Somehow, making Cass and Desi smile feels like everything he’s ever wanted.
28
Settling into a new routine with Cass and Desi’s newfound ex-hunter is shockingly easy.
Part of it is because Cass and Desi already follow a human schedule, of course. Having that structure in place means that JJ blends into their lives easily,effortlessly,their mealtimes already consistent and their days naturally winding down around eight or nine p.m. But Cass also thinks that part of it is just JJ—his openness to new experiences, his unfailing willingness to adapt, his quiet determination to make this work.
Desi is ecstatic to have her other dad back, obviously. Cass doesn’t let her knock on JJ’s door until seven in the morning, but once JJ realizes that, he makes it a point to wake up just before then, ready to accept Desi’s flying tackle-hug and carry her out to the couch so he can read her a book while Cass cooks breakfast.
And Desi has declared it her mission in life to make up for every second of lost time with JJ, between his brief but harrowing prison stay and every other field trip he was forced to cancel. They play dragons in the living room and tag in the backyard and hide and seek in the rest of the house, JJ clumsily crawling into closets and cupboards and shooting Cass a warning glare to keep him quiet.
Cass does him one better and covers him with a soundproofing spell, disguising his breathing and fidgeting from Desi’s demonically enhanced ears. Desi pouts at him every time he does it, but her obvious joy whenever she finally finds JJ is worth it.
Afternoons are usually spent watching movies and reading together. Cass and JJ have started talking about Desi’s education—if they want her to grow up the human way, it only makes sense to teach her the human way, too—and their current debate is about homeschooling versus public school. Both of them are admittedly leaning towards the former—less risk to everyone involved—but JJ insists that she needs to spend time with kids her own age, too.
So far, they’re thinking about signing her up for gymnastics, dance, or ice skating. Desi is equally enthusiastic about all three, which makes their job both easier and harder.
At the end of the night, Cass and JJ take turns tucking Desi in and reading her bedtime stories before turning out the lights. And, even though Desi’s energy is boundless at baseline, she usually still takes a nap in the middle of the morning and a nap right before dinner. Much as Cass loves Desi and loves watching her and JJ together even more, he’s overwhelmingly grateful for those precious few hours, because, well?—
“Hey, can you show me how to do that?” JJ asks, peering over Cass’s shoulder as he starts whisking the eggs together for their omelets.
Because those are the hours when he gets JJ all to himself.
“Sure,” Cass says, and he steps aside so JJ can join him at the counter. “I’ll teach you how to crack the eggs next time so you don’t get any shells in the bowl, but for the most part, preparing them is easy—just whisk them together until the yolks and whites are blended. The difficult part is actually cooking them properly.”
JJ nods seriously. “Because you don’t want to undercook eggs, right? That’s how you get salmonella.”
“Well, that’s howyouget salmonella,” Cass drawls, nudging his shoulder against JJ’s. “But don’t worry. Desi and I will take care of you if your fragile human body can’t handle a little bit of bacteria.”
JJ rolls his eyes, but there’s a smile tugging at his lips. “All right. And then we just need to cut up the fillings, right? The veggies and the cheese?”
“I get the cheese pre-grated, because some things just aren’t worth the effort,” Cass says, pulling out a bag of shredded pepper jack—JJ’s favorite, he’s learned. “And then for the veggies…” Cautiously, he holds up a chef’s knife. “Do you know how to use one of these?”
JJ’s smile wavers. “Not… not to cut vegetables, no.”
Deliberately, Cass lets the moment pass. JJ is still dealing with the fallout from his capture and imprisonment, of course, but Cass is gradually starting to realize that some of his wounds are even deeper and more insidious than that, traumas built up from years of struggling to be a cog in a machine that never wanted him there in the first place.
When JJ is ready to talk about it, he will. Cass can wait as long as he needs. “That’s fine. I’ll show you. For the scallions, you’ll want to use a seesawing motion, see?” He demonstrates slowly, chopping them halfway before extending the knife towards JJ, handle first. “Here. You try.”
Delicately, JJ takes the knife. Almost automatically, he shifts it in his hand like he’s about to use it as a weapon, and he visibly pauses before trying to copy Cass’s grip, pinching the blade between his thumb and index finger and wrapping his other fingers around the handle. “Like this?”
“Just like that,” Cass says softly, and he nods in approval as JJ carefully starts chopping. “Perfect. We’ll make a chef out of you yet, Jackson.”
JJ’s lips curve into a smile, but his focus remains on the knife as he cuts the rest of the scallions into neat pieces. “All right. What’s next?”
It’s the same easy rhythm they’ve fallen into over the past week and a half. Much as Cass would like to just spoil his co-parent and their semi-adopted daughter, he knew from the start that JJ isn’t one to sit idle. He likes helping around the house, likes keeping himself busy, likes contributing as much as he can.
So Cass tactically starts doing chores during Desi’s naps. Normally, he has spell automations set up to keep everything clean and tidy, but he quietly deactivates them, washing dishes and sorting laundry side by side with JJ. A few of the chores spark memories and conversations—apparently, ten-year-old JJ’s designated job was unloading the dishwasher, and his mother listened to audiobooks while she folded clothes—but for the most part, JJ just seems happy to help.
Happy to spend time with Cass, too, he thinks.
But JJ is frustratingly opaque at the best of times. Cass has the sinking suspicion that he was never really allowed to express his thoughts and opinions back in the Sanctum, so he just learned to stay quiet. Honestly, it kind of breaks Cass’s heart.
It also makes knowing what JJ wants—much less what heneeds—a lot more difficult. That sleep-deprived“you”when Cass asked JJ what he wanted a week and a half ago has unfortunately not been repeated, and Cass?—
Cass doesn’t want to push JJ. Not when he’s already been through so much, not when Cass and Desi are essentially his only lifelines right now.
Not when JJ is living in Cass’s house and eating Cass’s food and relying on Cass for basic survival. Cass would never want JJ to feel coerced into returning his feelings because of fear that he would be kicked out—and never allowed to see Desi again—if he didn’t.
