16

Chef PeePees map showed that they were nearly through the whole town. They'd been walking for a few more hours since dinner, and they got pretty far due to having a full stomach.

"Aaaand, it's officially Sunday." Joseph said, watching the time on his phone.

"I can't believe we've been out here for 2 days now..." Junior said, softly since he was really tired from being active pretty much the whole day.

"I can't believe we've only seen 1 police car." Joseph commented.

"Luckily it didn't see us..." The chef added. He nearly had a heart attack when he saw the black and white vehicle, and so did Junior, though less visibly than the former.

"I wonder what everyone thinks happened to us..." Joseph said. "Or, at least you guys. Cody called me, but I didn't answer."

"Well, the news thinks Chef PeePee kidnapped me, so there's that." Junior mentioned.

"Wow, they must be dumb. Chef PeePee couldn't kidnap anyone!" Joseph said, laughing. Junior laughed along with him.

"Excuse me, I could if I wanted to!" Chef PeePee retorted in an offended tone.

"With what muscles?" Junior questioned smugly, though his smile was wiped clean off his face when the chef ran up and picked him up from behind. Junior yelped in surprise, while Joseph started dying laughing.

"How's this for muscles?" Chef PeePee asked proudly as Junior tried to squirm away from him.

"Okay! Okay! I get it! You're strong, now put me down!" Junior demanded, yet still laughing along with the other two. Chef PeePee obliged and put him down. Junior shoved the chef playfully as the chef continued laughing at him.

It felt good to all three of them that they could relax and joke around without too much worry. Even if they were all tired, it was the company they received that kept them going. Joseph coming along wasn't an issue either, he was still dedicated to helping his best friend and his best friend's chef out. The chef didn't really want to admit it, but he was glad the boy was tagging along. Besides the fact that he was able to go in stores and stuff for the two runaways, it also gave Junior another person to be calmed by. Junior was happy that two of his favorite people were able to accompany him on this journey of a lifetime, and though he wished Cody and/or Jeffy could too, he was okay with this pairing.

The three kept walking along the baron road, which was pretty close to the exit to the next town over. Less chance of getting caught was definitely a good thing for the boys. According to Chef PeePee's map, they got halfway through the road before they decided to stop for the night and hide in a clearing in the woods.

"Thank god we're taking a break, my legs feel like jelly." Junior whined, taking out his sleeping bag and lying it on the most comfortable ground spot he could find. "I'm going to eat this sleep like a chocolate cake!"

"I think that's the weirdest sentence I've heard from you in a while." Chef PeePee said.

"Well I enjoy chocolate cake, and I'm going to enjoy this sleep." Junior clarified. He noticed that Joseph didn't have a sleeping bag out, and only had a small blanket. "Yo, Joseph, where's your sleeping bag?"

"I don't got one. I used to but it got ripped because a bunch of moths ate it all up." Joseph replied. "I'm used to sleeping like this anyways, and the temperature's not too bad so I'll be fine."

"Are you sure Joseph? You can use my blanket, I can just sleep in my chef's jacket." Chef PeePee offered.

"I'm good peeper-dude." Joseph said, sitting against a tree and covering up partially with his blanket. Chef PeePee decided to let him sleep how he wants to, and laid himself down.

Within 5 minutes, Junior was out like a light. The other two could tell he was asleep by his light snores. Chef PeePee figured he'd be out quickly as well, but whatever made him fall asleep decided to tell him to fuck off or something, because no matter how long his eyes were closed, he wasn't falling asleep. Joseph must've been the same way, since the chef heard him shuffling around.

After what felt like an hour of lying there still, the chef sat up and opened his eyes. Junior was still asleep, while Joseph was playing a 1 player game of catch with a rock. Joseph noticed the man looking at him after a few seconds.

"You're still awake too?" The boy whispered loud enough for the chef to hear, but not loud enough to wake Junior.

"Yeah... I'm surprised you aren't asleep yet." The chef replied. Joseph hadn't even napped when the other two had.

"Me too. My brain just won't let me sleep, I guess." Joseph said. He felt pretty awkward talking to the chef 1 on 1, since before Junior would always be around. The feeling was mutual for the chef.

"Same here." The chef replied. The two were silent once again. The chef had thought of lying back down and praying he could finally sleep, but before he did, he decided to ask something that was on his mind. "So... why did you come along with us?"

Joseph took a second to think before answering. "I had nothing else to do, and I wanted to hang with Junior. No one would miss me back there, besides maybe Cody, and I wouldn't have to go to school." He said, shrugging. Chef PeePee waited for him to say anything else, but it was clear he was done. Though, it seemed to the chef that this was only a part of the reason.

"Any other reasons?" The chef asked. Joseph shook his head. The chef decided to stop pressing him and focus on sleep. He laid his head back down on his pillow, and closed his eyes. He still didn't feel tired, but there was nothing else to do.

"Well... actually..." Joseph said. The chef opened his eyes to look at the boy, who was walking his way. "There is..." He sat down in front of Chef PeePee and took a couple deep breaths before continuing. "I've been reflecting on myself recently, since y'know, there isn't too much to do out here. And I've realized I haven't really been there when people needed me most. I've always ran off when things got complicated, or when I got scared."

The chef was surprised by the suddenness of Joseph telling him these things. "I've noticed..." He said. The boy continued to speak.

"My mom always told me that if things get tough, to just leave, and then she took her own advice. I've been trying to not run away, but I always mess up and get scared and go back on my word. I don't want to be known as a stupid coward, but I'm so used to it." Joseph went on, putting his head in his hands. "So, when I heard you guys needed help, I decided that this would be the perfect time to stop being so... cowardlike or whatever, and be a good friend. No matter how tiring this journey is, no matter how many police cars we see, I'm not gonna leave you guys! I'm not gonna do it like I always have! Like my mom did!"

The chef was now impressed. He didn't expect this from Joseph, at least not this early. He was... proud? He was definitely happy for the boy, for turning a new leaf, sudden or not.

"...Good for you, Joseph. It's good that you're trying to change." The chef told the boy, giving him a small smile. "I'm proud of you, and I know Junior would be too if he heard this. Thanks for opening up."

Joseph wiped away a few tears he'd worked up, and smiled back at the chef. "You're welcome, dude. Thanks for being so supportive. I promise I'm going to help you guys as much as I possibly can. I'll keep you and Junior safe."

"I trust you." The chef said. "You know, I wish you were more considerate when you and Junior would destroy my kitchen back at the house." He joked.

"Hey, most of those times were accidents dude." Joseph said, defending himself while giggling along with the chef.

"Right..." The chef responded. He laughed a little more, then yawned. "I think we should try to sleep now. We should be able to move a little bit in the afternoon, once everyone is back from church or something." he said.

"You're right. I'm starting to finally get tired now, thank god." Joseph said, standing up and walking over to his spot. "Night, Chef PeePee."

"Goodnight, Joseph." The chef replied. He offered his blanket to the boy once more, to which the boy again said no, then they both eventually fell asleep.