Chapter 26
26
J J jerks awake on an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room wearing unfamiliar clothes and is already bolting to his feet before his sleep-addled brain can catch up with him. Ignoring his pounding head rush, he snaps into his fight stance, reaches out a hand for an escrima stick??—
It never appears. JJ’s stomach drops. “What?”
Silence is the only thing that greets him. His racing heart and ragged breathing slowly trend down to normal as his eyes adjust to the darkness, memories of the past twenty-four hours rising to the surface.
Sanctum. Tiger. Rifts. Cass. Desi.
He’s with Cass and Desi. This is Cass’s safe house. He’s safe here.
For now, at least. Gingerly, JJ sits on the very edge of the mattress, glancing around. The bedroom is comfortably dark, blackout curtains over both windows hiding the sun, but there’s a thin stream of light underneath the door. Queen-size bed, sturdy nightstand, tall dresser, empty closet.
And it’s warm. JJ didn’t fully realize how cold the Sanctum’s prison was until he was out of it, until Cass appeared in his cell’s doorway and pulled JJ through that rift and??—
Cass. A rush of heat floods through JJ, lighting him up from the crown of his head to the tips of his toes. Cass, who fought his way into the heart of the Sanctum without hesitation to rescue JJ; Cass, who did everything he could to keep JJ safe and make sure they couldn’t be followed??—
Cass, who held JJ’s hand and told JJ he’d handle all the little details and wore that stupid bedsheet toga just to make JJ smile.
And then, of course, JJ proceeded to have a panic attack and nearly break down crying in Cass’s arms. JJ fights back a wince at the thought. Of course he couldn’t stave off his breakdown until he was in private; no, it had to be in front of the one person he wants to impress.
But Cass never treated JJ like he was broken. Not once. He realized how overwhelmed JJ was, gave him time to decompress, brought him home to see their daughter, got him into bed??—
Part of JJ?—the sleep-deprived part, he insists to himself?—wished that Cass had kissed him goodnight. Now that he’s less sleep-deprived, though, he kind of still wishes that had happened.
Firmly, he shoves the thoughts away. Poking around in people’s heads might be Obie’s special power, not Cass’s or Desi’s, but he doesn’t want to risk it.
Taking a deep breath, JJ pushes himself to his feet and stumbles towards the door, straining his now-mediocre ears to listen. He can hear voices wafting over from the other side of the house, Cass’s smooth baritone mingling with Desi’s excited soprano, and JJ smiles as he shoulders his way into the hall.
The voices instantly cease, replaced by racing footsteps. JJ has just enough time to set his feet and brace his core before Desi rounds the corner, grinning brightly. “JJ!” she says, and she hurtles towards him.
This time, JJ only staggers a little when she jumps into his arms. “Desi!” he says, hugging her tightly. “Hi.”
“Hi!” Desi pulls back a few inches, squishing JJ’s cheeks between her hands. It’s such a casually affectionate gesture?—and such an impossible one before yesterday?—that JJ’s heart squeezes a little. “You were really, really tired. Cass said you weren’t sleeping a lot.”
“I wasn’t,” he agrees, and he glances up at where Cass is hovering near the end of the hallway, clearly trying to give JJ and Desi some space. JJ shoots him a tentative smile; smiling back, Cass strolls over to join them. “But I’m feeling better now.”
Desi wriggles happily. “Good! We were just about to have cheeseburgers!”
Cheeseburgers? How long was JJ asleep? He thinks he finally collapsed into bed around noon, and he was definitely asleep for more than six hours, so lunch and dinner should already be over, unless?— “Was I out for a whole day? I thought it was closer to sunrise than sunset.”
Cass’s lips twitch. “It is. But we demons don’t really play by the same food rules as humans.” He turns around, motioning JJ forward. “Come on.”
Bewildered, JJ situates Desi more comfortably on his hip and follows Cass down the hall into the living room. It looks almost identical to every time he came here to pick up Desi, the abundance of wyvern plushies on the couch the only difference, and a little bit of the anxiety in his chest eases at the familiarity. “You don’t play by the same ‘food rules’? What does that mean?”
“Well,” Cass drawls, his eyes gleaming, “I don’t see the need for pancakes to be reserved for mornings and spaghetti to only be served at night. If we want cheeseburgers for breakfast, then we’re going to have cheeseburgers for breakfast.”
“Yeah!” Desi cheers, throwing her arms up. “Cass makes really good cheeseburgers, JJ! He puts lots of yummy toppings on them! You’re gonna love them!”
JJ’s stomach roils at the thought. “That, uh,” he says faintly, shooting Cass a look. “That sounds a little heavy for the first meal of the day, Cass.”
“What, and eggs and bacon aren’t?” There’s an easy smile on Cass’s face, a teasing smile. JJ can’t resist the urge to smile back. “But, just for your delicate human sensibilities, I’ll modify my plans a bit. Desi, do you want a bacon cheeseburger with a fried egg? And avocado?”
Desi gasps with delight, clapping her hands. “Yes! All my favorite things!”
“And for JJ…” Cass’s smile softens. “How about bacon, egg, and cheese on a roll?”
JJ’s throat feels dry. “Depends.”
“On?”
“Can I have avocado, too?”
Cass looks pleased. “You can have all the avocado you want, lackey,” he says, and he turns towards the stove. His kitchen is noticeably smaller here than in his regular house, and a pang of guilt twists through JJ. He hates that Cass is inconveniencing himself just for JJ’s sake. “Do you want to finish reading to Desi? We had a few pages left in our newest picture book.”
JJ’s shoulders relax even more. “Sure,” he says, and he carries Desi over to the couch, plopping down on the cushion and grabbing the book in question. “Desi, can you show me where you and Cass were?”
And, as Desi flips through the pages to find where she and Cass left off, JJ listens to the sound of Cass rustling around the kitchen and feels safer than he has in weeks.
Maybe even years.
“So how are you feeling?” Cass asks, easing himself down on the coffee table in front of JJ and raising his eyebrows expectantly.
JJ casts his eyes towards the ceiling, considering the question. He’s currently sitting sideways on the couch with Desi napping in his arms and a fuzzy blanket pulled over them both. It’s so cute that Cass is tempted to take a picture.
Desi is out cold. All of her trouble sleeping vanished the instant JJ came home, and JJ’s single-minded enthusiasm in playing dragons and chasing her around the backyard wore her out long before midmorning.
And JJ himself, it seems, is just enjoying the peace. “I’m… better than yesterday,” he says, and he gives Cass an uneasy smile. “Thanks for not, um, judging my mental breakdown too harshly.”
Cass squints back at him. “Judging it? JJ, you went through three days of literal torture. Anyone would be at their breaking point. Frankly, I’ll be surprised if you don’t have a few more breakdowns in the next week or so. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
JJ doesn’t look convinced. “I guess.”
Carefully, Cass asks, “Do you want to talk about it?”
JJ falls quiet again, looking down at Desi in his arms. Cass lets the silence linger. JJ has never been the most talkative person, usually defaulting to quick answers and deflecting questions, but Cass is hoping to slowly coax him out of that habit.
He wants to know everything about JJ. Even the bad parts, as long as JJ is willing to share them.
“Not today.” JJ’s voice is soft. “But thank you. Really.”
Cass nods, unsurprised. “Of course. But the offer’s always open if you change your mind, okay?”
Eventually, JJ smiles back. “Okay. Thanks, Cass,” he says, and he tucks his chin more comfortably over Desi’s hair. “So how, uh. How long can I stay with you and Desi?”
Cass bites back a grimace. Part of him hoped JJ wouldn’t even ask that question, just intuitively understanding that he’s always welcome here, but??—
But a much larger part of him knows JJ would never assume that. Honestly, it’s probably good that they’re addressing this issue early. “Forever,” Cass says casually, resting his forearms on his knees. “Unless you had other plans?”
JJ goes still. “Cass, I can’t just stay here permanently.”
Cass doesn’t drop his gaze. “Why not?”
“Because?—?” JJ looks frustrated. “The Sanctum is going to be after me. I’ll be putting you two in danger.”
“They can’t track you through your enchantments anymore,” Cass counters. “And you heard Ez. She locked this place down tighter than?—well, probably tighter than the Sanctum itself. We might have to curtail our food truck visits for a few weeks, but we’re safe here.”
JJ sets his jaw. “But this isn’t your home, Cass. It’s just your safe house. You shouldn’t have to live here full time because of me.”
Cass raises his eyebrows. “JJ, I bought this place because I like it. Sure, it’s a bit smaller than my other house, but that also means less work to clean it.” He shrugs one shoulder. “Plus, it’s honestly a relief to live somewhere the Chain doesn’t know about. Fewer nosy demons poking around my personal business.”
“I?—?” There’s something fragile behind JJ’s eyes. “I don’t have any work history. And I have a high school diploma equivalent, but not a college degree. I wouldn’t be able to get a good job?—not right away, at least.”
Cass almost scoffs. “Who said anything about getting a job? You think I have a job? Absolutely not. I learned how to play the stock market back when it was first invented, Jackson. We’re not hurting for money.”
JJ scowls. “I’m not going to mooch off you, Cass.”
Cass leans forward, eyes narrowed. “First of all, you’re not a mooch. If I know you at all?—and I think I do at this point?—you’re going to stubbornly help around the house even if I don’t ask you to.” He gestures at Desi drooling on JJ’s shirt. “See? You distracted Desi while I made breakfast and everything. You’re already making yourself useful.”
“But that’s not??—?”
“You make Desi happy,” Cass blurts out, and he takes a deep breath, forcing down the last shreds of his dignity. “And?—and you make me happy, too. That’s reason enough for you to stay.”
JJ’s expression shifts. “Cass, I??—?”
“The spare bedroom is yours,” Cass cuts in quickly, “for as long as you want it. And we can make this place feel like home for you, too. We’ll pick up clothes, toiletries, books, electronics?—anything you need. Anything you want. We can get a nice desk for your room, and we can?—?” Pushing himself to his feet, Cass strides to the corner of the living room, measuring out a space with his arms. “And we can put a punching bag right here. Even set up a whole workout nook, if you want. This place might not be my old house, but it can be our home. Yours and mine and Desi’s, too.”
JJ hesitates. Glances down at Desi in his arms. “Cass??—?”
“Stay,” Cass says impulsively, and he fights back a wince when JJ’s eyes snap up to meet his. “Desi wants you to stay. And?—and so do I. Please.”
For what feels like an eternity, silence stretches between them. Cass holds his breath. He knows that JJ is fiercely independent, that he isn’t used to relying on anyone, that he doesn’t usually let other people take care of him, but??—
But Cass is desperately hoping JJ will make an exception this time.
For Cass, and for Desi, and for this little family they’ve managed to build together.
Slowly, JJ nods. “Okay,” he whispers, and Cass’s shoulders almost slump with relief. “Yeah. I’ll stay. Thank you, Cass.”
Cass’s heart twirls. “My pleasure.”
“But, uh.” JJ smiles awkwardly. “I don’t think I’ll need a punching bag anymore. No more powers, remember? I’m?—I’m a civilian now.”
Cass arches an eyebrow. “But did you enjoy training? Martial arts, self-defense? Escrima?”
JJ looks away. “I loved it, actually,” he admits. “Sure, it was part of my job description, but?—but it was also part of me, you know? I spent years training and sparring and perfecting my technique. I liked the rhythm of it, the challenge of it. And I especially loved escrima drills. They were relaxing. Almost meditative.”
Cass can’t resist a smile. “I was hoping you’d say that,” he says, and he snaps open a pocket dimension, reaches inside, and pulls out JJ’s escrima sticks with a flourish.
JJ’s breath shudders out of him, eyes widening. “How did you??—??”
“I asked Roma to take a detour on the way to the prison,” Cass says, walking back over to show JJ up close. “We found them in the weapons room. I figured you might want them back someday.”
And he also took the liberty of having Roma wrap some spare fabric around their ends. He’s already dealt with far too many corrosion burns over the past few months.
“Sawyer got them for me.” JJ’s smile is small and fond. “Bought them with her own money. Chester got an ornate pair with carvings along the sides, but?—but I liked the simple ones better.”
“Probably because you actually know what you’re doing,” Cass drawls. “I presume Locke was just posturing.”
JJ laughs. “He wasn’t that bad,” he says, his eyes dancing, “but he stopped training as much once he became an interrogator. His skills may have slipped a bit.”
“Well, we certainly can’t let that happen to you,” Cass says, and he holds out the sticks. “Here. They’re yours.”
Smiling, JJ reaches out.
And then, abruptly, he snatches his hand away, looking down at Desi. “They still have the corrosion spell on them?”
“I’m not willing to test it,” Cass says, “but I assume so, yes.”
“Then I?—?” JJ’s shoulders hunch. “I don’t want them around Desi.”
He’s such a dad. Cass loves it. “I’ll stash them in here for now,” he says, delicately pushing them back into his pocket dimension. “How about I hand them off to Ez the next time I see her? She’ll love the challenge of trying to strip away the enchantment. And then?—?” He grins. “And then you can teach me a thing or two, JJ. We’ll train together. It’ll be fun.”
JJ’s smile softens. “I’d love that. Thanks, Cass.”
“Of course.”
“No, I mean?—?” Unexpectedly, JJ reaches out, grabbing Cass’s wrist. “Thank you. For?—for everything. This is…” He trails off. “This is a lot.”
Cass hesitates. Sits back down on the coffee table and meets JJ’s eyes. “For the record,” he says quietly, “you staying behind to let me and Desi escape was a lot, too.”
JJ shakes his head. “That was?—that was nothing. I was just doing what I had to do to protect you.”
Do you really think so little of yourself? Cass’s heart hurts. “And now,” he says, carefully matching JJ’s phrasing, “I’m doing what I have to do to protect you. We protect each other, yeah?”
For a long moment, JJ searches Cass’s eyes. Cass doesn’t quite know what he’s looking for. An ulterior motive? A hint of a lie?
Or the parts of them that are, despite everything, inexplicably the same?
“Yeah,” he says eventually, nodding. “Yeah, we protect each other.”
Cass’s throat feels dry. Swallowing hard, he pushes himself to his feet. “And then both of us protect Desi, of course,” he says briskly, and JJ grins back at him. “For now, though, I’m going to start making lunch. How does chicken and waffles sound?”
“You know, that would’ve been a very good breakfast option.”
“Shut up, Jackson,” Cass says lightly, and as JJ smothers his laughter behind his hand to avoid waking Desi, Cass breathes past the contented warmth in his chest and knows that he found exactly what he’s been looking for.