Title: Guardians
Rating: PG
Summary: Sawyer loves Aaron too. This much Jack knows. He wouldn’t complain about the kid so much if he didn’t.
Disclaimer: I do not own Lost. At all. I wish but alas...
Author's Note: For Lost Riffs at lostsquee: Day Four: Carnival.



“How’d we get stuck with this job again?” Sawyer complains. For what feels like the hundredth time tonight. Jack rolls his eyes.

“Be nice,” Jack replies, all but ignoring him.

“Be nice,” Sawyer scoffs. “I’ve gotta hyper-active three year old hangin’ off my leg and he says ‘be nice’.”

Aaron giggles and pulls on the leg of Sawyer’s jeans. Sawyer glares down at him, but, as usual, the effort is wasted on the kid, who either doesn’t notice, or doesn’t care. Jack longs to be like Aaron sometimes.

“Why don’t you take him on the tilt-a-whirl,” Jack suggests, gesturing to the nearest ride and reading the name right off the sign. It couldn’t have mattered less which one he picked. All he really wants is for Sawyer to actually try to have fun.

He’d promised Claire that they’d look after Aaron, even though he knew Sawyer would be a pill about it. Aaron loved Sawyer. Clung to him. And despite Sawyer’s best efforts, he could never shake Aaron off.

Sawyer loves Aaron too. This much Jack knows. He wouldn’t complain about the kid so much if he didn’t.

“So he can scream, get dizzy, and throw up too?” Sawyer replies. Jack sighs, and, having had enough, disentangles Aaron from Sawyer’s leg and picks him up in his arms.

“If you’re going to be like this, why don’t you just wait in the car,” Jack says.

“Why don’t you stop talkin’ to me like I’m three years old.”

“Why don’t you stop acting like you’re three years old.”

Aaron laughs at them both. They turn to him, and he’s happy and excited. It makes them both shut up, and regret bickering so much. This isn’t about them, if it were, they wouldn’t be at a carnival. It’s about Aaron, it’s about spending time with the kid and making him happy.

They’re so used to it just being them, living as the center of attention of their own little world. Today isn’t about them; it’s about Aaron.

Sawyer sighs and takes Aaron back from Jack. The kid goes, willingly, excitedly, and tries to climb his way up onto Sawyer’s shoulders all on his own. Sawyer chuckles and grabs hold of the him before he can pull all of Sawyer’s hair out, righting him on top of his shoulders. Jack watches, chuckling and marveling to himself.

“Alright, monkey, your choice,” Sawyer says. “Where do you wanna go?”

“Tilt-a-Whirl!” Aaron yells.

Sawyer turns to Jack, half glaring at him for putting the idea in the kid’s head, but Jack just smiles, and eventually Sawyer does too.

“Tilt-a-whirl it is then,” he answers, heading forward through a sea of tacky, bright, neon lights.