Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? | A.W.
summary: flashes of old memories come back and your first instinct is to tell warner about them (find request here!)
pairing: aaron warner x fem!reader
includes: cursing, reestablishment, kidnapping, brainwashing, some fluff
a/n: last fic for the 2k celebration! again, tysm for 2k and i hope you all enjoy this last request 🩷
When Castle appointed you and Kenji to become undercover soldiers in Sector 45, you didn't think you would work that closely with Chief Commander and Regent, Aaron Warner. You were disappointed to be working away from the only person you knew, but it was a mission you both needed to complete without complaint. As much as you disliked the man, you could never disobey his orders and he never thought much of you until — well — Omega Point kidnapped him.
Warner refused to speak to anyone at Omega Point. Castle approached him, Kenji attempted to coax him into spilling anything, and Juliette tried to connect with him. No matter what they did, nothing seemed to get him to budge. Their only last option was sending the only other person Warner was familiar with.
You.
You would sit in his room for hours, rambling about whatever popped up in your mind or venting about Kenji being a pain in the ass. He would never respond — merely watching you with a blank face until you mentioned your closet. Warner couldn't help but admit you were one of the better dressed people in Omega Point, so he eventually responded to your nonsense, making your eyes widen when you heard how raspy his voice had gotten.
“Did she take the black dress?”
You nod furiously, “She did! I specifically told her not to, and she—“ You paused and looked up from where you sat, staring at the blonde like you were going crazy.
He tilted his head down at you and raised a brow, challenging you to say something other than your story. You squinted your eyes at him before continuing your rambling about how a girl took your favorite dress without permission.
It didn't take long until Warner warmed up enough for you to have proper conversations — from mornings to near midnight. Everything you spoke about was continued nonsense, but he got so used to it that he knew all your reactions to certain situations.
He knew your favorite color was green because of how much you rambled on about missing trees in the spring — although you noted his eyes were also a bonus to the color. He knew you loved combat fighting but absolutely hated killing people if it wasn't for self-defense. Even if it were, you would tend to shut off and disassociate with the world. Warner knew more about you than most people at Omega Point and you knew that. Something in the back of your head allowed you to get vulnerable with him.
“You remind me of someone I used to know.” You murmur and trace the lines across his palms, committing each crease to memory like a map.
“Do I?” His gazed stayed locked onto your face, wanting to reach into your mind and truly understand who you were.
You nod and lace your warm hand with his cold one, meeting the green eyes that you came to adore over time. “Yes.” You lean your head on his shoulder and stare at his jade ring you learned his mother gifted him. “When I’m with you… a warm feeling spreads across my chest. It’s like you unlocked a memory I thought I lost.”
Now, no one was really sure when you and Warner became you and Warner, but it felt as natural as catching yourself when falling. After every mission — even when the last people of Omega Point moved to Sector 45's headquarters — you would come over to his room and just lay in his bed, quietly talking about the losses you saw or the lost hope of citizens on the streets while and ran his fingers through your hair, letting you press your thumb against his pulse to feel a beating heart that wasn't your own.
It was routine until you stopped showing up to his room one night.
You had just taken duty to scan the area before heading to bed, but no one knew Paris Anderson was coming over to keep close watch. He had gotten word about the rebellion brewing in Sector 45 and had to do damage control before it spread to the other Supreme Commanders. Especially when his own son was the one taking care of this specific sector.
Paris was ruthless with those who defied his orders and you were perfect to take away from his disobedient son. You were gone for weeks until Castle found information about your whereabouts. You were supposedly taken to Oceania and turned into the Reestablishment's super soldier, brainwashed and used for unspeakable purposes. Warner didn’t even want to think about how they made you do their biding.
It wasn't until months passed that Castle decided to do something about your disappearance — each second only wavering Warner's trust in Omega Point. Although they were already caught up in such messes, Warner's number one priority was always you. He didn't care what lengths he had to go through to bring you back, he just wanted to make sure you were alright; That you were still okay.
Castle warned Warner that you wouldn’t be the same person you were when you left — but he knew that you were still in there. You just needed time to recover from the brainwashing. Of course, Warner was always right about you.
It shocked everyone that you saved them when Paris’ soldiers moved to attack, even you were confused once the deed was done. You didn’t understand why you went out of the way to save people you were told were the enemy. But as quick as the shock came, Castle and Kenji grabbed you and moved along, not letting you process anything you had done.
You branded yourself an enemy to the Reestablishment once more. Although Paris was now dead and the title of Supreme Commander of North America transferred to Warner, the other Supreme Commanders watched with a keen eye. They didn’t know if you would ever remember who you were before, but they knew if you did, the Reestablishment would be lost forever.
However, your memories were locked away. Castle tried everything to bring them back, but nothing seemed to work. He deemed that the best way for you to unlock your memories was by waiting it out. Everyone was instructed to treat you the same way they did before. Kenji was back to being a pain in the ass, Castle became the father figure, and Warner… He remained neutral with you.
Warner didn’t want to overwhelm you with the love you once shared. He could tell — from the look on your beautiful face — that you felt like an imposter amongst friends. If he told you about your past romance together, you would probably have a mental breakdown and never recover from the brainwashing.
Due to Warner’s forced neutrality toward you, you couldn’t help but feel more gravitated to him. He made you feel normal in a group of people who weren’t so normal. You weren’t sure what exactly induced you to constantly stick around him, but it seemed to help your memory comeback. Even if it was the smallest things that came back to you.
“Aaron?” You asked quietly as you put a finger in between the pages of your book, looking at him from across the couch. Your favorite part of the day was sitting in the mini library with Warner and reading, listening to the crackling of the fire in front of you.
Warner’s eyes flitted up to meet yours, giving you a reassuring smile when you hesitated. “What is it?”
You bite your bottom lip and close your book, discarding it on the side table. “I think I remember something else? I’m not sure if it’s important though.”
“Every memory you can recall is a feat.” He followed suit and shut his own book. Warner watched as you played with a thread on your sweater, tilting his head when you rested your chin on your pulled up knees.
“I think I remember my favorite color.” You speak so softly that Warner almost didn’t catch it. “I think it’s green. Do I know why it’s green? No.” You looked at him again and smiled when you saw his green eyes already staring. “But I’m positive it’s green.”
Warner nodded and pushed back some of his fallen hair, “Is that all you remember?”
You shut your eyes and try recalling anything else, ultimately coming up with nothing except for your favorite color. You shook your head and sighed in frustration. “It’s been weeks and I still can’t remember who I really was. Castle keeps pushing me into combat fighting and Kenji keeps making these horrible jokes I don’t get. I just—“ You huff and bury your face in your hands, mind reeling from everything. “I’m sorry, I just needed someone to ramble to.”
He creased his brows and let you take a moment to just breathe. He could see how hard you were trying to retain all the memories who previously had, but he didn’t want you to strain yourself.
The light from the fire shadowed across the both of you as Warner took your hand in his and thumbed the back of your hand, tracing invisible lines. You let a tired smile slip through, looking down at your joined hands.
“Why is it that you’re the only one that treats me normally?” You question him and lean your body into the couch further, his touch all too familiar. “I’m sure this isn’t how it was before.”
He hummed and squeezed your hand, “No, it’s not.” Warner pulled the blanket that was draped on the back of the couch to lay across your body, admiring the way your eyes lit up at the gesture. “Our… friendship is a lot more complicated than that.”
You tilt your head and listen carefully to his words. There was an underlying definition in them, but you couldn’t quite place it. Not yet. Instead, you opted to pull closer to the blonde and drape the blanket on him as well, resting your head on his shoulder while you stared at the fireplace. You could hear his steady heart beat from the quietude of the room and it calmed you significantly, allowing you to just exist in a world of chaos.
“I know why I like to hang around you now.” You say absentmindedly and continue to stare at the crackling fire, the logs burning hot red and orange. “There’s a feeling that spreads through my chest when I’m with you — almost like a fire. It’s warm,” You murmur and subconsciously touch the left side of your chest. “And that’s what it feels like to unlock every memory they locked away.”
Warner rested his cheek on the top of your head and shut his eyes, his hand slowly running up and down your arm. You were gaining back memories without even knowing it. You spoke the words you told him months ago with no hesitation.
It didn’t matter what happened between the two of you, he would always be waiting and you would always fall in love with him.
Every. Single. Time.
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