Chapter Text
Cold blue eyes watched carefully through the hedge bushes of the castle, as a tall handsome prince came around the corner, talking to someone next to him. Buddy stared at them from his hiding spot in the shadows.
“And that is the history of our family’s palace! It’s been around for over 9 hundred years!” he was saying to the beautiful girl who was holding his arm, as she listened to him in awe. At least, to everyone else, she was listening in awe. In Buddy’s eyes, the beautiful maiden wasn’t paying attention to the airhead prince, looking at something on a phone instead. And in Buddy’s eyes, she was not a beautiful girl, but an annoyingly beautiful boy.
He was the only person in the books who saw what was really there, and what was really there drove him up a wall every single day. It was bad enough he was in trouble with the head of Ex Libris for losing important documents! But now, he had to get them back, and get back all the missing keys too! And this stupid little brat made it so hard to do. He kept interrupting Buddy’s work. He wouldn’t give Buddy his key. He wouldn’t tell Buddy who he was, or where, he was, at all. And he wouldn’t stop being stupid and annoying and short and cute.
“Yeah yeah ok prince whats-your-name, great story,” the little golden-haired brat…Chase, that was his name…was saying, as the two of them walked closer to where Buddy was hiding. He was very short, and animated with his expressions, always smiling at things. He was wearing his usual jacket and white shirt, and Buddy couldnt help but notice cologne smell as well. It was his favorite singer’s brand-name cologne, if Buddy had cared to ask, which he didn’t. He didn’t want to hear about this boy’s favorite singer, or favorite celebrity or favorite anybody.
He wasn’t this brat’s favorite anything, and for some reason that made Buddy very unhappy. Everything made Buddy unhappy ever since they met. His hair was always just right until that brat came along, and now Buddy hates how his hair looked every morning when he brushed it, like it wasnt good enough. He tried to dress cool and dark, but now he felt like he could do better. He was always being cool and sophisticated to others, but Chase threw him off his game and made him feel awkward inside. It wasn’t fair.
Worst of all, he had princes hanging all over him every time Buddy saw him. There was always some handsome loser in tights or a crown, telling that annoying brat how amazing he looked, or asking to kiss his hand, or whatever, and it burned Buddy up inside to watch. He had to just stand there and be the villainess, while all these other guys got to fawn all over Chase with presents and kisses.
Did Chase like that kind of look? The handsome good guy look, the white knight on a horse? Or did he like the gothic look too? If Buddy could just find the Prince key for himself, maybe-
Buddy shook his head. Why did he care? He didn’t. He didn’t care what that brat did, and it wasn’t his job to care. He didn’t care that the boy had beautiful gold hair that shined brightly in the sun, or that his big cute eyes were the same color as honey, or that he had a summery tan and winning smile with perfect white teeth. Or how adorably small he was when he had no right to be so short. His favorite jacket was some thrift store find and too big on him, making him look even smaller.
Was he destined to get any taller? Maybe have a late growth spurt? Buddy had a similar one, getting taller almost overnight. But…he’d kind of like it if the little brat stayed short…it was fun to imagine picking him up and have him grab around Buddy’s neck in shock-
Buddy shook his head again. He didn’t care.
And he really, really didn’t care that the little brat had just as many comebacks to all of Buddy’s insults, and he didn’t seem scared of him at all. Nope, nuh uh. He didn’t care about that a bit, or how talking to the brat up close made his insides feel all flippy and wiggly. He didn' care about that either!
So if Buddy accidentally put his arm around rhe boy sometimes, it wasn’t because he cared. And if he helped him out with stories sometimes even though it could of gotten him in big trouble with Ex Libris, it wasn’t because he cared. And if he thought about seeing Chase out of that big jacket and jeans and dressed up in something sexier, like a sharp suit with the shirt unbuttoned and the tie untied and hanging down and-
He did not care.
And if he saw Chase with some other guy in the story, he definitely didn’t care, and he didn’t push that guy down the stairs later either. He definitely didn’t push a whole bunch of princes out of windows, or off balconies, or into the lake. And if he did, it’s because they needed to learn that the kid was a brat.
He was Buddy’s brat.
So when another boy showed up with a new key, Buddy almost hit the roof. He had just gotten his key to make him a new outfit like Chase had. He didn’t think much of the keys or what they could do, and he didn’t talk to his much. But Chase loved his magic outfit from the Silver key, obviously, so Buddy wanted one too. His key was stubborn, but a few tiny threats did the trick, and he had a hot new outfit that made him look, and feel, amazing. It had everything he loved in an outfit: sexy boots, tight pants, a shirt showing off his chest and lots of sparklies. He was sure Chase would absolutely lov- I mean he was sure it would help him in the story.
But now there was another guy?? He dared to show up with some…other boy, someone tall and with freckles and brown hair. Buddy rolled his eyes. This guy was a total nerd, he sounded like a nerd and he dressed like a nerd too. So why was the brat hanging around this loser? Why were they talking together so much? It looked like they both arrived together. How did they know each other? Was this other guy his…brother? His friend?? They didn’t really look related.
Please let it just be a friend…
Buddy slinked up to the both of them while they were talking and got up in Chase’s space. Just to make him freak out a little, because it was funny. Plus he got to play with his soft, golden hair for a moment, and for a second he wished he hadn’t been wearing gloves. He had a fluffy fur outfit on that was adorable and made him look like a little yellow cat. The fur on the jacket looked so soft that Buddy wanted to pet it. It even had a little gold collar, and seeing Chase wearing a fancy little collar around his neck hit Buddy’s stomach in a weird, squiggly way. He smelled like powdered sugar, like he’d been getting into the banquet tables in the palace again, for cake.
So cute…
It was adorable the way he turned red and jumped away like he was on fire, the minute Buddy put his arm around him. He was always so loud and annoying, until someone put their arm around him, or got too close. Then the brat would turn shy and nervous and start stammering. He’d probably never had a boyfriend before.
Girlfriend? Personfriend? What kind of people did Chase want to date? Did he already have a crush on someone else? That idea made Buddy mad for some reason.
Trying to think of a comeback to Buddy, he was about to say something about the keys, when the other boy with the freckles grabbed him and put his hand over his mouth. Buddy clenched his fists inside his fancy gloves and glared. Who was this guy??? Chase freaked out and shoved Buddy’s hand away the moment he touched him, but this guy can just pick him up?? That’s his brat, thank you!
Buddy was fuming and it took everything in his mind to control himself and look like he wasn’t bothered. He warned the stupid, stupid nerd to stay away. But he had a bad feeling that he wouldn’t listen. He’d have to find a way to kick him out of the stories, so he wouldn’t get between him and the br- so he wouldn’t get in the way of Buddy’s work. He walked away quickly from both of them, just to give himself time to think. When he looked back, maybe almost hoping they’d follow, instead he saw Chase walking away in another direction with the new guy.
Buddy sighed. To him, he was always “that little brat.” But he knew his name was really Chase.
Chase.
He couldn’t help but do exactly that now, through a million story books and a million castles. He had a feeling he’d be chasing the little brat for the rest of his life.