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.
27
Living with Cass and Desi feels like a dream. If it is, though, then JJ never wants to wake up.
It’s only been four days since Cass broke JJ out of the Sanctum’s prison, but it already feels like a different lifetime. After all, it’s difficult to imagine being cold, hungry, and scared when Cass and Desi have apparently made it their business to keep him warm, well fed, and safe. No hunters looking down their noses at him, no anxiously trying to impress the Council, no constantly waiting for the next assignment to arrive?—
Even though he and Cass agreed that it’s safest not to leave the house for a week or two, JJ still feels freer than he ever did back at the Sanctum.
The only thread tying him back to his old life is Roma. Cass gave JJ a new burner phone with her number programmed in two days ago, and JJ has been texting her ever since. Nottoofrequently, of course—he can’t look at his screen for too long without Desi appearing with a new distraction for them to share—but enough to hold a conversation every day.
It looks like she’s having some trouble adjusting to the “monotony” of civilian life, but on the bright side, JJ was able to convince her to start watchingWyvern Academy.She has strong opinions on whether Snowstorm should end up with Firelight or Amethyst. JJ doesn’t have the heart to tell her that she ends up with Borealis in Season Seven.
Hopefully, they’ll be able to discuss it in person soon. They agreed that it’s best not to be in the same vicinity just yet, not when the Sanctum is probably trying to track them both. But JJ is excited to see the apartment safe house Obie set up for Roma, and Roma seems especially keen to finally meet Desi and tour JJ’s new home.
For now, though, JJ is content exactly where he is.
Content, and—if he’s being honest—a little restless. He’s not used to relaxing for days at a time, and he’s taken to subtly trying to help out with chores, putting away toys and loading dishes into the dishwasher and setting the table before meals. Cass has muchlesssubtly taken to telling JJ that he can start helping out around the house next week, not this week.
JJ was surprised with himself for not immediately wanting to argue. His worst fear back at the Sanctum was being deemed useless or incompetent, so he’s used to going above and beyond to be helpful, even when he’s not acknowledged for it.
Especially when he’s not acknowledged for it. Frankly, he usually wasn’t.
But Cass doesn’t make him feel inept. He isn’t dismissing JJ’s concerns or belittling his contributions; he’s just holding JJ to a reasonable time frame to rest and recover before taking on any household responsibilities. It’s actually kind of… nice.
It’s been a long time since anyone made it a point to take care of JJ. Not treating him like he’s broken or fragile, but just treating him like hematters.
