Page 77 of Take You Home

And this‍?—

This feels wrong. This feelsreallywrong, actually. Even back when he and Obie hated each other, the one thing they always agreed about was that they wanted this binding spell gone‍—to the point where Obie even risked tapping into the Deep and getting Ez involved. That was their first shared goal, their first joint mission, their firstgrudging alliance that set the stage for everything that came afterward.

So why does Chester suddenly feel like he’s about to throw up? Why is he getting cold feet when their solution is right here? Why doesn’t he want to end this as quickly as possible, so they don’t have to count the hours or be mindful of their distance anymore?

Why isn’t he more excited?

But, if Chester is being honest with himself, he already knows those answers. Swallowing what’s left of his pride, he forces himself to meet Obie’s eyes. “And you’ll… you’ll come back, right?”

Obie frowns. “What do you mean?”

“You’ll still…” Chester’s throat feels like sandpaper. “You’ll still visit, right? We’ll still work together to get evidence and all that? You won’t just‍?—‍”

You won’t just abandon me here like everyone else?

For a split second, Chester is afraid that he accidentally transmitted the thought telepathically, but from Obie’s bewildered expression, it’s clear that he didn’t hear it. “I’m not going to ‘come back,’” Obie says, sketching air quotes around the words, “because I’m not going to leave in the first place, Chester. We’re doing this together, remember? We’re burning the Sanctum down together. Nothing is really going to change.”

Some of the tension drains out of Chester’s shoulders. It might not be the current guarantee of Obie’s continued presence in his life, but at least it’s something. “Okay. Okay, good. Thanks.”

“Yeah, of course.” Obie clears his throat. “I’ll just be able to shower in peace more often. That’s really the biggest upside.”

Chester snorts out a laugh. “Well, I wouldn’t want to deny you your showers,” he says, casting his eyes towards the ceiling to consider the other implications of breaking the binding spell. “There’ll be a few other issues to sort out, but…”

Obie’s eyebrows furrow. “Issues?”

“Well, yeah.” Chester shrugs. “If we don’t have the telepathic link anymore, then we’ll have to use more soundproofing spells, and I won’t really be able to answer you if other people are around. And we’ll have to be careful with the corrosion spell, too‍—if the bond isn’t blocking it for you anymore, then we’ll have to make sure you don’t accidentally touch my skin.”

“Those…” Unexpectedly, Obie’s shoulders relax. “Those are great points, actually. Maybe breaking the binding spell isn’t the best idea yet.”

Relief floods through Chester so hard and fast that he almost gets lightheaded. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Obie says, nodding firmly. “Since I’m not planning on leaving for too long anyway, it doesn’t matter if the spell is technically still active or not. Honestly, getting rid of it at this stage would be more trouble than it’s worth‍—especially since we just proved that Icantake my showers at home either way. It’s a win-win, at least for now.”

Chester can’t fight back a smile. “That makes sense. We’ll keep the counterspell on hand, of course, but‍—but we can just use it after I defect, right?”

“Right,” Obie agrees, tucking the piece of paper back into his pocket. Out of sight and out of mind. “That’ll be our first order of business once we leave this godforsaken place for good.”

“And…” Distantly, Chester remembers Obie’s unsettled reaction when they found out about the telepathic connection‍—and the fact that they can’t lie through it. “And there isn’t any risk to leaving the binding spell in place for longer, right? It won’t do any permanent damage?”

Obie shakes his head. “I doubt it. I mean, I’ve had the curse fromthe gods hanging off my shoulders for fifteen thousand years, and that hasn’t done much more than occasionally tickle.”

The words promptly derail Chester’s thoughts. “I’m sorry. Youwhat?”

Obie blinks back at him, surprised. “Yeah. They put a curse over Earth to keep me from storming back to Tamaros‍—the same curse that keeps every other demon trapped here‍—but they also put one specifically on me, just to cover their bases. I think it was supposed to kill me, but since I’m more powerful than a regular demon, it’s just sort of… there. And it’s not like I can ask Ez to break it for me‍—not without revealing that I’m Nostringvadha, at least.”

“But that’s‍?—‍”

They laid a curse upon him that would’ve destroyed a lesser demon on the spot.

Chester swallows hard. It’s been ages since he thought about the ominous words from that demon on Nostrand’s interrogation table, and now, they send a trickle of fear snaking through him. “That sounds dangerous, Obie.”

Obie arches an eyebrow. “Aw, are you worried about me?”

“Yes,” Chester says bluntly.

Something indecipherable flickers across Obie’s face before smoothing over. “Don’t worry, puppy. Like I said, it’s been attached to me for millennia‍—and my god powers keep it from doing any damage. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

“Good. We still have to take down the Sanctum together, after all,” Chester says, and as Obie grins back at him and strolls towards his customary desk chair, it occurs to Chester that Obie didn’t seem terribly excited about breaking the binding spell, either.

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