Work Text:
The car ride there was silent and street lights passed them, temporarily illuminating them in a yellowish haze. Chester knew he always had a bad feeling but tonight felt particularly bad. Though if you asked him on any night he would have said the same and Parker knew this so he did not ask. Nevertheless Chester decided to grace Parker with this revelation.
“Listen Parker I really don’t think this is a good idea, I mean what if the stalker we saw in the video is still in the house?”
“Chester, the entire reason we started doing this is to help people. We are going to help them.”
Chester could feel the argument bubbling up in his throat but Parker's words were spoken with such finality and he could not muster the energy to fight back. It did not quiet his anxiety though. Reflecting back on Parker's words Chester wondered why they started this whole thing and whether or not he wanted to continue doing it. He felt as though the life was being sucked out of him, this job was exhausting and he knew Parker could feel it too. Sometimes he wished he could read Parker's mind to understand him better, to know why he kept on going. Was he looking for something? Someone?
Whatever it was, Parker would not find it with the way things had been going. House after house and email after email they would find something terrifying, something that should not exist. They would barely escape and then move onto the next task. Chester could not remember why he did it anymore but the reason why he did not stop was sitting right next to him, in the driver's seat.
Maybe it was the sleep deprivation or just general anxiety and anger that has been building up after every mission lately but Chester could swear he felt different about tonight. Fear was enough to make him shake but his body felt too tired, so used to the constant state of panic he put it through to move a muscle. He felt sluggish and slow, almost drunk even. It probably had something to do with the very close call they encountered the ‘mission’ or whatever Parker calls them these days.
The 18 year old girl offered them separate rooms for the first time and Parker graciously took the opportunity to sleep away from Chester. Chester was nervous about this but Parker shrugged him off saying they would both be more comfortable this way. Later into the night around 3AM a dark figure had crawled into Chester's room. Its limbs were spindly and long. Looking like they had outgrown the creature's body, it moved at unnatural intervals, sometimes quick and sometimes slow. It just stared at the doorway staring at Chester until he awoke and screamed.
He felt utterly alone and there was a light sheen of cold sweat on top of his skin. He had no idea what the creature was planning to do but he did not want to find out. A quick glance around the room showed an antique looking lamp on the night stand across his bed. He reached for it and threw the porcelain at the creature that was now moving closer to him at an alarming rate. It hit and shattered across its skin, clearly startling it, it moved back and crawled out of the room.
He hasn't gotten a restful sleep since, being woken by nightmares of that creature looming over his unconscious body. He would be completely helpless. Ever recalling the memory sent chills down his spine. He didn't know how long that creature stayed there watching him so he tried not to think about it. Parker offered to show him the footage he captured on the camera but Chester had a sneaking suspicion he would rather not know what the creature was doing before he woke up.
But it wasn't just the desperation of sleep that made him feel tired, it was the whole thing. This whole pattern of email and going to houses and then almost dying.
When they finally made it to the house Chester barely registered the wheels coming to a slow halt. It wasn't until Parker opened his car door, looking at him in the confused but mad about it way that he does so often.
“Oh sorry… I didn't realize” Chester strained to get his seat belt unbuckled.
“Yeah, whatever man just get out of the car.”
The cold night air shocked Chester enough to semi-consciousness when he stepped out the car to the front door of what looked like yet another run down house. If Chester didn't know better he might have assumed it was abandoned, but he knew better, these houses always had something living in them.
Parker knocked swiftly on the door and the wood seemed to rattle. A few minutes passed before they heard shuffling behind the door and the click of a lock. The door opened to reveal a man, maybe in his late 40s.
“I've been waiting for you boys.” His voice came out like sandpaper. It made Chester subconsciously clear his own throat “Come in. Come in.”
The man gestured wildly at them, making big sweeping motions with his arms as though he was trying to create a current strong enough to pull them in.
“Oh, um sorry.. we may have the wrong house? We were actually trying to meet Sandy” Parker sent glances back at Chester and the camera, questioning.
“Don't be silly. You are right where you are supposed to be! Now come in.” The man looked almost deranged and he opened the door wider to invite Parker and Chester inside. It really did not seem like he was going to take no for an answer so Chester decided to just take a step inside.
Parker’s arm reached out like he was going to pull Chester back but he changed his mind and dropped his arm down to his side, following Chester into the house. It seemed dirty and abandoned, not much furniture besides from a wooden table to the right of the entrance in a branching room that Parker assumed was the dining room. The walls were a dull egg-shell grey with the occasional window that was blurred from dust.
The man seemed to be shaking for excitement as his beady eyes watched them enter the house. He was constantly fidgeting and twitching. “Come and sit with me!” His voice squealed like nails on a chalk board and he guided them to the wooden table. On the table lay three tea cups with a white porcelain tea pot in the middle. There was also an arrangement of crackers and other goods on the table.
Shakely he poured a dark liquid into the tea cups and took a seat at the table, urging Parker and Chester to do the same. Chester was just relieved to get off his feet. The house felt so cold and it caused him to shiver.
“Would you two like some tea?” The man asked with a grin and wide eyes. It did not seem like a question though, more like a suggestion.
“I think we are okay, thank you. We really are just here to check up on Sandy" Parker eyed the cup of ‘tea’ reluctantly and pushed it away from him. “Is she here?”
A tight frown bent the man's lips when he noticed the subtle decline to drink the tea. But as soon as it appeared it disappeared into the same smile he had before. It took him a few seconds before coming up with a response to Parker's question.
“Oh yes, of course! Sandy is in her room right now, no need to worry about her. She was just feeling tired that’s all” He tilted his head when saying the last sentence and Chester thought he heard a crunch but he did not have the energy to react. “I am sure that she would be very happy you two have come to help her. So sad she is sleeping through it.”
“Right… Well maybe we could stay the night and we will talk to her when she wakes.” Chester knew this was coming but he still dreaded it every time. Parker however seemed set on helping people, maybe that’s why Chester stuck around, because deep down he knew Parker was a good person who wanted to do good things. “We just need to set up some cameras around the house, if that is okay with you?”
The man nodded his head vigorously at Parker. Then he turned to face Chester “What about you? Would you like a drink?” Honestly now that Chester was thinking about it, his mouth did feel pretty dry. Maybe drinking it would be easier than fighting the old man on it. He picked up the cup and lifted it to his lips. The liquid was thicker than Chester expected and it was slightly warm. It did not really taste like much but Chester squeezed his eyes shut anyways. He felt the warm liquid move through his esophagus slowly, like it was taking its time adjusting to the new environment.
“Chester?” A shove hit Chester in the shoulder and he looked to his side to meet Parker's eyes. They seemed concerned and confused. Or maybe Chester just hoped they were concerned, he had a tendency of seeing only what he wanted to see. The liquid must have caused some of the adrenaline to wear-off because Chester felt even more tired then he had before.
“Hm? What?” Chester mumbled trying to keep his eyes open but they were starting to feel very heavy.
“Dude, are you alright? Why would you drink that?” Parker kept his hand firmly gripping Chester shoulder and the pressure was helping Chester stay grounded, he leaned into the touch to stay upright.
“Why are you asking? It's not like you care anyway” Chester slurred, he didn’t know why he was being so difficult right now but he knew he felt angry about something. Parker looked even more confused at this but did not make an effort to question him.
“Um.. Okay, well we need to set these cameras up around the house.” Chester nodded but made no effort to get up out of his seat. His head felt like it was spinning and he thought if he tried to get up he would end up on the floor. Thankfully Parker did not seem to be waiting on him and he moved away deeper in the house.
Chester was not sure how long he stayed sitting there. It felt as though he was moving in and out of consciousness. The old man stayed sitting across from him. Chester thought he heard the occasional giggle coming from his direction but his first priority was really just to stay awake. He did not have to work too hard for it though because everytime he was close to drifting off his body jumped awake as though he was falling.
His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest but he did not feel the sharpening of his senses that he normally feels when he is anxious. It was a weird experience, like his mind was freaking out but his body was too tired to reap the symptoms. He did not necessarily feel scared, not like he should in this strange house with this strange man sitting in front of him. In this line of work people are going to become desensitized to this type of stuff but that was not really what Chester was feeling.
He felt sick, not desensitized. He tried to will his body to feel scared or happy or anything but he only felt tired. Was tired an emotion a person could feel? Chester was not sure but if it was he was definitely feeling it now. He stayed like that until he felt the push of Parker's heavy hand on his shoulder urging him to stand up.
“Hey dude if you want to sleep there it’s totally fine to me” Parker said with an air of indifference. Maybe he really didn’t care. “But I set up all the cameras so you can come into the room now. Thanks for all the help by the way.”
Chester wished the words didn’t sting as bad as they did. They always did jokes like this and that was just the kind of person Parker was but it still hurt. He did feel guilty for not helping. How was Parker so fine with this? With risking his life and then going back to do it again. Chester always had the thought that Parker had something he didn’t, was something he wasn’t. Parker was driven and Chester was in the backseat. But he did not want to do that anymore.
When he tried to make his way up his knees buckled and gave out underneath him. He stumbled and almost fell onto the table in front of him and when he lifted his head he saw that the old man was no longer across the table. Where he went Chester was unsure.
“Woah, dude are you okay seriously? What was in that drink? I knew you should not have drank it, Why would you do something so stupid like that?” Parker's arm wrapped underneath Chester's to support his waist. Chester heavily turned to lean on Parker. The warmth that radiated from Parker's touch seemed to heat up Chester in a way that Chester wasn’t aware he was cold. Like when your leg falls asleep and you change your position so new blood can be pumped into the appendage. Chester felt the static tingle of oxygen returning to him.
“I don't know,” Chester said, not really answering any question in particular. He tried to shrug his shoulders but he forgot he was leaning on Parker so he kind of caressed Parker with his shoulder. Parker studied Chester for a second before he rolled his eyes and started walking towards the bedroom they were going to stay at.
“You really should not have drank that.” Chester wanted to make a smart reply but he was too busy focusing on taking each step after the other that the comments Parker would have to go unanswered.
When Parker reached out to turn the handle Chester's breath caught in his chest. Two twin sized beds parallel to each other with a night stand separating them. “What side do you want?” Parker nudged.
Chester bit his tongue to keep himself from saying yours and instead he just shrugged. Parker helped Chester to the right bed and Chester plopped down onto it. When the last of Parker's touch retreated he felt himself grow colder, missing the body heat of Parker.
“Alright man, goodnight” Parker said as he walked to the other side of the room.
“Night.” Chester tried his best to keep his voice stable but it came out weak and quiet. Parker heard it though and hummed in response as he tucked himself in.
Usually these nights would end with a scream coming from somewhere in the house. Chester and Parker would frantically wake and rush to see what the commotion was but this night was different. This time it was Chester who screamed. At first he was confused about where the sound was coming from. It ripped through his vocal cords and pulled all of the air out of his lungs causing him to sit up not only out of fear but because his lungs were being squeezed of all of their oxygen.
Chester has had nightmares before but he has never woken up screaming, crying maybe but never screaming. He inhaled before he could even process, his throat felt raw and tasted slightly metallic. There was a layer of sweat on his body despite the fact that feeling like he was freezing. Parker was by his side in an instant.
“Chester? What’s wrong” He turned on the light connected to his camera and Chester could see his eyebrows pressed together. Parker's hand reached out to him and gripped his arm firmly. It was grounding and he appreciated the touch. “What happened? Did you see something?”
Parker looked around the room, searching for a creature, for that old man that invited them in. But nothing was there. The silence seemed to hurt Chester's ears more than the actual scream did. His breath hicked and came unsteadily, raising his chest and then getting stuck there till he forced it out. Inhales and exhales came quick and got caught in his throat. “I- M’Sorry I don’t know..”
He knew that he had a nightmare but he didn’t remember what it was about. Usually these things stuck with him but he was drawing a blank. All he remembered was the panicky feeling rising up in his chest before he woke up.
“Dude breath.” Parker punctuated this with a squeeze on Chester's arm. When Chester closed his eyes shut he felt the tears being pushed out and running down his face. The sobs wrecked his body like waves. He tried to talk but the words died on his lips, instead coming out as puffs of breath forcibly making their way outside of his body, like even the air he breathed was trying to get away from him.
Chester wished it was as easy as an exhale to get away from himself. He was happy the air found an escape. Felt guilty when he selfishly drew in another.
“I can’t keep doing this Parker” The confession ripped through him like the sobs that followed it. “I’m tired, I’m so tired. And I tried to make this work but I can’t, I can’t do this like you can”
“What? What are you talking about Chester, do what?” Parker shook his head like he did not understand. Chester searched his eyes to see if he truly didn’t.
“I keep risking my life and for what? To save these people? Parker we never save them, they always die and you know it. What are you searching for? And fuck why do I keep following you?” The last question wasn’t really meant for Parker but Chester didn’t care. “You don’t even care. You don’t care about these people, you don’t care about me, and I don’t think you even care about yourself.”
Chester pushed Parker's hand off him and tried to stand up but his knees were weak and his body still shook with each breath. He reached to the side of the bed towards his sunglasses, he didn’t remember taking them off.
“Chester, what are you talking about? Of course I care about you, you are my best friend.” Parker said it like Chester was stupid. Like he was ridiculous for even thinking otherwise and he just needed some sleep. Maybe he did and maybe he was but Chester could not bring himself to think rationally right now.
“Yeah, you like to say that but I don’t believe you. You're always putting yourself and me in danger and you don’t care if we get hurt. Well I’m hurt Parker, I’m hurting really bad and you don’t care.” Chester’s index finger was now poking Parker straight in the chest with every sentence. He felt angry but his voice cracked at his admissions. “And the worst part is I won't leave. Even if you don’t care, it won’t change anything”
Parker’s hand wrapped around Chester’s wrist, stopping him from stabbing at him again. Chester had little resistance. Parker’s eyes searched Chester’s but he turned his head away to avoid it. He felt vulnerable, Parker always had a tendency to see right through him. “When was the last time you slept?”
“It’s not even about that!” The rebuttal came out sheepish and rushed.
“Oh my god… You have been having nightmares haven't you? That’s why you have been so quiet you haven't been sleeping. Fuck, I should have noticed I’m sorry Chester” The sting at the back of Chesters throat foreshadowed the tears that were going to spill from his eyes. “I’ve been a bad friend, I’m sorry”
Hearing the words come out of Parker's lips instantly dissolved Chester's anger. It sizzled out like a dying fire in his chest and was replaced with guilty ash. The crying was starting to give Chester a migraine and his face felt hot and flush. His breathing slowed and the adrenaline and hurt that was keeping him awake before, felt zapped out of his body now.
“Parker I am scared… Like all of the time. I don’t know what to do anymore.” His words come out meek and fragile. Much quieter than they were before, which was borderline yelling. Now he felt the heavy oppression of the quiet cold house press down onto him. Urging him to be quiet and cold too. “I don’t get it. How are you not scared? How are you so okay?”
“I am scared Chester. But I have a job to do and I need to complete it.” Parker sighed.
“I just wish you cared about me,” Chester said, his voice barely above a whisper. It was cruel he knew it but he felt like being a little cruel right now.
“I do care.” It came out defensive and quick.
“As much as you do for the job?” The silence was enough of an answer for Chester. Parker opened and closed his mouth, trying to find a response. “ You know what? Never mind, it doesn’t matter anyway. Who am I to come in-between you and your work.” Chester knew he could never compete but the confirmation being so clearly laid out in front of him hurt nonetheless.
“Chester, don't be like that. That’s not fair.” Parker’s tone seemed to match the defeat in Chester’s.
“Don’t speak to me about fairness.” His words were laced with venom but he barely felt them. But judging from the way Parker flinched back, he felt them. “What’s not fair is you keep dragging me along with you to these dangerous places.”
“You never had to come. I am not forcing you to do anything, you are your own person.” Parker was getting defensive now. “If you want to leave so bad then just do it.”
“I can’t”
“Why not? There is nothing forcing you to be here so don’t make it out to seem like I am the bad guy. I’m not”
Chester did not know how to respond. He didn’t think it would get this far and now that it has he doesn’t know where it will end. Parker was right, there was nothing forcing him to stay, but he knew he couldn’t leave. The finality of the conversation was scaring him, Parker was making it seem like this was the end.
“Parker I don’t want to leave you, I just want you to care.”
Chester was vulnerable now. Yes they had always been good friends but Parker wasn’t really the kind of person to have these kinds of talks with. He would always avoid them or shrug them off. Chester thought they made Parker uncomfortable so he kept to himself for the most part. Chester learned to read Parker, in the pats on his back and the occasional language of ‘friend’ to describe their relationship. While they never explicitly said it, there was a mutual bond between them that felt deeper than any of their other relationships. But right now Chester wanted, no he needed some type of reassurance. That he wasn't doing this all for nothing. That Parker wanted him there. Chester wanted to feel wanted.
Parker scoffed and threw his hands in the air like Chester had just said the dumbest thing in all existence. “I care, Chester. I care about you.” Parker walked up closer to Chester and pulled the boy into a hug.
At first Chester felt stiff but as the warmth emanating from Parker started to transfer to him, he loosened up and wrapped his arms around him. Burying his face underneath Parker’s jaw. His tears were probably leaving wet marks on his skin but Chester didn’t dare to wipe them away and risk creating more space between them. Chester almost felt limp in Parker's hands, all his energy drained out of him. Parker leaned down and Chester took the memo to scoot back onto the bed. Parker sat on the bed next to him and they both laid down. Their arms still wrapped around each other and Chester's face buried in Parker's chest. Chester fell asleep before he could hear what Parker said next.
When Chester woke up he was in the car, Parker was driving beside him. When Parker noticed the boy stirring he momentarily took his eyes off the road to glance at him. “Morning sunshine” It seemed to be early morning at that. The sun was barely peaking over the horizon casting them in a faint reddish-orangeish glow.
“Parker what’s going on?” Chester said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He also wiped away the trail of drool off his check. Gross.
“I think that guy put something in the tea, because after you fell asleep you would not wake up, and sandy too.” Parker said, his eyes squinted in the way they do when he starts analyzing the events after a job. “She was asleep when I put the cameras in her room and also when…”
“When what?” Chester felt better rested now but he would probably need multiple nights of sleep before he could feel functional again.
“I’ll let you see for yourself when you watch the camera footage. I think that guy did something to her. And he almost did something to us because you would not wake up.” Chester blushed at this and mumbled out a quiet apology. “No it’s not your fault, I think it was the tea.”
Chester looked around for something in the car and Parker offered his outstretched hand towards him. In his hand he was holding Chester’s sunglasses. “Aw, thank you bro” Parker shrugged him off but he had a hint of a smile on his lips.
“Well… I think we could use a break anyway.” Chester popped up at this.
“Wait really?” He said, trying to hide his excitement.
“Yeah,” Parker nodded. “Maybe we could watch that show you wanted to watch?”
“That’s so Raven?” Chester was about to levitate out of his seat.
“Sure, whatever dude.”