#aaron x caitlyn ;; 001

[cursivebloodlines]

It didn’t go unnoticed to Aaron, the way Caitlyn never seemed particularly interested in relationships in general. Not because he was interested in her in that way by all means - yeah, she was gorgeous but that didn’t mean he liked her like that. But it was because, believe it or not, he was nosey. And perhaps too curious, but that was only because he liked getting to the bottom of anything. That didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate a beautiful lady without being romantically interested in them! Even though he was doing much more than that with them here today, giving his family the performance of his life. (On second thought, why didn’t he just go into acting?) That was something he’d come accustomed to over the years. Performing to overcompensate for being the black sheep of the family.  There was no one he would have rather enlisted in this debacle, but he felt guilty for even dragging her into his mess. Aaron had been hesitant to even ask Caitlyn, solely for that reason. After all, he had spent so much time trying to get claw his way out and away from them. But then, as one tends to with families, sometimes he had no choice but to show his face. If it was to keep the peace, to keep their mouths shut for however long it would be after this event, then so be it. It was for the greater good. Or that’s what he tried to tell himself. 

“Thankfully for me I didn’t have to come out of her vagina. Born by C-Section because I was causing trouble before I got here,” Aaron scoffed, a faint snicker escaping his lips. “Was probably labeled ‘the problem child’ since then..” It used to bother him, why he was always treated so unfairly in comparison to his brother. The wounds were deeper than he would ever care to admit, the scars hidden underneath layers and layers of humour and meaningless jokes.  “And I’ll show some mercy when she does the same - I’ve been waiting a bit too long,” he grumbled under his breath, eager to wedge in the last word as he gave her a gentle nudge. The stupid grin plastered all over his face nevertheless. Make a joke of it all, that was his basic, standard plan. Laugh it all off, like nothing could bother him. He was so grateful to have someone by his side. Someone who actually knew Aaron, the real version of himself for all his quirks and flaws. That was the singular thing he shared with these people he called loosely ‘family’ - the ability to keep up pretences, not to let others see the cracks and frayed edges underlining the dynamics and all the other problems beneath. 

“Doesn’t just sound like an idiot. He is an idiot,” Aaron corrected with a scoff. Of course, it wasn’t her fault he was feeling so antsy. His family did that to him. And he hoped Caitlyn didn’t take offense to his corrections; but then again, he didn’t really think too deeply into it. After all, she surely had put up worse from him. It went far beyond sibling rivalry. A culmination of so many years he spent in his shadow, sure. And it should have been enough, that Justin was the favoured  son;  the adored son, the golden kid, the successful adult. It was never enough for the elder sibling. If Aaron had so much as one ounce of something to be happy about, he’d find a way to take it away from him. Fed lies, got him into trouble, fucked up his relationships, the list goes on. Usually if it happened to come up in conversation - something that happened so rarely - he sounded like he was exaggerating, or making a big deal out of seemingly nothing. Hadn’t he let his family control him enough before he broke free? That was precisely why he distanced himself from them, became his own individual without letting them dictate his life or self worth. His posture loosened slightly the more he was around Cait though, she always knew what to say and he couldn’t argue with her, not with the determination in her voice. A smile crept on to his lips, lightly nudging her side. “Hey, enough with the pity compliments,” he teased, knowing full well it wasn’t out of pity. But what who would he be without the stupid jests? “You’re right, but as dad and everyone likes to remind me - my father takes credit for getting me the job, whereas Justin had to work for it and got it himself.” It was the short version of it, anyway. Aaron rolled his eyes at the thought. “‘Cause I ‘can’t do anything for myself’ apparently. Whatever.” Just brush it off, like always. Sure, there might have been an element of truth in it. But didn’t the fact he stayed in the job and worked his way up mean anything? The fact he was still here? Apparently not. 

Laughter bubbled in Aaron’s chest when Caitlyn chastised him for his feeble attempts to escape this event, unable to help the stupid grin etched across his face with so many idiotic comebacks from the tip of his tongue. He glanced at her, feeling a little lighter despite the looming presence of his family. "Table dancing, huh? Now, that’s something I’d pay to see,” he teased, grateful for the way she always seemed to cut through his tension. "And yeah, I’m driving, but I guess I could be convinced to have a drink or two. For the nerves, you know? Besides, we could always catch a ride back and split the fare." He smirked, already knowing that one drink wouldn’t be enough to get through this night.

A part of him wanted to bask in the warmth of her hands, the way her hand fit so naturally in his as if it was always meant to be there, the softness of her skin. But that wasn’t what this was, he reminded himself. They were friends, partners, and everything happening now was just an act for his family’s benefit. Still, the way his thumb absentmindedly grazed over her knuckles as they walked toward the bar made it hard to separate the pretend from…well. There was no ‘whatever this was’. It was pretend, all of it. That’s what he reminded himself. As they reached the bar, Aaron took a deep breath, preparing himself for the next round of family chaos. "So, what’ll it be? Something strong, I’m guessing?" He gave her a playful wink, already waving down the bartender for the occasion.

She knew that Aaron had always had a certain charm with the female sex. It was impossible not to notice that women used to be more than attracted to him and particularly delighted when Aaron returned a quarter of the attention that many of them gave him. Caitlyn partly understood the madness and the flirty eyes around him, Aaron was objectively handsome, even though she didn't think of him that way, it wasn't hard to see that he corresponded to certain beauty standards. There was something else tho, because Aaron used to have girls around his finger. He was funny too and quite charming overall. He was a good match for any girl who wanted to be with him. Caitlyn had always assumed that he was pretty discreet about who he brought home, but there was no way Aaron was out of options. If he wasn't with anyone it was by choice, not because he didn't have girls around him willing to be with him.

"Don't be that mean to her, that woman gave birth to you" Caitlyn rolled her eyes before giving him a devilish smile "And with that huge head you have I bet it hurt, show some mercy" She sneered with all the intention of remove a bit of the tension that her partner had. She understood Aaron was nervous about being with his family so Caitlyn was making an effort to be nice. If he said his family was shit then she was on his side. It didn't matter if his family was adorable and cordial with her, if Aaron said they were an incarnation of the devil then she had no reason not to believe him. Part of her was also nervous about his family liking her, even though the main reason she was there was to support Aaron, Caitlyn didn't want to make things worse for him. With any luck, she would leave a good impression on his family. At least the next time he came, his family would be a little happier with him? It wasn't hard to see that Aaron's mother was somewhat disassociated from her son, she hadn't even tried to engage him in a longer conversation. Though Caitlyn gave her the benefit of the doubt, if Aaron said his family sucked, then his family sucked.

"Well, your brother sounds like an idiot" Caitlyn was also the youngest daughter so if Aaron had jealous youngest syndrome because his older brother was more successful, she would know. There seemed to be something else. She felt that his brother was just as much of an idiot as Aaron said he was. He sounded pretty bitter whenever he talked about his brother so he must had a reason for that. Caitlyn was not an example of the relationship between siblings because she had not spoken to hers for years and even before that their relationship had not been good either "You clearly should be the favorite son in any case, please you catch bad guys for living and technically have a badass job, what does your brother do? sit at an office all day? Pretty original" She snorted and let out a laugh. With any luck, the antics would help improve Aaron's mood. Caitlyn couldn't understand how some parents could have favorite children. Did they want to cause trauma to his children when they were adults? If a son knew already that he was not the favorite of any of his parents, those parents had failed catastrophically.

"Stop trying to make me run away just so you can run away with me and have an excuse, we're here, I'm staying, end of discussion" She sentenced before rolling her eyes. After all, he was the one who asked her to come with him. Caitlyn was there because he had asked her to but Aaron was being so negative that he seemed like he didn't want her there. She thought he was probably nervous so she didn't want to make too much of his complaints "Are you the one driving? Cause I can always get drunk enough to you end up dancing on a table if you want, so you should never have to show your face around here again" Although she wasn't planning on dancing on any table, Caitlyn did need a drink to loosen up a bit and be able to think about something other than his family. Maybe they could have some fun apart from his family, have a good time, and then come home. She gave him a smirk and entwined her hands with his. "Lead the way then." The way her hand felt wrapped around his was… different. Something wasn't right. There wasn't necessarily something wrong but she also wasn't supposed to be thinking about how warm his hand felt against hers. It felt… good. Cozy. Their hands fit together almost as if they were always supposed to be together all time long. Caitlyn didn't like thinking like that about his partner's hands but it was almost as if all that was real, which it wasn't. It couldn't be for so many reasons.

[cursivebloodlines]

Aaron’s attempt at coping with the situation was by not thinking about it at all. Thinking sets him up for failure, and in this household, failure was not an option. It was also the very action that made him not dwell too much on what this pretending around could mean, around Caitlyn specifically. The closeness, the touching, the kisses on the cheek and who knew how many others that may or may not happen afterwards. If he didn’t make her feel uncomfortable… but he was certain if she, for a second, felt any discomfort around him or if he overstepped, that she would put him in his rightful place and demand he backed off. Maybe it was a bit odd. It was a boundary they never crossed. They were friends, sure, colleagues too. But not close enough to be doing things that people who were more than friends should do. Had they needed more time? Should Aaron have asked her a lot further in advance so they could better prepare?  He couldn’t help but wonder, but as soon as he felt his mind drifting, he shook any residual thoughts off, much like how he shook anything that came at him off.

Pretenses, he could do. A picture-perfect smile around his family in public, a family that looked…perfect. Behind closed doors was another thing though. “That will be the first and only time she gets it right, so enjoy that moment while you have i,” he confirmed. “Also, it’s funny really. Her name’s Catherine, but with a K. So, she was probably thinking about herself.” Even Caitlyn seemed to be falling for it, and she’d only met his mother for a measly few moments, if that. ”Mmhm.” Not like Aaron to not have many words, but he was just trying to get a feel for…. well, everything. So, he could brace himself for whatever sort of time his family were going to throw at him. At them, rather. He couldn’t blame her for having a good first impression of his mother, not at all. It was all part of the act, part of the illusion. Reel you in, make you comfortable, let you believe she’s on your side, then boom, you get the complete opposite. Only Aaron had been dealing it for his entire life. “Wait ‘til you see her around Justin,” he muttered under his breath. His brother, the golden boy. Anyone could chalk his comment up to typical sibling rivalry or jealousy. But that never felt close enough to describe the chaos that always ensued when he was around. Yet Aaron always seemed to be the one who suffered.

Caitlyn’s comment caused that boyish grin to return to his face, even if it faltered slightly when she moved. Why did it feel weird that she did that? Maybe she needed space. But he spoke, and it took less than a couple of seconds for Aaron to recompose himself. “It was one time,” he insisted. However, he laughed – a clear indicator that it happened more than one occasion. “Okay, maybe more than that. Not just girls either. Anyway - it was much better than the alternative option. Made that mistake once, was not pretty.” He pretended to shudder dramatically for effect, another laugh escaping his lips. Even Aaron, as silly as he may seemed, knew better than to bring potential girlfriends around his family. His mom, who wouldn’t approve of anyone unless they ticked boxes of her standards that were unmaintainable. His dad, who was just a douche and liked to see him miserable… and his brother, who would do anything to take away from Aaron, even if that meant being a sleaze around people he hung around with. It just never worked out.

Why did he feel like they were stood too far apart now? It was almost…cozy. Which was not a word he thought of often, nor ever about their current environment. Which was weird. Maybe he was being weird. No wonder why she moved.  Yet… he looked at Caitlyn and something felt off about her, though he couldn’t pinpoint it. Her usual banter and witty retorts were very much still present, which he appreciated. But… something felt off. “Try meeting my father, you’ll understand soon enough,” Aaron quipped, eliciting a soft laugh even though nothing about his statement was remotely funny. “It’s not too late to still be a mystical delusion if you want,” the man offered, giving a half smile her way. His way of giving her an out, even now. If it was too much. He always found a way to show him up, and not in the usual, stereotypical and almost cute way fathers tended to. It was always purposely done to belittle him, to make him feel and look stupid and it was always done publicly. Add Justin to the mix, put that man on a pedestal even though he may as well have been the spawn of Satan. Ray Carter would go to extreme lengths to make an example of Aaron. To everyone else, Aaron was just paranoid. But he knew.  “Do you want a drink? We’re gonna need several by the end, may as well start early,” he joked, walking off before he could give her a chance to respond.

Caitlyn felt him get tense with the mention of his father. She pretended not to notice. Her arms around him, his arms around her, his kiss on her cheek. It all felt too personal for them. Even if it was like an undercover job, they had never had an undercover job like that before. It was the first time they were pretending to be a couple. Ironically, it was with his family. Caitlyn thought she knew what to expect from that, she'd had thousands of undercover jobs - way more difficult than that for sure - so she thought she was more than ready. Plot twist, she definitely wasn't. She hadn't been prepared to cross the line of professional friendship with Aaron and Caitlyn should have realized that before accepting to all that.

She followed with her eyes as his mother vanished among some of the guests. Hearing him, Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "At least she got it right the first time," she replied before shaking her head. "She seems nice," she added and Caitlyn meant it. Aaron's mother seemed almost like she didn't care, she probably didn't but partly Caitlyn wanted to believe it was because she was overwhelmed hosting that party and not because the woman didn't care about her son. She could only guess because they never really talk about their families. Caitlyn preferred to keep it that way. Honestly her family was shit so it's not like she wanted to share that with anyone either. His family at least had… the luxury? and apparently his mother cared enough to pretend she cared about him and his supposed girlfriend at least? Aaron's biggest problem with his family seemed to be that they were snobbish while Caitlyn's biggest problem was that her family was basically broken.

"The fact that you were the kind of teenager who shoved girls through his window suddenly makes so much sense," she replied with a mocking tone before pulling away from him a bit. Caitlyn needed to pull herself together a bit so she could think a little clearly. The friendly professional friends line was there and she was not going to cross it. She just wasn't. No matter how good he smelled or how handsome he looked one that suit... Oh shit. That could not be happening, she didn't date at work. Somebody could say she didn't date at all and that would be correct but specially, Caitlyn didn't date with men in law enforcement jobs. They were usually too sexist for her taste against women that were colleagues. Wait. Why was she thinking about dating? Jeez. She needed a drink before loosing her mind.

"Aaron you had so few girls around that your dad thinks I'm a mystical delusion, it's hilarious I must say" Caitlyn said trying to lower the tension a bit and unzip so Aaron wouldn't be so worried. Taking into account that she had always thought that Aaron was a person more than open to relationships - although she had never met a girlfriend - and instead, it seemed that his parents had never met a girlfriend so maybe he didn't date. He said he didn't but she always thought he was saying that cause Caitlyn didn't either so Aaron wanted to show some solidarity. Part of that made sense, Caitlyn was the first to know that with their line of work it was very difficult to keep a partner or even get a person she understood. Not for nothing most of the relationships of the people she knew from work had failed. Dating people like them could be too much work, understanding them, what they did, could be a lot.

[cursivebloodlines]

If there was one thing Aaron dreaded, it was family events or occasions. He tried to separate himself from his family as much as he could. He always left feeling worse than he did when he arrived. But he had to play his face, make an appearance, play happy families. Until someone starts, probably. Or it turned into a Who Can Point Out The Most of Aaron's Flaws? contest. When Caitlyn agreed to accompany him, he genuinely couldn't thank her enough. They worked well together, and he promised to make it up to her for her time and energy. Treat it like an assignment, he said. Should be easy enough. They were barely through the door and he felt the anxiousness creeping in. He hadn't seen his parents, or his brother yet and already he felt like stepping on eggshells. It was like he'd transformed into a completely different man within minutes but he tried to keep his composure. He had to remind himself this time, he wasn't alone. Caitlyn was his backup, his ticket to not being the family mess. That thought enabled him to breathe a little easier, shoulders relaxing slightly.

Amusement graced his features as he watched her reaction to the house, a teasing smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "They just like to show off. Looks like heaven, feels like hell, believe me. You'll know soon enough," he quipped, his voice loud enough for her to hear as he elicited a soft laugh at the coffee comment. He nudged her gently, the smile growing a little wider as he shot back, "Hey, it's not my fault I need a quality cup of coffee to get through the day." Aaron held his hands up in mock surrender. "Besides, it's not that expensive, you're just being dramatic." So he thought, anyway. Aaron slowed the walking down a little, delaying the inevitable but being sure he could at least talk properly before they descended to chaos. "I can't thank you enough again, Cait. For being here, doing this for me." His tone softened a little, albeit he kept it light. "All I can say is sorry in advance for what you're probably about to endure."

𝒂𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒏 & 𝒄𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒚𝒏│closed starter for @cursivebloodlines

Caitlyn felt like a toad from another well. She wasn't even 100% sure what the hell she was doing there. She had the urge to leave and turn around to go back the way she had come but she couldn't move her feet. Aaron had asked her to be there for him that night. He sounded more desperate than she knew he would like to admit. Caitlyn knew that family was a complicated subject for Aaron almost as much as it was for her. Neither of them talked about it, but she owed it to him, she owed him that favor for all the time they had been partners and all the moments he stood by her along their careers. She knew that his family was rich but she didn't know that they were "rich rich" type of Forbes family. The house where she had grown up was probably a bedroom in the house that was now in front of her. In theory all that was gonna be "a quiet dinner" but there were at least 20 cars in the driveway so she wasn't sure that Aaron's parents had the same definition of "small and intimate event" as the normal people.

"This is where you grew up? Fancy," Caitlyn teased in a whisper as she handed her coat to the butler. She honestly thought that the butlers weren't real. She was clearly wrong "No wonder because you have such an expensive coffee taste at work"

[cursivebloodlines]

The words had slipped out and Aaron had left himself questioning where the hell did that come from? The more he thought about it, the more he realised he didn't want to think about it any longer. There was only one explanation (other than the truth: Caitlyn did look beautiful, but still, it was weird for him to come out with something like that unprompted) for it: he was getting into 'character.' That was what he told himself before and it was what he'd tell himself again. And however many more times he needed to until he had convinced himself of it. Perseverance and determination were the keys. Keys to what? Aaron had already forgotten, it had already slipped his mind.

Did he even know how to pretend to act as though he were in love? Relationships were few and far between with him, always had. Nothing really stuck. If things wandered down the line of seriousness, he tended to back up. Part of it, he thought, was probably due to the implications of introducing them to the family. He knew more often than not it was a recipe for disaster, that being around anyone in his family for longer than five minutes would send them running for the hills. Nothing really ever got that far for him though. It was hard in a career like theirs that required long, irregular hours. Casual suited him better, or one nighters if he was really in the mood for something more. That, he could do. It didn't require much thought and a way to...blow off steam. Anything more than that typically became a problem, one he didn't particularly enjoy solving.

The expression on Caitlyn's face at the sound of his mother's voice tickled him. He had to briefly cover his mouth with his hand to stifle a chuckle threatening to escape. It was exactly how he'd felt, that patronising, condescending tone made him want to roll his eyes halfway down the street. Eyes flickered between the two, watching the exchange. His mom seemed to buy it, not that he needed to doubt it for a second. Cait was a natural. He already knew that...but seeing her in action with something so personal to him? He was in awe. she was good, almost had him believing it. "I wonder why that might be," he quipped in response to her comment about never bringing anyone home, an attempt to joke with his mother even though he was deadly serious. In return, he was met with a silent glare that said 'behave.' "Mom, I did bring someone home once. Remember? You shooed the poor girl out after-" Interrupted instantly by her quick rebuttal, "Aaron, dear, I would hardly call sneaking someone in through your window during your high school years anywhere remotely the same as bringing them home to meet your family. And I was right to remove her from the premises." A brief pause before she continued. Honestly, this was pretty tame for her but he knew she could veer off and rant more if she could. But they had guests. "Besides, I do not think reminiscing about your old flings right in front of Caitlyn's face here isn't the wisest thing to do if you would like to keep her. Isn't that right?" her tone was sickeningly sweet, earning a quiet scoff from Aaron's part.

Feeling Caitlyn's arms around him had him doing the same with her, pressing a gentle kiss against her cheek with a crooked smile on his lips. His mother never even gave her a chance to respond to the question then, which he realised now meant she intended for it to be rhetorical. She always had loved the sound of her own voice a bit too much. "You ought to go say hi to your father." A simple sentence that had him tensed up immediately. "He's waiting for you, still unconvinced you've brought a special guest with you. Keeps telling everyone you're making it up and she's a figment of your imagination, darling. Why don't you be you be a dear and prove him wrong? I need to make sure our other guests are situated. Lovely to meet you, Catherine. Please excuse me." Aaron murmured a quick 'sure' in response, honestly more amused than anything that she got Caitlyn's name completely wrong. Watching his mom scurry away, he looked to her with a wry smile. "That went well, didn't it, Catherine?" he jested, unable to resist the opportunity to poke a little fun to alleviate the tension weighing on his shoulders.

It was crazy cute how nervous he was. She didn't want to think about her partner in "cuteness" terms but it was true. Aaron was more nervous about seeing his family than she had ever seen him on all the time working together. Caitlyn tried to ignore how good it felt to be told that she looked beautiful. She didn't even remember how long it had been since the last time that had happened. It was a little sad if she thought about it but she was only doing it because Aaron had said that in the first place. Why did he say that? She felt that it was too personal even for both of them. Yes, she would take a bullet for Aaron if the situation called for it and knew he would do the same. But, telling her that she was beautiful was not a thing they did at all.

She didn't do relationships. It was hard to date due to her work, she could never fully commit to someone if she always had to run out the door. Her mind was also somewhat complex, especially for someone who didn't know what it felt like to do what she did for a living. Caitlyn also knew that part of it was all an excuse not to commit too much to someone. Almost as if she was running away from love and affection. Running away was all she knew how to do and what she did best. When something seemed to go too blind, Caitlyn would just run away. Perhaps out of fear of committing herself, perhaps out of fear of experiencing emotions that would make her feel vulnerable. She wasn't used to opening up, allowing herself to feel strong emotions that exposed her. Love was a vulnerable emotion, opening up to someone, really opening up to someone letting them know her, was opening up to being vulnerable with someone.

"Aaron, darling, who is she?" Caitlyn turned before seeing a blonde woman in her fifties, bearing a slight resemblance to Aaron, approach them. She could only assume that this was his mother. She raised her eyebrows unable to avoid it at the woman's tone, had he told her something about them that she didn't know? Caitlyn was going to have to be careful not to say anything that would contradict whatever story Aaron had told the woman "Mrs. James, it's lovely to finally meet you, Aaron has told me so much about you, my name is Caitlyn" She replied "I'm so happy you are here, darling, Aaron never brings anyone home" The woman replied reaching out to give her and her son one kiss in each cheek "Well, I'm glad we finally met," Caitlyn replied giving her a small smile before wrapping her arms around Aaron's waist.

[cursivebloodlines]

It was easier that way, to pretend like it didn’t bother him. Not being close to his family; growing up, all he wanted was to be closer to them. No matter what he did, it never worked out. He’d never been more relieved than the day he moved out though it had taken him a while to discover who he was after so much time spent trying to mould himself into someone they would finally accept. And for the most part, he was content with who he was now. But coming back…Being here…He was that lost, little boy all over again. Thankfully for him, he had Caitlyn — he wouldn’t have bothered asking anyone else if she said no. Families were very tricky, and though it wasn’t a subject they touched upon apart from a brief summary and then evading it for a while. And he knew she had a difficult time with hers though spared most details, which suited him fine because it meant he didn’t have to bring up his. That being said, he reckoned after subjecting her unfortunate self to them, that may change but… Aaron could cross that bridge if it came to it.

Besides, they worked so well together. “Listen, I wouldn’t even want my worst enemy drinking that shit. How can anyone drink that and think ‘ah, that’s just what I need.’ I’d have to rinse my mouth out after having just a sip,” Aaron pointed out with a light laugh, wrinkling his nose up slightly at the thought. That seemed to have work, his usual playful, jovial self shining through. “I don’t have to admit anything, actually,” he added then with a little grin. It was going to be fine. A walk in the park. Maybe. Hopefully. What’s the worst that could happen? They were about to find out. She was right, he knew that. Her reassuring words did make him feel a little better. A little. For now. Still. “Undercover. Yeah.” Aaron nodded, repeating the words to soothe himself. “Month? Well. I mean, it could be a lot worse…” he mused. Amazing, really, the way he was always more capable of sorting Caitlyn’s reports out more than sorting out everything he needed to do. There was usually a stack of paperwork covering his desk, and it typically stayed there until he was on the verge of trouble. Often, he would do everything he could do to wriggle his way out of it - such as writing her reports. It was hard to say no to her, and it distracted him from doing what was meant to be done. That, and he got the satisfaction of knowing he was being helpful. Half of his to-do list was filled with things that took mere minutes to complete, but other things captivated his attention and maybe he was not the best at prioritising. There was mutual respect between the pair, and they helped each other out in different but equal ways, playing on their own strengths to assist with doing whatever it needed to be done. “I am very chilled out, thank you very much, Miss,” Aaron protested with a huff, an airy laugh falling from his lips. “Might as well be in an interrogation. Only we’ll be on the other side for a change. Spicing things up, clearly.” Now he was talking too much. Or simply delaying the inevitable. The way her fingers felt against his neck, a fleeting moment but one that almost caught his heart in a chokehold, he wondered whether the temperature suddenly increased in there, or whether it was just the nerves. Gotta be nerves. “Noted, but believe me. Dinner with my family may as well be the same as walking into battle,” he deadpanned but offered her one of his infamous cheeky smiles still. “Off topic but you look beautiful, by the way.” Words were sincere, but he couldn’t help but think about it. He was just getting into ‘character.’ That, and he had the tendency to go off-topic anyway once an alternative route of thought sprang to mind. “Anyway, what do you say? Are you ready for battle?”

Caitlyn knew that Aaron's relationship with his family was a complicated issue and who was she to judge? Her family was shit too so if they were measuring shitty families hers would probably win by a landslide. Neither of them talked about it, they both knew it sucked for both of them and that was almost it. Of course there were little details that were slipping away that Caitlyn had absorbed over the years like his brother being a pompous jerk.

"I meant what I said expensive coffee" She said almost lip-spelling it a bit amused in an attempt to lighten the tension Aaron had that was clearly palpable "Everyone else drinks the burnt coffee from the office and you have your fancy Colombian coffee, honestly, I'm glad I didn't have the burnt coffee but it's fancy you have to admit." Caitlyn shrugged before giving him a soft smile. "Aaron, it's okay, it's almost like going undercover." A couple of hugs, a couple of kisses, one or two fake smiles and before they knew it they'd both be out of there "But you're definitely still writing my reports for the next month" Aaron was a lot faster than her with that stuff anyway and even if he didn't 'owe her a favor' he would still make his reports if she asked him to. That's how good a partner he was, not to mention that he always had her back so Caitlyn had no problem helping him cope with all that "Now chill out, it seems like you're in the interrogation room all serious and uptight" She he scoffed before walking over to adjust the neck of his white shirt and staring at him to reassure him that she was okay. While adjusting his shirt, she brushed her fingers against the skin of his neck, almost accidentally. Strangely that contact felt a little too intimate with everything that was going on. "Aaron, may I remember you that I went to war? So I guess a family dinner will be a walk in the park."