Page 53 of Gunpowder

GAMBIT

Wren woke him up after a while to tell him he was going home and tried to slip away, but Blair insisted on walking him down. They reached the Audi with little hindrance except for Wren having to slow his stride for Blair to keep up. Blair didn’t know if he was limping because of his leg, his ass, or both.

He put a hand on the door before Wren could open it. “If you see anybody suspicious, or someone bothers you, just call me.”

“Why, are you going to come kill them?” Wren asked with a note of sarcasm, bringing his hand to the side of Blair’s face.

Blair turned to press his lips against Wren’s palm. “If I have to. Yeah, I will.”

Wren shook his head with the faintest ghost of a smile, like the answer was amusing to him, and kissed Blair goodbye. His mouth lingered, sitting softly against Blair’s in a way that was rather at odds with Wren’s claims to not feel anything, but Blair let him get in his car without calling him out on it. The engine roared to life and Blair watched the sleek black car pull into the street. He was surprised by how easy it was to answer Wren that he would kill someone for him, and how true it was. Blair was used to being willing to kill for those he was sworn to defend but he’d never felt that protectiveness for anyone outside of Incindious or his family. He’d never felt a lot of things that he felt for Wren.

Unease prickled under Blair’s skin even once the taillights of the Audi had long faded into the distance. He knew he was alone on the sidewalk, but he swore he could feel Phantom’s eyes on him, observing silently and unseen like the ghostly specter they were named for. It was as though his newfound weakness was emblazoned on his chest alongside his tattoo, just begging to be used against him.

Just let them fucking try it. They could come at him all they liked but if they touched Wren, he would kill them. He would kill them all.

Blair’s alarm trilled him into consciousness at nine o’clock. He groaned and slapped the screen until he hit either Snooze or Dismiss. He didn’t care which as long as it shut up. Mornings usually didn’t bother him and it wasn’t even that early but he had underestimated how sore he would be. He often slept on his back, but he had tossed and turned most of the night when a flare of discomfort would send him back onto his side.

He let his head flop to the side and breathed in. Coffee and expensive cologne. Sunshine.

Blair was dressed by nine-thirty—in a sleeveless turtleneck that was tighter than he liked, but a necessary evil to cover the hickeys on his neck—and went downstairs to meet Spencer so they could go pick up a shipment.

As usual, Spencer and Koji made small talk while Blair checked the guns. Blair usually tuned them out, but the tail end of a sentence caught his attention as Spencer said, “—and with Jinx coming back at the end of the summer, we can’t be too prepared. We may be well armed but Jinx is an assassin by trade.”

Blair shuddered, closing the crate. The mention of Jinx had him looking around as if they would suddenly appear from the shadows, but he only saw shipping containers, a couple of small boats, and further down were the bright yellows and oranges of the construction equipment where they had been working on the docks. He watched the caution tape ripple and snap in the wind, a briny aftertaste settling in the back of his throat when he inhaled.

Spencer asked if Blair wanted to come with him to Felix’s place, but for once, Blair declined. He just wanted the knots in his stomach to disappear. Spencer dropped him off at home, and Blair found himself walking towards his bike rather than the stairs up to his apartment. He really didn’t want to be alone with his anxiety at the moment.

He sat sideways on his bike and tapped Wren’s contact before he could talk himself out of it.

“What?” Wren snapped.

Blair’s eyebrows went up. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were busy.”

“Oh. It’s you.” Wren almost sounded relieved.

Blair chuckled, feeling some of the weight lift off his chest. “Who was that friendly greeting meant for?”

“One of my insufferable classmates. I gave Andy my number because we were on the same rotation, and of course he gave it to everyone else. Now they’re harassing me.”

It was a little too hot to be sitting on his bike, shoes planted on the heat absorbent asphalt, but the discomfort was worth the much needed distraction of talking to Wren. “Why are they bothering you?”

“They want me to come to a stupid dinner they’re having for all of us who are graduating.”

“I could go threaten them for you.”

Wren laughed, the sound wrapping around Blair’s anxiety and strangling it into submission. “Tempting, but I think I’ll just silence my phone.”

“Y’know, not to sound like your annoying classmates, but graduating from medical school is pretty awesome. Maybe you should go celebrate.” He scuffed the toe of his shoe against the pavement, sending a rock rolling across the white line into the next parking space.

“I don’t even like talking to them.”

“How about I go with you and you can talk to me. Come on, you know they’re not gonna leave you alone about it.”

Wren sighed. “I guess. Come here, I’ll drive.”

The phone beeped in his ear. He really had to teach Wren how to say goodbye before hanging up.

Blair had been to Wren’s building enough times by now that it no longer seemed as ritzy and imposing. Wren’s door was a welcome sight. Blair knocked, and assumed the muttering on the other side indicated for him to come in.

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