Chasing Stories

[Red]

Hmm... that was a pretty good likeness, actually. Red was pleased with his portrait—in blue pen ink—of the strange boy he'd seen earlier. Oh! Right, he wanted to ask Alex what 'hiking' meant too. A walk in the woods, did the boy say? Was that all it meant? Some words had different meanings, or they sounded the same but were really two different-looking words. English was hard...

Before he could turn to Alex, though, somebody came up. Red turned to look and froze again, just like he did in the woods. It was the boy! His mouth fell open a little bit as Alex stirred beside him.

"Oh shit! Nico, hey! You're back! Uh... Red?" Red felt a tug on his arm. "Sorry, this is my—friend. He's just hanging out for a bit. Red. Red?" Another more insistent tug. "Red, over here. Sit here."

Finally he blinked. Red looked at Alex, who was pulling up another chair for him. He stood and went to sit in the other chair but his eyes were still on the boy... Nico? Was that his name? Nico?

GASP

The picture! Red darted out a quick hand to grab the drawing, giving himself a sharp paper cut in the process. He hissed but held the picture to his chest like a protective shield, probably... probably looking like even more of a spaz than earlier...

[Nico Ellison]

Weird. Today was just... weird. Slowly, Nico took his seat and he plugged his phone into his charger. A second later, the picture of himself was whipped away with such ferocity that it didn't surprise Nico at all when the kid hissed. Red, was it. Why was he drawing him? At least... he didn't look threatening in the drawing. Nico got the feeling he scared the living daylights out of the poor kid.

"Want some fries?" Nico asked, trying his best to make things less awkward but struggling. Awkward, next to boring, was probably his middle name. Awkward and Boring Nico Ellison. Nico Awkward Boring Ellison. (His friends would disagree with the boring part but... friends are going to friend.)

[Red]

"You okay?" Alex saw the spot of blood on his hand and pulled at it to get it off of Red's chest. He was like that, Alex—a little motherly. Sometimes Red wondered if Alex thought he was incapable of taking care of himself, with the way he fussed over him and tried to take care of him. Not that Red didn't appreciate it, but... it was weird dating someone who acted more like a big brother or a mother than like a lover...

"Okay. No hurt." Red shook his head and refused to give his hand over. He didn't want Alex to see the drawing and ask questions! Not that he had anything to hide but Red got flustered when he was nervous or anxious and with his lack of ability to communicate, he was afraid that Alex might get the wrong idea.

"Sure?"

"Yep." Red's gaze skirted past Alex to the boy—Nico. To Nico. And his bag of something that smelled really good! Red didn't take anything, though. He didn't think the offer was meant for him. Plus, he was still mortified by the picture!

Alex took a fry from the bag and nibbled it. "Thanks man. Where'd you go today? Got any hot topics for us to write up?" His smile was playful, teasing.

[Nico Ellison]

Nico never saw this guy before but he seemed close with Alex. A weird kid, though. Like really weird. Heh. Maybe his middle name was Weird. Nico turned the bag towards Red, since he didn't immediately take a fry from it. Having food in front of people with no food felt shitty and it wasn't like he couldn't afford to share. As he held out the bag, he looked over at Alex.

"Oh."

Well, he couldn't lie and say he was doing something else because Red caught him out there in the woods. So he shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"I was out in the woods where all those... animals were found a while back. I thought maybe... uh..." He cleared his throat. "Poachers or out of season hunters maybe. I didn't find much though."

[Red]

When Red didn't immediately take a fry despite being offered, Alex pulled one and handed it to him. Red looked at Alex, then at Nico, then took it and ate it. It was still hot! Crispy and fresh... mmm... He smiled reflexively—eating something delicious, it was impossible not to feel happy!

"Oh yeah? The woods? I was up there myself a couple days ago." For some reason Alex's jaw was a bit tight. Red reached over to touch his hand; it had curled into a fist on top of his thigh. Alex relaxed the hand at his touch and turned his hand over to lightly squeeze Red's fingers. "Probably local trappers or poachers, like you said."

Red didn't understand half of what they were saying but he understood hunters. A shiver of fear slid down his spine. "Hunters... bad," he murmured as he folded his drawing and then stuck it into his windbreaker pocket—for secret disposal later.

[Nico Ellison]

"Yeah..."

He looked down at his bag of food and rolled the sides down before sitting it down where everybody could reach in and grab some more fries. His stomach churned slightly at the thought of what happened out there. Nico's grandma was the one who told him about it, warning him to stay away from that part of the woods, lest something happen to him. They can tell what you are even when you're not shifted, she told him. They have instruments.

"I just... I guess I just wanted to see justice for all those poor... animals. But nobody's looking into it." Probably because they were "just" animals. "My grandma lives close by the area. She saved one of them so I guess you could say I'm invested personally."

[Red]

Jus-tice? Red tried to figure out if he knew that word while Alex nodded grimly. "Justice would be catching those sons of b—" He stopped short and looked at Red, who was mouthing the word "justice" and then pressed his lips together. "I'd like to see them all arrested and thrown in jail."

Red tentatively poked Alex, then pointed at the pile of fries. Alex took another one and handed it to him.

"Is your grandma the lady who lives in the red brick house?" Alex's lips quirked. "The one with the uh. Big porch out front?"

[Nico Ellison]

Thrown in jail, huh? That was putting it kindly. But Alex probably didn't know how truly heinous it was. Animals being slaughtered was pretty bad. But knowing those were also people somehow made it so much worse, at least for Nico. But that was because he was the same as them. It was by the grace of... something--the goddess, his grandma would say--that saved him from being a part of that.

"Yep. I guess it's kinda famous, huh?" Nico smiled fondly as he thought of his grandma's old house. It was on a pretty big property out by the woods, connected directly to it, actually. So she was right there where it happened. The actual house was bigger than an older woman like herself needed but it had been passed down to her by her father and his father before him. They used to have a huge family here in Hazleton but it had dwindled down over the decades.

"She's always letting drifters come live with her. It scares the shit outta my mom," Nico confessed. "She's afraid she's going to let the wrong person in, but grandma has a big heart."

[Red]

Alex thought he was being funny but he wasn't! Red poked him in the thigh under the table and gave him a mild glare from out of the corner of his eyes. Alex knew the significance of the red brick house and it was his favorite pastime to tease Red about it, but Red didn't like it. He was fond of the old lady who lived there; she set out food for him during the winter months, when it was harder to get by. Red was grateful to her for it—and for the big porch that let him store things he couldn't lug to their camp in one go.

"Well most drifters are pretty friendly. Some of them are even downright shy." Alex seemed undeterred by the poking and the glaring. He grinned at Red. "Bet some of them visit her regularly too. Right Red?"

Ooh Alex! Red colored and mumbled nonsensically under his breath. "Nice... lady..."

"Red's been by her place a few times," Alex went on to explain, before an older man with thinning brown hair and horn-rimmed glasses poked a head out from the office nearby.

"Alex? Can I see you for a second?"

Alex rose, nodding. "Sure thing! One sec guys. Red. Stay."

OOH ALEX!

Red snorted, angry but unequipped to express it. He wasn't a pet dog! After Alex disappeared into the office, leaving him and Nico alone, Red turned back. He edged a hand toward the bag and picked out a tiny fry. "...these... are good."

[Nico Ellison]

So far, his grandma had held her own with her drifter friends. And they all seemed to treat her nicely in return. A lot of them would help her around the place, with leaky faucets or getting out raking up all the piles of leaves that scattered over the property.

Nico was surprised to hear that Red was one of these so-called drifters, though. His grandma never told him about any young drifters but then, to her, they were all young. It probably wasn't even worth mentioning to her. Nico didn't say anything until after Alex left and Red took another fry. Nico half smiled before grabbing one himself.

"They are. Best in town. Happy Burger sounds cheesy but it's really good." Nico pulled out the burger he ordered and salivated slightly just at the scent. He glanced at Red as he began to unwrap it. He wanted to ask about the thing with his grandma--he was just working his way to it. At glacial speed.

"Want half?" he asked, indicating the burger.

[Red]

Happy Burger sounded... cheesy? Was it covered in cheese? The meaning of the word escaped Red and he was confused for a little while. Another word to ask Alex about! If he ever stopped being mad at Alex for teasing him in front of Nico. Not that it mattered if Nico was laughing at him—he wasn't—but Red was pretty sensitive. Some of the others around camp called him thin-skinned, which—again—confused him. He didn't think fox skins were particularly thin. If anything they were quite thick!

"Happy Burger." He smiled slowly. It sounded like a nice name. Burgers that made people happy, it was a nice concept. But then Nico took the burger out and Red salivated too. His leg jiggled under the desk. Normally he would have stolen it. He would have created a diversion then darted in and taken it for himself to nibble on underneath Nico's grandma's porch.

Buuut... he couldn't get away with it here! So he looked longingly at the burger and apparently Nico caught some of those brain waves. "Half?" Red asked, stunned at so much generosity. Fries and burger?! He wanted it so badly but... but... He couldn't somehow bring himself to take a whole half of a burger. Not legitimately. It was easier to steal, apparently, than to be offered something.

"No... thank you." His smile was half-hearted and a little glum. Red shook his head a little and looked away. It—it was too tempting and he didn't want to watch Nico eating that delicious burger.

[Nico Ellison]

"Really, it's fine. You look hungry."

Which wasn't a lie; the way the kid stared, it was hard not to take his expression as hungry. Probably hungrier than Nico was. There was no knife at the desk to cut it in half, so he gently pried it into two parts. Not elegant or anything but hey, food was food. He handed the part still wrapped in the paper over to Red.

"No point in being polite. Come on. My grandma would want me to share."

[Red]

The appetizing burger was pulled into two pieces and Red's astonished eyes watched half of it sailing his way. He smelled it. The meat, the sauce, the tang of pickles and the fresh smell of tomatoes. Like any animal who lived out in the wild, he took easily to humans who gave him food. That was why he went around to Nico's grandma's house so often, knowing that if he poked his head above the sill of her kitchen window, she'd see him and come out to give him a tidbit of meat or some kibble.

Red took the burger since Nico had offered it twice. He didn't do anything as dumb as cry but he was touched. "Thanks," he whispered, hardly believing that he was holding a fresh, hot burger in his hands. Not a cold one, or a half-eaten one, but a fresh one all to himself. Red cradled it in both hands as he took a bite. He closed his eyes.

If he died right then and there... he'd happily go.

The burger tasted amazing! A smile of pure bliss spread across his lips and for the first time in a long while, Red remembered what it felt like to be completely happy. And even though he knew his reaction was probably weird to a normal human who had burgers all the time, he couldn't quite find it in him to feel embarrassed. Maybe later he would be, but right now he was lost in his own little world.

[Nico Ellison]

"No problem."

Yikes. The kid... was he starving to death? He seemed so grateful that he was almost close to tears when Nico handed him the food. Now he felt guilty, like maybe he should have brought more food. What if Alex was starving, too? Although Alex had money from the job here so... But this guy was a drifter, right? This kid was a drifter? Sounded more like he was homeless. Did he get kicked out? Maybe Alex was helping him out now. They seemed close. At least somebody had his back?

Nico took a bite. Happy Burger was delicious, he had to hand it to them. But he had never eaten there and experienced the kind of euphoria that crossed Red's face. Wow. He was either starving or he really, really loved burgers. Nico felt somewhat guiltier; he could have given him the whole burger if it was going to be a thing. Fries would tide him over until the end of his shift here. As a junior journalist with shit jobs in a sleepy town, he didn't have to stay until the wee hours of the night. In fact, he was usually off by around three or four PM.

So they ate in silence, since Nico didn't want to interrupt Red's experience and they were eating, anyway. Best to eat first before blabbing. When Nico finished, he followed it up with a handful of fries and then wiped his face and hands with a napkin.

"So you live in town?" he asked. "With Alex?"

[Red]

It was beyond delicious. Red didn't know if there was even a word for how that burger tasted from start to finish. He enjoyed the last bite as much as he enjoyed the first. Soft bun, crisp lettuce, grilled meat and the sweet, tangy pickles—Red loved the pickles the most. When he finally had his last bite, he regretfully folded the wrapper neatly. Half of him wanted to keep it as a souvenir of this amazing experience but he had a feeling that weird as he was, that might be too weird. They told him to blend in while he was in town...

A little sadly he put the wrapper into the waste bin. Well, he'd have the memories of this moment anyway.

"Um." Nico was asking about him and Alex, which made Red uncomfortable. They decided not to say anything about their relationship yet. Well, Alex didn't think it was a good idea; Red didn't understand why. What did it matter? But Alex insisted and Red went along with it. He studied Nico for a beat too long after the question was posed and then nodded very very slightly. Nico gave him half of his burger; he was firmly in Red's good books now.

"Live with Alex. Not in town." Red worried his lower lip, wondering how much he should divulge. Nothing was the answer, but he didn't think Nico would do anything horrible. He was just curious, probably. "Nico... not live with. Um. Grandma?"