Easy Tiger

Posted on Wed Jun 7th, 2023 @ 4:44pm by Alden Loxley & Danielle Loxley & Jonas Bailey

Mission: Yuan Fen
Location: Ezra
Timeline: January 2510 (Nearly 8 years ago)

As he looked up to the bright blue desert sky above his home planet, Alden felt the bruises start to protest and a familiar humility kick in. He figured there was absolutely going to be a black eye in his immediate future, and breathing wasn't laborious but felt a little sore, just like his left arm which had really felt that last unfair twist.

Looking up at his fraternal partner in crime standing tall above him while the pilot lay on the cold ground reassessing his position in the Verse, Alden grinned. One more fight, one more loss, but this one stung far more than any other. This one was especially painful, mortifying and also served as a much needed wake-up call to how long he'd been away from Ezra.

Fire in her eyes, Alden's 'little' sister was enjoying all the opposite emotions to her brother, literally dancing in the dirt. Savouring victory and beaming as if all her birthdays had come at once. "Told you," Danielle Loxley said, the 21 year old's tone scathing and filled with pride. "I can take care of myself." And to prove her win had been for a reason that meant everything to her, she slammed body and face against Jonas's own, gifting him an enthusiastic and clearly by its complex and enthusiastic skill, not her first, kiss.

Jonas had watched the battle between Alden and Danielle with a smile. Then he watched her dancing in the dirt and chuckled. This family sure loved to celebrate their wins one way or another. He was about to reach down and help Alden up when the rough little blonde slammed straight into him and kissed him with all her skill. In that moment, Jonas was glad he was only an 'adopted' part of Loxley clan. He figured they'd all have a talk later on and so he might as well go with the flow. Jonas returned the kiss with just as much enthusiasm and hugged Elle tightly before letting her go.

Romantic love. Alden wouldn't by any means claim to understand it anywhere as easy as the familial, platonic kind. But he did figure he knew how it felt. Lying there longer than he should have, his brain wandered over the potential lack of options he now had with regards his little sister and his best friend and blood-brother. Keep fighting? Or embrace the moment such as he could? He and Elle had talked this out before, and her opinion had remained constant even since the first time Alden had brought Jonas home. The two were free spirits, not exactly planning a marriage any time soon, he knew that from being confidante for both. But while Jonas roamed the Verse with and without him, Elle was planted here on Ezra and likely - for the most part and but for an occasional adventure - always would be.

"You're overthinking it," Elle told her older brother, gifting him a gentle kick as she stepped back from Jonas and savoured the situation. Her hand sought the mercenary's own, tanned fingers wrapping about his longer, chunkier ones and Elle beamed a bright, happiness personified kinda grin. "I can look after myself," her grip tightened on Jonas's hand. "And you if you need me to," she teased.

The eye roll was almost audible as Alden kicked out his legs and raised himself to standing position with a quick push-back flick and jump. His gaze then tracked first Elle's, then landed heavy on Jonas' with an expression that suggested there was a longer talk in their future. Not a bad one, but a talk.

"Kinda have to, Elle," he said, quirky smile suggesting he accepted defeat, but was still processing. Elle gifted him a fierce frown and a stuck-out tongue in light retaliation. Then Alden looked to Jonas and offered up a broader grin as he wrapped his arm about the bigger, younger man's own in a warrior handshake. "Guess I gotta get used to this, huh?" He asked rhetorically. "On account of apparently I can't even kick my lil sis's butt anymore, and..." The grin coloured his whole face now. "I love ya both more than words."

A short pause, as emotions reeled inside, but didn't overspill. "I guess I can handle the kissing part, but just don't tell me 'bout the rest k. Not ever."

Elle rolled her eyes, but slammed against Jonas' side a little possessively. "Gross," she said. "I ain't never told you bout that stuff. That ain't none of your business."

Jonas gave a kind of small squeeze to Elle's hand as she grabbed his. He slightly nodded an acknowledgment at Alden's expression. He'd worked with him long enough at this point that the two young men had formed the beginnings of an unspoken communication. And that had saved their butts more than a few times.

He returned his blood-brother's warrior hand shake and grinned. "Well, I s'ppose there had to come a time. She's a force to reckon with. Just never thought I'd lay my own eyes on it in person. And yeah, what she said," he added with a smirk. "And you keep yours to yourself, too."

At the squeeze of Jonas' hand to hers. Elle's grin broadened, echoing her older brother's in a definite family resemblance. Her free hand sought the mercenary's backside in a mischievous land-grab of affection, her attention taken up by the the big fella and diverted entirely away from her older sibling.

Alden, meanwhile, was slowly coming to terms with the perfect inevitability of this situation.

"Brother," he said, dark blue eyes hitting Jonas' own and hitting hard. "If anyone was gonna see Elle beat me in a fight, I'm damn sure happier it was you than any other person in the Verse. I just need to get used to this..."

Alden banged his palms together a few times and adopted a 'roll eyes and grin' kinda facial landscape. "Honestly though, if you're really both happy, I can't ask for much more than that."

He stepped forward, arms wide and embraced the two of them in a fraternal hug. "You two be kind to each other k. Don't go breaking my heart," he whispered as the three of them were schmushed together, all up close and personal.

"Love ya, you idjit," Elle returned, her own voice loud in Alden's ear. So loud that he adjusted his position slightly in response.

"Like a brother, brother." Jonas chuckled. As they were schmushed together, he patted Alden on the back and Elle on the bottom.

Alden graciously stepped away from the big hug first, hand going to his bruised eye as if that mattered more than anything else right now. In truth, he'd needed a moment or two, more to adjust to his sister's fighting ability, he told himself, but also to let his heart and mind wrap about this new state of affairs. While he'd seen this coming, it had never really entirely sunk in as more than a crush before, and yet, with all the miles he and Jonas had done, all the systems and jobs and other folks they'd encountered this far... Alden knew Jonas as well as he knew himself. How he'd react to a situation, no matter how messed-up it was, what happened when one or other (or both) of them got stuck, sick or shot, and how they treated friends, family and fuck-buddies. He'd never seen Jonas be cruel to anyone who didn't deserve it, and while Elle would always be Alden's little sister, she was - clearly and painfully as demonstrated - more than capable of both defending herself (heart and soul) and making her own decisions.

"Imma just gonna leave you pair to have some quality alone time, then," Alden said, with a little mildly awkward smile.

"Or," Elle immediately chipped in. "You could start us all up a barbeque, grab the coolbox and we could all have some steak, beers and conversation." She figured that oughta give her and Jonas enough time to congratulate each other on Elle being ornery enough to kick ass and claim freedom over her own love life. "Sound fair, loser?" She asked, with a good-natured tone and an impish smile aimed directly at Alden.

"Sounds fair," agreed Alden, in the aftermath of a mock world-weary sigh. "I'll be over there, behind the house, making a fire and checking the meat locker. You two stay over here, outta sight for a good bit, k?" He grinned. "Much as I love ya, I ain't ready to watch you two," he wrestled his two hands in the air awkwardly independent of each other as if unable to put them together. "Y'know... do that."

Jonas chuckled. "Outta sight...okay then." He made a silly, odd, weird face at Alden and what he took as his humorous attempt to tease the both of them. "I'm bettin' neither of us want you around for the," he used his free hand to wrangle it in the air as Alden had, "y'know...that." He laughed a little at his own attempt at light-heartedness.

With a parting wave and an exaggerated kiss blown to Jonas from the tips of those same fingers, Alden hightailed it out of the general vicinity, thoughts of grilled meat and charcoal overtaking the unwanted mental imagery of what he knew would occur sooner rather than later.

As soon as her brother was out of sight, Elle stood up on her tip-toes and jumped that last little bit of distance needed to wrap her arms about Jonas' shoulders and joist herself smartly up to rest legs about his hips. What followed was a long, enthusiastic kiss, her fingers in his wiry hair massaging his ears and skull with the utmost affection. "Wanna go play hide and seek in the hay barn?" She suggested, gaze impishly telegraphing a clear intent to do far more than play children's games.

Jonas caught Elle and wrapped his arms around her. If she'd continued with that kiss and massage, he might've gotten lost for a bit. As it was, when she broke the kiss, they were face to face...almost nose to nose. He smiled and winked, catching her intent. "Oh I think that's a dandy idea. Right dandy."


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