Chapter Text
“Alright ladies and gentlemen, if any of you need food or need to use the restroom, now's your chance!” Ralph Hollow pulled his truck next to a gas pump.
“Do any of you three want to go inside?” The young Chase Hollow asked. Sitting among the boxes and on Chase's lap were three small metal people, black, silver, and purple.
“No thank you,” Violet responded curtly. She was still warming up to humans, but Chase was hoping they'd make some progress on this trip
“I will stay with my sister! If you wouldn't mind, could you pick up some cheese crackers?” Silver smiled up at her keyholder.
“Yeah, sure! How ‘bout you, Buddy? Do you want to come in or wait out here?”
“I'll come with you.”
Nox climbed up Chase's arm and tucked himself into Chase's hood. Once he was settled, Chase clambered out of the pickup truck.
As far as gas stations go, this one was mid tier, not sketchy enough to feel dangerous, not anything to write home about. Chase made a beeline for the snacks, scanning the shelves for any items that looked interesting.
The blond grabbed a bag of cheese crackers for Silver, jerky for his grandpa, a chocolate bar that Buddy practically begged him to buy, and gummy bears for himself.
“Do you think Violet would want anything?”
“She might like those,” Nox pointed at the cherry cordials on the shelf. Chase reached for the box.
“These ones?”
“Correct.”
“Alrighty!”
After grabbing a couple of drinks from the fridge, Chase brought all the items to the counter. While the cashier was scanning their food, the blond's attention turned to the caddy by the counter.
“Oh. My. Goodness. Oh, I'm getting this!”
Nox watched as Chase placed something on the counter. Once Chase paid, the pair made their way back to the truck.
“What did you purchase?”
“It's a surprise!”
Chase didn't have to see Nox to picture the brow raised in suspicion. Nox, however, could see the lift in Chase's cheek and the upward curve of the edge of his mouth. Besides himself, Nox couldn't help but place a small kiss right past the edge of the human's mouth. Once he was satisfied with the shade of pink that dusted Chase's cheeks, the Key sat down.
“Don't think that you successfully bribed me into telling you what I got!”
“Perhaps I must try again,” Nox joked before pressing another kiss onto Chase's neck. The blond's skin grew incredibly warm.
“Dude! My grandpa is like right there!” Chase managed to sputter out. He was flustered, and Nox couldn't help but find him adorable.
The two reached the trunk, and Chase climbed inside the cabin to the back seats. Once they were settled, Chase began dishing out the snacks.
“Oh also, Violet, I know you didn't say that you wanted anything, but Nox said you might like these,” Chase pulled out the box of cherry cordials, “I made sure to pack some napkins since they might get messy for you.”
Nox smiled as his adopted sister's gaze softened briefly before she returned to her haughty stance.
“I suppose these will suffice.” Chase matched Nox's grin. Ralph started the vehicle again, and they were off.
~~~~~~
The first few hours of the drive were mostly silent. Chase had fallen asleep against the stack of boxes in the seat next to him. Nox sat idly listening to the radio. He watched as Ralph tapped his finger on the steering wheel to the beat before turning his gaze back to Chase.
Like anyone else while traveling, Chase looked disheveled. His hair was ruffled; the blonde curls were sticking every which way. His jacket was draped on top of him as a makeshift blanket. Drool began to stain the cardboard that Chase's face was crammed against.
Nox failed to suppress his giggle and the snort that followed. Violet looked over at him in surprise. She would probably make a comment about how undignified the noise he made was if it wasn't for the fact this was the first time she's heard him laugh in a very long time. Ralph gave an amused look from the rear-view.
“So, tonight we'll be staying at a motel in Cleveland. We'll probably make a stop for lunch in a couple more hours, but if you guys need anything between now and then let me know!”
“Thank you!” Silver's voice replied sweetly. Nox watched as his adopted sister grabbed a sewing pin and began to work. Silver had brought her knitting project to pass time in the car.
Violet was settled down next to Silver, watching her sister knit. Nox silently wished he found an activity that he could do in the car. He had assumed that Chase would occupy all his time, but he knew that this was a long drive. Ralph seemed to sense his boredom.
“So, Nox, how did you and grandsons meet?” Right, with all the excitement of the past month, Ralph never got the chance to hear about the stories.
“When Violet, Silver, and I escaped Ex Libris, Silver was cracked meaning she was trapped in keyform. Silver needed Narratonin in order to be fixed, but Keys can't produce any ourselves. We left her upstairs in the library for someone to find and repair her. One day, we saw that Silver's key was being used.
When I entered the story to find Silver's keyholder, I was not sure who to expect, but it definitely was not Chase. Chase annoyed me a lot at first, constantly derailing plots, cheating by using bookmarks, sending a herd of wild animals after me-”
“I'm sorry, Chase did WHAT?”
“It was only one time. I was…provoking him.”
“Okay then, continue.”
“Over time, I grew used to Chase's company in books. The other two also started to join him, which was rather rocky at first, but eventually I grew used to them too. Stories became more fun, the better part of my day. Stories no longer were just for siphoning Narratonin. They were…spending time with Chase was…everything to me.” He admittedly the last part quietly, mostly to himself. Ralph must've heard it, judging by the meaningful glance he gave in the mirror.
“So how exactly do the stories work? Like I get that you play a role, but do the characters see you as yourself? Or the character you play?”
“The characters see and hear what they expect. Other keyholders, however, see you as you are. The keys are able to change a keyholder’s appearance by giving them outfits or minor alterations to their hair and features. It doesn't change how the book characters see keyholders, but it can help immerse them more into the story.”
“Sounds like fun!” Nox nodded. Ralph glanced back up at the mirror.
“Is he still asleep back there?” Nox turned back towards Chase who was still leaning against the tower of cardboard.
“He is,” Nox confirmed.
“That's good. He needs all the rest he can get.”
~~~~~~~
When Chase woke up, he felt a familiar presence leaning on his arm. Nox had apparently decided to take a nap. Chase smiled at the little bit of metallic black hair that was visible from his angle.
Silver and Violet were further in front of him on the ledge created by the size differences between boxes. Silver made some serious progress on whatever she was knitting. Violet appeared to be engaged in a heated conversation with his grandpa about Diane Forenski and her lack of style. Their conversation paused when Ralph noticed that Chase was awake.
“You hungry for lunch yet, kiddo?”
“I could eat.”
“Want to wake up your boyfriend then?”
“He's- I'll wake him up.” Chase sat up to look at the Key leaning against his arm.
Chase gently poked Buddy in the shoulder until the Key started to stir.
“Hey, wake up, Buds, we're gonna stop for lunch soon.” Buddy groaned and stretched before swatting away at Chase's finger.
“Did you have a nice nap?”
“It was nice until you rudely interrupted my slumber.”
“I didn't want you to miss lunch! Plus, usually rest stops have chocolate bars. Your chocohaulic ass wouldn't want to miss that.” Buddy grumbled and elbowed Chase's arm.
“What was that?”
“I said my appreciation for chocolate is nothing compared to your carnal desire for bread rolls in every book we enter.”
“Okay, Mister ‘Takes the Entire Chocolate Cake Except One Slice’.”
“Please, you put the ‘gluten' in gluttony. Last time we were at a ball, you shoved half the food table into your pockets.”
“It was a long story! I wanted to have snacks to make sure I'd survive!”
“Sorry to interrupt, but what's this about Chase eating gluten?” Ralph's voice startled both of them.
“Oh right! I forgot to tell you! When you're in a book, you can do anything the characters can, which means unless the heroine also has celiac, I can eat story bread all I want! I don't think it works for food from the real world that I take into the book though.”
“It does not, so do not try it,” Buddy confirmed.
“Well boys and ladies, here's our stop. Chase, do you need to use the restroom?” The blond nodded.
“Alright, I'll take you three in my satchel then while Chase uses the restroom, then we'll regroup at the McDesmund's. Sounds good?” Everyone murmured some form of agreement. Chase grabbed the satchel from his grandpa, so the Keys could pile in.
Once they left the truck, Chase carefully passed the bag to his grandpa before making his trek to the bathroom.
Chase buried himself in his hood. The rest stop was filled with the bustle of traveling people. Normally, the crowd wouldn't bother him, but now, he felt terrified.
Any one of these people could be Ex Libris. Any one of them could be after the Keys or Chase. Any one of them could cause their lives to come crashing down in a matter of minutes. Chase took a breath and walked into the bathroom.
After surviving the bathroom, Chase walked over to his grandpa who was standing in line to order.
“Do you know what you want?”
“Large fries and a drink. Did our friends give you their orders?”
“Yes, your boyfriend wants a hot fudge sundae.” Chase rolled his eyes.
“I'm not surprised. He'd eat nothing but chocolate if given the chance. I think he's gonna hate the second he turns human and is forced to have a balanced diet.”
A muffled ‘I heard that!’ came from inside Ralph's bag. Chase snickered.
“I'm gonna make you try a fry in the car! You'll love it. Mark my words!”
The group walked up to the counter and ordered. After several minutes, they got their food and headed out to the truck. Chase gave his legs a final good stretch before hopping in the back.
Once Chase was settled, Ralph passed him his fries and the Key's food. Chase made Buddy try a French fry. Nox said it was acceptable, and Chase pretended not to notice some of his fries going missing.
~~~~~~~
The rest of the drive passed in a blur. Silver and Violet were engaged in conversation while Nox pretended to be annoyed at Chase who was singing along with almost every song on the radio.
Overall, the spirits were high when the car pulled into the parking lot of their motel for the night.
Once Ralph checked in, Chase swiped the keycard and immediately flopped on one of the beds. Ralph laughed as he gently set down the bag carrying the Keys.
“I'm gonna use the restroom. You guys make yourself comfortable and think about what we want to do for dinner.” Ralph left the room leaving Chase and the Keys alone.
“Too bad it's already kind of late, we could've seen the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!” Chase beamed. Silver tilted her head in curiosity.
“What is the hall of fame?” Nox could swear he could see the stars in Chase's eyes.
“It's this place dedicated to legendary rock musicians! I like pop music a bit more, but it's still pretty cool!”
“Maybe we can ask your grandfather to pass by it when we depart tomorrow!” Silver suggested.
“Ooo, yeah! Maybe we can get a picture by the sign ....Actually, wait, that's a terrible idea. Maybe we can stick with finding a magnet at the grocery store. Anyways, do you guys know what you want for dinner?”
The rest of the night passed with ease. Ralph picked up dinner, and the crew spent the evening watching whatever was on the hotel TV.
They eventually settled on some fashion competition. Violet and Chase were very vocal about their opinions on the outfits. While they disagreed on some of the contestants, both of them thought it was outrageous that the one guy got sent home. Chase would say it was a bonding experience.
When it was time for bed, Chase placed Violet and Silver's beds on the nightstand. Prunella had asked her mom to help her make ‘fairy beds’ for the Keys. Mrs. G delivered with small wooden bedframes and foam mattresses cut from an old mattress topper. The foam was contained within colorful fabric to keep it firm and comfortable.
Nox on the other hand, politely declined a bed, favoring the hoodie nest. This time, Nox was on Chase's bed rather than the nightstand with his sisters. The Villain Key was preparing his resting place when Chase walked out of the shower.
Chase's hair was tussled and straightened slightly from being wet. Even with his dulled senses, Nox felt heat rise to his face. Nox has seen Chase like this before, but it never ceased to be a pleasant view. It felt grounding to see Chase looking so mundane…so normal, not dressed up for a story…not bleeding out in an Ex Libris hallway.
“You're staring,” Chase stated with a grin. Nox quickly averted his gaze. Chase plopped down on the bed, causing Buddy to be briefly airborne. The blond shot up almost as quickly as he sat down.
“Oh! I almost forgot!” Chase walked over to his bag of stuff and pulled out the bag from the gas station.
“I got you this! I thought it might help you sleep.”
Nox watched as Chase pulled something out of the bag. In Chase's hands was a small bat stuffed animal with a cartoonish face. The blond set the bat down on Nox's nest.
“I saw it and it reminded me of you!”
Nox took one look at the plush which was practically his size, and his heart melted. Tentatively, the Key stroked the soft fabric before turning back towards his boyfriend.
“Thank you.”
“Of course! Always the best for my moon!” Nox gave a small smile at the nickname.
“Goodnight, Starlight.”
“Goodnight, Noxxie.” Chase flicked off the lamp, coating the room in darkness.
