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A splash of water slapped Chase across his face, followed by another and another. But as cold as the water was, it did nothing to chill the heat on his flushed cheeks. Still, he forced himself to shut the faucet off and reached for a hand towel. Chase buried his face in the towel, letting the fabric soak up the water while a nervous grin broke out amid the darkness.
All day long he had to smile and laugh and walk and talk like everything was normal and fine when in fact everything was AMAZING AND FREAKING INSANE (IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY). Yesterday… After everything with the Cinderella book, Buddy… He had held Chase, hugged him—even harder than he had in Dracifer’s crypt—and his hand had slid over Chase’s face, and he…
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
“Chase! C’mon! If you still want to do a story today, we’d better get started. It’s late!”
Chase snatched the towel from his face with an aggravated grumble. “In a minute, Dorkin! Cut the birthday boy some slack today, will you? Geez!”
A sharp laugh cut through the door. “You can’t just use the ‘birthday boy’ excuse for everything.” Deacon’s eye roll was so strong that Chase was sure he would be able to hear it from another planet.
“Oh yeah?” Chase raised an eyebrow, massaging his nightly skin serum onto his cheeks. “Says who: the non-birthday boy? Jealousy is a river in Egypt, Deacon.”
“It’s DENIAL, you—!” Deacon groaned, and Chase could tell his cousin was holding his head in frustration. “I can’t believe him sometimes…” Deacon’s voice trailed off as he backed away from the door, no doubt on his way to go complain to the keys.
Under different circumstances, Chase might have followed Deacon and interjected his rants, asserting that Chase was right and Dorkin was just being a party pooper, but Chase had other things on his mind. The last drop of skincare disappeared into his skin, and his hand hovered over his face until it slowly fell right above his lips. Chase’s breaths grew quiet. His eyes fixated on his bottom lip, the tip of his finger grazing it.
The ghost of perfect lips lingered over Chase’s. The phantom kiss was soft, yet insistent; warm and comforting; brief, yet everlasting. Okay, maybe not that last part. Though the kiss had happened less than twenty-four hours ago, Chase panicked as his recollections of the moment grew fuzzier and fuzzier with each replay. And he was replaying that moment a lot.
Chase withdrew his hand and squeezed his eyes firmly shut. When he opened them, he gave his reflection a determined stare. Nerves sent his hand to fix some weird-looking strands sticking out from his hair, but he stopped its path mid-flight.
“No, no, no,” he clenched both of his fists and took a deep breath. “Stop it, Chasey. It’s no big deal. It’s just another storybook. Yeah…”
He kept telling himself these small reassurances as he made his way to the attic. Grandpa Ralph, still washing cake-coated dishes, told him goodnight, but all Chase heard was It’s no big deal, it’s no big deal. In his room, he slid his arms into the sleeves of his jacket all while thinking, It’s just another storybook, it’s just another storybook.
These thoughts repeated themselves as he climbed the ladder to join Deacon in the tower. But as persistent as these thoughts were, Chase knew that they were all big fat lies.
"Alright, so…”
Deacon fought off a beast of a yawn that contorted his face to make him look like some Frankenstein-ian monster. Nah, he can’t pull off green. Maybe Deacon would make a good mummy though. Deacon the Dummy Mummy. Night of the Living Dorkin. Ha.
Chase shifted. Dang, he had just come up with comedy gold, and he couldn’t even mentally laugh at it! This whole Buddy thing was eating up his brain. A cold realization suddenly hit him. What if his brain fully shut down when he was face-to-face with Buddy himself? Would he be able to speak? Or even think?! God, Buddy would think Chase is just some slack-jawed, stupid—!
“You’re not stupid.”
Those three words made Chase freeze up for an entirely different reason. His heart stuttered against his chest, and he could almost feel the embrace from yesterday. The embrace, followed by the hand on his cheek, and then the…
“Chase? You listening?”
Chase jumped before meeting Deacon’s gaze. “Huh? Yeah, of course, I’m listening! What, you think I’m not listening? That’s crazy! You’re crazy. I never not listen, Dorkin! I am definitely, totally listening. Always. All the time.”
Deacon’s scrutinous stare made it difficult for Chase to keep his cool. Chase just kept staring back, hoping that Deacon couldn’t notice the remains of his blush or pick up on his frantic nerves. Also, he hoped that Deacon would repeat whatever it was he said.
Finally, Deacon broke eye contact and reached for a book on the desk behind him. “Okay…” And though his tone still indicated concern, he didn’t seem to be particularly suspicious of Chase, so that was a win.
Chase did an imaginary fist pump, but he immediately rescinded it when Deacon revealed the book he had chosen for their nightly adventure.
“Since we don’t have the full day, I found a short book from the Mrs. G pile. It shouldn’t be too difficult, and we might finish it around midnight—”
Chase groaned. “Sleeping Beauty? Seriously, man?” He couldn’t find the strength to fight an indignant arm fold. “That one’s so boring! We’ll be stuck in those dumb woods the entire time!” And Buddy will be alone at the castle, but Chase kept that fact to himself.
“But we barely have to do anything in the story,” Deacon argued. “It’ll be a breeze, and we’ll be out in no time.”
“C’mon, man. Just, uh, pick a better one. A fun one!”
Now it was Deacon’s turn to cross his arms. “Since when are you concerned with having fun in the books?”
Chase felt his face go pale. He whirled around, quickly hiding his expression as he crouched over a stack of unread books. He half-looked at the titles of the books as he called back to Deacon, “W-well, the funner books get us more narratonin, y’know? Gotta get that stuff ASAP! So, we’d better choose a good book, right?”
Deacon went silent. As Chase continued to sift through their options, he felt a gentle weight press his shoulder. He turned to see Deacon crouching beside him, his look of suspicion long gone.
“Chase…” Deacon’s voice was soft and light. “I know yesterday was scary, and you must have a lot on your mind right now. I know you want to work even harder than ever, but Chase…”
Deacon closed his eyes, and for a terrible second, Chase realized that he hadn’t even asked Deacon about his feelings. Aside from the first Are you okay? Chase hadn’t offered any follow-up. He was so concerned with Buddy’s kiss that it didn’t even cross his mind to think about his family.
And here Deacon was. Asking about Chase. Comforting Chase. Helping Chase.
Tears pricked Chase’s eyes, and before he could rub the sting, a single tear rolled down his cheek. Deacon squeezed his cousin’s shoulder. “You work hard, Chase. I know you think you don’t, but you do. All of the progress we’ve made so far is because of you.”
Deacon’s voice wavered, but with a shaky sigh, he continued. “I don’t want to hear any more about how yesterday was your fault. As far as I’m concerned, you saved us. You and Buddy, I guess.”
Deacon laughed at that last bit, making Chase chuckle through his tears. With his blurred vision and the lack of daylight outside, Chase couldn’t tell if Deacon was crying too.
Suddenly, Deacon pulled Chase toward him and wrapped his other arm around his cousin. Deacon sniffled over Chase’s shoulder, and Chase returned the embrace. Chase opened his mouth to speak but found himself speechless.
Deacon filled the silence. “You do a lot for us, Chase. More than you know.” Hot tears streamed down Chase’s face onto Deacon’s sweater vest. His body trembled, but Deacon held him steady. Or maybe he was shaking too. It was hard to tell.
“I promise,” Deacon whispered, his voice choppy from yesterday’s overwhelming emotions finally breaking through. “We’re going to save Aunt Myra. You’re going to save her. And I’m going to help you every step of the way. I’m here for you, Chase.”
As Chase buried his eyes into Deacon’s shoulder, he could feel his cousin wipe the tears off his own face with Chase’s jacket. Normally, Dorkin Snot is not an accessory Chase would want to wear, but he didn’t really mind at the moment.
They stayed like that for… Well, they didn’t check the time. They stayed until they had run out of tears, and until they had stopped shaking. And even then, they sat up in the attic clinging to each other, not because they almost died yesterday, but because they were family.
As if on cue, a distant shuffle of tiny, metallic feet grew closer to the boys. The shuffling stopped and was replaced with gentle, petite pats on the cousins’ kneecaps. The boys didn’t have to look up or open their eyes to know that Silver, Bronze, and Goldie were offering their own comfort and reassurance.
“Deacon’s right, Chase.” Silver smiled, peering up at Chase’s mop of blonde hair. “You brought us all together. Bronze and Goldie would still be missing if it weren’t for you. And I… I do not know where I would be if you hadn’t found me.”
The boys heard a hushed whisper followed by an even more hushed whisper, which was followed by the sharp sound of metal hitting metal and a pained “Ow!”
After a few quiet mumbles, Bronze cleared his rusty throat. “Uh, yeah. Silver’s right.” There was some more silence, and then a reluctant sigh. “Seriously, Chase… You and Deacon… Do a lot for us. More than we ever expected. Truthfully, you two keep surprising us. Er, surprising me, I mean…” He cleared his tiny throat and rushed the rest of his words. “I’m glad we’re here with you. You do an awful lot for us and we, uh… We appreciate you. A lot.”
“Indeed! Well said, Bronze!”
Metal struck metal with a thunderous slap, and Bronze couldn’t muffle his pain this time either. Goldie whispered a swift apology as Bronze complained about the sudden onslaught of sibling abuse. Silver shushed her little brother, and Goldie picked up where he left off.
“Although we have not known each other for very long, I already know you and Master Deacon are most formidable humans indeed! Your perseverance is truly inspiring and unlike any I have ever seen! I have no doubt the two of you will accomplish your goals! You two make an unstoppable team!”
“We make an unstoppable team,” Chase grinned. He pulled away from Deacon, and the two cousins looked toward the tiny people beside them. Chase lowered his hand to the ground, to which Silver and Goldie promptly climbed aboard. Deacon did the same, and Bronze nonchalantly accepted the ride as the two boys lifted the keys up to their chests. Chase and Deacon continued to huddle together, and they held the keys between them. And as they sat there, the last of Deacon’s tears drying on his face, Silver’s hands hovering over her heart, Bronze and Goldie chuckling amongst themselves, the truth could not have been any clearer.
“We’re family.”
As the words left Chase’s mouth, he used his free hand to pull Deacon in even closer. Chase nudged his thumb closer to Goldie and Silver, and though it was not quite a hug, it was better than nothing. Goldie and Silver patted his thumb, and Bronze offered the boys a half-smile and approving nod.
This was a family. Their family. And they were strong. They would get through the tough stuff as long as they were together. They’d push through the book troubles and gather enough narratonin and find the rest of the keys… They would do it all. And there was nothing that could stop them. Nothing would break this family apart—
“Um,” Deacon’s eyes flickered to Chase’s right shoulder. “I think I got some snot on your jacket.”
Despite the happy-feel-good moment, Chase shuddered at the confirmation. Tomorrow he’d have to clean that up and disinfect it to fairytale land and back. But right now, it was fine.
“It’s…alright…”
A yawn interrupted Chase’s gracious moment, and Deacon chuckled. “You still want to do the book tonight?”
“Ugh,” Chase cringed at the idea of going into any book, Sleeping Beauty or not. He glanced at the pile of books beside him. Half-mindedly, he brushed aside the last one he had been looking at, revealing a crimson book at the bottom of the stack.
His eyes widened, and it took him a minute for the idea to sink in. Alone. In the woods. With Buddy. He’d be there. We’d be there. All alone. Together.
“Hey, this one looks fun,” Chase held up the thin book, but he secretly admired it like it was a holy grail. He handed it to Deacon whose face scrunched up in confusion.
“Little Red Riding Hood? I thought you didn’t want to wander around in the woods?”
“W-well that’s… These are different woods, Dorkin! I don’t discriminate against woods. That’s offensive!”
“You literally are discriminating against woods, Chase,” Deacon sighed. “Man, what is up with you—?”
“Ah!” Silver piped up. “Deacon, I think what Chase means to say is that he has grown a bit tired of the princess role in these books. He must be looking for a change of pace! Is that right, Chase?”
“T-totally!” Chase frantically latched onto Silver’s idea. “Y-yeah! That’s exactly right! See? Silver gets me!”
Silver giggled, hiding her smile with her dainty hand. She met Chase’s eyes briefly, a flicker of understanding passing between them. Or, not understanding but rather, a teasing presumption.
Chase coughed away his oncoming blush. “So, we can probably do that one tomorrow. It’s pretty late so…”
Chase turned to Deacon who was grinning. “Sounds good to me.” Deacon glanced at Chase’s jacket again, then back up at Chase. “You know… I can clean the snot off the jacket if you want.”
“What?” Chase shook his head and shrugged. “Dude, it’s not a big deal. I was just messing with you. You don’t have to—”
But Deacon was already standing up and brushing the dirt from his pants. “Well, consider it my last gift to the birthday boy.” Deacon dropped Bronze off beside Terrance, to which Bronze eagerly crawled inside his beloved oven mitt. “Then we can drop the ‘birthday boy’ gimmick.”
Chase laughed. “Oh, come on. Give me until at least the end of the week!”
“Fat chance,” Deacon snorted.
In the end, Chase agreed to Deacon’s terms and conditions. On his way out, he placed Silver and Goldie in front of their houses and wished all of the keys goodnight. Goldie and Silver said goodnight, and a lazy peace sign emerged from the oven mitt perched beside the window.
Chase followed Deacon out of the tower. When Chase shrugged off his jacket, Deacon swiped it from his hands.
“It’ll be snot-free tomorrow morning,” Deacon guaranteed, to which Chase playfully rolled his eyes.
“I want a deep cleaning, Dorkin. Don’t skimp on the antibacterial whatever. It’d better look brand-new by the time I see it tomorrow.”
“You got it,” Deacon nudged his cousin’s shoulder. “Good night, Chase.”
“G’night,” Chase nodded as Deacon opened the bedroom door. But before he could walk past the threshold, Chase stopped him. “Deacon, wait…”
Deacon paused, his hand still on the doorknob. Chase swallowed, annoyed at his hesitance. “Th-thanks. For the…” he gestured his hand vaguely. “Everything.”
Deacon shrugged. “Anytime. Good night.” Deacon went to close the door, but Chase stopped him again.
“W-wait! One last thing…”
“Yeah?” Deacon raised an eyebrow, but it was accompanied by a soft smile.
“I just, um…” Chase exhaled, embarrassed at how flustered he was. “I… I know we don’t say it often, but…” Chase pushed himself to look Deacon in the eyes. They could have died yesterday, so Deacon needed to hear this. And Chase needed to say it to the fullest. He took a deep breath. “I love you, Deacon.”
Chase’s shoulders relaxed after he said those words. He was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t as hard or weird as he thought it would be. Yeah, it had been a while since he had said those words, but he still meant them. They were actually pretty easy to say. He made a mental note to say them more often.
For a second, Deacon looked stunned. He glanced at the floor, a tiny smile on his lips. He brushed off his bashfulness and met Chase’s eyes again. “Yeah, I love you too, Chase.”
They stood there in comfortable silence for a few seconds. They basked in the moment, proud of themselves for showing their vulnerabilities. But above all, they were happy. For the first time in years, they felt so close. Just like brothers.
They said goodnight for the final time, and Deacon left for his bedroom. They both climbed into their beds that night and fell into deep slumbers. And as they drifted off to sleep, they were aware of the fuzzy feeling in their chests and the fullness in their hearts. Tonight… Deacon and Chase’s bond… It felt like old times again.
As it should be.