Wren cut his gaze left and saw Fix lumbering toward them dressed in a knitted half-zip sweater, his blue flannel peeking from underneath. His salt and pepper hair was a little ruffled,his beard looking like someone had ran their hands through it recently. He had a plate in hand that was steaming into the darkening sky, curling wisps disappearing behind him.
He walked over to the wire fence and rapped softly on the wooden frame. “Permission to enter?”
Wren nodded and watched him squeeze his bulk awkwardly through the Wren-sized door.
He was careful not to crush anyone as he sat down, sitting with his knees squeezed up before sliding the plate over to Wren’s side. “You didn’t come in for dinner.”
“I ate with the gang.”
Fix looked at the half-munched carrots, plants, and seeds scattered around. “I’m sure the roughage made a good appetizer, but you still need to eat a decent meal.”
Wren shook his head. “You don’t have to worry so much.”
“You gotarrestedtoday.”
“Half an arrest.”
“Wren.”
“It’s not even going on my record,” Wren said. “Which is a shame. Sable and Blu would have looked cool in the mug shot.”
“Please be serious.” Fix winced.
“I am being serious,” Wren said, face completely straight. “I don’t care about things like that.”
Fix sighed. “I know you don’t, but how about this: we do. Hart about had an aneurysm and I wasn’t far off. So maybe, for us, you could tone it down a little please? So we don’t go to an early grave?”
“You think I’m enough to tip you over the edge when you have the likes of Black and Ash roaming around Slatehollow?” Wren asked skeptically.
“Sometimes I worry about you more than the two of them combined,” Fix said. The honesty caught Wren off guard.
Fix reached out and grabbed Wren’s arm, sliding his hoodie up to show the bandages, the rest of the skin covered in various marks and scars. He rubbed a gentle thumb over them.
“Ash is reckless and Black is chaos sprinkled with glitter, yes…but you’ll walk into the lion’s den quite literally without a second thought. You’re brave and selfless. You don’t think about yourself first. You don’t care how powerful something is or if the odds are against you, you always fight and won’t ever stop.”
Wren swallowed at the assessment, unable to say anything back.
Fix smiled sadly at him. “I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand all the reasons why. I just hope you’ll be safe while you battle your way to whatever you’re trying to find so you can finally rest. That’s all.”
Wren’s tired eyes burned, the dark circles under them weighing heavier with the words.
“I can’t promise not to walk into a lion’s den, or fight,” Wren said quietly, not wanting to lie to him or give him platitudes. “But it’s easier when I have people like you to come home to.”
Fix smiled a little, not fully consoled but accepting the answer for what it was. “Black mentioned that cursebreakers from Arcstead were there. A familiar face…”
“Just ask.”
“I have nothing to ask. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I know everyone must have their guesses. There’s no way you don’t have questions,” Wren said, face hot.
“When you’re ready to give answers, I’ll ask questions,” Fix said simply. “All I will say is…be careful. Nexus has rules for a reason, and the stories that went around Nexus while I was there all those years about the consequences if you broke them—”
“I heard them,” Wren stated flatly.
“Then you know it’s dangerous. Forbidden,” Fix said, eyes glittering with well-meaning concern. “They don’t want cursebreakers to form bonds larger than family ties, it’s always been that way.”
“They make sure it stays that way,” Wren corrected. “Gwen made sure the instructors drilled that into our skulls just the same as you, yes, but haven’t you ever questioned why it can’t be different? Why they want us to fill brotherly and sisterly roles instead of anything else? It’s because it upsets their perfect little nuclear family structures. It’s all about efficiency for them. Families are more stable than romantic relationships. That’s all it is. They don’t view us as humans. We’re tools to them.”
