Page 54 of A Thousand Cuts

Shock froze Fix’s muscles as he tried to rationalize it.

Liam couldn’t be out here. He was supposed to be inside where it was safe, behind a locked door, tucked into bed and warm, King sprawled over him to protect him. Not running for his life down a dark street at nearly two in the morning.

He rocketed out of his truck into the chill night air. “LIAM!”

Liam didn’t seem to hear him, sprinting for the door. Fix looked behind him to see what was chasing him. There was nothing but empty street stretching into a tunnel of darkness. He hurried across the road as Liam hit the dirty glass of the building door and pulled at the handle desperately. It didn’t budge, only rattled on its hinges.

“Liam!” he said again, finally closing the distance and laying a hand on his shoulder.

Liam screamed, spinning around and raising a hand as if to hit him. Fix grasped it in his palm firmly but gently, ducking down to look into his eyes. “Liam, it’s me! It’s Fix!”

Liam's fear-filled eyes took a second to put him in focus, pupils so dilated they were nearly eclipsing the green around them, before he rushed forward into Fix’s arms, holding him tight around his waist.

Fix swallowed as soon as they connected, heart hammering. The scent of lavender invaded his nose, but he shoved aside all visceral reactions to concentrate on Liam. He was trembling so hard it was shaking Fix too.

He put a hand on the back of Liam’s head, the messy strands of his hair shifting through his fingers. “It’s okay. I’ve got you,” he soothed.

Liam buried his head against Fix’s chest, a desperate sob ripping out of his mouth as he clawed at his back. He was trying to push himself closer even though there wasn’t a single sliver of space left between them.

Fix held him tighter, ran his fingers through his hair and tried not to let it get to him. He was just happy Liam seemed to find him comforting.

He glanced around the street, trying to find the reason for this terror, but all seemed dead quiet.

Liam’s shaking slowed down, but he was still out of it, and Fix wanted to wrap him up in a warm blanket and make all this fear go away. “Let’s get you inside.”

He straightened up but Liam gripped him tighter, shaking his head.

“Don’t let go,” he begged.

“I’m not letting go, honey,” Fix said soothingly, “but we need to get you home so you can relax.”

“Door’s stuck,” Liam mumbled. “Wasn’t when I left home. It won’t open.”

“It’s a shit door,” Fix joked weakly, but Liam sniffled miserably against his chest.

“It’s cursed. I couldn’t get in and it feels like all the other things. Everything around me is cursed. I can’t…”

He broke down again, tears running down his cheeks and dampening Fix’s shirt. He sounded so defeated, so tired, and Fix knew he was finally seeing the real Liam. The man behind the walls. He ached listening to him cry, but he was in awe of the strength it must have taken to act so in control all the time. The courage he had to face the world with all this fear coursing through him.

Fix wanted to take it all away.

“I’m here,” he whispered. “I’ll uncurse every single thing around you if that’s what it takes. I promise I’ll find a way to stop this.”

Liam stayed silent, but he was still in Fix’s arms, face hidden, his sobs getting weaker as exhaustion took over.

“Hold on to me, honey, okay?” Fix said. “I’ll just get something from my pocket with one hand, but I’m not letting go.”

Liam gripped him tighter, and when Fix released his hold on him with one hand he let out a soft whimper but stayed put. Fix thanked his past self for having left his white breaking marker in his back pocket after his job instead of putting it back in his work bag.

He pulled it out and made quick work of breaking the curse on the front door. The light display that came with his process paused Liam’s distress for a second, and Fix saw him turn his head slightly to look at it before hiding again.

Fix smiled, but it was bittersweet. He had to keep reminding himself this wasn’t what he wanted it to be.

“We can go in now,” he said, tucking his marker back into his pocket. “Are you okay to walk?”

Liam paused for a moment before giving him a nod in return. He took a small step back and away from Fix, but stumbled the moment he did, his knees giving out from under him.

Fix rushed to hold him up, hands around Liam’s waist.