Chapter Text
It wasn’t too often, however from time to time Benrey would catch Gordon peering through the living room window late at night. They knew first hand that Gordon was uncomfortable with going outside, so what drew the borrower to the window so much? A dreadful thought came up.
Gordon didn’t want to leave, did he?
He was safe here, sure Bubby and Coomer could be quite the bunch when they came over, but they’d never hurt Gordon. They’d have to ask him. Surely Gordon wouldn’t actually want to leave, there had to be another explanation. Quickly they went to search for the borrower. It was getting late, maybe he’d be-
Benrey could see his shadow from behind the curtain, and he almost deflated from the realization. He approached slower before setting their hands on the table in front of them. “yoo uh peetman, did uh. did you wanna leave?” Benrey asked, their eyes flickering away from Gordon's figure as he asked. They rested their weight against the small table fixed under the window.
Gordon froze and moved from where he sat. He peered from behind the curtain, and he looked up at Benrey. Wordlessly he scurried over and pressed his hands onto one of Benrey’s finger.
“Why would I wanna leave? You’re my friend, and so is Tommy and Sunkist, why would I want to leave you?” The confusion was etched into his voice as he finally spoke. He looked up, trying to catch Benrey’s gaze.
Benrey frowned and motioned to the window with his other hand. “you uh, like the window a lot? thinking of new places and... y'know,” They sounded more confused than Gordon did, and the sharp breath Gordon took in finally drew their gaze back down to the borrower.
“I um…” Gordon trailed off before running a hand through his hair. “You can’t laugh.” He suddenly said.
Benrey cocked his head to the side before nodding.
“I like the stars,” Gordon mumbled, tugging some loose locks that fell from his hair clip.
Benrey quirked a brow before letting out a low chuckle. “stars?” He asked for confirmation.
Gordon let out a groan and dropped his head against their hand. “Yes Benrey stars, the dots in the sky I think they’re… nice,” He responded with a defeated sigh.
They only grinned in response. “you uh, wanna go out and look at them?” Benrey asked, turning his hand over so that Gordon could hop on if he so wished. “epic gamer moments for little peetman? see some funky bright boys in the sky?”
Gordon’s head shot up, and his eyes widened at the question. Benrey was positive that if they leaned any closer, he was sure that Gordon’s eyes would be shining. They could feel Gordon scrambling to climb into their hand in excitement before suddenly stopping.
“You uh, won’t set me on the grass right? Or- or anywhere for that matter?”
“full guarantee, you’ve got first class tickets on the benrey express, gotta uhhhh, keep all hands and peets inside,” Benrey gave Gordon a light tap on the head with their other hand and smiled as he finished climbing into their hand.
The walk to the door was short, and Benrey stepped into the warm night air. He never really liked being out much in the summer, the humidity made him feel uncomfortable, but a little bit of time outside wouldn’t hurt. Plus, they could feel Gordon almost melt in his hand when the air hit him.
Benrey settled in an open spot in the grass. A forest stretched out behind the house, but there was enough room to sit out and gaze out amongst the stars. They leaned back, head hitting the ground with a soft thud, and they huffed as their hair fanned out around them. Once they were a bit more comfortable, they rested their hand on their chest so that Gordon could also get comfortable.
Gordon curled up quickly and stared up at the sky, his eyes wide. It was the first time he was outside and felt safe. While he still felt vulnerable under the open sky, he was able to retreat back under Benrey’s hand if it happened to become too overwhelming for him. He smiled and watched silently.
However, a thought reached his mind, and he turned his gaze to Benrey.
“Did you really think I wanted to leave?” Gordon quietly asked, shuffling slightly where he lay on Benrey’s chest. Benrey gave a quiet nod in response, and Gordon frowned. He thumped his tail lightly on Benrey before speaking again, remembering some of his life when he was younger. “In my nest I, it was all I really dreamed about doing, finding somewhere new.”
Benrey perked with interest. It wasn’t often Gordon spoke about his past, but why would he be sharing that now? “what about it?” Benrey asked, moving a hand to give the borrower a small tap.
“I am somewhere new Benrey. Somewhere I’m happy, so no leaving, okay?” Gordon said more firmly, curling his tail around Benrey’s finger.
A whisper of dark green orbs floated into the air, and Gordon watched them before they faded off. He could recall that the single color was one for gratitude, and he smiled. He sat up before moving to sit against Benrey’s hoodie and neck.
Benrey, sat up as he did, so Gordon wouldn’t potentially fall out. One Gordon settled back down, the two sat in silence just watching the trees. It was nice. Benrey had never been too interested in watching the stars, they were abundant from his home, and he didn’t think too much of them. However, being here now he felt a sense of familiarity, and he liked it. He was glad he could experience this, and allow his tiny friend the chance to also see them.
“What are those? In the trees?” Gordon asked quietly, breaking the silence. He craned his neck closer to try and see what they were.
Amidst the trees were small sparkles, almost like the stars twinkling above.
Benrey looked to where Gordon was and thought for a moment. “yooo it’s the uh, little fire boys,” Benrey offered a lazy grin as he responded.
Gordon tapped Benrey’s neck with a huff and leaned forward even more. “What are they called Benrey?”
“dunno, something about fire.”
Gordon let out an exasperated sigh then chuckled before he fell back against Benrey’s neck. His gaze watched the flickering lights for a while. They were mesmerizing, very pretty. Soon enough, he looked back to the sky. He was satisfied with this. He never got a proper view of them from behind the window, or he was always moving too much, too cautious of his surroundings to really appreciate them.
It was a first for him.
It was another thing he had dreamed of, and was able to truly experience it.
“B-Benrey I’m almost d-done cooking!” Tommy’s voice came from the house cutting through his thoughts, and Benrey almost instantly shot up.
“you uh, hungry peetman? watch the sky again later?” Benrey asked, trying to view Gordon who was tucked between the hood of his hoodie and his neck. While he didn’t mind watching the stars, honestly he really enjoyed it with Gordon. He also really wanted to see what Tommy made for dinner.
Gordon couldn’t contain his laughter, “Only if you share!”
“no fair, take some from tommy!” Benrey whined as they stood and made their way back into the house, all of their previous worries gone.