Work Text:
Chase had only ever seen these at Christmas—the tiny glass jars with festive red lids and a fair isle patterned label, or snowflakes, or whatever little wintery design surrounded the normal logo. He hadn't even thought about the little jars of Nutella this past Christmas, and suddenly he's kicking himself for that. They would have been perfect for a certain tiny someone.
But he doesn't need to kick himself too much though, because he's just spotted them again. Tiny glass jars with lovey red or pink lids and a heart patterned label. In a wonderful turn of events, he finds them tucked away among the chocolate boxes, and packs of elementary school valentines, and the novelty gifts for any range of sweetheart—seemingly a new addition to the aisle this year. Chase's grin widens before he even considers bothering to contain it.
(Not that he would have bothered trying, standing alone in the shop aisle.)
His eyes drift to the shopping basket hung over his arm, skimming the contents—some household items, some little Valentine's treats for the keys living in the attic, and a little heart shaped box of chocolates already picked out for that certain tiny somehow—and he considers it, as if his mind wasn't made up the second he saw them. Without any hesitation, he puts one into the basket.
Or…five of them.
(He had to show some restraint of course.)
||— ☆˖° ♡ °˖☆ —||
Chase debated a little on how exactly to present his little gifts to his little sweetheart (and fought the urge to just give them to Nox immediately, knowing the way his face would light up at the sight). Ultimately, he settled on hiding them away for a couple of days until Valentine's day finally rolled around, then making it a surprise that morning.
When Chase arrives home from the store, Nox is in the tower with his siblings for Mandatory Sibling Time, as they called it. Chase stops in the kitchen to leave the household stuff, leaving only the Valentine's treats in the bag, then he quietly makes his way to his room.
He's certain that Nox will still be in the tower—there was no way they would end Mandatory Sibling Time early and even less way that Nox would have asked Deacon to help him back into Chase's room—but Chase still stuffed the wadded up shopping bag of treats under his jacket before reaching his room. He pushes the door open very slowly and peeks inside, just to be sure
(It's all very inconspicuous. Trust him.)
As expected, the room is empty and a quiet chatter can be heard from the room above. A softened chorus of what must be Goldie and Silver's laughter chimes down through the hatch. Chase glances toward the opening with a smile, then continues on his mission. He closes his bedroom door just enough not to click closed and pads quietly across the floor, careful not to make his presence known just yet.
He looks around the room until his eyes catch on a shoe box he knows is mostly empty tucked away under the bed. Chase grips the bag under his jacket. He immediately regrets having hidden it this way though, as the plastic rustles against the fabric with the movement.
Slowly, slowly, he manages to somehow avoid disturbing the keys. Their enthused chatter seems to have covered up the noise of a plastic shopping bag and Chase breathes a sigh of relief. He picks the box up from under the bed and stuffs the bag inside, then quickly pushes it right back to where it was as if it never left.
"Good plan, Chasey," he murmurs proudly. With one last glance at the box, and one small happy-dance Chase will not admit to, he turns his attention to the tower hatch. "Guys, I'm back—"
"It is still Mandatory Sibling Time!" Silver quickly calls back, polite but firm. Chase pouts, hands on his hips.
"I know," he groans, rolling his eyes with a smile. "I was just letting you know I'm back. You know, if you need anything?" he explains.
A small hmph drifts down from the tower that sounds a bit more like Violet, followed by a "Very well then. Welcome back!" in Silver's voice. Their conversation resumes as normal and Chase flops down into bed to mindlessly scroll on his phone.
||— ☆˖° ♡ °˖☆ —||
Nox almost always sleeps down in Chase's room, and Chase wanted to be able to surprise him right away on Valentine's morning, so last night while Nox was in the tower again Chase set everything up. The arrangement was simple—the small heart box of candy served as the base, then he placed the little Nutella jars on top in an almost-pyramid.
(Chase laments not buying a sixth one to actually make a pyramid, but he can also already picture Nox having toppled the entire thing onto himself while trying to get the top one down in his inevitable excitement. Despite the small laugh that image earns, Chase thinks maybe avoiding that little hazard was a good idea, actually.)
Either way, Chase set up his little arrangement on his desk, and then casually (and very carefully to he wouldn't knock it over) placed his hoodie across it, trying to make it like a haphazard tossing of his hoodie rather than concealing any kind of secret.
It works out well. Entirely inconspicuous, for real this time. The only part that almost ruined the surprise was Chase's eyes constantly darting to it in an entirely conspicuous way, but luckily Nox never seemed to catch on. The other keys' treats remained tucked away in the box, ready to take up the ladder after Nox's surprise had been given, and the pair tucked into bed as always.
Chase is awake before Nox in an unusual turn of events, but not by much. Nox is curled up on the makeshift bed he has on Chase's bedside table—Chase must have moved around a bit too much for Nox to stay on his pillow—and Chase's eyes find him there immediately. A sleepy, unthinking smile eases onto his face, then widens a moment later as Chase wakes up and remembers, becoming something much more openly giddy.
He turns on his side for a better view, squinting as his eyes adjust to the light. They focus on the hoodie across the room and he hopes the little partial-pyramid hasn't fallen over.
After a moment, Nox's shifts softly. His sleep-worn voice catches Chase's attention with a quiet "What?"
Chase's gaze returns to Nox as he yawns. "What?" Chase echoes, smile audible. "Good morning."
"Why are you already so smiley?" Nox asks, sounding somewhere between fond and suspicious, eyes narrowed but smiling. "And good morning," he adds with a small laugh.
"I can't be smiley?" Chase asks, attempting to pout but not managing it. He reaches out and pokes Nox in the cheek as Nox sits up on the small cushion.
Nox swats at his finger in response, catching it between his hands instead. "You can be, but it usually means you're up to something." He presses a kiss to the tip of Chase's finger, then adds "Menace."
Chase hums in response. He makes no move to pull his finger away from Nox's grip. "Maybe I'm just happy, jerk."
Nox rolls his eyes. "Which one is it this time then?"
"Mmmmaybe both," Chase laughs.
"I knew it—"
"But!" Chase interrupts, pulling his hand away to point an accusatory finger at Nox instead. "You'll love it." He pushes himself to sit up. "And I'm tired of waiting to show you, so up," Chase insists.
Nox lets out an indignant scoff. "Don't command me like a dog."
"Yeah, yeah, up with you," Chase repeats, despite Nox's pouting. Usually—unless there was a specific reason—they'd laze around a little longer, enjoying the quiet morning and each other's company. Unbeknownst to Nox, Chase had a specific reason. "It's important. You'll agree if you get up!" By the end of the sentence, Chase is on his feet. He lays an impatient hand out in front of Nox, flattened against the table and urging Nox to step on.
Lazily, Nox scoots forward on the cushion and pushes himself to his feet—still pouting but having resigned himself to…whatever Chase has planned. "Fine," he groans, but the small smile trying to peak through his disgruntled expression betrays him. He steps onto Chase's hand and immediately plops down to sit on his palm, melodrama and all. Nox waves a dismissive hand. "What are you plotting?"
A laugh bubbles out of Chase's chest, bright and amused. "You won't be so moody in, like, 30 seconds," he says, nudging Nox's back with his thumb. He pulls Nox closer to his chest and starts walking toward the desk. "You'll be all like 'ohhh, Chase, you're the bestest boyfriend everrrr—'"
"I don't say bestest," Nox interrupts, but Chase ignores him.
"'—You're so cool and thoughtful and handsome—' H-hey!" Chase's voice breaks on a startled laugh as Nox firmly pinches his palm. Chase scowls at him."Tiny jerk," he huffs.
"Big idiot," Nox replies by default. Chase shakes his head and lowers his hand to the desk. Nox slides off, landing on his feet with a soft tap against the wood. Nox is trying not to show it, but Chase can tell he's quietly excited to find out whatever Chase is hiding. Chase's smile widens again at the thought and Nox eyes him suspiciously. "What?"
"Close your eyes," Chase says, almost bouncing on his feet.
"Why—"
"Just close them, Buddy!" Chase insists. "Come on, you gotta."
Swayed by some combination of Chase's obvious and very contagious giddiness and his own curiosity, Nox rolls his eyes, then obeys. "Alright, fine," he laughs, eyes fluttering shut.
Chase nudges his shoulder. "Oh, and—uh, turn around, please and thank you," he says, eagerness still evident in his tone.
Nox crosses his arms and sighs through a smile. "So bossy," he chides. He turns around though, just as Chase asked.
"I said please AND thank you."
"Point stands."
Chase rolls his eyes, but doesn't reply. Instead, he reaches over Nox to grab the top of the hoodie and lifts it off his carefully placed surprise. A dull thunk is heard just before it's unveiled, causing Nox's brow to furrow. Chase quickly scrambles to fix the jar that he just knocked over with the hoodie.
He replaces it, then tosses the hoodie toward his bed, letting it land in an unobserved heap. "Tada!! Open your eyes, Buuuuddy!" he sing-songs.
Nox does, and Chase watches closely the way he blinks, registers what he's seeing, and lets his eyes widen at the sight. Nox visibly tries to keep his face a bit more neutral, but an obvious mixture of joy, eagerness, and surprise swirl unwillingly through his expression. Chase lets out giggle.
Nox is very good at maintaining his composure when he really wants to—keeping up a cool, suave facade, as if he's always at least a little bit in control of the situation, always at least a little confident. Chase is forever delighted that something as simple and childish as chocolate is enough to break that so readily.
"What—"
"Happy Valentine's Day, Buddy!!" Chase cheers. With the way Nox doesn't immediately look a little confused, Chase decides that Nox likely does know about Valentine's Day already.
Either that, or he's far too distracted by the display in front of him to care or question. Regardless, Chase immediately considers this a success.
"You can't have a Valentine's Day without chocolate for your sweetheart," Chase explains, cheeks warming a little bit as he brushes his knuckles over Nox's back. "A-and my sweetheart happens to be the biggest chocolate fan to exist. So that's like, double-true then." Nox finally looks up at Chase with a childish joy in his eyes that makes Chase's chest flutter.
"O-oh, I—Thank you," Nox says, all but bouncing on his heels despite seemingly tamping down his excitement as much as he possibly could.
Chase nods proudly. "Anything for you, my cookieboo," he replies. Chase points at the items. "There's a little box of chocolates—because you especially can't have Valentine's Day without the heart-shaped box of chocolates—and then these little Nutella jars. It's like, a chocolate spread. And these jars were just so you-sized, it was too perfect to pass up," he babbles.
Chase picks up one of the jars and holds it closer to Nox, then a laugh bursts from his throat. "I didn't realize how—" Chase's voice is broken up by a series of giggles and he sits the jar down next to Nox. Nox's eyes stay on the jar, only briefly flicking up to Chase for a moment before returning. "It's nearly half as tall as you," Chase manages, laughter tapering off. "That's adorable."
In any other circumstance, Nox would absolutely be chastising Chase for laughing so much at his expense—and Chase is well aware of that—so the fact that Nox is so fixated on the treats in front of him that he doesn't even attempt a glare is almost enough to reignite Chase's giggle fit all on its own.
Chase shakes his head and moves the jar back to the spot he'd taken it from, then nudges Nox. "Earth to Buddy," he laughs. Nox blinks up at him with a dazed little look, and Chase smiles. "I got little treats for the others too. Do you want to come with me to pass those out real quick, or should I leave you to it?" he asks, gesturing to the chocolates.
Before Chase even finishes the sentence, Nox is nodding enthusiastically—eyes having returned to the sweets already.
'I'm assuming that nod is to the second part?" Chase asks.
"Y-yes," Nox replies quickly. He shakes his head to snap himself out of it a little, then clears his throat. "I, uh—Y-yeah, you go ahead. I'll stay down here. You shouldn't keep them waiting."
"Sure thing, Buds," Chase says softly. He leans down to press a kiss to the top of Nox's head and a gentle hand to his back—seemingly the only thing to snap Nox out of his chocolate daze entirely, just for a moment. Nox startles a little before leaning into the touch entirely. Chase laughs against his hair. "There you are," he say fondly. He brushes his knuckles against Nox's arm as he pulls away.
Chase walks back to his bed and pulls out the box where the other snacks remain hidden. "You need any help before I go, Buds?" he asks. His words fall on chocolate-deaf ears though as Nox has already returned his attention entirely to the chocolate display, carefully lifting a jar from the stack and stumbling backwards a little with the weight. Chase laughs fondly. "Nevermind. I'll be back in a bit. Don't make a mess," he says, emphasizing the last words in a way he hopes might break through Nox's daze, but not really getting his hopes up at all.
"Coming up!" Chase calls cheerfully up the ladder, box tucked carefully under his arm. "Got some surprises for you guys!"
||— ☆˖° ♡ °˖☆ —||
With the variety of a modern day Valentine's aisle at most supermarkets, Chase was happy to have found a Valentine's treat for nearly all of the other four keys that catered to them. He had found little heart boxes or cute containers of cheese crackers, peanut butter cups, and gummy bears with ease. The exception was Violet's snack of choice. Turns out that brand of mints doesn't really bother with the whole seasonal packaging thing. At least none that he could find anywhere locally.
Instead, Chase resorted to a little heart-shaped jewelry box covered in sparkles and a mirror inside, which he put a few packs of mints into. He figured Violet might appreciate those aesthetics more than colorful cardboard anyway.
Silver and Goldie had been delighted and Bronze had insisted that a bag of peanut butter cups contains way more of them (and Chase had to explain that it's the principle). Violet had called it an "adequate arrangement" but proceeded to demand it placed in her cardboard house immediately, which Chase knows is Violet Speak for her really enjoying it and refusing to say that out loud.
Regardless, Chase would say his little Valentine's day surprises were a success.
Well, for him anyway…
Chase's feet hit the floor of his room, having jumped down the last couple of rungs of the ladder, only to immediately stifle a laugh at the scene in front of him.
His desk is a war zone of tiny Nutella jars. Well, maybe war zone is a bit dramatic, but the way that three of them are toppled over randomly across the desk—unopened, luckily…wait, unopened?—sure feels a little like one. A fourth seems to be missing, but Chase quickly spots it in the corner of his eye having rolled off the desk at some point and settled on the rug below, along with a pencil or two that seem to have been caught in the crossfire of…something.
Near one side of the desk, Chase spots his tiny sweetheart-turned-mess-maker. Nox lays unmoving, draped across the final, also unopened jar of Nutella. His gaze is blankly fixed on nothing in particular with an expression settled somewhere in between an indignant pout and exhausted despair. Chase furrows his brow at the sight. The realization that none of the sweets have been opened causes an air of concern that quickly snuffs out Chase's initial amusement.
"Buddy?" he asks, quiet worry on his tone. The sound causes Nox to jolt, eyes widening and meeting the same fate as the Nutella jars that surround him—in that, he topples off of the jar, unceremoniously landing on the desk with a thunk and a small oof.
Chase quickly crosses the room back to the desk. He crouches down to eye level with Nox. "Hey, you alright?"
Nox rights himself, sitting cross-legged and refusing to meet Chase's eyes. He purses his lips into a tight pout and crosses his arms. "Fine," he snips.
The subtle theatrics of his movements tugs at something fond in Chase's chest that eases his worry a bit. Chase nudges Nox shoulder. Despite his disgruntled posture, Nox leans into the touch and murmurs something under his breath.
"What was that?"
"Stupid lid is stuck," he grumbles, a bit louder but just barely loud enough for Chase to hear. Nox crosses his arms tighter, glaring at the jar next to him as if he can break it open with spite alone.
"What?" Chase tilts his head in confusion, and then it clicks. "Is that why nothing is opened?" Nox's scowl deepens, but he nods in response. Chase lets out a bright laugh, which causes Nox to finally meet Chase's eyes again if only to glare at him as well.
"Sorry, sorry," Chase says through his tapering laughter. He rubs his thumb up and down Nox's arm in a soothing motion. "I just got worried when I saw that," he explains, gesturing to the unopened mess. "Couldn't believe my resident chocolate-addict hadn't worked through at least half of the stash by now. I thought something was wrong."
"Something is wrong," Nox grits back. "This defective lid is stuck on the stupid jar." Nox smacks the lid and glares at it again.
"I asked if you needed help before I went up," Chase tuts, tone light and teasing. He nudges Nox's cheek then pouts dramatically. "But somebody pays more attention to chocolate than he does his own boyfriend, I guess. Did you spend this whole time trying to open that?"
In lieu of an answer, Nox curls into himself—a mixture of frustration and embarrassment working over him as he grumbles under his breath again. His annoyance is partially soothed by the melody of Chase's laugh that's elicited by Nox's sudden shift in posture, but just "partially" because it's still a laugh at Nox's expense.
"You totally did, didn't you? Oh, you poor thing," Chase coos, tilting his head with a sympathetic look. He removes his hand from Nox's arm and picks up the jar. "Spent ten whole minutes losing a fight with a jar."
"I—" Nox starts, then snaps his mouth shut, recalling the last several minutes...
......
.........
............
"No," Nox lies. "I didn't."
Chase gives him a look that clearly says he doesn't believe that for a second, but will spare Nox the continued teasing. For now. Instead, Chase stands up and plops back down into his desk chair with the jar in hand. Nox barely contains his gawking as Chase twists the lid off of the jar with a practiced ease.
"Huh, that wasn't too stuck," Chase observes, sitting the jar with a now loosened lid back down in front of Nox with a click against the wood."Maybe it's just too big for you to grab right. Anyway, bon appetit!" he chirps with a flourish. Then he gives Nox a smug grin and flexes his arms. "Aren't you glad to have such a strong and awesome boyfriend?"
Nox stares at the lid, mildly perplexed, then snaps himself out of it. He looks back up at Chase with a soft glare. "Thanks," Nox huffs. "Idiot," but there's no heat behind the name. At a measured pace—as measured as he can manage anyway—Nox scrambles to his feet and walks toward the opened jar.
Chase watches in amusement at the way Nox's face shifts from one of irritation back into that of the hardly contained joy from before Chase had left the room. Nox eagerly—if not a little clumsily—imitates the motion Chase had done and twists the lid the remaining amount. He discards the lid to the side, but his face immediately falls again into bewilderment.
"Why is there a film?" Nox exclaims, staring down at his own blurred reflection in the shiny silver film covering the top of the jar.
"Wh—Oh!" Chase picks up the jar again. "Forgot about the seal-thingy. Hang on." Nox watches in confusion as Chase picks at the very narrow edge of the seal. Chase mutters to himself as he struggles to get a hold of it before it finally catches. He peels the shiny film back, grimacing as it tears in the middle. He pulls away the other piece, then sits it down in front of Nox with a satisfied look. "Bam!" Chase exclaims, dusting his hands together.
The entire ordeal has thoroughly confused Nox, but he shakes the furrow from his brow before Chase starts poking fun at it. Nox looks down into the jar, and his blurred reflection is replaced with the prize he's been waiting for this entire time. His eyes widen with focused delight before he tentatively—finally—jabs his hand into the soft peak of the Nutella.
A fond smile creeps onto Chase's face as Nox takes a bite of the chocolatey spread and immediately closes his eyes with a blissful little hum.
"So you like it?" Chase asks softly as Nox goes to scoop out another handful. He presses a kiss to the tip of his finger, then presses the finger to Nox's cheek. Out of pure habit, Nox turns to kiss Chase's finger in return and nods quickly.
"Yes," Nox answers, already taking another bite of his second handful and no longer caring to hide the contented smile on his face or the eagerness of his movement. "Thank you."
Chase pulls his hand away and chuckles, watching Nox enjoy himself for another moment. He leans down to retrieve the jar that had fallen on the floor and idly sits the other jars upright again.
Then something catches his eye. The small heart shaped box of chocolates hasn't been opened either, seemingly forgotten about in Nox's struggles. Chase stifled a laugh.
"Buds?"
"Hm?" Nox hums without looking up. Chase can already tell he's only half listening again, so he nudges Nox's side with his fingertips. Nox swats his hand away, but turns to look at him. "What?"
Chase presses his fingers down on the top of the box and slides it toward himself—and subsequently toward Nox in the same motion—then taps it lightly. "If the jars were too hard to open, why didn't you just open this first?"
Nox furrows his brow, eyes flicking toward the box. "…What's that?" Nox asks, licking the remaining chocolate off his hand as he looks back up at Chase. His tone is entirely genuine and Chase bursts out laughing before he can even attempt to stifle it this time.
"Man, you—" Chase's words are broken by a laugh, and Nox's face shifts from startled confusion to another glare.
"What?" Nox demands, pout on his lips.
"You really get distracted by chocolate, don't you?" Chase asks, as if the question isn't entirely rhetorical. Nox lets out a small huff and averts his eyes, and Chase giggles at the little tell that Nox would be blushing if he could.
"I d-don't know what you're talking about."
Chase laughs again. "Yeah, Buds. Exactly."
Nox's pout deepens and he jabs a hand back into the Nutella jar in defiance. "What's your point?" he grumbles, then takes another bite.
Chase rolls his eyes with a fond smile. He taps the box again. "If you were listening, you would have heard me say there's chocolate in here too," Chase explains, a smug grin on his face when Nox stops still. He flicks the edge of the box. "And I'd bet this cardboard lid would have been a lot easier for you to open," he teases. "Don't ya think?"
Nox's eyes dart back to the box and his eyes widen at the faint recollection of Chase mentioning a heart-shaped box as well. A second later, his eyes narrow at the box, realizing he could have been enjoying chocolate that entire time had he known.
He huffs, but plasters a collected facade onto his face. "I—I knew that. I simply wanted to open the jar first. Save those for…later." Nox sticks his hand into the jar again and pulls out another handful of Nutella for emphasis.
Chase leans forward, resting his chin on his hand. "Oh really?" he muses, entirely unconvinced.
"Yes. Of course," Nox says firmly.
"Why's that?"
Nox freezes again, just briefly, then waves his unused hand at Chase dismissively without looking up. "Uh. Principle."
"Principle of what?" Chase laughs.
"…Shut up."