"Okay. So, what do you guys want to know?" Brock slides into the chair across from them, a curious look on his face.

"Um... How do you know Luke?" Ryan sets his fork down on a now empty plate, feeling a bit nervous.

He wasn't good at these kinds of things. Was this a bad starter question? He really hoped not.

Brock gives a warm chuckle, taking a sip of his tea before responding. "We were best friends back in the day. Well... Okay, friends isn't really the right word. I don't really know what we were," Brock admits. "We were just... Us, you know?"

Ryan nods. That explained a lot, and at the same time only left him more confused. He glances over to where Bryce is, sitting in the chair besides him with an unreadable expression on his face.

He would be lying if he said he didn't feel worried- Bryce was quiet as all hell right now, and from the short time he had met Bryce, he was never so quiet. But as much as he wanted to worry about Bryce right now...

Ryan had more important things at hand right now.

"How do you know people were looking for him?"

Brock shrugs at the question, staring up at the ceiling as if trying to remember something. "He... He came by a few weeks ago. Maybe just two or three, somewhere around the start of November. What's today again? The 10th?"

Ryan quickly checks his phone, shaking his head. "The 11th. December 11, 2016. Thursday."

Brock nods. "So, the middle of November. He shows up, super bloody and scratched up and goes, 'Hey, Brock, you're a med student, and my friend, so can you get these bullets out of my leg and the knife out of my side?'"

Ryan tenses up, gripping onto the table tightly. "W-what? He said what?!"

Brock nods, a weary look spreading on his face. He looks down at his lap as he continues. "Yeah... That was how I felt, too. But... I couldn't just leave him to die, so I took him in. I patched him all up, exactly how he needed, and then made him stay over for a while so his wounds could heal. And before he left, maybe around the end of the month, he told me that someone, somehow, was gonna track him to here. Said it would be some close friends of his, and that I would have to try to send you guys back."

Ryan stays quiet, taking in all of the information that had just been dumped on him. He just nods, showing Brock that he was still listening.

"So are you gonna send us back? Or- or are you gonna let us keep going?" Bryce finally speaks up, though his voice is much quieter than usual.

Brock shakes his head. "No. I'm not going to stop you, but I'm not going to tell you to keep going, either. I know how much Luke must mean to you guys, especially if you've come all the way out here just to find him, but at the same time...." Brock takes a deep breath, looking at the two worriedly. "It's dangerous out there, wherever Luke may be."

Bryce gives a tired smile. "At least you care about us. You're really nice, Brock, you know that?"

Ryan can hear the tiniest bit of longing in Bryce's voice. He doesn't know why it's there, or if his tired mind is just imagining things. He shrugs it off as mere exhaustion, though, and finally stands up to stretch a little.

"Tired?" Brock gives a knowing smile, any tension from earlier melting away. "There's a spare bedroom down the hall. Can't miss it in this tiny little apartment," he chuckles. "Both of you go get some sleep. You need it if you're gonna go hunt Luke down."

"Are you sure? I don't wanna intrude," Ryan argues. Brock has done more than enough for them, couldn't they just get some crappy motel with the money they had?

"No, no, I insist. It's only one bed, though, so I hope you guys don't mind sharing." Brock gently pushes the two towards the bedroom.

Bryce, seeming too tired to argue, goes along with it and pulls Ryan along too. "Thank you, Brock!"

Ryan doesn't get time to hear Brock's reply, as Bryce shuts the door behind them both and then promptly flops down onto the bed.

Ryan has to do his best to not laugh at the way Bryce snuggles into the bed, wrapping himself in the blankets like a little cocoon. He lays down next to Bryce, making himself comfortable. The bed was big and soft, a welcome change compared to all the other things he's been doing today.

He pulls a bit of blanket away from Bryce, who doesn't even budge. "Goodnight, Bryce," Ryan says, despite knowing that Bryce was already fast asleep.

He lays awake for a few moments, quietly watching Bryce.

Hopefully, whatever was eating away at Bryce's mind would stop soon. He wasn't sure if he could handle Bryce's mood swings while trying to continue their little hunt.