The mattress dips as he sits on the edge of the bed, then lowers himself down carefully. The covers rustle. He shifts, settling on his back, every movement deliberate, like he’s afraid the bed might explode if he’s not gentle enough.
He’s close.
Not touching.
But close.
In the silence, I can hear everything: his breathing, a little uneven and the rustle of fabric as he folds his arms over his chest, even the creak of the bed frame as our combined weight settles.
For a long moment, we just lie there.
The room smells like laundry detergent and pine and Knight.
My nerves buzz.
“On a scale of one to panic,” he says quietly, “where’s your anxiety right now?”
I stare at the dark. “Like… a six. Maybe seven.”
He hums. “What can I do to drop it two points?”
“Besides reprogram my brain chemistry?”
“I left my neuromancer hat at home,” he says. “You get the low-tech version.”
“Talk to me,” I say, surprising myself. “About anything. Distract me.”
He thinks for a second.
“I fixed the front door lock while you were in the shower,” he says. “It sticks less now. And I rigged a little chime with a string and a spoon, so if someone tries it from the outside, it’ll make noise.”
Warmth curls under my ribs. “Of course you did.”
“There’s a loose floorboard in the living room,” he continues. “I reinforced the window latches. The back one had a faulty catch, so I swapped it with the one from the bathroom. And I moved your shoes so you won’t stub your toe if you have to run.”
I blink into the dark.
He says it like he’s listing debugging updates. Casual. Efficient.
Every item is a small, quietI thought about you.
“Any other patch notes?” I ask softly.
“I keep thinking about how to get you out of this,” he admits. “Even if they never pull the bounty, even if we never find Helios. I keep replaying every move we made that led to this point, wondering where I could’ve misstepped less.”
Pain pricks.
“Knight,” I whisper, turning my head toward him. “This isn’t your fault.”
“I keep saying that to myself,” he says. “My brain doesn’t believe me yet.”
“Well, your brain can get in line behind mine,” I say. “Because mine’s very sure I chose this. I blackmailed my way into your operations, remember? You didn’t recruit me. I walked in and kicked the door down.”
He huffs a small laugh. “Yeah. That was… aggressively you.”
“And I’d do it again,” I add. “Even knowing this is where we’d end up.”
He’s quiet.
