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Nox is running towards Chase, cheeks flushed, hair askew, face angry.
His entire face is scrunched up in a frown—he's been searching every inch of the palace for his boyfriend, and unable to find him, Nox ought to have been put into a bit of a panic.
"What are you doing?!" Nox wheezes on his last breath, staring up at Chase.
He finally understands why some people find the sunshine so mellow. Usually, it would beat down his neck, the metaphorical sun too much for Nox to handle in some stories. It would tickle the back of his neck, lick at his porcelain fabricated skin like flames.
But when he sees Chase, he understands. The sunshine can be soft, sometimes.
Chase shrugs. He's sitting on a branch of a tree, conveniently made to hold him, hide him away. Embarrassingly, Nox had ran through the garden and hadn't even looked at the shaded tree until now.
This was embarrassing. "Hey, cookieboo." Chase smiles at him. "Come join me."
Nox gives him another look, frustrated, exhausted, flushed, all of the above canceled out with Chase's sly little grin.
He sighs dramatically, finding that this tree was perfect to climb, branches stuck out the sides like stepping stones for him to climb. It was nice—Nox easily sits down on the branch, strong enough to hold them both here.
The air feels thick between them all of a sudden. Chase smiles at him, little dimple popping at the corner of his mouth. Blond hair curls around the backs of his ears, a spot Nox had touched multiple times—but he'd touch it again, just this once.
"Buddy," Chase snorts, calling him by that ridiculous name again. "I was waiting for you to find me."
Nox hums, ignoring how silly he sounds. "Why?"
"Y'know. When you're in a tree. With someone…" He trails off. Was that like, not a popular 1800s thing?
Nox stares at him, blankly. Chase is leaned against his side, and he looks beautiful. He can't really focus on anything else—can't focus on a confusing reference of Chase's when he was blinking up at him like he was waiting for something.
"What?"
"Nox. We're sitting in a tree."
"You were. I joined you."
"Idiot, you're supposed to kiss me!" Chase shrieks, punching him in the shoulder. "Sitting in a tree? K-I-S-S-I-N-G??? Do those words mean nothing to you?"
Nox blinks. His face goes comical levels of red, all the blood from his brain flooding into his expression.
"O-oh. Wow." Nox says at last, shifting his weight where he's sitting. He laughs nervously, tilting close to Chase.
"Oh wow? All you're going to say is oh wow?"
"Well…" Nox presses a hand to his cheek, turning to face him. "No. I'm falling into your beautiful brown eyes. You cannot blame me for being so flustered."
"He-hey, you can't just say that—"
Nox leans even closer, nose pressing against his. "Oh, yes I can."
"Well then I'm falling for you as we spe—" Boom.
Chase shrieks as they both come tumbling down, the branch not too far off the ground as if it was sick being a third wheel to whatever this stupidity was.
They fall into the grass, Nox trying to hold his face as still as possible, as Chase curses at the branch below them. "What the hell!" He shrieks. Chase looks genuinely embarrassed with himself. "Dude, I'm gonna—kill this stupid—"
Nox lets out a snort. And then a hiccup-like giggle. Chase cuts himself off, glaring as well. "Sorry," Nox snorts, his laughter so infectious that Chase has to smile as well.
"Ughhhhh. We were having a moment! This isn't funny, like at all." Chase smacks him on the shoulder, harrumphing loudly.
"The story's tired of us. It's turning into Freckles."
Chase sighs, slowly standing up from the grass they'd fell into and twisting up. "I'm revoking his horsey-book privileges forever."
Nox snorts, and tilts his face to the side again. "Well…we could always kiss here."
"Nope. We aren't in a tree anymore. It isn't the same." Chase gets up, pulling Buddy up by the arm. "Sorry, dude."
He just clutches his chest, rolls his eyes with a fond smile, and continues to follow him anyways.