Chapter Text
Nox opened his eyes, only he wasn’t Nox. He was ??? The boy he was before he became a key. At this moment he was holding a candelabra. He looked down at it and all around he threw it in the bag he was holding with his other hand, and placed it on the floor. He looked down at his hands that were made of flesh and bone. Buddy had been a human in books sure but it’s nothing compared to the feeling of being human in reality. Tears welling in his eyes, he was so happy. Almost so happy that he forgot why he was here. That was until he saw that glowing light. It was the thing from across the room that had turned him into a key. He stared at it for what felt like an eternity but was probably a few seconds. Fear coursed through him. He hadn’t seen that *thing* in a long time.
He had to breathe. *focus Nox, the plan! It’s now or never* he thought before slowly tearing his eyes away from the glowing teal lamp-mist-holder-thing. Even as Nox walked the hall where the keys are supposedly held at this time, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that he should go back to that thing. Like the first time he felt it was speaking to him, but he wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. He continued to walk and saw the door where he and the keys were held before. Oddly there were no guards around. ??? supposed Violet was right and they didn’t reinforce their security until I had broken in.
??? Opened the door and shut it quietly behind him. He saw a box much like the one he and the other keys were put in and walked up to it. He couldn’t open it, he needed a key. He had to make sure the keys were in there before he took it. ??? Looked around for something to open it with. He saw a gold key near the lamp on the side of the desk.
??? walked over to it. It looked familiar to him. He grabbed it and held onto it, just in case. Then he opened the box. Inside were 11 keys.
“What? Where the villain—" he paused. He knew where the villain was. It was back in that glowing jar. “Shit” ??? Whispered. He grabbed the keys from the box, he counted each one to make sure he had all the keys. He grabbed Violet and paused. Maybe he should take her key ring off so she can help him. He wonders if she or any of the keys would remember Chase. Or would it only be him that would be haunted with those memories…
He took the key ring off Violet. It took a few seconds but eventually Violet poofed into her tiny person form.
“Nox?” She looked around. “It worked!” She smiled and seemed genuinely happy. “Wait why are we still in ex libris?” She put her hands on her hips and looked at ???. guess that answers his first question, she does remember.
“Violet we have a tiny problem.” Nox says grabbing Silver, the last key.
“Ugh I should have known that human would make a mistake during the wish. I told him to wish us out safe.”
??? Wasn’t too happy about the way she was talking about Chase, but right now there was a different problem. “Violet, Chase wished it fine. The problem is the villian key..” he tells her. She arches a brow confused. “What? Its in that think that makes us fall asleep.” She’s says dusting herself off, the ex libris building is just dusty, and she for one will not have that.
“Vi, the first time I snuck in that was the thing that had turned me into a key…” he said gesturing at himself. Her eyebrows rise. “Oh” she’s saying like it finally dawned on her.
“Nox! Why didn’t you tell me! We should have told the human—” “Chase.” ??? said cutting her off. She rolled her eyes “We should have told Chase, to wish you didn’t become a key.”
??? Starts pacing back and forth mumbling “what do we do.”
“Oh!” Violet says before snapping to ??? “Nox, Nox! What did you do differently that made you become a key!” She asked him. He turns to her. “What? I just opened it? I didn’t do anything specific.”
All he did was break in with a crowbar and open it. She narrows her eyes at him “okay.. well this time DON’T open it. If you turn into a key again anyways then..” she lets out a breath, “we might have to do this all over again. But I don’t think we would meet Chase.”
??? Eyes widen, no. He can hardly handle the fact that he will never see Chase again. But doing this all again and never meeting Chase? Oh there’s no way.
“I’ll try. I don’t wanna do this over again.” ??? Looks to the double doors and back to Violet “Let’s do this right.” He stretches out his hand for Violet to step onto. A gesture Chase had once done for him and the other keys as well. She climbs up on him and they sneak out the doors.
??? walks back the way he came with Violet on his shoulder. That’s when an ex libris member walks by him, ??? Quickly slipped into the closed room. Him and Violet stood with the door cracked. ??? Peaked out and saw the guy walk by. He has to be careful he doesn’t know how long he was out for, when ??? first got turned into a key.
It seemed like the guy walked by and ??? Didn’t have any sign of anyone else. He snuck out again.
“Nox we need to be careful we don’t know what the—Chase specifically wished for.” She whispered.
“Violet, listen to me. Just in case I get turned into a key or something else happens, I need you to take the key rings of your siblings and go.”
Violet stays quiet for a few moments. “You’ll be fine. Let’s keep going.”
————
??? and Violet is in front of the case in which the villain key is contained. ??? Doesn’t want to but he must before it’s too late. If an ex libris member walks by now it’s all over. ??? Grabs the crowbar that’s next to the bag he left under the table.
He jams the crowbar just like he had once done before, and the gold bars bent as he continued. He reached in and grabbed the glowing thing that contained the villain key.
“You have it so let’s go now.” Violet whispered tugging on ??? Hair.
—————
??? Was running as fast as he could away from ex libris. Violet was barely holding on as he did so.
“Jesus Nox! stop running, we're out of sight! Your little human boy wished us safety, so it’s fine.”
He slowed down to catch his breath infront of a shop window. He was breathing fast trying to sort through everything that has happened. It’s really early in the morning and no one was roaming around him.
“Violet. I don’t have a home or anywhere we can stay.” ??? Said.
She sighed “Noxxx, you should have told me of these tiny details we needed!”
“We can try and find a place? Maybe a shed or something?” ??? Suggested. He didn’t know what else to tell her. He did have times where he needed a place to stay, because of rain or snow but it’s not like he ever did find a—.
“Wait, I actually do have a place.”
“Hm? Oh well then lead the way” Violet gestured forward.
??? Lead the way through the woods and not to far down was a rundown cabin. The windows and door was intact. He supposed it’s good enough. He walked inside and shut the door behind him. Inside was a broken bed in the far left corner, a round table in the left corner, and on the wall was cabinets. Everything was abandoned it broken more or less. ??? didn’t care, it’s better then the streets—or that dusty storage closet— he’s lived in worse places.
??? Took out all the Keys and the jar that contained the Villian key. He was still afraid of that thing, so he set it down the farthest away he could.
“It’s not going to bite you Nox” Violet said as she walked down his arm and onto the table.
“Still, I don’t want to become a key again…”
She scoffed “there’s nothing wrong with being a key”
“Vi.. you know that’s not what I meant..”
She rolled her eyes and turned to her siblings who were all asleep. She waved her hand “Anyway, come on. you have to take off the key rings”
??? Started taking the key rings off one by one. Silver first then Goldie, stripes, Ruby, Bronze, Patina, Rose, and the rest of the keys. One by one the poofed into there keyple forms. Violet ran to the first 2 that were up. Goldie and Silver.
“Violet!” Silver yelped when Violet came crashing into her. “Hello sisters!” Goldie said, picking them both up in a hug.
When they pulled away, Silver looked around and then at ??? who wasn’t Nox anymore.
“So it worked..” Silver gave a solemn smile.
Silver was happy to be with her siblings again. This is what she always wanted, but now it feels like she’s missing 3 more people in her family.
The other keys started poofing into their key people forms. They all hugged and reunited as ??? Sat back in the corner on the broken bed. This is what he and Violet had always wanted right? To be free with the keys, for ??? To be human back in his own timeline.
Right..?