This will be a series of one-shots dedicated to the times before Aiden was a brooding asshole :)
In all seriousness, I have a lot of little ideas for Watch Dogs but don't want to make a million separate stories. So, my sister and I decided to make a series. As mentioned before, all of the one-shots within take place before the events of the game. I'll have a little summary in italics of each one before it begins. This one is simply a quote. Ready, Go.
"Remember when you and mom were sick as dogs but Dad insisted his boy was going to have his birthday cake? That thing was an abomination- all burnt and lopsided. That was dad in a nutshell. He did a lot of ugly things but it was always about family." – Nicole Pearce
Sick As Dogs
Nicole Pearce didn't know whether to laugh or be concerned by her brother's condition.
Aiden lay curled up on the couch, wrapped within the confines of a bright orange blanket. He shakes from chill yet is in a contrasting sweat. His paleness is only rivaled by their mother's, who was in a similar condition in her bedroom. Nicole sits on the footstool beside him. Seeing her brother in such a weak state is simply uncanny.
The 12-year-old blonde watches him glare at the wall with intense, green eyes, "You look really mean when you're sick. What did the wall do to you?" she asks, prompting Aiden to shift his gaze to her, though it softens on impact.
His voice is willowy from sickness, but a gruffness is still present as he speaks, "I hate this."
"Look on the bright side, at least you don't have to do any chores." She crosses her arms, pouting, "I had to do all of yours."
She accomplishes her mental goal of making him smile, even if it's only slight. He sits up, despite his sister's look of discouragement to do so, "I hope I wouldn't have had to anyway. It's my birthday. Like hell I'm going to clean."
Nicole giggles a little, then takes on her best commanding voice, "You should lay down. I mean, you're really sick."
"I'm fine Nicky, you shouldn't be around me anyway. You might get sick too."
"Oh come on Aiden! Let me look out for you for once."
"You can improve your chances of that by not getting sick."
Nicole groans, "You make me crazy! You're just like dad!" she sighs, "Fine, I'll go. But only if you promise to try and sleep for a little bit."
Aiden smiles a rather unbelievable smile, "I promise-"
"Nope!" the younger sister interrupts him, going to her knees and shuffling to his side, sticking out her pinky finger, "Pinky swear."
He frowns, hesitating, as if the pinky swear would seal his promise, enlisting death if he breaks it. Nicole smiles, knowing in her own head, that he had to listen if he swore. She sticks out her lower lip upon his hesitation, making the biggest puppy dog eyes she can.
He glances up briefly, rolling his green eyes and groaning a horse groan, "Fine," he submits, sneezing as he wraps his own picky around hers, "I pinky swear."
Nicole jumps up as soon as he finishes, running out. She skids to a stop when she's out the door, running back, "I better hear snoring!" she calls before padding back down the hall.
"I don't snore!" Aiden calls through the door to the best of his ability.
The little sister goes to the kitchen, stopping in her tracks. The hall that lead to the front door was occupied by a large man. Nicole's face brightens in sudden, joyful realization as she runs and embraces her father.
It's barely a second before the man returns the hug, laughing quietly and lifting the girl off her feet, "How's my favorite daughter?"
"Where have you been dad?" Nicole yells, half happy and half annoyed with her father, "It's been, like, forever-"
He shushes her, placing a finger over his lips. His hands were rough and scarred, as if he participated in many fights. His deep, green eyes were heavy with fatigue, his voice speaking softly with Irish origin, "I would never miss my son's birthday. Where's Aiden?"
"He's sick. He caught Mom's cold." the daughter answers with a lowered voice, then smiles, "But Aiden will be super excited to see you!"
But her father seemed transfixed on the previous statement, his brow furrowing, and "Sick? On his birthday?" he pauses, "No celebration at all?"
"No...I mean, I can't leave. Mom's been sick and Aiden..."
"Please! The boy at least needs a birthday cake!"
"Oh...uh...dad you're not going to make a cake, are you?"
"Why the hell not?" He stands, going to the kitchen, "it can't be that hard..."
"Dad, I've never seen you cook. Like...ever."
"Doesn't mean I can't. That little shit is getting a birthday cake whether he likes it or not." the father finalizes his opinion, pulling out random ingredients.
She observes as he bumbles, knowing that he had no idea what he was doing. Thinking about Aiden, she jogs back to the living room, glancing inside.
Her brother was again curled up on the couch, stuffed in the corner of the sofa. Soft breathes escape him, though he occasionally coughs between deep intakes. Only the top of his head, messy with brown hair, was visible beneath the orange blankets. The boy looked like a sleeping fox in its den. She smiles, glad that he actually took her seriously. Silently she slips through the room, snatching a cookbook from the shelf beyond and hurrying out.
When she returns to the kitchen, her father had already made a mess of it. Yet now, her mother stood watching him, a robe wrapped around her body. Her condition seemed improved, her blonde hair thrown in a messy bun and eyes more alert then before. Nicole hides behind the doorway, watching as she starts speaking.
"You've been gone for more than a week and you decide to come back now?" her mother says in her own Irish tongue, crossing her arms.
Her father turns to her, flour caked on his hands, "Look, I know, I didn't think it would take as long as it did. But I came back, and a day early too-"
"What were you doing?"
"What?"
"I said, what were you doing?"
The man takes on a dejected expression, hesitating to answer, and "I don't want you-"
"I'm already angry, Kane." her mother sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Please don't tell me it's about that call."
"...I told you I'd find out."
"God Kane! I told you not to go after them! Do you realize how stupid you can be?"
"You think I was going to let some bastard talk to you that way? I'm not going to let anyone threaten you or my family!"
"You're putting us in more danger by starting fights with these people! What if he was part of a gang? They'll come after you!"
"Oh trust me, love, he'll stay away."
There's a silence that follows, one that Nicole didn't dare interrupt. Despite not knowing what they were talking about, she's heard similar arguments between her parents. She shifts slightly, surprised when her father turns to the doorway at the slightest noise.
Kane looks at his daughter with a soft gaze, seeing the cookbook in her hands, "What do you got there?"
"Um...a cookbook. So you can make a cake instead of a mess" Nicole answers, trying to utilize a light tone but unable to keep her voice from shaking slightly.
She knew that her father was aware that she had heard the conversation. He looks at his wife, who gives him a disapproving look, "Let him rest Kane, he's sick."
"It's his birthday, love, he should at least get a cake."
"I'll make him one when he's better, but that's not-" she looks a Nicole, sighing, "We're not done talking about this." she submits, leaving the room with a sneeze.
Kane looks back at his daughter, "Alright, how much did you hear?"
"Um…all of it. What call was she talking about?"
"You know, it doesn't matter now. You don't have to worry about it, love." he kneels down so he's eye level with her, "Mom doesn't realize what I'm trying to do. Just let me handle it."
A mischievous smile plays on the young girl's face, "If you're going to handle it the same way you make cake, I believe her."
"So that's how it is." he takes the book from her, messing up her hair, "I'll prove it to you."
He turns away, busying himself with different ingredients. Nicole sits on a chair by the counter, watching him for a while as he curses his way through a recipe. By the time he finishes the batter and pours it into pans, the kitchen looks as though a tornado ran through it. He slides the pans in the oven, kicking it closed, "Beautiful."
Nicole scrunches her nose, "Dad, no offense, but-"
"But nothing! It'll be beautiful." Kane says triumphantly despite the mess, "For me, at least. Baking is fucking hard."
She giggles a little, interrupted by shuffling feet and a sickly voice, "Holy shit, what happened in here?"
Kane and Nicole look up, the doorway to the hall occupied by Aiden. He stood in his sweatpants and old tee-shirt, the blanket he was sleeping with wrapped around his shoulders. He looks at his father, eyes widening a little, "Dad?" he pauses, then smirks, "Well, that explains a lot."
The father smiles at the sight of his son, then raises an eyebrow at his tone, "Oh, shut it kid. I was baking."
Aiden takes on a similar expression to Kane's, "Baking what? Bombs?"
"A cake, smartass. And you better eat it when it's done." He looks at him, then punches his shoulder, "Happy Birthday, by the way."
Her brother rubs his shoulder, though doesn't give much else in terms of a reaction. He looks back at his father, "Thanks but…you've been gone a while."
"Oh, were you worried about me?" Kane frowns a bit, rubbing the back of his neck, "I was taking care of something-"
"Dad, its fine. You don't have to explain it. I know it's about that phone call mom got a few weeks ago." Aiden interrupts him, then glances at Nicole. He lowers his voice, too quiet for her to hear. Their father nods, grinning a bit, as if impressed by something, then laughs heartily. He wraps an arm around his son's shoulders, walking and speaking to him about something the younger sibling didn't understand.
It was then that she realized that they had drifted off into their own world. It amazed her sometimes how alike Aiden and her father really were. They both were secretive men, with hairpin triggers for anger and fierce protectiveness. But the things Nicole saw couldn't be articulated by her well, only thought about.
She felt a strong need to eavesdrop, to follow and attempt to understand. Yet, she knew it wasn't her place. She thinks about going to her mother, too. Asking her about what happened may distract her. But that didn't seem like something to harp on. Ultimately, she keeps to herself, wandering to her room and back, occasionally spying on her father and brother, who were immersed in some animated conversation. Her father's rapid gesticulation tells her whatever story he's telling is one that probably involved a fight. Aiden watches and listens, sometimes smiling and sometimes asking a question she couldn't hear. Whatever his expression, he was clearly paying close attention, like he was learning something important.
Nicole leans away from the small crack in the door, sighing a bit. It seemed she should be able to join them, but they might have well have been on another planet. Speaking an alien language.
A burning smell drifts into her thoughts, then her consciousness. She stands straight, following the smell to the kitchen. The oven beeped loudly right when she stepped inside, the source of the scent coming from its threshold.
Behind her, Kane enters, taking what was supposed to be a cake out of the oven. He mutters to himself, his rambles somewhere between amused pity and angry disappointment as her practically wrestles the things out of their pans and stacks them on top of one another. Aiden comes up beside Nicole as she moves to the counter. The three looked down at the creation like it was some undiscovered alien creature.
Nicole blinks, then looks at her father, "Dad," she says, pointing at it, "that looks like shit."
Aiden breaks into a grin before nearly falling over in laughter. Her father doesn't react, keeping a straight face as he continues to stare at the burnt, lopsided abomination he created. He abruptly drops his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I know, love." He says, looking at Aiden, "You're still going to eat it though. I worked hard on it."
Her brother slows his laughter, "Are you kidding? You want me to die on my birthday too?"
"It just needs some love. You know, frosting and shit." He looks down at Nicole, seeming to be mentally deciding whether to ask her a question."
The daughter rolls her eyes in an exaggerated way, going to the fridge and taking out a small pint of frosting, "I'll help you, dad."
She jumps on the flour-covered counter, taking the liberty to begin frosting the poor concoction. Kane soon joins her, her brother leans forward and watching them. By the time they're through, the cake looks slightly less atrocious, two containers worth of sprinkles thrown on top to cover and outstanding burnt parts.
Another silence follows as they reexamine the cake. Aiden shrugs, picking up a fork and sticking it right in, daring to taste whatever was there.
Kane glances up at him, trying not to seem eager for his opinion, "Well?"
Her brother swallows with a resounding expression of meek indifference, "It's pretty bad…but it's not disgusting."
Their father breaks out into a grin, "Yes! Victory!" he throws his hands in the air, smacking a mixing bowl off the counter in the process. He pulls Nicole close buy the shoulders, looking down at her, "See? I didn't kill him. That is a win for me."
She laughs, wiggling out of his grasp and giving him a hug around the waist, "Good job Dad."
His grin lowers into a sincere smile, petting back her hair and speaking more softly, "Thanks love, that means a lot to an old fighter like me."
She pulls away, looking up at her father. She might never understand how his brain worked. He did a lot of ugly things, a lot of near terrible things.
But it was always about family.