Chapter Text
Buddy let out a yawn, his eyelids slowly fluttering open as he began to regain consciousness, somehow still sitting in the position he had started in once entering the truck with the other's. He put a hand up to his icy blue eyes, rubbing them gently and offering a yawn to the still silence of the truck.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Chase commented, still gently holding Buddy against his side. His hand now rested against Buddy's waist, the mere gentleness of the touch sending a small chill down his spine.
After recovering from his momentary grogginess, the boy replied with a hum, sitting up and looking around. The first thing that caught his eye was the lack of people in the truck, the only ones being the red headed girl, Chase, and himself. Though if you counted the keys, they were there too, all sitting or standing in the front beside the girl. Another thing would be the lack of sunlight, though the moon seemed bright enough to mock the shine of the sun on its own. The stars helped to compliment the glow, however, further adding to the almost unreal atmosphere of the truck. Okay, so it seemed like he hadn't slept through the night. That wasn't the worst thing in the world. At least now he had a sense of where he was. It wasn't that he didn't trust Chase to keep him and the keys (mostly Violet) safe, he just preferred being aware of what was happening. He took notice of the house through the front glass of the car, the yellow paint on the sides almost matching the glow of the light coming through the window. The faint shape of two figures blocking some of the light was visible, one larger than the other and seeming to be leaning against some object in the room.
He shifted in his position, sitting up a bit while still remaining close to the boy beside him, his presence seeming to comfort him a bit more. One of the last things he took notice of was the absence of Deacon, though he'd much prefer starting a conversation any other way. “How long was I asleep?”
Chase hummed in thought, removing his hand from Buddy's head as he made a quick estimate of the time spent in the car. “An hour or two, maybe?”
“Really?” Buddy sighed, moving to lean against Chase once again. It was obvious he thought the position was comfortable and took every moment he could to just lay completely against the other. “Feels like longer…”
“Well, I guess sleeping will do that to a guy,” Chase offered in response, a hand going up to run through Buddy's smooth hair once again.
Buddy's eyes fluttered shut once again, the soft sensation of Chase fingers against his hair giving a comforting reminder of where he was. Not in the cold, damp, dark room he had once belonged in when in the possession of Ex Libris, but rather in the warm embrace of someone he loved. His eyes opened once again, his gaze half-lidded as he stared off into the distance. Maybe now would be a better time to bring the freckled wannabe hero up. “I notice your friend seems to be absent from the truck.”
“He's, uh…” Chase paused for a moment, seeming to be having difficulty with the way he'd choose to word his answer as he pulled his hand away from Buddy's head. “A bit busy.”
“With…?”
Chase looked out his window and ran a hand through his own hair, a small sigh escaping his ever so soft looking lips. “Well it's not exactly easy to reason with our grandpa when we bring home some guy he's never heard of…”
Buddy bit back a wince, pulling away a bit, his eyes drifting to the bottom of the truck slowly. So that's where they were, the grandpa's house. A sense of nervousness began to build up in his chest once again, his thoughts drifting from the calming blissfulness of the here and now to the disturbing thoughts of the future. Was this his fault? Was Deacon arguing with the old guy? What if Chase's grandfather didn't approve of him staying? What would happen then? Would he be sent back to Ex Libris? Would Chase even do anything to stop his return? No… No Chase wouldn't do such a thing like that. Would he?
“Hey, what's on your mind?” Chase asked, hesitantly reaching over and grasping Buddy's hand gently. The other seemed temporarily snapped out of his thoughts at the gentle touch, the soft feeling of Chase's palm against his own bringing him back to reality. “I can tell you're thinking about something.”
Buddy paused for another moment, his eyes turning to return Chase's gaze before falling down to their intertwined hands. He let out a content sigh, leaning back against Chase's shoulder and staring down at their hands with a bit more fondness in his usually sharp eyes. He threaded their fingers together, a small smile growing on his face at the sight of it. “Nothing too big, just lost in a few memories, I guess.”
Chase let out a small huff, his irritation blossoming just a bit as Buddy spoke. Turning to look over at the other, his expression hardened only a bit, his free hand coming up to cup Buddy's cheek. He caressed the skin softly, then guided the boy to face him, staring into his eyes with a firm but gentle stare. “Buddy,” he began, resting his forehead against the other's. He lowered his voice as he spoke, not seeming to want Prunella to hear what he was going to say. “I really…really want you to be happy here. But I…I'm not sure how well I can do that if you don't open up to me.”
Buddy felt his eyes widen involuntarily, his face heating up ever so slightly at the closeness of the two. Or maybe it was Chase's kind words that had ignited the small flame burning up his face? Either way, he could practically imagine how he looked, his eyes wide stupidly and his face redder than a damn love rose.
“I don't want to pry anything out of you immediately,” Chase continued, paying no mind to the lovesick look on Buddy's face. “I just want you to open up more. I want you to trust me enough to feel comfortable with talking about personal things together. I want you to open up to me at your own pace, just please know that I'm here.”
His heart thudded against his chest, mocking the pounding of a fist against a locked door or the thud of the old man's cane echoing through the hall during the night. How was he expected to react to that heartfelt message?! How could Chase just casually pour his heart out like that, like it was just a normal Tuesday for him?! It seemed foolish to just hand out your heart like that. He hated that about Chase. But god…it was probably one of the best things about that damn golden hearted boy. He swallowed the lump in his throat, nodding in response to Chase's heartfelt message. How else was he supposed to respond without sounding like he was weak in the knees?
As if on cue, the door to the house opened, the freckled brunette stepping out and into the doorway of the large well-kept house. The boy didn't seem too distressed, only nervous- or maybe concerned, Buddy couldn't tell. Maybe it was a good sign? It wasn't the easiest to figure people out. Deacon made his way over to the parked truck, Buddy and Chase watching as he moved over to the passenger side and let Prunella get out.
“I'm walking Prunella home,” he began, looking up at Chase and Buddy. “I'm not too sure what to do about the keys though, since Grandpa is right at the door practically…”
“We can probably keep them in the bag until we get upstairs, right?” Chase asked, pulling his gaze from Buddy's face (to Buddy's disappointment).
“Maybe,” Deacon sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. “Just try not to get caught with them, Chase… And get Buddy situated quietly, please.”
“Yeah, I hear you, Deacon,” Chase replied, waving his cousin off as the other shut the truck door quietly and began walking off to the little girl's house. He picked up the bag in the front, emptying it out (a bit carelessly) and holding it open for the keys. Violet eyed it, not hiding her disgust for the idea of getting into a random bag with her three siblings packed in as well. “Look, I know it's not the most practical, but it's what we've gotta do right now. Please?” Chase pleaded with the small key woman, shifting a bit uncomfortably under her stare.
Buddy sat up a bit straighter, eyeing Violet with a bit more care in his eyes. He was obviously fond of the woman, having been paired with her for most of his life since becoming a part of Ex Libris, and the mere thought of Violet being harmed brought a nasty feeling to his gut. Though he had to admit he was glad that they were now in the care of the Hollow family, he still couldn't help but feel nervous when Chase (or anyone else for that matter) was dealing with Violet.
Seeming to sense the hint of worry coming from her much larger friend, Violet sighed, sitting and sliding into the bag after many moments of hesitation. Satisfied, Chase zipped the bag shut swiftly, leaving it open just a bit to allow air without being suspicious. He put the strap around his shoulder and got out of the truck before turning to Buddy, looking up at him from the ground with a small (probably exhausted) smile.
“Get ready to meet Ralph.”