Work Text:
Nox always looked forward to gifts from Chase. It started out small. Chocolates, little trinkets, notes scrawled in the margins of a crumpled sticky note.
Before he knew it, Nox was actually looking forward to seeing Chase. He wondered if he’d accidentally pavloved himself into adoring the little gremlin, but that didn’t seem quite right. The more time they spent together. The more Nox saw through the gaudy facade, to the actual Chase. Kind, thoughtful, adorab—
No, he can’t. He needs to focus on the mission. He needs to find out where the other keys are. If not for himself, then for Violet. She missed her family. Buuutttt accepting a few ‘bribes’ from a certain dimwitted blonde certainly wouldn’t hurt his goal.
He adjusted his footing on the tree branch below. Just how long was Chase going to take? He didn’t have all day— well actually, he kind of did have all day. It’s not like there was anything better for him to be doing right now. He gripped the branch tighter, rotating his hand around the bark, just as a soft crunching began to approach.
Nox perked up. He searched for any speckles of blonde that might happen to be bobbing towards him through the browning leaves. Though he could tell it was Chase even before he saw him, the faint sound of haphazardly mumbled pop music seemed to follow whenever he went. Nox wondered which song Chase would have stuck in his head today. He normally cycled through the same few songs, but occasionally there was a new addition. Today seemed to be one of those days.
Nox adjusted his footing once more, bracing himself as Chase neared closer and closer until—
“HOLY CRAP!!!” Chase yelped, “Buddy! What was that for!” He leaned back against a tree, leaves twirled down around him as he desperately tried to catch his breath.
Nox, for his part, simply stepped closer, placing himself mere inches away from Chase, “I believe that’s 14 points for me, and 2 for you,” Nox smirked.
“Hey! That’s totally not fair,” Chase stammered through a gasp, “You’re the villainess, there’s so many more opportunities for you to sneak up on me,” Chase daintily placed the back of his hand across his brow, “the poor helpless heroine.” He couldn’t help but let his lips twitch up into an expectant simper as his eyes fluttered.
Nox rolled his eyes, corners crinkling up as he pursed his lips, trying and failing to keep up his fiendish performance. “And what are you gonna do about it?” He purred, wrapping an arm around Chase’s waist.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Chase replied. He cupped Nox’s face as he led them into a kiss.
Nox’s face warmed, a sensation he was still getting used to, “Oh no, looks like I’ll have to surrender this time,” he cooed, pushing Chase’s messy fringe off to the side.
“What’s this?” Chase began, “Buddy admitting defeat? I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Oh please, like you really thought I was that conceited,” Nox chuckled.
“I would never!” Chase laughed nervously.
Nox narrowed his eyes, “You don’t know what that word means do you?”
“…no,” Chase admitted.
Nox couldn’t help but laugh, he pushed his hair up, allowing his hand to rest on his forehead, “Of course, the universe sent me the most ineloquent dolt possible.”
“Hey! Now you’re doing it on purpose!” Chase snicked through faux ire.
“Oh! The horror!” Nox waved his hands, “Anachronistic! Ephemeral! Superfluous!” He cackled.
“Alright, that’s it!” Chase hurled himself into Nox, sending both of them tumbling into a pile of leaves. Chase gripped Nox’s collar, “You’re impossible,” he panted, shoving their lips together once more.
“Only for you,” Nox smiled. He crooked his arm, inviting Chase to rest beside him, an invitation which was readily accepted. Chase pressed his face against Nox’s chest, releasing a sigh and letting the tension drain from his body.
As Nox lay there, staring up towards the autumn sky, reds and yellows dancing around him, he wondered what things would have been like if only he had been able to meet Chase outside of all… this. If only he hadn’t—
“Oh hey!” Chase perked up, “I got you something!”
Nox turned to watch Chase as he fished around in his pocket, surely producing another adorable trinket of some kind.
“Here! I figured since you got me one, I’d return the favor,” Chase smiled, opening his hand to reveal
To— to reveal
“Well, I don’t know if you have a car. Or a house. Or any material possessions really, but—“
Nox was transfixed. His heart beat through his throat, he felt as his fingers began to tingle.
“—it was too good to pass on! It suits you perfectly.”
He felt his lungs inhale sharply, recovering from the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. His face once again started to warm.
“Look! It’s got this cute little black moon charm on it, and the whole thing is like a dark greyish metally color— hey, Buddy, you good?” Chase startled, finally looking up.
Nox felt a tear begin to roll down his face, “I— I…”
“Hey! Hey, it’s alright!” Chase stammered, “It’s ok! It’s just a gift! If you don’t like it, that’s ok!”
Nox clamped a hand over his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut.
A keychain
Of course it had to be a keychain.
“Ch- Chase, I—“ Nox sputtered.
“Don’t worry about it,” Chase forced a smile, worry clear across his face, “I’ll just return it if you don’t like it.”
“No!” Nox nearly shouted, “No I, that’s not it, I” he choked out.
“Oh! Well good!” Chase brightened, “Here, go ahead and,”
Nox physically recoiled as Chase thrust the keychain towards him once more. “No! Get that away from me!” Buddy scrambled backwards, leaves ruffling around him as his throat continued to sporadically constrict, releasing pained gasps.
“I, I don’t understand” Chase’s voice wavered, his eyes welling with tears.
“No, you don’t.” Nox spat. “You’ll never understand.”
“Was it the keychain?” Chase scooted forward cautiously, like he was approaching an injured animal, “I just thought since you got me a keychain, I could get you one too—“
“That was totally different!” Nox wheezed, curling in on himself.
“How is it different!?” Chase pleaded.
“BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT A—“
Nox slapped a hand over his mouth. He finally allowed himself to look towards Chase. His eyes snapped up, flicking wildly across Chase’s face searching for any signs of revelation.
Instead he found Chase frozen in place, “…not a what?” He squeaked.
“I can’t do this,” Nox swallowed hard. He began to fumble with the collar of his shirt.
“H-hey, what are you doing?” Chase faltered, “Are you leaving?!”
“I just— I can’t do this right now,” Nox finally made his way through his collar button and began fishing around for his key.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t know!” Chase scuttled forward, “Can we talk about it?!”
“Just—“ Nox paused. He looked at Chase once more. “Maybe some day.”
He grasped onto Violet, “But not right now.”
“What was that about!” Violet screeched, “Once again, no narratonin!” She crossed her arms.
Nox pushed his upper body off the makeshift crashpad glove laid beneath their book. “Not now Violet,” he sniffed.
Violet rolled her eyes with a huff, “What’s wrong, did your little boy toy hurt your feelings?” She squalked, dusting herself off, “We don’t have time for this, Nox!”
Violet stalked back over towards their book, “Now get back in there, so we can fix this whole mess,” she snarled.
“Violet please!” Nox wailed, “…please, I just” he exhaled a shaky breath, “I can’t go back in, not today.”
Violet froze, she pursed her lips. Then finally she let out a dramatic sigh. “Fine.” She settled. “BUT! Only because it’s almost time for my aroma therapy.”
She strutted off towards the air vent, dragging over a discarded tree shaped air freshener card that had dozens of holes meticulously punched through it in neat rows. Violet dropped the air freshener card down directly in front of the vent before plopping down onto a plush glasses case being used as a fainting couch. She scowled at the vent, waiting for the air to kick on.
Nox, on the other hand, continued to lay on his glove. He stared first up at the cardboard ceiling, watching the light stream from Silver’s sigil. It danced around the cardboard, flickering and flitting about the corrugated ridges.
He wondered how long Chase would stay in the book, waiting for him to return.
Nox turned his attention to the spell page, he studied the lone keyhole, it shone brilliantly, inviting him into its arms, to escape into a world where he could just be… him. With no pretense, and no half baked plots to execute. Only the sweet embrace of a boy who cared for nothing more than gluten free chocolate and small trinkets.
It’s not his fault. It’s not Chase’s fault. How could he have known. Nox rested his forearm above his head, for once, he felt like the ‘little idiot.’
Just as he began to entertain the thought of going back in, maybe even apologizing, the light flickered, before dimming entirely.
Great. Seems like Chase wasn’t up for it now either. Way to go ‘Buddy,’ first ruining the mood, then Chase leaves the book. He sighed, rolling over to finally stand.
Nox dragged himself back up to his box. He took one look at the state of the place before pushing everything Chase had given him into a corner and draping a sheet of legal paper over top of it.
He curled up in the opposite corner, pressing his face against the cool cardboard. He wished he could promise himself that he’d apologize to Chase, but he learned long ago that those types of promises only serve to make the time pass by more slowly.
All he could do now was lie there and wait for that bright light to shine again.