Chapter Text
Nox was frozen. He couldn’t move his limbs. He was trying. But his metal body wouldn’t cooperate.
The girl stared down at him with beady eyes.
Nox stared back.
“What are you?” She said and reached for him. Before he could do anything at all, he was squished between large hands wrapped all around him, arms pinned to his side. Gravity disappeared beneath his feet as he flailed for footing.
“A walking doll?” The girl continued, inspecting him with curious eyes, completely oblivious to his panic. “Who left you here?”
He tried to move and twist. He couldn’t even budge. Claustrophobia crashed down on him. He might have been hyperventilating, he thought. But of course, a body made of metal did not need to breathe.
The girl sniffed. “Well, if I found you then I can keep you, I guess. That’s what those boys did with my favorite keychain.”
“Ch-child..” Nox croaked weakly. “Put me down.”
The girl gasped. “You can talk too!? Wow! I need to show this to my mom.” And with that she was off on her way, carrying an unwilling Nox in her grip.
No, no! Not even more humans!
Nox struggled uselessly, feeling his freedom slip away with each passing moment. He needed to do something, anything, but the girl held him in an iron grip. Surely, she was too strong for a child her age.
This couldn’t be how everything ended. This wasn’t what he’d worked so hard for, this wasn’t what Violet had worked so hard for, so that some random human child could catch and blow his cover. He hadn’t even found all his siblings yet. He hadn’t achieved anything yet.
A loud clatter of a mountain of books falling pulled him out of his spiral, and he looked to the right—
Only to quickly look away when he found Freckles staring his way like he’d just seen the ghost of his non-existent girlfriend.
Oh, no, no, no! This is worse!
Suddenly, being kidnapped by a random child seemed like the more favorable option. Way better than Chase and Freckles learning the truth.
“Hey kid,” Freckles spoke up, and Nox just scrunched his eyes shut, hoping that it would somehow be enough to prevent Freckles from recognizing him. “Where did you get that?”
“I’m not telling you, you’ll be mean again!” The girl replied, and Nox felt a sudden jolt as the girl broke into a run.
“Wait, wait! You can’t take that!”
Nox felt his little world spin as the girl made several twists and turns to lose her tall pursuer. Eventually, she slowed to a stroll on a deserted section of the library, but Nox still felt carsick and had the urge to clutch his head to make it stop spinning, but found his hands firmly pinned to his sides under the tight grip. Feeling trapped did not help in the least.
“Hmph, why am I not allowed to take you if his friend can take my keychain?” The girl talked to nobody — probably to him, except, he had no interest whatsoever in listening to her, he just wanted to stop feeling like he was spinning, like he was trapped, like he was powerless, like he was a fucking object.
He didn’t want to listen. He wanted to be free.
The girl talked anyway, and did not ease her grip.
“Stupid adults. They always think they can do whatever they want. Well I’m not letting them bully me anymore. We’ll go home soon and I’ll introduce you to Bonnie, I’m sure you’ll like her!”
Who the heck was Bonnie? Nox didn’t like any Bonnie. The only human that Nox liked was Chase, but Chase didn’t like Nox. Chase liked Buddy.
How much would Chase hate him, Nox wondered, if he were to learn just how different Buddy and Nox were?
The universe had to be toying with him, slowly torturing him just to draw sadistic pleasure from his misery, because the next voice he heard was that of the last person that needed to see him like this.
Chase.
“Melissa!”
The blond boy called out from the other end of the aisle, sounding out of breath. The girl stopped abruptly, likely preparing to flee again. Footsteps approached them out of Nox’s sight, and he was thankful that his back was turned on Chase, so the other boy couldn’t yet tell who he was.
Not that it was going to matter in a few seconds.
Nox swallowed hard, fear tightening his gut. He could sense Chase was close now, could hear his panting as though he’d sprinted all the way here.
The girl took a step back. “You’re not taking this too from me.”
“Hey, chill, I just wanna talk,” Chase replied.
“Okay. Then talk from there.”
Chase didn’t seem to be coming any closer, but Nox felt utterly clueless as to what to do. He couldn’t run and couldn’t hide.
Only one option remained.
Slowly, Nox turned his head to the side and then jolted, caught off-guard by how much closer Chase stood than what he’d imagined. Almost instinctively, his head moved up to Chase’s eyes—
And Chase was looking right at him. The blond’s eyes lit up with recognition and he inhaled sharply, slapping a hand over his mouth before a sound could leave it.
Nox wanted to avert eyes, but he couldn’t, he couldn’t because he was mesmerized. Why was Chase looking at him with those bright honey eyes like he’d just found the world’s greatest treasure?
The girl did not seem to appreciate the reverent gaze Chase held towards him, and took another cautious step back.
Chase’s eyes widened in panic as he let his hand fall back, but didn’t take another step forward. “Whoa kid, don’t leave yet!”
The girl frowned skeptically. “So what did you want to talk?”
“Ah.. right.” After two more seconds of silent contemplation, Chase surprised Nox yet again. He took one small step to the side, just enough to put him on Nox’s right such that it was easier to gaze at him, and then crouched down, putting himself almost at eye level with Nox.
His warm gaze lingered on Nox, and Nox found himself completely entranced by the breathtaking sight, unable to look away.
The moment didn’t last long as Chase turned his attention to the girl. “Hey, what do you say we make a trade?”
“A trade?” She asked, still sounding cautious.
“Yeah.” Chase reached down to his waist, slipping the gifted keyring off his belt loop, and held it up in front of the child. “I’ll give you your keychain back, if you give him to me.”
Nox stared, astounded.
The girl looked between Nox and the keyring. “Why? You didn’t want to give it back before.”
“I thought this was not really yours. Well, I realize now that I might have been wrong. Also..” Chase turned to Nox again, gaze softening. “I really like him.”
Wh-What!?
If Nox could, he’d be blushing furiously. How could Chase say that so easily? How could he look straight at Nox, the him as he was now — not human, so very far from anything Chase could’ve ever expected him to be — and.. and still...
The girl defensively pulled Nox away from Chase, closer to her chest. All the tenders feeling fled, replaced by claustrophobic anxiety. Nox wanted to squirm, but that had been futile in the past five minutes of his imprisonment and it continued to be so.
“I like it more,” The girl said to Chase. “I found it first.”
“Hm, but he is not yours, is he?”
“The keychain is not yours, too.”
“You’re right,” Chase said. Nox turned to Chase as much as he could, and found the blond holding up the keychain again. “Neither of them are with the person they belong to. But my deal will fix that, right?”
The girl fell quiet for a few seconds, thinking, her eyes switching between Nox and the keyring, probably deciding which one she wanted to keep more. Nox should probably be worried about that, but he couldn’t think straight because what did Chase say just now!?
Chase had just called Nox his. His.
“Okay,” The girl finally decided, and extended a free hand towards Chase. “Keychain first.”
“Here ya go,” Chase handed her the little star without hesitation.
Nox felt a jostle of movement as the girl extended him towards Chase. He didn’t know what he was even expecting at this point, maybe for another, bigger pair of hands to grab him out of the smaller one. So it surprised him when — and it seemed to give a pause to the girl too — Chase held his hand open, palm up. Like an invitation.
Catching on, the girl deposited Nox on the open palm, who momentarily lost his balance as his feet suddenly found themselves on very soft ground instead of empty air.
“Thank you!” Chase smiled at the girl.
She hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Thank you for giving my keychain back.”
“Yup, sorry for keeping it. Have fun, Melissa!”
It might have been the first time Nox had seen the girl smile at anything, albeit faintly. “You too,” she said and sauntered away, leaving Chase and Nox alone with each other.
Right.
Very slowly, Nox turned around and looked up at Chase, the other boy meeting his gaze.
It was a completely new perspective, needing to look up at Chase while also standing in his palm. It left Nox with a feeling of phantom shivers that had no origin and no end.
“Hi..” Nox weakly said. He wasn’t sure if his voice even reached Chase, and he fought hard the urge to look away with each moment that Chase stayed silent.
“Are you okay?” Chase asked softly.
Nox blinked. “Wh-what?”
“I.. you seemed pretty stressed there for a bit. I understand it can be scary, what happened. Are you.. alright now?”
Nox’s throat tightened with emotion. His eyes stung with a phantom ache, trying to shed tears that couldn’t possibly form.
He didn’t know why he’d expected anything from Chase other than pure kindness.
“I’m f-fine now, thank you. Thank you.. for saving me.”
Chase smiled, and it was like the warmth of morning sun kissing the skin on a winter day. “Of course, Buds.” The taller boy then proceeded to carefully pull his hand with Nox closer, causing the Key to feel just a little wary, but not threatened. Nox suppressed a yelp of surprise when the blond gently smothered the Key against his cheek as a form of hug.
“I’m glad I found you in time,” Chase mumbled. “You’re safe with me, Buddy.”
Nox melted, all the weight of the anxiety and fear and exhaustion from the past several minutes finally unraveling. Nox hated a lot of things about being a Key, but perhaps, one of the things he hated the most was his inability to cry.
But this, Chase’s warmth and care and safety, it felt cathartic.
Footsteps alerted them to a human approaching from behind.
Chase got up from his crouch while keeping Nox close — without jostling him at all, Nox couldn’t help but notice — and pulled the hood of his jacket over his head. “Hop on,” he whispered, and only after a solid second did Nox catch on that Chase wanted him to get on his shoulder and hide under the hood there.
He climbed on and sat close to the boy’s neck. Chase pulled the hood even closer around his head to better hide the Key. The darkness made Nox feel a little claustrophobic, but the warmth of a familiar human surrounding him, alongwith the peek to the outside world he still got, made it bearable.
They moved out of the no-longer-deserted section of the library, and Chase slowly walked around to, presumably, find his cousin. Nox realized at this moment that he had no idea what would happen next. Would Chase take Nox with him now?
But Violet would never agree..
“So,” Chase whispered, his voice only audible thanks to their physical proximity, “You’ve been.. hiding here? The whole time?”
Nox swallowed. “Yes..”
“Are there more of you guys here?”
“No, just me and Violet.”
Chase gave a subtle nod in acknowledgment, then fell silent for a few moments, turning his head around to scan the surroundings.
“Are you mad?” Nox asked.
Another few moments of silence, before Chase replied. “No, I’m not mad. Just.. wish you had told me before.”
Nox fidgeted with his fingers. “Not even mad that I’m n-not who you thought I was..?”
“Buds, I know who you are as a person. And that doesn’t change just ‘cause you’re a Key.”
Nox recoiled at the term. Chase seemed to sense it, glancing down at Nox for a brief moment.
“I get it, though,” the blond continued, his voice softening. “I wouldn’t trust humans either if I was a 5-inches tall person. The world is scary for you guys.”
Subconsciously, Nox drew his knees just a little closer to himself. He didn’t feel afraid, not with Chase. He remembered feeling so frightened only minutes ago, stripped of his autonomy, certain that he had ruined everything.
He remembered being so afraid of telling Chase the truth.
They entered the astrology section for the third time, and Nox finally realized, after an embarrassingly long time, that Chase wasn’t actually searching for his cousin. He was constantly steering them away from other humans so that they could keep talking.
“Do you trust me, Buddy?”
Nox couldn’t say that he wasn’t expecting the question to drop, but it still gave him a start. He took a moment to calm himself, and replied, “Nox.”
“Hm?”
“My name is Nox,” He said, and felt it when Chase inhaled a breath of delight. “And, I do. I trust you, Chase.”
“Come with us,” the taller boy spoke almost immediately, glee flowing out of his voice. “You and Violet both. You can be with your siblings again!”
Nox closed his eyes, shoulders falling. “I.. can’t.”
Chase stopped abruptly. “Why not?”
Nox slowly shook his head, even though Chase likely couldn’t see him very well. “Violet won’t agree, and I won’t leave her. So we can’t.”
“Is it just Violet?” Chase tilted his head so as to glance down at Nox, who returned the gaze. “Because she won’t come? No other reason?”
“Yes, and you cannot ask me to leave her, Chase.”
Chase shook his head and continued his slow stride. “I wouldn’t do that. So if, say, she agreed to come with us, then you’d be willing?”
“..Yes, but she would never.”
“Alright then, I’ll talk her into it,” Chase said casually.
“What!?”
“Where is she? Is there someplace here we could talk without people listening in—”
“Wait, Chase, slow down. You can’t persuade Vi. It won’t work.”
“Pfft, ‘course it will,” the blond proudly declared. “I’m Chase Hollow, I can persuade anyone.”
“I..” Nox facepalmed, wondering why everyone he loved was so stubborn. “She won’t listen. I’ve tried. She hates humans with a burning passion.”
“Nox,” Chase breathed, and all rational thoughts fled Nox’s mind at the sound of his name from Chase’s lips. “Give me one chance to talk to her.. please?”
Nox might just have handed away the greatest weapon of persuasion, all by himself too. “Fine. But promise me that you won’t take her by force if she doesn’t listen.”
“Cross my heart and hope to die!”
“Please don’t die, Chase.”
“It’s a saying, dude. Anyway, where can we talk to Violet?”
“The Lost and Found.”
“Say less!” Nox clutched onto the fabric of Chase’s hoodie as the boy made a dash for it.
They passed Freckles on their way.
“Chase! Did you find the girl—”
“Hi Dorkin, yup got the Key, I’ll get Violet now, bye Dorkin!”
“Get WHO!?”
“Silence,” someone yelled.
Arriving at the front desk of the library, Chase found a guy sitting behind the desk, scrolling through tiktok. “Excuse me, I think I lost something in the.. oh,” The guy was already passing him a bunch of keys, not even bothering to look up from his phone. Chase took the keys. “Thanks, I guess.”
With a bunch of keys in his hand and one sitting at his shoulder, Chase began descending the stairs that led to the basement.
Halfway through the flight of stairs, Chase paused and looked back, as if to check if anyone else was around.
“Chase? What—”
Two large, gentle hands grabbed Nox off his perch, and before he could even process, Chase pressed a big sticky kiss covering nearly half of his face, its scent the same as the lip gloss from yesterday, turning Nox into a spluttering mess.
“STOP, CHASE!” Nox pushed the plum lips away with both his hands — for all the good that would do in actually being effective — feeling utterly overwhelmed. Chase yielded to the push, letting Nox have some breathing space, which Nox fully utilized to draw calming breaths with his non-existent lungs, propping his arms on Chase’s thumbs. The other boy still held him in his hands, less of a grip and more of a secured seat to support Nox.
Too much. It was too much for Nox, who had never, in his Key life, felt so strongly in this metal form that muted all physical sensations. And yet, Chase had just made him cycle through some of the most intense emotional sensations within only minutes of knowing his true identity. Nox wasn’t sure if he liked it or hated it.
“Sorry,” Chase said with a dopey grin, not sounding sorry at all. “You’re just so cute.”
“I’m not cute,” Nox griped.
Chase giggled in response. “Are too.”
Nox narrowed his eyes. “I’ll show you how cute I am in the next book.”
“Heh, can’t wait. Speaking of,” Chase let him down on his shoulder again. “Let’s go persuade your sis so I can kiss you like that more often!”
“No, absolutely not, you are never doing that aga—”
Later that day, Chase did, in fact, kiss Nox like that again.