A Human’s Guide to Surviving Magical Mishaps by Kit Bryan

Ashton creeps over and kneels by my bedside. He looks me in the eyes and sighs. I can't actually see his face in the dark, but I think his vision is a little better than mine. I don't mind it right now, it's actually easier not being able to see him. "I hoped you were asleep." He says quietly. I don't answer, just give a sort of awkward half shrug. I don't want to wake Lucy by moving around too much.

"I know that you are not ready to talk to me. But I want to make sure that our connection is not causing you discomfort. I am finding it difficult to be away from you, but I do not know if it is because of our connection or because I am very concerned about you." He says softly. Ashton moves in closer, so close that now even I can see his face. His worry is obvious and I don't want to see it. I turn my face away. I hear a rustling sound as Ashton gets to his feet. All of a sudden I panic and before I even realise I'm moving, I reach out in the dark and grab his hand. He immediately links his fingers with mine and holds it tightly. He kneels back down on the floor by my bed. He's right that I'm not ready to talk to him, I don't want to look at him and see the guilt and pity on his face either. But despite all that, I don't want him to leave either. I know that's selfish but right now I think I'm allowed to be a little selfish, right? Ashton sits there with me in the dark. I keep waiting for him to leave, but he stays where he is. I suppose he will probably leave when I fall asleep. He's probably uncomfortable, but it's just for a little longer.

I wake up feeling groggy. My eyes kind of hurt and I'm sweating under way too many blankets which feel super heavy on top of me. Also I'm kind of starving and something smells really good. I go to sit up, but realise my arm is trapped. I roll towards it and find myself face to face with Ashton. He is clutching my hand tightly and his head is resting on my arm. Also I think he's asleep. That looks super uncomfortable. Why is he asleep on the floor? I... Oh. Everything comes rushing back to me. In that sleepy half awake, half asleep state I forgot for a minute, or maybe I was just able to pretend that everything is normal. I feel like I might choke or cry and I wish I could go back to sleep and forget everything again. I don't get the chance though because a few seconds later Lucy kicks the door open gently with her foot and carries in a tray of food.

"Oh good, you're awake. I made breakfast." She glances at Ashton and knocks his leg with her foot. He groans and sits up.

"Hmm?" He mumbles.

"Wake up, it's breakfast time. Yours is in the kitchen." She tells him with a hint of attitude. I don't think Lucy is happy to see him here, or at all to be honest. I suspect she's as angry with him as Marcus is. I don't have the energy to be angry anymore. Maybe I will be later, but right now I'm just going to focus on one thing at a time, and right now that thing is the tray of bacon and eggs that Lucy has placed in my lap. No wonder something smelled good. Lucy has been cooking. Ashton releases my hand and gets to his feet slowly. His movements are stiff and awkward. He stretches and winces a little. Sitting on the floor all night was probably not a great idea. I feel like I should tell him that he really didn't need to stay all night, but I'm too busy eating. Instead I just give him a look that must get the message across because he shrugs.

"This is where I needed to be." Is all he says in response before he heads to the kitchen to get his breakfast. I expect him to eat there, but a moment later he returns with his own plate and plops himself straight back down on the floor where he sat all night and starts eating. Alright then... I guess he's planning on staying put. I can't be bothered arguing so I just keep eating. I hear footsteps in the hall and then Marcus knocks on the open door.

"Is this where everyone is hanging out? I was gonna eat at the table but it was kind of lonely." He has his own plate and he perches himself on the end of my bed. Lucy has already climbed in beside me and is grabbing food from my tray which clearly has way too much food for just me on it so I assume she added her own serving to it too so we could share. I stay quiet while I eat. Marcus and Lucy chat casually about work stuff, just silly customers and scheduling issues, nothing too important. They make no effort to include Ashton in the conversation and he makes no effort to join in. They don't outright ask me anything, but every now and then their chatter slows or pauses and there's a clear opportunity for me to jump in and say something. I don't take any of those chances. I can't think of any good work stories, I haven't been there so I haven't had any issues with the scheduling, but mostly I just don't feel like talking and no-one pushes me into it which is a relief. I DO appreciate their company though. Silence would be far worse.

I stay in bed pretty much all day aside from a couple bathroom breaks. Lucy brings me food and she and Marcus take turns keeping me company and occasionally stepping out to take phone calls. They even take calls that come to my phone. More than once people come to the door. I never see the people. Each time, Marcus answers and tells them that I'm not ready for guests and to try again another time. Throughout all of this, Ashton stays sitting on the floor by my bed. He doesn't pressure me to talk, he doesn't really do anything other than sit there and silently keep me company. I know he's worried about me, he's also feeling guilty and he's terrified to leave me alone in case I almost die again. He also doesn't want the connection between us to add to my misery. So he just stays close. I suppose he isn't willing to leave until Fin is back to keep an eye on me. The sun has been down for maybe half an hour when there's another knock on the door. "I got this one." Lucy says, clambering out of the bed and heading for the door. A minute later she calls out to us.

"Uh... Ashton? It's for you..." She trails off. Ashton sighs and gets to his feet. He heads out to join her. Marcus sticks his head out the door and his eyes go wide. There is a lot of noise coming from the hallway. Curiosity gets the best of me and I leave my cocoon of blankets to see what's going on. Marcus steps aside so I can look. Fin is back, and with him he has at least a dozen other fae. Not one of them is wearing a glamour so I guess it's a good thing it's dark out or they would probably have a ton of fans following after them, or a mob of angry humans. Lucy looks more than a little overwhelmed. I get the feeling this is going to be a long night.