tags: implied mutual feelings, fluff, implied angst I guess, unspoken feelings, tension, kissing, not proof-read
summary: aiden pearce uses a citywide blackout to steal a kiss he’ll never admit to wanting
author’s note: this drabble is not double checked so bear with me as I have not written in years but I did my best. also aiden is such an underrated dilf I need dat…
You weren’t even sure why he asked you to meet here in the first place.
A quiet stretch of street tucked between taller buildings, dimly lit and mostly forgotten at this hour. A few streetlights buzzed overhead, their glow weak and uneven, barely holding back the dark. The rest of Chicago hummed somewhere beyond, distant enough to feel unreal.
Aiden stood a few steps away, half in shadow, trenchcoat wrapped around him like it always was - like armor. His hands were buried deep in his trenchcoat pockets, head slightly lowered beneath the brim of his cap.
He hadn’t said much since you arrived.
“You always pick the creepiest places,” you muttered, glancing around. “You gonna tell me what this is about, or am I just here for the ambiance?”
A pause.
Then, quietly, “Just needed you here.” That was it. No explanation. No eye contact. Just that low, gravel-edged voice that made everything feel heavier than it should.
You took a step closer. “For what?”
He didn’t answer right away. But something shifted. Subtle. Easy to miss if you weren’t already paying too much attention to him.
His hands stayed tucked in his trenchcoat pockets, but there was the faintest movement, his thumbs tapping against something. Controlled. Precise. Like muscle memory. Like he wasn’t even looking at what he was doing. He knew what he was tapping on the screen without needing to take his phone out.
Tap. Pause. Tap-tap.
Your brows knit slightly. “So, why do you want me here?”
Then suddenly, the city went out.
The power grid dropped into silence, every light in the city snuffed out at once. Streetlights. Windows. Signs. All swallowed by darkness so complete it felt physical. For a second, the city forgot how to breathe. Then came the distant chaos; car horns, civilian voices, confusion rising like a wave somewhere far off.
Your breath caught. “What the-”
You didn’t finish.
Because something shifted in front of you.
Closer.
Close enough that the air changed. Close enough that you could feel him without seeing him - the heat of him, the faint brush of his trenchcoat, the quiet gravity he carried like a second skin.
“Aiden?” you whispered.
No answer.
Just the sound of a step, soft, deliberate.
Until his hand found your jaw, feeling the soft knit fabric of his grey long-sleeved thumb holes on your skin. Firm. Grounding. Tilting your face just slightly like he already knew exactly where you were in the dark.
And then his lips were on yours. Not rushed. Not careless.
Intentional.
The kind of kiss that felt like it had been waiting. Held back, locked down, restrained until the exact second it could exist without consequence. Firm, warm, steady.
He didn’t hesitate, but he didn’t overwhelm either. Just enough pressure to make your thoughts scatter, to make your breath hitch against his. His grip didn’t tighten, but it didn’t loosen either, anchoring you there while the rest of the world disappeared.
You were completely caught off guard by his bold move, but you wouldn’t complain about it either way. The darkness should’ve made it worse, but feeling Aiden this close only made you want more and heightens your urge to deepen the kiss.
For a moment, it stayed like that.
The city dark. The noise echoed from the distance. Everything narrowed down to that single point of contact.
Your fingers twitched, instinctively wanting to grab onto him. His trenchcoat, his sleeve, anything… but before you could-
He pulled away. Mouth slightly parted, warm breaths hitting against each other. Lips grazing the other, feeling the hidden temptation to wanting to kiss more in the dark.
But that warmth vanished. The space between you snapped back into place like nothing had filled it.
“Aiden?” Your voice came out quieter this time, uncertain. You turned slightly, opening your eyes trying to find him despite still being in the dark, listening for footsteps, for movement, anything.
Nothing.
No sound. No presence. Just the echo of something that felt too real to be imagined.
Then the city came back.
Lights flickered to life. Neon signs buzzed awake. Windows glowed like nothing had ever happened. The hum of electricity rushed back in, loud and indifferent.
You blinked, eyes adjusting to the brightness of your surroundings, heart still caught somewhere behind your ribs. He wasn’t there. No warning. No silhouette. No trace. Nothing.
Just you. Standing in a street that suddenly felt too bright, too normal.
What the fuck just happened?
Your hand lifted slowly, fingers brushing over your lips, like you needed proof. Like maybe you’d imagined it.
A beat.
Then your phone buzzed.
You looked down. One message. From Aiden.
We’re done here. Go home.
You stared at it. Then back up at the empty street. “…You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Somewhere down the block, just beyond the reach of returning light, a figure moves.
Aiden walks the length of the sidewalk with his hands buried in his trenchcoat pockets, shoulders set, pace unhurried. The city begins to wake behind him, lights flickering back, voices rising, but he doesn’t look back.
And if anyone had been close enough to see beneath the shadow of his cap, they might’ve caught it - just barely, at the corner of his mouth, hidden beneath shadow the faintest hint of a fleeting, almost imperceptible curve.
You ever just see a character and immediately get attached to them and be like, "god, you're so fxcking perfect" while staring at them lovingly?
Me when Ultron, fr tho-
He's so goddamn hot, it's honestly a crime, no wonder he was the villain; lowkey wanna climb this mfer like a tree
And I'm over here completely obsessing over him like my life depends on it, AND THE FACT THAT HE'S 8FT TALL DOESN'T HELP, LIKE- my 5'3" ass could never; AND HIS VOICE, TOO, HELLOOO???!??
I could gen stare at him for hours I’m gonna tweak out
I could listen to him for hours too PLEASE I WANNA FALL ASLEEP TO HIM JUST TALKING ABOUT WHATEVER
The eyes of a man who’s got crippling loneliness and needs his helm pet and stroked
Literally looking like a shy dog who wants attention
“I don’t.. have anyone else..”
Sir I’m gonna need you to just stop what you’re doing, lemme lay down, and Imma have you just bury your face in my chest so I can stroke your head ohmygODS
I need to cuddle this hunk of metal so bad it’s not even funny gimme GIMMEEEEE🎶
There’s so many shapes you can trace too cause of how intricate his body is… something tells me he’d find it so unbelievably soothing gah…
Not that I even wanna fix him but I bet I could get him to postpone his genocide if I pet him enough
All you hear is a fan whirring while his antennae slowly spin ough…
Hot metallic weighted blanket, literally the dream, best nap ever 10/10 you’re literally perfect and I love you
Someone better write a fic or else I’ll do it myself and it’ll SUCK /silly
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