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Nox was the type of guy who liked routine, even if it was a lazy one.
The second he became human, he had to change his routine, adjusting to new ways of living.
From brushing his teeth, to basking in warm showers, to eating food—not just chocolate, as he bitterly wished he could've eaten forever—he had to adjust to a lot of things.
It wasn't just the small things, it was more than that, now that he had a boyfriend who fueled his touch-starved heart.
His boyfriend would always be a part of his routine.
He hummed as he walked downstairs, one of the few songs Chase had actually gotten him into, a softer melody that he could drown away in, about love and sweet nothings.
One that reminded him of his boyfriend, the softness of his skin, the way he got quiet in the rare moments they savored alone…
Chase had tapped his knee against him as they lay in the grass, hand curling into his on one of their stargazing dates. Utterly soft, he whispered, "I think you'll like this one," before handing him his headphones and pressing kisses to him as the song played, swirling sweet melodies about bewitchment.
Nox could've fallen asleep, the warm air drowsily kissing him as the melody played in his ears and made him slow, like honey. It felt faintly classical, but it was more than that. Nox paused against the bottom of the stairs, relishing in that memory, not registering the loud thump of footsteps behind him.
Suddenly, he was encapsulated into a tight grip, twirled around at the foot of the stairs.
Nox yelps, not exactly complaining, but taken aback at the contrast of the slow, honey-like pace his brain had taken up thinking of Chase, to the erratic thumping of his heart as he desperately hoped he didn't tumble down the last step of the stairs. And maybe...his heart was thumping for reasons beyond just that.
Surely he should've remembered that Chase was anything but slow. Chase laughs and squeals, taking him in his arms and twirling him around. "Chase!" He nearly falls to the floor before Chase catches him, leaning over him on the steps, lifting him up like it took no strength at all.
Chase giggles. "What?"
"Stop attacking me, you little—!" He pouts up at his boyfriend who is now tilting him sideways until the blood rushes to his head.
Of course, Chase took any chance to act like he was taller than him. The moment he had turned human and had spawned, clothed in torn rags, the first thing that Chase had said was, 'NOOOOOO!'—Queue an uncomfortable stomach drop where Buddy could've sworn he was about to burst into tears, before his stupid boyfriend very stupidly said— "You're not shorter than me anymore!"
And then of course, he had tackled Nox to the floor, like he had just done a few moments ago. Chase never got enough of that, did he?
Even now, Chase treasured him like he was something squeezable, something to be loved, but it made him feel…safe? It always had, and even now it warmed his heart, bewitched him. "But you're so cute! And I— lo— think that you're— you're so pretty! And you're mine and—"
Nox chuckles, moving off the final step before they would both be close to tumbling downwards if Chase only adjusted his foot just a little off the step. Chase's death grip squeezes onto him. "Charlie?"
He loves saying his full name, a formality that makes his nose wrinkle. "What, asshole?" If there was a love language invented solely for Chase and Nox, it would be a combination of insults and pet names.
"Shut up." He forces himself upright, before leaning in ever so slightly, enough so that their noses brush together, cupping his cheek. He retracts. "You really need to plan out your foolish excuses for tackling me next time. You just lost a free kiss."
Chase lets out a mock gasp, sucking in a breathless inhale of air that he had lost the second Nox had leaned in. Regaining his composure, he screams, "HEY! CAN I NOT JUST HAVE A BIG FAT CRUSH ON YOU—?!" Nox snorts, going back to the kitchen, where Grandpa Ralph is baking yet again, as Chase would've said. The boy seemed exhausted of his own grandfather.
Nox, however, enjoys assisting him with his daily senior adventures, including baking pies. He knows he's been busy with the business, the faint smell of apples and cinnamon floating through the air ever since he had woken up.
"It still shocks me to see you human. Crazy, isn't it, Nox?" He lets out a barking laugh, patting Nox on the back.
In his quest to trust humans again, he had slowly warmed up to Chase's animated Grandpa. He chuckles, swallowing down his original fear, now replaced with a confident intake of breath. "Yep. 'Least I can finally beat this Diane with pure willpower instead of my villain-y aura."
He walks over to the sink to wash his hands, breathing in the soft smell of coconut soap that reminded him so much of Chase.
A loud laugh escapes Grandpa Ralph, and Buddy tries not to flinch at the sound. Sure enough, Grandpa Ralph is kind, Buddy knows this, he should remember this. He gives Nox a hearty pat on the back. "Can you help me roll out the pie dough?"
Nox nods. They work for a few minutes, Grandpa stirring apple filling and Nox rolling out pie crust after pie crust before Chase walks in. Ralph lets out a faux huff of annoyance. "See your boyfriend here? Helping me bake pies? Learn something from him, kid."
"I do help though!"
Nox chuckles, meeting his eyes. "And yet, I do not see you instigating our weekly battles against Mr. Ralph's fiend Diane."
Ralph chuckles. "Buddy, work on that crust. Not too thin! I'll check the mailbox in the meanwhile, alright? Don't blow up the kitchen while I'm gone."
He leaves, leaving an annoyed Chase and a smug Nox behind.
"I'll instigate you." His eyes flickered angrily, but a hint of a smile escapes him, ready for devilish revenge.
Nox doesn't quite catch the undertones of what he's saying, absorbed into the flickering warmth in his boyfriend's brown eyes.
"Yeah? I'd like to see you try. What does that even mean in Chase speak?"
"You don't wanna know." He leans on a counter, smirking, having devilish, tackling-adjacent plans ahead while Nox stares at pie crust, trying not to let his mind wander.
He rolls his eyes, shakily going back to roll out the pie dough, thinning one edge out more than usual and cursing as he messes up, clutching that one section. Chase chuckles as his hand travels to his hip and squeezes. "Focus, baby. Can't investigate the battles against Diane or something if you don't focus."
Literally how am I supposed to focus after you just did that.
It feels like they're the only two people in this kitchen. His ears warm under Chase's watchful, teasing gaze. "I-it's— instigate. An-and I am. G-go away, asshole." He rolls out the pie dough too thin once more, and has to restart again. "You're really distracting."
He looks back to his pie crust, thinning too much on one end, and Chase snorts and stares at his boyfriend, none of them hearing the slight of footsteps behind them as Grandpa Ralph gets back from the mailbox. Chase leans closer. "Yeah? I'll distract you even more. Jus' come with me."
Heat fills his every nerve as he imagines Chase kissing him senseless, making out with him against a wall like he quite literally had a few days ago. Buddy freezes and groans, his dignity wounded as he tries to look anywhere but near Chase, his heart pumping in his ears so loudly that it's going to give him a headache. "Shut- shut up."
From behind them, neither of them hear the impending shuffle of a stack of mail, Grandpa Ralph rolling his eyes and holding up a roll of newspaper.
He takes the daily Sugar Springs newspaper roll and promptly thumps Chase on the head with it. Chase jumps out of his skin, cheeks going bright red. "Grandpa!"
"No flirting in the kitchen."
Buddy huffs, restarting the pie dough, ears burning red. Chase sighs. "I- I'll be in my room." He sticks his tongue out at Grandpa Ralph. "Guitar practice." Buddy nods, carefully working on the pie crust once more.
He doesn't even want to think about how much Grandpa Ralph had heard. But with his amused smirk visible in his peripheral vision, Buddy doesn't want to know.
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Chase doesn't practice as soon as he gets back to his room. He pauses at the photo booth photos of him and his boyfriend that had fallen off his bedroom wall, onto the floor.
Buddy's eyes were wide and uncertain in the first 2 pictures, glowing a little brighter the more Chase posed with him, his sunshine absorbed into his soul the more Chase prodded, pushed him to be warm with him.
His eyes move to the last two pictures, where Buddy had taken Chase's face and planted a loud kiss to his mouth, making them burst into giggles, smiles that hadn't faded even in the last picture, his own expression akin to charming drunkenness. Chase giggled at the memory as he put the photo booth picture on his desk so he could tape it back on later, and picked up his guitar, strumming a few idle chords.
With the light touch, he gained a rhythm on the guitar strings until a melody formed. He hummed along.
Chase thought to himself, biting his lip and trying to hum to the beat of the song that he'd written. He reaches for his song journal, trying to read scribbles amongst neat, perfectly certain letters.
"Warm sunny skies
Were all that you wanted,
And with me,
That's what you'll have,
Even if you don't believe it—" He curses, pausing his lyrics. "No, Chase, that sucks. You haven't even written out the chor— Fuck, Chase, you suck at writing love so— ughhhh." The door creaks open, and Nox walks in, making Chase get up off his feet.
"Buddy! Heyyyyyy. What are you—weren't you helping bake?"
"Well, Gran, er— Mr. Ralph said he was practically done. Are you okay?" He slams his songbook shut, and Nox steps back. "Sweetheart, I wasn't going to read it…" Chase doesn't look to him, trying to desperately make up an excuse, now feeling stupid.
"Fine! I'm fine. An-and I know you wouldn't..." I can't write lyrics for the life of me. And I love you.
Nox leans forward, avoiding the guitar Chase had just put down, his hand reaching for his jaw and cupping his cheek. "Alright. You're okay. I know that stuff's personal to you."
Chase gets nervous, so nervous that he squeaks and takes an inhale of breath, ready to declare his undying love for his boyfriend. "Buddy, this is all your fault."
"What is?"
He didn't mean to say that out loud. He presses a hand to his mouth, face flushing. "I—" He has no better excuse as Buddy leans forward.
"Tell me, sweetheart." His blue eyes twinkle as he stands over Chase with amusement.
"I— I—" don't declare your undying love. "Lo— I wrote—" STOPSTOPSTOP CHASE. DO NOT—
He's not in control of his mouth anymore, so he looks for the next best thing to do. Chase leans towards his boyfriend and promptly tackles him to the carpet of his room.
"GAH!" Buddy coughs as Chase takes him in his arms, pressing him to the floor. He struggles as Chase pins his arms down, breathing hard. Buddy groans. "Are you going to tell me why you pinned me to the— f-floor—"
He inhales when he realizes Chase's shirt had lifted up in the defenseless scrimmage, his blond hair a mess and his arms pinning his hands down. His brown eyes twinkle and soften at the corners with mischief as he stares down at Buddy.
Nox freezes in place. Chase leans forward ever so slightly, their foreheads touching as he leans in, shifting his weight downwards.
Before he can think, he's taken a palm to Chase's waist, brushing at soft skin underneath his shirt. "Y-you have a mole here."
His hand plays at soft skin, and Chase shudders before slamming the gap between them shut, but not before breathing back, "I know."
Nox has forgotten to breathe, and he opens his mouth and shudders through the kiss. His hand trails his waist, feeling at the mole that he'd memorized the position of, even with his eyes closed, he knew he had felt at the right spot.
Right now, he wanted nothing more to be molded into the shape of Chase's arms, even if it was forgetting the fact that he had been tackled to the floor specifically to forget whatever Chase was stumbling over, forgetting what to say.
It didn't matter right now.
The only thing that did, however, was pressing back into the kiss, Chase lifting him up with his hips and forcing them to tumble around the floor. At some point, Buddy broke the kiss, breaking out into contagious giggles as Chase leaned down to push closer, closer, instead of Buddy trying to lean up into the pull of his warm lips against his own.
Chase let his tongue brush against his mouth before intercepting heat when Buddy tried to gasp and breathe. Though, he didn't mind how soft Chase's tongue was against him, even if it was enough to successfully cut off any bit of breathing, any signs of life. He must've died ages ago.
With a final, loud, echoing smack against his lips, Chase lets go, gasping for breath. "I think we're forgetting to breathe."
"Well, I think you're the most beautiful boy I've known."
Chase stops leaning over him. "I- I- But you— Th-thanks." He turns his face away, going deep red. "Get up." He pulls Buddy to his feet, who stumbles against him, clutching himself to Chase so he doesn't fall to the floor with dizziness.
Chase buries himself to his chest. There was no hiding it now. "I love you," he blurts. That was too fast. Too random. Too weird. Awkward. Buddy would never—
He pulls back to look at Chase, and he chuckles. "That was abrupt."
"You're abrupt." His hand travels back to his cheek, stroking. "Sorry for—"
"Hey, no apologizing. I- I love you too." Buddy buries his hand into his hair as Chase slumps against his neck, arms going up to his waist to hug him, squeezing. "Hello?" Chase is heaving against his chest, hard. They're standing up right next to his bed, and Buddy giggles when Chase sighs into his neck. "My love?"
Chase pulls back. "Buds…" His eyes glint again.
Buddy only has a second to process what's going to happen next, and he shrieks as Chase squeezes his waist tight before shifting his weight to slam into the bed behind them.
They fall into a flurry of giggles as Chase presses their lips together again, losing themselves in that warmth.