Work Text:
Upon arriving in this new book, Buddy took a moment to look around and become familiar with his surroundings, as he always did when entering one of the books that Dumb and Dumber had picked out. The setting wasn't doing a very good job of exposing the plot, causing the black haired boy to give a disapproving tsk at the sight of it. A palace lay in front of him, as almost every book did, although this time he was sitting atop the seat of a carriage. Normally he'd be with some brain dead villain already inside the palace or still scheming their evil plan. He wasn't against the change, however. In fact, he was quite pleased with it. Every moment that he had to spend with some brain dead book character was like torture. At least Chase and freckle weren't complete morons.
He peered out the window of the door beside him, his eyes exploring the village surrounding the grand palace in a bored manner. A carriage ride wasn't as grand as people made it seem, as Buddy came to learn. It was just riding in a hunk of (usually) metal with smelly horses pulling it along behind them. Not at all the glamorous thing you saw in the fairy-tales.
The carriage came to a stop slowly, Buddy finally becoming aware of the prince in the carriage beside him.
The prince got out, holding the door open for Buddy- or, who Buddy was supposed to be -with a smug smirk spread across his face. “After you, my dear friend,” he stated, motioning for Buddy to climb out.
Buddy let out a sigh, climbing out after the prince, which he now knew as his ‘friend’. Like he'd ever be friends with this idiot. He watched in boredom as the palace guards led the carriage somewhere else, taking the horses soon after on reins and leading them over to stables, where they were kept safe. Of course he knew the basic outline of the storyline. The villainess, a maid that worked in another kingdom, and her friend, the prince in that kingdom that had taken a liking to said maid, would travel to the opposite kingdom to make peace with that kingdom, where the other prince and his soon-to-be wife, the heroine, would await their arrival. The villain would then injure the villainess and claim that it was the heroine that had injured his companion, causing the prince to throw the heroine and her companion, a butler she had befriended and told everything to, out of the castle. The villainess would then make an attempt on the prince's life, get caught by the heroine, and be thrown out of the palace along with the villain. And that was the end.
It wasn't the most entertaining book that Chase and Deacon could've picked out, but it seemed simple enough. Although he wasn't looking forward to being injured at all, so he couldn't say he was looking forward to that part at all. But, the show must go on, as he had been told many times by the elders of Ex Libris.
Following the prince into the palace, Buddy took a moment to admire the new outfit Violet had gifted him for the book. A fishnet top was below an almost vest like button up, both pleasingly breathable. His key hung above both shirts, contrasting the outfits he had worn in past books even greater. His black pants were as tight as usual, the vest he wore on his upper half lengthening to mock the features of a cape or a robe in the back, coming down to about his lower thighs. All in all, his outfit was just as pleasing as any other and showed off his attributes in a delicate manner.
His thoughts were torn through as the prince beside him opened the door to what he seemed to be the throne room, the hard wood creaking as the double doors swung open slowly. A carpet tore through the walkway of the room, leading to the throne, where the other prince sat peacefully. Chase and Deacon stood beside the throne, the dorky freckled idiot seeming to be sorting through his notes and blabbering out some nonsense (as usual) while Chase eyed the pair that had entered the room. Seeing Buddy seemed to make him tense up a bit, and though it wasn't the most obvious thing, it still caught Buddy's eye. Why was he tense? Was he afraid?
The thought brought a small smile to his face. Ha, imagine that. Someone who presented himself so loudly, afraid of Buddy simply walking into the room. Was his presence that intimidating? Good, Chase still had to return that key, after all. Being more intimidating would help in accomplishing that, wouldn't it?
As the two princes began to interact with each other, Buddy stood, his eyes trying to keep him entertained with anything but these two boring and formal men beside and in front of him. All he could think of that would fill the emptiness was bothering Chase, but he didn't feel like having to interrupt the two princes. At least not right now. He went back to thinking about retrieving the key from Chase, and now his stupid friend. How did that dimwitted freckled boy even get a key in the first place? Why would Chase share this secret with him? And who even was that guy?? Some dude Chase had to babysit? Why couldn't he buzz off? Didn't he have anything better to do?
He eyed the brunette that stood beside Chase again. What was so good about him? Was it because he was tall? What did tallness even have to do with going into books? That guy looked like an eraser with legs, or some nerd that couldn't get a girlfriend if his life depended on it. So what was the big deal with that guy? He crossed his arms, looking back at Chase and his stupid fluffy blonde hair, his stupid chestnut eyes and that dumb expression on his face. He wasn't admiring the boy, definitely not. He was simply mocking him silently, as he always did whenever staring at Chase.
As he continued to stare, Chase slowly edged away from the throne he stood by, making his way out of the room through another door as nonchalantly as he could. The movement caught Buddy's attention, and at first, he thought nothing of it. If the boy wanted to go, then how was it his problem? After all, it was the stupid boy who would be messing up his part.
But…if he somehow managed to get himself caught in the middle of some sort of trouble…
Buddy sighed, turning to face the prince he had stood beside for so long. “Excuse me, my lord?”
The prince paused his conversation with the other momentarily, looking over and smiling the fakest smile possible at Buddy. God did he hate that damn smile. “What is it, my dear?” he asked, his cold blue eyes staring holes into Buddy's.
He shifted a bit uncomfortably under the character's dead stare, but said nothing other than what he had practiced in his head. “I wish to explore the place that we are making an alliance with, as to become familiar with its features. May I?”
The prince took a moment to decide, putting a black gloved hand up to his tan chin in thought. “I suppose so,” he finally said after a moment of silence. “Though don't wander off too far, we will be going to our rooms soon after nightfall.”
“Understood.”
Buddy then walked over to the doorway that Chase had walked through, side eyeing the brunette as he walked past. Just before he could get through the decorated white door, Deacon grabbed his forearm.
“Where are you going?” he muttered quietly as to not interrupt the scene playing out, staring at Buddy with a suspicious gaze.
Disgusted, Buddy pulled his arm away, brushing it off on his pants. “Keep to yourself, wannabe. But if you must know, I'm simply trying to get your incompetent friend to come back so he doesn't ruin the book. I'm surprised you didn't stop him yourself.”
Deacon rolled his eyes at Buddy's disgusted gesture. “He said he just needed a sec.”
Ignoring the other, Buddy walked through the door, scanning the area for a familiar head of blonde hair. Of course, Deacon's last comment made him a bit nervous- and curious -as to what was going on with Chase. But that was all the more reason to check on the boy, no?
He paused.
No, he wasn't checking on that idiot. He was getting him to come back so the events of the book didn't get out of hand. It was his job to give the keys back to Ex Libris, not babysit Chase and his friend, let alone care about their feelings. He knew he couldn't do that, and he definitely wasn't going to. Right now, his only priority was to find Chase and return him to the throne room. Simple enough.
He walked around the grand halls for a while, inspecting each and every room he came across, before finally stumbling upon the doorway to the gardens. He thought for a moment, staring out into the little of the garden that was visible from the inside. Chase most likely wouldn't be in there. After all, it wasn't very ‘Chase like’ to take a moment and actually admire the beauty of a book. Though…a little detour wouldn't hurt, right? It would just be small, no longer than a minute or two. It would be fine.
He looked up and down the hall, making sure no one would be trailing him before stepping out onto the stone pathway of the plant filled area. A small breeze threaded through the air, but it wasn't exactly cold. It was more refreshing than anything, after feeling the suffocating warmth of the palace. The air was so thick in there that you could probably take a bite out of it if you wanted to, but out here, it was clean and cool. He took a deep breath before continuing down the path slowly, his eyes catching on each flower or leaf they could. He couldn't be the only one mesmerized by the beauty of the garden. The silence, the cool in the air, the bright colors of each individual flower, the lack of-
His thoughts were broken through as he ran into someone, nearly tripping both of them if he had not stopped himself by steadying his feet.
“Ah- Pardon me, I didn't-” Buddy then paused, taking a step back once he saw who he had nearly tripped over. Chase, the blonde energetic idiot. “What the- Chase?”
Chase quickly spun around upon hearing Buddy's voice, staring up at the other with a look of either shock or confusion, Buddy couldn't tell which. “Buddy? Did you seriously follow me out here?!”
“I- What, no!! I didn't even know you were out here!” he explained, his arms crossing over his chest. “Why would I follow you in the first place? I have better things to do than chasing after tiny idiots.”
“I don't know, maybe you're trying to scare me into-”
“-taking your key,” Buddy finished, offering a roll of his eyes as he walked past the much shorter boy. “Not everything is about you and your key, you know.”
Chase let out a groan, crossing his arms and yelling after Buddy. “Well I don't know! Maybe if you stopped being so creepy and mysterious then I wouldn't have to think you'd be trying to take Silver all the time!”
“I am not creepy!” Buddy responded, shooting Chase a glare over his shoulder. “All I'm trying to do is make sure you don't end up ruining the book!”
“So, in other words, you're worrying about me?”
Buddy's face immediately felt a bit hotter at that, though he tried to mask it with an angered expression overtaking his face. “No, I am not! You can handle yourself. Or are you too childish to do even that?”
“I'm not childish,” Chase responded, gripping his arm a bit tighter. “You're just a big dumb-”
“-jerk,” Buddy finished once again. “I swear, can you ever get any more material?” He let a smirk take over on his face as he leaned down to be face to face with Chase. “I mean, you use the same insult every time. Get creative at least,” he finished, standing back to his full height. “I mean, yeah, sometimes I use my insults many times because they're just that good, but you?” He barked out a laugh. “My God, you're so predictable it actually amazes me.”
Chase seethed with anger, his hands dropping down to his sides and clenching into fists. “Well why don't you shut your stupid goth mouth? I am not-”
“-predictable? Mhm, that's what I-”
Buddy didn't get a chance to complete his sentence before he was grabbed by the vest and yanked down to Chase's height, the boy glaring straight into his eyes before leaning forward and pressing his lips against his own.
Buddy was beyond shocked, but the kiss was momentary, and just as soon as it had begun, it ended. Chase pulled his face away from Buddy's and let go of his shirt, smirking up at Buddy.
“Ha! Bet you weren't expecting that, were you?!” he spat out, pointing a finger up at Buddy. “I knew it would just leave you speechless. Who's the predictable one now, Buddy?!” He paused for a moment. “H-Hey, did you hear me? I-I said…who's the…ehm…” Chase slowly lowered his hand, his face gradually becoming more flushed as he looked up at the other. “Buddy???”
Buddy stared down at Chase, his eyes wide and a hand placed over his lips gently, as if he was trying to be sure that those events had actually just played through. That Chase really had just kissed him.
A moment of silence passed between the two before Chase finally put two and two together, coming to the realization of what he had just done.
His whole world seemed to shatter into a million pieces, his heart rate almost immediately picking up as he realized that he had just kissed Buddy. He had kissed the man that he had hated book after book. God, what the hell was he thinking?! And why did he actually enjoy that?!
Chase took a few steps back, a hand coming up to rub the back of his neck nervously. “I-I uh…” He was at a complete loss for words. What an idiot he was. “Forget that ever happened, I'm going back to the book bye now!!” he yelled over his shoulder, darting out of the gardens as fast as his legs would carry him.
Buddy remained still, his heart beating in his throat and his hand still placed over his lips. That actually just happened… Chase just kissed him. His heart fluttered like a butterfly taking flight at the thought, his hand now coming to cover his face in embarrassment. God, what was this feeling? Was he sick? He sure felt like it. If only his stomach would stop being all flip floppy and just calm down…then maybe he could figure out what was going on. His face felt hot, and suddenly, he began to question what Chase really was to him. They couldn't possibly still be enemies, right? No, that ship had sailed. But friends didn't exactly kiss each other.
His heart sped up as he realized how much Chase really meant to him. God, the things he'd do for that damn boy… What happened to just getting the keys back and leaving forever? Because now, he found himself not wanting to let go. He didn't want to end this…whatever be had with Chase. Damn that golden hearted boy. Damn it all.
Why did he of all people have to be cursed with falling in love like this? He couldn't do anything to stop it either, it just seemed to happen. This feeling was intoxicating. Buddy found himself wanting more, and none of it, at the same time. Why did Chase have this effect on him? He didn't know the answer to that. He didn't know much about these confusing feelings either. But he did know one thing:
He was in love with Chase Hollow.