Chapter Text
There was lightning and paper.
That was all he could see. An endless sea of paper. It was gushing toward him, reaching to consume him.
BOOM.
The world shook, as another flash of lightning pierced the sky, ripping open another seam of storyline.
The paper swirled around them, brushing dangerously close to their skin.
Shhhhhhhfffffffff…
Why hadn't he just left with his key? It certainly still worked.
But then...
He continued running, the boy beside him shocked and miserable.
"BUDDY! W-WE CAN'T JUST LEAVE DEACON AND PRUNELLA BEHIND!!!" Chase screamed desperately above the rumbling and cracking of the book breaking apart, his voice cracking with loss.
"THERE'S NO TIME FOR THAT!" Buddy shouted back, "GO!"
He felt a strange gut-wrenching guilt in his chest, a pang of regret.
What?
He shook it off. It was how he always was anyway. And how he should be.
Selfish.
Uncaring.
The paper blew at their heels, as they ran for their lives, exhausted but still running- running for their lives, their very existence.
Chase's eyes were fearful and filled with something Buddy could not read, as he struggled to follow him.
Buddy had not had this much physical exertion in a long time. His heart crashed inside his chest in panic, and sweat beaded his skin. He was gasping and every time he stumbled forward, his gripped lower torso screamed in pain. He could feel raw fear choking him and bursting inside his heart like a neverending firework, filling his very being.
At last, they stopped.
It was a tiny island of grass, with only a single tree between them. Paper ran in waves on all sides. Trapping them. Closing them in.
"Buddy-", Chase panted, "There's nowhere to go now..."
His heart was pounding in his ears and he was ready to do anything- ANYTHING but surrender to that white roiling mass. Buddy stared at the paper. It was all in vain they had run.
This was how it would end.
And try as he might, terror still clung to him like a needy child, refusing to let go at all.
Well, it was better than what he had lived for.
No one would miss him anyway. Except-
Except... maybe...
Chase broke into his thoughts, "Come ON! There must be a way!"
Buddy snapped back, "WHAT! There's no way out!"
Chase recoiled and he burst out, shoving Buddy, "WELL MAYBE WE COULD FIND A WAY IF YOU AREN'T BEING SUCH A JERK ABOUT IT!"
Sharp pain shot up his body and he doubled over, clutching his wound. Irritation at Chase roared up, and he spat, "OW! Careful, brat!"
The annoyance melted when he looked up and saw the concern in Chase's eyes.
"You ARE hurt!" Chase's eyes widened. Strangely enough, he seemed... worried for Buddy.
Buddy almost laughed. They were stuck in the middle of a chaotic mess where they would probably die unknown to the world and he was worried about a cut on his skin.
"It's fine. It's not that serious. I just fell a little off the carriage," Buddy hesitated, but showed Chase the wound, exposing the glimmering purple key on his chest.
Suddenly, Chase gasped, "Violet! She's still working!"
Buddy snorted, amused by Chase's thickheadedness, "Obviously. I didn't enter the book with my key, so.." He trailed off when he saw Chase's face.
"Buddy! You have to take Violet and go!" Chase grabbed his arm, "YOU HAVE TO LEAVE BEFORE EVERYTHING ENDS!!!"
"I-I can't..." Buddy stammered, as realization dawned on him, "If I leave you'll be stuck here, alone, until..."
"Until..."
Until the book is nothing
Until he is nothing.
This was why he couldn't leave.
Because... he had a...
a...
He had started to like Chase.
A friend. He had begun to see Chase as a friend.
What had happened in the time they had gone into books together?
"Go," Chase's eyes filled with tears and from his pocket, he took out a dainty little letter, sealed with a purple flower sticker, "Give this to Violet, from Silver. It's t-the only thing I haven't f-failed. The only thing I've ever-ever done right."
Buddy took the tiny envelope, his heart twisting painfully.
"I-I just wanted to h-help," Chase bent over, sobbing, "But I just m-made things worse... I tried s-so hard... I d-didn't know- You were r-right. I was dumb and stupid and- I-I should have l-listened to you. But I ended up-ended up-I... my family is all-my mom-"
Buddy felt his chest tighten. Guilt and cascaded over him. He-he didn't know that Chase was possible of feeling anything but happy and confident. He didn't know that... that he took what everyone said into his heart. He didn't know... a lot of things.
But he knew that Chase was not stupid in many, many ways.
"Stop," he pulled Chase into a hug, surprising himself. Chase burrowed his head into his shoulder, crying hysterically.
Strangely enough, Buddy found that once he had Chase, he didn't want to let go.
"It's not your fault. You did your best."
"You tried your very best."
And he held Chase. Chase's hands were gripped in tight, desperate clenches on the back of his turtleneck, his face turned into Buddy's shoulder, tears running down his face.
Buddy should have pushed him away.
Why didn't he?
Chase spoke in a shaky whisper, "I'm- I'm so scared."
"I... I don't want you to leave..."
"But you have to..."
Buddy felt tears stinging his eyes. His arms shook a little as they clung to Chase. The thought of it being the last time he would see Chase... it was too much.
His heart was tearing in painful aches. He didn't want to let go-not ever. He couldn't let go- never. His voice was hoarse and cracked as he choked out, "I can stay for a little bit more..."
He knew he was using excuses, determined to stay until the point of demise. Only then would he go. It would have to almost be the death of him before he would accept the fact that he had to let go of Chase.
He had to make this time count, the last time he saw Chase. Hiding his tears from the latter, he continued their final embrace.
Suddenly, he felt Chase stiffen in his arms.
"BUDDY!" he shouted, letting go and pointing at the sky, "LOOK! ONE OF THE CRACKS IN THE SKY! IT'S STILL FIGHTING TO STAY!!! IT'S STILL THERE!"
Buddy turned around and tilted his head at the sky, surprised. A small crack of light was weakly fighting the blackness all around him.
A shining beacon in the despair and shadows around it.
Somehow, it reminded him of Chase. A bright soul, fighting to stay alive in the midst of a catastrophe.
"...Huh," he turned back to Chase, still staring at the crack, "That... should not still be there. I wonder why. Nothing exists anymore-"
"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND??!!!" Chase's face broke with a shining, desperate hope, the last flickering hope of everything, "THE STORY ISN'T COMPLETE, YET!!! IT'S STILL TRYING! IF WE'VE LEARNED ANYTHING OVER THE TIME WE HAVE WENT INTO BOOKS TOGETHER, IT'S THAT THE STORY WANTS TO BE TOLD!"
His voice changed into a more thoughtful tone, "Maybe... that's why there's more narratonin when you finish the story. Because people read stories differently. And as long as you like it, that's what's important. I don't know how to explain this. But I can feel that this is right. BUDDY, WE HAVE TO FINISH THE STORY!!!"
Buddy felt like the book was tilting as he looked back over at the sky and then back to Chase, the only sound in his ears the pouring of the storm and the pounding of his own heart.
Chase continued, " There's still two left. The story is trying to end. Everything is gone... but... maybe we can end it! ...I know you've never been the hero in any story-"
"No, " Buddy cut him off. Words were tumbling out of his mouth, words he never thought it possible to say, "I've never been the hero in any story. Not even my own."
One hand reached up to cup Chase's face, "But I think..."
"I'd like to be the hero in yours."
”…Just this once.”
His lips curved gently into a tender smile.
"O-okay..." Chase stammered, his eyes wide and a little overwhelmed as Buddy brushed his hand across his cheek, watching him endearingly.
Leaning a bit closer...
Then their lips were on each other's. And all thought left his head.
There was only Chase's soft lips pressing against his.
Only...
Only his heart fluttering like a dove.
A rose in the wind.
Somewhere, hazily, Buddy wondered if he was dreaming. One hand went to Chase's neck, instinctively. He twined his fingers around the soft, golden locks, losing himself endlessly.
His other arm was wrapped around Chase's waist and Chase's arm was resting on his back. Chase was so warm, so full of light.
And they were so close...
Buddy felt a little dizzy.
His heart felt like a train crashing into another.
Suddenly, a bright light burst into existence.
Buddy ignored it and deepened the kiss. Chase wrapped his hand in a firmer grip around his back.
Buddy had never know this before. That someone could feel like this. Like they could float off into the heavens.
Like he was cared for.
That he was loved.
And he had certainly never felt this strange, giddy feeling of hunger and desire and nervousness.
He had denied it when he came back in the vampire book, but now...
It was stronger than ever.
Chase was sunshine and starlight and honey.
The warmth to his emptiness.
The world brightened around them, and then…
FLASH!
Buddy was jerked up violently out of the book. The book threw him across the room and smashed him onto a cold, hard surface.
He brought his hand up to his head, groaning.
It took him a moment to realize where he was. Why everything was so huge.
And he...
His head was pounding with pain and he felt sick.
What?
He felt-
It shouldn't have been possible to feel things as a key.
Violet's voice suddenly began to talk, bringing him back to reality.
And remember what had happened in the book.
It was a strangely hazy memory.
Nevertheless, it sent a cold jab through his body.
He had…
He had…
Chase-he-
What would Violet do if she found out…
He was frozen in his kneeling position, glued to the table.
Wh- what...
What had happened?
Things had gotten way too out of hand...
He couldn't do books anymore- he knew that if he saw Chase in a book again-
He couldn't care. He had to not care.
He was so vulnerable right now...
"Nox?"
He felt Violet's hand on his shoulder. He started a little as he remembered she had been talking.
"Nox, are you alright?"
Was he?
He didn't know anymore.
All he knew was that...
"I... can't keep on doing this," Nox turned his face towards Violet, "I just... I can't."
He was trying to say more, but that was all the work his mouth would do.
The glittery, elegant purple figure of Violet stiffened, "Nox! What are you saying??? After all we have done, you just want to quit?"
"Don't you ever want to see our family again?!"
"Or become human again???"
Nox felt a cascade of weariness and guilt crash onto his shoulders.
He did.
He did want to be human again. It was a scorching, painful desire- all he had ever done was for the one purpose.
He wanted to be able to feel and love and be loved and treated like somebody.
He wanted it more than anything in the world.
And he told Violet so.