It was another nightmare. Chase could tell from the curled spine and tightened form, as if the whimpering wasn't a giveaway. With a patient sigh, he got up and picked his way across the cave room, coming up to the natural shelf that housed Eric's temporary bed. The poor boy was fidgeting under his covers, his bedding twisted around his lower limbs while his arms tucked his yellow bit of cloth to his chest. Damn it... I thought some natural light would calm his nightmares. Chase gently crouched down and placed his hand over the troubled human, and as he rubbed his thumb through his raven hair he softly shushed the little cries.

"It's okay little dude... It's alright... Yer safe bro. Ain't nuthin' getting ya, you're okay... Shh..." Eric whimpered softly and leaned into the touch, his expression relaxing a little as the giant pet his head. "That's it," he coaxed, "Just go back to sleep. Those nightmares are just bad thoughts, he can't hurt you any more..." A few minutes was all it took to lull Eric back into a peaceful state, and Chase let out a quiet sigh. He put his head down beside the little human, and he closed his eyes and yawned.

Can't remember the last time I got any sleep. He remained there, hunched stiffly and unmoving to provide his body heat for the little duder, for quite a spell of time when he heard leaves rustle. He opened his eyes a little and saw Jackie's red silhouette contrasting the silvery light of the moon; he was coming into the cave, and the two met eyes before the masked giant smiled and quietly waved. Chase nodded tiredly back, offering a weak grin, and Jackie frowned with a tilt of his head. No doubt he could guess what Chase was doing up. Chase reassured him with a silent thumbs up, and Jackie conceded and returned the gesture before moving on to his chamber for the rest of the night.

As Chase was looking back down to check on Eric, he found the human rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and letting out a little yawn. The giant felt his heart hum warmly, and he smiled softly as he shifted his hand to ruffle the boy's hair again.

"Hey little dude," he murmured, "How you feelin'?" Eric blinked up at him and slowly sat up.

"O-oh... D-did I-... I-I woke you, didn't I?"

"Nah, I'm fine." Chase's smile tensed. "I was just checkin' on ya, seein' how you're doing."

"O-oh... Th-thank you..." Eric self-consciously fidgeted as Chase scooted to a more comfortable seating.

So.. Bad dreams still, huh bro?" Eric winced.

"... W-well..." He guiltily twisted the foulard around his hands, not meeting Chase's gaze. The giant's expression softened.

"It's fine if you don't feel like talkin' about it. I know the feelin'." He let out a weak chuckle with that last part. Eric looked up at him.

"Be-because you pretend everything's okay s-so that-that the others don't see it?" Chase's smile dropped, and Eric's eyes widened. "U-um! N-not that- not that you-y-you- oh...!" He quickly tried to amend, "I-I'm sorry, I-I shouldn't have- oh, oh that-that's me, not-not you- oh, oh that-th-that was rude, I-I shouldn't have said-said that out loud, I-I'm sorr--!"

"Whoa, whoa, easy there little dude," Chase soothed, "I-I'm not mad, Eric, it's just..." He trailed off and sighed. "Well... Yer right, actually. I... I hate letting people know my problems too. Especially because it's my responsibility, not theirs." He was lost in thought for a few seconds before the clouds in his eyes went away. He smiled at Eric and rubbed his back. "Hey, you wanna see something cool?" Eric shyly shrugged, his eyes wide as Chase offered his hand as a platform. He climbed on, still wobbly and not used to boarding a giant hand, but the larger male was patient and only moved when Eric stopped fidgeting. He brought his hand up to eye level, and his other hand removed his hat before Chase set the human down in the mop of brown hair. He then put his snapback back on, adjusting it slightly so that Eric would be safely underneath, and then he started walking toward the main entrance.

Eric wasn't sure where Chase was taking him, but he couldn't deny that the giant was really warm. He sighed and relaxed in the dark space, feeling better with himself out of sight. The hair beneath him was soft and cushiony, and the heat that seeped from below circumvented the cap at a soothing temperature. He couldn't deny that, despite the surrounding darkness, being up here made him feel safe enough to close his eyes.

Admittedly, Eric had almost dozed off when he felt Chase stop, and he sobered up as the hat came off. His eyes grew big with alarm.

They were outside.

"W-w-wait, I-I can't-I can't be out here, I-I-I can't--!" His frenzic stammerings were halted by a light shake of the giant's head.

"It's fine," Chase reassured soothingly, "Besides, it won't kill Marvin if he doesn't find out." Eric nervously eyed the trees. They still looked big, even from way up here. The high winds grazed him curiously, coldly dancing past him in flourishing wisps as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"W-well... As-as long as- as long as it's o-okay..." He agreed timidly.

"Don't worry about Marv." Chase took a seat as Eric observed their surroundings: they were out in the middle of a small break in the trees, a clearing ringed by the woods like guardians sworn to protect. He startled a little when Chase's hand was suddenly a part of his peripheral, but he gripped the fingers and allowed his body to be gently scooped up out of the sea of fluff, and the giant then proceeded to lie on his back before setting Eric back down on his chest.

"This is where I usually go, when I can't sleep." As Eric turned over to get comfy, he saw where Chase was looking and dropped his jaw: Above them lay the shroud of the night sky, stars glittering like diamonds in the sea of black-blue. They were far away enough from civilization that these shy twinkling lights felt comfortable revealing their beautiful selves.

"O-ohh..." He softly gasped. "I-it's pretty...!"

"Isn't it?" Chase smiled in agreement. "I like to just lay here and imagine that each little star is a whole other world beyond ours... Maybe one where giants don't have to hide from humans, or fear each other." His chest rose and fell with a soft sigh, and he gently rested his hand next to Eric. "And who knows... Maybe there's even different Earths out there, planets almost exactly like ours... Or even universes undiscovered and totally bizarre— like if humans and animals switched roles, or if there was no magic or giants and just... People, unique and different but still alike..."

"That... That does sound n-nice..."

"Well," Chase's chest bobbed with a soft chuckle, "I've had a lot of time to think on it." Eric peeked over at Chase.

"H-how-how long h-have you-have you been th-thinking about it?"

"Well..." The giant let out a slow exhale, giving a pause to frown. "For as long as I can remember really. We've just been here for a while..."

"N-no-no one e-else?" Another hesitation. Eric panicked for a second, wondering if he had said something terribly wrong before Chase gave an answering murmur.

"I... I used to have a family. A wife, and... And kids. I'm a little blurry on details right now, but it didn't end very well. She ended up taking them and leaving."

"... Oh..." Eric frowned.

"Well, it happens," Chase remarked, giving a forced chuckle. Eric's frown went deeper, and he tilted his head against the giant, pressuring against his chest. The fake smile had faltered, and then softened into a genuine one as Chase rested his hand over the small boy. "I've got the others here with me anyway, so I'm never alone." Eric stiffened when he felt a large fingerpad rest on his head, but then his eyes drooped closed as Chase carefully pet him. He felt warmer again, a light chill coursing through him as he felt the weight brush up and down his head and shoulders. His body lost its tenseness, and he felt... Safe. Like he could be comfortable without worrying about as much as he usually did. And though he still felt his heart fluttering with anxiety, the racing thoughts slowed, as did his pulse as he let out a small yawn and nestled close. 

"Ch-Chase?"

"Yeah?"

"Do-do you think there's a-a world out there wh-where we- where we can spend t-time together, with-without worrying about anything else?" Chase blinked, glancing down at the small form beneath his hand, and then he softly smiled.

"Yeah. Yeah I reckon... I bet other-me is buyin' ya glittery pink high heels right now." Eric failed to hide a titter, which made Chase's grin grow wider. "I bet he's also makin' ya try ballet," he mused teasingly.

"I-I don't-I don't think I can d-do ballet," Eric giggled.

"Yeah, probably too late to go on your toes... But I bet you would have been awesome at it." Eric just shrugged, not sure what else to say save for a squeaky yawn that made Chase's heart hum warmly.

"Sleepy?" He asked softly.

"M-hmm..."

"It's okay if you fall asleep." 

"Mn-mm..." A few minutes later, Chase peeked at his smaller companion to find him all snuggled up and conked out under his hand. He smiled with a soft chuckle, content to remain laying down until he too could fall asleep under the watchful blanket of the glittering stars.