Here's chapter two! There's not a whole lot to say about it either. It was inspired by a short drabble that swirlyslidez on Tumblr did. This idea just seems super adorable and I am completely convinced that this is how Kendall and Logan spend time when it's just the two of them, even at sixteen.

Enjoy.

000

"Come on Kendall!" Nine-year-old Hortense tugs at his best friend's arm. "It's just the library."

It's summer and James and Carlos have both left for Camp Wonky Donkey once again. The four boys had spent the school year all hanging out with one another and Kendall is now lucky enough to have three best friends. James and Carlos had welcomed Hortense into the group with open arms after getting back from camp, especially after seeing how much Kendall liked him. But when summer had rolled around again the other two boys had quickly opted to spend the summer at the camp once more, leaving Kendall and Hortense behind. Kendall finds he doesn't mind it nearly as much this time.

He makes a face at the brick building in front of him. "But the library is boring!"

Hortense looks mildly offended by this accusation. "No it's not! The library is great! It's full of books and it's…" He trails off suddenly, looking awkward.

This piques the blonde's interest. "It's what?"

"Nothing." The smaller brunette mumbles. "You'll just laugh at me."

Now it's Kendall's turn to look offended. Hortense is his best friend and he'd never laugh at him. Well, maybe, but never in a mean way. "I promise not to laugh, Hortense."

The smaller boy looks at him for a moment before deciding he's trustworthy. "I spent a lot of time in the library before I moved here."

"Why? Wouldn't it have been more fun to play with your friends?

Hortense shrugs, almost like it's no big deal, but Kendall can tell his friend his embarrassed. "I didn't really have a lot of friends in Texas."

Kendall can remember the small, shy, quiet boy he, James, and Carlos had rescued from some bullies on Hortense's third of fourth day or school. And he realizes that coming to the library isn't just going to the library for Hortense. It's probably a place that's important to him, and it's probably a big deal that he wants to bring Kendall. So the blonde smiles and grabs his friend's hand, pulling him up the steps towards where Mrs. Mitchell is waiting patiently for the two boys to stop talking.

"Come on, Hortense! Let's go the library!"

-0-

"Aren't you going to pick out a book?"

Kendall looks up to find Hortense standing in front of him, holding several books, most of which Kendall has never even heard of. "I, uh, I don't really like to read." He admits.

Hortense gasps, dropping said books on the floor and earning a glare from the librarian behind the desk a few feet away. "Sorry." Both boys tell her sheepishly, before they duck down to begin picking up the fallen books. "How can you not like reading?" He asks the blonde.

He shrugs. "It's boring. There's no pictures and it's something we have to do for school so it must not be any fun." They place the books on the table and Hortense begins sorting through them, trying to find the one he wants to take home.

The brunette regards him for a minute before grinning. "I bet you just don't know how to read."

Kendall gasps, as if this is the most offensive thing anyone has ever said to him (and at nine it probably is). "I can so!"

"I dunno…" Hortense looks skeptical. "I've never seen you read. Not, like, a book. I don't think you can." He finally chooses a book and stands up, heading over to where his mother is waiting to help them check out.

Kendall huffs and grabs one of the many books that Hortense has pushed a side. "I can so read! I'll read this whole book!" He stalks past the smaller boy and misses the knowing grin on his friend's face completely.

It's not until after they've checked out their books and are back in car on the way to Logan's house that Kendall realizes his smarter friend must certainly know he can read. He'd just used the blonde's competitive nature to trick him into getting a book.

-0-

"This is boring!" Kendall cries as he shuts the book he'd been attempting to read.

Hortense looks up from where he's nose deep in Bridge to Terabithia and smirks. "Maybe you should have picked another book then."

Kendall glances at the cover of his book, The Secret Garden, starring up at him. It isn't that the book is bad, but Kendall just cannot get into it. He pouts as he turns to face Hortense. "What are you reading?"

"Bridge to Terabithia."

Kendall's eyes light up at the name. He remembers seeing commercials for the movie of the same name that is coming out. It looks really good. "I want to read that!"

The smaller brunette looks up again. "You can read it when I'm done if you want."

The blonde boy pouts once more. "I don't want to wait!"

His friend sighs and shakes his head, but he's grinning so Kendall knows he's not really mad. "How about I read it to you? That way we can read it together."

Kendall brightens at the suggestion and crawls over to where Hortense is seated on the opposite end of the couch. "Okay!" He says happily as the brunette flips back to the beginning of the book. "Thanks, Hortense."

Hortense smiles back and Kendall really likes the way Hortense's dimples match his own when they smile. "You're welcome."

"Ba-room, ba-room, ba-room, baripity, baripity, baripity, baripity—Good. His dad had the pickup going. He could get up now."

-0-

Jennifer Knight is greeted warmly by Joanna Mitchell when she stops by to pick up her eldest child. "I hope he wasn't too much trouble today," The auburn haired woman says. "He hates the library so I can only imagine what kind of a nightmare it must have been to get him to go."

"Actually," Joanna smiles warmly and points to the living room before raising a finger to her lips and gesturing for Jennifer to remain silent.

Both woman peek into the living room and find Hortense and Kendall still on the couch, Hortense still reading Bridge to Terabithia. They're about two-thirds of the way through the novel and Kendall has readjusted himself, lying flat on his back and head in his other friend's lap as the smaller boy reads, his eyes never once leaving the brunette's face. The two mothers slip into the kitchen completely unnoticed by their sons. Jennifer grins.

"I'm impressed. I don't think I've ever seen Kendall pay that much attention to anything, especially a book."

Joanna laughs. "I was pretty surprised myself." The shorter woman admits. "Hortense had some trouble actually getting him into the library, but it's been like this since we got home."

"I hate to interrupt them," She does in fact look a little guilty about it. "But I need to get home and start dinner. Katie's babysitter is probably getting tired of her right about now." The two women laugh amiably, knowing that even at three years old, Katie is quite a handful for anyone.

Joanna waves a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. Robert's got to work late tonight," she frowns at the mention of her husband's work habits because he's been working late more and more, "so I was just going to order a pizza. Kendall is more than welcome to stay for dinner and they can finish their book."

Jennifer smiles gratefully. "Thanks, Joanna. Just send Kendall home when they're done."

-0-

"That book was awesome!" Kendall raves over his slice of pepperoni pizza. "Are all books that awesome?"

Hortense grins at his friend. "Yep. Well, mostly. I've read a couple that weren't good."

"We should get another one! What's your favorite book? Let's read that one together!"

The smaller boy turns to his mother. "Can we go back tomorrow mom? Please?"

Joanna goes over her schedule for the next day in her head before nodding. "Sure sweetie."

"What should we get, Hortense?"

He ponders his friend's question for a minute before smiling. "Want to get Narnia?"

Kendall's never even heard of that, but he trusts Hortense's judgment so he nods enthusiastically. "Okay!"

Hortense, already excited about the prospect of reading, eagerly mirrors his friend's excitement. He loves reading and is really happy that his new best friend seems as excited about it as he does. "We can get the first one! And we can read one a week if you want."

Kendall nods, not wanting to talk with a mouth full of pizza. Hortense beams at him and the blonde can't help but return the gesture.

-0-

They spend the entire summer this way. Every Monday they go to the library and get the next book in the Chronicles of Narnia series. Hortense does the math and quickly figures out how many chapters they need to read every day in order for them to be finished with the book by Sunday night (it's not the first time in the year or so that Kendall has known Hortense that he's been impressed with his friend's abilities with math and other things academic). They spend their days playing together, sometimes at Kendall's house and sometimes at Hortense's. Then every night, after dinner, they curl up together on the couch and Hortense opens the book to where they last left off and reads aloud the designated set of chapters for that day.

Kendall learns to love the adventures in the books. He learns to love the characters that are brave and smart but sometimes selfish or mean. He learns to love painting a picture in his mind of the action and the landscape, using the words that tumble past the brunette's lips to guide him.

But mostly, Kendall just learns to love the sound of his best friend's voice. It's calm and soothing and Hortense reads just as well as a grown up. It really impresses Kendall and he thinks he wouldn't mind reading books with him forever.

They're almost completely finished with the fifth book in the series, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, when James and Carlos return from Camp Wonky Donkey. Kendall is a little worried that now that the other two boys are back in town, they won't continue their nightly ritual, but much to his relief, as they wave goodbye to Carlos and James and climb into Mrs. Mitchell's car, Hortense starts talking excitedly about what might happen next in the book.

This continues for the next two weeks, until they've completely finished all seven books in the series. It doesn't occur to either boy to invite their other two friends to join them, although they've had several opportunities to do so. Kendall almost feels guilty as he watches Hortense close the last book and sigh happily. He's supposed to want to do things with all of his best friends, not just the brunette.

But he really loves having something that just for the two of them.

000

And that's the end of chapter two! I hope you guys enjoyed it. Except chapter three in a few days!