cortado

A pang in his chest is felt when Aiden turns around, grin and all. When was the last time Carson has seen a smile like that? Their wedding, the birth of their daughter, every night and morning after that until one day it just… stopped. The only time Carson was able to see that smile was in photos that he held near and dear, close at all times. Words were failing him until he was snapped out of it when Carolina realized what was going on, “Dad!” And before Carson could stop her, she’s throwing herself at Aiden, wrapping arms around his middle. “No, she’s uhm – my… our daughter.” He knew how weird this was going to seem to Aiden, especially since in this time they weren’t even close to breaching the subject of having kids. “I’m not the Carson from this time, we’re from the future, time God and all of that. This is Carolina.”

He had to be playing some kind of prank, right? Hands instinctively went to comfort the girl that wrapped her arms around him. The idea of being anyone’s father was something that he had never really considered with much seriousness, but being called “dad” didn’t bother him the way he thought it would. It was confusing, sure, but didn’t upset him in the least. “Dad?” he asked, looking first down at Carolina and then back up at Carson. The explanation that the other wolf gave was just as confusing and now Aiden was certain that this was some kind of joke. “Alright, haha, very funny. If you wanted to tell me you weren’t interested, there were much easier ways than coming up with some convoluted story about time travel. Text, call, carrier pigeon. All great alternatives to trying to blow me off by feigning insanity.” 

At first, it was a small glance. But Carson did a double take and though the wolf was turned away from him, Carson knew for certainty that it was Aiden. Emerald hues shift to their daughter, Carolina - he refused to make the trip back without her. “C’mon, love. There’s someone we should see.” Carson himself, was anxious, wondering just how this would pan out. How Aiden would feel knowing they got serious enough to the point where they had a kid together, via Scarlett, who died protecting their daughter among others. “Ugh, dad. Can we just go eat?” Carson withheld rolling his eyes, “After, come on.” He gently pushes her forward to walk with him, approaching Aiden. The wolf clears his throat, British accent still thick, “Aiden?” @ofcrescents​

Aiden had been on a bit of high ever since the night of the Christmas gala. His night with Carson had ended on a high note, one that he had been thinking of non-stop. The other wolf intrigued him and he wasn’t afraid to admit it; it was the kind of feeling that he had never had for anyone but Oliver and while he wasn’t sure that letting himself get lost in it was a good idea, it didn’t stop the smile that crossed his face every time he thought about the other man. Hearing the accent behind him made him grin before he even turned around, eyes lighting up when he turned and saw Carson behind him. “Hey,” he answered, taking a step closer. “I was hoping that I was going to see you soon.” Perhaps a little too forward, but he couldn’t help himself. Looking down at the teenage girl with him, Aiden raised an eyebrow. “Little sister?” 

Carson had always been fully aware of the effect that he had on people, not only was it his wolf but he generally just had a good read on people. It did nothing great to deflate the already massive ego he had. Another notch in someone’s belt. Carson, admittedly, had a lot of notches in his belt. But he wasn’t someone to brag about it. He wasn’t that much of an ass. “I guess we will.” He hums in reply, biting at his cheek as he does so. As the two walked, Carson could see his breath in the air around him, Christmastime was his favorite, and it’d be even better if they got snow. But he knew that wouldn’t happen, hardly ever did here. He tears himself away from his mindless thoughts, emerald hues looking over to Aiden as he spoke. His eyes soften at the comment, unbelieving of the fact that people didn’t make it known to him that they thought of him in such ways. And again, Aiden’s cheeks are flushing deep, but this time Carson didn’t make a notion to make it. “I’m not doing it to be nice.” Carson objects, “I’m a pleaser, sure. Not always a people pleaser in that sense though.” He adds with a small smirk, “I mean it though. And that mesh shirt of yours isn’t helping those very thoughts.” He chuckles before licking his lips over. “I’d be more than happy to tell you these things as much as I can. Screw everyone else.” He hums. He hadn’t noticed how far they’ve gotten before he heard the chatter of his packmates, the fire crackling not far from them. He stayed close to Aiden, a silent way of telling him he was safe with him. He didn’t need to fear his packmates, they weren’t stupid enough to cross Carson - which would really cross Kadir in the end. “As fancy as those parties are, I’ve no doubt in my mind that this is more your speed.” Carson comments, leading Aiden towards the center. “Want a drink, something to eat?” 

Aiden wondered if Carson could sense the massive difference in their experience levels. The Crescent certainly wasn’t doing much to hide it. Aiden didn’t appreciate dishonesty in others, and he didn’t tolerate it in himself either. It was better that Carson know now that he wasn’t the kind of guy to do the casual thing now; it gave him an opportunity to run before Aiden could get too attached. Because wasn’t that just his fatal little flaw? He allowed the people that he cared for to latch on and take root inside of him, unable to kick them despite how much he might want to try. Aiden tried to keep the shock off his face when Carson reassured that this wasn’t something he was doing simply to be kind, trying to find some other ulterior motive for the taller man giving him such attention. Carson was the dangerous kind of beautiful. The long hair and tattoos, the open shirt...it gave him this edge that was intriguing and off-putting all at the same time. “I just don’t see how someone like you is interested in someone like me,” he answered truthfully, deprecating little chuckle bubbling out of his lips. The mesh shirt was something that Aiden had been terrified to wear out and the fact that Carson appreciated it made him beam with pride. He intentionally walked a little closer to the other man. His fingers twitched as if desperate to find the other wolf’s but he forced himself not to act on the thought. “The screw everyone else mentality is something that I can get on board with, though.” Nerves formed in the pit of his stomach as they approached the other members of Carson’s pack. He was a wolf in enemy territory and unsure how the others would react. “Yeah, this is definitely a little more of what I’m used to. My pack would be fistfighting by this point, though, if I’m honest.” The fights were part training, part battle for dominance but a Crescent staple either way. “Uh, sure. Yeah. I’ll take a beer if it’s not too much trouble,” he answered. He stayed close to Carson, trying to seem as non-threatening as possible to the other wolves present. 

@sanguishqsstarters​

“Been a little bit since forever ago I was here…” Nick had left New Orleans when he was 14 after Finn Mikaelson tried to pull Mikelson things, but Mystic Falls had been a visit, never a place to live. At least not in the world he was lived. To hear ALL the Crescents were stationed here now took him aback, to say the very least. 

There was something familiar about the man in front of him, but maybe it was just the fact that his wolf could sense the one in the older fellow. He was fairly attuned with that part of him, having spent years in that form. “Oh yeah?” he asked, grinning. “What is it that brought you back?” Aiden had a feeling it wasn’t for the incredible scenery. 

@ofcrescents

“Hey Aids!” Okay so Nick knew Aiden did not like that nickname but he was his little brother so he could get away with it. It was one of the only things he did knowingly that he felt confident in, because there was no world where Aiden didn’t forgive him. “Sorry to bother you I know you do all the pack stuff-” Nick expressed, somewhat of a ramble as he spoke. “I was just wondering if you could do a thing for me? Well, to things- no three, actually. Sorry?” It wasn’t like Aiden would say NO but still, Nick hated to ask so much from him. “It’s more of like, three different versions of the same thing?” He tried to explain. “I just wanted to ask you to keep an eye out for Hayley and Grayson— who I know are both not your favorite and I’m with you on the Grayson front but um. They’re still pack. We should look for them? I think. Make sure they’re okay. And– I know this one is even more complicated but um. Ollie too. I know he’s capable of ghosting but last time I saw him—” Last time Nick had seen Ollie emotions had FLOWN and it felt wrong to part with the man in that way. Pack was family but once upon a time, when his mom had died, his dad was gone and all he had was Aiden— it hadn’t just been Aiden. It had been Oliver and Jackson too. Cooking dinner for him, babysitting, helping him with his homework, and no matter what happened Nick couldn’t simply forget that. “–I’m just. Worried. Even with everything he’s still Ollie. If he was leaving town I think— I think he would tell me goodbye.” At least Nick hoped. “I mean, I know I’d want to say goodbye to him. So just– sorry, yeah. I always end up asking so much from you.” He mused with a guilty grimace. 

Aiden couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the old nickname, a fond smile on his lips as he watched his little brother approach. Nick was the most important person in Aiden’s world, and as much as it might frustrate him to be asked for favors from anyone else, Nick was the one person that got whatever he wanted. His brother could ask him to chop off his left arm and Aiden would find the blade without question. “Nicky, we talked about this. You gotta work on the apologizing thing. I’m your brother, not your alpha or your boss. You never have to say sorry for asking for something from me, alright?” His voice was soft but stern, making it clear that Nick finding some kind of self-confidence was of the utmost importance to the older wolf. If Nick stayed as kind and naive as he was, the world would take it from him by force and Aiden would much rather he keep those pure, innocent parts of him for as long as possible. “I actually talked to Klaus about Hayley. He hasn’t seen her either, so it might be time to escalate that situation. Get the pack together, do a search party.” Greyson was another story, however. “I’m sure that Grey is around somewhere. Hell, we should call the county jails first. You know how he is.” The mention of Oliver made his stomach turn and Aiden had to stop himself from immediately snapping that he didn’t care where the hell that idiot might be. For one, it wasn’t true, and for two, Nick didn’t deserve his vitriol. “He left the party that night with Mikael. I’m sure that they’re just a bit busy in his den of sin. Don’t worry about it too much, Nicky. Ollie won’t leave when he’s got a new guy giving him whatever he wants.” And that guy would never be him, as much as he had once wanted it to be. It was a bitter pill to swallow, the kind that caught in your throat and sat there no matter how many times you swallowed. He’d never be rid of Oliver, the man was in him like a disease, killing him slowly but surely and only taking deeper root the more that he fought it. 

A beaming, pearly white, dimple induced grin graces his features, “It’s nice to meet you, Aiden.” Blue hues stay on Aiden until the barkeeps attention draws him away for a second, lining up the shots for them. It was a good thing Noah had a high tolerance ( not as high as Aiden, he was sure. But high for a human ) because he wouldn’t be able to do anything while wasted. He grabs a shot, handing Aiden one and taking another for himself, “Ah, yeah. That was the day I actually just came into town. I’m getting the impression they do those things a lot.” He laughs before biting at his lip, “I saw you too, though.” Before he left with the tattoo covered male, surely another wolf - if Noah was guessing right. “You left early. That was a shame.”

“Yeah, you too,” he answered, taking the shot that he offered. Aiden quickly downed the drink, savoring the sound of the hollow thud that the glass made as his hand hit the counter. He was trying and failing to act like he wasn’t attracted to the man in front of him. While Aiden knew that he didn’t owe anything to Carson at this point, something about the encounter just felt off. Perhaps it was the fact that the man in front of him seemed so secure in himself and Aiden was the exact opposite; he second guessed himself at every turn. It was half the reason that he’d never been in a real relationship before, he always talked himself out of getting in too deep for one reason or another. Truly his own worst enemy. “Yeah, I...” God, how does he even phrase that? “I met someone.” That was honest but fuck if he wasn’t making himself seem unavailable. Somewhere, he was sure Carson was smirking. Curiosity was too high to let himself allow the final comment Noah made slip by. “Why would you say it was a shame that I left? Don’t tell me you were just dying to dance with me.” 

jackson soaked in aiden’s words like a sponge. he knew what was coming. he saw it in the other’s eyes before anything was even said. there it was — that familiar ping of guilt that came with every time someone from his pack reminded him that he never should’ve left. he was okay with that. he had enough respect for his pack and the people that he loved to listen to their opinions when they were voiced. too much had happened in his absence. things that shouldn’t have happened in the first place. he’d take responsibility for that. but aiden ? aiden was supposed to give him the benefit of the doubt. aiden was supposed to honor their friendship ( and all the history that came with it ) enough to ask why jackson had left. to wonder why he might’ve made the decision he did and try to understand that all he ever wanted was a better life for the crescents, for all of them. because whether or not the sky was falling, aiden was supposed to stand by him. what he got was a smack in the face, a bullet straight through his heart. clenching his fists, his knuckles turned white. this was no longer about alpha and pack, this was about them. as soon as hayley was brought up, jackson lunged forward, fingers gripping on to the collar of aiden’s shirt. “ don’t, ” he warned. “ don’t bring hayley into this. she fought for you. the pack is all we’ve ever fought for the minute either of us got into this damn town. ” the animalistic urge to swing was there but he stopped himself before he could. it wouldn’t fix anything. it wouldn’t bring hayley back from wherever the hell she was, and that was all any of them wanted from him, right ? for him to fix all of this. ’ i don’t trust you. ’ he loved them. ’ i don’t trust you. ’ he wanted to protect them all. ’ i don’t trust you. ’ it was all he heard replaying over and over in his head. did oliver feel the same ? he wanted to do right by his people but what was an alpha without the respect of his pack ? that wasn’t a leader, that was hardly a family. jackson turned away from aiden, knowing that he needed to find a way to calm himself down. “ i promised that i’d find a way to make things right but i’d watch what you say from here on out. ”

The second that Jackson’s hand found his collar, Aiden made a decision. He wasn’t going to hit his best friend, he wasn’t going to give him the chance to tell Aiden his side of the story. No, the thing that the bigger man would do was accept the pain on both sides and simply move on. It wasn’t something that he typically did but for Jackson? Well, he’d do just about anything for him. Jack and Ollie were the people closest to him in this world, save for Nick, and it was clear that his friend needed someone on his side. Aiden didn’t say a word until Jackson finally turned away from him and he was grateful for the moment of reprieve. He needed to calm himself down as well, otherwise he was going to end up saying something that he’d regret. He would be lying if he said that he wasn’t considering leaving the Crescents but now was neither the time or place to reveal that to his friend, his alpha, his brother.

“I ain’t trying to make it all worse for you, Jack, but you can’t act like that with everyone else. I’m not the only one that feels how I feel. I’ve been here, taking care of everyone, trying to bring Oliver back into the fold. You can hate me for it and take it out on me if you want because I can handle it. I know you don’t mean it but the rest of them ain’t got the bond we got.” He moved in front of Jackson again, trying to force the taller man to look at him. Aiden wasn’t afraid of his alpha; he knew that Jackson could take him in a fight even if Aiden was able to get in a few good punches. However, he also knew that Jack didn’t actually want to hurt him. “I better watch what I say, huh? And what good would I be to you as a second in command if I did that? Like it or not, my dickhead tendencies have saved our asses a time or two so don’t ask me to be someone I’m not. You’re the one that told me at seventeen that being exactly who I am is all you’d ever want from me and sure, that was about liking guys but I think the sentiment is the same. Don’t take that away from me now.”

Noah’s disdain for the supernatural started young, when he watched his mother get killed right in front of him, staring death in the eyes as the wolf stared at him, bloody teeth bared before it left, leaving him alive. He should have been thankful, taken that as a sign and not pick up hunting. But he was young, impressionable, and his father pushed it on him. And that’s how he grew up, and while he hated the wolf for killing his mom - he was thankful he didn’t meet the same end. Aiden on the other hand? Didn’t seem threatening, and a part of Noah wanted to call it. But he needed to get to her. She was his endgame, Aiden and Matias were just unfortunate enough to have some kind of tie with her. “Perfect.” He smiled a pearly white smile before catching the attention of the bartender, “Can we get a couple more lined up?” While the barkeep got started on that, Noah looks over to Aiden then. “I’m Noah.” He introduces.

Guilt ripped through him the second that he accepted Noah’s offer, and Aiden hated himself for allowing that to happen so damn quickly. He was an all or nothing kind of person, people always knew where they stood with Aiden. Seeing Ollie with Mikael for example? Well, that had blacklisted Oliver in his book. It’d be easier to pretend that the man didn’t exist than allow himself to deal with the jealousy. Carson, on the other hand? Well, Aiden could let himself get wrapped up into Carson without meaning to; the other wolf was exactly the kind of person that Aiden would fall hard and fast for and that freaked him the hell out. Yet, he felt guilty just for enjoying a drink with another man. Get it together, LeBeau. “I’m Aiden,” he answers back, smiling. “I, uh, I think I saw you at the auction, right?” 

He watches as the scarlet burned on Aiden’s cheeks, deepening in color in reaction to him. Tongue quickly wets his lip as Carson tries to bite back the smirk, loving how he was the cause of the scarlet color on Aiden’s cheeks. The boost of confidence held strong in Aiden’s tone and it amused him in the best way, it was cute, how he could go from shy and nervous to confident in the blink of an eye. Carson lifts his hand up, thumb gently brushing across Aiden’s hot cheek, then along his jawline, “Oh, I don’t plan on it.” He answers without missing a beat, “Though, I would not be against you joining that hot streak.” And with that, his hand drops. Luckily, where Carson planned to take Aiden wasn’t far, and he knew once they got there the fire would already be blazing - though he won’t ask for his jacket back, he liked seeing Aiden in it. He moves closer to the wolf as they walked, shoulder to shoulder as emerald hues settled upon Aiden, “I have no doubt in my mind you get that all the time too.” Aiden was hot, there was no denying that. He had this shyness about him that made him even hotter. Hell, in a room full of everyone it was Aiden who caught his attention. “I mean, I’ve definitely thought of your bedroom a few times.” Carson wasn’t one to hold back, when he wanted to say something - he’d say it.

Fuck, he was in danger. Carson had obviously noticed just how hot his face was, and that little brush of his thumb across Aiden’s skin nearly sent a shiver down his spine. It wasn’t fair, the whole vibe that the other wolf had going on. How the hell was anyone supposed to be able to resist when this tattooed, open shirt, charming devil of a man was pulling out all the stops? “I guess we’ll have to see where the night goes. Not usually fan of being just another notch in someone’s belt.” Well, that was a damn understatement. Out of the Crescents, Aiden would say that he was the one that was most careful with his own heart. He had never been in a real relationship, never had a one night stand. Most of his life had been spent pining for someone that only had eyes for someone else. He had never even looked at other people as options before. Something about Carson, though, made him want to be bold. He didn’t move away, even though their shoulders touched as they walked. “You’d be surprised at how little I get that, actually,” Aiden admitted. If Carson thought he was some sought after prize, he was sorely mistaken. His already scarlet cheeks flushed even more if that was possible and Aiden looked over at the other man with stars in his eyes. “You don’t have to say stuff like that if it’s not true. I know you’re just being nice.” 

dark hues shifted to the side in silence. there was an immediate tug deep in his chest at the sight of aiden. it was similar to the one he felt when he ran into oliver in that dingy restaurant. except with aiden, he felt a little less anger and more a pinch of emptiness. a rather hollow feeling that originated from memories of them … happy ones that were hardly represented in the tension that seemed to surround them now. it had been longer since he had last seen aiden. “ you know, i looked for you. asked around. found out you came to mckinley after i left and now here you are. ” here they were. jackson shoved both of his hands into his pockets, taking in the strange yet calming sensation that settled within. at least he knew his best friend was safe — safety wasn’t something that was guaranteed much nowadays. “ you got something to say to me ? or is this what we’re doing now ? ” he asked, referring to the other’s inability to even look at him straight.