Chapter Text
Light shined through Chris' window, landing on his face. However, that wasn't the only thing that woke him up that fateful morning. No, instead, it was the distinct barking of a dog that roused Chris from his peaceful dreams. He rose from his bed silently and inched towards his door, cracking it open and slipping into the living room. Slowly, Chris crept over to the window and looked out. From what he could see, it looked like the Reynolds next door had a visitor. Claire and Stephen stood in the middle of the front yard, hugging the mysterious visitor. Behind him obediently sat a medium-sized brown-speckled dog.
"Ugh... what the hell is going on?" Chris turned, seeing his father lying on the couch.
Chris frowned. "He's hungover, as usual." "I think Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds have a guest." He leaned on the window sill. "...Are you hungry? I could make us breakfast quickly if you want."
Charles rubbed his eyes, clearly annoyed. "What? Ugh, shut up. Just let me go back to sleep, goddamnit." And with that, Charles flipped back over and fell back asleep.
Chris sighed. He walked over to the kitchen, grabbing a bowl from the otherwise bare cabinets. He placed it down before going back. After a few minutes of opening and closing different cabinets, much to the annoyance of Charles, who let out the occasional grunt and grumble, Chris finally found something to eat. Walking back to the table, a box of Chock-O-Crisp cereal in one hand and a jug of milk in the other, he silently prepared his breakfast. While munching on spoonfuls of soggy cereal, Chris thought back to a conversation he had with Mrs. Reynolds yesterday.
It was a pleasant evening. Not too hot, not too cold, it was perfect. Chris had planned on going on a short walk after he got done washing dishes. As he was drying, he heard a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" He walked over to the door, seeing Mrs. Reynolds standing on the doorstep through the window. "Hi, Mrs. Reynolds! How are you doing this evening?"
She smiled. "Hello, Chris. I'm doing fine, what are you two doing over here?"
"Well, we just got done eating supper. I just finished up washing the dishes. I was going to go on a walk afterward.
"How nice." She scanned the room, seeing Charles on the couch. "Is... your father okay, Chris?"
Chris looked at his father. "Yeah, he's just tired. From a long day at work, you know?" That was a lie, Charles hadn't worked in almost two years. He had signed up for disability checks a few weeks back.
She frowned. "Right..." She put her hand on Chris' shoulder, leaning in closer. "Listen, Chris... I'm only steps away from your house. If you ever feel scared, you can come to visit us anytime, day or night. Understand? We're here for you."
Chris shifted his balance from one leg to the other. He crossed his arms, trying to distract himself from his own shaking hands. "O-okay, Mrs. Reynolds."
Mrs. Reynolds' face lit up again. "Oh, before I forget. Stephen and I are having a guest over, our grandson. He's your age. Sixteen, right?"
Chris smiled. "Yeah, my birthday was... four months ago! But you probably remember that."
"Well, maybe you two can spend time together. I know how boring the summer can get for you young folk, especially in this old town."
Chris leaned against the wall. "I'll think about it." He heard the alarm on his phone go off in the other room. "Oh! I'm so sorry, Mrs. Reynolds. I'd love to talk, but I have to do my other chores." The two shared their goodbyes, and Chris closed the door.
”So that's who's staying with them," he thought to himself, slurping the last bit of milk from the bowl, "their grandson." Chris rose up from his chair, placing his bowl into the sink. He slipped back into his room, getting dressed. Afterward, he wrote a quick note for Charles and took some brownies he baked a couple of days prior before leaving. The walk over to the Reynolds house was great. His hands in his pockets, the breeze in his face and blowing through his dark blond hair, it was almost perfect. Standing on the step, he pushed the doorbell. When the door opened, all Chris could think was woah. The first thing he noticed was the boy's height. He easily towered over him, Chris decided that he had to be at least 6'4". The way the boy dressed, Chris instantly thought it was cool. He wore a black tank top, a white wolf standing alone on the front, the word 'SQUAD' written on it. A yellow flannel jacket sat wrapped around the waist of his dark, ripped jeans, and a blue beanie sat on top of his head. But the thing that Chris noticed most of all was the little bits that screamed of "holy shit this dude is most definitely not in your league." His dark brown bangs tinged with an angry looking red. He had two rings in his face; one in the left corner of his mouth, another on his left nostril. In his left ear laid one lone stud. Everything about this boy had Chris transfixed.
"Um, do I have food stuck in my teeth, or...?"
Chris snapped out of his focused state, realizing where he was again. "O-Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to stare." He quickly shot his hand out. "I-I'm Chris. I live next door." The boy took his hand, shaking it. Their eyes met. "God," Chris thought to himself, "his eyes are so dark."
"Oh! I think my grandma mentioned you over the phone before I got here." Daniel moved his hand away, an absence that Chris felt embarrassed to admit that he didn't like. "Name's Daniel."
Chris raised the small baggie to Daniel. "I made these a couple of days ago, but I thought you'd maybe like to have them?"
Daniel's face lit up, taking the bag from Chris. "Oh, sweet! These pot brownies, or?"
Chris' eyes widened. "What? No, their... I-"
Daniel laughed. "Don't worry, dude. I'm just joking. Thank you, I'll eat these later." He looked at Chris for a moment. "Do you wanna come inside? My grandma could make us something to eat if you're hungry."
Chris shook his head softly. "Sorry, I'd love to. But I probably have to get back home. My dad's going to wake up and wonder where I went."
Daniel frowned slightly. "Well, alright. See you later then?"
Chris smiled. "Yeah... see you later."
Daniel stood by the door, watching him leave.
"Who was at the door?"
Daniel walked down the hallway, through the living room, and into the kitchen. "The kid next door, Chris. He wanted to say hi, he even dropped us off some brownies."
Claire smiled, drying her hands off on her shirt. "That Chris, such a nice young man."
Daniel leaned against the counter. "Yeah, he seemed nice." He placed the brownies down, before slowly inching away. "I'm gonna start unpacking my stuff."
"Don't take too long! We're going to go and eat out later for lunch."
"I won't, call me when we're ready to leave," Daniel called for Mushroom, who rose up from her spot on the couch. The two walked up the stairs and into his new bedroom. "Mom's bedroom..." he thought to himself. He stood in the middle of the barren room. Sighing, he walked over to the mattress and slumped down. Mushroom followed, sitting down by the side of the bed. After a few moments of sitting in silence, Daniel fished his phone from out of his pocket. He tapped at a few buttons before initiating a FaceTime call.
The room was filled with the sounds of drunken laughter and glasses clinking together.
Daniel smiled. "What's the occasion?"
"Hey enano ! We're actually in Costa Rica right now on vacation." Daniel frowned. "Great, you're even farther away this time."
"Hey, Sean! You watching porn without me or something, what are you smiling at your phone for?" A familiar figure passed behind Sean and settled into the seat next to him. He placed a kiss on Sean's cheek, before looking down at the screen. "Oh, it's our darling baby brother Daniel!"
Daniel laughed. "Hey, Finn. Are you... drunk right now?"
He slyly put his finger to the corner of his mouth. "Maybe just a little bit."
Sean chimed back in. "So, how're you settling into Beaver Creek?"
Daniel ran his hands through his hair. "To be honest," he looked around his room once more, "I'm not loving it. I would rather not have to stay in this dusty old town for the rest of the summer. I'm still pissed at dad for making me come here."
Sean frowned. "Daniel, you know that it's for the best. Especially after what happened this school year." Daniel rolled his eyes. "Stop. You know how much I hate when you do that. Can you at least try to do this, for dad's sake?"
Daniel let out a deep, heavy sigh. "Yeah, I guess."
"Think on the bright side, little dude," Finn chimed in again, his head leaning on top of Sean's. "Your dad even let you take your lil' pup with you."
"Only cause Mushroom would be a wreck without me. Plus, dad's allergic to dogs."
The two looked offscreen for a moment, more drunken cheers filling the room. "Oh shit, our food's here. Daniel, we'll talk about this later, I promise."
And just like that, Sean hung up, leaving Daniel in the quiet.
"Whatever," he thought to himself, putting his phone back into his pocket. He closed his eyes, letting himself have a moment of reflection. He smiled to himself. "I'll probably bother that Chris kid tomorrow." He sat up, Mushroom's head perking up. "We should probably unpack all this shit, shouldn't we, 'Shroom?"