“Do you think he was honest?” Oliver asked the next morning, he was making breakfast. Noah shrugged.
“I don’t know, maybe. Why else would he let himself look so vulnerable?”
“He won’t, he hates being vulnerable.” Noah sat down at the dinner table and Oliver put his breakfast before him.
“I still have questions I want to ask him,” Noah said quietly.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? Yesterday he got angry out of nowhere and he almost chocked you.”
“True, but something is different about him. The way he acts.. he’s calmer, even careful.” Noah thought back at the soft and careful Jaiden that took care of him. He had been really nice for his doing.
“By the way, I looked for that boy he mentioned, Alex. There was nothing special to find about him, just an ordinary boy,” Oliver said. His fork only a few inches before his mouth.
“Jaiden literally smiled when he talked about him. He really must have loved that boy if he does so much for him and even smiled. I mean, I’ve never seen Jaiden smile a real smile before.” Oliver laughed.
“I didn’t even think he was capable of loving someone. He was always so cold, there is a reason his villain name is Iceheart.”
Jaiden watched some old videos of him and Alex. It was a long time ago that he had seen the fragments for the last time and watching them made him relive those moments.
The doorbell rang and Jaiden paused the video. He sighed and slowly got to his feet to open the door. He didn’t expect any visitors, his friends were all at work and other than that, he didn’t know many others.
“Noah? I didn’t expect you here?” Jaiden saw the bruised spot on Noah’s throat. “Are those from yesterday?” Noah nodded. Jaiden put the collar of his shirt down. “I’ve them too, because of Oliver.” He smiled a little, while he walked to the living room.
“I.. ehh, come in, take a seat, do you want something to drink?” Noah only nodded and looked at the tv-screen, he saw Alex and Jaiden on something what looked like a sledge made of ice.
“Why are you here?” Jaiden asked from the kitchen. Noah sat down in the same chair as last time.
“I had some questions… What are you watching?”
“Curious huh, I like that.” Jaiden came in and put two cups of tea on the table. “I was watching some old video’s from Alex his camera. He liked to film.”
“Can I.. May I see some? I’m curious how you were when you were with him.” That question made Jaiden little bit uneasy. He bit on his lip and looked at his hands.
“Fine, because I assume that was also one of your questions.” Jaiden tucked his knees to his chest and put his arms around them. He often put his feet on the couch if he’s uncomfortable, Noah thought.
Jaiden pressed play again and Noah watched him and Alex sliding down a hill in the woods. They were going really fast until the slide bumped against a few thin trees. Jaiden and Alex both started laughing. Jaiden laughed so hard that he let himself fall in the snow. He couldn’t stop laughing.
The video stopped and another one began. Noah gave Jaiden a quick look. He was quiet and smiled a little, but it looked quite sad. He didn’t even look at Noah.
In the next video Noah saw Jaiden on the beach.
“Alex filmed this one.” Jaiden said quietly.
Jaiden laid face down on the beach sand being dramatic.
"I hate summers!" Jaiden groaned. "Alex! Save me!" Jaiden held his hand out like he was dying. Alex laughed.
"Don't act so dramatic little snowflake. You literally have ice powers."
"But I'm tiiired." Alex giggled at those words.
“Fine I will help you." Alex put the camera down and a few minutes later he threw a bucket with cold water over Jaiden and ran away, laughing hard.
"Alex!" Jaiden got to his feet as fast as he could. Water dripping from his body. "O, if I find you, I will tickle you to death!"
Noah laughed. “I like Alex, I like how he used to tease you.” Jaiden smiled.
“He always did, but it was fun and I was just like him. One time we had a snow fight. I had made two walls to stand behind and we were throwing snowballs at each other. Alex had to take snow and make balls of it, but I just shoot with my powers, so I was faster and didn’t use the snow behind my wall. At some point he didn’t have snow anymore and he gave up. I hit him so many times that his clothes were white from the snow. He said that I didn’t play fair, maybe that was true.”
“You two were just like little children,” Noah said. Jaiden raised an eyebrow.
“Something wrong with that? I never got the time to be a child when I actually was a child.”
Jaiden looked out of the window. He saw three of his man coming to his house. They were talking to each other and they didn’t seem happy.
“Noah, hide,” Jaiden hissed. He turned the tv off and walked to the kitchen.
“What? What’s wrong?” Jaiden pointed at the window. The three man were slowly coming closer. Noah had to hide now, there was no time to lose!
“Hide!” Jaiden shouted again!
He stood at the kitchen counter when the man came in. Noah sat above him on a wooden girder, so he could watch what was happening.
“Jaiden,” One of the men began.
“Yes Kai, what’s it?” Jaiden’s voice sounded calm and cold, making Noah sudder in his place. It was nothing like a few minutes before. The man who was standing beside him didn’t seem to care.
“We wanted to know why you were walking with the city’s hero, yesterday.” Jaiden’s expression didn’t gave anything away, when he turned his gaze to the second in command.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said calmly.
“We think you do. We saw you walking and he was in his uniform, so I will ask again: What were you doing with Shield?!” Jaiden shrugged, he wasn’t impressed by the man his anger.
“Nothing you need to know. You can leave now.” The man stayed and Jaiden raised his eyebrow as if he was surprised.
“Is there anything else?” he asked, his voice almost threatening. The man stepped closer.
“If you didn't betrayed us, what the hell where you doing there!” He shouted angrily.
“That's none of your business,” Jaiden growled. He summoned his powers in his hands.
“You’re not going to hurt your own henchman, are you? What will it do to the trust of the others?” The man smiled. Jaiden clenched his fists, one of his hands was still covered in white smoke.
It happened really fast. The man came behind Jaiden and slammed him with his head on the kitchen table, holding him there with two man. Jaiden struggled to break free.
“I will ask again, because you don't seem to understand the situation here. What were you doing with the big hero if you weren't working together.” Jaiden stayed quiet. The man took him by his hair and put a knife at Jaiden’s throat. At that moment Noah jumped on the table.
“He apologized to me,” Noah said.
“Apologized? What for?” One of the other henchman asked. Jaiden didn't want to answer. He didn't want to give Noah's weaknesses to some villain. But Noah looked at them. So sure of himself, not scared for anything, now he had his mask on. It was a total different kid, Jaiden thought.
“Because he tortured me. Because he held me captive and hurt me in so many ways.” The villains turned to Jaiden.
“And you let him go?! He’s hero's sidekick! For God's sake!” Jaiden fired at the two man holding him down. The man holding the knife wanted to slid Jaiden’s throat, but Jaiden shielded it with his ice. He covered the arms of the two henchman completely in ice and hit them hard with a fist covered in ice. One of the henchman fell moaning on the ground. His hands clenching around his chest. The other man leaned at the table, his breathing was swallow because of the pain. Jaiden walked towards the leader of the three, his second in command.
“He wasn’t back then,” Jaiden said calmly. He had known all this time that he was stronger than anyone in this room. He wasn’t scared, he let the men only think they were stronger, but when it would come to a fight, Jaiden would easily win. Sometimes it was good to let them hope, only so he could crush every single bit of resistance out of them.
“Oh, so you made them like this?” Jaiden stayed quiet again.
“Didn't you?!” the man shouted.
“In some way, yes I did! What are you going to do about it? Hurt the boy? Because if you do, I swear, I will kill you!” His voice was dark and colder than Noah had ever heard it before.
The man lashed out at Jaiden but Jaiden was fast and shielded himself with ice. He turned and hit the man with his fist, still covered in ice. The man fell on the floor, blood streaming down his face. One of the other two henchman threw himself at Noah. They both fell on the floor.
Noah struggled, but the man started to choke him. Jaiden didn't hesitate and fired a sharp ice spike with an incredible speed. Before the man even realised what happened, he was dead. Noah screamed and scrambled back, eye's wide with terror. They felt sick and pulled himslef to the nearest flower pot, where he threw up.
“Noah, you okay?” Jaiden asked, worry taking over. “What did he do?!” Jaiden stepped closer. Had the man hurt Noah? He couldn’t see any new wounds.
“Stay away from me!”
“I only want to help you.” Noah shook his head, tears streaming down his pale face.
“Stay away!” Jaiden stepped back, what did he do wrong this time. He saved Noah, right? He helped him. What’s wrong with that?
“What? Why? What's wrong?”
“You just killed someone! And now you ask what's wrong?!” Noah threw up again, nauseous from the blood and the dead body in front of him. Jaiden didn’t even care anymore when he killed someone. He had done it so many times that he knew how to ignore the feelings that would come with it. He looked at the boy in front of him, ignoring the guilt he felt for scaring him again.
“Go home, I will take care of this mess.”
When Noah came home, Oliver rushed towards him. Eyes wide with fear as he saw the blood on his clothes.
“O my god, Noah! Where did that blood come from! What happened!” Noah still felt nauseous. His shirt was drenched with blood from the man and the memory of Jaiden killing him stood on repeat in his mind.
“I was being choked.. Again!” Oliver clenched his fists and growled.
“Oh, I swear, I’m going to kill that man someday!” Noah shook his head.
“No, no! No more killing! I’ve seen enough of that today. Jaiden didn’t do it anyway, it was one of his henchman. There was a fight and Jaiden killed the man that was on top of me.” Noah felt the nausea come up again.
“My god, you alright?”
“No, not really, but it’s fine. I can deal with it, it just takes a few days.”
