Work Text:
If anyone had asked, Nox didn't know how he got there. Maybe there was a breeze in a room with all the windows closed, or some weird pull in the Earth's magnetic field. He is made of metal, after all. That one was at least a little bit plausible. Probably. Chase might believe it, at least.
But if anyone had seen, Nox got there by losing his balancing act against gravity.
Which is to say, he…tripped.
Luckily, nobody was in the room at the time and so Nox had some shred of plausible deniability left to his name and dignity.
Unluckily, nobody was in the room. The other keys were in the tower helping Violet continue to decorate the little house Chase had made for her that morning. Nox had promised to come help later as well, but he wanted to wait in Chase's room until Chase returned from dinner. He didn’t admit to Chase that the sole reason for staying in there was to wait for Chase, specifically, but judging from the subtle smugness on Chase’s face when Nox denied the offer to carry him up into the tower beforehand, Nox was sure Chase had figured him out.
Nox crossed his arms with a pout at his situation and the movement caused the paper beneath him to rustle slightly. He looked up at the ceiling—his only field of view at that moment—and huffed, falling back on a crumpled piece of paper. He leaned back fully with his arms still crossed over his chest and sighed.
He was…in the trash bin—the little one next to Chase's desk. And much to Nox's dismay, Chase had just emptied it the day before, leaving only a couple new crumpled pieces of paper and leaving Nox's just shy of reaching the top. Nox was stuck—embarrassingly and undoubtedly. Chase had left with him up on the desk, but shortly after Nox decided he'd rather explore around the room some more instead. It wasn't a new place to him anymore, but it was still new enough that he felt like he noticed something different every time he wandered around. It was, admittedly, a nice way to pass the time.
Sometimes, he'd notice a spot where the carpet was tamped down more than the area around it. Or a scuff mark on the wall. Or any number of little things most noticeable at his height that were evidence of a changing space. It made him wonder what used to sit in that spot or what had caused the scuff on the baseboards—like learning the history of a beloved park.
This time, however, in the process of jumping from the desk into the chair Nox had lost his footing. The chair was pushed back further than he was used to, and his own muscle memory had betrayed him. That was nearly ten minutes prior, and Nox had since accepted his fate.
His expression relaxed slightly as he was firmly relegated to ceiling gazing until Chase returned. He had tried clambering his way up the side of the bin one too many times for his dignity to handle another attempt. Nox shifted slightly on crumpled paper, settling his weight into it the same way one would settle into a beanbag chair, and closed his eyes to listen for any sign of Chase coming up the stairs. He wasn't surprised to hear nothing at all. Chase hadn't left that long ago and it was unlikely they'd be done so soon. He sighed again, keeping his eyes closed and allowing himself to fully relax into the makeshift chair.
After a moment, Nox opened his eyes again and lazily traced any shapes he could see in the ceiling. From that angle, he could just barely spot the corner of the hatch leading up to the tower, and he wondered how Violet's house was looking. He'd have to ask her for a tour later. Chase had made one for him as well, but Nox wasn't sure what to do with it. Decorate it, he supposed, but…
Well, Nox didn't plan to spend all of his time in the tower. At least not when Chase was home. Though, surely he would still end up in there with the other plenty throughout the day. Even so, he wasn't sure there was a point to decorating a space that he didn’t even know he’d use much. Nox appreciated it, nonetheless.
He had mentioned those thoughts to the other keys earlier in the day, but they insisted that he should "make it his own" regardless. He was…considering it. Maybe it would be nice to make something his “own” within the Hollow household. Not that he felt so out of place as to need it—Chase had been more than welcoming—but that the idea of something so outwardly depicting his belonging sounded really…nice?
It sounded nice.
Nox smiled softly at the thought of that. Belonging.
He closed his eyes again, trying to recall what craft supplies the others had picked out that morning and what he might want to use later.
||———||———||
Nox woke up slowly, unsure of when he had fallen asleep. He blinked blearily and rubbed his eyes. Chase hadn't turned on the ceiling light before he left the room, so Nox could tell that the lighting from the windows had dimmed slightly as the sun started to set. He squinted up at the ceiling, blinking again and again as he adjusted to the light and continued waking up.
A dull thudding sound caught his attention; someone was coming up the stairs. Judging by the sound of the footsteps, Nox was pretty sure it was Chase and suddenly, he was much more awake. The first emotion to cross his mind was relief that he'd finally be able to get out of the trash bin.
His second emotion, as his brain finished waking up, was the abrupt realization that Chase was never going to let him live that down. Sometimes he was thankful that his cheeks couldn't flush the way Chase's could, because they would almost certainly betray any sense of composure he attempted to maintain the second Chase's eyes were on him. Maybe even sooner.
"Yeah, I'll get it tomorrow!" Chase's muffled voice called from outside the door, likely replying to someone downstairs and out of earshot. Buddy's shoulders tensed slightly. Should he just call out as soon as Chase opens the door? Objectively, yes.
The doorknob clicked as Chase turned it and Buddy froze as the door creaked open. A quiet "Thanks!" could be heard from downstairs through the newly opened doorway, followed by the sound of footsteps entering the room and the door closing behind them. A couple more footsteps inside the room, and then the sound stopped suddenly.
"Buddy?" Chase asked. He must have seen the desk and noticed that the other was missing. Nox didn't reply, unsure of what to say for some reason. After a moment, he heard a few tentative steps toward the desk. "Buddy," Chase called out. "Are you exploring again?"
I should be, Buddy though with a huff. He shifted slightly, causing the paper to rustle beneath him, and the footsteps stopped again. Chase had yet to come into view.
"Okay, I swear I just heard you." Chase paused, then laughed. "This feels like listening for a mouse that's scurrying around the room or something. Buds, where are you?" Chase's voice turned away from the bin, likely scanning the floor of the room. Nox pouted at the comparison.
Chase let out a long sigh, but somehow Nox could hear the playful smile that accompanied it. "Okay, how about this. Marco!"
Nox snorted out a quick laugh and heard the soft thud of Chase quickly spinning around to face the desk again.
"Okay, now I know I heard you," Chase laughed. "It's not fun if you don't say the reply though!"
Nox chuckled lightly, then rolled his eyes with a soft smile. He let Chase wait just another moment, before finally playing along. "Polo," he replied sarcastically.
Chase laughed again, brightly. "There you go!" Nox heard another set of steps before Chase stopped. "Marco!" he said, almost jokingly that time.
"Chase," Nox groaned. Another pair of footsteps and suddenly the side of Chase's head came into view.
"Buddy, I still don't know where you are!" Chase called with another laugh. "You're the one who's hiding, and you don't even want to play along?" Chase was all but whining by the end of his sentence.
Nox cleared his throat, the timidness from before washing over him again as he realized that he…needed to admit where he was. He crossed his arms. "I'm—Uh, I'm n-not…hiding," he murmured. Evidently he hadn’t spoken loud enough for Chase to find him—only loud enough to understand him—as Chase glanced around the room again.
"You're…not? Buds, where are you?" Chase's playful tone had softened and he almost sounded concerned. Nox’s eyes widened slightly.
"N-no, I'm okay! I'm, um… Well, I'm…stuck," he admitted. Chase's head whipped around, finally following the sound and making eye contact with Nox. Both boys’ eyes widened as they did and Nox averted his gaze toward the side of the bin. He untucked one arm to give Chase a faint wave without looking up and the sound of a poorly-stifled laugh made Nox pout again. He replaced his hand beneath his other arm and huffed.
"Stuck," Chase repeated softly. Out of the corner of Nox’s eye, he could see a mirthful expression working across the other’s face.
"Yes, yes, stuck." Nox confirmed bluntly. The laughter Chase had been holding back bubbled out in little bursts and Buddy bit back the urge to join in, intent on keeping his pout for as long as he could manage. He glanced up at Chase, who had taken the last couple steps to reach the bin and then knelt beside it.
"Buddy," Chase started, suppressing his laughter again, "how on Earth did you manage to get stuck in there? I left you on the desk! " Chase settled into a seated position, watching Nox fondly as he did so. "You look pretty cozy in there though, honestly." He gestured toward the not-beanbag and Nox glanced back at it before looking up at Chase and away again.
"I…tripped," Nox murmured.
Chase glanced between the top of the desk and the trash bin before allowing his laughter to do as it pleased, much to Nox's embarrassment. After a moment, Chase settled again. "I'm only laughing because you look like you're okay. Um, you are, right?" Chase asked, the slightest bit of worry creeping into his tone at the thought.
Nox nodded with a sigh. He stood up from the wad of paper and his shoulders dropped. "Yes, I'm alright. Now, if you could please —" He gestured upward toward the top of the bin and Chase's eyes widened.
"Oh! Yeah, sorry." Chase gently reached a hand into the bin with his palm facing up and as flat as he could keep it. Nox walked forward and carefully stepped on. Chase's hand curled slightly around Nox as Nox grabbed his thumb for support and he was lifted out of the bin. "Desk again, or floor?" Chase asked.
Nox thought for a second. "Floor is fine," he replied. Chase nodded and lowered his hand to the floor, allowing Nox to hop down with ease. "Th-thank you," Nox said.
Chase smiled down at him. "Of course, Buddy. I hope you weren't in there long. When did you fall?"
Nox looked away again. "I…Not long after you left…" he admitted.
"Buddy! That's been nearly an hour," Chase exclaimed. He leaned forward toward Buddy. "I'm sorry, Buds."
The other shook his head. "No, it's alright. I was the one who tried to get down and…miscalculated. Plus it was comfortable..." A sheepish expression threatened to overtake his cool façade. From the way Chase huffed out a small laugh, it was probably winning. Nox pursed his lips.
Chase sighed with relief. "Well, I suppose that's good at least." A soft smile replaced his concern and Nox finally allowed his expression to match, looking up at Chase again. Chase's smile widened just briefly, as if to say Hello to the returned eye context, then he glanced toward the tower. "Were you trying to do something specifically? Or are you ready to head up with the others now?"
Nox took a few steps toward Chase. "We can go up," he said. Nox glanced up toward the tower, but his soft expression didn't change. "I'd like to go over my decorating plans with Violet."
Art by me :3