Page 56 of A Thousand Cuts

“Liam, do you want me to go?” Fix asked, then nearly jumped in shock when Liam snapped his head around toward him.

“NO!” he blurted before covering his lips with his fingers. “I’m sorry. I… No. I mean…if you have to be somewhere then yes, you should go. But I…”

He let the silence hang in the air, begging without words but finding it hard to say it. Fix understood anyway.

“I have no cases open at the moment,” Fix said softly. “And nowhere else to be. If you want me to stay, then I’m more than happy to.”

Liam chewed on his bottom lip. “Yeah?”

“How about this? We get you tucked into that blanket there so you can relax, and I’ll make us that tea.”

“I can—”

“Liam,” Fix said, allowing for that bit of sternness into his voice. “Let me.”

Liam sagged visibly and dragged himself to the small sofa. He curled up in one corner and tried to tug the blanket around himself, but it was stiff as a metal plate and unmoving. He gave it another tug with the same results and Fix could see the calm they’d managed to achieve seep away from him as frustration and fear took over again.

The blanket was clearly cursed, and Fix had no idea when that had happened. He’d been keeping watch for hours. He hadn’t seen anyone walk in or out of the building.

Liam pulled at the corner of the blanket, eyes watering again, and Fix jumped to him, covering his hands with his own and making him stop.

“I hate it,” Liam whimpered. “I hate it so much.”

“I know, honey,” Fix said, guilt eating him up. He’d failed at the one thing he felt like he could do for Liam. “I’ll fix it.”

He pulled out his marker again and broke the curse in just a few seconds, grabbing the now fluffy blanket and wrapping it around Liam. He tucked him in like a little burrito, making sure no chill had any space to enter.

He pulled back, but allowed himself a moment of weakness as he reached out and tucked Liam’s hair behind his ears.

“There,” he said. “Nice and cozy again.”

Liam looked down, nodding shallowly.

“I’ll make tea, and then you’ll tell me where you were and what got you so scared.”

Liam looked haunted but nodded again. “Tea’s above the sink. Mugs too. I’ve got honey…”

His voice trembled on the word and Fix ignored it pointedly. Now was not the time. He rushed to make their tea and brought the two steaming, star-speckled mugs to the coffee table.

He set them down and sat closer to Liam than was strictly necessary. The sofa was small and he could have left some space between them, but Liam had wanted him close and Fix wanted to do anything to make Liam feel safer.

Liam relaxed his shoulders and closed his eyes the moment Fix sank into the cushions, and Fix felt like he had done something right. King eyed him warningly but remained draped across Liam’s legs and allowed his presence too.

Maybe he really was growing to tolerate him.

“Are you feeling better?” Fix asked, taking one mug from the table and handing it to Liam.

“A bit, yeah.” Liam wrapped his fingers around it for warmth, holding it close.

Fix sipped from his own mug as he let the air calm further, nothing but the wind outside the window and their quiet breaths and sips filling the night. He knew he had to ask though.

“Would you be okay telling me what happened?”

“I…” Liam inhaled and exhaled to get rid of the shake in his voice. “I went to Cane’s warehouse.”

“To work?” he asked, trying to keep it neutral. He truly had nothing against Liam’s line of work, but the thought of someone laying hands on him made him see red.

“No, I…” Liam shook his head, swallowing a sip of tea before continuing. “I went to talk to Cane about the stuff he found out about me…for you.”