A Thousand Cuts (Cursebreakers, Inc. #3)

11. Fix

Chapter 11

Fix

A shrill tone woke him from the best sleep he’d had in ages, and Fix was determined to give his phone to Ash and let him blowtorch it.

He was scrunched onto Liam’s tiny sofa and there was a paw batting at his face and drool on his shoulder. His back was fucked, his neck probably wouldn’t turn fully to the side for the rest of the week, and he was pretty sure half of his body was numb.

Fix couldn’t remember ever feeling this happy.

His arms were full of Liam, safe and sleeping soundly wrapped up in his blankets and Fix. His head was tucked under Fix’s chin, messy blond hair tickling his neck and tangling in his beard. He could feel Liam’s warm breath on his collarbone and the sweet scent of him filled his nostrils. Fix looked down at the golden eyebrows, relaxed and smooth as he slept. He traced the slope of Liam’s nose with his eyes and settled on those full lips. He wished he could claim them, taste and feel their sweet softness and sate this need burning through his chest.

His mind was full of memories of Liam letting him in, allowing him more than just a glimpse of his beautiful, fragile soul. His heart bled for everything he was going through, his determination to fix it only growing and growing, but it was also bursting with potential. Liam hadn’t rejected him.

King snuffed, batting him again, annoyed at his mere existence still being so close to his one and only and hogging all his attention, which…fair.

“Easy, King,” Fix said, trying to keep his voice calm and gentle, channeling Wren as best as he could. “You’ll wake him up.”

King apparently did not care and batted him one more time for good measure right on his nose.

“We’ve got a lot to work out between us, but we’re on the same team here,” he said, blinking away the tears that sprang automatically to his eyes. Why did noses do that? “All I want is to protect him too. I’m not gonna hurt him.”

King stared at him for a moment, as if understanding and weighing the validity of his words. Fix kept himself as still as possible…but that fucking phone rang again and this time Fix wasn’t fast enough to silence it.

Liam stirred groggily, blinking against the sleep in his eyes and frowning at where he was before snapping his eyes up. He met Fix’s gaze, disoriented and confused before he pushed himself off his chest and tugging the blanket around himself again, a blush sitting high on his cheeks. King abandoned Fix instantly to push himself in next to Liam, who wrapped an arm around the beast.

King gave him a triumphant snort and smug side-eye—the dog equivalent of sticking his thumbs in his ears and his tongue out and yelling “Ner, ner!”

“Sorry,” Liam whispered, burying the word in the top of King’s head.

Fix shook his head, joints cracking as he sat up properly. Damn, he was getting old.

“What for?” he asked as he stretched his arms above his head, plaid shirt lifting and straining its buttons and seams.

Liam’s eyes skipped all over the places Fix’s skin was exposed before he glanced back down at King. “You know…passing out on you like that.”

“You won’t catch me complaining. I’ve never slept better.”

Liam’s blush went from lovely pink to raging red at the words. His hair fell in front of his face and Fix reached out as gently as he could, wrapping his fingers around it and pushing it back behind his ear so he could see him.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Better. Still mildly terrified, but better,” he said, meeting his gaze shyly. “I…I slept well too.”

Fix honest to god thought he’d combust at the words. At how magical Liam looked, straight out of his most domestic fantasies, sleep-warm and soft, tucked into the corner of his sofa and leaning into Fix like he belonged there. At how right it all felt. Them together. Even with King, who was tolerating him at best until he proved himself worthy.

It was a new sense of family.

“Um, your phone,” Liam said when the annoying sound started again.

“It’s work,” Fix sighed.

“You can take it. Don’t let me stop you.”

“But I don’t want to.”

Liam laughed like he hadn’t expected that answer, or the whining. He reached over Fix’s lap, snagging his phone. Before Fix could stop him he took the call and pressed the phone to Fix’s ear.

“Yes, Taylor,” he said, playfully glaring at Liam, who actually stuck his tongue out at him. Brat.

“You got an urgent case,” she said, clacking away on her keyboard with her talons. “I texted you the address. They’re expecting you within the hour.”

“But—”

“No buts,” she said loudly. “Your boy will be okay while you’re gone.”

Liam clearly heard that. He gaped at Fix, who cut the call and dropped his phone onto the couch next to him.

“Sorry about that,” he said.

“She…she knows?”

“My entire team knows my end of things. It’s impossible to keep anything a secret from that bunch. So nosy.”

“Right.” Liam bit his lip and looked away. “And you’re okay with them knowing? About…me?”

“Hard not to be okay when it’s my fault they know,” Fix said with a smile. “I kinda talked about you a lot, and thought about you nonstop.”

That earned him a smile. A real one. Shy, but bright, and Fix wanted to bottle it and take it with him to make his day better. Liam was stunning in the early morning light, bathed in muted gold with his honey blond hair glowing.

Their gazes locked, a bubble forming around them and nudging them closer, suggestive pressure urging them on while blocking out everything else around them. The only sound was a joint heartbeat, finding a twin rhythm as the distance closed inch by inch, bashful and timid.

Liam’s face tipped up, offering Fix the honor of viewing it wide-awake without a single guard in place. The beauty of him stunned Fix, freezing the air in his lungs and making it hard to think of anything but eyes of limpid green, cheeks brushed rose red, lips petal pink and parted just barely.

A tease of tongue snuck out to wet them, leaving the tender skin shining and glossy. Fix wanted to capture that tongue with his own. He wanted to lick the moisture away and dampen his own dry lips with it.

They swayed closer, like gravity had centered in the space between them, inevitable, fundamental. Liam’s breath hit Fix’s face and Fix’s hand reached out for him but hit nothing as Liam pulled back awkwardly.

“You’ll be late for work,” he croaked, breaking the spell between them.

Fix curled his fingers in the cold air as he watched Liam shy away from the magnitude of feeling. He was overwhelmed, it was plain to see, so Fix swallowed the black hole of need within him and smiled reassuringly.

“Right.” Fix forced himself to get up, his body screaming at him with new pains. “I’ll just…”

“You can use my shower!” Liam jumped in to say. “I mean…I don’t know how far away your house is and you have to be on the case soon and so I figured you can shower here and I can make you breakfast. If you want. I’m not a great cook but I can do toast and tea. You probably don’t want toast. Maybe…”

“Liam,” Fix said, voice only slightly sharper. Liam clamped his lips shut as he wrung his hands in his lap, vacillating wildly between wanting to pull back and obviously wanting Fix close. “Breathe.”

He actually inhaled, then released the breath slowly. “Sorry.”

Fix smiled. “I’d love some tea and toast if you don’t mind.”

Liam stood up from the sofa so fast Fix thought he’d trip over his blanket and King as he moved with him.

“Easy there.” He reached out and gripped Liam’s shoulders, steadying him in front of him for a moment. Liam’s skin was warm even through his clothes, and Fix found his thumbs stroking the highest points of his shoulders gently. Anything to feel him for a moment.

Liam shifted a little self-consciously, adjusting his hair and trying to get it to lie flat.

“You’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen,” Fix said to dispel any thoughts from Liam’s head that were telling him otherwise.

Liam’s hand stilled as he blinked at Fix in wonder before exhaling, “Oh, you’re dangerous.”

“Truthful,” Fix corrected.

Liam shook his head pushing Fix away, but the corners of his lips were curling. “Go shower.”

Fix chuckled and ducked into the bathroom, feeling about ready to explode he was so happy. He rushed through his shower, refusing to acknowledge the fact that he was naked in the same tiny space Liam used naked. He ran cold water over himself when his dick took notice of that, nose filled with Liam’s scent and mind reeling with images of Liam wet and warm from the shower.

Fix wondered if they’d fit into the cramped space together. If he’d ever get to hold Liam against his body and worship him as water cascaded over them. He gripped his cock to stop himself from coming just thinking about it, desperate to relieve the tension but feeling wrong doing it with Liam on the other side of the door.

His mind decided to torture him though. It conjured up goose bumps on pale flesh, breathy moans, gentle pleas of ‘Daddy’ and ‘more,’ thin fingers gripping Fix’s hair, and long legs wrapped around his waist.

He braced one hand on the slippery tiled wall and fucked into the tight ring of his fist once, twice, almost giving in to pleasure before Liam’s voice rang through the cramped space.

“Fix?”

Fix scrambled out of the shower, opened the bathroom door dripping wet, and poked his head out.

“You okay, honey?” he called out.

“Curses,” he heard Liam say, and he rushed to wrap a towel around his waist, power walking to the small kitchen.

Liam stood at the counter, glaring at it like he could make it catch fire just by looking at it.

“Where?” he asked, and Liam looked up, breath hitching as his eyes ran all over Fix’s body.

He’d never been more aware of how naked he was, water running between his pecs and through his chest hair. His cursemark exposed to the air. His tattoos on full display. Liam found every single place with his eyes, and it felt like hands running over his skin, the tent growing between his legs too large to conceal.

He watched Liam swallow heavily, licking his lips. They were both in dangerous territory.

“Liam?” he said, voice thick and heavy with desire.

Liam snapped out of it, turning his hips away as if he were hiding his own reaction to seeing Fix so undone. It took everything in him not to drop the towel, pin Liam against the countertop, and grind them together to find out.

Fuck.

“Toaster, and drawer, and water,” Liam said breathlessly, eyes never leaving Fix’s chest. It made him want to preen, to step closer and see what happened, but there were more pressing matters.

He went for his marker in his discarded jeans and broke the curses one by one. The toaster stopped burning all the slices of bread, the drawer slid open with no issues, and the water faucet stopped dripping. By the end of it, his hard-on was gone and so was Liam’s look of desire.

Instead he was slumped against the counter, looking dejected and tired again with his back turned to Fix.

Fix considered going to put his clothes on, but he didn’t want to leave Liam alone in that state so he walked over and stood close behind him. He placed his hands gently on Liam’s waist, hoping he was a comforting presence. Liam swayed for a moment before sinking back, resting against Fix’s naked chest, his shirt soaking in all the stray moisture.

Fix ignored the way it made him feel. Ignored the way Liam’s hair was tickling the skin around his nipples and driving him crazy. “Honey…”

“How is this happening?” Liam asked. “How do they keep cursing me? Why are they doing it? I didn’t do anything wrong, Fix.”

Fix’s heart ached at the words, the urge to make things better for Liam gnawing at his insides.

“I don’t know,” he said softly, leaning forward to speak into Liam’s ear, “but you’re not to blame. Nothing you did would have earned you this.”

“It feels like punishment,” Liam said, leaning farther back and letting Fix hold his entire weight. He felt featherlight against Fix. “I’m so tired.”

“I’ll fix this,” Fix said, squeezing him tighter.

Liam craned his neck to look up into his eyes.

“Your name is starting to make sense,” Liam finally said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes but was a much more welcome sight than the forlorn, crestfallen expression he’d had before.

“I chose it for a reason.” Fix winked and Liam turned in his arms, not moving away. They were chest to chest and Fix could feel Liam’s breath tickling the hair on his pecs.

Liam’s eyes were oddly intent when he asked, “You chose your own name?”

“Once you come of age and are ready to leave Nexus for work, you pick your name. Nexus gives suggestions, but you don’t have to accept any of them.”

“What do they call you before that?”

“We’re called trainees and we have numbers assigned to us.” Fix knew how it sounded. Impersonal. Cold.

“I like Fix,” Liam said, lifting his hands as if to place them on Fix’s chest before he realized Fix was still half naked and just let them awkwardly hover above his skin.

“You’re allowed to touch,” Fix whispered.

Liam chewed his lips, shaking his head. “Not yet. I need…”

“Time.” Fix nodded as he gave Liam’s waist a small squeeze before letting go and stepping away. Liam swayed gently but didn’t close the distance between them again. Fix missed him in his arms already. “I’ll go get dressed.”

He knew he wasn’t imagining the disappointed look, but Liam only smiled and said, “I’ll make you that breakfast.”

He turned around to walk away and heard a small gasp coming from Liam. He looked over his shoulder and found Liam’s eyes trained on the back of his shoulder. His cursemark.

“Liam?”

Liam’s eyes snapped up to meet his, a blush high on his cheeks. “Sorry.”

Fix shook his head. “No need. I don’t mind.”

“It’s just…” Liam bit his lip, looking down at the mark again. “It’s beautiful.”

Fix felt heat flood his entire body at the words. He didn’t think about his cursemark as anything but utilitarian. It served a purpose and that was it. Feeling Liam’s eyes on it, seeing the admiration in them…it made all the difference in the world.

“Thank you,” he said softly.

Liam nodded, wringing his fingers in front of his body. “Um… Clothes. Food.”

“Yup.”

Fix allowed him to retreat into his shell, giddy at the steps they’d taken toward each other.

He walked to the bathroom, rushing through getting his worn clothes back on, knowing he could change into the spare blue plaid shirt he kept in his bag when he got down to his truck. He brushed his teeth with a spare toothbrush Liam had under the sink before walking out again, finding Liam spreading butter and jam onto his toast, a mug of tea already steaming next to the plate.

Fix leaned against the door, watching him as he bustled around the small table, chest tightening at how domestic it looked and just how much he wanted it to be his every day. Waking up with Liam. Eating breakfast with him. Knowing he’d be coming home to him at the end of the day.

“Do you want to eat here or take it with you?” Liam asked, breaking Fix out of his fantasies.

“Here, please.” Fix sat at the table with difficulty since it was so small. Still, with his knees digging into the wood and a simple spread in front of him, he felt like he was at a five-star restaurant.

“You won’t be late?” Liam asked as he sat across from him, his own breakfast plated in front of him and King at his side hovering for scraps.

“Worth it,” Fix said, picking up his tea decisively.

There was no way he would ever skip a cursebreak—he cared too much—but he could allow himself this small moment of serenity to just exist in the same space as Liam.

“Is your case a difficult one?” Liam asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

“Shouldn’t be.” Fix crunched through his toast, trying not to get five thousand crumbs in his beard. “Most of mine don’t take too long to handle.”

“Taylor said it was urgent though?”

Fix chuckled. “That could either mean the client is very melodramatic, or that Taylor is having a slow day at work and is…well, being melodramatic.”

Liam huffed out a small laugh in return, the brightness of it music to Fix’s ears. “Got it. You work with a drama queen.”

“I work with several,” Fix corrected, making Liam laugh again.

“So um…how does it work, exactly? The cursebreaking thing?”

“Oh, that’s unique to each cursebreaker.”

“You don’t have to tell me, if you can’t,” Liam said.

Fix shook his head. “No, it’s not forbidden to talk about, just slightly hard to explain. You kind of…hone your own methods from the basic things they teach you. Every curse type has a theory behind it—things you need to cast it in the first place. And those things have agents that counteract them. So, for example, nuisance curses use everyday objects and materials. The goal is to make it as easy as possible to do and not require too much preparation. To break them you need to separate the curse from the material it’s on. Every cursebreaker kinda takes it from there and personalizes it.”

“So how did you come up with your thing?” Liam asked and Fix felt a tinge of pride that Liam was taking an interest in his work.

“It came from one of my favorite instructors at Nexus. She said casting nuisance curses was like graffitiing the walls with dumb things. It brought nothing of value and just served as an annoyance to those who saw it. So in my mind, breaking those curses was like rewriting over the graffiti. Erasing it if possible. Spray paint was messy, so I picked markers. I use different ones to detect curses and the materials used, and then I use the white one, the ‘clean’ one, to erase them.”

“That’s so interesting.” Liam’s eyes were wide. “You also… I saw you use your tattoos?”

“Just the one.” Fix opened the button on his sleeve to show Liam the trace of a tattoo leading to his cursemark. “This line connects to the center of my cursemark. It’s where I draw the magic from to break the curse.”

“Wow,” Liam said. “I think it’s a bit sad the public knows so little about you. We all depend on you so much. You give up so much to do this and, like…people act like it’s just a casual, normal thing they can overlook.”

“We’re used to it,” Fix said, heart swelling at Liam’s words. It felt so good to be seen by someone. Someone who wanted to know. “But thank you for asking. And for listening.”

“Of course,” Liam said.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. It felt fucking awesome, but what he needed to bring up would no doubt ruin it.

“I was thinking… Would you be okay if I looked into the person that followed you last night?”

Liam visibly shivered. “How would you do that?”

“Retrace your steps from Cane’s to your home, see if anyone saw anything. Some of the businesses have cameras that might have caught something.”

“You think you’d be able to find them?”

“I can’t make any promises, but I want to turn over every stone.”

“You—”

“You’re not allowed to say I don’t have to do that,” Fix said before Liam could finish his sentence.

Liam scowled at him over the rim of his mug.

“You don’t know what I was gonna say,” he mumbled petulantly, and Fix squinted at him in question. “And now you’ll never know. Stew.”

“I could always…” He leaned in closer, brushing his fingers against Liam’s, making the mug in his hand shake. “…make you tell me.”

Liam choked on his tea a little, setting it down, sinking into his chair, and glaring at Fix for teasing him. Before Fix could say anything his phone rang again, and he remembered that, urgent or not, he did have a job to do.

“I have to head out,” he said, downing the rest of his tea.

“I’ll walk you out,” Liam burst out too loudly, jumping to his feet. “I mean, um, I have to take King out for a walk and you’re going out too so I just… We can walk out together. Not that I need to see you out. You know the way.”

“Liam,” Fix said softly. “I’d love for you to walk me out…”

“But?”

“I’m not keen on letting you walk around on your own.”

Liam swallowed, eyes moving to the window before he bolstered himself. “I’ll have King with me. I wouldn’t worry about anyone touching me while he’s around, and it will only be for a moment.”

As if summoned, King abandoned his search for food and glued himself to Liam’s legs, glaring at Fix once again.

“Point.” Fix rubbed a hand over his beard. “Just…stay where people can see you, okay?”

Liam nodded.

“Ready to go then?”

Liam gathered King’s harness and his phone, and together they walked out of the building.

Downstairs, they stood next to Fix’s truck, Liam holding King’s leash and scuffing the toe of his shoe against the dirty sidewalk. He was stealing glances at Fix and making no move to leave.

“I wish I could stay with you,” Fix said honestly.

“You have a job to do,” Liam mumbled, the wind making the strands of his hair flutter.

“I do,” Fix said, tucking them back for him. It was quickly becoming his favorite habit. “But I also finally have something more important than my job. If you were serious.”

“Serious?” Liam asked, looking up at him.

“About thinking about us?” Fix said hopefully.

Liam blushed again. “I… Yes. I will think about it.”

“And you’ll call me if there are any more curses, or any strangers hanging around,” Fix said, raising his hand to stop Liam’s protest before he could even voice it. “This isn’t negotiable, Liam. If you need me, I want you to call me right away.”

“Again, you have a job, and a life, and family and friends.”

“And I’ll drop everything if you call me.” Fix unlocked his truck and opened the door. “Promise me, honey.”

“Promise,” he whispered and Fix smiled.

“Good,” Fix said, wishing he could tack ‘boy’ on at the end but knowing it was too soon. “I’ll see you later.”

“Fix!” Liam called before he could climb into the cab. He looked back and found Liam fidgeting with something shiny in his hands.

“Yes?”

Liam mumbled something under his breath, shaking his head once before squaring his shoulders. He reached out and thrust something into Fix’s hands, cold and smooth to the touch.

Fix looked down and sucked in a breath at the sight of a small brass key.

“Liam…”

“It’s for my apartment,” he rushed out. “If you want to maybe stop by after work. Not today if you end up tired from your cases, just…any day. I have a stream tonight and so I thought…if they’re watching I’d feel better with you there, but it’s a lot to ask and so…just keep the key. If you ever need it, okay? I’m gonna go now.”

He turned to leave, a flush sitting high on his cheekbones, and Fix grabbed his wrist, making him stop and turn to face him. He reached out and placed his fingers under Liam’s chin, tilting his head up to look into those stunning eyes.

“I’d be honored to keep you safe while you stream,” he said, heat pooling low in his gut at what that meant.

“Yeah?” Liam asked breathlessly.

“Always.”

Liam smiled, looking away. “Okay,” he whispered.

“I’ll see you tonight.”

Fix leaned in and brushed Liam’s cheek with his lips before hopping into his truck and heading out.

He looked in the mirror as he drove and found Liam standing with the tips of his fingers pressed to his cheek, touching the spot Fix had kissed.