's not that bad. Kinda nostalgic, actually! Reminds me of playing with my siblings when I was a kid."
Her eyes shifted from the star filled sky to his face. Dare she push him to open up about his family more…?
"Um...what did you use to do with your siblings? Being a single child & all, I never got to experience that stuff."
He blinked, looking over at her with a bit of surprise from the random question, "Hmm, well, nothing that different from everyone else's sibling experiences, probably. We'd go explore out in the neighborhood, play pretend games, get in stupid fights, stuff like that. We use to play a lot in the attic of our house too, which is probably why this quilt is making me nostalgic. Smells just as dusty & old, haha!"
His warm, deep laughs filled the silence of the environment, overpowering the faint crickets & rustling of wheat in the fields. He finished with a sigh, & looked high up into the sparkling sky. Eva's eyes lifted to the sky as well, assuming he was finished reminiscing. That was fine, she didn't want to pry.
"The stars reminds me of home, too," Jordan said, a somber smile on his face. Again, she turned to him, detecting a hint of sadness in his voice. "My hometown was really small, nothing like the city, so the night sky was always pretty starry. But my brother, sister & I would bike out of town a little ways sometimes in the summer to go stargazing. My brother really liked astrology, so he'd try to drag us out as often as possible & try to teach us constellations & stuff."
She giggled, "Aw, that's cute. Did he do a good job? Remember anything?"
Jordan thought for a moment, looking up towards the stars with focus, "Uhh...that's Corvus, I think…?" He leaned down towards her sleeping bag, trying to match her eye level, & pointed towards the west of the sky.
She jumped slightly, feeling his arm brush against her's when he positioned himself closer. His face was also mere inches away from her's, as if he'd never heard of personal space.
Eva's eyes were caught & locked onto the stars, but not via the sky. She was looking at them reflected in Jordan's eyes, the bright sparkles looking beautiful against the shimmering gold.
"Do you see it?" He asked without looking at her, keeping his index finger pointed towards the sky.
This got her eyes to move, & she squinted while seeking out the constellation, "Wait, what's the shape suppose to be?"
Jordan leaned in even more, oblivious to how close he was getting, making Eva's face flare up. He traced an off-square shape in the sky with his finger flicking downwards at the end, "Its sorta like that, with a tail at the bottom, right there."
Eva's eyes darted all around the sky, trying to detect the constellation. "I...think I see it? Is it that?" she questioned, pointing in generally the same direction as Jordan.
"Yeah, it's around there. With all the stars it can be sorta hard to tell. Oh, over here is one of my favorites, it's called Coma...Barcines? No, wait, Coma Berenices!" His hand moved south, pointing out 3 exceptionally bright stars in a cluster.
"Guess what shape it makes?" He smirked, looking at Eva from the corner of his eyes. She had to take a second to locate & study the stars, then tilted her head, "...Uh, a triangle…?"
Jordan chuckled & moved his hand over the stars in his view, drawing out the shape, "Nah, it's just a corner." His hand moved up, then right, drawing out the insanely simple design.
"What? Pft, it's just an upside down right angle! That's so lame!" Eva whined, her hand flipping into a thumbs-down position.
The Avatar just laughed & shook his head, holding his gut with his hand to try & contain himself, "Its not lame, it's funny! It's just a corner, but it still gets it's own name & everything!"
Eva chuckled a bit, more amused by his reaction than anything. Yeah, it was a little funny, I guess, she thought. Jordan would find something funny about something as simple as this.
A flash appeared in her peripheral vision, making Eva jolt up from her sleeping bag. She sat up, a finger shooting out into a random spot in the sky, "Jordan, I think it's starting!"
His head whipped around to follow where she was pointing, eyes scanning for any bolts of light. Sure enough, another meteor flew across the sky off to the right of her finger.
Before they knew it, the sky was scattered with falling trails of light, hundreds & hundreds of them mingling with the stars. A wide smile spread across Eva's face while she watched, eyes wide & focused. "It's...absolutely amazing…!" she said in a loud whisper, bringing her hand back to rest at her side.
Jordan gazed into the sky with his own small smile for a bit, enjoying the meteor shower for what it was. Though nothing astounding to him, it was nice to see from this angle for once. Then he turned back to his friend, & his eyes fell on Eva.
Breathless didn't even begin to cover how he felt right there.
The light of the stars & the moon made her skin practically glow with an almost ethereal, beautiful soft light. Her smile was as bright as the stars themselves, wide & dazzling from her child-like wonder. Her dark hair flowed gracefully around her from the slight summer breeze, white streaks of reflecting light swimming through the locks.
And in her eyes, the falling meteors danced in front of the crimson backdrop in the most gorgeous & magical way. How could this simple, pathetic spectacle of space even hold a candle to her radiance right now?
"Yeah it's...beautiful…" he mumbled, obviously not talking about the sky. Eva didn't notice, however, & just kept her view upward. Her utter joy & amazement just made Jordan even more mesmerized by her.
He should have seen this coming. He should have known that he would just fall for her all over again tonight.
What an idiot he was.
Once the initial amazement faded, Eva sprawled back on her sleeping bag & got comfortable, lifting her knees up again & placing her hands on her stomach. She lay there, observing the phenomenon in silence with her friend beside her. A warm, sentimental feeling filled her chest.
These were moments she wished she had as a child, ones that she would make with her friends & cherish. Unfortunately, with spending most of her life at sterns, she really did miss out on a lot of typical childhood joys. Sleepovers, birthday parties, roaming the streets with her friends...stargazing…
Better late than never, at least.
Eva turned to smile up at Jordan, barely catching his stare on her. Luckily, he turned away barely in time for her to notice. “So, having fun yet?” she wondered in a giddy tone, crossing one leg over to rest atop her knee. She really hoped he was enjoying himself as much as she was.
“O-Oh, yeah, it’s fun! Didn’t think there would be this many,” he responded, having barely paid attention to the sky in the past ten minutes.
“I told ya it was gonna be awesome,” she chided, poking at his side. He chuckled & looked back up to the sky, actually trying to admire the falling sparks of light. And to resist the awkward urge to admire other things.
More silenced passed, aside from the musical chirps of crickets hiding in the grass. Jordan eventually let out a huge sigh & fell back onto his sleeping bag, closing his eyes.
Eva blinked & looked over at him, breaking her stare from the meteor shower, "Going to sleep?"
He shook his head & took another deep breath, exhaling before speaking, "Nah, just missing Noah. He would have loved to see this. Hell, he's probably watching it right now with Sam & mom...sitting out on the porch with a pair of binoculars like a nerd, heh…"
His voice was an odd cocktail of nostalgia, longing, & a touch of anger. Maybe it was resentment. Still, no matter the feeling, it was the first time Jordan had ever spoken with that type of tone about his family, & it hurt.
Pain, sudden & sharp, struck her chest. It was like a small slice, merely a papercut at Eva’s heart. But god, did it sting, & sadness slowly started seeping from the wound.
Her eyelids lowered, excitement about making memories with her dear friend dramatically dropping into guilt. Guilt for taking the opportunity for him to do this away from him. For being the reason for his sacrifice, & the reason he couldn't be with his family right now. Eva could only blame herself. She felt it was unfair of her now to enjoy this time when Jordan obviously was feeling quite different.
How selfish.
“...Jordan?” Eva asked in a low voice, a pained look of concern on her face. He looked to her, expression surprisingly neutral until he saw her own. His eyebrows wrinkled together, concerned, “What’s wrong, Molly?”
She couldn’t let her eyes meet his, for some reason. It hurt more, seeing the gold that replaced past obsidian.
Softly, she asked, “Do you regret becoming The Avatar…?”
Jordan’s face stiffened. What an almost impossible question she had just imposed on him.
His eyes fixated back up to the sky, watching the meteors fall again. The expression on his face was unreadable. The silence only made Eva nervous, but she didn’t want to push him, either. All she could do was sit & await his answer, hopefully a real one that wouldn’t be considerate of her feelings. She wanted the truth, no sugar-coating.
“That’s a really stupid question, Molly,” was the first thing to leave his lips, along with a small laugh.
This made Eva stare wide-eyed at him, absolutely bewildered. “H-Hey, no it’s not! It was serious!” she shouted, spreading her arms outward for emphasis.
This just made him laugh more, the rumble of sounds greatly lightening the depressing atmosphere. Eva puffed her cheeks out, crossing her arms in front of her chest, “Fine, don’t answer then, whatever!”
Wiping a tear from the corner of his eye, Jordan sucked in a deep breath to regain his oxygen before responding, “N-No, I’ll answer, just, haha…!” A few more chuckles escaped him before he could continue, “Of course I don’t! Even if I did, what’s the point?”
Blinking, Eva raised an eyebrow curiously at him, “What do you mean?”
Jordan shrugged, a lopsided smile on his face, “Because regrets aren’t going to change anything. There’s no undo button or resignation letter for this thing, so what’s the point in feeling bad about it?”
“I...guess that’s true,” she responded, looking down. The lack of choice in the matter of Avatarship still felt cruel to her.
"But," he said, a slightly more serious tone to his voice now, "If I could make the choice, somehow, I don't think I'd stay The Avatar. Or, at least, I'd like to grow up a little before taking on a big role like this. Don't get me wrong, I've been trying my best & I haven't really messed up yet...But even I don't think a random kid from a random planet is the best choice for the job of protecting the galaxy, ya know?"
Soaking in his words, she nodded, completely understanding. Eva had actually spent a lot of time after returning to Earth contemplating the events & entire process for choosing The Avatar.
Really? It didn't make much sense, but maybe that was all due to unwavering traditions. Knowing Jordan personally & knowing his strong heart for justice was a solace to him taking on the role. Even with that, it never did seem fair, no matter how she sliced it.
He was so young, & still had so much ahead of him in life back on Earth that he would never get to experience. At least that was no longer the case. Well, mostly.
"Ya know, Jordan, you've become a lot more...thoughtful," she said, smiling gently, her heavy heart growing lighter. The Avatar needed a certain level of maturity & understanding for the role, & it was clear to her that Jordan had gained this during his training. She was always right to have faith in him.
A small amount of color came to his cheeks, & he fidgeted with the collar of his shirt, "U-Uh, thanks Molly."
She chuckled, enjoying his flustered response, "I mean it. Really mature of you to think that way & stuff. I just wish you didn't have to sacrifice so much for it…"
He shrugged again, "Yeah, it sucks, but I've mostly made peace with it. I miss my family a lot, of course, but as long as I can keep doing right by them & protect them by being The Avatar...I'm ok."
Flashing his classic goofy smile & a thumbs up, Eva was truly assured he was, and would be, ok.
Her guilt slowly dripped away, the warm comfort she had come to love coming back. She gave him a glowing smile in return.
"Sorry we got so heavy there," she sighed, reaching up to pat him on the shoulder.
"Hey, it's fine! Nothing wrong with a little heart-to-heart chat with a friend, right?" he replied confidently.
"Nope, nothing wrong with it at all...So, your brother's name is Noah? Is Sam your little sister, then?" Eva asked, changing the subject slightly. She was still trying to tread the topic lightly, not letting blunt curiosity get the better of her.
"Yup. Her full name is Samantha but everyone calls her Sam, except mom, who calls her Sammy. My mom's name is Beth, by the way. Isn't it such a stereotypical mom name?" Jordan teased, sounding quite happy to reminisce more about his family again, to Eva's relief.
They spent most of the night laying there, chatting away while viewing the meteor shower & star filled sky.
Eventually, as the hour grew late, Eva retired to the small tent to leave Jordan by himself on the quilt. The remainder of the night he had spent awake, thinking...a lot.
About his life, then & now.
But by the time the stars started to fade & pastel hues began to emerge over the horizon, he was smiling.
A few loud honks jolted Eva from her sleep the next morning. "Ugh, what the fuck…?" she groaned, agitated, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
Sluggishly, she emerged from the tent a few minutes later & saw Jordan standing next to the road. He was talking with someone sitting in a worn dirt-red truck, the age of the machine shown through the peeling paint & rust. He turned in her direction upon hearing the zipper of the tent, & gestured her over with a smile.
"Here she is. This is my friend, Eva! She's the one who built that rocket seat, all by herself," he proudly introduced, moving out of the way so Eva could get a look at the person Jordan was talking to.
He was a much older man, face tanned & wrinkled from many years of work in the sun. His salt & peppered hair was hidden under an old hat, & he had a very bushy mustache underneath a plump nose that hid his mouth. He smiled, the curve of his mustache displaying so, & held a hand out to her from his rolled-down window, "Well, howdy there Miss Eva! The name's Joseph, you can call me Joe."
Still a bit dazed & not fully-awake, she looked at his hand with a blank expression before shaking it limply, "Hey, uh, nice to meet you, Joe…"
She looked at Jordan, & he easily picked up on her confusion, "These are Joe's fields. He was doing his morning drive to check on them & saw our little make-shift campsite on the side of the road."
The man nodded, a gruff chuckle coming from him, "Sorry if I scared y'all! I saw yer torn up bike there on the side & was a bit worried, figured maybe y'all were stranded."
Eva laughed weakly, "That's, uh, not far off, haha. The magnetic field generator died, & no one was around, so we just sorta set up here to figure out what to do in the morning…"
Jordan nodded towards Joe, confirming Eva's story to be true. The man jerked a thumb towards the bed of his truck, smiling wide enough for his teeth to barely poke beneath his mustache, "I see! Well, if y'all wanna drop yer stuff off in the bed, I can take ya into town!"
Eva, taken astonished by this stranger's immense kindness, raised her hands & waved them, "A-Ah, that's a lot of trouble, we couldn't do that to you!"
Joe blinked, adjusting the brim of his cap, "S'really no problem at all, I was gonna head there anyways for some supplies anyhow. Ya sure?"
Before she could decline further, Jordan wrapped an arm around Eva's back & clamped his fingers on her shoulder with a light squeeze. This made her flinch, giving him the chance to accept his offer for them, "We would appreciate that so much, Joe, thank you! Do you mind giving us a few minutes to pack up?"
"O'course, take all the time ya need! I'll make some room for y'all in the cab," the old man assured them with another smile. Jordan turned his friend around, then spoke low so Joe couldn't hear them as they walked back to their little camping zone, "Hey, he just wants to help. Let him, Molly."
Sighing, she shrugged his hand off her shoulder, "Its just a lot to do for some strangers, don't you think?"
He shook his head, beginning to dismantle the tent, "No, not really. Some people just really wanna do things out of the kindness of their hearts for others."
Why was this such a foreign concept to her? Why was this hard for her to grasp?
Yet why was it so easy for Jordan to understand?
Then, it clicked. Of course Jordan would know; His entire reason for existing now was dependent on selflessly doing things for others now. Not just a few strangers, no, but billions & billions of them through the whole galaxy. And Eva could so clearly see how much joy it brought him, & how worth it his actions were, even with no return.
Jordan had grown more thoughtful, but he had also grown much more kind.
She didn't question Joe's offer further. They finished packing quickly, shoving their items & the rocket seat into the bed of the rusted old truck before sliding into the snug cab with Joe. It was a bit of a tight fit, but no one really complained.
They set off from there, clouds of dust billowing behind them down the gravel road. "So," Joe spoke up, looking over at the two younger people, "Did y'all see the meteor shower last night?"
Both of them nodded, & Eva immediately was filled to the brim with a warm, fresh nostalgia. Certainly, last night was a memory she would hold close for a long time from now.
"It was absolutely beautiful."
Notes:
Random farmer Joe is the real MVP. Also, got some more Jordan-family talk! I personally think Jordan had a fairly sweet & close-knit family, & they spent a lot of time together. Makes the fact that Jordan can't see them all the more bitter sweet. :'c
Also, with this chapter done, I'll be taking a small break! I have some other things I really wanna write/have strong inspo for right now (specifically a Maya/Don date one shot & some later chapters for this series) so I'd like to get on those while the inspo is strong! Ty for everyone who reads~
Chapter 11: Moving In
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Drumming his fingers against the side of the plastic cup, Jordan looked across the table to Eva. She was ecstatic, going on about how immensely proud she was of herself & her final grades. Some of the tests & projects were a real challenge, but she came out on top in the end. Jordan did just fine as well, nothing exceptional, but he passed all his classes with no issue.
He didn't feel the same emotional high as his friend, however. No relief from school work & excitement for summer break filled his mind. Instead, he had a dull dread deep within his gut. With the end of the spring semester, & beginning of summer vacation, came a sad reality:
Eva would return home to Don & Rick.
She would come back, of course, in the fall with the new semester. But in that time, Jordan would be all alone in the city.
Again.
He didn't want that, especially not after miraculously finding & reconnecting with the person he wanted to see the most. It was entirely selfish of him to feel this way, but he couldn't deny his feelings. It hurt.
"Jordan? You there, partner?"
A hand was waving a few inches from his face, trying to nab his attention. His head lifted off his palm & his eyes snapped to look at Eva, "Oh, uh, sorry! Got a little lost in thought, I guess."
She tilted her head, both curious & concerned, "About what?"
He looked down at the lid of his iced coffee, the faint radio playing in the small cafe filling the silence between them. How the hell was he supposed to answer this without sounding like a pathetic, sad, needy idiot? "Uhh," was all he said while he tried to untie the knot in his brain.
Eva waited patiently for his answer, sipping at her own beverage. The time it took Jordan to gather his words only made her worry more. "...'Uhh' what?"
A defeated sigh left Jordan's lips & he smiled sadly, "It's just gonna be...really lonely here without you, is all…"
She didn't have a reply for this. He was stating a fact. A sad one, but a fact all the same.
Due to his circumstances, Jordan really didn't have anyone or anywhere to go for the summer, except back to the shelter farther off in the city. Eva thought it sounded...kind of miserable.
"Mhm...You don't have any friends? Anyone to stay with, instead of the shelter…?" she inquired carefully.
He shook his head, "Nope. I've been pretty cautious about getting too close to people, considering Avatar stuff. I've made a few small friends here & there, but mostly just from jobs or people at the shelter."
She nodded in understanding. It must have been a sad fate for him, having to keep everyone at an arm's length due to his secret. If anyone besides the original Earth Team found out, who knows what sort of repercussions could arise. Better safe than sorry, she figured, even if it was at the expense of companionship.
Then, an idea sparked in her head. She lifted up her index finger, drawing Jordan's attention again, "Hey, this won't solve your friendless-summer problem—"
Ouch, way to put it Mols, he winced internally.
"—but why don't you stay at my apartment for the summer? It's probably miles better than the shelter, & then you can keep the place tidy for me while I'm gone! No one'll be there anyways, so it'd be great for the rent to actually matter, haha."
Jordan stared, the offer taking a moment to sink in. He brought his hand to his chin, thumb tapping against it while he mulled the idea over.
Could he accept something so...unnecessary? It would be a hell of a lot better than a cot at the shelter, but it wasn't a big deal to him anyways. Not having to eat or sleep to survive, he didn't spend much time there in the first place.
Actually, he had been spending most of his time over at Eva's already. He even brought his duffel bag over sometimes, with all of his few earthly possessions, when he crashed on her couch overnight. He cooked there (mostly for Eva), bathed there, slept there sometimes...It was sounding more & more appealing as he weighed the pros & lack of any real cons.
A smile pulled at the side of his mouth & he looked to Eva, "Are you sure? It wouldn't be a problem for you or your dad, right?"
A pleased expression came over her face, & she childishly let her legs kick back & forth under the table in excitement, "Nah, don't worry about dad! You'd be doing us a favor, really. Just don't go in my room."
"Aww, but where will I sleep?" he whined, exaggerating his tone as a joke.
She rolled her eyes & chuckled, "The couch is plenty comfy!"
"Clean the entire apartment once a week. You'll be responsible for buying any food or cleaning products. Keep the windows open for at least 3 hours a day, to help circulate the air. Eva's room is off limits, & under no circumstances may you enter. No parties, but you may have a maximum of two guests at a time."
"I don't know anyone else around here, Mr. Wei."
"Ah, then forget that last rule."
The Avatar's shoulders slumped while Don berated him outside the apartment building, drilling these rules into his head before him & Rick left with Eva. Rick came down the steps, rocket seat slung over his shoulder, "Alright, I think we got everything." Eva followed after him, a large suitcase in hand, which she tossed into Don’s car trunk before slamming it shut.
Jordan could feel his throat tighten while he watched it all happen, dreading every minute that went by. His hand gripped the strap of his duffel bag that was slung over his shoulder, now halfheartedly listening to Don's yammering. His focus was on Eva, watching her chat with Rick as he effortlessly placed the rocket seat on the roof of the car & began strapping it down. It really put a damper on his excitement to finally live in a real home for the first time in a long time.
"Got it, Wilde?" Don said in a stern tone, holding his hand out to Jordan. The boy snapped back to attention & shook Don's hand with a noticeable lack of energy, "O-Oh, yes sir."
Don cocked an eyebrow up, but he left it at that. Jordan would probably be fine by himself, he assumed. More so, he was just happy that the rent he paid to keep the place during the summer wouldn't be wasted.
The back door of Don's car closed, & Eva lightly jogged over to the two men, "Dad, I'm gonna go say goodbye to Jordan & give him the keys." She twirled the key ring around her finger & turned back towards the building, grabbing onto Jordan's wrist to pull him along.
"Ah, I'll come wi—" He was interrupted by Rick's hand on his shoulder, holding him back firmly, "Nah, just let them go. You already gave Jordan the rundown, so let them say their goodbyes in peace." With a huff, Don watched the two walk off.
While walking up the stairs back to the apartment, Jordan tried to lighten his own mood, "So, did you get the same huge list of rules from Don when you moved in, too?" Eva shrugged, "Like, half as many. Sorry if he was a hardass about it, but I'm sure you'll be fine. You're responsible!" Jordan put on a fake grin, "Heh, it's ok, you're right."
More like I'll just sit around the apartment all summer doing nothing by myself. Oh how he wished he could dismiss these lonely thoughts for now, but they were persistent.
They arrived once more at the apartment together, the door still wide open as Eva & Rick left it. Jordan walked in, dropped his duffel bag to the floor, & turned to look at Eva with a smile, "Welp, I'm all moved in!" She laughed & tinkered with her key ring, slipping the apartment key off of it.
She held it out to him, & he took it slowly. It was a weird feeling for Jordan to have this large of a possession again, even if only temporary. He looked around, mixed feelings about it all. Eva would only be taking her clothes & some every-day use items, so much of it was still in tact. It felt a lot like she was just going to run an errand & would be back soon, but the key in his hand insisted otherwise. The cold metal pricked at his nerves.
“Soooo…” Eva sighed, kicking at nothing in the doorway, “You gonna be ok by yourself?”
He feigned a confident smile & gave her a thumbs up, “Of course! You got nothing to worry about. What about you? Excited to stay at home for a bit?”
She waved a flat hand back & forth in the air with a side-smile, “Eh, it’ll be fun & relaxing, but you know how my dad can be.”
Jordan chuckled in response, “Yeah, I just got an ear full.”
An awkward silence fell over them, with not much left to say. But they lingered there, with him standing in the middle of the living room & her in the doorway. She needed to leave, as Don & Rick were waiting, but her feet didn't budge. This went on for an uncomfortable amount of time.
Begrudgingly, Jordan opened his arms & stepped forward, “Well, you should go. I hope you have a good summer, Molly.” He had to swallow his own woes as he spoke, trying to keep this goodbye a happy one.
Eva’s eyebrows wrinkled together while she smiled somberly, & rushed into his arms at a surprising speed to hug him tightly around the waist. Jordan was taken aback for a moment, but sighed deeply & returned the embrace just as strongly.
“I’ll miss you, Jordan,” she spoke, quiet & muffled.
“I’ll miss ya too, Mols. But you’ll be back in a few months, so just enjoy yourself.” How pathetic, to give the words of comfort he couldn’t accept himself. He probably needed them way more than she did. At least she had a family to go home to.
She pulled back & looked at him, eyes wavering, “Yup, I’ll be back before you know it. Well...Take care, Jordan.”
And with a small wave from the doorway, Eva left . It’s just a few months, Jordan, you can do it. She’ll be back.
“...This still sucks,” he mumbled in the silence.
Eva was settled back into her family home in less than a week, already set into a similar routine from before she left for college. It had been really nice to spend time with her dad & Rick, though mostly Rick, since Don was still gone most of the day for work. They watched a lot of stupid garbage television or worked together in the garden, just like her weekends in high school. She was enjoying herself quite a bit.
But she always felt a little off. She assumed that she was still adjusting, but even after 2 weeks back home, the feeling lingered. It felt a lot like something...or someone, was missing.
Maybe she had gotten use to Jordan being around constantly back at her apartment, so her mind still expected him to be there. She kept finding herself thinking he would be in a room when she entered, or he would come over soon with a backpack full of homework or ingredients for dinner.
However, she never expected the disappointment that would always gnaw at her when he wasn't there. She didn't expect to...miss him like this.
There was still a long summer ahead of her, so she just shook the feelings off as best she could. If only there were more distractions. Maybe she could make adjustments on her rocket seat in the garage over the summer...like install a larger second seat for Jordan.
"Ahh thanks for dinner, Rick, it was super good!" Eva proclaimed, leaning back in her chair & patting her stomach with a satisfied smile. Rick chuckled, grabbing her empty plate, "Glad ya liked it, little mouse. I was afraid it was gonna be a little too spicy for you."
She smirked & looked over at Don, "Not for me, but maybe for dad."
The older man's face was bright red, composure wavering while sweat drops trickled down his forehead. Coughing slightly, he shook his head, "N-No, it's not that bad. Just, ugh, j-just a little spicy." He took a huge glug of water, contrary to what he said.
Rick sighed as he rinsed his & Eva's dishes off in the sink, "I told you I could make yours mild, Don. You're too old for food like this." The older man grimaced, scooping up another forkful of food, "I am not old, & I am not too old for spicy food!"
He shoved the food into his mouth with a trembling hand & almost choked when Eva patted his back heartily, "Don't push yourself dad, seriously, you'll get heartburn. I'm gonna go chill in my room now, call me if ya need me." Don only nodded, trying to swallow, so Eva made her way up to her old bedroom.
She flopped onto her bed, laying atop the old red & black star-patterned sheets she had picked out in high school. Her whole room still had a lot of hallmarks from her high school years decorating it: Rock bands & racing posters, worn stickers decorating her dresser & desk, red fairy lights tapped up around the corners of her ceiling, & a closet packed with old clothes she had grown out of long ago. Her Earth team uniform was packed away in a box far in the back.
A large yawn escaped her gaping mouth, & she pulled her laptop from the floor up to her pillow. She mindlessly explored around the internet, checking the current racing season rankings & watching videos. It really wasn't much different from what she would be doing back at her apartment. The only difference was the lack of comfortable background banter between her & a certain Avatar.
Wish Jordan had a phone so I could check in on him, she thought, wondering how everything was going. She had this passing thought almost every night.
A blaring electronic-punk song coming from her phone made her jump, & she leaned over to her bedside table to grab it. On the lock screen, she had an incoming call from 'Koji'. Her face lit up, & she answered it immediately, "Koji, long time no talk! What's up?"
"Eva, good to hear from you!" Koji replied, a cheerful tone to his voice. "Heeeey Eva!" Stan said loudly, sounding a tad farther off from Koji.
"Hehe, tell Stan I said hey back. Everything going well since Miguel retired?" She asked, settling against her pillows with her arm behind her head.
"Yeah, pretty smooth sailing so far. There's a lot more accounting, now that we have to take care of the finances, but it's not bad. About that, though: remember that big mechanics conference that's happening a little far off from your place? Performance Racing Industry Trade Show?" Koji inquired.
Eva was deeply confused for a few seconds, before her brain corrected her, "Oh, my apartment! Sorry, I'm back home with dad & Rick, so I thought you meant here."
"Oh, shoot," Koji said with slight frustrated disappointment. Eva swore she could hear the slap of his palm against his own forehead.
"I forgot summer vacation was a thing! See, we're going to the conference with a new racer model we've been cooking up, but she needs a lot of work. We were hoping to stay in the city for a month or so before PRI & have you help us out. But if you're not there…"
She jumped up from her lying position, heart pounding with excitement, "Whoa, hold on, you guys were gonna come visit? You should have said so earlier!"
"Actually," Stan said, sounding a bit closer but still not as close to the phone, "We're on our way right now. Got the racer in the back trailer."
"Right now?! You guys really need to give people more of a heads up with these things!" Now it was Eva's turn to face palm.
"H-Hey, it was last minute for us too! Our invitation got delayed, what with the transfer of business & legalities. It's complicated," Koji let out a sigh into the speaker, & Eva was sympathetic to his stress.
"And that's why we were hoping to get your help on this baby," Stan chimed back in, "She needs a lot of work to be spick & span in time for the conference, & you were the first person thought of. Our little mechanic stowaway!"
Eva snickered, "You sure it's not just because my apartment is on the way?"
Koji chuckled lightly, "No, but that does make things a lot easier. But if you're not there, I guess—"
"Wait, how far are you guys?"
"O-Oh, uh, how far, Stan?"
"About 4 hours, maybe 3 if the traffic doesn't pick up."
Her decision was a no brainer. She loved her father & Rick, truly, but now there was so much more waiting for her back in the city. Stan & Koji needed her, she would have a great project to work on during the summer, maybe even get to visit the trade show with them…
And she would get to see Jordan again.
She immediately hopped off her bed & started shoving her clothes back into her suitcase, "I'll be there. Race ya to see who gets in the city first!"
Flying down the stairs, she ran to tell her father & Rick.
Nothing much had changed in the apartment since Eva left. Jordan had barely touched the kitchen, & the bathroom was unchanged aside from a new bottle of shampoo & body wash on the shelf of the tub. The only evidence that someone was actively living there was the low-effort sleeping set up of a pillow & blanket on the couch, along with Jordan’s pile of unpacked clothes. He didn't have a dresser or closet, so the floor would have to do.
The Avatar had barely moved from his place on the couch as well. If he wasn’t out doing some random job for pocket change or teleported off to Oban, he was melting his brain with television. He didn’t have much desire for anything else & had years worth of seasons to catch up on anyways. It was oddly cathartic to see how fast time would pass after he finished binging another show.
And Jordan was doing just that tonight: curling up on the couch with the blanket tossed lazily over his shoulders, eyes glued to some action drama on screen. He hadn’t budged all evening, it seemed.
But he almost fell off the couch in startling surprise when a loud bang came from the front door, almost loud enough to shake the whole apartment.
“W-What the hell!” he yelled back in response to the knock, ripping the blanket off to stomp over to the door. It was way too late for normal solicitors, & anyone who knew Eva would know she’d be gone for the summer, so who the hell could it be?
He jerked the door open, ready to scream at the visitor for bothering him so late at night. The annoyed grimace on his face immediately melted away when he saw Eva standing before him with her suitcase at her side.
She waved up at him anxiously due to his previously foul expression, “Uh, did I come at a bad time?”
Jordan stared down at his friend, initial confusion delaying his ability to process his happiness.
“M-Molly! No no, just, why are you here?” he stammered, a bright smile he couldn’t contain now plastered on his face. Eva relaxed now & grinned back at him, “Something came up suddenly, but I'll explain! Ok, so, remember Stan & Koji?”
Jordan welcomed her back into her apartment & tossed his things off the couch, making room for her to sit down. She relayed Koji’s phone call, their request to have Eva work with them on the racer, & her plan to come back to the city for the summer. A short & sweet explaintion, but Eva seemed very excited about it all.
“Dad wasn’t happy about me leaving on such short notice, but Stan & Koji are almost here, so I needed to leave ASAP, ya know?”
Jordan gasped lightly, “Wait, they’re almost here? Like, right now?”
She grinned, “Yup! We’re gonna meet up tomorrow morning though, since it’s pretty late.”
Looking the tiniest bit hopeful, Jordan pointed at himself, “Do you...Do you think I could say 'hi' to 'em?”
That was a very good question, but one Eva was entirely unsure of. She crossed her arms, pondering, “I dunno, Jordan...Maybe? I know they could keep a secret, but it’s still dangerous…”
His eyes fell to the floor, & he sighed sadly, “Yeah, I figured…Just would have been nice to see them too.”
Eva couldn’t help but feel awful about her answer. Jordan didn’t deserve to live in secrecy like this, but it was just how things needed to be.
On the other hand, however, they already broke the rules. Don & Rick knew, so what was the harm in letting their other dear friends from their adventure know that Jordan was here?
She wrapped an arm around Jordan’s shoulder, giving his body a playful shake, “Hey, don’t be down! Screw the rules, I’ll ask them about it & maybe we can all hang out! Just might take a few days, to give them time to settle in.” His cheeks flushed, feeling Eva’s body warmth close to him again after so long. It had only a few weeks, but it felt like forever to him.
He wrapped his arms around her shoulders & pulling her into a tight hug. A burst of overwhelming appreciation for everything she was doing for him warmed his chest. It was terrifying being back on Earth in his situation, & needing to tiptoe around his entire identity at every waking moment. Having no one to confide in, & little to connect you to this world you were no longer bound to, was a harsh thing to accept. It was even worse knowing your family & loved ones were out there, but you shouldn’t—no, couldn’t—see them.
But Eva had been doing everything in her power to make him feel at home again: Accepting his friendship back with open arms, giving him a space where he didn’t have to put on a facade, & risking herself to bring back connections he thought were lost to circumstance. Even with the almost unlimited power of a God, he could never do enough to repay her kindness.
Or her gift of feeling human again.
“Thank you for everything, Molly...You do too much for me, seriously,” Jordan mumbled contently.
Eva laughed, hugging him back with some friendly pats on the back, “Hey, don’t worry about it, seriously! Just doing what I can for my partner.” Such an open-ended term had come to mean so much to him. His heart fluttered whenever it left her lips.
Then, realizing a possible issue with Eva’s plans, he pulled back & looked down at his pile of meager possessions next to the couch, “Oh, so uh, should I leave? Since you’re coming back?”
She was silent for only a moment before giving a lax shrug, “Nah, just stay here. It’d be a real dick move if I kicked you out after saying you could stay, so just stay!”
Jordan was relieved with her answer. Sure, it had been lonely in this apartment without her, but it was still leagues ahead of a bunk at the shelter. Also, having an actual bathroom was a blessing, “Only if you’re cool with it, Mols!”
She grinned & stood up from the couch, stretching her arms up into the air, “Duh! You were practically living here anyways, with how often you were over. And we were roomies on Oban, so it’s no different!”
“Oh yeah, that’s true...Well then, this will be the start of a beautiful roomie-ship!” Jordan exclaimed, reclaiming the entirety of the couch by flinging his upper body to the other side.
Eva nodded, yawning at the same time, “Yaaa! Phew, I’m beat from the rush over here, so I’m gonna turn in.”
He readjusted himself on the couch, pulling the blanket & pillow up from the floor, “Yeah, go get some shut eye, Molly. Or should I say, ‘Roomie’?”
She stuck her tongue out at him playfully, walking towards the hallway to her bedroom, “No, don’t. But...Goodnight, ‘Roomie’~ See ya in the morning”.
Settling into his new, permanent ‘bed’, Jordan happily drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
Finally, this apartment felt like home again.
Notes:
"And they were roommates" "oh my god they were roommates"
ANYWAYS yes FINALLY Eva & Jordan are living together now! Not that they weren't basically already doing that, but it's official~ Hope you guys look forward to some fun Stan & Koji hangout times as well for the next few chapters!
Also Performance Racing Industry is a real trade show. Not a very good name imo lol
Chapter 12: Pep Talk
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
"Stan! Koji!"
"Eva!"
The party of three embraced each other in the warm, humid parking garage. "It's so good to see you guys in person! Phone calls & holochat just isn't the same," Eva chuckled when they all pulled back.
Stan casually sliped his thumbs into his overall pockets, "Sure ain't! How else are we supposed to see how much you've grown, little stowaway?"
Over the years both mechanics had changed appearance slightly, as people do with age. Koji had cut his hair shorter & gotten new, thick rimmed glasses, probably with a new prescription for his deteriorating vision. Visible bags hung under his eyes as well, but Eva assumed they were due to the extra hours he had been putting in during their business transfer. Stan was as muscular as ever, but now he consistently wore short sleeved spandex tops under his overalls. His fiery red hair had dulled in color a bit, small strands of gray spread throughout. His sideburns had also grown all the way around his jaw & chin, giving him a full beard.
"It hasn't been that long since we last saw her, Stan," Koji interjected. "It was only about a year ago, when Don needed us for Grand Prix season-prep."
The dark skinned man shrugged, "Eh whatever, it's been a while is my point! So, Eva, wanna check out our little pet project for the next month?" His thumb jerked behind him, her eyes following to see a huge object that was placed in the middle of the floor under a tan tarp.
"Oh, you bet I do!" She exclaimed, running over to the mass with pure glee. The two men were warmed by her excited energy, & followed after her to the hidden machine. Eva stood right in front of them, almost bouncing with anticipation for the reveal. The two looked at each other, grinning with their fists gripped edges of the tarp.
"Alright, Eva!" Koji exclaimed, "say hello to—"
"—The Gale!" Stan proclaimed, both of them pulling the covering away to crumple onto the floor.
Her eyes grew wide, sparkling in wonder from the sleekly designed racer in front of her. It had a similar shape to the Arrow series she was familiar with, but with a narrower & longer silhouette. The thrusters on the side were more tear-drop shaped with large metal plating protecting the inner mechanisms. The cockpit was shaped like an oval pod, probably for a more aerodynamic purpose, but was currently missing the glass cover.
Stan patted the hull, gazing up admirably at the racer, "Speechless, huh? She's a real beaut, thanks to Koji's drafting!"
The man in question laughed bashfully, "Well, it wouldn't be here as it is now without Stan's ability to build the framework from scratch."
It's so like them to push the praise onto one another, Eva thought with a grin. Their strengths played so naturally off one another, almost seamlessly. It was easy for them to dismiss their own hard work in favor for the effort of the other, even when the end result only existed due to their combined qualities. It was sweet, in a dorky mechanical kind of way.
Her finger tips slid along the side of the machine as she made walked around it for a closer look. The metal was still matte & unpainted, but felt quite cool despite the hot air in their current work space. Racer instincts tugged at her mind to scramble into the open cockpit, but she held them back forcefully.
A loud hollow bang sounded from the other end of the machine, making Eva jump in surprise. She peeked around the corner to find Stan gesturing her over.
“So, why we need your help, Eva—” he started, plucking a screwdriver out of his pocket, “—is because she’s actually missing most of her thruster parts, break & fuel system, & the cockpit is only about half done.”
After quickly removing 4 screws, Stan pulled out a metal panel to give her a glimpse of what they were currently working with. The open hole showed a few stray wires hanging on the inside & thin blue tubing. A cooling system, she assumed, explaining why it felt considerably chill despite the weather. Eva slipped her head inside & gazed at how surprisingly empty it was, forearms already aching at the amount of work that still needed to be completed.
However, this also excited her more. The Gale was like a blank canvas, just ripe with the opportunity for creative adjustments & ways they could improve her performance on the track. The ideas that popped into Eva’s mind were just thrilling, burning in the fire of her passion for mechanics.
Koji came over from a work table shoved to the side, with a keyboard & strap in hand. He slung it over his shoulders to rest against his abdomen, clicking the device to life. A bright neon screen appeared in front of him, his eyes scanning over the charts & letters, "So, ready to get started? First up is installing the motherboard panels for the hyper-drive systems."
Tying her hair up in a low bun, Eva stuck out an upright thumb at Stan & koji, "Let's do it!"
Sweat dripped off her forehead with each crank of the wrench, twisting until the bolt would no longer budge. Eva pulled a dirty rag from her pocket, wiping the layer of moisture from her face with a sigh.
Two weeks had passed since the mechanic duo arrived in the city to finish The Gale. They had all begun toiling away on the project since day one, but unfortunately, there were a few hiccups with the build. It was to be expected with a completely new series & new technology, but an annoyance nonetheless. Thougg the genius of Stan & Koji's minds overcame the road bumps, so progress was going smoothly otherwise.
Koji looked up to where Eva was working, standing by one of the open side panels along with Stan, "Hey Eva, wanna take a 10 minute break? Get some water?" She nodded down at him from her spot in the cockpit & laid her wrench in the toolbox off to the side, "Please, I'm dying up here."
She swung down a ladder & joined them against a wall of the parking garage, one of the cooler places in the sweltering structure. Stan tossed her a damp but cold bottle of water, which she chugged greedily.
"Wish we could work in a nice air conditioned garage, but this is the best we could do on short notice," Stan grumbled apologetically as he sat down on a crate.
"You already apologized, like, five times Stan. It's fine, really," Eva replied, pressing the cool plastic against her cheek, "Summer is probably the worst season for spend hours in a parking garage, but the heat doesn't bother me too much."
Koji was pinching the collar of his shirt & flapping it open to relieve himself of the humidity, "That's good for you, but I'm not a fan. Still, we’re lucky the hotel allowed this at all."
Most of this project was thrown very haphazardly together thanks to legal delays & time restraints, but the group were making it work. Right now, they were very close to having the entire electrical & thruster system set up. After that, all that would be left is installing the fuel & breaks, & finishing up with the installation of the cockpit cover.
Stan looked The Gale over, a grin pulling at his lips, "She's looking great so far, though. We can probably finish her up by next week, unless we work quickly. But we don't want to get too sloppy."
Something in Eva's brain clicked. An opening.
"Um...I actually have someone I can bring that could help. Then the work would go faster, right? We can probably get it done by the end of this week!"
Ever since the mechanics rolled into town, Jordan had been low-key asking, no, almost begging for Eva to bring him along to one of her sessions of working on the ship. It had been getting on her nerves slightly, but in the same vein, she couldn't blame him for pestering her about it. She had been giving him a rundown every day of their progress, coupled with how Stan & Koji were doing. It probably only reinforced his desire to go.
And now was the perfect chance to invite him. She wasn't exactly lying, as Jordan had become a decently handy mechanic himself since his start at Burroughs. The only thing she was hiding was who it specifically was.
"Oh, a friend of yours?" Stan inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"Uh, yeah, we go to school together."
"Oh, so they go to Burroughs too! Then they're probably pretty skilled, huh?" Koji said with an expectant grin.
"Y-yeah! They're a year under me but they've been learning quickly. Want me to see if they can come over tomorrow? Maybe help install the cockpit cover?"
"Sounds like a plan!" The two men said in unison, sipping down the last of their water happily.
Jumping off the crate, Stan crushed the plastic in his fist before tossing it in a bin, "It'll be super nice to get another pair of hands around, especially if we can speed things up."
"The sooner we get out of being in his oven of a parking garage all day, the better," Koji groaned, but you could hear the happy relief in his voice, knowing the end was in sight. "And the sooner we can test The Gale out, too."
Eva was a mix of giddy & terrified. Bringing Jordan in & building reconnections brought a certain spark of joy to her heart. After re-introducing him to her father and Rick, a part of her ached to do it again. It wasn’t for a selfish feeling of self-satisfaction.
No, the joy was found in easing Jordan’s weary heart.
Being The Avatar didn't mean he needed to be lonely, & she had already stubbornly set a goal for herself to help him. This was just another step, but they still needed to be careful sharing this dangerous knowledge. While it was the only risk in front of them, it presented many disastrous outcomes. And it was those very outcomes that kept her on edge when sharing the secret of his existence.
A hardy pat on the back snapped her back to reality, & she turned to a smirking Stan, "Can't wait to meet 'em! Let's get back to work for now, though. I want to get the panel wiring in the cockpit connected before dinner."
Taking in a deep breath, she followed after the two. Racing thoughts of the reunion tomorrow kept her powered through the rest of the evening.
The next day, Eva was positively sweating bullets while her & Jordan walked up the stairs of the parking garage. But, not from the summer heat.
Beside her, the ex-gunner was grinning ear to ear. He shared none of her worries, instead being filled with excitement at seeing old friends again. She was over the moon for him, of course, but this situation was completely different than the reintroduction with her father & Rick. How would it go with them intentionally coming forward about Jordan’s entire situation?
“Do you think they still remember me?” Jordan asked, glancing nervously at Eva.
She let out a small giggle, “You kidding me? The rambunctious star gunner from the Earth Team, forgettable?” He responded with a huff, crossing his hands behind his head while they turned the corner of the stairwell, “Well, it’s been a few years! I’ve grown a little & got a new eye color, so maybe I’m not that recognizable.”
Eva waved a hand dismissively in the air, “Nah, you don’t look that different, just a bit scruffier.” One of his eyebrows cocked upwards, “Scruffy…?” he mumbled, cupping his chin in his hand to feel the bristles.
They stopped by the open entrance of the parking level where Stan & Koji could be heard clinking away at The Gale. Eva stopped Jordan from waltzing right in by holding his wrist back.
“Wait, I want to go in first. Let them know they’re in for a surprise,” Eva said in a tone that was more like a request than a demand. Jordan wasn’t exactly sure why they would need the heads up, but he didn’t want to stress Eva out further. ‘Got it, Molly. Just call me in whenever you want!”
A thankful sigh left her mouth. She then turned away to walk towards the two mechanics, hands fidgeting in her jean pockets.
Koji was the first to notice her footsteps. He glanced up from his hologram screen in her direction, “Eva, glad you made it! Oh, where’s your friend?”
Stan came from around the back of The Gale, a still warm welding torch in hand & a matching mask flipped up to his forehead, “Yeah, we thought you were bringing someone. Did they have to cancel?”
Her eyes darted to her scuffed shoes, mouth dry like cotton while she tried to speak.
“Um...The thing is, like…” Jordan’s name burned on her tongue, but there was no way to release it properly. Her voice was barely above a whisper while she struggled with her words.
Tilting his head curiously, Koji walked over to her, “Hey, if they couldn’t make it, it’s no big deal.” Stan nodded in agreement from beside The Gale & scooped up a large metal panel with his hand, “Yeah, don’t worry yourself over it, Eva! We can still handle it ourselves.” A warm, soothing hand fell unexpectedly on her shoulder. She looked up to see a soft smile from Koji, "Yeah, we're a team. We got this."
Yeah, a team. They never stopped being a team, not since they started their series trials & tribulations in The Great Race. Truly, they had all gone through a lot together, building a network of support in the chaos. Maybe this little reminder was what she needed, finding new assurance in sharing Jordan's situation. Stan & Koji could be trusted.
“No, they came with me,” Eva replied, looking up at them now with a confident smile.
“Jordan, get in here!”
Heavy footsteps came from the side of the cement wall where Jordan Wilde emerged. Koji’s mouth slowly fell open with disbelief, while Stan stared wide eyed & stiff by the machine.
This wasn’t exactly the kind of reception Jordan was expecting. The duo was stunned silent, but Eva was smiling back at him with no hint of her previous nerves. He raised a hand & waved slowly, “Uh, hey guys. Been a while?”
A loud metal clang rang through the entire parking garage when Stan’s fingers gave out & dropped the panel.
“Holy—”
“—shit.”
The four of them sat across from each other in pairs. Stan & Koji were on the open bed of a truck, while Eva & Jordan sat on a huge crate.
“A-Aha, yup, that’s basically the whole story,” Jordan laughed, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. He hoped he didn't miss any of the important details as he recounted his tale once again. So now, the mechanics were fully aware of Jordan’s status as The Avatar, what his life had become up to his point, & his current living situation with Eva.
“Honestly,” Stan exhaled, twirling a trademark toothpick in his mouth, “The most surprising part of this whole thing is that Don’s ok with you two living together.” Koji snickered, trying to hide it by turning away from them.
A blush flared on both Eva & Jordan’s faces, embarrassed & appalled by Stan’s implications, “Hey! It’s not like we weren’t already roommates on Oban, remember? We’re aren’t doing anything like that! ” Eva barked, jumping up from the crate as if being next to Jordan would just incriminate them more.
Beside her, Jordan’s blush grew even hotter, ears turning red when Eva further hinted at... that. Looking away & hiding the bottom part of his face with his hand, he added, “Y-Yeah guys, don’t get the wrong idea...Just friends & roommates! That's all.” Stan took notice of the boy's reaction, tucking it away for later.
“Of course, of course, we weren’t assuming anything. Regardless, I’m glad to see you’re doing well Jordan! Especially considering...everything you’ve been through. And majoring in mechanics on Earth! I never thought I’d see you work on anything besides a gun,” Koji inquired, turning the subject around quickly. Oh my God, thank you Koji, Eva cried internally.
Jordan relaxed back into the conversation, some of his ego bubbling to the surface as he began to rant, “Yeah, I’m actually doing really well in my classes, too! One of my professors is trying to convince me to take an advanced course next semester, since I—”
He continued on with his prideful banter with Koji listening intently, genuinely interested to hear how he had been handling schoolwork alongside Avatar duties. The wave of relief that had washed over Eva had her calm enough to smile & listen absentmindedly to the conversation. Once again, she was overtaken with nostalgia, happy that all four of them were able to enjoy each other’s company like this again.
Hours had gone by while they joked & conversed with each other, more than anyone would realize. The task at hand completely disappeared from their thoughts, shown by the parts that were still lying on the floor where they had been previously dropped.
Koji was the first to notice, twitching before looking down at a small watch on his wrist, “Oh, shoot, it’s almost 6.” Stan, who had gotten extra comfortable laying sideways in the truck bed, shrugged off his concerns, “Hey, that’s ok, we’re having a good time! We can consider this a break day, eh? What with our good ol’ friend Jordan Wilde back with us.”
He gestured his hand over to the boy, who’s expression bore a bit of guilt, “I didn’t mean to make the time get away, guys. Sorry about that…” Koji shook his head, “It’s really alright. We’ll just get back to work on things tomorrow, assuming you'll come back, Jordan?"
"Of course!" He proudly confirmed, pumping a fist in the air. "Glad to have you on the team!" Koji grinned, pleased with his enthusiasm. He would need it with the amount of work still yet to be completed.
"I think, for now,” Stan sighed, getting up to hop down from the truck, “We should get pizza! I’m starving, & I’m sure you two won’t say no to some free dinner, right?”
That grabbed the attention of the two broke college students, as he expected. “I want extra pepperoni!” Jordan cried. “And I want pineapple!” Eva cheered. Jordan turned & sneered at Eva, sticking his tongue out in disgust with an accompanied “Ick”. She merely rolled her eyes & shrugged, “Sorry I don’t like boring ol’ pepperoni like you, Jord.”
Stan & Koji chuckled to each other about their little squabble, invisible mental signals passing between them. You could almost assume they were telepathic by how easily they communicated without speaking a single word. With that, Koji slipped off the edge of the truck bed & pulled out an old pair of keys, “We should go grab it now then, if we’re all hungry. Eva, want to come with me? I won’t be able to carry all the boxes by myself.”
She was a bit curious as to why he signaled out her specifically, but didn’t think deeply about it. Nodding, she headed to passenger side door, “Oh, yeah, sure.” Koji was already walking to the driver’s side, & Jordan sat up from the crate to follow after them, “I’ll come t—”
He was stopped by a firm hand on his chest. Stan had stepped in front of him & held him back with a gentle force, “No, the truck’s only big enough for two. Your broad-ass shoulders wouldn’t leave any room for the pizza, anyway, Jordan.” His voice was painted in a playful tone, but there was a commanding flavor to it as well. The Avatar just stared down at Stan's hand, nervous about the sudden shift in his voice.
Jordan stood there while Eva & Koji drove away, his eyes following Stan when he walked away to seat himself on the crate.
“Come over here, Jordan. Let's talk.”
Stan sat in Eva’s previous spot & patted the space next to him. His expression was thoughtful, but serious. It had Jordan worried that something had gone wrong with their reunion, like maybe Stan & Koji couldn’t be trusted with his secret.
Nevertheless, he sat down, barely avoiding eye contact with the man beside him out of fear. After a few moments of quiet, Stan spoke up.
“So, when are you gonna tell Eva how you feel, huh?”
The question almost physically smacked him in the face & knocked him to the floor. Jordan, completely blindsided, had to regain his balance & collect himself before answering. “W-W-Wait, Stan, how do you know?!” he yelled with a burning red face.
Jordan’s reaction was just too amusing for Stan to keep any sort of composure. A bellowing laugh to come out of him, echoing through the whole garage. He swung a friendly arm around the boy’s shoulder, “You ain’t subtle at all, kid! Koji & I could see it plain as day on Oban, & we can tell you’re still just as deep as ever.”
He should have been relieved that it wasn’t something more serious, but instead, Jordan's heart sunk into embarrassment. He started to curl in on himself & covered his face with his hands, “Oh my God...I thought I was doing a good job hiding it, I must look like a complete idiot.”
Stan patted Jordan’s shoulder, “Nah, you just look like a love-struck guy. Nothing idiotic about that, man.” The words were a bit reassuring, but Jordan continued to sulk, “Eva must know then, if I’m that obvious with it. Fuck...”
Again, Stan disagreed, “Eva’s not really...receptive to other people’s feelings that much, ya know? I don’t mean that as an insult. She’s a great kid, but her upbringing didn’t have much emotional, uh... enrichment .”
It was a bit hard to describe, but Stan did about as well as he could. Koji was the one who could speak eloquently, not him. Jordan sighed & rolled his head back, “I guess, yeah...Her dad, though, or Rick! They probably hate that I’m here, & that we’re living together, & that—”
“Holy shit Jordan, just clam down!” Stan shook his shoulders roughly in an effort to get him to quit his babbling, “You’re fine, you’re fine! Don’s even more dense than Eva, & Rick’s always had a soft spot for ya. I doubt they mind at all. You’re way overthinking this stuff, & it won’t do you any good if you ever plan on confessing. You are going to confess to her, right?”
There was no easy answer to such a question, not with his circumstances. Jordan’s shoulders heaved while he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before answering, “...I don’t know. I tried, when we were on Oban…” Stan's eyebrows shot up in surprise, “Oh, really? Wait, how’d that go then?”
A rolling groan thundered from the boy before throwing his head back into his hands. Not well, Stan had to assume. Jordan spoke with a muffled voice through his gloves, “I thought it was Eva sitting in her hammock behind the curtain, but it was Don. He heard everything…”
Stan’s cackling laughter echoed through the parking garage again, tears stinging his eyes. Jordan just slumped forward even more, soaking in the wash of shame from probably the most embarrassing moment of his life.
After a few minutes, Stan finally calmed down & wiped away his tears. He smiled widely over at the sulking boy, “Jordan, that’s absolutely hysterical. I’m sorry that happened, but you godda admit that it makes for a hilarious story.”
A completely unamused expression covered Jordan’s face, his eyes sliding over to look up at Stan with a mild scowl, “Sure. Hilarious. Anyways, I guess that sort of reassures me that Don forgot about it, then...Eva probably did too…”
“Wait, you actually confessed to her, too? At like, a different time?” Stan asked. “Yeah,” Jordan nodded solemnly, looking out into the empty, gray cement floor. A thoughtful expression fell on his face while he recalled the memories in his head, “Right before I jumped into the Pyramid of Light to save her from Canaletto, I told her I loved her. But by the time we got to say goodbye, I was already transformed into The Avatar, & there...wasn’t much time to follow up.”
Stan was silent, staring up towards the ceiling in thought. Both men said nothing, until the silence was interrupted by Stan clicking his tongue, “That’s rough, buddy.” A simple gesture, but sincere. Jordan accepted it with a shrug. “I appreciate that. I'd like to tell her again, but…” he trailed off.
“Things aren’t the same?” Stan filled in, Jordan’s bright golden eyes widening in surprise. Bullseye.
“...Yeah. She hasn’t changed much in the past 7 years, but she still holds some resentment with herself over my...sacrifice.” He despised using that word, but it was what it was.
The older man had nothing to say to that, staying quiet, so Jordan continued, “And maybe whatever she possibly did have for me, isn’t there anymore. But the most important thing is that...I’m, well, not human anymore. And I’ll outlive her by thousands & thousands of years, barely aging while she grows old...As much as I’d hate to see her slowly fade away, I’ve already decided I would want that over never seeing her again...I decided that a long time ago.”
Conviction held Jordan’s gaze, his hands held together in a fist in his lap, “And I intend to keep that promise to myself...As long as she wants me here. As a friend, as more than that, whatever. I just...want her happy, Stan. That’s why I’m scared that I’ll hurt her, somehow.”
More silence passed between them while Stan processed all of the guts that Jordan just spilled all over the floor. He was a good listener, which is perhaps why he could so easily get Jordan to open up, but he wasn’t as skilled at reassurance or advice with matters of the heart.
“You’re still overthinking it, kid,” Stan finally announced, flipping the toothpick between his lips upwards. Jordan didn’t react, already aware of this fact.
“I’m not gonna act like dating a demigod would be easy, but you need to have a little more faith in Eva. She’s had it rough, but it’s made her strong as hell. She could weather any possible storm you two would have, I’m positive.”
Eva’s strength always was, & still is, one of her greatest qualities, Jordan completely agreed. But he had never really considered it in that way. His denial of a relationship between them ever panning out in the first place most likely blinded him in that regard. Now he felt foolish for not seeing it before.
“The thing that I know for sure, though, without a doubt,” The man continued, turning to lock eyes with Jordan, “Is that Eva sees you as Jordan Wilde, first, Avatar second. Actually, I don’t think she sees you much as the Avatar at all. More like human second, Avatar third.”
Jordan's breath catched & his heart practically flipped. It was exactly what he wanted to hear, which made it a bit too good to be true. His eyebrows creased together with a slight chuckle slipping from his lips, “Do you...really think so, Stan?” he asked, hopeful but scared.
“Yeah, I do. I’m not gonna bullshit you when we’re talking about something like this, I can promise you that. So, Jordan, just, don’t be so afraid of yourself, ok? Have more faith! Eh, I’m not good at this mushy stuff!” the man yelped, scratching his head furiously in frustration.
Before Jordan could reply, a series of honks came from the parking garage entrance. Shortly after, the truck rolled back into the garage with bright headlights creeping towards the two men. Inside the cab, they could see a huge pile of pizza boxes were laid upon Eva’s lap. They had gotten so many, her head barely peeked out from the top of them.
Without even thinking about it, almost as if by reflex, Jordan smiled upon seeing Eva. A real, bright, meaningful smile. Stan could tell simply from that how much Jordan truly was happy just being here. He was assured that no matter what, the two of them would be just fine.
Koji parked the truck & Eva slipped out, carrying the steaming hot boxes of food in her hands, “Knock knock, pizza delivery!”
Odors of Italian spices & cheese filled their noses pleasantly, coaxing Stan’s hungry stomach forward. He smacked Jordan’s back roughly, enough to shock him out of his smile, & stood up, “Well, let’s go grab some grub, Jordan! Hungry, aren’t ya?”
“I don’t have to eat, remember?” Jordan smirked, lifting himself off the crate. Stan shook his head, “Doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some of Earth’s finest cuisine! Now c’mon, we can eat on the work table.”
He watched Stan walk away & then moved his eyes back to Eva, who was grinning brightly at him, same as ever. She flipped open the box on the very top, revealing a greasy pizza that was heaping with crispy pepperoni.
Jordan got up & walked towards her, holding his arms out to help carry the food.
Stan was absolutely right.
Friends, lovers, whatever they may become: They would be fine.
Notes:
WOW SORRY I HAVENT UPDATED THIS FIC IN...LIKE...3 months? Or something? Basically just life happened (took a trip to Japan, pet diagnosed with cancer, big depression™, work, etc) so I didn't have the energy/motivation for a while. But I'm feeling pretty back into it! Still may be a while until the next chapter, what with holidays coming up (also new pokemon, cough) & that I want to adjust my timeline & figure out how to plan the next chapter out. So I dunno, it'll happen when it happens! Ty to anyone who reads my ship drabble~
BONUS: I updated my Jordan & Eva designs for this fic a bit, check em out here!
Chapter 13: In Her Blood
Notes:
again, disclaimer: idk how mechanics or mechanic conventions work so this is all pure bullshittin
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Carefully, Stan swung the crane in the direction of The Gale, its cockpit cover hanging from the metal hook. Koji stood below, waving his hands in the air to gesture Stan forward.
Once the cover was placed & joints properly attached, it would be 100% complete. The team of four had been working their asses off the past week to complete the project, & tonight was the night. There was a bit of fumbling at first while Jordan adjusted to working with the other three, but once the flow was found, he ended up being a great asset. His muscular strength, which only Stan had possessed between the original group, was another bonus for them when it came to heavy lifting.
"Ok, go ahead & lower it gently!" Koji called out loudly towards Stan. A loud creek stung their ears while the crane slowly started arching downwards. Eva & Jordan watched from the other side of the ship, perched on a roll-away step ladder in preparation. With a thud, the cover clamped snugly onto the cockpit, which was their cue.
Jordan slid to the floor & rolled Eva towards the side of the ship quickly, where she was already prepared with tools in hand. He parked her against the side & she immediately went to work attaching the joints.
"Done, next!" She called down to him, so he swiftly started moving her to the other side. Again, Eva quickly affixed the leaves & bolts with her tools.
Stan exited the rented crane, jumping down from the small steps to meet Koji when a loud clap sounded through the garage. They looked up to Eva, who was holding her hands up high in the air.
"Done! She’s finished, guys!"
The three men on the floor cheered, Stan & Koji high ten-ing themselves, Jordan pumping his fists enthusiastically. She turned to come down the step ladder, meeting Jordan at the bottom with a hard, almost painful high five.
The mechanics dashed over & threw their arms around them, dragging all of them into a group hug. "Finally, our very first professional solo project! She’s so damn beautiful, guys!" Stan cried, his smile threatening to crack his face in two. Koji echoed his sentiments, "The Gale really came together wonderfully, thanks to everyone. Eva, Jordan, you both did exceptionally!"
"Yeah, we couldn't have done it without you two!" Stan agreed, pulling back to give them both a bold pat on the back for a job well done. Jordan rubbed the back of his neck & grinned, while Eva gave them a beaming smile, "It was my pleasure, fellas! It was so fun to work on!"
The Gale came out absolutely wonderfully: A prime example of current high-speed Star Racer technology, sleek but secretly ferocious on the track. They had decided to give it a simple paint job before placing the glass cockpit on: A pearl-white base with a pale mint color for accenting parts. Something to match the "wind" theme of the name, perhaps.
After the excitement died down, the tiny crew took a few minutes to gaze upon their own handiwork. Stan & Koji had built ships from the ground up before, but nothing purely of their own design. Eva had done this only once with her rocket seat, though that wasn’t even close to this scale. And Jordan had never worked on anything bigger than a simple engine or stationary rifle in his life.
"We did good, really good, everyone," He said, despite feeling like he had done the least amount of work. While there was some truth to that, the camaraderie wouldn't let him lament over it.
Eva felt a hand fall on each of her shoulders, & she looked to see Stan & Koji grinning down at her. "So, Eva, your work isn't over yet," Koji said, something sly hiding behind his words.
Her eyebrows creased together, confused, "What else is there for me to do? Run diagnostics or something?" Koji laughed her assumption off, "Of course not, that's my job. And I already did."
"No, your job is more important, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow," Stan said from her other side. Now Jordan was confused, observing the conversation from the sidelines.
"Ok, but uhm, what is it?" She asked slightly annoyed with the playful, cryptic nature of the mechanics at the moment. The duo smirked, reveling in messing with their young friend.
"Why, test driving it, of course!" They yelled in unison, arms draped around each other's shoulders.
Eva received the amazing, exhilarating role of test pilot for The Gale. Stan & Koji would be running performance tests & giving instructions while she ran the small dirt track on the outskirts of town. And Jordan got the honorable job of cameraman.
"So we can show a demo video during the conference," Koji had told him, handing the boy the clunky device at the edge of the track. He had never even held a camera before, so he frustratingly fiddled with it until the screen finally clicked on.
He sat atop of some old, rusted bleachers that were placed by the side of the track. It was a bit boring & lonely, far away from the others, but he needed to have the high ground for a better view. Once he figured out how to adjust the zoom of the lens, he looked down onto the parked racer & his friends below.
There was a clear view of the entire track from his placement. It was a pretty basic oval shape lane of about 6 miles in length. No obstacles or flags were set down, just plain old worn dirt. He assumed this track was never in official use, but probably something whipped up for testing new vehicles or projects from their nearby University.
Stan & Koji were packed into a small pit at the bottom of the bleachers. Their computers & communication devices were littered around them, but all within easily accessible distance. Koji was still attaching & booting up some machines as Stan instructed Eva on the general basics about piloting The Gale.
"…and when you come in to stop, make sure you go gentle on the breaks. She'll stop quickly for you, but we don't want you flipping."
Eva was pulling some thick gloves onto her hands while Stan finished his speech, "Alright, gotcha. Want me to do a cool-down lap after the hyper-drive to help with the breaking?" He shook his head, "Nah, no hyper-drive this time. Track's too short, you'd just zoom right off!" Stan emphasized his point, mimicking such an action by shooting his hand off to the side.
A bit disappointed, Eva's shoulders slumped forward, "Aw, I was looking forward to it, though..." He chucked, "Sorry, kid! Maybe next time, eh?" That was the end of that as Stan turned his back to Eva to join Koji in the pit.
Aside from the lack of hyper-drive privileges, Eva was absolutely overjoyed to pilot again. Even if it was only for a total of 20 minutes or so. Still, the idea of sitting behind a set of controls, soaring through the air, & feeling the rush of piloting again had her heart beating fiercely.
She climbed up into the ship & settled in, pleasantly surprised to see the seat was already adjusted for her stature. The cockpit had a very similar design to the one in The Arrow 3, though modernized, which helped her feel more comfortable & confident in driving it. Eva used these few minutes before start-up to take some deep breaths & get into the proper head space. She needed to settle down so she could focus.
But Eva just couldn’t wipe that powerful smile off her face.
A hum vibrated through her entire body when the ship powered on. Lights & hologram screens blinked on in front of her, most of them showing the current status of The Gale’s engine & functions. On a rather large one to her side, Stan & Koji were seen crouching to look straight at the screen, “Hey, Eva! Can you hear us?”
“Yeah, loud & clear! Can see you guys through the comm too,” she responded, flashing a thumbs up. “Awesome, can check that off the list,” Koji grinned, tilting his head down to type.
They spent the next few minutes going through engine checks, confirming everything was running properly before Eva got moving. Once everything was verified, Stan gave Eva the ok get ready, “Alright, I want you to start up slow & get to a cruising speed of 50 miles per hour, & do that for three laps.”
Her hands gripped the handles even tighter in preparation.
The Gale began hovering off the ground, & that was Jordan’s signal to start recording. He brought the device to his eye & steadied his hands, honing in on the racer below. It felt very odd for him to not be by Eva’s side while she raced; very much a first-time outsider’s perspective.
Finally fixating in on his friend, he watched the ship slowly drive off down the track. As it increased speed, he had to follow it faster with the camera, which was very easy for the ex-gunman. It really wasn’t that much different than following a target through a scope, though lacking the cross hair. The ease of difficulty made it a pretty dull task, however.
Inside the cockpit, Eva was having an amazing time. She pulled the 3 laps off easily & smoothly with her natural skills. It wasn't challenging to her at all, but in fact incredibly relaxing. Koji popped up on the screen with her next task, "Alright, quickly bump it up to 100, & do three more laps with normal turns, two with drifts."
Now Eva's blood was pumping, & she immediately revved the handles to blast the speed up. Adrenaline started flowing through her, getting her giddy & full of energy while g-force gently pushed her further into her seat. Oh, how dearly she missed these sensations.
Jordan frantically followed the speedy machine with the lens from up above. He gasped in awe when the machine pulled off a perfect, smooth drift, one after another. It was more wondrous & majestic to witness from a crowd's view than he ever expected.
Eva gave herself a congratulatory yell inside the ship after finishing the last successful drift, still hyped up, "Ready for whatever else you guys have to throw at me!" When Koji reappeared on the screen, he was fidgeting with his glasses, "Alright, looking great so far, Eva. Let's push her up to 200, take six laps, half sharp turns & half drifts, then bring her to a gentle stop."
With her final tasks laid before her, Eva adjusted the controls to allow the engine to increase speed. She could feel the entire ship adapt itself to allow for the increased velocity, & she adapted with it. It felt natural, instinctual, & she handled it all effortlessly.
Though he was in a different position than usual while she raced, he could still tell how naturally she could handle herself. He watched in amazement as The Gale turned into an almost blur, blitzing around the track faster than his camera could process. He was barely using it at his point, absently aiming it towards the path while he watched with his own eyes.
From his view, Eva's passion & abilities could be seen through every movement of the ship. It was fascinating, especially when he knew she hadn't been behind the steering wheel of a Star Racer in many years. She was absolutely flawless, but he never expected anything less of her. There was something personal & prideful about it that he couldn’t quite put it into words.
I could definitely get use to seeing this, he thought passively with a smile.
When her final laps were completed, she made the last turn & began slowing The Gale down. It came in as quickly & smoothly as Stan had promised, stopping about 20 feet past the pit. Jordan shut off the camera & dashed down the bleachers, eager to see how his friend was feeling after her first bit of Star Racer action in years.
The hatch hissed open & Eva immediately let out a huge scream of happiness, fists raised high into the air. "That was absolutely amazing!" She exclaimed, laughing & sweating slightly from the adrenaline.
Eva hopped out of the ship & staggered to Jordan, who was walking towards her with a hand raised & prime for a congratulatory high five. "Molly, that was so awesome!" He grinned, reaching his other arm out with the intention to keep her steady.
She slapped her hand into his open palm & curled her fingers around it, gripping. This surprised Jordan, but he was even more surprised when this giggling girl wrapped her other arm around his waist. She laughed, squeezing him, "Oh my god Jordan, it's been so long! It was such a rush, I missed this so much!"
Bright red flushed his cheeks, looking down at his friend who seemed to be a little loopy from the effects of g-force, maybe. His heart started beating fast in his chest while she clung to him. She gripped him tightly, half due to her exceptional mood & half because her legs were trembling from the release of energy.
"G-Glad you had fun, Mols," he mumbled, holding her shoulders steady. Eva ceased giggling & took a deep breath before pulling back out of the hug, "You have no idea, dude! It was an experience . Nothing like it!" Jordan dropped his hands from her shoulders, "Really? The Gale's that smooth?"
She shook her head, "Not really that, just...It felt right. I've always felt like racing was what I was suppose to do, you know that. Being able to feel that control, that speed, ugh, no words can describe it, Jordan!" Her arms flew out to emphasize her words, but she almost stumbled in the process. Jordan reached out to grab her, but she regained her balance quickly.
With a wide, exhausted smile, Eva gazed up at Jordan, "Next time, come with me! I'm sure you miss the feeling too, right?"
Honestly, he was never really one for the speed, the movement, or the thrill of the race. He could even recall a few terrifying moments where Eva’s racing had thrown him into a panic attack or knocked him right out. Shooting & combat were always his bread & butter when they raced together; definitely not everything she adored about piloting.
Of course, that didn't matter now, "Yeah, definitely." Anything with Eva was an experience he would treasure.
Stan & Koji were standing off to the side by the pit, watching the two young adults converse. They exchanged knowing looks, eyebrows raised, again communicating with zero words. The grins on their faces implied they were pleased with more than just the results of the test drive.
The Performance Racing Industry trade show followed soon after they finished putting together everything for their presentation. Eva & Jordan was cordially invited to come along, but Jordan had to pass due to some business he needed to attend to on Oban. He wished them all the best of luck before leaving the planet.
Eva was very stoked to be able to attend, even when she had been to many similar events with her father & Wei Racing. It felt liberating to be there without Don & his overbearing fatherly nature. But, the fact she was presenting with her two friends had her nerves a little rattled. They both assured her it was more so a formality to have her there, since she was the pilot, & they would take over most of the speaking.
After parking The Gale outside amongst the other ships, they headed inside the convention hall to prepare for the rest of their day.
They finished setting up their booth a bit late compared to other companies, as one does when it’s their first time, evident from plenty of attendees already roaming around. It did come out very nicely, however, with blueprints & drafts hanging up around their display to show off more of the inner tech of the racer. A screen mounted on the pop-up wall behind them was currently turned off. Stan & Koji stood out front & center, dressed more smartly for a professional look, which was very jarring to Eva. She took a few pictures to show Jordan later.
Soon, they had gathered a small interested crowd, so Koji turned on the video Jordan had filmed of Eva’s test drive. It needed some editing & adjusting for his shaky focus towards the end, but it displayed The Gale well enough. Eva stood straight off to the side of her two friends as they explained how the systems worked & pointed out her maneuvers in the video.
Everyone around them seemed genuinely impressed, but also a tad concerned. “Your pilot seems awful young,” one man in the crowd commented, looking over at Eva. It was true that most pilots were a good few years older than her, but she had experience. The details, though, would have to be kept under wraps.
Stan & Koji were a bit appalled. They turned to the man, Stan prepared to start dishing out passive-aggressive remarks before Koji cut in, “Actually, sir, she’s Eva Wei, the daughter of Don Wei. You know, the man who runs Wei Racing? Daughter of Maya Wei, one of the greatest racers in Earth history?”
The rest of the crowd’s attention now shifted to Eva, which had her both embarrassed & flustered. She tried to prevent eye contact with any of them & stayed perfectly quiet while Koji continued, “She also was an assistant mechanic who helped create The Gale, along with another mechanic named Jor—”
An alarmed squeak came from Eva, who started shaking her head frantically at Koji. Though chances were slim that anyone in the crowd would even know who Jordan Wilde was before he became an official missing persons, they shouldn’t risk it. Koji caught this, cursed silently to himself for forgetting, & turned back to the crowd,“—J-Jordy Wills! Jordy Wills! B-But they couldn’t make it today, unfortunately!”
“These two did a remarkable job, & Eva Wei is an equally remarkable pilot. As I’m sure you all could tell from our demo, she executed every instruction & maneuver wonderfully. Racing is in her blood.” By the time Koji finished speaking, a proud smile spread across his face. Stan grinned in agreement, “Yup, that’s how it is. So what if she’s young? Just means she’ll be even better in a few years when she can go professional, so keep an eye out for her, everyone!”
They had the crowd rendered silent.
Eva was tomato red now, with all of the eyes on her. But her heart was swelling up with elation from the words that just left her friends’ mouths. The two had so much faith & pride in Eva’s skills, but she still found it surprising that they would come to her defense like that.
Koji didn’t really expect that to come out of him, either. There was a background of panic in his mind, fretting over having offended the audience. Nonetheless, his desire to defend Eva was greatly overshadowed it, so he no regrets. If they couldn’t be open with Eva’s experience, he just had to vouch for her as best he could.
Shockingly, the crowd began applauding. There were whispers among them, things like “Well, she is certainly very skilled,” to “The Gale does seem to perform exceptionally, so they sound like they know what they’re doing.” It was immensely encouraging to Stan, Koji, & most importantly, Eva.
“I’ll be looking forward to seeing you race in the future, Eva Wei,” a woman at the front of the crowd said while smiling gently at her. Another man echoed the sentiment, & shortly after the rest of the crowd were wishing her the same. Stan & Koji’s words had done more than ease any concerns: They had instilled excitement about Eva’s future career. They both knew she was always destined for it, & now others did to.
She gave all of them the biggest, brightest smile she could possibly handle with all of the attention, “Thank you!” If Eva wasn’t confident in her abilities & passion for racing before, she absolutely was now. All the support had her on cloud-9 & brimming with confidence.
Once the crowd had finished examining their displays, Eva took a quiet moment of traffic to yank Stan & Koji to her by their arms. She tightly wrapped both of them in a tight embrace. “Thanks guys, for all of that,” she whispered with a slight choke in her voice.
Both men chuckled & hugged the girl back, full of warmth & brotherly affection. “We’ll always have your back, Eva,” Stan mumbled. “Yeah, always,” Koji agreed.
Notes:
No one tell Don that Eva got behind the wheel of a Star Racer without his permission or he's gonna have a damn heart attack.
Anyways, that's the end of wholesome Stan & Koji times, for now! They'll be back later, promise. Not sure when the next chapter's gonna come around (kinda feel like writing later chapters/I can feel a big ol depresshun comin that might sap my motivation) but we'll see!
Have a happy holidays everyone, thanks for reading! 💖
Chapter 14: Tattoo
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Offer after offer flowed Stan & Koji's way after The Performance Racing Industry Trade Show. Koji's little outburst had sparked a small curiosity among the attendees, causing many to take interest in stopping by their booth to meet Eva & see their display. The Gale gathered quite a few interested buyers as well, but they were presented with so many contracts that they'd have to look over them after the conference. It was an amazing first showing for their independent company!
Jordan managed to return from his Oban business the day before Stan & Koji were set to leave. They shared warm & thankful goodbyes all around before traveling home to their original shop, towing The Gale along for a few adjustments for it's new owner. Though the two friends felt the time they had with the mechanics was short, they were happy to have spent the month with them.
Afterwards, there was still about another month left of summer break, free to spend however they pleased.
Eva decided a good use of her time would be making those improvements & upgrades to her rocket seat she was cooking up back home. An actual seat for Jordan behind her's, an expansion to the storage compartment, & overall upgrades to the inside mechanisms & replacements for worn parts. She didn't want a repeat of their little meteor shower road trip fiasco.
With them now living together, Jordan helped her around the apartment on the regular while she chipped away at her personal project. It mostly amounted to cleaning & cooking, but he didn't mind at all. He feared that without him around, she would probably forget to do any chores or eat anyway. Eva had a habit of getting too wrapped up in her projects & neglecting her bodily functions.
There were many, many times she ran to the bathroom at the last minute after holding it for the sake of focus. Jordan could only shake his head & sigh.
With Jordan incidentally claiming the living room of Eva's apartment as 'his' now, Eva decided they needed more furniture. The only couch was more or less Jordan's bed, & she was starting to feel imposing if she squirmed her way on while he was sleeping or relaxing. And sitting on the floor instead was starting to hurt her butt.
After a not-so-quick trip to a local thrift store (where they were easily distracted by the mountains of random junk for sale) they managed to drag home a barely-used arm chair they purchased for cheap. Dark red faux leather, plush sides, & a seat that sunk in a lot: Eva loved it & proudly proclaimed it as hers after testing out other pieces in the store. Once they got it home, they had a playful battle over who would get to sit in it first, both trying to squeeze onto it at the same time.
Eva shoved him to the floor, laughing maniacally & dove into the seat. Jordan admitted defeat with a fond sigh from the carpet. She stayed curled up there the rest of the night, basking in her victory smugly.
Aside from a few tasks that needed to be attended to on Oban, Jordan didn't do much else during this little break. He mostly tried to hang out with Eva when possible & preform some random jobs around town he answered to via websites. Even though Eva assured him he didn't need to pay anything in regards to rent or bills, what with his Avatar situation, he felt too much free-loader guilt to let it slide. So, he managed to consistently pitch in for groceries & some bills. He even started building a bit of a savings.
There was no way he could manage to start a proper savings account at a bank, so he just kept it in a jar in a kitchen cabinet.
Life was settling into place for the two quite nicely.
"Hmm...I think I'm gonna get a tattoo tomorrow."
Jordan's eyebrows shot up, & he looked over towards his friend who was already looking at him from her seat. "Really? Even though school starts on Monday?" Eva shrugged, resting her chin on her hand, "Yeah, why not? I was just thinking of getting a small one, anyway."
His curiosity was piqued, "A small one, eh? What did you have in mind, & where?" She turned to the side & lifted her right shirt sleeve. "Right here!" Eva said, slapping her bicep, "As for what it is...I'm debating on keeping it a surprise~"
"Wuh, why?" Jordan asked, completely clueless. Eva's mouth curled into a smirk, "Maybe I want to mess with ya! You can guess, if you want. I'll even give you a hint!" Ready for her little game, he crossed his arms, confident he would be able to guess it. If the tattoos on her face were any indication of her taste, it would be easy, "I'm pretty sure it'll be another star or something related to racing, but sure, I'll take the hint!"
Her smirk fell into a frown, "Um, I already have a star on my face, I don't need another, so rule that one out." Jordan's shoulders dropped pathetically at this answer, "And it sorta has something to do with racing, but not entirely! Anyway, your hint is...its meaningful."
He blinked his golden eyes once, then his expression turned sour & he threw his hands up, "That's such a dumb hint, Molly! Of course its meaningful, it's a tattoo, its suppose to be!" Cackling from his reaction, she kicked her legs over the side of the arm chair she was sat in, "Yeah, well, it's true! I've been thinking about getting it for a long time, but I feel like getting it for real now! You know, the whole 'think about it for 6 months & if you still want it, get it' thing. So, tomorrow it is!"
Jordan huffed & sunk back into the couch, pouting, "Well, that's great, but I have no idea what it is still. The Earth Team symbol?"
"Nope, try again."
"Uhhh, the The Whizzing Arrow?"
"Nope. Close, but not quite."
"Uhhhhhhh...um...a bunny?"
Eva rolled her eyes & let her head fall backwards along with them. How the hell was that a closer answer to her hints?
"You're never going to guess. Do you just wanna come with tomorrow when I get it?"
Dull cleaner & antibiotic scents hung in the air around the tattoo parlor. Eva was already sat in the chair, straddling it backwards with her sleeve rolled up. They were waiting for the artist to finish revising Eva's crude sketch of an idea into a proper stencil back in her office. She made Jordan sit on a chair at the far side of the wall, unable to see the tattoo artist execute her skills to keep up the surprise.
"Think you'll be able to handle the pain alright?" Jordan teased his friend. "Of course, it's just a bee-sting! I already got my face done when I was way younger, so doing a small thing on my arm will be no problem," she stated proudly, pointing to the obvious star & stripe on her face.
"Actually, yeah, how did you manage to pull that off? You aren't allowed to get a tattoo until you're 18. Not without your parent's permission, at least," he questioned, propping his hands up to rest his chin in. Her expression fell to a mixture of shame & embarrassed, "Eh, it wasn't...legal. I did some sketchy shit as a kid. Really dug into that rebellious phase."
So it was what he already assumed. Jordan was filled-in on Eva's awful days at Stern's, so it made sense that the oppressive nature of it just made her desire to act out burn stronger. Spiked ear piercings, a read splatter of dyed hair, & facial tattoos were her proud signs of anarchy.
"Long story short—" she continued, keeping up the conversation until the artist came into the room to begin the process, "—it was the anniversary of my mom's death. I was 13 at the time, & not taking it well. Emotions always hit higher when you're a teen, right?" Jordan leaned forward upon hearing that the root of her decision dealt with her mother. He needed to listen seriously.
"I guess my reasoning for these tattoos was to help 'connect' me with my mom, or bring me closer to her. Something like that. I don't think that's really what I was going for, but I was stupid! We all do stupid things as kids!" She let out a small, sad chuckle, running her fingers along her patterned cheeks.
"Really, I think I just wanted a constant reminder of my mom. All I had was an old photograph, but I usually kept that stashed away for safe keeping...but these tattoos, while probably not the brightest idea...they helped me a lot. Looking at them helped me remember her, gave me some strength & hope..dumb stuff like that." Eva let out a soft sigh, smiling somberly at the floor.
They both paused. Eva had no more to elaborate on.
"I don't think that's dumb," Jordan stated factually. Eva's eyes whipped around to him, a bit astonished, "Really? You don't think a 13 year old getting some face tattoos is dumb? Even I think that's pretty dumb, Jordan."
He just shook his head, crossing his arms firmly, "If it was for your mom & helped you get through those tough times, then no, it's not dumb at all. That gives them meaning, doesn't it? And a damn good one, if you ask me."
Jordan almost spoke like it was dumb to even consider them dumb. Maybe it was, though, as he did have a good point. Those 10 years stuck in Stern's were no doubt the worst in her life, so why would it be foolish find strength in something? She needed anything she could to get herself through each day.
Before Eva could respond to him, the door swung open & the tattoo artist walked in, holding some extra supplies, "Hey, sorry for the wait! Ready to get started?"
It only took about a single hour for the tattoo to be completed from start to finish. Eva & the artist mostly chatted during the tattooing, with Eva handling the process just as easily as she said she would. Jordan was actually really impressed from her lack of any reaction, at least from his view from against the wall.
Maybe I should get a tattoo, if it's that easy…he wondered. But then again, with his magical avatar powers, he was unsure if he even could. The piercing of the needle into his skin would probably recover instantly, or it wouldn't penetrate at all. Well, here was one downside to invincibility.
"Aaaaand, done! Get a nice look at it before I apply the ointment & bandage," the artist stated, placing her needle gun on the side table. Eva's eyes lit up, lifting her sore arm to get a better look at the newly placed masterpiece. "Jordan, come see! Its so awesome!" she beckoned without looking his way.
He grinned & came to her side quickly, excited to finally see the surprise she was so intent on hiding.
It felt like someone stole the air from his lungs when his vision fell on her arm. He stood still, eyes glued to the symbol printed into her skin, still bright red & fresh.
The Avatar's sigil graced the skin of her arm, in the same tan color as the tattoos on her face. Eva was over the moon with it, smiling excitedly at the piece with a certain glimmer in her eyes. She was enamored, turning her arm every which way so she could see it from multiple angles.
"Whaddya think, guy?" The tattoo artist said, sliding her face mask down to grin up at Jordan. "She said she wanted to keep it a surprise from you, but I still want your opinion on my work!" He almost had no words. Yeah, it was a wonderfully done tattoo, but he couldn't pull his mind away from what Eva said previously.
"Its something meaningful."
Meaningful.
"Its...Yeah, it's awesome. You did great." The artist responded with a thumbs up, "Heh, thanks! I'm gonna wrap her up now, I'll give you a care sheet on the way out for the rest of your recovery, alright?" Eva nodded furiously, still absolutely thrilled over her new ink. She finally pulled her eyes away from it to look up at Jordan's reaction.
Stunned silent, just like she wanted. When he looked down to meet her crimson eyes, she smiled warmly at him. His breath hitched; a double-whammy to his heart.
As the artist applied ointment to Eva's tender skin, she inquired, "So, what's this symbol, anyway? I've been wondering the whole time. I've never seen it before."
The truth couldn't be said aloud, for The Avatar & everything related was still a government kept secret. Eva already had a lie formulated, thankfully, "Oh, just something from a good friend of mine. We went through a lot together, & I wanted a little reminder of those times." The artist nodded, wrapping the bandaging around her arm, "Ah, sounds real important then!"
Eva nodded with a smile, confirming the statement. Jordan had to curl his hands into fists to distract himself from his almost overflowing emotions. He had no idea that he was going to get thrashed with sappy feelings today. Damn it, Eva got him good.
It did feel amazing to know she wanted to remember those times, though. And him.
His existence was still meaningful to someone.
"Ugh, it aches so bad & I already took like, 3 ibuprofen," Eva whined, draped over a table in the cafeteria.
"I told you getting a tattoo right before the semester starts was a dumb idea," her Avatar friend shrugged, sipping a can of soda. She glared at him from below, "No, you didn't, actually. You just questioned it. Do me a favor & write my notes for me in my next class, I cant focus with the pain!"
He laughed, cocking one eyebrow up, "Uh, no , I don't have that class! You made this inky bed, now you godda lie in it, Molly."
She groaned into the tabletop, dragging her nails weakly along it. At least she could have it unbandaged now, presented to the world from under the sleeve of her t-shirt.
Jordan gazed at it with a sense of fond pride. Maybe it was conceited of him to feel that, but it couldn't be helped.
Eva turned back to him, catching his stare. Despite him trying to look away nonchalantly as possible, he completely failed. With a cheeky grin, she asked, "You like it a lot, don't ya?"
Blood flooded to his cheeks & ears, "M-Maybe. It's pretty cool."
He cursed his Avatar powers for the mere fact that he couldn't get a reminder of her immortalized on his body as well.
A star would look really nice on him.
Notes:
Wao, we get a picture at the end! :0 I wanted to draw Eva with her tatt lol
Uhhh this chapter is kinda messy, I didn't have a good transition from Stan & Koji arc to the beginning of the new semester, so I just kinda took time to establish shit.
The tattoo idea was pretty spur of the moment to thicken up the chapter (cough also inspired by the song "Tattoo" by QuietDrive cough) but hey, I like the idea of Eva getting an Avatar tattoo!
p.s. you can see more of my art on twitter or tumblr! I draw oban a lot actually LOL
Chapter 15: Halloween
Notes:
Yes we are having a Halloween chapter right before Valentines. There IS a chronological order to this story, believe it or not, lol.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
He had only left Earth for a single day.
When he came back, it was late evening on October 1st.
And when he walked into their shared apartment, his eyes were assaulted by bright orange, purples, blacks & greens.
Eva perked up, turning away from the wall where she was hanging up some bat-shaped paper streamers, “Oh, Jordan, you’re back!” In the doorway, he stood frozen, almost looking scared to take a step into the living room that was absolutely littered with various Halloween decorations.
“Molly, what the fuck is all this?” he questioned, carefully stepping in. With a deep frown, he rotated a witch figurine on the kitchen partition, away from the couch. He didn’t want that creepy thing watching over him at night.
“It’s Halloween, duh, Jordan! The best holiday of the year?” she cheered, reaching into a box to yank out a large spider-web patterned tapestry. As she began to move the television stand to make space to hang it, Jordan had to resist letting out a repulsed groan, “Molly, it’s October 1st. You’re, like, 30 days off.”
She scoffed at him, standing up on her tiptoes to hang the cloth, “If you wanna be a party pooper, sure, that’s true. But Halloween is about the spirit, all month long!” Proudly, she brushed her hands past each other & went to retrieve more decorations from the box.
Now he had to let out a sigh, “If you treat it like that, you’ll be sick of it by the time it actually comes around.” Despite being away from Earth holidays in their entirety for a long while, his stance on Halloween hadn’t changed: He wasn’t a big fan since he quit trick or treating. Even more so, he disliked it when people treated it like a month-long celebration.
Again, she ignored his complaints, “Whatever dude, that ain’t gonna happen. Hasn’t happened in the past 7 years, won’t happen this time either!” The last decoration she placed in the living room was a large plastic skeleton that was in no way anatomically correct. It would have been comical if the eye sockets weren’t painted to be red & bleeding.
Jordan sneered at the thing, slowly walking over to the couch. She had replaced the original throw pillows with Halloween-themed ones too. Of course. Still, he sat down & attempted to get comfortable in the now foreign environment.
But Eva was beaming while looking around her extremely festive living space, “Yup, perfect now!” It was unclear if her enthusiasm was purely unwavering, or if she was purposely putting on a show to push at Jordan’s buttons.
It's cute how excited she is, at least. Pretty endearing, he thought.
She picked up the empty box & started to walk towards her bedroom, “I’m gonna head to bed now, so you can have some time to chill since you just got back from Oban. Have a good night, Jordan!” There was barely any time for him to reply before he heard the slam of her door shutting, no reunion of any kind for them. Eva had gotten so comfortable with his short absences that it seemed more like he just ran a few errands than anything. That wasn’t too far off, was it?
The boy decided to lie down, continuing to try & adjust to the new cluttered & loud decor. It would only be for a month, & he could live with that. It would make Eva happy, after all.
He got up, turned the bleeding plastic skeleton towards the wall, & spent the rest of the night awake on the couch.
Eva’s Halloween spirit did not diminish through the month. She constantly pointed out the fresh fall colors, decorations or special candies in stores, & watched Halloween-themed TV specials almost every night. Jordan would have felt more impressed if he was even slightly interested in the holiday. But it was quite adorable to see.
They spent one evening towards the end of the month carving pumpkins, another tradition she loved to indulge in. Jordan kept her on a size limit, since there wouldn’t be any space for huge ones in the already over-decorated apartment. Unwillingly, she relented, as long as he joined in with her & carved one himself.
And so they did, sitting on the floor in the kitchen with a layer of newspaper coating the laminate for protection. It didn’t help much, since they still managed to get pumpkin goop & seeds flung all over the place. But Eva insisted it was part of the fun!
“So what are you gonna make yours?” Eva asked, jutting the little carving knife into the flesh of her pumpkin. Jordan shuddered, scared by her viciousness. He turned his pumpkin over in his hands, “Uh, I dunno, maybe a classic triangle smiley face?”
Eva stuck her tongue out in disappointment, “That’s so boring, be a little creative! Do a vampire or something.”
“How the hell do you expect me to do a vampire? I’m not Picasso!” he huffed.
“Picasso didn’t carve anything.”
“Oh, uh, what about Leonardo?”
“What? No, not him either.”
“Raphael?”
“Are you just naming Ninja Turtles now?”
He stayed silent, so Eva gave him a glare.
“...Michelangelo?”
They both burst into laughter, hands & clothes covered in pumpkin mush on the kitchen floor with cheap carving tools in hand. It was something you’d see little kids doing, not grown college students.
But maybe that’s what made it so enjoyable. They were able to let go & just have fun.
After many conversations about fine art & it’s parallels to pumpkin carving later, both of them finished their masterpieces. “Ok, on three, let’s turn them around & show each other!” Eva suggested, to which Jordan eagerly agreed.
“One—”
“—two—”
“—three!”
Newspaper whipped up from the floor when they twirled their pumpkins around, the freshly made engravings facing each other. Eva had carved a surprisingly well-done replica of Rick’s face, with lightning bolts decorating the edges. On Jordan’s, he made a sloppy but well-attempted rendition of Eva’s classic sharp-toothed rabbit that decorated The Arrows during the race.
“Aw, it’s cute!” Eva cooed, reaching forward to pat Jordan’s pumpkin like an animal.
“Wow, you did a really good job with yours. It’s like Rick got turned into a pumpkin,” Jordan snickered, pulling Eva’s pumpkin closer for a better look.
“Heh, thanks! I haven’t done much art-stuff since starting college, but it’s fun to flex the creative muscles every now & again!” She rose from the floor & pulled some electric tea candles from a kitchen drawer, tossing one over to Jordan.
They both placed the small lights inside their pumpkins & shoved the tops back on. Eva cleared some space so they could proudly present them on the coffee table in the living room.
“Yesss, now the living room is extra festive!” Eva grinned, making Jordan smile like an idiot from seeing her so happy. He wiped it from his face in a rush when Eva turned to look up at him, “Thanks for doing it with me. It was really fun! I haven’t done pumpkin carving with someone else since I was really little.”
One of his eyebrows perked up, “Don & Rick don't do it with you?” She rolled here eyes & shrugged, “Nah, dad said it was too messy, & Rick said it wouldn’t be a good idea to handle sharp stuff like that with his nerve damage.”
It was a bit of a bummer to hear, but she didn’t seem too torn up about it. He decided to drop the subject in favor of a more suitable one, “Well, I think we did a great job, personally. Better than Don or Rick would have.”
Eva giggled, nudging his side with her elbow, “Yeah, probably! Dad doesn’t have an artistic bone in his body, & Rick’s better at growing plants than he is at jabbing knives into them.”
“Pft, your dad doesn’t have any sort of fun bone in his body. Let’s be real,” Jordan teased, nudging her right back.
Dramatically, Eva let out an offended gasp, “Jordan, he’s still my dad! Don’t say stuff like that about him!” Jordan blinked at Eva, shoulders slumping in fear that he had genuinely hurt her feelings, “Oh…I didn’t mean—”
“Well, you’re right, he doesn’t! Haha!” she interrupted, glad she pulled her little joke off successfully.
Again, they shared a warm joint laugh together while basking in the tiny light of their jack-o-lanterns.
The pleasant moment was ruined when they remembered there was still a bright orange mess to clean in the kitchen.
The professor dismissed the class, so Jordan packed up his materials & slipped out of the doorway. Outside the classroom, Eva was standing by the opposite wall, waiting for him. She greeted him with a smile once she caught his view, which he returned with his own.
“So, it’s the last day of October, Halloween,” Jordan mentioned, though surely Eva was already aware, “What did you wanna do for your last ‘hurrah’ of the holiday?”
Stepping back from the wall, Eva locked eyes with Jordan before grimly & slowly whispering, “We’re going to go hang out in a graveyard.”
He gulped, eyes wide & slightly shaking, “G-Graveyard? What? No, no, let’s not do that, Molly.” He waved his hands in front of him, trying to gently dissuade her from the idea.
She tossed a long lock of hair over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow at him, “What, are you scared of ghosts? Jordan, like—” she took a wide step towards him, grabbed his jacket collar, & pulled him way down into her personal space before whispering, “—you’re The Avatar!”
His ears & cheeks burned, being pulled so close to her suddenly. Feeling her breath against his hear sent a powerful chill down his spine. Eva just had to stop getting him wound up like this!
With a strong yank, he pulled himself out of her grasp & exhaled through his nostrils to try & come down from the intense feelings she gave him, “Y-Yeah, but it’s not that! J-Just, the vibe, you know? It can be, uh, really creepy!”
No, that wasn’t it. Jordan was actually afraid of ghosts, perhaps even more after becoming The Avatar. The Creators were something of ghosts themselves, & with that proof, he became a true believer in the supernatural. He was living, breathing evidence that something of the sort existed.
Eva was absolutely not buying it, “Nah dude, you’re totally afraid of ghosts. Besides, the creepy atmosphere is why you go to a graveyard! It’s spooky, perfect for Halloween!” She began walking down the hallway, Jordan following after, still talking animatedly with many excited hand gestures.
By the time they reached her rocketseat out in the parking lot, she had somewhat convinced Jordan to come. He was still terrified to go, but Eva promised to buy him a whole bag of Snickers.
So Snickers & Eva’s company? He would try his best to bury the fears & celebrate with her.
Far past dark, Eva & Jordan walked through the rusty gates of the decrepit old graveyard. She made special effort to go to one far out of the city, to make sure they weren’t disturbed while they snuck in. Jordan wasn’t too thrilled with this fact, since this meant the bodies underneath the soil had been buried for much, much longer. Therefore, there was a higher chance of ghosts. If you went by his logic, anyways.
But he persevered. Fall leaves & twigs crunched under their feet while they walked in the night & weaved between headstones. The only other accompanied sound was teeth chattering.
“Dude, c'mon, it’s not that scary,” Said Eva, the bag of candy rustling next to her hip.
“N-No, I’m just c-c-cold,” Jordan responded. It was a lie.
Many gravestones they passed were quite worn & chipped, with a few close to falling apart completely. It was a bit depressing, Jordan thought, to see how the final memorials of some people were fading away. The concept of mortality was something The Avatar would rather not think about.
Suddenly, Eva pointed over to a large & elaborate mausoleum with a broken statue of an angel placed on top, “Oh, let’s go sit over there!” She took off in a run towards it, leaving Jordan to shuffle behind her.
Eva scrambled up a few small steps to sit atop the decorative stone base, motioning Jordan over with a smile that sparkled in the moonlight & a wave of her hand. He would have been more dazzled if the overwhelming feeling of foreboding didn’t continue to nip at his nerves.
Deciding to stand instead of sit, Jordan leaned against the stone & held a hand out for the candy he was promised. Eva placed a fun sized piece in his palm & opened one for herself, taking a bite while looking up at the sky. It was a bit cloudy, but the moon still managed to shine a bit through most of the time. It created the perfect atmosphere, in her opinion.
Jordan wolfed down the snack, immediately holding his hand out for another, “So, now that we’re here, what did you wanna do…?” he grumbled while Eva placed multiple fun sized candies in his hand this time.
“Well I didn’t bring a ouija board so I figured we’d just talk & hang for a bit. It’s peaceful, don’t you think?” she said with a deep sigh, taking in the crisp nighttime air. If she had brought a ouija board, Jordan would teleport straight home, The Creators be damned.
“If you ignore the fact that there are dead & decaying bodies underneath our feet, then...yeah, I guess it’s a little nice. We could get the same feeling at a park, though,” he said with a grunt, shoving empty wrappers into his pockets. Eva just rolled her eyes, “Except there’d be trick or treaters out & about. It wouldn’t be quiet at all.”
“But that’s part of the Halloween spirit, isn’t it?” he asked, confused by her contradictory statement.
Eva shifted herself, scooting closer to Jordan & leaning far forward with her elbows on her knees & chin in her palms so she could easily speak directly to him, “Yeah, but that’s a kid thing. Sometimes it’s nice to close things out with a peaceful ending. Just spend some time with a friend in a spooky place, eat some candy, enjoy the night. Nothing wrong with that, is there?”
He turned to her, & saw a tender but mischievous smile, as if Eva planned her words carefully to help boost Jordan’s mood. She knew he didn’t want to come out here, & that he had put up with her excitement for the entire month. But he still entertained her, & even celebrated with her when she asked.
It made this Halloween really special to her. Perhaps if she spun it the right way, Jordan could enjoy the last of it fully, too.
Truthfully he could leave the ‘spooky’ part out, but the rest sounded perfect to him. And there hadn’t been any supernatural happenings yet, so maybe he could relax a bit more & really try to enjoy himself. Eva’s presence easily made him melt a bit already.
He leaned his body into the side of Eva’s leg, letting out a loud sigh, “Nah Molly, of course not. Sounds really nice, actually.” And then he smiled, for the first time that entire night.
The moon rose higher into the sky while the two chatted & enjoyed the time together. It ended up being a pretty uneventful night, to Jordan’s relief, with no ghosts or ghouls to surprise them. He still completely believed in such, but was glad none popped out at them.
When Eva reached into the candy bag one last time, only to grab at empty air, she hopped down from her perch, “Well, candy’s gone.”
Jordan let out a childish whine, “Aw, damn it. Can we go get more?” She crumpled the empty bag in her hands & shoved it into her already-full hoodie pocket, “Let’s go in the morning, when it’ll be half off. Sound good?”
He nodded furiously, “Hell yeah, half off candy! Twice the cavities for the same price!” She giggled & felt around for her phone, having used it as a flashlight previously, “You can’t even get cavities, Mr. Immortal!”
Her humor disappeared when she attempted to tap on her phone screen. Nothing.
So she tapped again. Nothing.
“Ah shit, did my phone die?” she groaned, continuously tapping in hopes the lock screen would turn on. Jordan’s eyebrows creased together, “Oh...it’s gotten darker, too.” By this time in the night, the moon & stars were hidden behind a curtain of thick clouds, casting very little light for them to travel by.
“Think we can wing it?” Eva wondered, shoving her dead phone back into her candy-wrapper ladened pocket. “I’d really rather you not, Molly. You could trip over a grave & break a leg or something,” Jordan said, crossing his arms while he contemplated an alternative.
“I think it’ll be fine, I’ll just feel around! It’s no big dea—whoa! ” Eva took a few steps forward, & as if on cue, immediately bumped into a crumbling headstone & began to fall forward.
“Molly!” Jordan cried out, dashing forward to grab onto her arm. He quickly pulled her back up to him to prevent the fall. Eva took in a slightly shaky breath, looking up into Jordan’s barely visible golden eyes. She could feel his strong but gentle grip on her wrist, & his arm curled around her waist, holding her close to him. She felt so...small, & weightless, with how effortlessly he held her.
“Are you ok, Molly?” he asked with a pained worry, not even noticing the position they were currently in, searching her eyes for any sign of pain.
Eva’s cheeks turned red & warm, embarrassed, so she pushed herself out of his grip & back onto her own feet, “Y-Yeah, I’m good...thanks, Jordan.”
He let his hands drop back to his sides & let out a tired exhale, “Thank god...Ok, I didn’t want to do this, but I’m not risking that again.” More concerned with Eva’s well-being than spontaneously getting to hold her (as if he had noticed), his mind quickly moved past that thought & onto a solution.
“Didn’t want to do what?” Eva asked, turning back to his dark silhouette.
Jordan closed his eyes & took in a deep breath. A bright flash came from his body, making Eva recoil a bit while her eyes adjusted. She rubbed her eyelids & looked upon her friend, who was now glowing with a majestic light that she had only seen once before. Even his hair had turned a bright gold, to match his eyes, all of it aglow with the bright aura of The Avatar surrounding him.
“Wow…” she mumbled quietly, finding the sight more beautiful than she remembered. The last memory she had of him resurfaced in her mind, going by at a fast-forwarded pace. She remembered how it felt to see his Avatar form for the first time, how he had calmly accepted the role, and their finally goodbye…
Even the kiss that came with it.
If her face wasn’t bright red before, it certainly was now. Eva shielded her face with her hands, hoping to keep the blush hidden from Jordan. She wasn’t ashamed, only flustered by the intimate moment they shared, now that it was fresh in her mind again.
Concerned, Jordan asked, “Uh, sorry, is it too bright? I can’t really dim it, but this is kind of a last resort.” Bending the rules again, Jordan spoke fast & nervously, “And I’d like to get going back home soon, like now, in case something happens or someone sees.”
Eva understood & tried to cool her face & calm her pounding heart. She gladly took the excuse Jordan had put forth, “Y-Yeah it’s a little bright, b-but it’s fine! Let’s go!” Swiftly, she took a hold of his sleeve & turned back towards the entrance gate of the graveyard, dragging him along at an abrupt pace.
They were mere feet from the exit when a sudden, “What the hell is that?” came from behind them.
Off in the distance, they could hear the old foliage snapping from multiple sets of feet. A group of rowdy, probably drunk, teenagers came into the edge of Jordan’s glow. They continued to yell in confusion, “Dude, is he like, glowing?”
“Bro, what the fuck! Is that a costume?”
“LED technology has come so far, ohmaigawd!”
“Fuck, Molly, book it!” Jordan howled, shaking off her hand & sprinting past her towards their rocket seat. It wasn't far off, sitting within their view in the parking lot. “Right behind ya, partner!” she screamed back, trying to keep up with his longer stride.
“Hey, wait! I wanna see your costume!” one of the teens yelled while the group chased after them. Luckily, Eva & Jordan hopped onto the rocket seat & were zipping out of the parking lot before they would have managed to catch them.
Back home, Eva & Jordan both collapsed onto the couch with panting breath, trying to come down from the terror of Jordan’s secret possibly being exposed with this little catastrophe.
“Ok, Halloween wasn’t that scary until then,” Jordan groaned painfully while draping his arm over his eyes. His body was still trying to re-adjust back to his human form, but some glow still radiated from his eyes.
“Holy shit, agreed...Think those kids are gonna ask questions?” Eva wondered, both nervous & worried about that potential situation. They had been trying so hard & were very successful at keeping Jordan's secret under wraps. It would kill her to see it all be ruined by a little leniency for her sake.
“I doubt it, honestly...they kept screaming ‘costume’ so that’s probably all they thought it was,” Jordan replied with a layer of worry, but mostly assured. If there was any holiday where his Avatar powers could be out in the open, Halloween would be the one. They would be easy enough to dismiss as a costume or magic trick of some sort. Eva hoped he was right.
“Well...did you still have a good Halloween?” she followed up, looking over to her friend. He moved his arm away to look up at her, & flashed his goofy grin, “...Yeah, it was pretty good actually. I want more candy, though.”
Eva released a horse, tired laugh, “Yeah yeah, I know. Tomorrow, we raid the half-off sale.”
Notes:
Jordan's a Snickers boy, don't you think? I think Eva would like Kitkats. Or Jolly Ranchers.
ANYHOO check out this GORGEOUS & AMAZING FANART Zhampy DID FOR ME FOR MY BIRTHDAY AAUUUGUHHUHUG ITS SO PERFECT!!! Also go read her fic Ordinary Days if you haven't already *eyes emoji*. It's so fuckin good, you won't regret it!
Chapter 16: Happy Birthday, Jordan
Notes:
hello yes are we ready to celebrate the special boy
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Hey, Jordan?”
“Yeah? What’s up?”
“It’s December…”
“Uh, it is...and?”
“That means the year is almost over.”
“Correct? This is important because? ”
“It’s been almost a whole year & we haven’t celebrated your birthday. When is it? We didn’t miss it, did we?”
His eyes widened, surprised himself that the thought passed by her. “Oh, um...Let me remember,” he mumbled.
Eva frowned, shoulders slumping downward, “What, are you telling me you forgot your own birthday?”
“Hey, cut me some slack! Time on Oban works differently. I stopped trying to keep track of the date...Earth dates, specifically,” he shrugged, still trying to pull his birthday from the back of his mind.
Eva remembered how quickly days & nights passed during the race, but that only made sense with it being located in the middle of the Milky Way. There was also the fact she was never there long enough to experience how long an Oban month, or even year, would last. It must have taken him some time to readjust after returning to the typical 24/7 & 365 of Earth.
“It’s the...9th, no wait, it’s the 10th, yeah. December 10th,” Jordan confirmed with a nod. “So I guess it’s soon. Huh,” he stated with zero enthusiasm.
Eva slammed her hands on the table, startling Jordan & other patrons of the library, “You’re acting so casual about it! That’s, like, the day after tomorrow!”
He waved one hand at her & shushed her with his other, trying to get her calm, “Molly, we need to be quiet!”
“But it’s your birthday! Your first one since being back from Ob—” His hand clasped over her mouth, muffling the secret back inside. Jordan’s face paled with the possibility of someone having overheard. “—ah, s-since you’ve been back,” she corrected once his hand left her face.
Jordan got up from his chair, gathering his things into his backpack & motioned to an exit, “Let's talk about this somewhere else, please.” The risk of someone eavesdropping, even just for the possibility of some juicy drama, had him uneasy. Eva sighed & followed suit, walking behind him.
Thankfully, they were between class periods, so the hallway would be deserted for a while longer. Jordan fell back onto a wall next to a large window, sliding down to the floor with his backpack between his propped up legs. Eva was beside him, sitting on the edge of the window. It was snowing lightly outside, just enough to coat everything in a thin white sheet. An appropriate backdrop for a potentially melancholy conversation to follow.
“So, if you stopped keeping track of time,” Eva said, still looking out the thick glass, “Does that mean you stopped celebrating your birthday? Or keeping track of how old you are?”
He chuckled solemnly, “Well, age doesn’t matter for me much now, does it? And the Druggers aren’t much for parties.” Her eyes cast down, feeling sorry for letting his true status slip her mind, again.
“Anyways,” he continued, before Eva could reply, “I had to figure out what year it was when I came back, so I know my age. I’ll be 24, on Friday, I guess.”
“24, huh…” she whispered, feeling uneasy about how normal it sounded when his semi-immortality was still intact.
“24 years old, yup,” Jordan confirmed. “Not that it’s a big deal. That may be a big chunk for normal people, but it’s like a drop in the bucket for me.”
It was like he read her mind, putting into words what had her feeling off about it. “That makes it sound really depressing,”
“Eh, it’s just how it is,” he replied, “I got used to it, & it doesn’t bother me or anything. Really, it’ll probably just feel like another day to me. A lot of people see it that way when they get older, right?”
“So what? We should do something! Have a party!” she insisted, trying to smile & encourage him into the idea.
“Uh, but we’d have no one to invite,” he informed, making her deflate a little.
“Well, then a party, but just us! That sounds good, doesn’t it?”
Dense as ever, Jordan just tilted his head & raised an eyebrow, “What makes that any different from any other Friday night?”
“We can have cake!”
“So it’ll be like normal hanging out, but with cake?”
She dragged her hands down her face, "Special birthday cake. Any flavor I can buy, cuz I’m not going to bake you one.”
His laugh echoed in the wide, empty hallway, “I wouldn’t trust any cake you bake anyways, Molly. No offense.”
She grinned, “None taken. But seriously, let’s do something! What did you do for birthdays when you were younger?”
Jordan's somewhat curious expression fell quickly, “U-Uh, well...It’s a thing in my family to go do something the birthday person wants to do. Go see a movie, go to the arcade or park, whatever. Then my mom would make their favorite food, with cake & presents after. Typical stuff.”
The lack of enthusiasm in his voice said it all: he missed his family, & the idea of celebrating without them rang fairly hollow. Eva felt bad for bringing it up now, knowing she couldn’t give him that. As much as she desperately wanted to.
Eva knew what it was like to miss your family on your birthday. She had plenty of them.
Suddenly, the hourly bell rang through the building. Students started spilling out of classrooms, so Jordan got up with his bag slung over his shoulder, “Anyways, don’t worry yourself over it, Molly. Really.” He placed an assuring hand on her shoulder, with a facade of a smile hiding his feelings. “But I wouldn’t say no to some cake, if you really wanted. I like chocolate. "
His hand slid off her shoulder, & he wandered down the hallway to his next class.
Eva stood there by the window, done with classes for the day & no plans for the remainder of it.
Well, at least that gave her plenty of time to whip up some sort of last-minute birthday celebration for her dear friend. Schemes were already bubbling in her head, & she was determined to give him a great birthday, by any means possible.
That Friday night, she put her plan into action.
A bitter fragrance of burnt food hung in the kitchen air, so she frantically smacked at the exhaust fan above her for help.
“Ah shit...well, it’s not all burnt, I guess…” Eva sighed, standing before her stove with splattered ingredients all over her shirt & sweatpants. She really wished she had gotten an apron now, like Jordan recommended a while ago.
Her oven-mittened hands sat on her hips while she looked down at the...less than impressive barbecue chicken, laid dry & crisp on the tray. The recipe she followed even specified it was ‘easy, no way to fail!’ . Of course, she had done the impossible & torched the hell out of this probably under-seasoned chicken anyway.
Maybe...if she drowned it in sauce, it would be alright...
She yanked the bottle back out of the fridge, poured it over the chicken like there was no tomorrow, & prayed. At least instant mashed potatoes, which really were impossible to fuck up, & some store-bought coleslaw would save the rest of the meal.
Glancing at the clock above her, she cursed quietly & dashed to her bedroom. She only had a slim window, but she needed to change out of her mess of an outfit ASAP. Jordan’s final class ended 20 minutes ago, so he would be home soon.
And she timed herself perfectly, walking out of the hallway in a clean flannel top & jeans right when he opened the door.
“Ah, welcome home, birthday boy!” she cheered, spreading her arms wide for extra flair. His eyebrows pressed together, still not feeling much excitement for himself, “Heh, thanks Mols. Glad to be home."
He stopped mid-step into the living room & took a few large sniffs, detecting the smell of...the oven having been used? How on Earth was that possible, when he hadn’t been home all day?
“Wait, what’s that smell? Did you...did you cook? ” he asked, leaning forward to peek into the kitchen. He flinched a bit upon seeing the borderline disaster state it was in, with dishes, sauces, & other questionable substances covering the counters.
She nodded & struck a prideful pose, pointing in the direction of the mess, “I sure did! Barbecue chicken, mashed potatoes, & coleslaw! You like that stuff, don’t you?”
Jordan was stunned silent. He just nodded slowly, jaw hanging open, & rightfully afraid. “You...cooked? Seriously? You didn’t just order take out from some barbecue joint & are acting like you made it, Molly?”
Slightly offended, she crossed her arms & huffed, “No, seriously, I made it all! Well, not the coleslaw, I bought that. And the potatoes were instant. But I did the chicken, all on my own! With, uh, extra sauce! Can’t complain about extra sauce, nope!” she stated factually, hoping that excuse passed & would cover up the burnt dryness of the meat.
Hearing that most of the meal was rather simple to put together, he actually believed her now, “Wow, Molly...you didn’t have to do that for me.” Red began to dust his cheeks, a warm flutter tickling his chest at the gesture.
“Don’t worry about it, I wanted to! Go sit on the couch, I’ll bring you a plate!” she insisted, motioning him towards the sofa while she stepped over into the kitchen. Jordan did as she said & sat down, leg bouncing in anticipation for the first ever meal Eva had actually cooked since they had known each other.
And she made it just for him. Wow, that hit his southern heart in all the right ways.
A few minutes later she came over with a steaming plate full of the aforementioned food. The mashed potatoes were a bit runny (probably too much milk) & were seeping into the overflowing barbecue sauce, but she hoped he wouldn’t notice. Honestly, it didn’t look that bad, contrary to the chaos in the kitchen.
“Thank you, Molly…” Truly, he was still too astonished that she had made this for him to take a bite yet. It could have been a pile of sludge & he would still feel incredibly blessed that she had made him anything at all. She sat beside him, leaning forward eagerly to see him have a taste.
He lifted the fork, taking a mixture of the potato & a chunk of the saucy chicken into his mouth. The few seconds he took to chew felt like hours with how Eva’s eyes were focused on him, a hopeful grin that he would enjoy it. It sort of hurt, seeing her have such high expectations, even with her abysmal culinary experience.
“So, how is it?” she asked after he finally swallowed. “I know I don’t cook, like, ever, & it’s probably not that great, but I still hope you like it. If you don’t, we can throw it out, & I can order some—”
“Actually, it’s pretty good, Molly,” he answered, bewildered, but genuine. Jordan went in quickly for another bite, letting out a pleased rumble when his mouth closed over the fork.
“Wait, really?” she gasped, assuming he was lying just to be nice. Even she didn’t trust her cooking skills. He nodded, swallowing again before answering, “I’m being 100% honest! The chicken is a bit dry, & a little bitter, but the sauce makes up for it. You should get yourself a plate too, or I’ll end up eating it all!”
Jordan went back to shoveling food into his face, savoring every last bite that Eva had painstakingly (his own exaggeration) slaved over for him. And she did join in, grabbing her own serving. They enjoyed a hearty dinner together, side by side, over an episode of one of Jordan’s favorite shows. It wasn’t a movie, or trip to the arcade, & Jordan almost choked on a bone, but it was one of the best dinners either of them had had in a long time.
Even if the food in actuality was mediocre, it was the thought behind it that made it a wonderful meal. Jordan thanked his lucky stars that Eva had done such a sweet, wonderful gesture for him.
But that wasn’t all she had planned for this birthday celebration.
Once they had filled their bellies, Jordan went into the bathroom for a nice hot shower after a day of classes. This was Eva’s chance to put her real surprise into action.
“Ahhh, I don’t remember the last time a shower felt so good,” Jordan moaned, falling back onto the couch beside Eva with a towel draped over his shoulders for his still-dripping hair. She had her phone held up, screen turned towards her so he wasn’t able to see anything.
“Ready for your gift, now?” she asked feverishly, looking at her friend with immeasurable excitement. This only confused him, as he didn’t see any sort of wrapped box or anything around. Unless she was hiding it somewhere.
“You got me something? Uh, sure, yeah.”
“Alright, but you have to be completely silent for it, ok?” she stressed, holding her index finger up at him.
“What, why?” he whined, even more confused.
“You’ll see! Now lean in a bit, & keep quiet like I said,” Eva commanded. The blush returned, & he did as she said, leaning a tiny bit forward. But being even that tiny bit closer to her had him flustered.
“Maybe...just maybe...her gift is—”
Before his mind could go any farther, she flipped her phone face-up between them & tapped on a large, green call icon. She quickly turned the speaker mode on as well.
His thick eyebrows wrinkled together, now reaching maximum confusion. He looked at the phone, then up at her with a very ‘what the hell?’ kind of expression while the dial tone rang aloud. “Just give it a minute, you’ll see!” she whispered, trying to stay prepared.
After a few more minutes of Jordan staring at the phone in her hand, someone picked up on the other end.
“Hello?”
His heart plummeted into his gut.
Eva stood outside in the parking lot of Burroughs, waiting at her rocket seat for Jordan to meet up with her after class. Her phone was to her ear, one foot tapping the asphalt while she waited for the receiver to answer.
“Hey there, little mouse,” she heard on the other end from the ever smooth voice of Rick Thunderbolt.
“Oh, Rick!” she said with surprise, a white cloud of mist puffing from her mouth with each syllable. “Why are you answering dad’s phone?”
“Ah, would you believe it, Don got a call to rush back to the office for something. Last minute change in the track planned for the next season’s schedule. He ran out the door in such a fit of rage he forgot his phone,” the man teased, probably exaggerating. A little.
“Haha, sounds like typical dad. Well, do you think you could do me a huuuuge, suuuuper big, but suuuuper important favor?” she pleaded, making sure to put on her sweetest voice to sway him.
“A favor, you say? And a huge one. What’s up?” he inquired.
“Could you possibly, maybe, get a hold of the government & get me the contact information for the Wildes?” she asked, the words nervously falling out way too fast. She could hear a faint, sharp inhale on the other end from Rick.
“...Eva, you know I can’t really do that,” he answered. “Besides, Jordan can’t contact them, it’ll blow his cover entirely.”
Her head fell a bit, trying to fight back the feeling of defeat crawling up her back. Black hair fell around her shoulders, casting shadow around her eyes. “I know that,” she replied quietly, “But I have a plan. It won’t blow any cover, believe me.”
“A plan? What do you need the Wilde family’s contact info for?” Rick sounded a bit concerned now, not wanting Molly to dive head-first into some stupid plot. Her bullheadedness was fine most of the time, but not for a delicate situation as this one.
“It’s Jordan’s birthday tomorrow,” she started, “and I want to surprise him. I’ll keep the conversation entirely to us two, just me & his mom, or maybe his siblings. Whoever answers, I just want him to know they’re ok. I won’t let him speak a single word to them, I promise.”
He was reticent for a while. A large sigh came through the speaker, “Mouse, you can’t just make a promise over something like this. It’s serious.”
“I’m being serious, Rick,” she responded, sounding very much so. He was quiet again.
Soon, Eva broke the silence, “He misses them so much. Rick, please, I don’t want him to be alone on his first birthday since being back.”
“You’ll be there, won’t you? Look, Eva, it’s not that I don’t want to. I want the kid to see his family as much as you do,” he said sincerely. “But it’s not easy. You know that.”
“I also know what it’s like to not hear from your family on your birthday,” she said, tone devoid of emotion.
Rick immediately felt her words stick in his heart. He was a depthless pool of patience & understanding, especially from Eva’s point of view. But there was still no easy answer to this. Rick couldn’t always bend to emotional wills, he needed to be a responsible figure as well.
“...And how would you make sure he didn’t talk?” he finally asked, causing Eva to perk back up. “I’d tell him not to! And he wouldn’t, I know he wouldn’t. He’d never do something I asked him not to.”
Rick knew this, too, fully aware of the boy’s feelings towards her. Jordan would, & possibly could, give her the entire galaxy if she asked. He was wrapped around her finger worse than Don.
More silence followed, & Eva swallowed the anticipation held in her throat.
Rick let out another sigh after a short while, “Tsk tsk, you’re gonna kill me one day, little mouse. I don’t have as much leeway as your father, but I’ll see what I can do. I’ll call you tomorrow, alright?”
A huge smile spread over her face, & she even jumped into the air in joy at Rick’s final answer, “Yes, yes! Thank you Rick, thank you! If you need to convince dad, I bet you could sweet talk him into it. I believe in you!”
His laugh boomed in her ear, happy to please her, though he wasn’t going to say so in order to not get her hopes up, “Like I said, I’ll see what I can do. Tell Jordan I said happy birthday too, ok?”
“You bet!”
“A-Ah, hello, is this Mrs. Wilde speaking?” Eva asked, her voice jittering with nerves.
“Oh, no, this is Samantha,” the voice answered. Now that she spoke more, her voice did sound a bit younger than what Eva would assume for Jordan’s mother.
Eva took a quick glance up at Jordan, & her eyes widened. Jordan was staring at the phone like it was some amazing treasure, positively stunned. She couldn’t even tell if he was breathing, with how frozen still he was. Hopefully it was a good, happy kind of surprise-stunned.
“Oh, s-sorry, uh, my name is Eva. I was friends with Jordan at the military academy.” It was a total pre-prepared lie, but a believable one. “Oh no way!” Samantha replied on the other end, “You knew my doofus of a big bro?”
Eva blinked, not having expected to hear his little sister casually insult under his specific circumstances. “Y-Yeah! He was a few years ahead of me, though. A-Anyways, I was just calling up old classmates to see how they were doing,” she continued, fleshing out her story a bit more.
“Ah...Well, Jordan’s not exactly...here,” Sam answered, now sounding dejected. “He’s been MIA for quite a few years now. Went on some secret mission & never came back.”
Jordan’s body sunk farther into the couch, having his theory confirmed. All his family had gotten after all these years were unanswered questions & lingering hope. The government had it easy with him, since it wasn’t that uncommon for a military student to go missing after being deployed on a mission.
Or dying. They chose the more painful of the two to tell the Wilde family.
“I see, that’s...That’s unfortunate,” Eva mumbled, seeing the hurt on Jordan’s face right in front of her. Painful, twisted lines creased his cheeks & eyes while he let the unfortunate confirmation sink in.
Eva quickly tried to pick the conversation back up, shifting to a different subject, “Well, Sam, is it alright if I talk to your mom a bit? Just, uh, ask how she’s doing.”
She crossed her fingers mentally, hoping Jordan’s sister would take that as reason enough to discuss her family with a stranger. Sam was quiet for a second, but the sound of thumping feet could be heard through the speaker.
“Hey, mom, one of Jordan’s academy friends is on the line. Do you want to talk to her?” could be heard, but faintly, away from the receiver.
“A friend of Jordan’s? Oh, yes, that sounds lovely!” another voice said.
“Mom…” Jordan gasped quietly, making Eva flinch. His expression altered to one of intense resistance & longing, like a lost little boy trying not to cry. She was positive he ached with the need to yell out for his mother, but he absolutely had to stay silent. They both knew this.
“Hey, Eva? Mom says she wants to talk, so I’m giving her the phone. Was nice meeting you, kinda!” Sam said with a cute inflection. Eva smiled slightly, “Ah, you too!”
There was the sound of a phone fumbling while exchanging hands, then a calm, sweet voice came from the phone, “Ah, hello?”
Jordan’s mouth opened again, as if he was going to blurt something out. Eva caught him quickly, though, placing her hand on his arm. This was enough to snap him back to the task at hand & keep mute.
“H-Hello Mrs. Wilde!” Eva said, anxiety quickly flooding her body. She hadn’t felt the immediate need to make a good first impression with Samantha, but now it was at the forefront of her mind with his mother. Her attention became hyper focused on the phone, as if it was a real person in front of her.
“Hello, hun! My daughter told me you were friends with my son Jordan, correct? What’s your name?” the woman asked with such tender kindness, you could almost melt into her slight drawl. “M-My name’s Eva, Eva Liu.” A false surname, which she had prepared just in case they had heard of her father’s rather successful racing company.
“Eva, what a beautiful name that is! It’s so very nice to meet you. My name is Bethany Wilde, but please call me Beth. How did you meet Jordan in the academy?” the woman asked, so curious but seeming excited to speak with Eva under the false pretense.
“Oh, just um, in class! We were seated next to each other for drills,” Eva had unfortunately not thought her lie through all that much, so any answers about them together in school had to be made up on the spot. “We just got to talking & became friends,” she finished, keeping it short & sweet.
The woman chuckled, “Ah, you don’t say? My Jordan always was a rather friendly boy, though, I hope he didn’t tease you too much. I know how teenage boys can be with girls.”
In truth, Jordan had been quite the jerk to Eva when they first met. It wasn’t entirely intentional, following the harsh & cold leads of Don & Rick in regards to the race. He had been following authority blindly for his entire life, so it seemed to be the right path at the time.
He regretted being such an asshole to her for as long as he did, but thankful their friendship formed rather quickly after being shoved into a duo due to the circumstances thrust upon them by Canaletto. At least a few good things came out of that sick twisting of fates.
“Ah, just a little. But I’m over it,” Eva giggled, finding some entertainment in discussing this in front of Jordan himself. “He ended up being kind of protective over me, actually. We would do a bunch of dumb stuff, in hindsight, but he was always watching my back.”
Eva smiled warmly, recollecting the memories of their excursions on alien planets together. She wasn’t lying to Bethany, just not specifying where the ‘dumb stuff’ they would do occurred. Jordan really was always there, always ready to whine “Molly, no, we should go back” , to which she ignored more often than not. But, even if disaster would befall them, he was there to do anything possible to save her.
Not to mention his ultimate sacrifice of taking up the mantle of Avatar. She would never forget that.
“Oh my, that’s surprising! He was always a bit tougher on little Sammie compared to their brother. He must have taken quite an extra special shine to you then, Eva, haha!” She had no idea just how much of a shine Jordan had taken to her, no idea at all. It’s not like Eva really knew herself, either.
Eva had never really seen it that way, at least not in a way that sounded very one-sided. Their bond was strong, of course, but it always seemed to feel so mutual. She had to chalk it up to a ‘you had to be there’ sort of thing. Possibly. Her cheeks started feeling really warm while thinking about it.
“Aha, maybe! We were partnered up for a lot of assignments, so we ended up spending a lot of time together. I think we made a pretty good team,” she grinned proudly, the pride coming through her voice as well. “You were? I’m glad he was good to you, hun! Jordan always tried very hard in class, always going above & beyond & such. He was the top shooter in his first year class, did you know? Oh my goodness,” the woman rambled contemptuously, “all of his hard work with his father paid off, I’d say!
“Did he ever tell you about my husband’s father, William?” she asked as a follow up. Eva shook her head, even if Bethany couldn’t see. “Not too much, no. Just that he died in duty,” she replied.
A soft breath from his mother passed through the speaker, “Jordan looked up to William so, so very much, even though he only ever met him when he was a baby.” Her voice had a tinge of sadness to it now, buried under her warm honey-like tone, “But that didn’t matter much to my son when my husband told him stories about William. He would have eyes as big as saucers when David told him all the old war & space travel stories his father would tell him when he came home from missions. Jordan just found it all so fascinating!”
Bethany giggled softly before asking Eva, “I’m not boring you, am I hun?” “N-No, not at all, ma’am! Please continue!” she yelped, having been engrossed by her anecdotes.
“No need to be so polite, Eva, call me Beth! Anyhow, Jordan ended up spending so much of his childhood playing army & trying to protect every little thing he could. When his little brother came along, followed by Samantha, he just had even more to protect. They had their lil’ sibling squabbles, 'o course, but Jordan always wanted to be the big proud hero who could protect us all.”
Now, more than ever, he was their hero. He was a hero to many more than that, taking on the biggest job he could have ever imagined to protect his loved ones. She would never get to know.
“That’s so...so sweet of him,” Eva mumbled into the phone. She felt so warm & tender hearted, learning that Jordan had always been this way. Even past his knuckle headed, paranoid outside, he had so much care & righteousness leading him through every step in his life.
Jordan really was as amazing as she had grown to discover.
“He was the sweetest little boy, my Jordan,” Beth continued with a sigh, “even up to his last mission. I’m sure Sam told you about it.” Her voice lowered again, her motherly passion fading. “Yes, she did...I’m so sorry,” Eva whispered, surprise tears attempting to slip out of the corners of her eyes.
“Now, now, don’t apologize, hun. It wasn’t anyone’s fault,” the woman consoled her, apparently more aware of Eva’s emotions than the girl anticipated from a mere phone conversation. “Wherever my boy is right now, he’s protecting us. Protecting the whole Earth, I imagine. That’s what he wanted.”
“You don’t know how much he’s done for the entire universe,” Eva thought, squeezing her fingers around Jordan’s arm for her own focus. This conversation with his mother had her on a roller coaster of emotions, with all of the things she knew & had to hide. It was a lot to handle for Eva.
“You’re right, Beth. I’m sure he’s still out there, somewhere, doing as much as he can for your family,” Eva choked out, fighting back the tears. There was no time for them when they were celebrating Jordan & all of his accomplishments, known or not.
Through the speaker, Beth ardently thanked Eva, “You’re right, hun. Thank you. I’m so proud of Jordan, & everything he’s done. I just hope he knows his family misses him a whole lot. Someday he’ll come home, I’m sure of it.” Her words dripped with hope & wishful thinking, & it made Eva’s heart pang with personal resentment.
But, her & Jordan had time. If she wasn’t already convinced to fight tooth & nail for Jordan to see his family again, some day, she absolutely was now. They were waiting for him, & they didn’t deserve to wait forever.
“Absolutely. You’re absolutely right,” she assured Beth.
“Ah,” Beth suddenly said with renewed pep, “Did you know, it’s Jordan’s birthday today? He would be 24 years old now, oh my goodness! It’s so cliche, Eva, but they really do grow up so fast,” she laughed deeply, making Eva crack a smile. “His birthday, huh? Well, you should wish him happy birthday! Maybe he’s listening out there.”
The woman hummed joyfully, “Yes, I should.” Her voice faded away from the phone, but could still be heard clearly enough to Eva & Jordan.
“Happy birthday, Jordan. I love you, son, always will. We’ll be waiting here, for whenever you come home.”
It was quiet for a minute, Eva not wanting to push the woman back into conversation in this personal moment. She waited for Beth to get back on the line, which wasn’t too much longer, “Ah, sorry hun, just needed that moment to myself.”
“No worries, Beth. I should get going now, it’s getting a bit late,” Eva stated, not wanting to keep the woman for much longer than she already had. Bethany had happily rambled for a lot of their chat, but Eva felt she needed it. Besides, she loved hearing the woman gush about Jordan, especially in his youth.
“It certainly is, but it was still so pleasant chatting with you, Eva! Please, do call back again, & tell me some stories of your time with Jordan at the academy. I’d love to hear ‘em!” Beth requested with such sweetness that there was little chance Eva would deny her. “I will, Beth. I’ll tell you all the stories I got.”
“I’ll see to it you do, hun! You have a good night now,” Beth wished Eva, to which Eva responded with a soft smile, “You too, Beth. Goodnight.”
Eva clicked the red ‘end call’ button & let her hand holding the phone fall between her & Jordan on the couch. She needed to take a second & a deep breath after all of that.
She also looked up at Jordan, which she hadn’t done the entire time she was speaking with his mother. And she shuddered, seeing the state of her friend.
Streams of tears were silently running down Jordan’s face, mouth just barely open with teeth clenched behind it. His golden eyes were still locked on Eva’s phone, as if he was waiting for more of his mother’s voice to seep out. Tear drops pelted his shirt, with no sign of stopping, all of the emotions that had been welling up inside him the past hour needing some outlet.
“Jordan, oh my God, are you ok?” Eva asked in a panic, placing her hands on the side of his arms to grab his attention. Now, she could feel the trembling of his body, his entire frame shaking from the overwhelming emotions inside.
His eyes snapped up to meet her’s, blinking before his mouth flattened into a thin line. Jordan just nodded quietly, turning his face downward while the tears continued to flow freely. He brought a fist up to his eyes, wiping them away to no avail.
“I-I…” he tried to speak, but could barely let words out past the sobs, “I-I’m just, s-so glad...to know…”
Eva rubbed the sides of his arms, trying to comfort him while she gave him time to speak, “Glad...t-to know they’re...ok…” Once he finished, he took in a deep shaky breath to hopefully quell his weeping. It was a mixture of happiness to hear their voices, & relief in knowing they were doing well.
But there would always be a sting to his tears knowing that he had all these answers they could never know.
“Yeah, it sounds like they’re doing great, Jordan,” Eva assuaged, “And they’re so proud of you. I am too, partner” He just nodded, still sobering up from his miniature breakdown, “Y-Yeah, thank you Molly. Thank you for all of that…”
He let out another deep breath, the tears finally showing signs of running out & drying up. His eyelashes fluttered, blinking away the last of them, “I can’t believe I got to hear them. How did you even get my family’s number?” he asked.
A smirk spread over her face, “I have my ways. And a little help from Rick & my dad. Oh, Rick says happy birthday too, by the way!”
Jordan grinned, a wonderfully happy & bright one that caught Eva by surprise. Her eyes settled on his face for a bit longer than usual, caught by it, accompanied by an odd twist in her stomach. Seeing him so purely happy was doing something to her she didn't comprehend. Not yet
“Heh, I’ll have to call him later to say thanks. Best birthday ever, pre-Avatar & counting!” he said, fully confident in his statement.
Eva gave him two thumbs up, letting herself be a little prideful in her accomplishment, “Then it was all worth it. We haven’t even had cake yet, Jordan!” The boy gasped, “There is cake? I didn’t know there was cake, I want some!”
“Of course there’s cake!” Eva stated bluntly, “This is a birthday, so there’s got to be cake! And it’s chocolate, per the birthday boy’s wishes.” He pounded his fists up & down on his knees, “And the birthday boy demands some cake, if you would, please!”
“Alright, alright, coming right u—” Before she could start moving to get off the couch, Jordan had lurched forward to wrap his arms around her shoulders in a tight hug. He buried his face in her shoulder, squeezing tightly. With the deepest gratitude, he whispered, “Eva, thank you. For everything you do.”
The girl smiled, wrapping her arms around his back in return. No thanks were needed, but she would accept them regardless, “Of course, partner. Happy birthday.”
Notes:
Yeeey Jordan got a happy happy birthday! :D And more stuff about his family, which I was excited to dive into~ And some Rick time, I've missed writing him!
UH HI yeah this isnt dead. Really! I hate that it's taken me so long to get this chapter out, but again, myriad of things (depression/work/pet death/etc). Life just happens, ya know?
I was also stuck on how to have this chapter play out for a while but ednbkolbnrfe
Next one SHOULDNT take as long, hopefully. I have that one thought out a bit more.
Also not to beg for comments or anything, but if you're enjoying this fic, I'd love to know. ;v; I'm still entirely doing this for myself & will continue to do so, but the comments I've gotten are super encouraging & I appreciate them so much!
And on a final note, hella more active on twitter & posting more Oban fanart there~
https://twitter.com/lovelesskia
Chapter 17: Christmas Pt. 1
Notes:
*peeks out from behind a wall* yo, long time no update. You ready for a bastard man to be a bastard?
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Don Wei crossed his arms sternly, teeth chattering while a mist of breath slipped between them.
"And what is he doing?"
A leather gloved finger pointed towards the tall boy behind his daughter, who blinked at the hostility. "M-Me?" Jordan asked, pointing his own finger towards his face.
"He's coming with, duh, dad," Eva said matter-of-factly. "There's no way Jordan's spending winter break alone."
"So, what, he's just going to intrude on my home without an invitation?" Don huffed, glaring daggers at The Avatar himself.
"I invited him, actually," she spoke up again, a hand shooting behind her to grab onto Jordan's coat sleeve. Dragging him towards her father's car, she paid his anger little mind & opened the trunk for Jordan to toss in his meager luggage.
The disbelief on Don's face was priceless. Eva had walked all over his complaints like it was nothing. The old man could only stare in stunned silence. With a lot of forceful pushing of the still confused Jordan, she sat in the passenger seat of his car while he sat awkwardly in the back.
Eva leaned into the driver's seat to roll down the window & shouted, "C'mon dad, we should get home before it gets too dark! Let's go!" Jordan just kept quiet, amazed by her complete dismissal of Don's feelings. It was both impressive & scary.
Don groaned pathetically, threw his hands up in frustrated defeat, & turned back towards the car. What kind of man would he be if he kicked the poor kid, who really did have nowhere to go, out of his car after he already settled in?
And it's not like he could say no to Eva…
In surrender, he opened the door & sat down in the driver's seat. Don Wei took a deep breath, commanded Jordan to put on his seat belt, & drove off towards home.
Aside from a small conversation between Eva & her father at the start, the hours driving were quiet & tense. The dark leather of Don's gloves hid the white knuckle grip he kept almost the entire time.
Jordan stared curiously out the window when they pulled into Eva's neighborhood. As expected, it was pretty upper-class, with many large & similar looking houses. Most had sweeping, spacious yards & gardens surrounding them. Some of them were hidden incredibly well by a wall of trees, with only a lavish winding driveway indicating the class of the home. He was used to smaller houses in tightly packed neighborhoods, with mismatched architecture lined tightly together on small blocks. Aside from feeling insanely out of place here, he couldn't help but think "Why do these people have such huge yards? It's such a waste of space."
"We're here!" Eva exclaimed, pointing out the window to a more modestly-sized house at the end of the block. It was still pretty big from Jordan's small-town perspective, but not a McMansion like most of the neighbors. It had a flourishing garden circling the front & into the back yard, thanks to Rick's green thumb. Honestly, it was a pretty nice place, with a more welcoming feel than the rest of the homes on the block.
But Jordan felt intimidated. Not from its appearance, but from who truly ruled the domain he would be living in for a few weeks.
They drove up the cement driveway & into a multi-car attached garage. Curiously, there was only one other car parked inside. It was some fancy, nicely polished, expensive model that barely looked driven. The boy assumed that Don pulled this one out for that 'high level businessman' look when he needed. The rest of the space was scattered with tools, greasey oil stains, rolled up work mats & dust. A pseudo workshop for Eva, he figured, which made him smile. It already made the home feel warmer, seeing there was a space specifically for Eva & her mechanical creativity.
Don parked, the Wei's exited the car, & Jordan nervously followed after gathering their things. "Take your shoes off, Wilde," The older man demanded before Jordan even stepped into the mudroom. He answered with a small "Y-Yes sir," tore his shoes off, & continued to follow them. Boy, if this was going to be the tone of his entire winter break with the Weis, it was going to be...interesting. And stressful.
"Ahh, home sweet home!" Eva sighed, waltzing into the living room & plopping directly onto a large leather sofa. Don had gone off down a hallway, leaving Jordan with some temporary relief. He looked around the living space & was surprised by how cozy & rather lived-in it actually looked. He expected something much more sterile & minimalistic from a man like Don, but most people would assume the same. Instead, it was pretty well decorated, with warm colors, antiques, & well-worn furniture that implied it had actually been used. A surprising amount of photographs lined the walls, of various family moments between the two men & Eva.
He decided to inspect them further. Walking along the wall, he came upon a few that featured a young Don & Maya Wei, with a small girl that Jordan instantly recognized. Eva startled him right out of his concentrated stare, coming up behind him & grabbing his shoulder, "Hey, checking out my family photos, eh partner?" He turned away from her & back to one of her & her mother in the cockpit of a parked racer, both smiling happily. Eva was wearing a poofy, frilly pastel pink dress in the picture, which was adorable to him. She would rather be dead than caught in anything even remotely as feminine these days, "Yeah. This is your mom, right? The great Maya Wei?"
Eva shifted to stand next to him, gazing upon the photo as well, "The greatest ever. We took this one before she went out to race in her first finals. I was probably 3 years old or so?"
"Wow, I'm surprised you remember that. I don't remember a ton from before I was, like, 7," Jordan replied, moving along to another frame. This one featured Don, Maya, & Eva in a more typical outdoor setting. Don & Maya stood next to each other, wearing casual clothes, while Don held Eva who was wearing a white blouse with a black pleated skirt. Equally as cute as the previous photo.
"Well, I don't have much left of mom besides photographs & memories. I try really hard to make sure I don't forget them," she replied, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.
A rather sad statement, but Eva's tone was warm. Jordan turned to look at her, to find her still smiling lovingly at the photos. She had spent a lot of time coping, mourning, & reconciling with her father to get to a place where she could remember her mother without any ill feelings. It was probably weird, but Jordan felt proud of her for coming so far.
"Yeah...I get that. She's really pretty," he said, recognizing many features that Eva had inherited from her. Thinking about Eva's own beauty caused his cheeks to warm up.
Eva turned to him & grinned, "Yeah she was! My dad was lucky, honestly. She was really amazing, I wish you could have met her."
"Yeah, me too," he agreed with a grin.
"Oh, hey, Eva, who're y—Jordan? You're here?" asked a masculine voice from around the corner.
They both looked in the direction of the kitchen to see Rick poking his head out, a navy apron tied around his large frame & his hair tied up in a neat bun. "Yeah! I didn't want Jordan to spend winter break alone, so I invited him." The boy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, waving to the ex-racer, "Y-Yeah, thanks for having me, Rick!"
Thunderbolt smirked & leaned against the door frame, "No problem, kid. I'm guessing you didn't ask your dad, then?" Eva looked off to the side, trying not to form a mischievous smile, "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't...But Jordan's here, so he can't say no now!" Rick chuckled & shrugged, "Can't help but agree with that. I'm almost done with dinner, so Eva, why don't you give Jordan a little house tour? And probably let him drop his stuff off in one of the guest rooms."
The two agreed & began in the kitchen, chatting with Rick about the meal before moving on through the rest of the house.
Don turned away from his spot in the shadowed hallway. He left the edge of the living room & walked back into his office silently.
It was a very, very gradual transition for Jordan. But in a few days, he could at least walk freely around the Wei's house without much stress. Don still did a great job of making an oppressive atmosphere, putting an odd pressure on Jordan that he couldn't place.
Eva & Rick did a better job of making him feel welcome, however. It still felt super weird for Jordan to even be at Eva's home, but the moments without Don around had been pretty fun & memorable. Eva & Rick made great banter, she had a lot of video games to play, & many mechanical projects to keep them preoccupied. They encouraged Don to join in their fun & games, with no success.
The forecast called for a minor snow storm one evening, so Jordan & Eva made a small event out of it. Perfect timing for the world to paint a fresh coat of white on everything, right before Christmas. They both whipped up some fancy hot chocolate, grabbed some fleece blankets, & sat backwards on a couch that was propped up against a window.
Once dusk hit, leaving a bold trail of teal & bright orange against the horizon, small flakes of white started to travel down. Both of the young adults gazed out the window with wonder as the number of snowflakes increased, whipping around in the wind before settling onto the grass. A lovely spectacle for the season.
“Man, I really love winter. It just feels so cozy, ya know?” Jordan sighed, sinking into the leather of the couch with his now empty mug.
“Only when you’re inside, where it’s warm, you have blankets, & hot cocoa. But yeah, it’s pretty nice,” Eva said with a half-smile, honestly not a huge fan of the season. Her body was much more adaptive to the heat instead of the low & sometimes negative temperatures that came with Winter. But she was no scrooge, & still enjoyed the feeling of the Christmas season, & the wintery aspects that came with it.
“So does that mean a snowball fight tomorrow is out of the question?” Jordan asked, turning to her with a raised eyebrow.
“Seriously? How old are we, 10? But you’re on, & you’re going down,” she proclaimed, shoving into him with her shoulder roughly. Jordan just chuckled.
To his surprise, she stayed against him after her playful push. Not forcefully, but just...resting there, leaning against him. She had her eyes fixed back on the window as the snowfall increased.
Jordan’s heart started to beat faster, feeling her warmth & weight against him through the blankets. Was she being affectionate, in her own subtle way? He was sure it was platonic, it had to be...but maybe…
His eyes shifted to her face, & ended up transfixed as always. Soft, cool light from the snow outside made her glow faintly, the flakes reflecting in her maroon eyes. Her content smile made him melt inside, always overjoyed to see her able to be at peace like this.
...was this a good moment? Was anything romantic even happening between them right now, at all? Jordan went around & around in his mind, trying to determine if she was feeling at all similar to what he was feeling at that moment. And, if it was a good time to proclaim his feelings for her that he had still been harboring all these years.
He barely got to suck in a breath to speak before an exceptionally loud, gruff cough came from behind them. Jordan whipped around in a flash, leaving a still-leaning Eva to stumble. The boy failed pretty hard at being inconspicuous.
Don, eyes burning with the intensity of a thousand suns at Jordan directly, stood in the entryway with his hands behind his back. Eva adjusted herself & blinked at him normally, while Jordan was sweating bullets. “Dinner is almost ready, wash up you two. Jordan, set the table.”
“Y-Y-Yes Mr. Wei!” The Avatar yelped, scrambling from the couch to rush off to the dining room before Don could say anything more. Eva, oblivious to the tension & slightly bewildered from how the two men were acting, just walked off to the bathroom casually.
The old man let out a harsh sigh while his rigid stature relaxed. He rubbed his eyes with one hand, momentarily chastising himself internally for continuing to keep up this dictator-like mentality with his home. But only to Jordan, specifically.
He had been so hell-bent on making him feel unwelcome, as if it was instinct. Even on the very first night of their arrival, Rick sternly told Don to “not pull any of his shit” towards Jordan.
But what was the man supposed to do?! There was this young man, who obviously still held romantic feelings for his daughter, under his roof with her! He didn’t have any authority at their now-shared apartment, but in his house, was he not supposed to play the part of a protective father?
This was deeper than some petty father hen shtick, though. Don knew it. But he wasn’t ready to wrestle & face that just yet.
He picked up Eva & Jordan’s empty, crusty mugs & went to the kitchen.
Later in the week, Don surprisingly joined the entire household for a game of Monopoly. Now, everyone knows Monopoly was never a very ‘fun’ game, but they all figured they could enjoy some friendly competition. Unfortunately, Don only ever seemed irritated by every wrong step he took, & couldn’t even enjoy any successful moves he did make. He was particularly snappy at Jordan, leaving the boy a bit timid in his turns.
“You’re not...letting my dad win, are you, Jordan?” Eva whispered, slowly catching wind of Don’s shitty attitude about a freaking board game. Unfortunately, he overheard & scowled over at the two while crumpling his fake paper dollars in his fist, “He better not be. I want a fair game, boy!”
“N-No Mr. Wei, I’m not, I swear!” The boy said with beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.
Yes he was. Jordan was absolutely purposely making stupid moves through the whole game to try & keep Don calm & ahead. It was futile by the end, since Rick won by a landslide anyways. Eva was congratulating Rick & begging for his strategies when Don immediately left the table without a word. He stomped off to his office & was gone for the rest of the night.
“What’s his problem?” Eva said, frowning.
Christmas was a week away now. Jordan & Eva were sitting in the living room, locked deep in a Mario Kart competition. Rick came up behind them with two aprons, “Hey guys, wanna make some Christmas cookies? Eva told me you like cooking, Jordan, so you’re definitely giving me a hand.”
“Oh, sounds fun, yeah!” The boy grinned, snatching the apron out of Rick’s hand. “Unless you guys like burnt cookies, I’ll sit out the baking part. I’ll decorate, though!” Eva said, tying her hair up before following the two men into the kitchen.
With Eva taking a back seat to the actual creation of the baked goods, it wasn't long before they had trays upon trays of cut-out dough shapes to throw in the oven. She happily licked the raw dough off the mixers, immediate with her praise on the taste. Rick was surprised by Jordan’s cooking skills as well, complimenting & encouraging him constantly while they worked together, “Man, it’s so nice to actually have some help around the kitchen in this house. Don’s a wreck of a cook, & Eva’s even worse”.
“Hey, I’m not as bad as dad! He would swap the sugar for salt accidentally & burn the cookies to charcoal,” Eva retaliated, making them snicker.
“I thought you said your dad did most of the cooking when you were little?” Jordan questioned while pulling a fresh tray of sugar & gingerbread cookies out of the oven.
“Yeah, but after mom died, he didn’t do much of anything,” she sighed, gathering the tubes of frosting & sprinkles Rick brought out to prepare decorating. “I remember him not taking care of himself period after that. And as far as I know, he didn’t get much better after he dropped me off at Sterns.”
“Don always ate out back when he was my manager. Usually the expensive stuff, never cheap take out,” Rick chimed in, slipping the next tray into the oven. “I don’t know how a man can be content with eating at some schamncy-ass place every single night. Nothing beats a home cooked meal.”
“I agree! That’s why you’re a godsend, Rick!” Eva cheered, tapping the cookies before her with a fingertip to test the temperature.
“I agree, too, about the home cooked meal thing. My mom’s food is still the best ever...No offence, Rick,” Jordan grinned, bringing some dirty cooking utensils over to the sink to begin washing.
“None taken, kid. My mom’s cooking is still the best to me, too,” The man replied, leaning back against the counter.
“S’no wonder Don got so damn skinny with that eating pattern, though. You need a meal made with love to keep you good & healthy!” Rick flexed his bicep as if for proof, but his playful tone dropped when he turned towards the entryway into the living room.
None of them were sure how long Don had been standing there, but he looked positively furious .
“What are you all doing?” he asked with a low, constricted voice.
“Uh...making cookies…” Eva said, slowly twisting the cap off of a red frosting tube.
“And you didn’t ask me to join you?” he accused with even more anger dripping off his voice.
“You were in your office, Don. You’ve been in there a lot, something up?” Rick replied with a bit bite. Something was up, he could tell.
“Nothing is wrong, I was merely doing some business. You should have knocked & asked me,” The old man quipped back, unconsciously stomping into the kitchen.
Jordan, trying to stay quiet & unseen while washing dishes, looked back for a split second to see Don coming into the space. He continued to scrub, hoping deeply that Don would just ignore him & give him a break for once.
He was out of luck, though. Don swiped one of the cookies from the tray in front of Eva, took a small bite, & grimaced. “Who made these?”
No one spoke for an uncomfortable amount of time. Rick broke the silence, “I did. And Jordan helped.”
“Hmph. Well, no wonder they don’t taste as good as your usual batches,” Don said, lying the barely eaten cookie onto the counter top.
“Hey, what the hell, dad? That’s so rude!” Eva blurted, staring her father down angrily. “No one said you had to eat any, Don. I think they taste great,” Rick argued, crossing his arms in irritation. “Yeah, they do taste great! Don’t listen to him, Jordan.” Eva agreed, coming to his defense as well.
“N-No guys, it’s ok...I might have messed them up a bit, it’s fine,” Jordan mumbled from the sink, face still pointed towards the soapy water. His shoulders had slumped, his voice sounded dejected & tired. All of this berating from Don was wearing thin, but what was the point in fighting it? All he wanted was his acceptance in this house, so rebelling against it wouldn't help at all. It was so frustrating to not understand why his mere presence seemed to instantly flip a switch in him.
“Jordan…” Eva said in a low voice, concerned. Don made no more comment about the sweets, almost ignoring them completely now, “Rick, we need ingredients for dinner. Come, let’s go.”
“I’m not going with you if you’re going to be a jerk to our guest. Go by yourself, get some fresh air & loosen up,” Rick snapped back, making Don shudder. The long haired man turned away from him & joined Jordan at the sink, quietly beginning to help clean up the rest of the dishes.
Don felt the tiniest bit...betrayed.
“...Fine. Text me a list then. I’m leaving,” Don grumbled, turned around, & left.
The garage door slammed, & Eva let out a sigh, “Jeez, dad needs to chill the fuck out.”
Of course, things were going to get worse before they were going to get better.
A few days were left before Christmas Eve & somehow decorating the tree had slipped all of their minds. They didn’t even have a tree yet until Rick came home that afternoon with a freshly chopped one.
By the evening, the whole house smelled of fresh pine. The entire family were on the floor, sifting through boxes from the attic for ornaments. Don seemed to make it a point to talk as little as possible to Jordan & focus on the task at hand.
“Found some more! Ohhh, these are red, awesome!” Eva said with a clear container held in front of her, showing off the dusty ornaments under the plastic.
“I found some too, white ones!” Jordan said, showing them off the same as his friend.
Rick let out a cat-call style whistle, “Nice, these are some re—”
“Don’t drop them, or they’ll break,” Don interrupted, for no reason at all except to berate the boy.
“Yes sir…” Jordan sighed, gently placing the box next to the tree. Eva was starting to reach her boiling point with her father's treatment of her friend.
“Dad, relax. Jordan’s careful, so leave him alone.”
He didn’t respond, instead continuing to dig into cardboard boxes.
Dissatisfied with his lack of response, Eva decided to break away from the situation instead. “Jordan, help me decorate the tree. We have enough ornaments to get started, anyway.”
The boy looked up at her, then looked to Rick & Don. Thunderbolt just gave him a friendly nod, while Don glared intensely. So he had a 50/50 chance of picking the wrong choice, it seemed.
“...Alright, yeah, I’ll help,” he said, slowly getting up from the floor.
He & Eva started slipping the ornaments out of their boxes & hooking them onto branches while Rick continued his search. Don had slowed down, keeping his eyes on the two by the tree instead. Jordan could feel his eyes boreing into the back of his head, but tried to keep distracted by conversing with Eva.
It was going pretty smoothly, the tree slowly filling with shining color until Rick & Don had found all the ornaments in the house. They joined in with the decorating as well, but Jordan tried to keep his physical distance from Don. The tree was large enough to do so...usually.
But once the bottom section of the tree started filling up, the duty to finish fell upon Rick & Jordan. Eva had given up on reaching the high branches, cursing her small stature, & sat back to watch them finish instead.
Unfortunately, Don had not given up, despite barely being much taller than Eva himself. He struggled to reach as high as the other two men, straining his arm up high.
“Jordan & I can finish this up, Don, don’t worry about it,” Rick said, trying to encourage him away so they could finish the project in peace.
“Nonsense, I can help!” He barked back, leaning into the branches to stick a silver orb on a high twig.
Jordan’s ears perked at small sounds of wood cracking, & looked down to see Don putting far too much pressure on one of the branches to reach higher. The sound grew louder until the branch fully snapped, tossing Don’s support from him as he started falling forward & risking the entire tree toppling over with him.
“Mr. Wei, watch out!” The Avatar cried, an arm shooting out to catch him from falling any further into the tree. Rick, quickly assessing the situation, grabbed a hold of the tree from around the trunk. Together, they prevented the possible disaster from unfolding. Unfortunately, a few ornaments fell off the branches.
None were broken, save for the one Don had been trying to place. It shattered quietly next to them, now just jagged piles of airbrushed silver on the floor.
“Are you ok, Mr. Wei?” Jordan asked, helping Don lean back onto his feet. His concern washed away to panic when the old man looked up at him, red as a tomato & with a grimace rivaling anything he had expressed during The Great Race.
“You absolute idiot ! Look at what you made me do!” he screeched at Jordan, pointing down at the pile of debris. “It’s broken, Wilde, all thanks to you!”
“Dad, lay off! It was an accident. Jordan just saved you & the tree from eating the floor!” Eva yelled, coming up to physically get between her father & friend.
“Eva, be quiet & stay out of this! He needs to apologize right now!” He roared back at her, furiously pointing over her shoulder at the boy.
“Don, knock it off. Right. Now,” Rick commanded, his voice sinking into the most demanding tone anyone in the room had ever heard from the usually mellow man. His hand clamped on Don’s shoulder, yanking him back forcefully.
Don’s eyes snapped upwards, & some of his fury fell at seeing his daughter's face. Now, he was aware of how his actions had affected her.
The corners of her eyes glimmered with tears, an expression of disgusted shock & fear staring right back at him. Her mouth hung open, but nothing came out. Eva grit her teeth & stormed upstairs, slamming her door with a thunderous force. Jordan's eyes followed her, instant desire to comfort his friend bubbling up inside. Yet, he was deathly afraid of following her with the anger from Don still palpable in the air.
Rick made his decision for him, “Go up there, Jordan. She needs it.” He jerked his chin towards the stairs, being clear this was a well-intentioned demand instead of a suggestion.
Don opened his mouth again to argue against it, but Rick squeezed his boney shoulder hard to keep him quiet. “Do not speak a word, Don. You’ve done enough.”
Jordan staggered away from them, looking at the furious old man before looking towards Rick. He slowly nodded, confirming his course of action, then made his way up the stairs.
“Let go of me, Rick! I should be the one comforting my daughter, not this intruder!” The old man complained, trying to wriggle out of his grip fruitlessly.
“You’re the one who made this whole mess, Don, so you don’t get to try & play ‘good dad’ now. Just, leave them alone for the night, would you?” Rick sighed, releasing his grip on the man.
“...Fine. But he still needs to apologize,” Don grumbled, rubbing the soreness away from his muscles.
Rick turned his back on Don, patience worn thin for him, “No, he doesn’t, but you do. I’m going to clean this up, & go cool off. We’ll talk about this later, but I cannot deal with you right now.”
And so, he left to retrieve a broom for the mess, leaving Don to stew in the fallout of his own catastrophe by himself. He just stared at the broken branch on the floor, hands balled into white-knuckled fists.
Notes:
Hohhhhh Donnnnn you are big fucking it up, aren't ya?!
Honestly, I love Don as a character. And I love writing him! He's such an ass!
Part 2 coming soon~ Thanks for reading!
Chapter 18: Christmas Pt. 2
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Eva, it’s me…” The Avatar mumbled from outside her door. It was eerily silent from the other side, making him more worried than he already was. A few moments passed before a choked up, “Come in…” slipped out from behind the door.
He quietly entered into her room, finding it dark aside from the red string lights hung along the ceiling, casting a red glow around the room. Eva was curled up on her bed, face buried in a large pink stuffed rabbit. Jordan slowly sat down next to her on the bed, waiting to see if she wanted to talk. He was fine just keeping her company & just being a calming presence for her, if that’s what she needed right now.
“...I don’t know why he's been treating you like this. I’m sorry, Jordan…” she sniffled from behind the plush, unmoving.
“It’s not your fault, Molly, I just...I want to know what I did, at least. I haven’t been a bad house guest, have I?” he sighed, looking down at the floor.
“No way, you’ve been great. Rick loves having you here, I can tell,” she rebutted, slowly peeking out from behind the rabbit. “Dad’s the only problem here. I just want us all to have a nice Christmas, & he’s ruining it for everyone by being a jerk. I don’t get it…”
Jordan leaned back, propped up on his hands, “Think maybe I’m intruding on things…?”
“Absolutely not!” Eva sat up quickly, dropping the rabbit, “Dad should be happy that you’re here enjoying the time with us instead of alone at the apartment. He knows I had so many Christmases alone, so why would I want my friend to have that too?” Her hand curled into a fist, gathering the fabric of her star-patterned comforter in her fingers.
“I know, & I really appreciate it, Molly, but if I’m being honest...It’s been mostly great, really! Hanging out with you & Rick has been a blast. But every time your dad was around, he...uh,” he trailed off, not wanting to reignite her anger.
“He’s been an asshole. I feel it too. It’s like every time he walks into the room, everything gets all heavy.” She looked up to him, meeting his golden eyes, “I can’t imagine what it’s like for you.”
He tried to give her a strong smile, hiding his emotional burnout, “It’s been a bit tough, but not too bad...It just really came to a head tonight, I guess. I’ll apologize, but I don’t know if that’ll make things better with Don...Worth a try.”
“It’s still not fair to you,” Eva whispered, leaning her forehead awkwardly against Jordan’s arm. It seemed more an act of exhaustion, at her wit's end with the situation. He felt similar.
“It’ll be ok, Molly. This whole thing sucks, but I’ll figure it out,” he replied, enjoying the bit of her weight against his arm. He had absolutely 0 idea of how to actually proceed, but damn it, he’d figure it out.
“ We’ll figure it out,” she grumbled from beside him, making him turn to look down at her.
Eva lifted her head & smiled kindly at him, instantly making Jordan’s worries wash away.
Yeah, they would figure out.
“What’s your fucking problem with the kid, Don?”
His wrinkled, thin hands cupped together, resting on the dinning room table. He could feel Rick’s stare burning into him from behind his sunglasses.
It felt like a police interrogation, being sat at a table with the large man under a single light. Their shadows cast darkly from the bulb, as it was the middle of the night. Rick wanted to make sure Eva & Jordan were in their respective rooms for the night, to prevent any eavesdropping while he chewed Don out.
“You know I don’t like that they’re living together. How am I expected to be alright with it under my own roof?” Don growled.
“You didn’t have a problem with it until Jordan spoke up about liking Eva. They shared a room on Oban, if I recall Eva's stories about it correctly? But I know that’s not the problem here.”
“God damn it, Rick, stop being so good at reading people.”
Don sighed, brows furrowed, “Well, I didn’t really expect him to ever come back, now did I?”
“That may be true, but none of us did. You should be happy that he’s back, & that Eva has a friend like him. Can’t you see how much he cares about her, Don?” Rick gestured outward to emphasize his point. “Is his crush on her really what’s blinding you to being happy that your daughter has her friend back?”
“You’re really making me sound like an asshole right now, Rick,” Don glowered.
“You’re being an asshole, Don.”
“Ugh, try & see it from my point of view! A father is naturally protective of his daughter around boys. She’s still so young, & she’s in university. She doesn’t need that buffoon of a boy distracting her.” The old man threw his hands up, exasperated, trying to fill out every check box of typical fatherly bullshit he could think of.
A sigh slipped through Rick’s lips, “She’s a grown ass adult, Don. She can make her own decisions, frankly. Besides, you know there’s nothing going on between them right now. Eva would tell us, wouldn’t she? You trust her, don’t you?”
Don’s shoulders dropped slightly, “...Yes, of course I do.”
Rick folded his hands in front of him on the table & leaned forward, “What’s really eating at you with Jordan, Don? You’ve been taking every opportunity to be awful to him, & tonight was absolutely uncalled for.”
He was quiet. Don Wei was being forced to confront feelings he had decided to lock away under the assumption they would never be important again. But of course, like the many other curve balls life had thrown his way, they would have to come to the surface now.
He would have to unearth them if he wanted to keep the most important relationships in his life stable. And, he owed it to Jordan.
He owed a lot to Jordan.
And that was the problem.
More time must have passed in his silence than he thought, because Rick had reached out to place a hand on his. Don looked up towards him, surprised to see a softer look of concern on his face. “Just tell me. I want you to trust me too.”
Slowly, Don flipped his hand up from underneath Ricks, folding his fingers over his. The warmth from his large, soft palm helped calm him & give him strength to open up to his partner. Don Wei was a man made of steel walls, but with a bit of prying, a few select people could squeeze their way in. Rick, the patient saint of a man that he was, managed somehow. No one, nor himself, knew how.
“Canaletto…” Don began. Rick gulped, but his gaze stayed steady on Don.
“...That...That monster , he used Eva like a puppet. And I did nothing. I couldn’t do anything for my daughter.”
Rick squeezed his hand, gently urging him to continue.
“But that boy...Jordan, he did . He literally took her place, became what she was supposed to be. If Eva had become The Avatar, I would have never gotten her back.” His voice started to tremble slightly.
“I don’t think that he'll will ever understand what he did for Eva...Or what he did for me. For us, for our relationship as father & daughter. If he hadn’t sacrificed himself like that, I would truly have nothing. Nothing at all.
“So...how am I supposed to treat him now? Do I kiss the ground he walks on because he gave me my life back, or do I cast him out so that I never have to deal with these tumultuous feelings again? I'm so conflicted, Rick...I can’t stand it. I can’t stand seeing him, knowing what he exchanged for Eva & I. It’s so damn painful…”
“And, so, you decide to default to your state of being a jerk,” Rick said quietly.
A tiny, sad smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, “I have been a jerk. I’ve been terrible to him. Please, Rick, you need to understand that I don’t know how to feel about Jordan. He lost everything he knew to give me everything I needed. I can never give that back to him, so what am I expected to do? I could spend the rest of my life trying to pay him back, & it would never be enough.”
“Well,” Rick began, “For one, you treat him nicely, & with respect.”
“I suppose that’s easy enough…”
“Then you would have done it by now,” Rick chuckled. “Two, you show him that you’re happy he’s here. You may have been suffering, but you don’t know how much suffering Jordan’s gone through. You’re aware of what he’s lost, but you haven’t considered how he feels about it. Think about that. I bet you could sympathize.”
Don blinked, “I...S-Suppose I haven’t thought about that...I was much too focused on myself.”
“You have been. And you’re thinking way too hard about what Jordan wants, if he even wants anything. All he really just wants some semblance of normal here on Earth. That’s it.”
“That...also, is much more simple than I imagined...Giving him a roof over his head isn’t enough, correct?”
“Yup, now you’re on the right track. So, forget all The Avatar shit, & just treat Jordan like he never left. That’s the way to pay him back for everything, if that’s what your intentions are hellbent on being,” Rick suggested, being right on the money again. That’s what he himself had been doing the moment he found Jordan in Eva’s apartment bathtub. It made the boy immensely happy, helping him feel at home on this planet once more. This preferred treatment should have been plain as day to everyone. Except, of course, Don.
The old man felt like an idiot for not noticing all of these obvious details. Maybe he was getting even more oblivious in his old age, “Again, you’re right, Rick. I hate that you’re right so often.”
“If I wasn’t right, then you wouldn’t get the reflection you desperately need, old man,” he smirked, cheekbones pushing up his sunglasses.
It was true. Rick lent a much needed perspective that Don would be dead in the water without, “And I thank you for that, Rick. I love you.”
“I love you too, you old bastard. Now, want some ideas on how to repair your past few weeks of bullshit for those two?”
“I’m all ears,” Don smiled, squeezing Rick’s hand again.
It was almost noon & no one in the house had seen Don yet. Rick assumed he was in his office on account of the closed door, but Eva was absolutely fine with that.
“I’d rather he stay in his office for the rest of our break if he’s going to be a dick the entire time,” she huffed, pulling out a container of leftover soup for lunch from the refrigerator.
Jordan looked at her from his seat at the table, sandwich in hand, “Hey now, I want you to see your dad too, Molly. Even if he’s being a bit of a...um—”
“You can say ‘dick’ Jordan, it’s the right word,” Rick filled in, sitting next to the boy with a cup of tea. “But he won’t be one for much longer, I assure you. We had a talk.”
Eva rolled her eyes & slammed the microwave shut behind her, “Not that I don’t believe in you, Rick, but my hopes aren’t high that this ‘talk’ did much. I’ll believe it when I see it.”
The subject was dropped in favor of more positive conversation, like what they’d be doing that night to celebrate Christmas Eve. An empty bowl, plate, & mug lay on the table while they continued to chat, but fell silent when Don appeared in the doorway.
No one spoke to him, but Rick did nod his head to gesture him into the kitchen. He walked in slowly, adjusting the collar of his dress shirt nervously before speaking up, “Good...Um, good afternoon everyone.” Eva frowned & looked away, refusing to acknowledge him. Jordan also avoided eye contact with him, but out of fear.
Don immediately felt discouraged, but tried to shake it off so that he could speak openly with the group. He took a deep breath, “I know I’ve been quite awful to you all in the past week, & I would like to formally apologize to you.”
The two young adults now faced him, fully focused & stunned at the words that just fell out of Don Wei’s mouth. He was actually genuinely apologizing for once?
“I’ve been antagonistic, to say the least. It’s brought tension & stress upon everyone in the house. Eva, I want you to enjoy your break here at home, as Rick & I have missed you dearly. I’m sorry for how I’ve been, & how I acted towards you last night.”
She stared at him, mouth agape, saying nothing. Don’s eyebrow twitched, & he opened his mouth to say more, but she interrupted him, “Wow, uh, thanks dad...It’s ok.” He looked visibly more relaxed, smiling lovingly at his daughter. Her forgiveness had always meant the world to him.
“And thank you for being forgiving, Eva. Now, Jordan,” he said turning to the boy, who jumped slightly when his dark black eyes turned onto him. “I’ve been the most terrible to you, & I cannot apologize enough.”
“H-Hey, it’s ok Mr. W—”
“No, it’s not ok, Jordan. Please, I’d truly like to apologize as profusely as I can,” Don said, placing a hand dramatically onto his chest.
So Jordan retracted, letting him continue, “Jordan, I’ve been...less than understanding of your situation. That was selfish of me, for assuming you weren’t struggling with certain...things.” He was trying his best to dance around the specifics of The Avatar’s restrictions on Earth, not wanting to inject sadness into his apology.
“I should have treated you with more warmth & respect, & I’ll try my best to do so from now on. I ask you to have patience with me, as...well, you know how I can be. A bit of a dick , correct?” he smirked, indicating he heard at least that section of their previous conversation. But he couldn’t be mad. He did deserve it.
A giggle came from Eva, & Jordan cracked a small grin. Even Rick smiled, knowing that Don’s self-inflicted jab would help prove his intention to change his ways.
“So, I hope you can forgive me for everything, Jordan. I’m very, very sorry,” Don concluded, walking over to the edge of the table with an outstretched hand.
All eyes fell on Jordan, making him hesitate for a moment. But he took Don’s hand, shaking firmly, & smiled up at the old man, “You’re all forgiven to me, Mr. Wei. Honestly, I’m kinda relieved it wasn’t me being a bad guest, haha!”
“Oh gracious no, Jordan! I know both Rick & Eva have been enjoying your company immensely. To be truthful...You do clean the most out of anyone who’s been here. Including me.”
Eva burst into laughter while Rick looked away in embarrassment, being shamefully called out for being a bit untidy by Jordan’s standards. “Hey, I clean plenty…” The large man mumbled, adjusting his sunglasses away from the group.
“Oh, I dunno, Rick! Jordan’s been the one on top of it all since we got here. Who did the dishes last night? And the night before that?” Eva prodded, poking his shoulder playfully.
“We have a dishwasher, he doesn’t need to!” The man proclaimed, pointing across the kitchen to the appliance for proof.
“We never had a dishwasher growing up, so I’m just use to washing them by hand in the sink…” Jordan informed, unsure if he had actually done something wrong here.
This made Eva laugh more, “Jordan’s just not being lazy. My apartment is spotless because of him.” Her father crossed his arms & raised an eyebrow in her direction, “And it shows. It was quite the disaster before Jordan came into the picture.”
Eva ceased her teasing & gulped, aware she was the target now. “I-I was busy with school…”
“You know, I go to the same school, & I find plenty of time to clean, Molly,” her friend interjected, leaning forward with a smug smile. “S-Shut up, I’m a year ahead! I have seniority!” she argued, smiling all the while.
“And I’m still older than you, so what about that?” Jordan countered, raising his eyebrows. The two continued their stupid, playful spat while Rick got up from the table & walked over to Don.
He placed a hand on his shoulder, warmly & gently this time, pulling him into his side “You did good, hun.”
Don’s breath hitched in his throat, & cheeks immediately growing rosy. He looked away to hide his uncontainable smile. “Thank you…"
Christmas Eve went smoothly & calmly. The entire household was preoccupied with warm food, drink, & atmosphere. A lovely dinner followed by endless vintage holiday specials filled the evening. Eva convinced them all to retire for the night rather early, in eager suspense for the following day. They complied, each saying their goodnights, & went to their respective rooms.
The following morning, a rapid banging on the guest room door roused Jordan from his deep sleep. “ Hubawha? ” he groaned while his eyes peeled open, looking over towards the now opening door.
Eva stood there, still in her pajamas & messy bed head, but was beaming at him, “It’s Christmas Morning, Jordan! Get up & come open presents!”
The boy was still adjusting to consciousness. “ C-Crimmus? What prezens ?” he slurred while trying to lift his head from his pillow.
“Ugh, c’mon you big lug! Get your ass up!” she huffed, storming in & yanking on his arm. She cackled while attempting to drag his heavy body off the bed, which actually did a decent job at waking Jordan up. He began laughing with her & trying to prevent his inevitable fall off the bed, “I’ll get up, I’ll get up, I swear!”
She didn’t stop until he finally slipped off the edge of the bed, taking the comforter with him & landing on the carpet ass-first. Eva stood triumphantly above him, hands on her hips, “Well, you’re half way there now, partner.”
Jordan, rubbing his sore butt, smirked up at her, “I sure am, & now I’m gonna make it to the bathroom before you, Ms. morning breath.”
An embarrassed peep came from Eva while her cheeks turned pink, “I-I don't have morning breath! And I’m going first!”
But Jordan was already off the floor & making his way to the hallway, the bathroom mere feet away. She ran after him, but was stopped by him squeezing his way in first & slamming the door.
“Now wait your turn, 2nd place!” he chuckled from behind the door.
Eva pouted, crossing her arms, but smiled while she leaned against the hallway wall to wait. It sure was a fun Christmas morning so far.
“What’s all the noise? Are you alright?” Don said from the end of the hall, already dressed & freshened up for the day with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand.
Eva turned to her father, arms dropping to her side, “Oh, no, Jordan & I were just...messing around.”
Don may have apologized to them both, but things still felt a bit awkward in the house. Last night had been the best one in the house since they arrived, but Don was spotty in his consistency on things like this. She was unsure if he would keep it up.
“Ah…” he said, the wrinkles on his face relaxing. “Well then, after you’re both done, come to the kitchen for breakfast before gifts.”
He sounded fairly neutral right now, which was hopeful. Eva just nodded, “Yeah, we’ll be there in a few.”
Don nodded back, then began to walk away. But before he took a step, his face turned back to his daughter.
“Jordan has a few gifts as well...Just, so he’s aware,” he said, lips curled upward ever so slightly.
Eva gasped, genuinely shocked. But then, a wide smile spread across her face, “Really, he does? You got him something, dad?”
“Well, Rick was the one who thought ahead to get him a few things, but I did contribute. Now wash up, I’ll see you both in the living room,” he coughed out nervously before shuffling away.
Jordan opened the door seconds later, all washed up, “Alright Molly, bathroom’s all your’s.”
Now she turned her huge smile onto him, “I’ll be super quick! We both have presents to open, after all!” She made sure to put extra emphasis on ‘both’, so he could gather some excitement.
Instead, he just looked at her with confused eyes, then moved out of the way so she could get into the bathroom.
After a delicious pancake breakfast crafted by none other than Rick Thunderbolt, the family gathered around the lit tree in the living room. Eva sat next to it childishly, with Jordan next to her on the couch. Rick was beside Jordan, & Don sat opposite in a leather chair.
Eva began sorting out the gifts, handing them out to each recipient. She ended up with a huge pile, Rick & Don had fairly equal clusters, & Jordan had a total of 3 wrapped boxes with his name upon them.
“Sorry we couldn’t get you more. Was kind of last-minute shopping,” Rick apologized, patting Jordan on the shoulder. The boy shook his head furiously, “N-No, don’t worry, I wasn’t expecting any presents at all, honestly!”
“It’s Christmas, Jordan, the season of giving. So you should have something, at least,” Don said, taking a sip of his coffee. Rick smiled in agreement, pleased to see the old man’s attitude truly taking a turn for the better.
“W-Well, thank you Mr. Wei...And Rick, you too,” Jordan smiled at them both, then turned to Eva. “So, what order are we going in?”
She was already tearing the wrapping paper off a large box with an almost feral energy. “No order, just go for it!” she exclaimed, gasping at the sight of a new engine part for her rocket seat.
“Uh, when in Rome, then,” Jordan shrugged, & began opening his gifts as well.
Rick mostly unwrapped new cookware & gardening tools, while Don was given books & some new clothes for work. Eva had a brand new stockpile of parts & tools for her personal projects, alongside a plethora of new clothes, pairs of shoes, & a sketchbook with drawing utensils that she was especially excited about.
Jordan was also gifted clothes: Lots of socks, specifically, along with a few more articles of clothing. But unlike in his childhood, he was actually happy about it, since his wardrobe was still lacking significantly. He also received some new supplies for school to replace his scrappy ones, & a somewhat cheap but entirely functional new cell phone. Both Rick & Don were astonished he had gotten so far on Earth without one, so they agreed it would benefit him to be allowed onto their cellular plan. The Avatar was profusely thankful, resisting the urge to jump up & hug both of the men. Eva & him exchanged numbers immediately.
After the festivities wound down, Eva brought out a garbage bag for clean up. Jordan was helping Rick gather up the sea of crumpled wrapping paper when Don left the room. He returned back a few minutes later with two pure white rectangular boxes, & handed one each to Eva & Jordan.
“One last gift, for you two,” He said with a pleased smile.
The two young adults took the boxes, curious of their contents, & slipped the lids open.
“Ohhh, awesome!” Eva cheered, pulling out a bold blue varsity-style jacket. An embroidered patch with Burrough University’s logo was attached to the front right breast. Jordan pulled out a similar jacket, but in a much larger size for his stature. “Wow, thank you Mr. Wei!” he grinned, already slipping it on.
Eva tried on her’s as well, then smiled over at her friend, “Heh, we match, Jordan!” He was twisting around, getting a good look at the fit on his torso, “Yeah! Now we really look like partners, huh?”
Don looked softened by the view, getting to see his daughter so joyous with her friend. He was even happy about seeing Jordan, who finally looked fully relaxed & upbeat in his home, spend this time with Eva. It finally brought him peace instead of guilt.
Maybe having Jordan around wouldn’t be so bad after all.
“Merry Christmas, you two.”
They both smiled at Don, Eva throwing her hands up, “Merry Christmas to you too, dad! Love you!” She jumped up from the floor & gave her father a hug, squeezing him affectionately.
“Merry Christmas, Mr. Wei!” Jordan said, coming up to him after Eva broke away with an awkwardly extended hand. A handshake was an alright substitute for a hug, right?
“Jordan, you can call me Don. Now come here,” the old man said, extending his arms outwards.
This man was just full of surprises to the entire household today. Eva & Jordan both stared in awe, making Don sweat & tense up. Was he being inappropriate? Maybe it was too early in this mending relationship to offer an embrace to Jordan. He wouldn’t be surprised if he was fumbling again, that he—
The boy leaned into Don, wrapping his strong arms around his shoulders due to the height difference. “Thank you so much, Don. This Christmas has been great,” he mumbled, blown away but thrilled to see Don accept him so.
It took a moment, but Don eventually returned the embrace he offered in the first place. It wasn’t as stressful & tense as he thought it would be. It was rather nice, actually.
“I’m glad, Jordan. You deserve it.” He meant that most sincerely.
“Awe, dad, you do have a heart!” Eva said in a bright tone, coming up between them & wrapping her arms around them both.
“O-Of course I do, Eva!” Don stuttered out, pink coming to his cheeks. Jordan began to blush a bit well, but then Rick walked back into the room from taking out the trash. “Oh, are we group hugging? Well, let me in, then!” He grinned, easily wrapping the whole group up in his muscular arms.
While the two young adults were giggling happily, Don looked like he was about to start hyperventilating. Unfortunately, he was too smothered to demand them all to let go.
The rest of winter break was going to be...interesting. But good.
Notes:
HAHA I TOLD YALL IT WOULD BE UPDATED SOON! For once!
I actually wrote both parts together, but then it was...so damn long...so I decided to chop it in half. I think it's better for it!
Also the "official" introduction of those blue matching jackets Eva & Jordan wear in Zhampy's art. I love em so much that I decided to write them in, lol.
Next chapter will be the start of a brand new year in the story, so we'll be getting away from holiday scenarios again. It'll be fun & exciting, so look forward to it~
Life's about to get busier, but I'm in the groove for writing, so hopefully the next update won't be too far off (Do not hold me to this lol).
Thanks for reading~
Chapter 19: Party
Notes:
Obligatory Mario Kart + OC introduction chapter incoming
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Jordan jolted, the vibration from his ringing phone still a sensation he wasn’t adjusted to. He rolled over on the couch to slip it out of his back jean pocket, clicking on the screen to see the number. He grinned, tapping the ‘answer’ button before putting the speaker to his ear.
“Yo! Sup man?” The boy greeted, Eva observing the conversation from her arm chair a few feet away. He was quiet, mostly asking a few clarifying questions to the caller on the other end. She watched curiously, until after a few minutes, Jordan ended the call with a, “Alright, see you Friday!” sendoff, hanging up afterwards.
Eva tilted her head, “So, who are you seeing Friday?” Jordan smiled over at her, turning over again to replace his phone into his pocket, “Remember that guy, Gauge, that I’ve been doing some work for? The guy who’s brother owns the electronics store?” She did recall Jordan telling her about a side-job he had been doing recently, moving stock from one storefront to another. This must have been what he meant, but she didn’t recall him ever mentioning specific names.
“Vaguely, but continue,” she encouraged, gesturing with her hand.
“So, you know how he goes to our school?”
Eva’s eyebrows creased together, “No? You never told me anything about the guy, not even his name.”
An embarrassed expression fell on The Avatar’s face, slightly ashamed of his air-headedness, “Oh, uh, well Gauge goes to our school, same year as me. But he’s in the electrical engineering program, so not a ton of our classes overlap. I only met him when I started doing that moving work for his brother.”
“ That , you did tell me about, just nothing about this Gauge guy. But I wanna know what you just talked about. What’s Friday?” she inquired, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees.
“He’s having a party, before the semester starts. A ‘Welcome back to campus’ type thing, & he invited me!” Jordan grinned. One of her eyebrows rose, “A party? Like a college party, with booze & naked girls & stuff?”
Jordan's lips flattened into a straight line, & he shot Eva a disappointed look, “What kind of person do you think he is? He isn’t even old enough to drink. Do you think anyone from Burroughs would be running around naked & drunk at a party, Molly?”
Laughing from his reaction, Eva leaned back into the chair with her arms flung over the sides. “I don’t know anything about parties besides what I’ve seen in movies! Dad never let me go to any in high school. Too worried I’d come home drunk,” she sighed annoyingly.
“Sounds like something your dad would say,” Jordan chuckled, not surprised in the least. “Well, wanna go to this one with me? Gauge said I could invite anyone I want.”
Eva thought about it for about 2 seconds before answering with a flat, “Nah.”
“Aw, why not? It’ll be fun!” he whined, sitting up on the couch & gazing over at her with puppy dog eyes.
“It’s just gonna be a lot of people standing around with bad music playing, making awkward small talk,” she assumed, ending with a shrug.
“That’s not true! Gauge said it wasn’t going to be too many people, & they were gonna have games & stuff to do.”
“Games like what, Uno? Jenga? Bingo? ”
He folded his arms, smirking knowingly, “No, actually. I meant video games. Like Mario Kart. They’ll be having a Mario Kart tournament , in fact.”
Eva’s eyes widened slightly, & Jordan's smirk did as well, seeing that he had finally sparked her interest. “...A tournament?” she asked, now fully focused.
Nodding, Jordan elaborated, “A legit tournament, with a bracket & everything. Apparently him & his friends are real pros at it, so it’s tough competition.” This was just a coaxing lie, however, as Gauge only mentioned the game tournament in passing. But talking it up would be a great way to persuade Eva into tagging along.
His intentions were less selfish than they seemed on the surface: Jordan didn’t want Eva to come along to keep him company, or as a familiar face to keep him grounded in a house of mostly strangers. What he really wanted was to help Eva branch out & make some more friends in this home away from home.
Little made him happier than being able to spend time with her, but he knew Eva needed a better local support system than one singular person. It had only been them for almost a year, while Eva showed no interest in making friends during the semester. It was depressing to see, really, how much she did on her own without any help. Even now, she still tried to resist any assistance Jordan offered, stubbornly trying to do everything herself.
Eva had done this for 10 years, probably more, & she didn’t need to anymore.
“Oh, I bet they’re not that great. I could wreck them in no time flat,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Well, do you want to come along & find out, then?” he prodded, leaning in her direction.
She squinted at her friend, who only smiled back inconspicuously, “...You mentioned the tournament just to get me to come, didn’t you?”
“No, I really want you to come. You’ll probably meet some cool people! And even if you don’t, you can kick everyone’s ass in Mario Kart. Sounds fair, right?”
She paused for a moment.
“Yeah, ok, it does. Friday, right?”
Together they came upon a fairly large, old house on the edge of campus. All of the windows glowed a warm, welcoming orange light in the evening darkness. “This the place?” asked Eva, rubbing her arms in an effort to warm herself. Jordan looked down at his phone, double checking the address Gauge had texted him, “Yeah, looks like it. I guess we just knock?”
He rapped his knuckles against the worn wood, & a few minutes later a stocky tan-skinned man answered the door with a smile. “Jordan, man, you made it!” he greeted, opening the door all the way so the two could shuffle in.
Eva examined the person that she was assuming was Gauge, finding him to fit the title of ‘electrical engineer major’ quite well. Large hipster glasses sat upon his square-shaped face with a full beard lining his chin. His long, faintly-navy dark hair was tied up into a neat bun, reminding her of Rick a bit.
“Gauge, good to see you, man! This is my friend, Eva,” Jordan introduced, holding a hand out in Eva’s direction. She held out her own hand somewhat nervously, “Ah yeah, that’s me! Eva Wei, nice to meet you. I’m majoring in mechanical engineering.”
He answered her with a hardy hand shake. “So you’re the Eva that Jordan’s told me about!” he exclaimed, making Jordan’s face flare up in a blush. He turned away immediately, hopeful that Eva would brush that off. “I’m Gauge Patel, but I’m sure you knew that, haha! Don’t know how much Jordan’s told you about me, but I’m majoring in electrical, so I’m mostly in the East Wing.”
Eva opened her mouth to continue the conversation, but Gauge turned around & started walking down a hallway while waving them away from the front door, “Anyways, party’s in the rest of the house!” Jordan followed his friend, with her right behind him.
They were led into a spacious open floor living room & kitchen combo. It was full of what looked like hand-me-down or thrifted furniture, with quite a few people already having arrived. They were spaced around the household in groups, mostly chatting or engaged in some of the activities available. A group at a table was playing an elaborate board game, & others were playing some fighting game on the large screen television. Music pulsed in the air at a low volume, adding a bit more of a party vibe to the atmosphere.
Aside from that, it didn’t seem much like a party. It was barely any different from a student lounge, Eva thought. At the same time, however, it made her feel more relaxed. If the tone of the evening was going to be this chill, maybe she would have a good time.
“Big place you got here, Gauge!” Jordan whistled, taking note of the very high ceiling with its open banisters. “It might be big, but I have a ton of roommates, so it can feel cramped at times. At least we all get along,” the boy replied, shrugging with a grin.
“Oh, I bet. My one bedroom feels super small with Jordan there too,” Eva joked, jabbing Jordan’s side playfully so he’d know it was all in jest. This newly revealed fact made Gauge blink, “You two live together? You never told me you guys lived together.” He cocked an eyebrow up at Jordan, curious about their relationship status, but unsure if he should say anything.
“O-Oh, it’s not like that!” Jordan yelped, waving his hands in defense. Eva blinked, then turned bright red when the implication hit her. “Y-Yeah, no, we’re friends! Just friends! A-And Jordan needed a place to stay, so, uh, yeah!” she stammered, avoiding eye contact with either boy.
The two friends stood there, praying for the blood to rush out of their faces, & stunning Gauge silent with such a reaction. Thankfully, a loud knock from the doorway caught all of their attention, & Gauge stepped past them to greet the new guest.
“Godda answer that, I’ll catch up with you guys later! Grab a drink or something!” He left the two with a little wave & disappeared down the hallway.
Shaking off the last of his flustered blush, Jordan jabbed a thumb in the direction of the kitchen area, “W-Well, wanna see what he’s got?” Eva looked up at him, some pink still lingering in her cheeks, & nodded.
They came upon a counter lined with a variety of beverages, & Eva immediately plucked out a tall can of energy drink for herself. “Oh hell yes, my favorite!” she grinned, opening the tab with a hiss.
Jordan looked at the can disapprovingly, “Those things are so bad for you, you know?” She shrugged & took a large gulp, letting out a refreshing sigh, “They keep me awake, it’s fiiiine. You gonna grab anything?”
He took another scan of the selection & shook his head, “Nah, I’m not really thirsty.”
“You don’t get thirsty anymore, Jordan.”
“I know that, duh! But, well, maybe I should get something anyway…” he wondered, eyes straying back to the drinks. “Just to look more ‘normal’...”
Seeing Jordan have to intentionally reenact basic functions to keep up a veil of humanity was something Eva still hadn’t gotten use to. What was it like to have to remember & pretend to have a typical human instinct instead of it coming naturally? It wasn’t something she could likely ever comprehend, making her feel a bit bad for The Avatar.
While Jordan continued to spend too much time deliberating over a simple drink, Eva thrusted a can of Coke at him, “Here, just take this. It’s the most ‘normal’ drink here.” The boy took the can, chuckling nervously. “Oh, thanks, Molly. I was being too indecisive, huh?”
Her eyes caught his lop-sided grin, along with the warm thanks from those lips, making her cheeks heat up again. She looked away, putting her energy drink up to her mouth to hide her uncontrollable smile. “...Yeah, it was driving me crazy,” she mumbled into the aluminum.
The two of them settled against a wall, scoping out the other party-goers. From the outward perspective, they all seemed to be pretty mellow types, nothing like the rowdy, destructive actors both of them had seen in movies. However, with all of them already organized into little cliques, it looked difficult to start talking with anyone new. The groups only grew as more guests arrived, the house gradually filling a great deal. This spiked Eva's anxiety a bit, but Jordan seemed unaffected.
An ice breaker rolled out onto the floor from a hallway on the other end of the room. Someone was pushing forward what looked like a vintage karaoke machine, with someone else lugging along boxes of CD’s & microphones. Some of the crowd started clapping & cheering, chanting “Karaoke!” in excitement.
“Oh, sweet, looks like they’re setting it up!” Gauge exclaimed, walking back up to Jordan & Eva. “You guys gonna sing?” he asked, trying to gently nudge them into the party setting.
Eva politely smiled, “I dunno, I might just stick to being a wallflower, haha. I don’t sing much.” Jordan looked at her with slight confusion, “Yes you do? I hear you singing in the shower all th—ow!” He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence before Eva smacked his arm, silencing him from blabbing about her personal shower concerts.
Gauge exploded in laugher, incredibly amused by their antics, “You guys are like a sitcom or something, I swear to God!” Rubbing his arm, pretending like Eva’s slap actually hurt, Jordan chuckled nervously, “I don’t know if that’s a compliment, but thanks…”
He jerked his chin up at Jordan, “Well if Eva’s not gonna sing, you are, right bud?” The Avatar blinked, then tapped his chin in thought, “...Hmm, I might.” Eva’s eyebrows perked, “I’ve never heard you sing before, so I’d definitely like to see that.” Her teasing tone had Jordan sweating at the thought.
Large speakers buzzed to life, catching their attention again. The three looked over to the television, seeing the new mess of chords sprouting from it into the karaoke machine. “Looks like it’s all good to go. I’m gonna go put in a song, so you better sing too, Jord!” Gauge pleaded, giving him some playful finger guns before striding away.
“Soooo, what are you gonna sing?” Eva nudged, tilting her drink in the direction of the small crowd. “You wanted to come to this party, yeah? Do some party stuff!”
“You’re here too, why don’t you sing?” he retorted, holding his hands out in the same direction. “You have a great voice Molly, you should do it!” The compliment caught her off guard, & she looked away to hide with her can once again. “I-I have stage fright. You do it first!” she commanded, making sure her tone was stern & finalized.
He knew that was the end of that, & there was no budging on Eva’s final decision. “Alright, but you have to come actually watch me sing, alright? Help me with my stage fright!” She stuck her tongue out at him, rolling her eyes, “You don’t have stage fright! But of course I’ll watch, idiot.”
The chords of an early 2000’s pop song started blaring into their conversation, a deep feminine voice screaming, “Let’s get this party startedddd! ” into a microphone. The crowd cheered & whistled in response, & she began singing along enthusiastically.
“Looks like they st—hey, Molly!” Jordan almost tripped over his feet as his body was thrust forward. Eva had begun shoving him from behind & in the direction of the karaoke machine. “Go set up a song, before the line gets too long! I’ll be over here!” she encouraged, pushing him all the way up to the short but growing line next to the two students operating the machine.
Jordan turned around just in time to catch Eva waving a little goodbye before disappearing into the back of the audience. Smiling, happy to see her engaging...somewhat in the party, he also tried to swallow the nervous lump in his throat.
Good thing she already called him an idiot. He was sure he was going to look like one as well.
Eva didn’t want to stand out too much in the crowd, so she squeezed somewhere into the middle. She settled where she could see who was currently at the mic, which was two people singing a duet over another pop tune. Her chest pounded with mild anticipation for Jordan's performance, something she wouldn’t miss for the world. Her mind got lost trying to determine what kind of song he would sing, the genre, if he would sing it properly or ham it up for entertainment.
Songs turned into background static, her forward stare becoming purposeless as her thoughts centered to only her friend. The anticipation melted to warm, giddy excitement, but was interrupted when a familiar cough boomed through the speakers.
Her attention shot forward to Jordan, standing awkwardly where the previous singers once stood. There was some down time between song transitions, so in a panic to fill it, Jordan yelled into the mic, “Ya’ll having a good time?!”
Everyone cheered enthusiastically in response, thrusting drinks & fists into the air. Some seemed a bit tipsy, Eva noticed, probably from their own alcohol they snuck in. “I guess there are some hardcore partiers here,” she thought, finding the giggling, swaying bodies humorous at least.
Familiar piano chords began playing, a very retro rock ballad that quite a few people seemed to recognize. Drunken 'whoo!' s came from a few in front, making Eva snicker. “It’s just like Jordan to pick an oldie like this to sing.”
He coughed once more away from the microphone into the crook of his arm, & began to sing:
“Just a small town girl!”
Eva’s heart jumped into her throat.
“Livin' in a lonely world!”
He wasn’t bad. Not at all.
“She took the midnight train going aaaaanyyyyyywheeeereeee!”
Jordan had to yell that last line into the mic to keep up the pitch, but it worked to his benefit to get the crowd riled up. Eva stood among the bouncing & bobbing people, stunned. His voice was pretty good, but his energy & bravado with the melody was the real magic of his performance.
As he sang further into the song, going through the first chorus, his eyes scanned over the crowd of faces to find Eva. She was staring at him, mouth agape & totally engrossed. His warm, deep voice coming through the speakers was enveloping her completely, & she almost didn’t notice his eyes on her.
That is, until he pointed his smile directly at her. Her heart shot right back up, with no air entering her lungs. She had absolutely no idea why, but right then, it felt like he was the only other person in the room. Even with the warmth of multiple bodies around her, they were merely blurs between the two. It was shocking, & a bit scary, but her mind was too lost in his smile to think about it.
“Oh my god, I think he smiled at me!” An intoxicated girl off to Eva’s side giggled, snapping Eva’s attention away from Jordan. A different girl next to her shook her shoulder, “Really? Girl, yes!”
She leaned over to whisper much to loudly in her friend’s ear, “Yeah! He’s cute, think I should go talk to him after this?”
“Yeah, oh my god, get it if you can!” the other replied, taking another sip of a spiked drink. “If you don’t, maybe I will~”
Anger. Eva started growing hot, painfully so. A possessive feeling creeped up past all the previous weightless ones, & aggressively. Her hand gripped the chest of her shirt, trying to grapple with the aching pangs she felt within. She couldn’t even take her eyes off the girls, who didn’t seem to notice her death glare. What the hell was wrong with her?
“Hey girls, sorry, but I think he’s spoken for!”
Eva looked up, recognizing that voice as the very first person to begin sing. A very tall woman with long, jet-black hair pulled into a high ponytail cut between Eva & the drunken girls, facing towards the two. “He’s what? Got a girlfriend?” the initially interested one asked, cupping a hand to her ear to hear the tall woman better. “Yeah, he does, sorry!” she replied, full of confidence in her statement, so much so that even Eva believed it a bit despite knowing it was a lie.
“Aw, they’re always already taken!” one of them whined, taking the hand of her friend. “I need to pee, come to the bathroom with me,” she commanded, & they stumbled away out of the dancing crowd.
A very confusing wave of relief washed over Eva, hearing they had given up pretty easily. Still, she was perturbed by who this stranger was & why she had stepped in. She turned around, smiling down at Eva, “Sorry, but you looked like, super pissed, so I thought maybe you were his girlfriend? The guy singing? Oh, yeah, I’m Alexis by the way!”
Eva silently blinked, a bit intimidated by the extremely friendly nature of the beautiful woman before her. She had an incredibly bright smile, heavy but wonderfully done makeup, & was wearing a designer dress done by a very famous brand. She was far out of the realm of people Eva was used to seeing around campus. Did she even go to their school at all?
“Ah, no, he’s, no he’s not my b-boyfriend…” Eva stammered, “He’s just a friend, that’s it!” What was with all of the people getting the wrong idea about them, tonight?
Alexis gave her a perplexing look, “Really? You looked super duper jealous! You were glaring daggers at those girls!”
“Jealous?”
The idea never crossed Eva’s mind. When was the last time she even felt jealousy? It wasn’t an emotion she was familiar with, so couldn't really confirm or deny it. Maybe this Alexis girl was interpreting her wrong? After all, what was there to be jealous of? It’s not like Jordan was ‘her’s.
But even thinking about him not being hers stung. A minor sting, but she felt it. What was going through her head?
Without her noticing, Jordan’s song slowed to an end, & the crowd clapped while he sheepishly thanked them. Her brows furrowed, disappointed that she missed most of the song thanks to this frustrating situation. He handed the microphone to the next singer & walked off, looking over the crowd to find his friend.
Alexis wrapped an arm around Eva’s shoulders gently, “I think he’s looking for you, here, I’ll help you find him.”
“A-Ah no, it’s ok, I—”
“Heeeeey Journey-singer-guy! Here’s your friend, uh, I don’t know her name, but she’s here!” Unfortunately, she was already being dragged out from the crowd, Alexis waving over to Jordan & pointing down at Eva.
“Ah, Molly!” He smiled, briskly walking over to the two. “Oh, your name’s Molly? Cute!” Alexis cooed, cupping her palms against her cheeks.
“It’s, um, Eva, actually. Molly’s just a nickname between us,” she informed, still taken aback by the overly friendly nature of this new girl. “Evaaaaa that’s so pretty! Well I helped you find singer boy, so now I need to find my girlfriend,” she stated in a sing-song tone, her heels clicking as she walked away before Jordan could ask any questions about who that was.
“Who was that?” he asked Eva anyways.
“Her name is Alexis, & that’s all I know,” she blinked, seeing her disappear down a hallway.
“She doesn’t look like she’d go to Burroughs. I’ve never seen her, anyways.”
“I was thinking the exact same thing, dude,” she sighed, the full exhaustion of the situation weighing on her now. “I need to go sit down.”
Karaoke continued in the background of their conversation, the two friends sitting on an old couch against the farthest wall from the performance. “I still can’t believe you can actually sing , Jordan. How come you never told me?”
“C’mon Molly, it wasn’t that good,” he denied, secretly basking in the compliments. “We stopped talking about that like, 15 minutes ago, let’s talk about something else.”
She giggled & pressed further into the cushions, “Sorry, my mind is still blown! The caffeine might be starting to kick in, too. I’m feeling a little hyper now. Do you think they’ll start Mario Kart soon?”
Jordan looked over, seeing that the karaoke crowd was starting to dwindle, “Uh, maybe. Want me to find Gauge & ask?”
“Find Gauge & ask what?” the man in question said, smiling mischievously from their blind spot. “You guys having fun? I saw you sing, Jordan. You were great, man!”
Gauge slipped onto the couch from the side, causing Jordan & Eva’s bodies to press together to accommodate him. They both blushed & squirmed a little, too aware of the close proximity.
“A-Ah thanks dude. Say, was Mario Kart happening soon? Eva was wondering about it,” Jordan asked, & she nodded in affirmation.
“Oh yeah, they’re wrapping up after this song. You still want in, Eva? Jordan, you too?” Gauge offered with an outstretched hand, his eyebrows wriggling in a jokingly persuasive manner.
“Me, me for sure!” Eva blurted, raising a hand. “I’ll sit it out. I’m not that good,” Jordan laughed, putting up his hands defensively.
“It’s true, I’ve never seen him get better than 4th place,” Eva teased, making Gauge laugh again. “Wow, that’s so bad, dude. Help me set up, at least, then?”
“Yeah, I can do that,” he agreed, & all three of them rose from the couch to follow their new friend towards the large TV stand.
It only took a few minutes for them to reconnect the game system & pass out controllers. Soon, the competition was underway.
The tournament was setup in a “knockout” system, where the players in the last 3 places were disqualified per race. Once there were 4 players remaining, they would switch to Battle Mode elimination.
Eva easily destroyed most of her opponents, blitzing past multiple players easily. She made it to the semi-finals with the 4 other players, but she was only very cautious of one.
It was a short girl, with fluffy pink hair tied into twin tails & large circular glasses. A heart shaped tattoo of the lesbian flag was inked into her right wrist. She seemed a bit quiet, not engaging much with the other participants despite easily coming up into the top 3 racers during the beginning rounds. Eva actually had lost a few 1st place rankings to her, her maneuvering & timing skills helping her slip past Eva for the wins.
But it would have been a snooze fest otherwise, so Eva was happy to have an opponent that actually felt fun to compete with. She would never back down from a challenge.
The final four sat across from each other, two on each couch placed in front of the TV, with Eva & the mystery girl paired up. They began setting up & customizing their karts for the first Battle round, buttons & joysticks clicking among exciting chatter.
Jordan crouched behind Eva, arms propped up on the back. “I believe in you, Mols. You’re gonna smoke 'em!” he encouraged, pumping a fist outwards.
“And you’re gonna smoke 'em even harder, babe!” Alexis pipped up, tumbling forward beside Jordan to wrap her arms around the quiet girl next to Eva. “Oh, Lexie, I’ve been wondering where you were!” she said in a sweet voice, giggling while Alexis smooched the top of the girl’s head.
“Oh hey, it’s you!” Jordan pointed at the beautiful woman from before, surprised.
“Alexis! It’s Alexis! I got Eva’s name, but never yours, singer boy," she winked, pointing a manicured nail back at him.
“Oh, Jordan, Jordan Wilde,” he responded, then he looked down to meet the eyes of Eva’s opponent. “You guys know Lexie?” she asked curiously.
Alexis interjected before they could, “Jordan was the guy singing 'Don’t Stop Believing', & Eva was having some jealousy issues with some girls that I helped her out with.” Alexis’s girlfriend could feel Eva stiffen on the couch, & she flinched when she looked over to see her was now bright tomato red.
“Jealousy?” Jordan wondered aloud, & Eva interrupted that thought, “N-No, that wasn’t it! I was just, uh, getting overwhelmed! Lots of people, you know, that kind of thing!”
The girl beside Eva got the message much clearer than Alexis did, & she patted her arm to get her girlfriend's attention quickly. They exchanged a look, with the pink haired girl nodding, & Alexis let out a soft, “Ohhhh.”
The fashionable woman then turned back to the two, waving a hand at them with her thin bangles & bracelets jingling, “Yeahhhh, like that! So I helped her out, then helped her find Jordy-boy after the song was over.”
“Ah, I see! Well, nice to meet you both. I’m Soni Larkenson, & you’ve already met my girlfriend, Alexis,” the girl on the couch said, flashing a dimpled smile at the two. Eva smiled back, a bit fascinated by the difference in personality between these two girls. She found them to be quite quirky but cute, seeing Alexis shower her girlfriend with affection before the tournament started back up.
“Good luck, Soni, but I won’t go easy on you!” Eva announced, holding up her hand for a high five. Soni slapped her hand gently, “I won’t go easy on you either, Eva!”
Gauge announced the Battle Mode round’s official start, & the matches were underway. Eva & Soni seemed to have mentally made a truce, going after the other two opponents in the bracket before trying to knock each other out at the end of each round.
Their pseudo truce may have also been merely so they could face each other head on as practice for the final round. Which, unsurprising to Jordan & Alexis, came down to the two girls.
“Alright Eva, you got this!” Jordan cheered from behind her, gripping her shoulders as if he was a coach in a boxing movie. Eva played into it, taking a deep breath & leaning forward to get a closer look at the screen, “Won’t let ‘cha down, partner!”
Soni & Alexis exchanged a look again, catching the tone Eva had in her voice. A small smirk tugging at the corner of Alexis’s lips.
She placed a loud smack of a kiss on the back of her girlfriend’s head for luck, “You kick her butt, Soni! But, like, in a good sportsmanship way!”
Their final battle was intense. Sharp drifting maneuvers were used to avoid shells, & determined chases were utilized between both girls. The suspense of the match grew as one by one, they picked balloons off the back of the other's kart. Previous competitors & spectators watched the match with bated breaths, the excited yells & chants hushing as balloons flew upwards.
They were both down to their very last balloon, now. Soni had 1 banana left in her possession, & Eva had a green shell. One would think Soni would be at the disadvantage, but placing traps instead of direct attacks was her specialty. The slippery fruit peels had cost Eva at least 3 of her balloons in this final match.
Eva was chasing after Soni, waiting for the right time to launch her final attack & achieve victory. In the same vein, Soni was leading Eva through the course while figuring out the most strategic place to leave her banana peel, leading her opponent to crash into her defeat.
The two turned a corner, with Soni drifting outwards into the lane instead of turning sharply, finally deploying the item in her path. Eva played right into her trap, mimicking the drift in order to keep up with her direct movements. A soft gasp was let out amongst the crowd, watching Eva’s kart drift closer & closer to the banana.
But in an act of quick & spontaneous thinking, Eva jerked her kart back against the side of the lane, narrowly avoiding the banana. Instead, her kart smacked against the colorful block wall & destroyed her momentum. Surprised shouts from the spectator’s erupted around them, but Eva only really paid attention to Jordan’s soft, “Yes!” from behind her. It invigorated her.
Soni blazed off ahead, turning another corner to shake Eva off her tail. So, instead of chasing behind her again, the ex-racer turned her kart around & drove off in the other direction. Soni glanced over at Eva’s side of the split screen a few times, trying to figure out her location, but Eva seemed to be driving a random path that she couldn't place.
In another genius move, Eva drove her kart up the small slope that lead onto the block lane walls. She drove along the them, soon coming face to face with her foe. The girl shuddered, knowing she needed to turn around quickly, & attempted a fast reverse maneuver.
Eva was quicker than her, though, & leapt off the wall to drive directly into her line of sight to shoot off her shell. It smacked Soni’s kart right in the side, still in the process of turning around, & her balloon floated off. It was over.
“Yes!” Eva screamed, jumping up from the couch in joy with her fists thrust into the air. Everyone around them yelled in congratulations around her, Jordan yelling the loudest among them. Even Soni & Alexis joined them, with Soni happily shaking Eva’s hand, “That was one of the best games I’ve had in a while, Eva. We should do it again sometime!” She nodded back furiously, excited at the prospect of a rematch & maybe even a regular to play with.
Maybe a friend.
Gauge came over & grabbed Eva’s wrist, throwing it up before announcing, “Your Mario Kart champion, everyone!” The clapping & hollering started back up, this time just for the show & feel for the end of a tournament.
It made Eva feel incredibly embarrassed, suddenly being the center of attention without a game to distract her. But, it also made the familiar rush of winning a race come over her. Having Jordan beside her to encourage her through it & be at the end, standing by her side, made it feel even more right. It felt amazing.
She couldn’t stop smiling the rest of the night.
“Alright, we’re taking off!” Alexis informed the small group, standing from her chair with Soni at her side. The night had begun to wind down, & the population of the house had started to deplete. They were playing a few rounds of Uno at the dinning table, & Gauge had just won another when they announced their departure.
“Ah, alright, you guys need a ride or anything?” Gauge asked, shuffling the cards.
“No, but thank you. I drove!” Soni informed, pushing her chair in. She came over to Eva, pulling out her phone, “Eva, before I leave, I wanted to get your number so we can hang out sometime. I’m sure we’ll see each other around campus too, but this is easier!”
Jordan leaned forward onto the table to look past Eva, “Oh, so you do go to Burroughs! I was wondering, since I’ve never seen you or Alexis around.”
“Oh, Lexi doesn’t go!” Soni clarified, “And this is my first semester. I’m majoring in Commercial Engineering, with a minor in mechanical engineering.”
“I graduated design school last year, & now I’m doing freelance work. You might see some of my designs in stores in the next few years!” Alexis announced proudly. “I live with Soni though, so you’ll still see me around.”
“We’re both majoring in mechanical engineering,” Eva said, waving a finger between her & Jordan, “so we’ll probably have some overlapping classes.”
“Oh, that’s awesome! I’ll say hi if I see you guys around! Jordan, may I have your number too?” Soni asked while Eva typed hers in on her phone. “Ohh, me too!” Alexis added, taking a phone with a sparkly case out of her purse.
They all passed around phones, exchanging contact info before saying their goodbyes to the two girls. As they started making their exit, Alexis leaned down to Eva & whispered, “Good luck with Jordy~”
She froze, looking up to only be met with a wink from the fashionable woman, & watched her walk off with Soni towards the front door.
Alexis was pretty perspective. It was a shame that Eva wouldn’t be able to take her well wishes to heart, still unclear on her earlier sour emotions regarding Jordan & the two drunk girls.
This would have been invasive & annoying to her, but the kindness in her tone & protectiveness she felt from Alexis’s actions that night made her feel differently. It felt like a budding friendship. Something she hadn’t felt in years. Soni had given her a similar feeling after their intense battles. Even Gauge, with his welcoming & hospitable personality, had made her feel comfortable in his home.
Jordan caught her smiling as their new acquaintances left, making him feel like his goal tonight had been accomplished.
Eva was looking forward to seeing them again. Hopefully soon.
Notes:
PHEW! Can you believe I've written this chapter like, 3 times before finally getting it done? I've never written OC stuff before, so it was kinda hard, but fun!
These OC's are just furry ones that I human-ified for the story, but hey, it works! Now we have a few other characters that Eva & Jordan can bounce off of~
Next chapter will be an exciting one! Another familiar face from the series is going to be making a visit. ;D And with my new daily writing goal, it shouldn't be too far off! (again, do not hold me to this orz).
Thanks for reading!
Chapter 20: Incoming Nourasians
Notes:
Disclaimer: I don't know anything about how these government dealings play out. Well, actually, no one would, we don't know any aliens irl! Point is I'm bullshitting these next few chapters, let's go!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Tall, ornately carved wooden doors opened into his chambers. An elderly Nourassian walked past them to stand before the young man, who had been gazing out a large window onto his kingdom. “Prince Aikka, I have good news regarding the Earth Alliance,” the old man stated with a hint of hopefulness.
The prince’s carefully braided hair swayed behind him when he turned, the sunlight from the window carving out his high cheekbones that had come with aging. Yellow rays glinted off his deep cerulean eyes, filled with more wisdom that came with time & knowledge.
Nourassia’s years lasted longer than Earth's, so to him, it had only been few since The Great Race of Oban. The prince still had fairly drastic physical changes in those years, though. He was taller, more fit, & his face had matured into a more sophisticated structure.
“Good news? What is it, Canaan?” he asked his ever loyal caretaker-turned-advisor. “We’ve just gotten a response from the Earth President: They’re ready to advance with final negotiations. We can then proceed with signing the official documents signifying the alliance.”
A bright smile spread across the prince’s face, his eyes twinkling, “That’s excellent news, Canaan! We’re that much closer to being able to eliminate the threat of the Crogs for good.”
Canaan nodded, giving Aikka an old, wrinkled smile, “Yes, our people will finally be able to live without fear. In addition, they’ve invited us to Earth to negotiate directly & make our planets' alliance public word.”
Aikka let out a small gasp, “They want us to come to Earth? Directly?”
“Yes,” Canaan continued, “They’ve scheduled Earth Coalition ships from a nearby settlement to come & take us in 40 days. We will be transferred at the settlement onto a ship on course for Earth.”
Aikka had never traveled outside of Nourassia after the Great Race, though knew it would be expected of him once he began taking on more royal duties. He would have never guessed that the next planet he would manage to visit would be the home of his friend from the Solar System, however.
His mind flashed back to the human girl he had met so many years ago, forged a friendship with, & how he promised they would meet again someday. Of course he had thought of her, & this promise, before. Many times, in fact. He had fond memories of his Earthling friend, & wondered what she was doing now on her home planet. Living her life happily without worry, he hoped.
Their promise seemed foolish & childish at the time. Nourasia & Earth were lightyears apart in the galaxy, he realized later. But the chance had finally come, & their promise would be fulfilled. That is, if these negotiations did not take up the entirety of his visit. And, if he could find her. How large could Earth be?
“Start the preparations now, Canaan. Inform the rest of the court & my parents of our plans. I’ll go to Niam & inform them as well.” Jubilation was oozing out of his words, a smile spread from ear to long, pointy Nourasian ear.
The senior Nourasian bowed, asking one last question before his leave, “Will Niam be joining the journey?”
“Well,” Aikka smiled warmly, “As my betrothed & future ruling partner, I don’t see why they wouldn’t.”
A long-winded lecture on the history of propulsion almost had her falling asleep at her desk. The subject was interesting, but when the professor droned on & on in a monotonous tone, it worked better than any lullaby.
Abruptly, the lock screen from her phone flashed on with an incoming call. It was a good thing she had it sent to silent, as to not interrupt class. This also made it easier for her to simply ignore the call. She didn’t recognize the number anyways.
Her fingertip swiped over the hang up function, & she turned what little attention she had back to the front of the classroom. She propped her elbow up on the desk & dropped her chin in her palm, eyelids struggling to stay open.
Seconds later, the call came in again. But this time, her ringtone blasted as loudly as possible, along with the terrible sound of phone vibrating against wood. The professor stopped mid-sentence & turned to Eva, along with the rest of the class.
Eva was quick to snatch her phone up, trying desperately to end the call immediately. “Miss Wei, please turn your phone off this instant!” her professor demanded angrily.
“I-I’m trying, ma’am! It’s not hanging up!” she replied in panic, every swipe across the screen yielding nothing while the electronic rock tune blared out of the speakers.
The professor sighed in frustration & stiffly pointed to the hallway door, “Then take the call in the hallway! And you can return to class afterwards. However, I won't be pausing the lecture for you.”
Eva was dying from embarrassment more than she was upset about missing out on that, so leaving sounded great to her. As if she had even been able to pay attention to it, anyways. She dashed out of the classroom & slammed the door behind her, taking the noisy phone with her.
Running down the hall, she searched for a deserted place far away from active classrooms to try & figure out what the hell was going on with her phone. The incoming call was still going, from the same unknown number as before. She eventually slipped into a large, empty hall between buildings that wouldn’t be populated for a while, since classes were still ongoing.
Leaning against a wall, she sighed & finally answer the mysterious call. “Who the hell is this?” she yelled into the microphone, letting her anger roar as loudly as it wanted. If this was a telemarketer, they were about to have the worst day ever.
“Miss Eva Wei, it’s been a while,” a voice said from the other end, sounding unfazed by her fury. She recognized the voice slightly, but was having trouble digging up the owner from her memories.
“I said, who is this?” she repeated, unease creeping up her spine.
“You really don’t recognize me? It’s a bit shameful that you don’t know the voice of your very own planet’s president,” the man chuckled.
Her eyes widened, able to match President McMullen to the voice, now. The fear in her grew fast.
She had never met this man personally, but the stories she heard from her father in regards to his contact & orders from the President during The Great Race made her sick to her stomach. This man had absolutely no regard for the lives of the literal children that he had put into immense danger. She had a hard time believing it was merely for the safety of Earth. How could that be the case when McMullen was so quick to latch onto the idea of having a human Avatar on his side when the secret of the Ultimate Prize was revealed?
Knowing this selfish, cruel, uncaring person was in charge of the of her entire race & planet disgusted her. She could do nothing about it, unfortunately, after being forced into secrecy by his committee the second the Earth team touched home soil.
“What do you want, asshole?” she growled, taking every opportunity to be as vicious as she wanted to be. If he was going to use government powers to embarrass her in front of an entire class, on top of her teenage trauma, then he deserved it & more.
The man on the other end made an offended grunt, “Now, let’s not be nasty, Miss Wei. I’m calling you for an incredibly important duty. One that could affect our relations with other planets in our galaxy.”
“How familiar,” she thought bitterly. “Elaborate.”
“First, make sure you’re alone. This is top secret information, & I don’t want anyone eavesdropping. We’re on a secure line, so no one will be tapping into our conversation,” he stressed. “Also, it's being recorded. Just in case.” She could hear the manipulative smile in his voice.
“I am alone,” she stated, already letting her rejection hang off the tip of her tongue. “What do you want from me?”
“You see,” McMullen began, “The Crogs have been making progress in their re-capture of planets under their occupation. This time is crucial to form alliances with other planets under their scope. And so, to counter any possible invasion, we will be inviting the royal Nourasian family & council to Earth in the coming weeks for—”
“Wait, Nourasia?! ” she gasped, images of her old alien friend Prince Aikka appearing in her mind. She thought of him often, fondly, cursing the physical distance that had their friendship on pause. Similarly, she wondered how he was doing as she did with Jordan before their reunion. But he was going to be coming to Earth, for real? She always pictured their reunion happening with him whisking her away to Nourasia, & showing her the lush landscapes & fauna of his home planet.
“Yes, Nourasia,” he repeated, “We’ve been in communication with them for some time now, & we believe both of our planets would benefit from an alliance in defiance of the Crog forces.”
Of course, she would have had no idea about this, & that Earth was capable of contact with planets much farther than what the general public assumed. “You can get the Nourasian Royal Family here, really?” she asked, excitement bubbling up into her voice.
“It will take a few long journeys from various settlements, but it can be done,” he assured her. “But why I’m contacting you, Miss Wei, is because I know you interacted with both the Crogs & the Nourasians during The Great Race.”
Eva gulped. McMullen knew a lot more about the events that transpired than she thought. Except for what truly became of Jordan Wilde, hopefully.
“And what about it?”
“You’ve had a very important perspective on both our enemies & potential allies in person. Additionally, you became quite close with the Nourasian Prince, correct?” Damn it, McMullen knew way too much for never having been at the race in person.
“...Yes. He’s a good friend,” Eva was confident in stating that, despite the years of radio silence between her & Aikka. “Then I feel you would be a great addition to the current Earth delegation for this specific alliance meeting. You would be transported to the capitol for a few days during the negotiation meetings. Accommodations will be provided for you.”
“A few days? Don’t these things usually take weeks?” she asked, confused. McMullen laughed lowly, “That’s just for show. Besides, we’ve been discussing this matter long-distance with the Nourasians for some time now. We need to work quickly & quietly before the Crogs catch word & interfere, don’t you agree?” It sounded almost like a threat. If he was aware of Eva & Aikka’s friendship, then her friend's safety was a heavy bargaining chip to get her on board with his plan.
He wasn’t wrong, either. The Crogs still held much power in the galaxy, even without Nourasia under their thumb. It would be idiotic to assume this alliance would overpower them at all, but it would be a great increase to both planet’s resistance against the war-mongering aliens.
“You’re right,” she sighed, “And I hate that you are.”
“I don’t like it either, Miss Wei, but this is reality. And, of course, everything will be top secret. You’re to speak of this to no other living person, not even your father. Understand?”
“Really? Even dad?” Eva yelled, reaching the end of her rope with his increasing manipulative control. “Yes, even Don Wei. If he asks where you’re going, make up an excuse. I’m sure you’ll think of something,” he replied dismissively.
Eva wanted to rip her hair out due to how powerless she felt over this whole thing. She was silent while she contemplated if there was any way to accept this deal on her own terms.
Sadly, there wasn’t. But after her anger had a chance to simmer down & her mind could think more clearly, she could see some advantages. If anything, she wouldn’t play nice for McMullen.
If he was going to piss her off, she would return the favor tenfold.
The President spoke up, demandingly asking, “Yes or no, Miss Wei?”
Eva deeply inhaled through her nose before finally answering, “Yes, I’ll do it.”
“Excellent!” he said, a self-congratulatory clap heard close by. “I’ll call you again this evening about transportation details & more. I’ll once again, be bypassing your cellular service if you choose to ignore me, so be prepared for that.” She rolled her eyes & cursed him quietly, away from her phone's microphone.
“Fine. Bye,” she finished coldly, & hung up.
Well, this isn’t what she was expecting today. Now that McMullen wasn’t barking in her ear, she could let herself become thrilled to finally reunite with one of her dearest friends. It didn’t seem real, not yet, that Aikka would be coming to her home planet. But the prospect had her absolutely ecstatic.
She knew she would have to tell Jordan ASAP. He probably didn’t count as a 'living person' to McMullen, anyways.
That evening, while Jordan was cooking dinner in preparation for Eva’s return from classes, the door to their apartment burst open suddenly.
“Jordan, holy fuck!” Eva screamed, rushing in & throwing her bag across the room.
Her volume startled him, making him spill a bit of pancake batter on the countertop, “W-What’s going on?!” he asked in a panic, quickly setting the bowl down to come tend to her, if needed.
“Aikka!” she shouted out in elation, yanking her shoes off, “Prince Aikka! He’s coming to Earth!” Jordan froze midstep, “A-Aikka? Prince?” The old nickname rolled off his tongue as easily as 'Molly' did.
“Yeah!” she said, smiling impossibly wide. Suddenly, she flinched, as if she had an odd realization. Then, Eva began walking around their apartment while inspecting every possible corner.
“U-Uh…” Jordan mumbled, still affected from the whiplash of news, "What are you doing?"
“Checking for bugs,” Eva answered, turning the coffee table on it’s side to check underneath.
“It’s Winter. All the bugs are dead,” he said, deadpan.
“Not those kinds of bugs, Jordan! Like, spying-voice-recording-camera bugs! From the government!” Every inch was examined quickly, making her feel comfortable speaking more on the matter.
“I just had to make sure McMullen wasn’t eavesdropping on us,” she clarified, as if Jordan had any idea of what was going on, “W-Why would he be doing that?”
She threw up her hands, waving them in the air, “So many questions, Jordan! But Aikka is coming, here! To Earth! Can you believe it?”
He didn’t want to admit it, but seeing her be so profoundly happy at Aikka’s visit...bothered him. Sure, their own reunion wasn’t planned or expected, but it was met with tears & angry questions instead of pure glee.
“Get over it, Jordan. It doesn’t matter now.” Scolding himself could only calm those feelings so much, however.
“Yeah, I heard that,” he replied, putting on a fake grin to match her enthusiasm, “But why? And what’s this about McMullen?”
Eva lightly gasped, realizing she stepped past the context for her frantic blurb. “Oh, yeah, uh, I'll explain! So, I got a call during cla—wait, something’s burning!” she exclaimed, pointing behind her friend at a plume of smoke coming from the stovetop.
“The pancakes!” he yelled, rushing back into the kitchen with her following him. A pancake dinner waited for no one, & Eva preferred not burning the apartment down.
Forks clanked in the sink, the meal having been consumed & resulting dishes swimming in warm, soapy water . Jordan fished another out of the murky suds, scrubbing at it while they talked, “Damn, McMullen is using some really scummy tactics to get you to go along with this plan of his.”
“I know, right?” Eva agreed, drying off the clean utensils with a towel. “But I guess I’ll go along with it. For Aikka’s sake, at least.”
Eva would do a lot of things for a lot of people’s sakes. That was the caring type of person she was deep down: very self-sacrificial. And stubbornly so, of course.
He never needed it, & not anymore, certainly. But how far would she go for him? Would she stick her neck out for him like she was doing for Aikka?
Slippery grip tightened on the wet fork.
“But I’m going to make it the most difficult set of negotiations he’s ever had to deal with,” she said with a mischievous smirk. Jordan swallowed his poorly-aged jealousy for The Prince, letting other emotions take the front, “Well, don’t make things more difficult for Aikka. He’s had a lot on his plate with the Crogs.”
She was surprised by what seemed to be genuine concern for Aikka coming from Jordan of all people. Those two fought like cats & dogs in the past, so she expected mostly snark from him. Perhaps this was another sign of his maturity? Or, with his Avatar powers, he was more aware of the Crog’s tyranny on Nourasia & had grown sympathetic to the planet? It was a welcome change for sure.
“Not at all, only for McMullen,” she clarified, her smirk widening. “But you want to see how he’s doing too, right?” Eva asked, looking up at Jordan with big eyes.
“McMullen? That guy can go fuck himself,” Jordan spat, setting the clean fork atop the pile of other dishes for Eva to dry. “No, Aikka!” she said, “You haven’t seen him since the end of the race, either! I bet he’d be happy to see you!”
Would he? Jordan was unsure. Aikka had handled their immature rivalry with much more grace than him, but that didn’t mean he had to like the big lug after all this time. The Prince could be the type to secretly hold a grudge, one that flourishes & grows with time.
But he didn’t seem like that kind of person, honestly. And Jordan did actually want to see Aikka again, in person. If it was possible.
“Not possible, Molly.”
“What? Why not?” she whined.
“It’s a government operation, & I’m M.I.A. If they caught wind of me, it’d be an absolute disaster, wouldn’t it?” Jordan let out a sigh when Eva didn’t have an immediate reply. Again, his status slipped her mind.
"Do you not want Aikka to know...about it?" She decided to skirt around the word "Avatar".
"No, that's not it," he said, shaking his head, "I think he sort of...deserves to know. But still, there's too much risk. Maybe next time."
Eva looked down at the floor, heart sinking into doubt. But she had to try one last attempt, "Well, if that's not a good enough reason to try...
"...Can I ask you to come support me, then?”
His golden eyes looked directly over at her, catching her own maroon ones. She looked at him with authentic worry, & even reached out to lightly touch his forearm, making him flinch gently.
“I’m not gonna lie...This whole situation has me scared out of my mind. I have such a big responsibility here, & whatever I say will have a lot of weight on the alliance…” He could hear the fear in her voice, gripped by it. “And I don’t want to mess up. I could really, really use a friend there with me. Someone who knows what's going on in this whole crazy situation,” she said, pleading with her eyes.
The soft warmth of her hand on his arm & the honest request had his heartbeat increasing. No one else would be able to fill this role for her, adding significance to Jordan. But having her directly ask for his help, for once was unusual.
How could he say no?
Jordan folded the damp washcloth over the middle partition of the sink, & let out another sigh. He turned to Eva, placing his hand on her shoulder in assurance, “Alright. I don’t know how I’ll do it, yet, but I’ll be there. I wouldn’t ever dream of leaving my partner hanging, right?” His confirmation & lopsided grin settled her emotions, a thankful & relaxed feeling washing over her.
Breath left him when she wrapped her arms around his middle, squeezing him, “Thank you, Jordan. I’m glad I can always count on you, partner.” Her cheek was warm against his chest, but he had spent too much time being stunned by the sudden affection to return it. She let go & stepped back before he could move even an inch.
Flushed & flustered, he muttered, “N-No problem…” before the conversation ended & they turned in for the night.
The pristine white hallway of the top class hotel seared her eyes. It felt too sterile, too fragile, & not to her tastes at all. However, she had no say in her lodgings at the capitol.
“Let’s see, 320...I think that’s at the end of the hallway…”
She eventually came upon her door, slid the card key, & entered into an off-white room with a modern, minimalist style. It was a sectioned room, with the room's front door leading into a living room space. It was furnished with a small couch, coffee table, desk with chair, & flat screen television. A frosted glass partition leading to the bedroom across from the door was closed. She thought it looked tacky & not cozy in the slightest.
“Alright, the coast's clear!” she said confidently, dragging her luggage in & closing the door tightly behind her. She made sure to lock it quickly.
Bright golden light manifested in the middle of the room, forming into a solid human shape. Eva had to shield her eyes from the intensity, lowering her hand when it began to dissipate.
With a backpack of his own clothes & toiletries, Jordan stood where the light once was, cracking his neck. “I can’t believe you convinced me to use my powers to teleport here, Molly. The Creators are going to have my head the next time I’m up there,” he groaned, tossing his bag onto the desk chair.
“It’s not like I could have stuffed you in my suitcase or anything. You're a big guy!” she laughed, tapping the plastic luggage that only went up to her knees. “It was the only way to get you here without anyone noticing.”
“True enough, I guess. Did they really not let you drive yourself here on your rocketseat?” he complained, though that wouldn’t have solved the problem of Jordan’s transportation anyways. She would still have to park it & check in with him in tow.
“McMullen’s trying really hard to control every aspect of this whole thing, it seems. Not surprised, honestly." She flopped onto the couch, grimacing from how stiff the cushions felt. “This room sucks, too.”
Jordan hadn’t taken the time to look around yet, but once he did, he stuck his tongue out with an accompanying, “ick” . It was worse than his dorm in the Military Academy, & that was hard to top.
“Very ‘ick’ ,” she giggled, inviting him over to sit next her on the awful couch. He did so, having to shift around a few times before he became somewhat comfortable. “So, when’s Aikka getting here?” he asked, throwing an oddly-textured cushion to the floor for more space.
“He apparently won’t be here until tomorrow morning,” Eva sighed, kicking her feet up onto the glass coffee table in front of them. “So I’m just stuck in here until then. We’re going straight into the meeting at 10am, Mullen said.”
“Really? No welcoming party or anything for the Prince?"
“Nope. Well, they’re going to have a phoney press conference thing afterwards, as if he had just gotten here, but that’s besides the point,” she said with a wave of her hand.
Jordan pressed back into the couch & crossed his arms, “Man, this whole thing is just orchestrated in the dumbest way possible. I’m glad I got out of politics when I did.”
He smiled when Eva reacted with a laugh, “You’re not wrong there, Jordan! ‘No politics’ is one upside to Avatar status, right?”
“I guess, yeah,” he chuckled quietly, glad she took his self-deprecating joke in a better light. “So, what’s the plan for the night then? There’s TV, I guess.”
Eva looked to the screen, then down to at the pamphlets on the coffee table. “Want to get room service, too? McMullen told me this would all be paid for, so we can really pig out,” she said with a sly smile, of which Jordan mirrored with his own. “Room service & pay-per view movies? Hell yeah, Molly.”
And so, their evening consisted of multiple food orders & mocking the awful action & comedy films available for purchase through the hotel’s television service. There was a particularly bad one of Hallmark quality featuring a high-class business woman falling in love with a coffee-shop manager at Christmas. Odd film availability, considering it was February.
Darkness fell over the room as evening waned away into night. Jordan was gathering up trays & dishes for Eva to set in the hallway by the door. “Why did we even watch this garbage?” Eva said, remote control aimed at the string of credits on screen.
“You said the cover looked funny, thought we could laugh at it, & we did. You lost your mind at that scene with the exploding pot,” Jordan remarked, earning a tired huff from his friend. “The blond guy shouldn’t have left it on the stove so long, then it wouldn’t have exploded!”
He chuckled, “You’re right, you’re right. Enough about the terrible low-budget movies, it’s super late, & you got that early meeting. Wanna turn in?”
Stretching her arms out, along with a nice big yawn, she nodded, “Yeah, that sounds good. You gonna sleep too?”
“I’d like to. This place would probably drive me insane if I were alone for the night in it’s ugly plain-ness. Who gets paid to decorate these places?”
“People who get paid way more than you, Jordan,” she smirked, getting up to set the dishes out.
“I don’t get paid at all, Molly,” he said flatly. Her head was already out the door, & didn’t hear him.
Jordan recalled they hadn’t even seen the bedroom yet, & the sliding partition had stayed closed since they entered. He slid it open himself, expecting an equally cold & bland room.
What he saw made his heart dropped a little. Eva came back & noticed his expression, coming up beside him to try to peek in the room herself. “What, something up? Dead body?”
“No…” he mumbled, sliding the frosted glass over further so she could look in.
“Oh…” Eva replied, less horrified than Jordan, but still surprised. “Only one bed, huh?”
“Ah ahready towd you,” she grumbled past her toothbrush, “If’s fine!”
Standing in the doorway, seeming almost afraid to step into the threshold of the bedroom, Jordan yelled back, “I can take the couch, seriously. Or just stay up.”
After spitting into the sink, she exited the bathroom & looked up at him sternly, hands on her hips, “The couch is like, half the size of you, & we both know there’s nothing for you to do all night.”
“I can watch more TV.”
Her eyes rolled, “There’s nothing good on TV & you know it, you'll rot your brain. Just sleep in the damn bed, Jordan! It’s a king, it’s plenty big enough for two!”
“Molly, I just want to make sure you get a good night’s rest for tomorrow!” he whined, still refusing to budge.
“And I won’t if you’re awake all night! Honestly, you acting weird about it is making it weird,” she accused, causing him to blush slightly. He didn’t think he was being weird about it...Just extra conscious of her space.
“I-I...Uh…” There wasn’t a good answer to that, Jordan quickly found.
Eva reached out, grabbed his wrist & yanked him into the bedroom forcefully. “Alright, you’re officially in here, so just hop in & get comfy!” He didn’t attempt to stop her, still flustered by the statement she planted of him making it weird .
“I can walk back out, Molly,” he informed, but was quickly pulled down onto the bed beside her when she flopped on it, still holding his wrist.
They bounced with the impact, & Eva giggled at the absurd mental image of tucking her large, older friend in like a child, “Alright, you’re here, so now you’re staying.” She turned to look over at him, releasing her hand & grinning, “Want a bedtime story, too?”
Jordan sighed & flattened his lips, debating on getting back up to leave. Eva was being so insistent, though, so would it be better to stay & keep her satisfied?
Fuck it, probably. The couch was cheap & shitty anyways, for such an upscale place. The bed was more comfortable, but not by much.
He lifted himself from the mattress , & Eva’s immediate reaction was a frown for assuming he was going to return to refusing the offer. Instead, he walked over to the proper side of the bed, sitting on it & lifting the covers while slipping a leg under.
“Just say the word & I’ll move to the floor.”
Eva, propping herself up on her elbow, just smiled. “Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.”
Could his body feel anymore stiff? He was like a piece of wood, barely teetering off the edge of the bed. Eva could feel this from her half of the mattress, & it honestly was making it hard for her to sleep.
“Jordan, stop leaning off the side! It’s just a bed, it’s not like it’s the first time we shared one," she groaned, sitting up by her pillow to look over at him.
“S-Sorry, I just want you to have enough space,” he lied, shifting barely an inch closer to the middle. Sharing the bed wouldn't be so difficult for him if he wasn't so aware of her body in such close proximity to him. Also that it would be. For hours.
Eva looked over at him, slightly annoyed, “C’mon, Jordan. Actually get comfortable. The bed is huge, it’s fine.” She patted the considerable amount of space still between them for evidence.
He sighed & moved even closer, but just enough for his entire body to lay flatly on the mattress. “That good enough for you? There’s still plenty of space,” she said, sliding back down under the comforter. “I swear this is fine, Molly,” he replied, terrified to scoot a centimeter closer to her.
He rolled onto his side, away from her, effectively ending the conversation so she could work on going to sleep. She frowned slightly, but let the subject die. “Alright, if you say so. Goodnight, Jordan.”
“Goodnight, Eva,” he replied, still facing away. Hearing her name brought warmth to her cheeks. “Sweet dreams,” he finished, pulling the sheets up above his shoulders.
Her frown flipped upwards to a smile, & she closed her eyes.
What felt like an hour passed, & Jordan was still awake. The freezing cold room didn’t help, even if he didn’t feel the cold normally anymore. Neither did the bright moon & city light coming from the floor-to-ceiling window in front of the bed. Both of these wouldn’t matter if he wasn’t so nervous about being in close proximity to the woman he loved, tucked under the same series of sheets in the same bed.
Absolutely nothing inappropriate would happen, not on his life, but it still had his heart pounding out of his chest. He could hear the soft sound of her breathing, & feel the weight of her body inches away from him. It was taking all of his self-discipline from turning back over & taking the night to simply watch her sleep. Taking in her beautiful, peaceful face for hours sounded a lot better than a night of cold tossing & turning.
He felt a vibration, uneven but mild from her. Then, quiet moaning from her as her body began shifting. “You awake, Molly?” he wondered, & got the answer soon enough when he felt something warm press up against his back.
Blinking nervously, he turned his head around to find his friend shivering in her sleep, affected by the chill in the room. She must have been seeking warmth in her subconscious, & obviously would reach out to the closest warm body.
He gulped. She pressed further into him, her unconscious body throwing an arm around his waist in an effort to get closer.
He couldn’t swallow anymore.
“Jordan, calm yourself. This has happened before, multiple times!” His mental pep-talks did little for his nerves.
Then, in her sleep, she mumbled between his shoulder blades, “Keep me warm…”
Eva had said the same thing, back when they were teenagers. When she had confided her sorrows in him one night, in the opening of the Earth module. Where they had fallen asleep together until morning, clinging to one another for warmth in the midnight breeze.
One would think this would just drive his anxiety through the roof, but it in fact did the opposite. His shoulders finally relaxed, & he turned over as carefully as he could without waking her. After accomplishing this, he pulled her close to him as gently as possible. They were not pressed together, but very close, close enough for her to still sap his endless warmth for herself. He looked down to see her still asleep, but the shivering in her arms began to subside when he cloaked her in his body heat.
She even smiled, barely, shifting the arm around his waist a bit for more comfort. Her body uncurled, legs stretching out to lightly touch & settle against his.
Damn it, he really was head over heels for this girl. He would move stars & planets for her, but all she asked for was simple tasks he could easily do. But they made her so happy, & that in turn, made him happier than any being in the galaxy.
“I’ll always keep you warm, Eva…” he whispered into her hair, adjusting himself to keep her as comfortable as possible without overstepping his boundaries. Just a simple arm above her head & another behind her back to keep her enclosed to his warmth.
It felt nice. They seemed to fit perfectly together, entwined like this. It was probably just his feelings talking, but he was more concerned about helping his precious friend sleep well. That’s all that mattered to him, regardless of getting to hold her. That was just a bonus to the whole thing.
“Sleep well, Eva…” Jordan mumbled, finally closing his eyes for the night. His breathing eventually slowed to a similar rhythm as Eva, drifting off into sleep with her.
Notes:
Aikka is HERE! Well, he was teased at least. This chapter ended up having to be split into two, because I wanted to shove in the "there was only one bed" troupe & it got really long. But it's a very good troupe, so no regrets.
Between postings, I've decided to sit down & make proper references for my Oban AUs, & I finished up the one for this AU last week! Now I can properly get art of these two instead of just having a collection of random illustrations, lol. (Also includes some headcanons about them, specifically ethnicity~)
Next chapter should be coming soon, it's about half-way written now. Thanks for reading, appreciate you💖
Chapter 21: Meetings & Meditation
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“...Does this hotel have warming pillows? It feels so...nice...”
Rousing gradually from her sleep, Eva curled up closer to whatever heat source she was clinging to. She didn’t think much of it, the brain power to do so still booting up as her body wriggled around a bit to get more comfortable. What mattered was this irresistibly cozy feeling.
Her head found a better position to lay: directly on top of the warmth with her hand beside her. She wanted to fight the morning light coming from the large window, prodding her to awaken. But she had just gotten more situated, & the warmth & amenity tempted her to stay. “More sleep sounds good…”
Then, she remembered she had a very important meeting to attend.
And that she wasn’t in her own room.
Or bed.
Or alone.
Maroon eyes shot open, met with the slowly rising chest of her still sleeping partner in front of her. Her eyes shot upwards to see Jordan’s goofy sleeping expression, complete with a slightly open mouth & soft snores. His arm was gently draped around her shoulders, keeping her close to his warm body that she had been glued to through the night.
Eva’s face burned with blush, but the overwhelming comfort kept her from jumping out of bed in embarrassment. The chilly air outside of the sheets made staying sound even better, but perhaps not clinging like a child to her best friend.
But that...didn’t sound bad either, honestly. Jordan wasn’t affected by the cold anymore, but she certainly was. Her grabby sleeping habits, in addition to his radiator of a body, would obviously have led to this outcome. She internally scolded herself for not expecting it.
Exhaling a held breath, she convinced herself to just get up, slowly & quietly, before Jordan could wake & see what she had done.
Energy fought her on this, however. Her body begged to stay there, where it felt warm. Where it felt safe. Her shame was already waning away thanks to the acceptance of being somewhat stuck here, between his arm & chest, anyways.
Maybe McMullen & Aikka wouldn’t mind her being just a little late…
“No, no, I need to get up, get ready,” she told herself, her brain shoving logic to the forefront over her feelings. She had some very important business to attend, so she couldn’t stay here all morning awkwardly clinging to her friend.
Though she would give a lot to stay there. As long as no one else found out.
Eva begrudgingly rose from his body, his arm slipping off her shoulders & falling to the now empty bedside. Jordan mumbled something incomprehensible before rolling over onto his side, seeming to unconsciously miss the body that he was curled around previously.
She sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, gazing down at his sleeping face again. A smile tugged at her lips, & she reached her fingers out to lightly brush against his messy, fluffy hair.
“You’re not allowed to be this cute in your sleep, Jordan.”
After that, she entered the bathroom & prepared for the meeting with renewed, immense excitement at seeing Aikka again. That helped perk her up enough to prepare quickly. She had already indulged a bit too much in a lazy morning, with less than 45 minutes until the chauffeur would arrive, so she had to hurry.
She dashed out the door, still putting her shoes on, while Jordan snoozed away in bed by himself.
The long drive to the military base left plenty of time for her to forget about last night’s sleeping arrangements. Instead, she rehearsed her words for today's meeting.
But the buzzing in her mind about seeing Aikka, for real & very soon, made it hard to concentrate. It was one of those ‘doesn’t seem real until you’re on your way there’ scenarios, & they were quickly approaching the base.
The car came to a stop, Eva peering out of the darkly tinted windows to see a boxy concrete building. “We’re here, Ms. Wei,” the driver said, her cue to step out.
She opened the door & exited, adjusting her belt & smoothing her dress pants out. “Business-formal is not my style at all.”
A man in a plain black suit with sunglasses & an ear piece approached her. She immediately assumed him to be security, & her assumption was confirmed when he asked her to follow him into the building.
Many military professionals & receptionists were skittering around the inside of the building, sending frantic energy into the air. Eva's body tensed the second she stepped into the bustling sea of bodies, trying to follow her escort. Too many people, too much pushing & shoving, & far too many older men that gave off the same dominating air as McMullen.
Thankfully, the man quickly led her out of the foot traffic & down a long hallway of doors, stopping at one & instructing her to enter. Wiping sweat from her hands off on her pants, she twisted the handle & stepped in.
It was a typical board room with a long glossy table in the middle & a dozen or so chairs laced around it. Two more guards were stationed in the corners, quiet & unmoving. But more interestingly, three Nourasians were standing by the table. Upon hearing her enter, they turned in her direction.
“Molly?” Aikka gasped, blinking twice to assure his vision was clear.
“Aikka!” She nearly screamed, ignoring all courtesy & running over to squeeze him tightly, “Aikka, you’re really here! I missed you!”
It must have been Molly, then, if she recognized him so instantly! He returned the hug, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, “Molly, it is you! It’s amazing to see you again!” Eva was absolutely giddy, her feet aching to bounce off the ground in joy.
They released their hold & looked over one another, both curious as to how the other had changed over the many years apart. “You’ve gotten taller, Aikka! And your hair’s longer!”
He chuckled, adjusting the braid over his shoulder, “Yes, it’s traditional for the royal family to refrain from cutting their hair once they begin council training.” Oceanic blue eyes looked over her, “Your hair is much longer as well. Though, I can’t say you’ve gotten much taller, my friend.”
Eva’s smile slid into a pouty smirk. “Hey, I’ve gained an inch or two!” she protested, hands on her hips. Aikka laughed & shook his head, “I don’t believe so, but I’ll take your word for it, Molly.” Then, his eyebrows came together, looking down at her with a confused look, “Why are you here? Are you, perhaps...the Earth Ambassador that McMullen informed me of?”
“Ambassador? Really?” Her shoulders slumped & her head rolled back in a silent groan, finding nothing appealing about the pressure of such a title. “Yes, that’s probably me. Since we were both involved with The Great Race, he made me come here to help with negotiations, or whatever he has planned.”
Her sour tone had Aikka worried, “Oh, I see...Do you have concerns about our planet’s alliance?”
“Oh, no, no way! I think it’s great!” she retorted, waving her hands before her. “I think it’s wonderful, in fact, an amazing idea! I just don’t trust McMullen much, is the thing…”
“The Earth Pilot? Is that really you?” the older male beside Aikka asked, interrupting their conversation. She turned & recognized him as Canaan, Aikka’s previous mentor. “Oh, Canaan, hello!” she greeted, hesitating for a moment before attempting a traditional bow as she had seen Aikka do before. He bowed back stiffly, his face as sternly flat as ever, “I’m glad to see you are well, Earth Pilot. I’m not entirely sure how you will benefit our negotiations,” he said, squinting slightly, “but I welcome your assistance.”
A head poked out from behind the prince, looking curiously towards Eva. She didn’t recognize this Nourasian, but still smiled & bowed to them anyways, “Um, Hello!”
They stepped out from behind Aikka & bowed gracefully back at Eva, “Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Miss Molly, I presume?”
She looked at the slim, androganous alien with shoulder length auburn hair that pillowed upon their shoulders. Wrapped around their head was a bronze circlet with complex swirling decoration engraved in the metal. Placed in the center was a white-speckled blue gemstone, matching their equally blue eyes.
It hit her that she should probably clarify her name before McMullen arrived, so she quickly corrected the room. “Oh, my name is Eva, actually. Eva Wei! Molly is just an old nickname," she informed the group before turning her voice to the unknown Nourasian, "But, anyway, it’s nice to meet you as well! What’s your name?”
Aikka’s face turned blank for a moment, realizing he had been too caught up in Eva’s sudden appearance to introduce the two. “Ah, this is my betrothed, Niam. I believe in Earth culture it is known as a ‘fiance’?” he asked, turning to them & holding out a hand, which they took with a gentle smile.
This shocked Eva, & she could feel whatever tiny lingering teenage crush she still had on the prince fizzle out in an instant. “F-Fiance? You’re engaged, Aikka?” Eva blurted, the surprise fogging her social cues. He found her reaction endearing, & he nodded, “Yes, I have been for some time. Much like your culture has engagement rings to signify your promise to one another, this circlet is worn by those sworn into the royal family through marriage.”
She examined the jewelry, marveling at the sparkling stone in the middle. “Does that mean you aren’t royalty, Niam?” Any monarchy that Eva knew of almost always kept marriages between royals of different kingdoms. Aikka being engaged to someone who was not of a special lineage had her puzzled.
“No, I’m not. On Nourasia, royalty are allowed to choose their betrothed. If they are not royalty, they will be accepted & integrated into the royal family. I’m a shaman, & I met prince Aikka through my work healing a group of soldiers from an excursion into developing territory outside the kingdom."
The prince smiled warmly down at his fiance, eyes softening as he remembered their first meeting, “Niam was one of the hardest working shamans I had ever seen. They treated everyone with such care & kindness, like I had never seen before. I was falling for them before I had the chance to realize it."
A blush dusted their cheeks, & they placed a hand on Aikka’s chest, “Oh Aikka, please! That’s embarrassing to hear!”
He tenderly wrapped a hand around their waist, kissing their forehead with a playful smile, “I’m sorry, my heart, but I just want Molly to know that we are happy.” His eyes turned back to Eva, who had been watching their affectionate display with wide eyes. “I hope you’ve been happy as well, Molly.”
There were a million things that made Eva’s life a happy one. Her father, Rick, her steady grades, the future of her racing career…
Jordan stood out exceptionally among them.
“Yeah. Very much so,” she said contently, knowing there wasn’t enough time for her to gush as much as Aikka & Niam just did. “Also, call me Eva. McMullen doesn’t know about the whole ‘Molly’ thing,” she corrected, again.
“I’ll certainly try. Though, do explain the ‘Molly’ thing to me as well, once we have the time,” he replied, just in time for the door to open once more for the last member of the party to arrive with a small entourage following.
Eva’s smile fell when she saw McMullen in the flesh, & Aikka noticed the immediate change in her demeanor. He had never met the Earth president himself, only speaking in galactic correspondence. This didn’t aid in a good first impression, though.
“Ah, Ms. Wei, you’re already here,” the old man remarked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Eva had to resist the smart ass grin that wanted to present itself, pleased to see she was already getting on his nerves. “There wasn’t much traffic. And I wanted to say hello to Prince Aikka before we got all formal about things.”
He wasn’t happy about that, either. It was written all over his face, & Eva loved it. “Well, if that’s the case,” he said, walking to the head of the table before glaring back over at her & the rest of the meeting members, “Shall we get started? We have much to discuss.”
Aikka was the first to agree, “Yes, let’s begin.” He took a seat, folding his hands together, expression turning serious & intent. Eva swallowed her nerves & sat down as well with the rest of the room following suit.
Negotiations were in full swing quickly, & Eva was surprised by just how eloquently but commanding Aikka could be. McMullen’s views were heavily centered around the Nourasian’s ability to combat the Crogs with Earth’s help & vice versa, which he asked Eva for input on. She nervously tried to vouch for Nourasia, but the prince was far more detailed in his confident responses.
The prince was also quick to move the conversation along to resource sharing between the planets, which McMullen didn't seem happy about. This pleased Eva, & she eagerly took Aikka’s side in every part of that discussion. It wasn’t as if Aikka was even asking for much from the Earth government; He was quite reasonable in his requests, actually. But Eva encouraged Earth to be far more generous to Nourasia, implying it would benefit them immensely.
It had Aikka & Niam a tad confused, & they would shoot questioning glances to Eva when McMullen spoke or looked over documents. A subtle wink was her usual response, so they just went along with it.
Negotiations went on for many grueling hours, but once the evening rolled around, McMullen excused the room for the day. “Prince Aikka & Shaman Niam, I need to go to my office before we leave. I’ll allow you & Miss Wei twenty minutes to catch up, but after that, I’ll be escorting you back to your hotel for the evening. We’ll resume business tomorrow,” he finished, his assistant tapping a stack of papers beside him on the table.
“Twenty minutes?” Eva sighed, slumped down from exhaustion in her chair. The President turned to Eva, a mild scowl across his face, “Twenty minutes. You’re here for diplomatic matters, not a high school reunion, Miss Wei.” She rolled her eyes & didn’t respond, so Aikka did in her stead, “Thank you, Earth President. We appreciate the time to catch up.”
He smiled plainly at the prince & left the room, assistants & bodyguards following suit. With him gone, Eva let out a huge, painful whine while throwing herself over the table, “That’s barely any time to talk, what the hell!”
“I know, Eva,” Aikka said with a small smile, attempting to console her, “but it’s better than nothing, is it not? We may have more time after tomorrow’s meeting.”
“I sure hope so,” she said with a huff, “since I leave the day after. McMullen only wanted me here over the weekend.” Niam blinked, their ears twitching slightly, “Just these few days? We will be on Earth for several more after that.”
Her eyebrow raised curiously, “Really? Ugh, McMullen lied about that too, then…” Eva’s face rotated to lay against the cool table, & she let out annoyed grunt. Aikka placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, “It’s alright, Eva. I’m still incredibly happy we were able to meet again, regardless of how much time we have.”
She turned to see his warm, honest smile, making her feel just as grateful. It had reminded her of how much she had missed his friendship, & how happy it made her to know he was much happier than he had been during The Great Race. “Yeah, you’re right. I'm happy too.”
Aikka & Niam continued their friendly chatter with Eva, all three telling more stories about their current lives. The Prince explained his current status as a ruler in training under his father & all that came with the status. Niam accompanied this topic with their duties in the position of the partner of the future king, & how it differed from known Earth monarchy. Eva spoke of her current schooling, dreams of star racing once again, & the current state of the other members of the Earth Team.
Except Jordan. Not yet.
Their allotted twenty minutes went by quickly, Eva noticed, as she had been keeping a close eye on a clock placed on a far wall. Her chatterbox of a mouth turned into a frown when she saw they had a few minutes left until McMullen would be back to retrieve the Nourasian party.
“So, what became of Jordan? I recall you saying something rather vague on Oban, but nothing more,” Aikka asked curiously, too engrossed in their conversation to be aware of time passed. “Ah, actually, about that,” she said, snapping to attention, “Jordan, he...He, well...He—”
Cameras were placed fairly obviously in corners of the room, likely with microphones to pick up most voices & sounds. It was a government facility, so of course the security was high. She wasn’t sure how sensitive the microphones were, but wasn’t about to risk blurting out Jordan’s Avatar status in the absolute worst place to do so.
Leaning forward, she whispered as lowly as possible, “Is there any way you can maybe sneak out of your place & meet up with me tomorrow night? I can’t say anything about Jordan here, it’s too dangerous.”
Aikka sucked in a small gasp, “Dangerous? What happened to him?” Eva flapped a hand towards him, trying to nonchalantly ask him to quiet down, “Don’t be loud! Look, it’s a big secret, but if we can meet up, you’ll understand. Do you think you can? Does McMullen have you locked up or something?”
The Prince brought his hand up to his chin, trying to quickly whip up some ideas. Niam surprised them both by leaning across Aikka, having picked up their whispers with their excellent hearing, “I think I can figure something out for the prince, Eva.” A soft but lightly mischievous smile graced their face.
“Niam, I don’t want you to get in trouble for my sake,” Aikka said, placing a hand on top of their’s, which they flipped upwards to cup with their fingers. “I won’t, my love. I’ll be fine! I’d like for you & Eva to have as much time together as you can. We don’t know the next time we’ll be able to visit Earth, after all.”
He let out a soft sigh before leaning forward to kiss their temple, “I trust you, my beloved.”
Eva, touched by Niam’s kindness in the situation, looked over at them with a warm smile, “Thank you, Niam!”
Returning to her hotel room, Eva opened the door to bleak darkness. Jordan was nowhere in sight, generating a small amount of panic to well up in her chest. She rushed to open the partition to the bedroom & saw the bed made up, but empty. He was meant to stay in the room at all times & talk to no one, for risk of the government finding him out. So where on Earth would he be?
Her immediate reaction was to start calling out his name. The next step was checking ridiculous places he wouldn’t have been able to fit, like the small closet or under the bed. After that, she started pulling her phone out to call him. But as she opened her contact list, a note caught her eye. It was written on the hotel's stationary, placed in the middle of the coffee table to look extremely obvious.
Picking it up, she hoped it would give an answer to Jordan's whereabouts.
“Molly, Oban duties came up, so I’ll be gone until tomorrow. Probably, I think. It doesn’t sound too bad, don’t worry about me, but I still need to be there! Keep the curtains closed so no one asks about a weird magic glow from your room when I come back. Don’t forget to eat & rest up for your other meeting tomorrow, too.
I hope Aikka’s doing ok. Let me know how he is when I get back.
-Jordan”
Well, there was her answer, & he wasn’t anywhere on Earth. At least she knew, though, & that relieved her enough to flop out onto the couch. The small adrenaline spike coming down, added to the exhaustion from the day, made her body feel heavy.
“Guess I’ll call in dinner for one, then,” she mumbled as the cold, lonely atmosphere of the room crept in. She hadn’t realized how much warmer it felt with Jordan simply being around.
“...Hope I get any decent amount of sleep, without my heater around,” she sadly wondered, realizing she would be sleeping alone. Not that she wanted to sleep with him specifically, no! But she didn’t mind, either. It was great sleep, all things considering. After such a rough & exciting day, she would need that.
She would have needed him.
He was purposely avoiding The Temple of the Heart, so he stuck around the grasslands under the main temple. The fresh, crisp air of daytime Oban never had a chance to truly feel like home, but it served a calming effect thanks to the peaceful landscape. It was no different to when the various teams left it almost eight years ago.
Jordan settled onto a high hill, casting his gaze out to crumbling old temples & oddly twisted trees swaying in the wind. This was a good place for him to think, with little distractions around him. He needed as few as possible, because really, Oban was the absolute worst place for him to do any serious contemplation.
The Avatar’s powers were the strongest on the mother planet, also meaning they were the most overwhelming here. It took Jordan years to be able to handle the intense senses & vast, yet vague, knowledge of the universe that engulfed his mind & physical body.
“You need to be able to handle these things to fulfill your duties,” one of the old ghosts had told him.
That hadn’t made it any less tortuous to endure. Regardless, he had to adjust, & did. He still vastly preferred Earth, where it didn’t feel like he was leagues underwater & had the thoughts of trillions in the back of his mind at all times.
Meditation, he found, helped dampen the noise a bit. He crossed his legs, took deep heavy breaths, & closed his golden eyes. He needed to think .
“What do I say to him?”
Aikka had been on his mind since the moment his name was uttered by Eva. Of course he thought about him during his training in his years of solitude, of course he did! The Nourasian Prince was one of their greatest adversaries, & later, allies.
And he thought about how much of a jackass he had been to him.
Especially so with his Avatar knowledge & hyperawareness of the galaxy. Hearing the watered-down version of the Crog’s conquests from the Earth military had clouded his views so badly, & it took a lot of deconstructing to accept the true damage of their colonization outside of his home planet.
Ever since the end of The Great Race, even with the huge blast of energy erupting through space & effectively freezing the Crogs in their tracks...Nourasia was hanging by a thread, barely scraping by the Crog’s clutches.
The planet was still occupied to a certain degree, but Nourasia had taken the route of civility with the invaders. No supporting forces would be able to make it to the planet anytime soon, but the Nourasians knew it would be risky to capture these occupants, for fear of invoking the wrath of the Crogs when they would arrive.
And they would, eventually. Jordan could see them crawling their way through the blackness & stars, determined to tie all the lose ends that the crowning of the new Avatar had broken.
The Avatar did have the power to stop it. Jordan could simply snap his fingers & the spark of life the Crogs brought to the universe would be extinguished. This action could save millions of lives & planets, at the cost of one race who had already destroyed so much.
He could save Aikka. He could look at him in the eye, with an apology worth its weight in gold. He could feel calm in the knowledge that he knocked both personal revenge & the salvation of the universe out in one swing.
But it was futile. Another race would replace them, & potentially grow in power faster than them. They were not a necessary evil, but an inevitable one. This, Jordan had come to understand, through many years of observation as an unbiased being with all of the power one could ever need.
And the very, very last thing he wanted was to become another Canaletto.
But this had him stuck. How would he be able to face Aikka, knowing all he has been through, & knowing that Jordan could end it all?
It wasn’t a matter of ‘if’ he would see Aikka on this trip; He knew Eva far too well. She would manage to get them all together in person, somehow. When she was determined, she was hell bent.
Jordan did want to see Aikka, but not as he was, now. Not as The Avatar. The fear of Aikka treating him differently, with contempt or pleading hopefulness, was a miserable thought. As if every other isolating factor of being The Avatar wasn’t enough already.
So, how would he face him?
Now he was thinking far too much, enough for the dull voices of the universe to become white noise. He also finally noticed the pressure of clenching his teeth & tenseness in his muscles.
“Shit...Deep breaths, Jordan…” he instructed himself, trying to relax & calm back down. The palms of his hands ran through the smooth blades of Oban’s grass in an attempt to ground himself.
Looking into the sky, multiple moons were cresting into the sky as the blue faded into orange & purples. He didn’t realize he had basically wasted away the entire day trying to find a solution to his problem, & still had no answer.
“I need to be back tomorrow,” he sighed. That’s what he promised on the note, along with his little white lie of duties he needed to attend to. There was nothing wrong with Oban, but he just needed a place to think with no distractions. Eva was a huge one.
Jordan adjusted his legs, chest puffing up with another deep breath. His eyes closed slowly as he exhaled. Not needing to sleep gave him the entire night to think this through, thankfully.
And when the morning sun rose, casting golden light on the planes of the planet…
...He still didn’t have an answer.
Did she sleep on a cold, hard rock? Did she even sleep ? It was hard to tell, but one thing was for sure: she felt like absolute crap. Eva awoke shivering, sore, & a bit lonely upon seeing that Jordan still hadn’t returned.
Her ride to today’s meeting would be there in 30 minutes, though, so she couldn’t dwell.
Back pain & headaches plagued her morning routine, & a lack of time for breakfast was the cherry on top. When the chauffeur greeted her with a “Good morning,” she only had the capacity for a short “Morn’n,” response.
The journey back to the dreaded meeting room was quiet. Eva seemed to radiate an aura that made employees & even large, muscular security personnel tread lightly with her. The god awful sleep & resting bitch face she wore that morning was doing wonders.
She entered the meeting room, finding herself the first to arrive. The rest of the participants came shortly after, Aikka & Niam happily greeting her. They were the only thing so far to bring any semblance of a smile to her face.
Today’s meeting went very similarly to the one yesterday. Eva spent it mostly backing Aikka up to try to put pressure on McMullen. They covered subjects regarding each planet’s exchangeable resources, which Eva was completely uneducated about. This made it easy for her to take a back seat to most of the talks, but it allowed her mind to wander.
Most of said wandering was worrying about when Jordan was going to be back. And, managing to get him & Aikka together again without government interference.
She could leave her room if she pleased, but then there was Jordan. It would look incredibly sketchy if she left with a man that security cameras never saw enter. He could always teleport again, for an easy out. There didn't seem to be a different avenue, anyways.
Eva had no ideas for how Aikka could meet up with them, but Niam seemed quite smart. Maybe they did come up with a plan.
Hours later, the day's meeting adjourned. “I’ll give you two ten minutes today,” McMullen said before leaving for his office again. “That’s even less time than yesterday!” Eva grumbled, biting the inside of her cheek in frustration.
“That’s alright, Eva, for I have come up with something for what we talked about yesterday,” Niam said, cleverly avoiding naming the topic in case of eavesdropping. The human girl’s eyes lit up, “Really, you did?” Aikka & Niam nodded in unison, “Yes, we’ve thought it through together, & it should give us the entire night.”
“All night? What about sleep?” Eva asked in a hushed voice. It didn’t matter much for her, since she was leaving the capitol tomorrow. “You guys have more work to do, don’t you?”
Niam smiled slyly, “With our plan, we won’t be conducting any business tomorrow. Or a few days after, perhaps.” The vagueness of their plan made Eva intrigued, but uneasy, “How so…?”
“I’ll explain it all tonight,” Aikka assured her, “We shouldn’t speak of it now, in case someone hears.” Eva’s shoulders dropped slightly, but he was right, “Ah, ok...Should we meet up somewhere, then?”
“Ah, yes, we’ve already decided that as well! Canaan has studied a map of the city & determined a safe meeting place for us both,” Aikka confirmed, gesturing over to the usually quiet advisor. He gave a silent nod, a gesture that he was on their side in the plan. Eva gave him a thankful smile.
“We can meet at a restaurant that should be nearby your lodgings. It’s red, with large yellow arches. It’s called ‘MacDollans’...No wait, ‘McDonans’, I believe?”
Eva had to withhold her laughter, clamping her hands over her mouth. “I-It’s McDonalds!” she cackled, jerking back in her chair, unable to hold back.
“Ah, yes, that’s it! McDonalds!” the Prince confirmed, not quite sure why it was funny to his friend, but enjoyed her reaction anyhow.
“What’s this about McDonalds…?” McMullen questioned when he opened the door to the room, here to retrieve his guests. “Ah, we were discussing common places Earthlings went to for food,” Aikka lied, smooth & unwavering.
“Hmph," the president replied with thinning eyes, "Well, we’re feeding you far better than what you would be served at that type of establishment, so you don’t need to be concerned with it.” Eva’s eyebrow twitched in pure annoyance. “What a pompous asshole, thinking he’s too good for McDonalds,” she hissed mentally.
Prince Aikka & Niam rose from the table, Eva following suit. Aikka opened his arms & Eva hugged him tightly as if it were their final goodbye. “It was wonderful seeing you, Eva,” Aikka said, pulling away from his friend.
“Likewise. And it was nice to meet you, Niam,” she said, bowing to the shorter Nourasian. They giggled at this gesture & pulled Eva into a hug themselves, when she lifted her body back up properly. “I’d like to give you an Earth farewell like this, too, Eva. It was lovely meeting such a long-time friend of my betrothed,” they said sweetly, catching her off-guard with their genuine kindness.
“Ah...Niam,” she said, recomposing herself to return the embrace before they parted as well. “I’m glad I met you too, Niam. You & Aikka are going to be really happy together, I can tell.”
A dark blush dusted Aikka’s cheeks, & Niam took his hand gently in their’s, “T-Thank you, Eva!” her friend said, trying to hold back a flustered smile.
McMullen coughed loudly, a blunt way to gather everyone’s attention once more. The Nourasian’s made their farewells to Eva before following McMullen & his department heads out of the room, leaving the facility.
Eva left soon after as well, ecstatic for the chance to see Aikka once more tonight. She was also eager to see if Jordan had finally returned, so she could inform him of the great news.
Notes:
Eva. Girl. Cmon. Just say you wanna cuddle the big warm teddy bear boy!!! He will do so HAPPILY
AH HEY! Heads up, this has turned into a 3 parter, so the conclusion of this little adventure will come in the next one! Sometimes an idea just spirals & you need a lot more words lmao
But we get to formally meet Niam! :D I originally wanted to give Aikka a male partner, but then I remembered, aliens? Who have no reason to follow Earth's societal gender rules? So Niam is non-binary, woo!!! Also kind of a mischievous lil shit, at least when it benefits Aikka lmao.
And poor Jordan, once again feeling those Avatar blues. :C But it'll work out for you, Jordan!...Right?
Chapter 22: All Nighter
Chapter Text
“Ah, you’re back!” Eva exclaimed when she saw Jordan lounging on the couch upon her arrival to the hotel room. “You weren’t here before I left this morning, so I was starting to get worried.”
“Ah, sorry. I just wanted to make sure everything on Oban was taken care of before I left,” he replied, swinging his legs off the other end so she could sit down.
“I have some great news!” she said, throwing her suit jacket onto the desk chair before taking a seat. “We can see Aikka tonight!”
“ We? ” he emphasized, with less surprise than she expected. “Yeah, 'we'! Aikka & his fiance have a plan so he can sneak out to meet us tonight.”
Jordan’s eyebrows shot up at one particular word, “Fiance? Aikka has a fiance, & they’re here?”
Eva nodded with a huge grin, “Yeah, they’re super sweet! Their name is Niam, & they’ve been at the meetings with all of us. I hope you can meet them tonight, too, but they didn’t tell me their plan so I’m not sure if they’ll be able to come…”
He hated to admit it, but hearing Aikka was already spoken for gave him a huge rush of relief. It was petty, but he was glad Aikka was no longer competing in their crummy love triangle. How childish for him to think of it that way.
Though, hearing Eva speak highly of them shifted his perspective. He couldn’t smother the reprieve that Aikka no longer had eyes for Molly, if he ever did, but he was happier that he had found someone he was devoted enough to spend his life with. Not everything in Aikka’s life had been struggle & turmoil. To know that, Jordan was incredibly thankful.
“They sound great, & if they’re engaged to Aikka, then they must be,” he smiled back. “And they must be really good at putting up with Aikka’s pompous ass."
“He’s not pompous!" she scoffed back, "He’s actually grown into a very mature & smart man,” she bit back, folding her arms across her chest. “But you can see that for yourself when we meet up tonight.”
Jordan only got to forget about meeting Aikka again in person for the moments of focus on Niam, & his stomach was in knots again over it. All that time spent in the center of the universe rehearsing his first words to Aikka, & he couldn't remember a single one, now. “R-Right...So, where are we meeting up, anyways?”
“The McDonalds up the street.”
His eyebrow twitched, “McDonalds? Seriously?”
“That’s what he suggested,” Eva confirmed, “And we can get him to try some real Earth food since we'll already be there.”
Coiling her arms around herself only helped warm her a tiny bit. The bite of Winter was harsh, with lights from the fast food restaurant being no aid.
“Think he’ll be here soon?” Jordan asked, leaning casually against the building. “Y-Y-Yeah, I’m s-sure!” she said between chattering teeth, rubbing her hands up & down her arms to create friction. His eyebrows came together, worried, wishing he could wrap himself around her to shield her from the cold.
10 more minutes passed, & Eva ran inside quickly to grab a hot coffee to help keep herself warm. They continued to wait, watching the moon slowly crawl it’s way higher into the sky.
Eva reached the bottom of her cup when a figure dressed in a large, baggy hoodie approached them. Jordan immediately tensed up, stepping in front of Eva defensively in case this stranger was here to cause harm.
“Jordan? Is that you?” a familiar voice asked from under the hood, before pulling it down.
Aikka stood there, his large Nourasian ears flopped out & auburn braid spilling over his back. He shared an astonished gaze between him & the tall, changed but recognizable man in front of him. “A-Aikka!” Jordan yelped, his pitch awkwardly jumping an octave.
“It is you, Jordan! You've gotten even taller!” the prince said with an open mouth smile. Unsure of their level of familiarity at this point, he greeted him with a traditional Nourasian bow.
Jordan was equally unsure, stammering horribly, “Y-Ye-ah uh, it’s me! Pri—Aikka, hey! Long time no see?” He shot out his hand stiffly for a handshake instead of bowing back, thanks to his scrambled brain. Thankfully, Aikka had become acquainted with the greeting since arriving on Earth, so he shook it happily.
But the prince's thin eyebrows also perked up, his eyes turning down to look at their clasped hands. “...You’re shaking,” he mentioned, concerned. Jordan retracted his hand quickly, thrusting it into his jean pocket, “I-It’s cold! B-Burrr, you know!”
Eva watched the exchange fully, the excitement she once held sinking into concern. Jordan was acting so strangely, & what was this about it being cold for him? “Um...You good, partner?” she asked from beside him, reaching for his shoulder.
He flinched, startled by her hand on him when his nerves had him wound like a livewire. “Y-Yeah, I’m good! Excited!” was his excuse, eyes darting everywhere but to his friend’s for fear of eye contact.
He stopped when his eyes landed through the McDonald’s window & on an employee. They were standing with a mop in the middle of the lobby, watching the three outside. Jordan turned back to Aikka, alien stature illuminated by the neon lighting, & put two & two together.
He reached out to Aikka, yanking his hood back up over his head, “Ok guys, we met up, but I think we need to go somewhere else!”
“Jordan, what are you do—” Eva’s scolding was interrupted when she saw the employee out of the corner of her eye, who was now pointing outside at the group while talking to someone else. They looked like manager, & also looked quite angry.
“Ah, yeah, let’s book it, boys!” Eva agreed in panic. Aikka, fixing his hood, looked oddly at his two friends. “Why?”
“We’ll explain when we get there!” Eva replied, tossing her empty coffee cup into a trash can before sprinting down the parking lot. She didn't know where 'where' was yet, but it the sound of the side door to the restaurant got her feet moving. Jordan gave Aikka a shove, encouraging him to follow, “Go, Prince! You can run, can’t you?”
A singular lamppost shone a spotlight on the tiny city-corner park where the trio had settled. Eva & Aikka took a second to catch their breath after all of the running, but Jordan was just fine. No panting at all, Aikka noted.
“Phew! You should keep that hood on, Aikka, just in case,” Eva suggested, stumbling over to sit at a rusted old swing set. “It would look way too suspicious for us to be walking around with an alien in the middle of the night. Especially one who’s visiting royalty.”
Aikka grabbed the chains of the swing next to her & sat down carefully, treating the swing foreignly, “I agree, so I’ll keep my disguise up. I would feel terrible if I got either of you in trouble from me being careless.”
“I think we’ll be fine, Prince,” Jordan said, crossing his arms behind his head as he leaned against the metal frame of the swing, “We’re pretty far from the nightlife-part of the city, so it should be quiet.”
Eva stretched her legs outward, leaning back with a grip the chains, “That’s probably true, but we should still be careful. All three of us would be in huge trouble.” She leaned over to Aikka, still positioned horizontally, “How did you sneak out, anyhow? Niam’s plan worked out?”
Straightening his posture, Aikka smiled proudly, “Of course! They’re a very clever person, you see. What happened was…”
A group of security guards came rushing into the suite booked for the Nourasian party, “Shaman Niam, are you ok?!”
Niam was lying on an ornate couch, curled into a shivering ball with their arms wound around their stomach. “H-Hurts...I am in pain…!” they cried, a concerned-appearing Canaan crouching beside them with the back of his hand against their forehead. Aikka sat beside them on the couch, looking frantic & deathly worried about the state of his fiance.
“They have a fever,” Canaan told them, “They may have caught a common Earth disease that’s harsh on our Nourasian bodies.”
Panic increased in the guards, knowing the situation could turn dire very quickly. It would look dreadful for Earth to have a political alien guest die on their soil.
“We’ll take you all to the interplanetary hospital right away!” one of the guards shouted, a few of them coming over to usher the party out of the room while another was making the call on their cellular.
Canaan stopped the guards who began pulling Aikka towards the door, “I will go with Niam, alone. Aikka should stay here.” Confused blinking behind their sunglasses, the guards tried to argue against it.
“No, I will stay here,” Aikka demanded, “For if the disease Niam has caught is infectious, I could catch it was well.” The humans gulped at this possibility they hadn’t considered yet. And they knew it would look even worse if the Prince himself passed away in their custody.
They hesitated, the two guards seeing the rest of their co-workers already left the room with Niam & Canaan in tow. “A-Alright, we’ll go with the Shaman Niam & Councilman Canaan. You stay here, Prince Aikka!” they ordered, then frantically followed after everyone else who were already at the elevator at the end of the hall.
After the door closed, Aikka smirked & disposed of the hidden hotel towels in the bathroom that were drenched in hot water. It seemed the ‘hot towel to fake a fever’ trick worked for Nourasians as well. This was followed by him digging a simple black hoodie out of a paper department store bag beside their bed. Between all of the meetings & royal work, they did manage to get a bit of time to do some Earth shopping. He slipped into it, pulling the extra-large hood up to conceal most of his face & ears.
Aikka peeked out the window, watching the sleek black government car speed off down the street. With no more personnel hovering over their hotel room, Aikka made his exit.
Directly through the window, of course.
“And then I scaled down the side of the building & eventually met with you two at our meeting place. It was fairly easy, really!”
Eva, who had begun gently swinging while listening to his story, snickered at the thought of Aikka using the cement decor around windows as footholds, like a ninja. It was appropriate for him.
“I can’t believe you did that without anyone catching you,” Jordan remarked with a whistle. “And I can’t believe Niam’s plan worked as well as it did,” Eva added, digging her heels into the frozen dirt to stop her momentum.
A wide, sweet smile spread across Aikka’s face, “I told you, Niam is a clever one. I dare say, they’re smarter than I.”
“It sucks that Jordan couldn’t meet them, though,” Eva said with a hint of disappointment. She looked up to the man in question, who shrugged, “It’s alright. They made the sacrifice to stay in a hospital all night so we could all hang out, so my personal first impression is already golden.” He cocked his chin in Aikka’s direction, “Let them know I said thanks for me, Prince?”
The smile on Aikka’s face spread further, “Of course, I will.
“Now, please tell me, what you have been doing since the end of The Great Race, Jordan?"
Jordan knew he couldn’t have avoided the topic forever, but the pit in his stomach grew. Eva looking up at him with an expectant smile made it even worse.
“Well...” he began, knowing there was never going to be a better way to phrase it.
“...I’m The Avatar.”
He stood before them nervously, shoulders hiked up & a shallow smile on display. It was the only way he could cope with spilling the news to Aikka: trying to act incredibly nonchalant about it.
And whatever reaction the prince would have, he would accept.
Aikka had on quite a poker face, with his thoughts hidden behind focused eyes & a flat-line mouth. He said nothing. Eva again became concerned about the silence between the two, looking back & forth at them while she waited for someone to speak up.
“Hmm. I see,” Aikka finally said, turning away to look in front of him instead of at either of his friends.
“To be honest, I knew,” he said in the most placid tone imaginable.
Both Jordan & Eva’s jaws dropped open in surprise. “You knew?!” They said in a unified scream, jolting Aikka into looking back at them both.
“Y-Yes?” he answered, “I mean, it was the most likely outcome, was it not? You & I both left Oban, Eva, but Jordan did not. Someone had to become The Avatar.”
It really was that obvious. Of course it was, but the two Earthlings apparently didn’t consider it. At all. Ever.
Their combined stunned silence started to freak Aikka out, “I-I’m sorry! Did I say something wrong?”
Eva was the first to speak, “No! But why didn’t you say anything?!” She spooked the prince by thrusting her arms out in emphasis, almost knocking him off the swing.
“Because!” he said as he tightened his grip on the chains, “I didn’t want to say anything in that building! There were cameras & guards everywhere. You had refrained from mentioning it as well.”
“Ohhhh…” she said, drawn out in understanding. “I guess playing dumb about that would be the smart move, yeah…” Aikka nodded, “Yes, so I did just that. And Jordan,” he said, turning to the still stunned-silent boy, “I wanted you to say it yourself. You’ve seemed very on edge.”
The prince lifted himself from the swing, Nourasian sandals crunching on dirt & pebbles as he walked towards him. “I didn’t want to scare you, but I suppose I failed in that,” he laughed, stopping in front of Jordan. He placed a hand on his arm, gently assuring him, “I’m sorry about that, my friend.”
Jordan was speechless in an oddly calming way. This was by far not the reaction he was expecting from Aikka, but it was probably the best it could have been. It still didn’t help that despite the anti-climactic answer, his body was crashing from depleting adrenaline.
“Aikka…” he said softly, looking down at the Nourasian, who only responded with a calm smile. “I...thank you…” Jordan eventually said with a slowly forming smile, mirroring his small physical gesture. They had a quiet moment of mutual understanding, no words needed to communicate the feelings of respect & thankfulness they wanted to convey.
“Guys!” Eva yelled, startling the two when she popped up in between them with her elbows hooked around their necks, “I absolutely love seeing you two get along, but we don’t have all night to stand here silently gazing into each other’s eyes.” A mischievous smile appeared on her face when the eyes of the two boys widened & the blood rushed to their cheeks.
“W-We were having a moment, Eva! A 'bro' moment!” Jordan exclaimed in a weak defense for his masculinity. “Yes, it was!” Aikka agreed, pulling his hand off Jordan. “A brotherly moment!”
Laughing uncontrollably, Eva released them & ran in the direction of the exit gate, “Yeah yeah, whatever you two say! The clock is ticking, let’s go do something fun!” She stood there, waving her arms wide above her head as a beacon to her friends.
Jordan, always in love with her teasing nature, even when it was at his expense, smiled brightly in her direction. Aikka looked up at his friend, seeing how Jordan’s demeanor easily swayed with her. It seems he was right about that other obvious thing, too.
“Oh, and Jordan?” Aikka said, taking the first step past him & towards Eva. “The gold eyes are a dead giveaway as well. You had black eyes before, correct?”
The Avatar blinked, too adjusted to his new eye color to have remembered it was different from back then. With a smirk, he corrected his friend before following after them, “Not black, just really dark brown.”
The trio wandered the deserted night streets for a while before coming upon a 24 hour arcade. Jordan practically shoved his two friends through the doors, childishly excited to be in one again. It wasn’t very large, & was quite empty for a Saturday night. The low lighting & distracting fluorescent lights of the machines were a wonderful place for Aikka to relax a bit, though. It would be hard for any other patrons to notice he was an alien, if the only other few there would look up from their intense focus on the machines.
“This is...a very interesting place,” Aikka commented, observing the blinking neon lights & screens while retro sound effects assaulted his ears, “And extremely colorful.”
“I haven’t been in an arcade since middle school!” Jordan said with fevered excitement, crawling up & down the aisles of games with Eva & Aikka following behind.
“What about Paradice’s ‘arcade'?” Eva mocked with physical air quotes to accompany her. “That didn’t count,” he replied in a snooty tone, “It only had one game, so that’s not a real arcade.” Eva rolled her eyes, & Aikka chuckled from their banter.
“Oh, this is one of my favorites!” Jordan exclaimed, gesturing his friends over to a tall cabinet with plastic guns docked in the front. The sides were decorated with old, desaturated graphics of zombies.
Eva stood to the side & looked at the screen, observing the demo that played before anyone inserted a token, “It looks so old,” she commented, unphased by the cartoonishly obnoxious blood coming from downed enemies.
Jordan fished out the 1st player gun controller, cocking the plastic slide, “It’s a classic, so yes, it’s old. Hey Aikka, wanna go a few rounds?” He twirled a token between his fingers, one eyebrow raised in a cocky manner.
Aikka pulled the 2nd controller out, taking a second to position it in his hands. “I’m unfamiliar with these types of weapons,” he said, trying to mimic how Jordan was holding his, “but I do not back down from a challenge.”
With a smirk, Jordan slipped the token in & readied himself, “That’s what I like to hear.”
About 10 minutes later, Jordan proudly proclaimed victory by a mere thousand points. He struck a prideful pose, “Damn Aikka, your shooting is almost as sharp as mine! But that’s not enough to beat the best marksman Earth’s ever seen.”
“I’m sure if I was using my weapon of choice, it would have been even sharper,” the Nourasians argued in good nature, putting the plastic gun back into it’s dock. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like any games in this arcade have bow & arrows.”
Eva giggled from beside the cabinet, where she had watched their competitive zombie-killing spree, “Nah, no offence, but that’s kind of extremely old technology on our planet.”
“Old?” Aikka said, eyebrows raised, “But they’re very effective weapons! And when you imbue them with magic, they’re—”
“We don’t have magic, you know that!” Eva laughed, patting her friend on the back as the trio turned away from the zombie shooter, in search of new entertainment.
It took barely a minute for them to come upon something that interested Eva. The machine’s lights glimmered in her eyes along side the demo video on the huge screen. “Oh my god, they do have one!” she screamed, breaking from the group to dash onto the platform.
There were two platforms of panels with arrows organized on them & a safety bar behind each. The screen in front had hyper stylized characters dancing along to electronic music that was pulsing through the huge speakers on the side. “I love this game!” Eva gushed, scrolling through the song selection on the 'Player 1' screen.
Jordan & Aikka looked up at the monstrous machine from behind, slightly intimidated. “Man, I haven’t seen one of these for ages. They never had them at my hometown arcade,” Jordan remarked while looking the machine up & down. Aikka tried to glean what type of game it was, with it's loud music & arrows, “Is this some sort of performance game?”
“Yeah, it’s a rhythm game!” Eva confirmed, already pulling 2 tokens from her pocket, “Come & play it with me, Aikka!”
His hood bounced with a twitch from his ears, unsure, “A-Ah, I’ve never played a game like this! I don’t know if I could do it well.” Eva crossed her arms in a little pout, “It’s ok, we’ll play on easy mode! It’s really fun, I promise.”
He didn’t have a chance to protest further before Jordan started shoving him onto the second platform. “J-Jordan!” he gasped, with the boy grinning in response, “You know Molly won’t take ‘no’ for an answer, Aikka. Besides, it’s basically only us in this whole arcade. You should give it a try!”
Finally standing on the gamepad, he looked at the screen before him, then to Eva. She was smiling assuredly, handing a token for him to insert on his side, “You just need to tap the arrows with your feet in accordance to the screen.” She certainly was not taking ‘no’ for an answer, if she was already giving a verbal tutorial before he could consent to playing.
“And you hold the bar, if you need to move really fast but don’t want to slip,” Jordan added, standing back at a good spectating distance. “You want in on the next round?” Eva asked, grinning expectantly. She definitely wanted to play against Jordan, too. And also destroy him.
He gulped & shook his head furiously, “No way, Mols. I have two left feet & no rhythm, so you & Aikka have this one all to yourselves.” Their alien friend threw his hands up, “I don’t either, for the record!” For a moment, Eva was worried she pushed Aikka a bit too much. But his smirk that followed his statement dismissed that, “But I’ll certainly try my best. I will say, I am more agile than Jordan.”
The Avatar rolled his eyes, “You are. Always have been, prince. Now kick Molly’s butt!”
“Hey, why don’t you cheer me on?” Eva groaned dramatically, turning back to face the screen as the song booted up. “I like to root for the underdog!” Jordan laughed, then stood back to watch the digital dance-off.
You know how when you see a terrible accident, your eyes can’t look away, despite how bad it may be? That’s what Jordan was experiencing, with each new note making his friends devolve further & further into rhythm-less, flailing figures on the dance mats. By the 2nd chorus of the song, Eva & Aikka were barely even trying to keep up anymore. To prevent them from failing the song completely, Jordan wriggled up in between the platforms & started stomping on random notes in a shitty attempt to help.
Bold ‘GAME OVER’ text slid into the middle of the screen while the song faded into depressing digital garbles.
But the trio were all laughing at the top of their lungs, slowing down their manic feet when they finally realized the song was over. They were too busy being caught up in their frantic, stupid, but immensely fun attempt to finish the level.
Eva, wheezing for air, slumped an arm around Jordan for support, “We did so bad, Aikka!” Nodding, mouth agape in a silent laugh & tears pooling in the corners of his eyes, the Nourasian could barely breathe out a response, “I told you I would be bad!”
Aikka pointed at the boy Eva was latched onto, holding his gut while he cackled, “Thank goodness we had backup or we would have done even worse.” Jordan, wiping away laughing tears of his own, slipped away from Eva & stepped down from the platform, “If anything, I made it worse for you too. I almost knocked out off, Aikka! But it was also super fun!”
“Yeah!” Eva agreed, hopping onto the old carpeted floor, “Extremely fun! I’d go another round, but I’m pooped.” Aikka sucked in a few deep breaths, also feeling out of it from the exercise & following laughing fit, “I am as well. Shall we try some simpler games instead?”
With his suggestion, they shuffled over to the retro cabinet area, where they spent a good amount of time showing Aikka the super old pixel games. Jordan had a nearly encyclopedic knowledge about them, telling Eva & Aikka of their history & impact on the early gaming world. It was very impressive, but after a small lecture on the importance of Dig Dug, Eva absent mindedly blurted out, “Wow, you’re a huge nerd.”
Jordan & Aikka looked at her after the abrupt statement, surprised. But he decided to take it as a compliment, “I sure am, & you are too, Molly.”
She stuck her tongue out playfully, moving on from the machine, “Maybe so, but I’m a mechanic nerd, which is arguably more useful.”
“What kind of nerd do you two suppose I would be?” Aikka wondered, pointing at himself. The two humans were caught off guard by the hypothetical. “Uhh…” Jordan mumbled as they waded through the aisles of machines. “A bug nerd, maybe?” Eva shrugged, having no better answer.
Turning a corner, Aikka was the first to notice the line of identical, large cabinets set against the wall, with sounds familiar to the trio spilling through the speakers. Eva’s eyes grew bright, as did the prince’s, knowing immediately what types of games these were.
“Oh, they have racing games!” Jordan pointed out, totally oblivious of his pilot friends already practically drooling over then.
“They have racing games!” Eva shouted before running over to them in childish excitement with the prince right behind her. “It’s no steed, but it looks very fun!” Aikka said, running his hands along the smooth plastic of the seat. Eva was already sat into one, hands gripped on the wheel & feet kicking the metal petals below.
“Let’s all play!” she squealed in enthusiasm. “Yes, let’s!” Aikka concurred, settling down into the machine next to her. “I’ve never driven one of your Earth cars before, but I’m sure I will adapt quickly.”
Jordan slumped against Eva’s chair, propping his chin in his palm, “You guys can go crazy, but I’ll pass.” Eva turned up to him with a disappointed pout, “No, race with us!”
“You know I’m not a pilot, Molly. I’m a gunner!” It’s true; Jordan couldn’t race himself out of a paper bag. But that wasn’t going to save him from her competitive fury.
Gripping his sleeve, she got up to drag him around her chair & into the empty machine beside her, ignoring his whining & protests. “Nope, you’re racing with us, even if you lose,” she commanded, already slipping a token into the slot to activate his game.
“What? But I will lose!” he groaned, going limp in the seat. “It’s ok, we’ll have a friendly race!” Aikka said from the machine over, giving him a smile & thumbs up for encouragement. However, such words from another person proficient in racing didn’t feel too encouraging.
The Avatar inhaled a deep breath, released it, & gripped the plastic wheel at the classic 10 & 2. His eyebrows came down over his eyes in determination, “Alright, fine, let’s do this.”
With a huge smile, Eva prepared herself. She had to help Aikka through the set up of the game, but after he was ready to go, they all sat at the digital starting line in anticipation.
Three progressively high-toned beeps played, & they were off. Eva easily took a swift lead, with Aikka’s car not too far behind. As expected, Jordan had put pressure on the gas far too early & burnt out his exhaust before getting to leave the starting line. “Hey, no fair!” he complained loudly, receiving laughs from his two companions.
“Good luck catching up to us, Jordan!” Aikka called out, shaking the machine as he twisted his wheel a tad too hard on a turn. “And good luck with you catching up to me, Aikka,” Eva teased, seeing his car bump the road barrier on his screen from the corner of her eye.
Playful trash talk bounced between the three while the race progressed, rising above the noise of the video game & machines clanking with each hard jerk. It was much more of a race between Eva & Aikka, with Jordan multiple places behind his friends, but it was expected.
Eva managed to snatch victory from Aikka, arriving at the finish line with a small gap between them. Throwing her fists in the air, she congratulated herself with a cheerful, “Yesssss!”
Aikka finished up his lap, placing 2nd behind Eva, & got up from the machine with a content smile. “You are as formidable as ever, my friend,” he said, coming around to the other side of her machine. “So, I congratulate you on your win. However,” he continued, giving her a smug wink, “if I were more familiar with Earth vehicles, we would have a different winner.” In both shooting & racing, Aikka was happy to compete with solid sportsmanship with his friends.
Jordan crossed the finish line almost a full minute later, competing with mere CPUs at this point. A defeated, painful moan erupted from his mouth as he tossed his arms over the wheel. “Hey, you got 7th! That’s not last place, at least,” Eva comforted, patting his back in an attempt to lessen the bitter defeat.
When he lifted his head back up, he gave his friends a resolute smile, “Yeah, well next time I’ll do way better! Like 6th place!”
She smiled at the notion of a 'next time'.
After exhausting their remaining stash of tokens, the group left the arcade & entered back into the cold nighttime streets. “Well, what do you want to do now, Aikka?” Eva asked, walking between the two boys on the empty sidewalk.
“I’m not sure,” he said, looking around to see what was available. Considering it was still very early morning, most businesses were closed & would be for a few more hours. Even so, he needed to get back to the hotel before Earth government personnel returned with his fiance & Canaan.
“I just checked my phone & it’s half past 4,” Jordan informed, “So not much is open.”
Eva’s shoulders slumped, “Yeah, that’s true...Even the city has to sleep, I guess.”
Off in the distance, a bright yellow glow caught Aikka’s eye. “That building looks like it’s open,” he said, pointing far down the block.
“Oh, another McDonalds,” Eva said, “They’re always open.”
“Another?” Aikka said in surprise, “And always open? How do they have multiple stores, & manage to operate like that?”
“Oh man, Aikka,” Eva said, hooking her arms around both of the boy’s coat sleeves before dragging them across the street, “You have so much to learn about Earth! We’ll explain on the way!”
Aikka & Jordan sat on the curb at the edge of the parking lot, the farthest away from the actual fast food establishment. Their spunky female companion was missing, as she was inside the McDonald’s ordering food for everyone.
“Jordan, you stay out here with Aikka,” she instructed, stopping them at the edge of the parking lot.
“Why?” he wondered, not exactly opposed, but curious.
“I imagine it’s because I should not enter,” Aikka said, pointing to the bump of his folded ears under his hood, “In case someone were to recognize that I was Nourasian.”
Eva nodded proudly, “Aikka’s got it! And he shouldn’t be out here alone. Just tell me what you want, I’ll grab it for you!”
So he had taken the chance to catch up with Aikka personally, considering Eva had far more time with their old friend during this trip. He listened intently as the prince talked of his experience so far on Earth, more of his fiance Niam, & how he had been adjusting to his new duties as the start of his reign on Nourasia approached.
“This treaty with Earth is a very big step for me, but it’s been going very well,” Aikka said confidently. “Eva has been helping immensely. Though, I can’t say I’m use to how adamant she can be on certain things.”
Jordan chuckled, “Yeah, she certainly can be. But if it’s making the whole thing easier on you, then that’s great!”
“Yeah,” he agreed, resting his arms limply across his lap. “To be honest, I have been very nervous about this entire ordeal.” Jordan blinked, surprised to hear Aikka open up, even if only a crack, to him.
“Oh...Why is that?” he budged.
“It’s only a matter of time before The Crog armada will return to Nourasia’s orbit,” Aikka said, tone turning serious, “My people have worked hard trying to rebuild & strengthen Nourasia to be prepared to fight off the Crogs upon their return, but our technology is not something we can rely on to win. I’m fully aware of this.
“So Earth’s assistance will be vital in Nourasia surviving another take-over from the Crogs. With your military power, we should be able to defend ourselves at worse, or overcome & drive them away at best.”
The idea of Earth’s military participating in more fights against the Crogs bit at him bitterly. Their assistance being the make or break of Nourasia’s survival from such an attack made it worse.
Knowing that no matter the outcome, lives would be lost, & he could do everything to stop it made the pain ache.
Aikka took notice of Jordan’s silence & shadowed, pensive expression, “Jordan, my people will be fine.”
The Avatar turned to look at him with his bright, golden eyes, still concerned. “I assure you. We’ve survived this before, & we will again,” Aikka repeated.
“I don’t doubt that,” he replied, “I just wish...I could actually help.” He knew he wouldn’t have to spell out his full ability to wipe the Crogs off the face of the universe to the prince. Besides, even if Aikka loathed the Crogs even more than him, he knew that wouldn’t bring total peace to the galaxy.
“Your moral support is plenty, Jordan, my friend,” Aikka said with a surprising tenderness & familiarity to his voice. Jordan stiffened a bit when the Nourasian wrapped an arm around his shoulders in a warm side-hug. He felt stronger than when they were younger, he noticed.
His solid frown softened into a small smile. “...Thanks, Aikka.”
The prince’s eyes closed, pleased to have put Jordan’s worries at ease, “I mean it. And I truly wish you the best with your duties, as you have with me.” Aikka slipped his hand off Jordan & returned it to his lap, allowing Jordan to lean back & take a deep sigh, “Well, I haven’t fucked up. Yet.”
A low laugh came from Aikka, “Have faith in yourself, Jordan. After spending time with you tonight, I can confidently say you’re quite dependable. Both as Avatar, & a boyfriend to Eva.”
Something in Jordan’s face changed instantly. Blue irises blinked, perplexed by the heat rising to his friend’s shocked face. What did he say to elicit such a reaction?
Finally, Jordan found his voice & gasped out, “B-B-Boyfriend?! M-Molly’s b-b-boyfriend?! ” Aikka blinked again slowly, “Yes? You are a couple, correct? So that would be the term for it?” The certainty in Aikka’s voice made the words hit Jordan twice as hard.
He threw his hands up, shaking his head wildly & almost making his beanie fly off. “N-No, we aren’t! We’re just f-friends!” he insisted, bringing more confusion to Aikka.
“But you live together, do you not?”
“Y-Yeah! But plenty of people live together & aren’t dating!”
“But you both are so comfortable & affectionate with each other.”
Were they? Jordan hadn’t noticed, if this was the case, but did always feel fully comfortable around Eva. As for being affectionate, maybe, but he tried not to overstep her personal space.
Their sleeping arrangements on this trip are an outlier that should not be counted. Or the first night they were reunited.
“That doesn’t mean we’re together , Aikka!”
“Oh…” he said, ears dropping in embarrassment underneath his hood. “My apologies for making such a mistake. But you care for you, don’t you?”
The blush spread to Jordan’s ear’s, always terrible at hiding his feelings. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to confirm it, but Aikka was no fool.
“You have for a long time, haven’t you? I could tell, even from way back then,” he said in a gentle voice. The undying loyalty & protectiveness he showed Eva in their dire straits with Canaletto said a lot.
“...Y-Yeah, I do. Don’t tell her, though. She doesn’t know, I think,” he pleaded, looking down at the asphalt. “We’re just good friends right now, & she’s happy. I don’t want to ruin that.”
Aikka understood, but found it silly. Eva wouldn’t break such a sight bond of friendship over something like that. Jordan’s insecurities were well placed, but overly paranoid.
“You can trust me, Jordan,” he simply said, knowing it wasn’t his place to tell him to confess to Eva. If he was happy keeping a friendship with her & nothing more, then he wouldn’t interfere.
Jordan let out a relieved sigh, “Thanks, Aikka. You really matured into quite the gentleman, huh?”
Aikka’s eyebrow lifted, & a smirk crossed his face, “Are you saying I was not one before?”
Smirking back, Jordan rolled his eyes, “Eh, you were kind of a douche, honestly. But I was an asshole to you too, so I guess we—”
“Hey!” A feminie voice cut through Jordan’s sentence, & they looked towards the restaurant to see Eva walking towards them with greasy paper bags in hand. “I got the goods!” she said triumphantly, stepping over a pothole on her stride over.
Jordan got up swiftly & held his hands out, relieving her of some baggage. “Thanks, Mols!” he said, reaching in to pull a cardboard box of chicken nuggets out for Aikka. “Your nuggies, your highness,” he teased, Aikka taking it with a chuckle. “Thank you, jester.”
“Jester?” Jordan said with a kink in his brow. Eva laughed, then handed Jordan his milkshake before he could start a silly argument, “So, what were you guys talking about while I was gone?”
“Oh, just crushes & such,” Aikka said before Jordan could get any input. His eyes widened at Aikka, who just smiled back calmly.
“Aw, isn’t that cute?” Eva cooed, pulling a french fry from her bag. “Gushing about Niam to Jordan?”
“Yes, I did,” the prince claimed, seeing Jordan immediately relax thanks to the white lie.
They all sat in a line on the curb, distributing the rest of the food before digging into their late night meal.
Starting the conversation back up, Jordan's smirk turned mischievous, “Y’know, Aikka, Eva had quite the crush on you way back during the race.”
Stunned silent & bright red, Eva looked at Jordan with immense shock. Everyone was silent, & with Aikka looking only mildly surprised.
“J-Jordan, what the hell!” she screamed, almost making him drop his milkshake when her fists flew at his arms. “F-For the record!” she blubbered, shooting a panicked look at Aikka while she preformed retribution on Jordan via weak punches, “I do NOT have a crush on you anymore! A-And you have Naim!”
Eva berated Jordan for revealing her little teenage crush, shaking his arm & interrogating him on why he even did that. But from Aikka’s view, she didn’t seem truly mad. There was something else affecting her reaction, he assumed.
He held a hand out to calm his friend, “Do not worry, Eva, I know.” The corners of his lips lifted in a content smile.
Aikka knew her feelings lied elsewhere now.
Light pink was beginning to peak over the top of skyscrapers as early morning hours approached. They found themselves back in that small park close to the original meeting McDonalds, all sat at a picnic table deep in conversation.
Eva let out a huge yawn, but had trouble opening her eyes afterwards. “Are you tired, Eva?” Aikka asked, seeing her head dip forward sleepily before she snapped back into place.
“Mhm, just a little, but I’m fine,” she assured, lightly slapping her cheeks to wake herself up a bit. From beside her, Jordan reached out to pat her head, “Hey, if you’re tired, that’s fine Molly. We can head back to the hotel.”
She visibly relaxed at the touch, but argued against it & leaned away. “Nooo, I want to keep hanging out with Aikka!” she whined.
“You look wide awake, Jordan. Are you not tired?” Aikka wondered, & Jordan pulled his hand away from Eva, “Nah, I don’t have to sleep anymore. Don’t have to eat, either, but I like doing both anyways.” His eyelids lowered, flipping his hands over so he could stare at his open palms. “Makes me feel more human.”
Aikka nodded, “I can see why. I quite enjoyed the McDonalds, though I don’t think it’s agreeing with me very much.” The Nourasian patted his stomach & stuck out his tongue jokingly, earning a laugh from Jordan, “Not surprised, man! Fast food can mess you up, but Taco Bell does it way worse. That, & you being an alien really—”
Suddenly, a warm weight fell against him, & he looked down to see a fully asleep Eva pressed against his shoulder. Her hand gripped his sleeve subconsciously, clinging to him. Aikka grinned at the blush that spread across Jordan’s cheeks.
“Ah jeez, I knew you were gonna do this, Molly…” Jordan whispered, not bothered in the slightest despite his word choice. “Shall we wrap the night up, then?” Aikka suggested, rising from his seat.
“That’d probably be for the best,” Jordan said, looking back down at Eva with a look of hesitation. He didn’t motion to get up, unsure how he would get his sleeping friend back to the hotel.
“Just carry her on your back, Jordan. You’re certainly strong enough for it,” Aikka said, coming over to help. The red stayed constant on Jordan’s cheeks, “Yeah, that’d probably be easiest...” He didn’t need any convincing.
The two boys worked together to get Eva onto Jordan’s back, where her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck to hold on. She never woke up the entire time, far too exhausted from staying awake almost all night after getting barely any sleep during the previous one. Jordan continued to find her warm weight highly enjoyable.
With her settled onto his back, the two boys walked to the entrance of the park. Shops & businesses would be opening soon, so it was a good time for them all to depart.
“It was really nice seeing you again, Jordan,” Aikka said, bowing at the waist to him. Jordan chuckled, bowing his head in return since he didn’t want to risk dropping Eva with a full bow, “Likewise, Aikka. I’m glad to see things are going well for you.” His eyes grew slightly damp, feeling a pang of sadness knowing that Aikka was about to return to a harsh world of political strife & responsibility for his people.
But he would emerge from it all stronger than before. That much was apparent with how he had grown; confident, wise, & kind. All the makings of a wonderful leader. “You’re gonna be a great king.”
Jordan hoped this small night of escape was a nice break for him, though.
Aikka's oceanic eyes gazed at him, a thankful smile upon his face. He outstretched between them, “And the same to you. You’ll continue to make the galaxy a peaceful place, Avatar Jordan.”
The smile on the demigod’s face fell flat, making Aikka’s ears twitch under his hood. He wasn't aware of how those words made him feel, & what they took away.
Jordan looked down to the ground for a moment, then regained his composure & faked a grin at Aikka, “Just Jordan is fine. No title, please.”
He wasn’t ready to hear that again. Not when things felt so...normal tonight.
Aikka nodded, letting out a chilly breath. He then stepped forward, wrapping the outstretched arm around Jordan’s body. “Sorry, Jordan, my friend,” he said, genuinely apologetic. He should have guessed by now how precious Jordan’s humanity, or what was left of it, was to him.
Though his arms were preoccupied, Jordan leaned his chin into Aikka’s shoulder as a way to return the embrace, “It’s ok, prince. Just forget it happened.”
When they pulled away, Jordan gave a playful wink at Aikka, “Tell Niam I said ‘hi’, when you get back, will ya?”
Unsure what a wink communicated, Aikka mimicked the action at him anyway, “I will! And good luck with Eva. Though, I don't think you'll need it.”
Jordan blinked, puzzled, & watched Aikka turn away with a hand raised in farewell. The Nourasian’s pace quickened to a sprint, & he was out of sight soon enough.
The Avatar stood for a second, trying to piece together what Aikka meant. Maybe it was a general well-wish Nourasian’s gave to friends when they parted? Or he meant he wished them both well?
His mind was interrupted when a small, nasally snore from Eva caught his attention. “Cute,” he thought to himself, turning on his heel to begin the trek back to their own hotel. Maybe if he got there fast enough, Eva could have a few hours of sleep before her ride home.
Eva would be upset in the morning knowing she missed telling Aikka goodbye. But Jordan hoped it wouldn’t be the last time they encountered their friend.
Notes:
AAAAND that finally marks the end of this arc with Aikka!
This chapter ended up being HUGE cuz i wanted to get a good amount of the trio hanging out together, lord knows we didn't get enough of that in the show. I also wanted some Jordan n Aikka bro time, CUZ I WANT TO SEE THEM BE FRIENDS DAMN IT LOL.
Anyways, long time no update, I know! But this chapter was so huge, it kinda loomed over me. I do have some pre-written stuff coming up, though, so there should be quite a bit of new chapters in the coming months!
Life updates: I got a dope new job! I'm an asset artist for a story time youtuber. It's been going great so far, & super refreshing from doing commissions for a living. This also frees up more time for me to do fanart/merch, including Oban stuff, so follow me on Twitter for that stuff!
https://twitter.com/lovelesskiaIf you happen to follow this youtuber I'm working for (keeping it on the down-low until the first video I work on comes out), you may see a special gunner boy cameo in a new video. ;3
Thanks for reading! 💖
Chapter 23: Liquid Courage
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Weeks later, Eva was still looking fondly back on the short weekend she had with Aikka & Jordan. She cursed herself for falling asleep before saying one final goodbye to the prince, but Jordan assured her it was fine.
They watched the streamed pre-recorded press meetings with Aikka that followed, knowing he had already left. It felt uncanny, seeing Aikka & Niam on the footage that was marked ‘live’ when it wasn’t. Neither of them understood why the Earth government did any of the stupid tricks they did, though.
Still, it was nice to see his speeches received well by the masses. It assured her that this treaty between their two worlds was going to do great things.
Another thing that kept popping up in her conscious was the first night of sharing a hotel room with Jordan. And it was driving her insane.
So what if she cuddled him in her sleep? The room was freezing! So what if he reciprocated? He was probably just trying to be comfortable while she clung to him. So what if in the morning, when he was still fast asleep, she brushed his cheek affectionately while thinking about how cute he looked?
Not to mention how well she had slept, encircled in his strong arms?
And how her heart fluttered over it all?
“Shit.”
It was about time she figured this out. It was too much to ignore.
The campus library was as good a place as any to have a heart-to-heart with your 2nd dad. Eva sat in a cushioned chair far off in a corner with her backpack on the floor beside her. There was about 2 hours until Soni got out of her class so they could have a study session.
She prayed that was enough time to get these nagging thoughts sorted out before she saw Alexis, who would always bring Jordan up. She didn't want anything slipping out.
Scrolling through her text history, she clicked on 'Rick'.
“Hey, Rick, you there?”
It took a few minutes, but he responded, “Hey I’m here 👋 Need to call little mouse? 📞”
Her mouth curled at one side from the continued use of his little nickname.
“No, I’m in the library. Can we text for a bit?”
“Sure what’s up 😎 ”
“I need advice, I think. But it’s hard to talk about. Promise you won’t tell dad?”
“Sure thing 👌 I don’t tell your dad anything already” She had to hold in a laugh.
“So I had to go out of town a few weeks ago and I brought Jordan along,” she began, hiding the details & specifics. The government was keeping track of her text messages, no doubt, “And the hotel was out of double rooms, so we shared a bed. Nothing happened, though, promise!”
“I wouldn’t care if something did you’re an adult 🤷♂️”
Good thing she was off in her own little corner, because the small squeak & bright blush on her face was sure to draw attention. Rick’s follow-up text came moments after, “So what else happened?”
“Well, the room was super cold, so I ended up kind of snuggling up to him for warmth in my sleep…”
“Jordans a big guy and big guys are warm 🔥”
“Yeah, he was. The thing is, though, I can’t stop thinking about it.”
“How so 🤔”
“Idk, like it was really nice! And Jordan’s really nice! He's my best friend, he can always make me feel better when I'm down & does so much for me. And I keep feeling like I’m going to throw up around him, but I don’t want to stop being around him.”
Eva brought her knees up onto the chair & hid her face in them. Just pouring those feelings out into text was almost overwhelming.
She looked up at her phone when it vibrated.
“Eva you like him 💘”
Her mind felt abnormally clear for a second, like something clicked. But her immediate response was to dismiss it; To herself & Rick.
“Ofc I do, he’s my best friend.”
“No I mean like-like 💕💕💕”
For the first time in her life, Eva wished Rick wasn’t so damn perceptive, despite the attraction being obvious to everyone but the couple in question.
Her response to the prospect of forming romantic feelings for Jordan was absolute terror, nothing warm & fuzzy like the movies & TV shows portrayed. He had been nothing but a close friend for so long, & the thought of that changing was anxiety inducing.
And the thought of it all going wrong & ruining what they already had made her want to cry. She treasured his companionship far too much.
Her phone vibrated in her hand as she spent too much time in her head, another text from Rick incoming.
“Just tell him Eva it’ll be fine 👍”
Her throat went dry at the mere thought.
“I don’t ‘like-like’ anyone, Rick, I’m not 5.”
Skirting around the matter at hand wasn’t helping anything.
“Ok then you have romantic feelings for him 😂 but just tell him”
Eva paused again, digesting things. Accepting things. Trying.
“But what do I even say? We’re such good friends right now.”
“You just tell him when the time seems right and go from there 😙”
“Rick, seriously. What if he doesn’t feel the same?”
The thought of such a thing made her chest ache.
“Jordans a good kid so no matter what it’ll be ok 👌 you’ll either stay friends or you get a boyfriend 💕”
Jordan? As her boyfriend ? She couldn’t deny the vomit-inducing flutter that text sent to her stomach. The idea felt so impossible, but at the same time, like an adventure she was excited to begin. An adventure that had been impending, just waiting for her to take the first step.
The hard part was going to be figuring out this ‘right time’ Rick mentioned. But perhaps it would be more obvious than she thought.
“You think so?”
Her questions were mostly answered, but assurance was needed.
“Of course 😎 I’m never wrong so trust me when I tell you it’ll be ok Eva”
He had a point; He was right 99% of the time. Weight on Eva's shoulders lifted, & she smiled softly at the screen.
“Ok, I trust you. Thanks for talking about this with me, Rick. But please, PLEASE don’t tell dad.”
“I won’t 🤞 Don would kill him & you like having him as a roomate”
“Lol, I do. I need to go to class soon, so ttyl Rick. Thanks again.”
“No problem little mouse 🐭❤”
The affectionate use of emojis made her smile brighter as she slipped her phone into her backpack, getting ready to leave her corner.
Eva tried to hold onto this confidence about the future as hard as she could. Jordan was going nowhere, so there was time.
She hoped.
Chatter from a small group a few rows behind them caught his attention.
“So, wanna meet up at 7?”
“Yeah, sure. At that pub on 12th Street?”
“Oh, instead I was thinking of that one bar, Jason’s I think? It’s a bit further downtown, but they’re gonna have specials for St. Patrick's Day.”
Jordan wasn’t even aware the holiday was coming up, but go figure that a group of college students would be planning to get a little trashed for the occasion.
He looked over to Eva, who was skimming over a chapter of their text book, completely oblivious the conversation above. “Hey, Molly, do you want to do something for St. Patrick’s Day?
“Huh?” she asked, turning to him. “St. Patrick's Day? Why?”
“Uh, because it’s a holiday, I guess?” It’s not like either of them were Irish, but never stopped anyone from joining the festivities.
“But we aren’t Irish,” Eva said, deadpan. Well, it stopped one person, apparently.
“We can still celebrate!” Jordan grinned. “We haven’t been to any of the bars around here before, maybe we’ll find a cool place!” But then he blinked, realizing something. “Wait, do you even drink?”
“I don’t buy alcohol or anything, no,” she said, thinking that was obvious since there had never been any in the apartment. “But I’ve had wine at some fancy dinners & stuff. Dad wouldn’t let Rick take me out when I turned 21, & he has a ‘booze ban’ on the house.”
“Then we need to go out! I can take you drinking!” He said proudly, jabbing a thumb at his chest.
While she thought the enthusiasm was cute, frustratingly so, she shrugged at the offer, “I don’t really mind if we do or not, but if you really want to, sure. Have you even drank before?” He did enter into his Avatar-ship way before he would have been the legal drinking age on Earth, so no alcohol for him. Unless Satis had his own secret stash on Oban, that is.
He smiled slyly, leaning over to barely whisper, “Don’t tell anyone, but my dad snuck me a few beers when I was home for the summer.” She chuckled, “I should have guessed. Your family seems the type.”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” he huffed, pretending to be offended with slightly puffed, pouting cheeks. Again, he was being adorable, & she had to look away to prevent blushing. “N-Nothing! Just different than...mine.” She was quiet after that.
He chose to drop the subject there.
“So...Wanna hit a bar up, then?” He asked, hoping the small peak of interest she seemed to have would lead to a ‘yes’.
“...Yeah, sure. We can go for a little while,” she agreed, & Jordan sealed the deal with a high five.
When the date came, they ventured out that evening on Eva’s rocketseat in search of a place to celebrate. They may have left a bit late, though, as pretty much every bar they passed by was practically overflowing with patrons.
“Ugh, I really don’t want to go someplace crowded,” Eva complained over the wind. Jordan knew she wouldn’t, but his hopes to hang out with her in a bar that evening were dwindling. He was looking forward to seeing what a ‘tipsy’ Eva would be like.
With more & more options being crossed off, they searched closer towards the edge of town. Less people would be there, so perhaps a less-populated bar would be within reach.
“Hey!” She eventually called out, pointing to a dark little concrete building not too far off in the distance with a sparse dirt parking lot. The few windows it had were fitted with neon, shaped into different alcohol brand logos. And, of course, a bright ‘OPEN’ sign was lit up next to the door.
“That place looks pretty empty!”
As they approached, Jordan started feeling a tad uneasy about the place. It being on the edge of town was already sketchy enough, but the only other vehicles parked there were really gnarly looking motorcycles. Weren’t biker gangs supposed to be dangerous?
“Molly, I dunno about this place…” he said, receiving a mild glare from her. “You’re the one who wanted to go out to a bar!” His concerns didn't stop her, & she started walking across the gravel lot to the entrance door after parking her rocketseat.
“Y-Yeah, but not a place like this!” Jordan yelled, following after her. “What if we get jumped?”
Eva rolled her eyes & sighed, grabbing the handle of the door, “We won’t get jumped. We’re just going to have a few drinks & go home, like you said.” The continuous emphasis on his suggestion to do this had him feeling guilty.
So he followed her inside, hoping they could keep a low profile from the possibly seedy characters that would be slinking around this kind of place.
Inside, they were greeted with what Jordan feared: a typical dark & elaborately decorated biker bar. Shredded leather jackets, chrome bike parts, & stolen tin roadway signs hung around the walls. It was dimly lit with exposed light bulbs, & actually seemed much smaller on the inside. The only seating was along the bar top, or a row of booths on the opposite wall.
The bartender, a bald tattooed man wearing a black shirt, was serving an older gruff man in the far back corner. The only other people in the bar were a small group of older women in the back, who had stopped their conversation when the extremely out of place college students walked in.
Actually, everyone had stopped what they were doing to stare at the new arrivals. Eva, only acutely aware of the attention they drew, settled up at the closest stool at the bar. Jordan seated next to her, trying to keep his head down while fending off panic attack.
And maybe when people started talking again, he could quietly convince Eva to get the hell out of there.
The bartender, face stone cold & unreadable, walked up to the two. “What’ll ya have?” he asked in a low, uninterested voice.
“Um, two beers, please!” Eva said, figuring that would be a good place to start.
“What kind?” he said, cocking his head back to the varied handles along the edge of the counter that hooked up to a variety of kegs.
“U-Uhm…”
Only now did she realized she didn’t know jack shit about alcohol.
“G-Guinness?” Jordan suggested sheepishly.
The man nodded silently & went to prepare their drinks.
Jordan's ability to properly order a drink seemed to have lifted the tension in the room a bit, & the group in the back booth continued talking. Not without rubbernecking at the abnormal couple, of course. Eva was oblivious to it, & Jordan tried really hard to ignore it.
“Thanks for the save,” She whispered to him, just before the man returned with 2 pint glasses filled to the brim. He placed them before the two on square napkins.
Eva picked her's up carefully while Jordan slowly dragged his glass in front of him, “Y-Yeah...Um, also, we might ju—”
“Bleh!”
Looking absolutely disgusted, Eva shivered from the unpleasant taste of the beverage she now held out at arms length, “ This is what beer tastes like?”
“You ordered a beer without knowing what it tastes like, Molly? Why on Earth would you do that!” Jordan said in a strained, low whine. He didn’t want her vocal displeasure bringing eyes back on them.
“It tastes like woody piss water!” she further complained, bringing the glass up to her nose to give it a smell. “It’s weird, because it kind of smells like tea, but dirtier.”
“Molly, stop complaining so loud!” Jordan urged, grabbing his own glass. “The taste takes a bit to get use to, but it’s good!” He then slipped his arm around her shoulders, bringing her within whisper distance. Her face immediately heated up.
Jordan was too focused on the suspicious, cold stares they had on them now from the bar patrons to notice her red complexion. “We don’t want to start any trouble with these people. They could be bad news!” he said in a soft panic. She just rolled her eyes again & slipped out of his grip before he could catch her blush. “They’re fine, Jordan. They’re just bikers!”
He was stunned by how unaffected she was. “Yeah, bikers ! They could be dangerous or—”
The sound of a slamming door cut through his sentence. Two new people walked in: a scrawny, short older woman with a studded leather jacket, followed by a huge burly man in denim.
“Hey, fellas!” the woman squawked, full of vigor as she strutted past the bar, “Brian, get me a whiskey, will ya?” The bartender finally cracked a smile, “The usual, got it.”
“Jackie, you old bitch!” one of the women in the back booth said, & the whole group lifted their drink glasses in greeting.
“Girls!” the woman, Jackie, replied, “Good to see yah! Did one of you get a new ride?”
The group looked at each other, confused, “Nah, we all came on our usual bikes. Get yer eyes checked.”
“Then who’s ride is that?” Jackie yelled, as if she suspected their confusion to be part of a prank. “Someone’s got a ride parked out there that’s got no wheels. Thought one of ya’ll upgraded to them fancy hover cycles!”
“Um—” Eva interjected, turning around on her barstool. Jordan’s face went white. “—that’s my rocketseat, actually.”
“Bwuh!” Jackie shrieked in surprise, almost tumbling to the floor. Her large companion swiftly caught her, thankfully, unbothered by her theatrical reactions. She recomposed herself, inspecting the two out of place students.
“Ah-uh, didn’t see ya there, darlin’,” she said, demeanor visibly changed now that she was talking to the unfamiliar much younger person. “That’s your ride?”
“Yeah!” Eva said proudly, rarely finding the opportunity to gush about her creation. “I built it from scratch when I was 15 & have been tuning it up ever since.”
Everyone in the bar was now zoned in on Eva, by proxy Jordan as well. “When you were 15?!” Jackie gasped, clutching the chest of her shirt dramatically. The man beside her showed expression for the first time that night, eyebrows raising. “Wow,” he said in a quiet but extremely deep baritone.
“That’s amaz’n, kid!” One of the women from the back exclaimed, slipping out of the booth with the group following. Jordan was visibly starting to sweat as the people congregated around them, interested in talking to Eva.
Jackie took the empty seat on Eva’s empty side, “When you were 15, huh? Tell me all about it, darlin’! But first, let’s get you a shot.” She waved a hand to the bartender, “Get me 3 shots of the top shelf stuff along with the whiskey, if you please, Brain!”
Eva, still barely a sip into her beer, looked frantic as the bartender pulled a crystal glass bottle of tequila off the shelf & began to pour, “S-Shots?” Cackling, Jackie nodded, “Yup, on me! One for you & your friend there.” She pointed past her at Jordan, who was still trying his best to blend into the bar top & be ignored by everyone else. Obviously, it wasn’t working.
Brain quickly delivered the drinks in front of them, along with a bowl of sliced limes. Jackie gestured to the two college students.
Eva wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, inexperience with alcohol be damned. Jordan was going to play along just to keep the peace.
They put the glasses to their lips.
Then two hours passed, with numerous drinks consumed, & Jordan never felt even the lightest of buzz.
"I guess Avatar invincibility comes with the inability to get drunk?" He concluded, setting down his half-empty glass of Guinness.
"Whoa now, no more for you, 'lil lady!" Jackie shouted over the chattering crowd that had formed around them. "You're done for the night."
"Awww, but I'm fffffineeeee !" Eva slurred, waving a hand dramatically in the air while she wobbled on the stool. She was, in fact, incredibly intoxicated & therefore not fine.
"We don't want ya gettin' sick, darlin'," another biker said from a few seats down. Everyone in the bar had migrated around the two young customers, talking Eva up the whole evening while shoving free drinks at her & Jordan.
She had plenty in common with the gang of bikers, to little surprise. They talked passionately about different kinds of machines & personal work they've all done with their own rides. They were all incredibly impressed with her rocket seat's origin story of a rebellious teenager building it in an abandoned shed at her boarding school. It was like something out of a television show.
However, Jordan was still too nervous & out of his element for discussion. He mostly kept to himself, but stayed sat by Eva so he could keep a good eye on her. On his other side was the large man, Jackie's husband Davis, who was pleasant enough company for him with his silent stature. He had been nursing on a glass of cranberry juice the whole evening.
"But I feel grrrrreat! I real-really like that, wiskie? That's this?" She said, holding a glass with barely a slip of amber liquid left.
Jackie hooked an arm around the back of her neck, "Aye, that's the good stuff girlie! A good whisky's never failed ol' Jackie."
Eva giggled, melting into the comradery of the patrons who continued chatting her up & showering her with affection.
"She still has an uncanny ability to just get adopted by anyone, doesn't she?" Jordan noted, eyes scanning over the group of new pseudo aunts & uncles. She was completely loveable, though, he was happy to admit.
Eva let out a large. wheezy laugh at someone's joke, swaying in her chair. This caused the empty whisky glass to slip from her fingers due to her lack of motor skills at the moment.
Jordan's lightning reflexes kicked in & his arm shot out, cupping the glass before it impacted the bar top. Everyone let out astounded gasps.
"I think that's a good sign you should be headed home, hon," Jackie said, standing up from the stool.
"Mmm I guess it's...late, yeahhh getting late," Eva said, though she had no idea what time it actually was.
Jackie didn't need to say it twice: they got the hint to leave for Eva's health, so Jordan rose immediately & helped Eva down from the stool.
Before they left, Jackie & the rest of the bar had to give her loving & energetic goodbyes filled with hugs & invites back.
A large hand touched Jordan's shoulder while he was watching Eva's farewells. He turned to look up to see who touched him, meeting Davis's eyes, "You good to drive?" He had seen Jordan down quite a few drinks, but he didn't know about his newfound ability of eternal sobriety.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I'll be extra safe with Molly, don't worry," he assured him, touched by the concern. A small smile appeared under Davis's mustache, & he ended the conversation with two hardy pats on Jordan's shoulder.
Then it was up to her partner to drag Eva's drunken ass away from the new middle-aged biker gang of a family. But he eventually succeeded, & they slipped through the exit door into the old parking lot.
"Alright, so I knock the kickstand back like this…" Jordan said, trying to wriggle into a comfortable position on the small rocket seat. He didn't expect to be a designated driver tonight, but with his newly discovered Avatar sobriety, he was the only candidate.
"You fwip this!" Eva slurred from behind him, wobbling on her knees on his usual seat. She pointed over his shoulder at a switch, her warm cheek now close to his. He would have been more flustered if it wasn't for the terrible stench of alcohol on her breath.
He took her arm & moved it behind him, trying to get her settled down. With a flick of the switch, the rocket seat roared to life & began hovering. Jordan, struggling to balance, was further instructed by his drunk companion.
Eva stuck her finger back in front of him, underneath his arm this time, "The peds! Pedawls! Push em with yer feet! Go faaaast Jordy!!!" Unfortunately for him, drunk Eva picked up the 'Jordy' nickname that Jackie graced him with.
"Please, please let that be forgotten in the morning."
"Alright, alright, but I'm not going to go fast," he said, again moving her arm back for her. "I've never driven this thing, so we're taking it slow. Hold on tight, Molly." He felt like he was scolding a child, but Eva was so far gone that her tumbling off the seat was a strong possibility.
So, not quite as instructed, Eva threw herself into his back. She was squeezing around his middle with as tight of a grip as a drunk person could, which wasn't that tight, of course. But he still felt like the wind get knocked out of him with her entire body pressed against his back like this.
Her cheek squished against his shoulder blade, rubbing against him like an affectionate animal, "You sho warm, Jordy~" He swallowed hard.
"A-Alright, we're going!" He stammered, kicking off on the pedal a bit too hard into a quick speed. She cackled & gripped him tighter while he regained his balance before heading down familiar streets.
Though it was barely Spring, the wind didn't sting as coldly as they expected. Eva seemed content, humming gently against Jordan's back while he spent his focus on struggling to drive Eva's rocket seat. He accomplished this with mixed results, but they didn't crash, so that was a win in his book!
After a small while, they managed to arrive back at their apartment without driving into a lamp post. With Eva slung around his shoulder, he lead the babbling, clingy intoxicated girl up the stairs & into their home.
"Alright Molly: bedtime. You need to sleep this off badly," he instructed, removing her shoes for her like a child.
"Awe, okaaaay," she grumbled, still clinging to his side. She was way too inebriated to properly prepare for bed, so he was going to have to tuck her in with her clothes still on.
Jordan took her to her room & to the edge of her bed. "Ok Molly, let go & get some sleep," he ordered, but she refused to move. He paused, waiting for to let go, but was shocked by his body suddenly plummeting to the bed.
Eva flopped into the sheets, but had kept her grip to lead Jordan down to them with her. Thankfully his old military instincts kicked in, forearms now on both sides of Eva's head to keep his body from toppling down upon her.
But his face was still incredibly close to her's, & she was smiling up at him with glassy eyes & a drunken red blush. The situation was not good for him, but he was uncontrollably enamored by her.
"I love you, Jordan," Eva stated with a simple tilt of her head on the pillow, eyes closed contently.
Those words were so unexpected that he could only stare at her for far too long while his brain processed them.
And once they finally hit him, he sucked a breath in, excitement welling inside. "W-Wait, me? You love me, Eva?!" He asked, talking way too fast & hopeful.
"Yeah!" She said in a soft, cute tone. "You're my best friend in the whooole world!"
"Best friend"
"Friend"
Oh.
His heart dropped like lead. Idiotic for getting his hopes up for her words meaning more.
"Ah, y-yeah…" he said softly, "You're my best friend too, Molly…" She hummed in response, followed by a loud yawn that assaulted him with more booze breath.
"Mmm, bed's comfy...I sheep now…" she mumbled, finally letting her arms slip off him & onto the bed. Jordan silently lifted himself up, standing at her bedside for a moment. She was asleep almost instantly after that, her chest rising & falling softly with her breathing.
Looking down at her while she slept eased the heartache. A bit. She looked happy & peaceful, all that he's ever wanted.
It was a good reminder of what was important to him. So never being more than a friend...was ok.
It would be ok, anyways.
He lifted her covers up over her chest, & brushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek before leaving her for the night.
"Ugh, my fucking head…!"
Jordan, stood at the stove in front of a crackling pan, turned to look at the hallway.
Gripping the doorway, Eva held her head with her hand in agony. "I feel like complete shit ," she groaned, shuffling to the couch. She was still wearing her clothes from the night before, now wrinkled from sleep to match her terrible bed head.
"Oh yeah, you look hungover as hell, Molly," Jordan said, already expecting it. "You went way too hard last night, especially for your first real time out drinking."
She tossed her body onto the cusions, slumping into a miserable pile of pain, "I couldn't help it, Jackie kept buying me shots!"
He sighed, & came over with a mug of steaming coffee for her, "Well, there's no use regretting it. You're hungover now, so I'm sure that's helping you learn your lesson."
She scowled at him, but took the mug gratefully, "Yeah yeah, whatever...you're right."
Grinning, he put his hands on his hips proudly, "I know I am. But hey, there's some coffee for you, & I'm cooking up a good hangover-cure breakfast hash. So just relax & sip that coffee. Don't chug, alright?"
Eva took a small sip & let out a sigh, "Aye aye, partner." Then she smiled up at him. A tired, but thankful smile.
"Thank you, Jordan. You're the best."
"No...problem," he said, unmoving.
Her drunken proclamation of love, or what he thought was love, echoed in the back of his mind.
"I love you, Jordan."
Was it merely as deep as friendship? She said it without hesitation, so did that account for anything at all? Or was he looking far, far too into this for any spark of possibility?
Her eyebrows lifted as she took another sip, "You ok, Jordan? You're spacing out."
That snapped him out of his trance, "O-Oh, yeah. Nothing."
He decided not to ask about what she said in her drunken stupor & returned to the kitchen to finish breakfast.
She had forgotten the true feelings that slipped past her lips, anyways. Thank you, alcohol.
Notes:
tfw you confessed but you were to sloshed to even know you did, & your crush is too stupid & chicken to pick up on it being legit
HI ANYWAYS long time no see, thank you again to everyone who keeps up with & reads this lil ol fic of mine! If you recall the life update from my last chapter: I've been real busy with my new job & settling in with it. I do asset work for theodd1sout on youtube, now! If you watch him & watched his "My Girlfriend is Kind of Odd" video, & noticed a certain split haired gunner being served mashed potatoes...yes that was me. >:3
And a certain star tattooed pilot will be cameoing in his upcoming vid! So keep an eye out for that~
Aside from that, I just didn't feel like writing for a while? But for some reason I have a HUGE burst to now, I dunno! I basically did half the work of this chapter in like a week so lol.
That's about it for life updates! Next chapter WILL be soon, because I wrote it well over a year ago. It probably needs to be revised a lot, but it's still complete~
Thank you again for reading, I appreciate you~
Chapter 24: Nightmare
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Stale, dead leaves & branches crunched under his boots in the deserted doorway. Jordan looked down, noticing he was wearing his sky blue & khaki Military Academy uniform. He hadn't worn those clothes in many years, but it felt oddly normal.
What was not normal, however, was the dust & decay coating every inch of his home.
Picture frames were cracked, broken, or fallen from the walls. He looked at each & every one as he slowly walked through, eyes scanning nostalgically over the family photos. The strange, uneasy feeling creeping up inside him kept him on edge as he continued.
When he arrived in the living room, his gut twisted into a knot. Dirt coated everything, with the stained retro wallpaper peeling off in sheets. Knickknacks in the glass cabinets were untouched, but toned gray with thick layers of dust. Stuffing & springs emerged from the furniture, with a the odor of mouse feces coming from it. There were nests in there, he was positive.
Jordan kept moving. The kitchen was in an even worse state, with the linoleum tiles ripped up & tossed around to reveal the dirt & worn floorboards underneath. Beams of golden sunset shone through the washed out lace curtains, displaying the dancing dust particles in the air. The appliances, long worn & broken, lay scattered among destroyed cooking ware & porcelain plates. He attempted to walk carefully through the mess, flinching every time he heard the bitter crunch of ceramic under his boot.
A faint sound came from the hallway to his right: His family's rooms.
Cautiously, Jordan turned & began walking that way, senses alert. He brushed his fingers across each door as he moved, ignoring the dirt & grime that dragged along with them. They were all closed, but he assumed their contents.
"Noah's room."
"Sam's room."
Jordan remembered each of them clearly in his head, as if he had been home for months. Not this home, though.
He stopped short of the room where the sound was originating. His throat felt dry, anxieties high. "...My room." He identified the sounds as pained, aching sobs coming from behind the door.
With a trembling hand, he gripped the rusted doorknob & turned it. There was no point, as the bolt had long since deteriorated. The door creaked open slowly, & Jordan was immediately shocked to see his room exactly how it was the day he left for military school one last time: clean, pristine, & no signs of age. Military propaganda & video game posters hung on his green & beige walls, still shiny & new. His bed was made, not something he would do on a regular basis, but he recalled making it before he left. Even his small television & game console sat atop the dresser with no signs of wear, likely still fully functional. It was like he stumbled into a sealed time capsule compared to the rest of the house.
On his bed, with his back to him, sat a woman wearing a dark navy summer dress. A long, warm brunette-gray braid of hair hung on her back, messy & unkempt. Wide shoulders shook with her cries, her body curled over something she was holding in her arms.
All oxygen left his body.
"Mom…?" He questioned the figure, taking a step forward. His arm stretched out, attempting some sort of reach to her despite being too far away. The woman silenced her sobs, frozen still.
"M-Mom? What are you doing?" Jordan asked anxiously, taking another step towards his bed.
The woman turned, & he could finally see her exhausted, worn face with tear stained cheeks. She looked just as he remembered all those years ago, but not sending him off with a bright smile. Not with dimples complimenting her proud expression, or crows feet scrunching at the corner of her eyes, right above her risen cheeks. No, she looked like she had been tired, heartbroken, & lost for a long time.
In her lap lay a photo album, the page open to show pictures of Jordan in his youth. Multiple goofy grins with missing teeth were sprinkled with salty tears.
Her mouth moved, but no sound escaped. He could read her lips though, recognizing each syllable.
"Jordan?"
And as she began to move, the light from his window shifted. Daylight turned to sunset, turned to night, turned to dawn, rotating. However, with each second that passed as the woman rose from the bed, the speed of the light increased. A day passed, then a week, then what seemed like a year flew by in mere seconds, the room a strobe light of day & night.
The flashing of time began to affect the woman, who was aging rapidly in accordance to the years passing outside the window. She was trying so hard to make it to him, reaching out pathetically for his hand as she fought the accelerated aging.
It was an excruciating sight to behold. Her body began to hunch, her skin wrinkling, sagging & spotting with age. More & more strands of chocolate brown hair turned silver, & soon her whole scalp was as gray as a cloud. But the painful pleading never left her forest green eyes, even when they paled into blindness.
"Mom…! No, n-no, stop, mom!" He screamed, horror & anguish making him recoil from her. The woman became more of a skeleton, only thin wrinkled skin clinging to her old bones as she creaked forward. The closer she got, the more details of aging appeared on her, until she finally crumpled to the floor.
The most terrifying part of it all was the silence. She made no sound the entire time, through her entire lifetime, in those few minutes while she called out to him.
"Mom!"
Dilated gold eyes shot open to the view of a dark apartment living room. He was practically panting, hunched over & drenched in sweat while he gripped his blanket in his fists. A disgusting lack of connection to reality sunk into his chest as he looked around. Everything in his nightmare felt too real. Despite his visuals confirming it wasn't, his emotions were not swayed.
His head whipped towards the hallway when he heard Eva's bedroom door open, & she rushed out into the living room in a mild panic, "Jordan! I heard you scream, are you ok?"
How would he answer? On the outside, everything was fine. But on the inside, he was everything but.
Jordan just stared at Eva, no clue how to answer. This worried her further, & she walked over to crouch at the edge of the couch where he lay, "Jordan, what's wrong?" Still silent, he blinked at her, trying to meet her concerned eyes with his quivering ones.
Taking a few shaky deep breaths, he finally responded, "M-My...My mom...I had a dream, she was there…" His words were quiet but frantic, matching the rapid pounding of his heart in his chest. Nothing more but fearful, fast breathes left Jordan's lips.
If there was ever anything Eva could be sympathetic about, it was matters concerning mothers. Her brows knit together, & she settled herself on her knees next the couch. She reached eye level with Jordan & gazed calmly into his eyes, "Jordan, it's ok, it wasn't real, it was just a dream…"
Slowly, he nodded. Of course, it was a dream, none of it was real...Yet, it was.
"But, Molly…" he whispered, "It...It won't be. She was crying, in my room, looking at my photos...She was crying so hard." He gripped his blanket tighter, the fabric pulling under his fingers.
Jordan was trembling, making his words come out unsteady, "And then...s-she was aging, she got old, so old...She was dying, the whole time she called out to me, but there was no sound. None."
Eva gently placed one of her hands on his fist, an attempt to calm him & gather his attention.
"Jordan, it was just a dream...Your mom is doing fine, she's at home with your family, bright & healthy…" She had in fact just called Beth a few weeks ago, & she had been doing the same as usual. The important part was that Eva's statement was factual.
Her words were sweet, but did nothing to bandage his emotions, "M-Molly, no, that's not...That's not the point." Confused, Eva stopped her consoling to listen intently.
"That dream...it wasn't a vision of the future, but at the same time, it's what's going to happen…" It felt like her heart dropped into her stomach, understanding exactly where his concerns lied now. "Mom's going to get old, & she's never going to know where I am...She's going to spend her whole life crying over me, until...Until the day she...dies." The last word had to be physically & painfully forced from his throat.
She had nothing to say. There was nothing to say; He was right. Jordan would outlive everyone he knew for thousands & thousands of years, with very few of them knowing his fate. This was the reality.
A tragically traded life for the sake of love, with no reward but lonely eternity & duty. It was painfully poetic & depressing.
Her grip on his hand tightened, & she leaned forward, forcing his eyes to make contact with her's, "No, Jordan...It doesn't have to be that way."
A puzzled expression fell on his face, large eyebrows creased in confusion. She sighed before giving him a small but confident smile, "You can change that. I don't know when, but...someday, I'm positive. You'll be able to see her again...And you'll be able to tell her everything, & give her the closure you're afraid she'll never have."
Regarding his family, there was nothing else he wanted more. Well, short of being able to actively be involved in their lives again. Of course, that was easier said than done.
"Molly...You know the government is trying to keep me MIA...If my family knew, I dont know what wou—"
"Ok yes, I know, & fuck the government! It wont always have to be this way!" She interrupted.
Her confidence, blind & brash, had a hold on his heart & attention. "We can figure this out. I bet dad could find a loophole or something, and maybe in a few years, maybe even sooner, we could visit them!" There was a slight cheer & excitement to her voice, which surprised Jordan.
"'We'…?" He inquired. Eva blinked, a redness coming to her cheeks. Why did she imply she would go with him? She didn't really need to, though she would like to meet his family. Especially after hearing so much about them & talking to Beth the few times that she had. Her mind just immediately paired them together, naturally.
"Y-Yeah, if that's ok…" It was embarrassing slip, but maybe she was just tired; It was late, after all. Jordan smiled softly, his hand slightly relaxing in her grip, "...Yeah, I'm sure they'd love to meet you…"
It was hopeful, wishful thinking, but he would love for his family to meet Eva. They could meet the amazing, beautiful, wonderful person he had sacrificed everything for, & they would surely understand. His mom would adore her to pieces.
"Thank you, Molly...I really don't know how real of a goal that is, but it's nice to think about, I guess," he said, finally releasing his grip on the blanket. She shrugged, shifting her legs a bit, "Well, you know me, I don't give up on this kinda stuff. I'll make it happen, Jordan. It'll just take some time & sucking up to dad!"
He chuckled, amused by her methods, "Yeah, you do have Don wrapped around your finger now, don't ya?"
She grinned, sticking her chest out proudly, "I better! Not every day a parent can say their kid helped protect the universe, huh?"
He grinned back, "Nah, guess not."
"Your mom would be proud, too," Eva said softly, her grin settling into a tender smile. A warm but painful ache stung Jordan's heart. He sighed & slowly laid back into his pillow, "...Yeah, she would be…" His tone made her smile flatten.
Silence hung in the air for a few minutes before Molly stood up from the floor, bending over so her hair hung around her face like a curtain. She looked down at Jordan, a hand holding onto the back of the couch for leverage, "You gonna go back to sleep, partner?"
Jordan shrugged, putting one of his arms behind his head, "I dunno yet. I'm still feeling a little...off from it all, so I might just try to relax." She understood, "I get ya. I'll head back to bed then…"
With a slightly pained, lonely tone, Jordan responded, "Mhm, goodnight..." He didn't want to be alone for the rest of the night, but he wasn't about to be selfish & ask Eva to sacrifice her sleep for his comfort. She had already done plenty.
Eva moved.
Suddenly, everything was dark, & smelled slightly of lavender. The curtain of Eva's hair blackened his vision, but not all of his senses.
Swiftly & without hesitation, she had leaned down to place a soft, warm kiss on his forehead. They were still for a few moments, no sound but that of her lips breaking contact from his skin.
Surprisingly, only a mild blush came to his cheeks. Eva's, however, were bright red, eyes wide with surprise at her own actions. Lifting her head slightly, some dim moonlight broke between Eva's locks of hair to illuminate white streaks on their faces.
They gazed into each other's eyes for a few minutes, no words exchanged in the unreadable atmosphere.
Jordan slowly reached his hand from behind his head, fingers slipping under her hair & moving towards her cheek, "Ev—"
"D-Don't think too much about that," she cut him off, moving away as soon as his fingertips touched her skin. She lifted herself off the couch & spun around to avoid looking at him any longer. The flustered tone of her voice, in combination with her actions, gave Jordan tonal whiplash.
Before he could question her, she briskly walked back to her bedroom, the door closing with a loud click.
The kiss left Jordan feeling soothed, cared for, & comforted in his time of awkward vulnerability. His chest felt so warm.
But he was also confused as all hell, knowing he would never get an answer for it.
Not unless he sought one out.
He rose from the couch.
Notes:
Hoh boy, here we go folks.
So this is another chapter I wrote well over a year ago, maybe 2? It was one of the earlier things I wrote, because I really wanted to write a horror-y dream sequence concerning Jordan outliving his family. :B Because I love this boy & love torturing him with his semi-immortality lol. I still really like it though, I think this is one of the better chapters I've written.
In life news: Just been struggling with mental health stuff per usual, but I'm truckin on. Been working my ass off on work + new merch, so very much looking forward to a break on the merch front once I'm done. Soon! Also, keep an eye out in the next odd1sout vid, cuz a certain couple from this fic will be making a lil background cameo~
AND, lastly, I want to thank you all for over 1,000 hits on this fic! I NEVER expected to get anywhere close to that number, especially with how dead the fandom is & how Jordeva is the less popular of the 2 main ships. BUT WOW, almost 100K words, about 2 & 1/2 years later, over 1,000 hits. Insane. Thank you SO much to the people who read & keep up with this little passion project of mine, I appreciate it more than you know. 💖
And for this lil milestone, I drew a thank you pic for it! So once again, thank you so much for reading 😊💕 I hope you see this story through to the end with me~
Chapter 25: Change
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Eva, please, can we talk?”
Jordan spoke loud enough for his words to pierce the wooden door. There was no immediate reply, but he was prepared to wait.
After a few more silent minutes, he asked again, “Eva, please? Are you awake?”
He held his fists firm at his sides, resisting the urge to knock.
Another five minutes passed.
His hand lifted, but her voice barely sounded through before his knuckles made a sound.
“Come in…”
Jordan swallowed every nerve possible & opened the door.
Eva was curled up against the head of her bed, enveloping a pillow that her face was currently buried in. She made no motion to look at him or move. Dim red-tinted fairy lights, snatched from her old bedroom at Don's house, hung around the corners gave the room a pink glow, the only source of light.
So Jordan quietly shut the door behind him & sat on the floor, leaning up against the foot of her bed. He didn’t say anything, at first, in case she needed to speak before him.
But when she didn’t make a sound, he took the chance, “...So, uh, about that ki—”
“Wait, wait, Jordan, hold on,” she interrupted, finally peeking out from the pillow to his surprise. “O-Oh, um, go ahead,” he insisted, giving her the metaphorical room to speak.
Eva took a deep breath, uncurled from her position & crawled over, slipping off the edge of the bed to sit beside him. Keeping her pillow, she buried herself back into it from the nose down so she could glance at him. She had to take another moment to gather her thoughts before she spoke.
“I...You know you’re my best friend, right?”
“You’re my best friend.” He hadn’t forgotten his place.
“You’re my best friend too, Molly...” he confirmed.
“And...I never want that to change,” she continued, squeezing the pillow tighter.
His shoulders stiffened. She was trembling.
“The idea of something changing, really...It really scares me.”
“Molly, nothing’s going to change!” he tried to assure her. “You didn’t make me mad or anything, I’m fine. I just had a nightmare, that’s all. I’m still here, still the same guy, nothing’s changed at all.” He reached out, instinctively feeling the need to comfort her.
“B-But it already has!” she yelled, frustrated at her own inability to be straightforward. The nerves in his arm went numb, leaving it suspended between them. “W-What? Nothing’s changed, Molly…” At least, he hoped their relationship was unchanged.
“You don’t understand, Jordan, it’s...I’ve changed. How I feel has changed.” She finally left the safety of the pillow & turned to Jordan, looking straight into his wavering eyes with her own. He held his breath in anticipation.
Before Eva spoke further, she took his outstretched hand in her own & lowered it slowly to the floor. She kept it there, her small hand gripped around his.
“Jordan, I…I-I…” Eva stuttered, but the words kept getting caught. Jordan couldn't gauge her intentions at all. All of her actions tonight he interpreted as either the best-case-scenario, or the worst. His mind couldn't help but bounce between the two possibilities rapidly.
"Eva."
The sound of her real name meant a lot then.
Despite the fear wracking his brain, he managed to override it & flipped his hand to clasp properly into hers. He looked at her with kind eyes, letting her know she had his undivided attention.
"Just breathe. It's ok, Eva. You can tell me anything."
She just stared at him in awe. Eva had spent so much time searching for the right words to say, how to say them, determining what his reaction would be...And there was never any reason to worry so heavily. Jordan was here, & was ready to listen. He made her feel like it would all be ok. No matter what.
A small, relieved smile formed on her face. She took a deep breath & grasped her confidence.
"These past few months, I've started feeling differently about you...About us. I started really noticing all the things you do for me, & how much you help me...Actually, you've always helped me, so much! And I feel really dumb for never noticing," she let out a pathetic chuckle at the end of that sentence.
Jordan, trying not to overthink & just listen, disagreed, "N-No Molly, you aren't! I just...I care about you."
"I care about you too...A lot...That's why things have changed, Jordan. I get butterflies around you. I can't stop thinking about you, & anytime you're around, I'm just...I'm happy."
Eva gazed up at his eyes, seeking any kind of response. His face displayed nothing but attentiveness; Simply listening to her, as she asked.
But she was quiet, wanting a response. And so, still perplexed, Jordan gave one: "What are you saying, Molly…?"
This probably was that 'right time' Rick was talking about.
She squeezed his hand again, leaning forward without breaking eye contact.
"Jordan, I'm not sure what these feelings are, yet, but...I feel something for you. I can't say it's...love, but it's something. Do you understand what I mean?"
It took so much courage to say, but she finally expressed her inner feelings. She could feel the relief wash over her before she even heard his response.
"Eva, I...I…" Jordan sputtered, face rapidly growing bright red along with an ever growing smile. “D-Do you really mean that?”
She blinked in surprise, not expecting that reaction. “Y-Yeah, is that...ok?”
In barely a fraction of a second, Jordan had embraced Eva, wrapping his arms around her as tight as he could. The joy exploding out of his chest was absolutely overwhelming.
A squeak, followed by a struggled gasp came from her, “T-Tight!”
His grip loosened lightly, but still keeping them pressed together. “Sorry Eva, just, I’m so happy!” he exclaimed, pressing his cheek against the side of her head.
“Happy?” So...it worked out?
“Does that mean, you, um,” she trailed off, her blush spreading, “You...feel the same?”
“Of course!” he responded without hesitation, finally pulling away to look down at her. “When I said I loved you, way back before I jumped & became the Avatar—” These memories were still not exactly sweet, but he was under the assumption that she had forgotten & needed the reminder. They were more relevant than ever. "—I meant it."
But she never really forgot. How could you forget something like that?
“And I never stopped loving you, Eva,” he continued, flashing that toothy lopsided grin that she had come to treasure.
Was she breathing? She really couldn’t tell anymore. The mix of adrenaline from her confession, to hearing his ecstatic response, had her feeling warm & light headed.
Regardless, she returned his words with a giddy, wide smile. “That makes me...really, really happy.” She had to downplay how truly euphoric she felt, but she was too exhausted to express it fully anyhow.
Minutes passed with them silently smiling at one another, fixated. With these feelings in the open, they hid nothing from one another. It felt like the weight of all the words they never got to say was finally lifted.
And, as momentous as it was, it was also terrifying.
“So…” Jordan finally said, shifting his linked hand so that their fingers comfortably intertwined together, “Do you want to...be...?”
She knew what he was hinting at, but she was unsure how to answer. “I-I want to be, yeah,” she admitted, but knew there was an elephant in the room to be addressed. “But things are...complicated, you know?” her eyes finally left his & looked beyond his shoulders, nervous, “With you being the Avatar & all…”
Of course that was an issue. He just didn’t want to think of the role of the Avatar intruding on his happiness anymore than it already had.
“I know it doesn’t make things easy…” he sighed, back slumping against the bed, “I'm not human anymore, & I'm going to outlive you." His throat tightened.
"...A lot," she added quietly, simply being honest. He nodded tensely, "I am...And I'll have to keep going back to Oban, performing my duties, protecting the universe…"
Gently, his fingers touched her cheek & lead her sight back to him, their eyes meeting again, "But I promise I’ll always come back to you, Eva. No matter what. I won't leave you." The conviction in his words came through, stealing her breath for a moment. She believed it fully.
"...Please don't," she said, showing some surprising vulnerability with a contorted smile. For a moment, it looked like a small shimmering tear formed in the corner of Eva's eye. But as soon as it seemed to appear, she blinked it away. "You have me for life, partner," he said with a soft smile, slipping his hand up her cheek to brush a few strands of hair away before letting it fall back to his side.
"Thank you...I know time won't be kind to us," she said with a shadow of rebellion, against fate itself, "But if you'll be here until the end of mine, well—"
Eva tried to give him the strongest smile she could, hiding the painful reality that would come; Her aging & withering away, leaving Jordan alone for the rest of his reign.
"—I'll try to make you happy. I want to try."
Hopefully her lifetime would be enough.
It still never made sense to him how she could be so bullheaded, especially for him. Eva had continued to bring him peace back on Earth & help him feel human happiness again, against every single obstacle in their way. This confession, however, he thought was an impossible dream. And now such a heavy promise, but one he would never hold her to if it came to cause her pain.
So, he would just have to keep her happy as well. But that was always his plan.
"You already make me happy," he said with a small chuckle, rubbing his thumb on the back of her hand, "But I understand. I'll always be here, by your side, Eva. I want to make you happy, too."
There he went again, using her real name & making everything hit double. She couldn't utter a response, & just smiled stupidly while leaning forward to bury her face against his shoulder. The tips of her ears were burning.
"H-Hey, you good?" Jordan asked, finding the gesture adorable. She nodded against him, "I'm just really happy, you idiot."
It was shocking how right everything felt now. Things were both entirely different, & not at all. Now, they were more committed partners than ever before, & for the better of each other.
It was a love they had fostered for so long, & it had finally gotten to bloom into something beautiful.
"Hey, Eva" Jordan whispered down to her, his hand gently running up her arm. "Can I...kiss you?"
Maybe he was moving too fast, but he just couldn't help himself right now. Their first kiss, a chaste goodbye, needed to be replaced with something better.
Eva lifted her head to look at him, expressionless. He awaited her answer.
"...Yes," she whispered & closed her eyes.
And so he leaned in, his hand traveling from her arm to her striped cheek once more. Their heads tilted gently, & their lips came together slowly but tenderly. This time was soft, warm, & everything he wanted their first kiss to be. Exchanging sensations & feelings through this kiss was far better than a bittersweet farewell.
And how Eva's heart ached, knowing now what she had been missing, but how happy she was that he was here now. She pressed into him, wanting the kiss to last as long as possible.
He didn't want to, but Jordan pulled back, as they couldn't just kiss forever. He rested his forehead against Eva's so he could look into her eyes again, absolutely blissful "I've been dreaming of kissing you like that…" he mumbled, so happy to finally fulfill it. She let out a giggle, "I'm glad...And I liked it.”
A lot.
"And I don't want to bring down the mood, but can we...maybe take things slow, for a while?" she asked quietly, looking at him with slight concern.
They were aware of the unbalance in their feelings at the moment. Jordan was fully confident of his love, but Eva was still wrestling with the growth of hers. It was confusing, & her first real time handling this type of relationship. She needed to take this at a more tepid pace.
"Yeah, yeah, of course," he agreed, squeezing her hand once more. "Whatever you need, just let me know. Ok?" Deep down, a piece of Jordan wanted to make every last second of her life as full of love as possible. But that would not overshadow her request, never. Every second with her was cherished, regardless.
"Thank you, Jordan," she mumbled, another smile spreading across her cheeks again. There was little doubt in her mind that he would respect her wishes, but as stated, she was still new to this.
They had a lot to learn, but it would be together.
Their foreheads broke apart & she settled herself back against the bed, this time resting her cheek against Jordan's shoulder. A content sigh left him & he rested his head against hers with eyes closed, enjoying this moment with her. And they stayed silent, needing that quiet break from all the outpouring of their feelings, as good as it was.
Eventually, Jordan spoke up, eyes still closed, "Well, do you want to get back to sleep?" A disgruntled grunt came from Eva, "I'm too excited to sleep now, but I probably should…"
He grinned, "Well, try to. We still have class tomorrow, & one of us needs sleep." Eva's warmth left his side as she stood up, reaching out a hand to him, "Alright, I'll try."
She pulled him up, ready to say goodbye until the morning, but was treated to a soft, tender kiss on her forehead. A mirrored gift to the one that sparked his motivation to confront her, perhaps.
She could still feel the fluttering.
"Goodnight, Eva. I'll see you in the morning,"
"Yeah...Goodnight, Jordan," she said softly, trying to contain the butterflies.
He closed the door, & they spoke no more for the night.
But they both couldn't sleep, laying in their respective beds in disbelief at how content they were, thanks to one another.
Teenage-level excitement overcame them while they both stared at the ceiling in their respective beds.
Eva held her pillow against her chest trying to mellow out from how the confession played out.
"Jordan still loves me."
She couldn't stop smiling.
And Jordan was thinking similarly, laying with his arms folded behind his head.
"Eva has feelings for me."
His smile never left his face.
College life certainly would be different from here on. And how exciting it would be.
Notes:
Well, here we are. Almost 2 & 1/2 years later, the slow burn is over. :>
I feel really proud, finally getting to this point. I've had such a blast writing up the past almost-year in the story, with these two rekindling their feelings & adjusting to life as it is now. I tried really hard making these feelings feel "earned", if that makes sense? But I dunno, I think they are! It was only a matter of time, my hyperfixating ass is writing this after all lmao.
So! Where does the story go from here? Well, just more slice-of-life stuff, of course! But now these two are going to be developing their romantic relationship while life throws them some curveballs. I have stuff in mind~ (and a tip, its not all going to be happy).
Life update: Nothing too much has changed since last chapter (it has only been like, a month?) BUT new vid I worked on got posted! And there was a lil college AU Jordeva couple in the background of a shot, hehe. I am so brain rotted.
One last note: I MIGHT be taking a break from this fic, for a while? I know how the beginning of the next chapter is going to go, at least, but not much beyond that. Plus, I'd like to go back & do a wave of revisions to current chapters & see about printing this first half of the story physically! Not to sell, just a fun thing for me lol. Basically, might clean up this entire thing (100K words...pray for me) before moving the story along.
Thank you again so much for reading, it means the world. I hope you're happy to have gotten this far in the story along with me. 💖
I'm just glad Eva & Jordan are happy, together, here. Man fuck canon lol.
Thanks for reading~
Chapter 26: The Reveal
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Oh my god, finally! ”
“F-Finally?”
“That means I win! Gage, darling, you owe me twenty dollars~”
“Twenty dollars? Did you guys make a bet!?”
Soni gasped, slapping her girlfriend’s arm lightly, “Lexi, you did not!”
The woman chuckled shamefully, taking her winning cash from Gage’s reach across the table, “Mmmaybe I did, but all in good fun, I promise!”
Opposite her, the wager’s loser sighed with a smile, “I thought you two would get together next year, but Alexis bet it would be within the next 6 months since that house party. Guess she has a better read on you guys than I do.”
Eva’s cheeks flared up, spine stiffening on her chair, “W-What? Why did you guys even think it was going to happen?” Beside her, Jordan slumped a little bit.
The announcement of their newly formed romantic relationship did not go how they expected. Neither really knew what to expect, but it wasn’t that their friends were plotting & estimating on when it would officially commence.
“Eva,” Alexis started, leaning on her elbows to point directly at her, “You were just seething with jealousy when those girls were talking about Jordan during karaoke. Honestly, I thought he was already your boyfriend!”
Her eyes widened, & she crossed her arms over her chest, “T-That doesn’t mean anything! I just didn’t want them bothering him. They were drunk off their asses.”
“Wait, you were jealous?” Jordan mumbled beside her, looking surprised. That just made Eva blush harder & look away.
“You guys are always together, too,” Gage pointed out. “I know you live in the same place, but even then, you’re practically glued to the hip.”
“W-Well, Molly’s an old friend!” Jordan tried to explain away the close companionship, but he wasn’t making a sound case, “Of course we would be together a lot! It’s tough when you’re the new guy in town.”
Though their new friends were not aware of just how much Eva & Jordan had gone though together, & how long their feelings had been growing, there was something to them that made it feel earned. Like it was something meant to be. It was quite humorous to see them try to justify & deny the chemistry that everyone had been witness to for so long.
Jordan tried not to be obvious, & Eva was completely oblivious. A match made in heaven.
Folding her hands politely on the lounge table, Soni interjected, “Well, no matter how long it took or how it happened, I’m happy for you two! You seem really happy together. Like, a whole new level of happiness."
This statement caught the couple off guard. How things had changed was evident to them, but they didn’t think it would be to outsiders. Maybe that ‘glow’ people always spoke of with young couples in love didn't seem to be as much of a myth as one would think.
“Thank you…” Eva said softly, trying to contain her smile. Jordan could see it from the corner of his eye, making his lips spread from cheek to cheek.
The rest of the group circling the table giggled at their reactions, followed sincere congratulations to them. It was nice, seeing the support from their friends about this next step they would take together.
Below the table, where no one could see, Eva’s pinky reached towards Jordan’s hand. His own digit gingerly curled around her’s, linking them together.
Telling their friends, despite the playful ribbing, was the easy part.
Now they had to tell Don Wei.
Rick Thunderbolt, too, of course. But if anything, he was going to be the reason why Don won’t successfully kill The All-Powerful Avatar in the process of the reveal.
Jordan looked like a statue, sitting on the couch staring straight ahead & frozen. Eva had just left the bathroom, still rubbing locks of hair dry with a towel. “Jordan, they aren’t going to be here for another hour.”
“I know,” he said with zero hint of emotion. Her expression flattened.
“Then try to relax until then, please. You being so anxious is making me anxious.”
Wobbling a bit, he tried to inhale a deep breath to calm his nerves. His exhale was just as shaky, & then he was right back to his previous stiffness. Eva sighed.
“Hey, I know you’re really, really nervous,” she said, sitting beside him & placing a hand on his back, rubbing between his shoulder blades gently, “But it’ll be fine…”
“... I hope ,” she whispered to herself, but Jordan seemed to have caught that by the twitch she felt run down his spine.
“Your dad is…He’s just, very intimidating…” Jordan admitted. “And you remember how much he didn’t want us living together…And about me trying to tell you my feelings on Oban…And how he was at Christma—”
Now she grabbed his shoulder, trying to shake him out of his anxiety spiral, “I know, believe me I do, but things have gotten better! You saw how he was during the rest of holiday break, & he hasn’t been giving you any grief about the roommates thing lately. It’s going to be a surprise, sure, but he’ll be accepting. It won’t be as bad as you think!”
Jordan wanted to believe her, oh how he did. But Eva could place faith in her father more easily in her position. She wasn’t the one potentially ‘taking’ his daughter away, as old fashioned as the mindset was. Don seemed the type to think that way.
“I guess Rick will be there, too…” He mumbled, thinking of ways to ease potential disputes.
“Yeah, & Rick is always ready to hold dad back!” Eva assured, clapping her hands together. “And I know he likes you, so at least one of them will be happy for us.”
This brought a small laugh from Jordan, & he finally broke his stiffened composure to turn & smile at Eva. “Y-Yeah, I’d like to think so…C-Can you hold my hand, for a bit? I think that would help me calm down.”
Eva was still new to requests like these, a bit shy & unsure. Her cheeks grew rosy, but she placed her hand over the one on his lap. “Sure…For as long as you need,” she promised, gaining a relaxed smile from Jordan.
His hand flipped upwards, interlacing their fingers together, “Thanks, Molly…And thanks for talking to me about it. I hope you’re right, & that this all goes off without a hitch.”
“What goes off without a hitch?”
Because the two were so engrossed in their conversation, neither had heard Don open the front door. A terrible time for it to function without its famous old squeaking.
Don Wei stood in the doorway, glaring at the two’s mildly affectionate display before him. He said nothing.
“Yo, little mouse!” Rick said, leaning over Don’s shoulder to peek inside with a salute. He wasn’t able to budge past his partner, for reasons unknown to him. “What’s going on in here?”
“Y-You’re early!” Eva said, conspicuously trying to yank her hand away from Jordan’s. However, his grip tightened in fear, keeping their palms glued together. The boy swallowed what felt like a whole spawn of frogs in his throat.
“We left early because there was supposed to be construction on the highway, but it hasn’t started yet…” His devouring stare hadn’t left their hands.
Rick, finally spotting their gripped hands, had a grin slowly spread across his face. “Hey, what’s this about?” he teased, swirling a finger in the air before laying it in the direction of the two. Their matching blushes burned fiercely.
“Yes,” Don said, almost growling, “What is this about?”
Nobody spoke for what seemed like a solid minute. Jordan, too terrified out of his mind to say anything, held onto Eva’s hand for dear life. His dread almost transmitted through the contact, making it hard to not let it affect her. She was not afraid for herself, but for her partner.
Even if Don’s attitude had improved, he was usually still intimidating. But this was downright terrifying.
But, it was now or never, she eventually settled on. The evidence was laid out before everyone, anyways. Dragging Jordan’s hand up with her, Eva stood, taking a confident stance towards her father.
“Dad, Rick,” she started, gaining their attention on her solely.
“Jordan & I…We’re together, now. In a relationship.”
Rick’s mouth opened with an excited smile & pleased chuckle. Don looked like he was about to boil over.
“Man, about time! I was wondering when you two wou—Don, Don , no!”
Everyone began to lunge towards the old man, who was marching towards Jordan with shoulders hunched & bared teeth. His hands were held up, fingers prepped & ready to tighten around someone’s throat.
But steps before reaching him, Don turned around, arms now thrown frustratingly into the air. He stomped away from everyone & towards a wall instead. They all stared, then jumped when he turned right back & came at Jordan again.
And once more, before reaching the boy, he turned back to the wall & let out a scream. That was Rick’s cue to shut the door, lest any neighbors think a cat was being murdered in their apartment.
With his energy exhausted, Don passed by everyone to drop down in the vacant loveseat. Burying his face in his palms, he stayed silent for a worrying amount of time. Eva finally managed to leave Jordan’s side to move closer to Don & place a hand on his back, “Dad…? You ok…?”
A painful groan came from him, muffled behind hands, but he didn’t move. “I…think? He’s taking it ok…?” Rick guessed, leaning against the couch behind Jordan.
Jordan, by the way, had still barely budged, paralyzed by the man’s violent reaction. Now he was carefully waiting to see what would happen next.
“No, I’m not,” Don said, finally lifting his head. “I’m simply trying to be courteous to Jordan.”
“T-Thank you?” The boy said in a hushed tone, highly unsure of Don's sincerity. “You should be,” Don snapped back.
“Hey, dad, come on. Don’t be like that,” Eva huffed, patting his back as if she were trying to calm a wild beast. “I thought you liked Jordan now!”
“I do, I think he’s a fine man,” Don confirmed, sounding slightly calmer now. “The issue is you are my daughter. My precious daughter, that I love very much. My daughter, who, if any boy broke your heart or hurt you in any way, would need to count his remaining days.”
Behind his shades, Rick closed his eyes in exhaustion, “We really don’t need the over-protective dad shtick, Don. If you like Jordan, then you should be happy for them!”
“I will be happy, in time,” he assured, glaring at Jordan again from the corner of his eyes. “As I said before, I am processing.”
“And how long with that take?” Eva asked, crossing her arms.
“...Years, perhaps.”
Her entire head rolled with her eyes, taking her place next to Jordan again. Rick gestured to the couple, “Well, get over it a bit faster, will ya? This could be something that lasts a lot longer than a couple years.” The idea excited the two, & grated on the old man.
“D-Don,” Jordan said with a slight squeak, gaining all of his wrathful attention. His interjection gained the looks of everyone in the room, but most intensely, Don’s. He gulped, but pressed on.
“I-I promise I’m going to do everything I can for Eva to make sure she’s happy. I care about her…more than anyone. I will never do anything to hurt her…I swear on my life.” His expression grew serious, a fist balled against his chest. He truly wanted to prove his conviction to Don, but only words would have to do for now.
His future actions would cement it, hopefully.
“So, please,” he continued, conviction obvious on his face, “trust me to be the partner Eva deserves.” His hand returned to it's place over Eva's, & she reflexively clasped their hands together again.
Both Don & his daughter were speechless, Rick adding to the silence but merely by way of spectating. The silence started causing a bit of stress to him, a bead of sweat collecting on his temple.
Sudden clapping cut through the room’s quiet, the source being Rick, “Nice speech there, Jordan! You have my blessing, if it’s any consolation.”
Don let out a sputtering cough, trying to compose his reaction, “They don’t need a ‘blessing’ Rick, it’s not as if they’re getting married!” That was exactly the humorous reaction Rick was hoping for, as it eased the tensions in the room.
Coughing a few more times into his fist, Don returned the boy’s focused gaze, “Your words don’t fall on deaf ears, Jordan. I can see clearly that you care about my daughter, & she cares about you too.”
Eva & Jordan smiled at one another, appreciating that they were beginning to get through to her stubborn father. “But,” he continued, “I will be watching you. Carefully. Eva is the most precious thing in the entire universe to me, & I will not be taking any slip ups on your part lightly.”
“I won’t be either, sir,” Jordan confirmed straight away. Don, astonished but impressed, nodded.
“Good. Now, please, no more signs of affection while we’re here. I’m still taking it in.”
“Oh my god,” Eva groaned, lifting her hand off of Jordan’s dramatically. “Language, young lady!” Don snapped, earring a sneer from her.
And they did not speak of it again the rest of the day. The remainder of Rick & Don's visit went smoothly, with Eva & Jordan neither discussing their relationship or preforming any displays of it. Truly the best case scenario, all things considered.
Buzzing, vibrating, & making way too much noise on the counter, was Eva’s phone receiving a call.
Jordan was out, retrieving a forgotten ingredient for dinner, so she assumed maybe it was him calling with an issue interrupting his task. Upon snatching her phone up, though, the name read 'Beth'.
Bethany Wilde, Jordan’s mother that Eva first contacted last December. A smile graced her face, & she slid the green icon across the glass.
“Hello, Beth?”
“Eva, dear!” the cheery, motherly voice cooed through slight static. “It’s been a while, honey, so I wanted to give you a call. How’re you doing? Did you pass your midterms alright?”
Eva had become too preoccupied with studying, with a side of the emotional struggling against her own feelings, so her periodic calls to the Wilde household had fallen to the wayside.
“Oh, I’m doing great, yeah! Passed midterms no problem, too. What about you? Sammy & Noah doing alright?”
They exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes, Eva always finding comfort in hearing that the remains of Jordan’s family were doing well. She may have never met them, but she cared about them quite a bit. Even more so, now.
“So, tell me hun, anything new for you? Anything exciting happen to you lately?”
Her heart didn’t even give her brain even a split second to think before she blurted out:
“I’m actually seeing someo— shit. ” It slipped, heat rising to her cheeks.
“What was that, darlin’? You have a partner now, do you?”
“Y-Yes! H-He’s a great guy…” Her voice trailed off, stammering through her attempts at vagueness. It would be incredibly unwise to let her know who exactly this ‘great guy’ is.
“That’s wonderful, Eva! A great fella, huh? He should be, since you’re such a lovely gal. He better be treating you like a princess!” Eva wasn’t very fond of the princess motif, but Jordan did go above & beyond for her in a similar fashion. He always had.
“He’s done…a lot for me. Really, he has been for as long as I’ve known him. It’s funny how you don’t notice how much someone can mean to you for such a long time.” Her expression turned soft, warmly thinking of her partner’s continued, unwavering support.
“I know just what you mean, hun. My husband was the same way, always there for me when I didn’t even notice it! But that’s how you know they’re a keeper, through & through.”
Just like her husband, as in, Jordan’s father? Perhaps the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Her slight change in subject had Eva’s heart beating a tad faster, making it feel almost like they were talking about her son directly.
Come to think of it, Jordan didn’t talk about his father much. Maybe she could pry a little bit of info about him from Beth while they were on the subject. “Oh, have you & your husband been married for a long time, Beth?”
A girlish giggle came from the woman’s end, “Quite long I’d say, almost 27 years! We dated for quite a while before that, though, so we’ve been a together for a long time. He’s a wonderful husband, & a wonderful father…Well, he tries to be, at the very least.”
Eva’s eyebrow twitched, “Oh? If you don’t mind me asking, what do you mean by that?”
“Ah, sorry hun. I don’t mean to bring Jordan up so often when I talk to you, but…”
“N-No, it’s fine! Please, go on,” her breath quickened, suspecting she was close to learning at least a bit of why Jordan had been mum about his father. Hopefully her rushed tone didn’t alert Bethany to anything.
The woman sighed before continuing, “Ya see, he wasn’t very…supportive about Jordan deciding to join the military. Our family has a messy history with it. My husband, Dominic, didn’t want him to get involved. Oh, how they fought like a pack of dogs over it!”
Eva could feel a tightness forming in her throat. She let Beth continue, worried to hear how this story would end.
“Jordan’s always fought very hard for what he believes in, s’always how he’s been. I think he inherited it from Dominic, really! But this made them fight a lot, & their relationship was…a lil’ rocky. Every time Jordan would come home for the holidays, they would argue about this & that. It was very tense, our household, during those times.”
Eva could feel an ache in her heart, hearing the turmoil Jordan’s choice had made on his family. It could not have been an easy one for him, seeing how it affected the people he held dear. If only they could know what that decision lead to, & how much he was doing for them now.
“The last day we saw our son,” Beth said, a slight crack in her voice catching Eva off guard, “They had another big fight. Jordan would be graduating at the end of that semester, & Dominic was begging him to reconsider & ask to be dismissed. My boy, my beautiful Jordan, didn’t listen to him. He left, & well…”
Silence trailed after her somber words, making Eva concerned, “Beth, are you still there? I’m sorry if I brought up something I shouldn’t have, I didn’t want to make you upset!”
“N-No, dear, I’m fine,” The woman tried to reassure, a betraying sniffle being heard close to the receiver, “I just miss him. I miss him every day.”
“...I do too,” She said. The truth, but she was luckier than them.
“My husband regrets what he said, & what he did. I know Jordan didn’t hate him, & Dominic knows it too. I just wish they could have made amends before…well, he disappeared.”
'Disappeared'. Still, she was in denial about his documented status. More silence came from both parties.
“...I’m sure he would understand, Beth,” Eva finally said, “I’m sure he’s always understood.” She meant every word, but spoke cautiously, as not to put unneeded pressure on Bethany’s feelings once again.
“I’m sure you’re right, Eva. Thank you, hun,” she said, & Eva could hear the smile in her voice. She hoped that she truly brought some comfort to her, knowing now of the situation between Jordan & his father. Maybe Beth would relay the sentiment to her husband as well.
Beyond the front door of the apartment, she could hear Jordan returning with a pleasant whistle & faint rustle of grocery bags. Panicking, she elected to end the conversation ASAP, “Sorry Beth, but I need to go, now. It was lovely talking to you again, please, don’t hesitate to call!”
“Oh, you too dear! I didn’t mean to get so personal, but thank you truly for letting me talk about Jordan. I hope things go well with that boy of your’s too!”
Eva smiled sadly, “Thank you, Beth. Have a good rest of your evening.”
“You too, hun. Buh-bye!”
And the call ended.
Jordan twisted the handle, nonchalantly entering with the missing ingredient in tow. He looked around & settled his eyes on Eva, standing by the counter with her phone in hand. And the expression on her face, contorted to concern & pain, immediately had him worried.
“Eva,” he said, her real name slipping out, “What’s wrong? What happened?”
A tear, one that had been settling on the edge of her eyelid for who knows how long, slipped down her cheek. “Can I talk to you about something?”
Night grew older, dinner still unfinished due to the far more important conversation that commenced. They stood opposite in the kitchen while Jordan laid out all of the details that he preferred not to talk about. Not to confront.
“That’s…difficult,” Eva confirmed, arms crossed & looking down at the white kitchen tiles.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. It’s not easy for me to think about,” Jordan sighed, eyebrows creased while studying Eva’s uneasy posture.
She nodded to the floor, “It’s understandable. I just wish I could do something, but you know that already.”
He did. She didn’t let him forget.
“I’ll figure something out,” he said, trying to give her some hope on the subject. She wanted to believe him, “I’d like to help, if I can. And if we can’t…”
“Then I won't dwell on it,” Jordan stated, a difficult but logical truth that he grasped long ago. Eva, with her solely human perspective, had difficulty understanding it herself, “You just…No, you & your family, they deserve closure.”
“I know, I know,” Jordan agreed, walking over to her so he could rest his hands on the sides of her arms, “But that’s not your problem to deal with, Molly. This was all made out of my choices. So if it comes to it, I’ll figure out how to handle that myself.”
She didn’t like that answer.
He only got to see her annoyed face for one second before it was buried into his chest, arms suddenly thrown around his middle, “You knock that ‘by myself’ crap off right now, Jordan. We’re partners, don’t you get it?”
Startled, he blushed & let his arms rest around her shoulders, “Y-Yeah..?”
“So,” she said with a determined glare locked onto his golden eyes, “We do this together. All of it, even the hard, painful parts. I’m here with you now. You don’t have to keep doing these things alone.”
The last thing he wanted was to have her bare his burdens…but she was right. After all, he had spent so much of his time gladly taking her’s. No one, not even The Avatar, can do everything alone. He had no right to be hypocritical, when so much of his energy had been spent trying to be by Eva’s side to help her with her worries.
And she was here, by his side. Finally, after so long.
His face softened, & his hold around her tightened. He pressed his cheek against her hair, inhaling her soothing scent, “Thank you, Eva. We…We’ll figure it out.” She smiled at his confirmation & leaned into his chest, enjoying his warm embrace.
Something about this close comfort felt different for them. With the new status of their relationship, these actions felt different at their core. Even more genuine than before, with nothing holding them back from pouring as much strength & support into each other.
Most of all, it felt natural. Perfectly natural.
Like it was meant to be.
Notes:
...Hiiiiiiiiiii long time no seeeeee!!!
I know I haven't updated in like...half a year, but this fic is NOT dead (I say once again lol). I was just absolutely slammed with things after the big climax! I revised about half of the current chapters (before getting burnt out), then there were the holidays, THEN I visited Zham in the spring, & ever since I got back I've been working & working on moving house.
But I'm very glad that I managed to get the ball rolling on the 2nd half of this story! There's still a lot to go before it's over, so please stick around!
The next chapter will probably be a ways off again, as I'm still working on the moving thing, but hopefully after that I can have more time & energy to dedicate to writing. I do like it, after all, & still have so much love & passion for this story!
Thank you again for all who read & keep up with it, I appreciate you all~💖
Chapter 27: Texts & Books
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Eva had requested they take their relationship slow for now, ease into things, try to adapt to what this change will bring.
Unfortunately, she got her wish in one of the worst ways.
Jordan emerged from the bathroom, toothbrush still hanging from his mouth, right as Eva was frantically shoving her feet into her sneakers. "You're leaving already?" He said, shoulders slumped sadly. Does she need to leave early again?
She plucked her slice of bread out of her mouth, just so she could reply while grabbing her key ring from the kitchen counter, "Yup, I need to check on my advanced engineering project before class this morning, so I really got to get going."
Before she could get out the door, Jordan dashed over to grab her hand & gave it a squeeze. "Ok, be careful on the road," he smiled, trying to mask his disappointment.
Eva returned his gesture with a squeeze back, a thumbs up with a cute wink, & then she disappeared behind the squeaky door. Alone now, he sighed. Another morning by himself in their apartment until he had to leave for his own classes.
Finals had been as brutal as ever for Eva, & about the same as last semester for Jordan. A lot of her classes involved more intricate building projects, which had been taking up much of her free time. Jordan wouldn't have felt so lonely if she could work on them at home, but they were far too large for 600 square feet of space with two people living in it.
Sighing, he walked to the kitchen & opened the refrigerator to check on the carton of eggs he picked up last week. He inspected the expiration date, seeing they were still good for a few more days. He assumed the same of the bacon & other groceries he had gotten in preparation for Eva's finals, hoping he could make her some nice breakfasts to give her plenty of energy.
It seemed he was never quick enough, however, since she opted for a simple slice of bread to inhale while she bolted to campus.
"Maybe tomorrow…" he wondered aloud, leaning on the counter in the silence.
Just as he was starting to worry, Eva cracked open the door & slid inside with an exhausted groan.
"Oh, welcome home, Molly!" He perked up from the couch, getting up to help unburden her of her text book filled backpack.
"Sorry I'm so late. I had some equations for astro mathematics that I was going over in group study, & it went on a little late," she explained, kicking her shoes off.
"It's ok, I'm just glad nothing bad happened," he assured, hanging her backpack up by the door. "I know it's late, but if you're hungry, I can make you some dinner. Whatever you want!"
"I actually had dinner already, we got a pizza to share during the study group."
He frowned. "Oh…ok, well, do you want to watch anything together? There's a new episode of—"
"Sorry, Jordan, but I'm really exhausted," she grumbled, walking to the bathroom door. "I'd like to just shower & go to bed, to be honest."
He could see from the eye bags, lack of energy, & small frown that she really was worn down. He couldn't be mad at her, never. But he did feel guilty. Guilty that he was disappointed at another day went by without spending any real time with Eva.
"I understand," he confirmed quietly, trying to give her another encouraging smile. "Then rest up, Molly. I'll be out here if you need anything."
She smiled back, thankful for his understanding, "Thank you, Jordan…"
And she disappeared to her room for the night.
Though her body felt the exhaustion, she couldn’t manage to sleep just yet. A sensation she hadn’t felt in a good while was creeping up her spine, spreading over her shoulders like a shroud. The last time she felt it this intensely, was before Jordan re-entered her life.
She was lonely.
The easiest solution was just outside her door, but she couldn’t find the energy to physically lift herself out of bed. There was also the possibility that he had turned in for the night, & she didn’t want to bother him.
Her eyes glanced over to her phone. She had an idea.
Jordan wasn’t asleep quite yet, though was settled into the couch to do so. He had been taking some time to mull over ways to help Eva during finals, things he could do to try & lift some of the stress off her shoulders.
Then, his phone vibrated on the floor beside the couch. It startled him, since there were few people who would be texting him this late at night. Maybe Gage needed something from him?
He unlocked the screen to see the message was from Eva.
“Jordan, you awake?”
That’s a strange text.
“Yeah, I am. What’s up?”
“Oh, ok. Were you going to sleep?”
“Yeah, probably. Something wrong?”
“No…I just wanted to talk to you.”
“I’m still in the living room, you can come out & talk to me.”
“No, texting is fine! I can’t move anyway, my body feels so heavy.”
Before he could respond, she sent another text.
“I never got to text someone late at night like this. You know, like teenagers?”
A faint blush dusted his cheeks. She was being…really cute right now.
“I never did either. Phones weren’t allowed in the academy.”
“Lol. I wasn’t allowed to have my phone after 9pm. Dad would make me leave it on the kitchen table until morning.”
“Doesn’t surprise me that Don was strict. No offense.”
“It wasn’t that bad, really! I got to have it all the time on the weekends. I didn’t have a boyfriend to text late at night anyway…Until now.”
He couldn’t help his huge smile, his heartbeat pounding heavier in his chest.
“Is that why you wanted to text me?”
It took a while to receive a response from her.
“…Yeah. It’s kind of cute, don’t you think?”
You’re the cute one, Molly.
“Haha, yeah. Real ‘high school sweethearts’ kind of stuff.”
Again, her response was slow.
“I missed you today.”
“I missed you too, Molly. A lot.”
“I’m sorry finals are taking up all of my time…I feel like we barely started dating & already have a roadblock.”
“I know, but you can’t help it. I’m not mad at all, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Thank you…I think I’m just frustrated with the bad timing.”
“Well, everything kind of happened all at once. But I’m glad it did. Really, really glad.”
There was never going to be 'the perfect time' for either of the, to confess, with life full of unpredictability. What was important is that it happened at all.
“Me too…I promise we’ll have all the time we want once summer break starts.”
“It’s ok Molly, I know we’ll have plenty of time. Just keep working on your finals, I’ll be here to support you. :) <3”
He felt so cheesy sending emojis like that, but it felt appropriate for this format of communication.
“Thank you Jordan, seriously. You’re the best. ❤️”
She sent a heart back…Ugh, so cute!
“I don’t want to stop talking, but it’s late. You should get to bed. I know you’re gonna leave early again in the morning.”
“Ugh, I hate that you’re right. Ok, I’ll try to get some sleep.”
“Goodnight Molly, sweet dreams.”
“Thank you, goodnight Jordan.”
Once the conversation ended, he set his phone back down & rolled over towards the back of the couch. His heart felt full & warm, glad that him & Eva got to have this small, special conversation.
Maybe it was dumb, cheesy, & immature to text instead of speaking face to face…But they got to be honest, & that’s what mattered.
Eva had placed her phone back on the nightstand, but had her burning face buried in the pillow she clutched. She was immensely happy she initiated the text chat, but it got her much more flustered than expected.
With time, though, she managed to calm down & drift off into sleep.
The phone alarm felt like an animalistic screech in her ear, awakening her before the sun was even fully up. She groaned, dreading another necessary early morning.
Eva tumbled out of her room, not giving notice to Jordan who was still sound asleep on the couch. She envied his lax schedule. Well, at least more lax than hers.
After a quick freshening up, because that was all time could afford for her, she packed up & prepared to head out bright & early once again.
Passing behind the couch, she looked down to see her partner still deeply asleep. It was nice, getting to see him relax, but how she wished she could do the same. “Just a few more days…” she promised, before taking this chance to secretly place a quick kiss into Jordan’s hair.
By the time he started to stir, the door squeaked closed.
"This. Is. Agonizing."
Toiling over a study book in the library, Eva chewed on a meal replacement bar while the clock ticked by. There was just something not clicking with her, & it was driving her insane.
Nothing sounded nicer to her at the moment than finally getting to spend more than 10 minutes of quality time with her partner. The thought was clawing at her mind non-stop the past week, making it even harder for her to concentrate on school work. But when you’ve just started dating someone, isn’t it normal to want to spend as much time with them as possible?
“Hey,” said a voice called out, cutting through her brain fog. It came from the employee seated at the main information desk. “Library hours are going be up in a few minutes, so you’ll need to leave.”
Her shoulders jolted, & she quickly fished her phone from her pocket to check the time. It was shockingly late, & there was also a text message from Jordan reading “Hey, are you ok?”. The notification timed it at almost two hours ago.
“Damn it…Sorry, I’ll get going,” she replied to the employee, quickly shoving her materials into her backpack before dashing out of the building. She ran to the parking lot, where the sparse amount of cars left made it easy to spot her unique vehicle.
And with a quick twist of the key, she burst off into the night, arriving home in record time.
Unfortunately, with how late it was, her new record didn’t matter much.
“I’m sorry I’m home so late, Jordan!” she yelled, bursting through the door.
But all that greeted her was darkness. There was no sign of him at all.
Eva slowly looked around the apartment while she slipped her backpack & shoes off, wondering where he could be. She found her answer as she took her jacket off, phone falling out & landing face up on the carpet.
There was a new text message notification from Jordan, most likely sent on her drive home. Opening it, it read:
"Molly, I have a quick Oban situation to work out, but I should be back by morning.
Don’t forget to eat dinner, & get a lot of sleep
I’ll miss you."
She let out a small sigh, no longer concerned & confused. But it made her a bit depressed, not being greeted by his smile & warm welcome home. It was one of the few things keeping her going strong under this mountain of stress.
Though she couldn’t keep the promise of a proper dinner, she decided to head straight to bed in hopes of seeing him tomorrow sooner.
The scent of freshly cooked bacon wafted through the cracks of her bedroom door, rousing her from slumber. She looked to her phone, discovering her alarm was to go off in a few minutes anyways. Deciding to cancel it, she hopped out of bed to investigate what was going on in her kitchen.
“Molly!” Jordan said happily, not turning anyway from his focus over the stove. “Good morning!”
Brushing some of her bed head out of her eyes, she wandered over to his side, “What are you up to, so early in the morning?”
Spread out over the counter were typical ingredients for breakfast sandwiches: golden biscuits, a plate of bacon, & Jordan was still working on the eggs in the skillet before him.
He blushed a little, caught in the act, “Well, you’ve been speeding off to school so early in the morning, I thought I’d made you a little breakfast to go.”
A smile cracked at her lips, “Really, just for me?”
“Yeah, of course! I’ll wrap it up nicely, too, so you can bring it.” Stirring the eggs slowly, he shrugged, “Also, everything was going to go bad in a few days, so it needed to get cooked anyways.”
“Ah, I’m sorry…Let me guess, you wanted to make me breakfast a little more often than once this week?”
“Yeah, but hey, it’s ok! I know you’ve been busy with finals. I didn’t want to bother you about something silly like that.”
Her smile dropped, & she leaned into his side apologetically, “That’s not something silly. I hate that I’m so consumed with all this shit…I don’t like missing out on spending time with you.”
His golden eyes blinked, not expecting such honesty from her this early in the morning. It seemed what they had vented about over texts the other day was still eating away at her. “It’s ok, I had some Oban things to do last night too, so it’s not like this is all on you…”
She gently nuzzled her cheek into his arm, “I guess…How did that go, by the way?”
“Oh, it was fine. Nothing unusual, just some…stuff, not really sure how to explain it.”
“Avatar junk?”
He chuckled, “Yeah, Avatar junk.”
It felt like forever since they had a nice, mundane moment like this. Standing in the kitchen, chatting away while enjoying each other’s presence. It felt especially healing to Eva after missing Jordan deeply last evening. She didn’t want it to end.
“Hey, you might want to go wash up,” Jordan mentioned, begrudgingly. He didn’t want to break away from her either, “It’s already 7:30. I’ll finish your sandwich, & put it by your keys.”
With a huff, she wrapped her arms around the man & gave a tight embrace. “Fine, I will,” she muffled out, burying her face into his arm.
He hated the feeling of her warmth disipating once she left for the bathroom, but it was just one step closer to finals being behind both of them. He did actually have a class to attend that morning as well, so he wrapped up two glorious & delicious sandwiches for the both of them.
A plethora of take out boxes lined the coffee table, very few of them with anything remaining inside. Eva laid back on the couch contently, trying to keep in a disgusting burp building in her throat. “You were right, Jordan. Chinese food was a great choice of reward meal.”
The Avatar mimicked her motions, spreading his arms on the back of the couch. “Nothing hits after all those tests like fried rice & orange chicken!”
He, however, let a gnarly burp out, causing Eva to laugh & shove him away, “Ew, gross!”
“Hey, you didn’t even let me say excuse me!” He chuckled, settling himself back in place after being pushed so suddenly.
As Eva’s laugher subsided, her body leaned into Jordan’s side again, eyes looking over to the TV across from them. Some comfort-food style sitcom played on the screen, a planned marathon while they decompressed.
Jordan took some small initiative & lowered one of his arms, letting it fall around Eva’s shoulders to hold her closer to him. From her content sigh, he knew it was the right move.
As episodes passed, their bodies gradually shifted & moved until Eva was comfortably laying into Jordan’s side, cheek squished against his pectoral muscle. His posture was a bit more twisted, with legs shifted so Eva could have hers slung over them. His arm still lay on her, though, now trailing down her side so his hand rested on her hip.
It looked a bit ridiculous, but they were incredibly cozy.
“I’m glad finals are done & we finally get to do stuff like this,” Eva said while the credits on another episode scrolled by.
“Me too. Call me crazy, but cuddling is pretty nice when you’re awake for it.” A small poke at their many impromptu snuggle sessions on Oban, but Eva just giggled.
“Yeah. Plus, you’re super warm,” she slung her free arm over him, snuggling up further to his warm body. Jordan blushed hard, feeling blessed to see this more openly affectionate side of Eva.
“Well, feel free to keep getting comfy. I’ll be here all night,” he teased, shifting over so his back was flat against the couch. She took the invitation & laid between his legs, head rested on his chest but facing towards the TV so she could continue their viewing in top comfort.
Top comfort indeed, because less than 20 minutes later she had passed out, almost drooling onto his shirt. He didn’t mind one bit, & let Eva sleep there the rest of the night.
Jordan joined in as well, only after letting his favorite episode of the season wrap up. He kept her held close to him with his arm set across her shoulders.
A nice, restful reward from finals for both of them.
Notes:
Ough. Hi. Them blurays, huh?
I knew rewatching the show in high deff was gonna bring the brain worms back in full force LOLLLL here we are!!! YET another unplanned chapter, but I wanted to get back into the groove of writing. Also, the texting idea was very cute & I wanted to do it.
I've been revising chapters again, cleaning them up & tweaking them slightly. Got up to chapter 15 now! Maybe soon I can finally print the first half of this thing like I've wanted to forever lol, just for fun. I think it'd be neat!
Sorry it took me so long to update. Life was busy! Also. I got into FFXIV hard core. Is good.
I'll be busy again this coming month, but hey, I might still be able to get started on the next chapter~ It'll probably be big, considering it's contents. Might split it into 2 parts, not sure yet! I'll see how it goes.
Ty for all who still read, or just started reading. <3 I appreciate you!
Zhampy on Chapter 3 Wed 03 Apr 2019 12:32PM UTC
Comment Actions
LovelessKia on Chapter 3 Mon 08 Apr 2019 05:35PM UTC
Comment Actions
kiryuuiins (Guest) on Chapter 3 Thu 13 Apr 2023 04:03AM UTC
Comment Actions
LovelessKia on Chapter 3 Mon 17 Apr 2023 01:13AM UTC
Comment Actions
Kiryuuiins (Guest) on Chapter 3 Mon 17 Apr 2023 08:33AM UTC
Comment Actions
Zhampy on Chapter 6 Sat 20 Apr 2019 09:20AM UTC
Comment Actions
LovelessKia on Chapter 6 Sat 20 Apr 2019 05:33PM UTC
Comment Actions
whitebride on Chapter 7 Tue 08 Sep 2020 08:09AM UTC
Comment Actions
LovelessKia on Chapter 7 Wed 09 Sep 2020 02:10AM UTC
Comment Actions
Joanna (Guest) on Chapter 8 Fri 31 May 2019 10:20PM UTC
Comment Actions
LovelessKia on Chapter 8 Sat 01 Jun 2019 02:47AM UTC
Comment Actions
Joanna (Guest) on Chapter 9 Mon 10 Jun 2019 09:28PM UTC
Comment Actions
LovelessKia on Chapter 9 Tue 02 Jul 2019 07:28PM UTC
Comment Actions
Liz (Guest) on Chapter 15 Fri 14 Feb 2020 05:29PM UTC
Comment Actions
LovelessKia on Chapter 15 Sun 16 Feb 2020 12:56AM UTC
Comment Actions
Eva (Guest) on Chapter 25 Thu 04 Nov 2021 08:07PM UTC
Comment Actions
LovelessKia on Chapter 25 Fri 12 Nov 2021 08:34PM UTC
Comment Actions
peachypeach_100 on Chapter 27 Wed 12 Jun 2024 07:52PM UTC
Comment Actions
LovelessKia on Chapter 27 Mon 18 Nov 2024 09:29PM UTC
Comment Actions