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"Chase! Don't drink that, it could be poisoned!"
Chase was mid eye roll when he felt the world tilt. Then suddenly he was on his back and everything began to fade out of focus. He blinked his eyes futilely in an attempt to get rid of the black spots coating his vision. Gert was shouting something at him, but her words were muffled. As if they were coming through an old radio. Despite not being able to understand what she was saying, he could tell she was distressed. That wasn't good. He didn't like it when she was stressed.
"Hey...don't, don't freak out. M'okay."
Gert scoffed, "Okay people don't slur their words."
Chase let out a delirious giggle his eyes finally fluttered shut.
...
"Oh, here he comes."
Who is that?
"Come on, Chase. Open up."
A soft groan escaped the tired brunette. He tried to move away from the impatient voices, but quickly discovered that he was restrained. His nose scrunched up as he tried to pry open his heavy lashes. With a Herculean effort, he managed.
"Hi-"
"Hello, Good Morning🎶!"
It took Chase a moment to process their greetings before he slowly answered back. "Hi...Gert's parents."
"That's right." Replied the bearded man. "Stacey and Dale."
Oh. Yeah...Makes sense, but I feel fuzzy. Like a dream. Oh!
"I'm having a dream right now...and...you're in it."
Stacey shook her head. "No, honey. This isn't a dream. We need you to tell us where you and Gert have been living."
"Oh." Chase chuckled. "I know what you want. You...you want me to tell you stuff.....Secrets."
"That's right. Secrets!" Dale made a shushing notion, prompting another chuckle from Chase.
He smiled, innocent and bright. "I can't do that!"
A giggle shook Chase's shoulders as he shook his head ruefully. He couldn't tell them secrets. They were secret for a reason! Gert's parents should really know better. Another giggle. Dale grabbed Chase's shoulder bringing his attention back to the man.
"Chase, Chase. Look at me. It's Dale."
"Hey, Dale." His smile gets brighter. "I can't do that, Dale!"
"I know, I know." Dale seems to think for a moment before squeezing Chase's shoulder and releasing it. "Now listen, we love Gert and Molly very much-"
Chase interrupts, his smile taking on a more dopey look. "I love Gert, too. I love her so much....that, that I'm afraid to tell her...."
"Oh, okay-"
"And Molly." The boy continues, ignoring Dale. "Molly I'm cool with...Actually, actually I love Molly. But it's a different kind of love because she's little-"
Stacey gets right in Chase's face, a dark look over taking her false smile. "Shut up, Chase. Tell us where you kids are living. Now."
The dopey smile that had been plastered on Chase's face vanishes in an instant. His voice becomes quiet and small. "You...you're scaring me..."
Dale gives his wife a disapproving look. "You are not alone."
It's then that the doorbell rings. Chase perks up slightly at the sound. Stacey turns towards her husband, confusion overthrowing the dark look she had been wearing moments before. "Who is that?"
"I don't know."
"Get rid of them."
Dale nods before turning to Chase with a smile. "Chase, I'll be right back."
He smiles back. "Bye Dale!"
Stacey frowns as Dale goes to the front room to check the window.
"He's nice," sighs Chase.
Dale returns to the room, panic visible. "It's Tina. What the heck is she doing here?"
"I don't know." Stacey runs a hand down her face. "What are we going to do now?"
"Keep talking. We have to or else the window's going to close and we'll have gained nothing."
"What window?"
"Chase-"
"Well, what do we have here."
All three heads turned to see Tina Minorou standing in the doorway. Dale stands up straighter, hoping to seem confident. He doesn't. Chase giggles and Tina's eyes lock on his before widening at the sight of his enlarged pupils. She goes to take a step forward, but Dale moves in front of her before she can.
"Please leave. You're trespassing."
"Actually, I'm the Wizey alpha user. My voice controls all one billion units currently in operation. I opened that door legally. PRIDE sent me to check on you." A self satisfied smirk blooms onto Tina's face as she sidesteps Dale. Chase, still floating on Cloud 9, smiles like a goof as her piercing gaze lands on him. "So this is what you've been working on. Chase Stein and a hypodermic needle."
"Ohhh." Chase's smile widens as he whispers like he's telling a secret. "You guys are in trouble!"
...
The three scheming parents had left Chase alone for only a minute, but to Chase it seemed much longer. It was boring being alone. And without Dale's beard. He was just starting to get sleepy when Dale walked in the room again. He pulled a chair.
"Hey, Chase."
Chase lit up. "Dale!"
"It's Dale."
"Hey, Dale..." Chase's head lolled to the left. "Dale's back with his beard.."
Dale laughed before leaning in slightly. "How're you feeling, kiddo?"
"A-OK!" Chase forced himself to sit up a little. He didn't want to let down Dale again. No way.
"A-OK. I'm gonna ask you a few questions, Chase."
"Okay..."
"Do you know who the president is?"
Chase nodded convincingly (unconvincingly). "Yep."
"Yeah?"
"Yep. Toootally..."
"Okay. Where have you been sleeping, Chase?"
Oh this was an easy one.
"Uh..with Gert." Chase frowned. "Or I was, but we got in a fight...but we're back together now. I think..."
"Well, relationships are tough, right?"
"And we got the coolest bed...I miss it. I really miss it. We had good times together...."
"Oh, okay." Dale chuckled uncomfortably. "That's not really important-"
Chase's smile widened. "We were naked!"
"Chase!" Dale sighed softly in exasperation. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. What else?"
"Well...you know how Old Lace and Gert are connected?" Chase asked, eyes thoughtful.
"Of course. Yeah."
"Well I'm not sure which one is the animal." Chase wiggled his eyebrows. "If you know what I mean."
Another tired sigh left Dale's lips. "We do."
"Sexually~"
"Yes, we get it. Yeah. Thank you, Chase."
As Gert's parents desperately tried to unhear Chase's confession, Tina threw her hands up from her spot in the corner of the room muttering about the shit show they had just experienced. Dale couldn't help but agree with the sentiment. His daughter's sexual exploits were the last thing on Earth he ever wanted to hear about and now, thanks to Chase Stein and a little bit of "truth serum" his nightmare had become reality. Tina ignored the dilemma Dale seemed to be having in favor of glaring at Stacey.
"How did he get here? You need to start talking. Now."
Chase, becoming more out of it by the minute, responded happily. "I tooold you. I can't say anything."
"She means us, Chase." Stacy replied, lightly squeezing Chase's shoulder before glaring harsly at Tina. "And this is none of your business."
Tina returned the gesture. "Tell me how he got here."
Chase's smile faded as the room grew dimmer and his head became heavier. Was it always this dark in here? Distantly, he heard Stacey say something about wasting time, but his eyes were already closed. Dale noticed all too late as Chase finally nodded off.
...
One hour. Chase had been gone for one whole hour. One whole hour for Gert to pace around the basement on the verge of tears as she tried not to have a mental breakdown in front of the dinosaur she had a telepathic bond with. A creak from the basement door broke her from her stupor. Tina came through first while Stacey followed behind her, a gun aimed at Tina's back. Then behind them was Dale with the arm of an unconscious Chase wrapped around his shoulder. Gert ran towards them, her fear replaced by red hot anger.
"What did you do!?"
Dale guided Chase's limp body to the bed, "Nothing serious, honey. Don't worry."
Gert ignored him in favour of sitting beside Chase and checking him over. She quickly noticed the needle mark on his forearm.
"Now, Gert-"
"Don't." Gert let out a shakey breathe. "Just go."
Her parents exchanged a glance before leaving the basement together. Once they were gone, Gert's shoulders slumped as the fight left her body.
"Chase?"
The boy continued to sleep. The rise and fall of his chest seemingly the only indicator he was even alive. Tina moved closer to the pancakes left on the table before sparing Chase a glance.
"He probably won't wake up for a while. If he does he'll be out of it." She picked up a pancake before taking a large bite. "They dosed him with some sort of truth serum and then some type of anesthesia so he would't try to escape."
"Truth serum?"
"They wanted to find out where you've been hiding."
Gert moved a lock of Chase's hair behind his ear. "And did he say anything?"
"Only about how you have a cool bed." Tina smirked. "Where you also get naked."
"Oh my god!" Gert buried her head in her hands as her cheeks flushed with embarassment. To think, her parents heard that. What else did Chase say? Gert shook her head. If she thought about it anymore, she might explode. Silence overtook the basement.
"It was amusing, but very unhelpful." The older women grabbed another pancake. "You know, PRIDE is declaring war on you kids. They've got noew weapons, the whole shebang. I would run while you still have time."
Before Gert could respond the whole basement turned an alarming shade of red. Her and Tina waitied with bated breaths as footsteps pounded on the floor above. The footsteps evtaully made their way to the other side of the basement door. It was then that the door burst open. Molly's glowing eyes dimmed as locked eyes with Gert. She wasted no time embracing her older sister in a tight hug. "You're alive!"
Karolina and Alex walked in after her, with similar expressions of relief. However, their expressions changed when they caught sight of Chase, who was still asleep on the mattress. Karolina rushed to his side.
"What happened?"
Gert stared at Chase. "They drugged him. He'll be out of it for a bit."
With that settled, the runaways quickly forced Dale and Stacey into the basement before freeing Old Lace. Molly was tasked with carrying Chase as they made their way back to the Rolls. She deposited him into the back left seat which left Gert with the middle seat and Molly with the back right. They waited for Old Lace as long as they could, but when it became clear she wasn't coming Karolina began to drive away from the house. Gert pulled Chase's head to her shoulder and let him rest. She began to card her fingers thorugh his soft locks, finding comfort in the small gesture. It would be okay. Even without Old Lace. They had each other.
...
The first thing that registered to Chase was a heart beat. It wasn't his own. No, it was too loud. Gert? There were fingers carding through his hair and...they were moving...no, they were driving. Weird. Where was Gert? A soft groan escpaed him as he attempted to force his inner thoughts to become outer ones.
"Chase?"
Oh hey, there's Gert. Another groan, slightly louder than the last.
"Chase, come back to me. I know you can do it."
Well he can't disappoint her now. It took three tries, but at last Chase managed to blink open his tired eyes. He shifted slightly on Gert's shoulder so he could look up at her. He did so with a smile. "Hey."
"Welcome to the land of the living."
He sighed before burying his face into her shoulder once more. "M'tired."
"You can go back to sleep." She began combing through his hair once again. "I don't think the drugs are out of your system yet."
"Mm."
"Just...make sure you wake up soon, okay? I don't want you to go all Sleeping Beauty on me."
"M'kay. I won't"
"You better not."