These Cages We Build for Ourselves

Chapter 22

Aster isn't waiting outside the boarding house when Nash pulls up. No surprise there—it's not even four in the morning, and Aster didn't know when exactly he'd be coming.

Every instinct screams at Nash to race up those stairs and hammer on Aster's door until he knows he's safe, but he forces himself to move quietly instead. His tap on Aster's door is soft enough that it might not even wake him if he's asleep.

The door opens immediately. Aster's wide awake, dressed in jeans and a hoodie, with his satchel slung over one shoulder and a tote bag stuffed with clothes dangling from the other.

Questions pile up in Nash's throat, but Aster doesn't give him the chance to voice them. He barely spares Nash a glance as he locks his door and heads down the hall. But he doesn't have that cornered-animal tension from last time—instead, there's a sharp focus to his movements, the same intensity Nash remembers from when Aster saved his life.

Nash holds his questions until they're both in the car. "You okay?"

"Yes," Aster says flatly—less an answer and more a way to avoid wasting what little energy he seems to have left on further conversation.

Nash slides the key into the ignition. "Back to my place? You staying with us for a few days?"

"Yes," Aster says again.

Nash's hand hovers over the key, not yet turning it. "Do you know what happened tonight? To me?"

Aster's eyes flick toward him. "Some of it."

"What about the part where I died... and then I didn't?"

"Yes, that's the part I know about," Aster says matter-of-factly. "Seems you did better at your second shot at things. I wasn't sure..."

"So you did that? You... saved me?"

"Mm," Aster says. "That's what the enchantment was for. I was considering going for something easier, making it so that it just blocked a killing blow, but it's a good thing I didn't."

"Shit," Nash breathes, his voice shaking. The phantom sensation of paralysis, of cold steel sliding between his ribs, still feels too real. "You saved my life, again. Thank you."

"Mmhm," Aster dismisses lightly. "Try not to die again. It only works once."

Nash shakes his head. "I don't know what to say, or what to do..."

"Okay," Aster says, turning away and settling back in his seat like none of that involves him, but he's willing to wait patiently while Nash figures it out.

"How can I thank you for this?"

"I'd like your help with something tonight, once we get back to your place. It's going to be a while before you get any sleep, though."

"I think it was going to be anyway," Nash says as he finally starts the car. "But I'll rest easier knowing you're here with me."

"Good," Aster says, settling deeper into his seat and shutting his eyes. He doesn't quite sleep during the drive, but he manages to find some small measure of rest.

Nash parks and Aster hauls himself out of the car like he's running on fumes. He doesn't look at Nash, just waits silently while Nash unlocks the front door, then leads the way straight to the kitchen.

Niko's waiting downstairs, but Aster brushes past him without acknowledgment. When Niko shoots Nash a questioning look, Nash can only offer a helpless shrug.

At the fridge, Aster wordlessly passes his tote bag back to Nash, freeing up his hand.

"Want me to cook you something?" Nash asks as Aster pulls two eggs from a carton.