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Norton Campbell stared up at his ceiling and sighed. He lay sprawled on his bed, trying to ignore the aches and pains from the day’s match. The day had gone the same as every other one in the god forsaken mansion. He would wake up, prepare for matches, spend the whole day doing them, and then be back in his room, ready to start the cycle again.
Today however, was a little different. It was the prospector’s birthday.
Of course, no one knew. Why should he tell them? There wasn’t much cause for celebration in the manor, and Norton wasn’t much for birthdays anway. He had considered telling Mike, but the news could spread like wildfire over the manor. He would then have to deal with all the people, with their awkward birthday wishes and their need to celebrate. Celebrating with a crowd was the last thing he wanted to do on that day.
“Norton?” a voice called.
Norton turned to see a blonde boy with crystal blue eyes standing in the doorway. He wore a lively outfit with a bright diamond pattern and a white collar. A brown pouch hung on his side, containing the bombs the acrobat was so known for. Mike Morton was much smaller compared to the other guests at the manor, but he made up for it with his agility when playing matches. He was also known for having a loud, lively personality. Mike was riddled with excitement now, a grin plastered on his face.
“Hey,” the prospector smiled, “what’s up?”
The acrobat crossed his arms, leaning on the doorway, “You didn’t tell me it was your birthday”
Norton sat up with a start, the smile disappearing from his eyes.
“How’d you know?” he demanded.
“Your diary,” Mike replied, beaming, “You can't just leave it open like that and people not to poke around in it,”
Norton looked away from Mike, fixing his gaze on the floor.
“Who did you tell?” he muttered.
“No one yet,” Mike said, “but I was thinking, we could have some sort of party! Well, maybe not a party party, since there’s not much to celebrate with in this manor, but I can make do with it. I’ll have Aesop arrange music, and I know Emma’s good at baking, so you have your cake. Demi can of course, take care of the drinks, and as for decorations we can-'' The acrobat rambled on and on about his absurd plan, his eyes shining, not noticing the prospector had stopped listening.
Norton tuned out Mike, his chest tightening. He didn't want this. He didn’t want the people, the cake, or the party. Most of all, he didn’t wanna pretend he enjoyed it and act as if his birthday didn't remind him of something else entirely.
“Mike,” the prospector interrupted, “I don’t want to celebrate”
Mike frowned in response, “Why not? Don’t worry about it being here. We can still make it fun! I’ll make sure to invite everyone and make sure that they all know it’s your birthday and-”
“Mike!” Norton exclaimed, sharply, “Stop. You had no business being in my diary anyway, so just stop”
Mike flinched, going quiet at once. The heavy silence of the room hung around them as Norton closed his eyes, putting his face in his hands. The prospector desperately wanted the day to be over with.
“I’m sorry. I just can’t-”
“I understand,” Mike whispered, his voice barely audible, “I didn’t mean to do any harm,”
Norton looked up to see Mike already turned away from him, walking out the doorway. The acrobat shuffled away, his blonde head disappearing when he turned the corner.
Norton took a shaky breath, relieved. He hated that he felt more relaxed after Mike was gone, talking all his stupid birthday plans with him.
But, the truth was that they weren’t really stupid anyway. Norton was the stupid one.
Celebrating reminded him of another event that happened not too far away from his birthday. It brought him back to the musty mines, surrounded by the smell of sharp coal and dust. The memories of that day came soaring back, and Norton shut his eyes in an attempt to block them out. It was no use, and soon he was back in a place he never wanted to see again.
The prospector grinned, adjusting the hat atop his raven-haired head. He was younger then, more agile, and there were no scars. Not a single one.
The light illuminating from his candle cast a glow around his hands, which were busy propping explosives in a wall. A man wearing a similar hat and grimy clothes walked up to him. Not wanting to interrupt Norton, he tapped him on the shoulder.
“What?” Norton muttered, keeping his gaze on the explosives.
“I know you’ve made your decision Mr. Campbell, but I really believe we should go through it again. The records show that this part of the mine is unstable, and if we’re not careful, a large proportion of it could collapse and-“
Norton laughed, “We’re too close to stop now,” the prospector inserted the final explosive into the wall, “I’m sorry, but my mind is made up,”
The man looked away, sulking, “Whatever you decide, sir. We trust you,”
When it was time to light the explosives, Norton stood behind everyone else, clutching his hat with his hand, and gripping his magnets in the other.
What he had expected to happen was a loud explosion, clearing the way to the minerals which would be his way out of the suffocating town.
What had happened was a loud explosion, followed by the sound of the mine rumbling. The miners realized what was about to happen and ran for their lives. But there was nowhere to run to. Some were crushed beneath the falling rocks, and others succumbed to death by fire. The fortunate ones were blown to smithereens right away, dying before the full intensity of pain got to them.
The prospector was of course, among these men. But as he tried to help them, another explosion went off, setting fire to his face, arms and legs. He remembered the sickening smell of flesh burning, and the horror of realizing it was his own. Norton clawed at his face, but nothing he did put it out. The pain of his skin sizzling underneath the mines was a memory that would never leave him.
“Norton?” a voice whispered softly.
The others were all dead. Norton Campbell was the sole survivor.
“Hey, Norton,” the voice whispered again, gently,“Are you okay?”
Murderer! Rascal! Greedy mole!
The words in the newspapers stung, but not as much as seeing the burns that marked his body permanently.
Norton Campbell sobbed, clutching his head in his hands. He was dimly aware of another set of hands resting on his shoulders, pulling him into a hug. Feeling the small frame of the other person told him that it was Mike, and Norton allowed himself to sink into his arms. The acrobat held him, planting a kiss on his face. Norton quitely cried into Mike’s shoulder, clinging onto the latter as if his life depended on it.
Slowly, Norton stilled. He pulled himself away and glanced up at Mike, whose eyes were wide and brimming with concern.
“I’m sorry” he searched the prospector's face, “Was it my birthday thing?”
Norton wanted to laugh. Here he was, crying over a idiotic mistake he made, and Mike belived it was his fault.
“No,” he said, taking Mike’ hands, “It wasn’t you at all,” Mike’s eyes traveled down to their intertwined hands and smiled softly.
The prospector took a deep breath before continuing, “I hate this day because it’s when this happened,” he said, gesturing to his face, “I had....the accident days before my birthday. I just don’t like being reminded of it,” he looked away, as the room went quiet.
Norton felt a gentle kiss on the scared side of his face. Mike gazed at Norton, smiling sadly.
“You know it wasn’t your fault, right?”
“It was. Trust me, it was”
“No,” Mike replied, “You just wanted out. It’s okay. And you’ve changed, so don’t beat yourself over it,”
Norton stared back at Mike, “Why do you do this?”
“Do what?”
“Stick around. I’ve done bad things. You deserve someone else,”
Mike frowned, “Don’t even start with that. I stick around because I can. Because I love you. And you deserve to have a good birthday, at least a small one”
The acrobat’s face lit up.
“That reminds me, I brought something!” he grabbed a tray off a table, “It’s not much, but I stole some food from the kitchen. There’s some chocolate here, and it’s dark since I know you don’t really like sugar. I managed to take a bottle of wine too, but I’m pretty sure it’s William’s so we better not drink too much. I hear he’s trying to make a meal out of Murro’s boar or something. Sorry I couldn’t find anything better. I really tried but I heard Ms. Nightingale coming in and you know how she gets when she sees the survivors out after bedtime and-“
“Mike, it’s okay,” Then, hesitating slightly, he added, “Thank you,”
The acrobat smiled at Norton’s warm words.
“I also,” he said, “have this,”
Mike pulled out a small vanilla cupcake with a light-blue wrapper. A red candle sat in the frosting, unlit. Norton looked from the cupcake to Mike, who was gleaming with joy.
“Happy Birthday, Norton,” the blonde said, handing the cupcake to Norton. The prospector accepted, taking the cupcake. He stared at the treat in his hands
“You didn't have to, Mikey,”
“Yes I did,” Mike began to rummage through his stachel, “We gotta light the candle. I swear I had a lighter in here…”.
Norton frowned. He knew the acrobat was sensitive to fire himself, due to his circus tragedy. The prospector was always careful around places where Mike and fire met; he even took it upon himself to not light the candle sitting on his hat. He reached a hand onto Mike’s shoulders, “It’s okay. You don't have to look for it. I know you don’t do that good with fire,”
“What do you mean? I’ll be fine,” he reassured. Mike flashed a smile, but Norton could see the unease in his eyes.
“Nope,” he said shaking his head, “I refuse to,”
Mike stopped searching and glanced at Norton.
“I would have been fine,” he lied, “But if it’s what you want, then okay,”
Norton set the cupcake down, taking the acrobat’s hand into his face. Mike stared back, dumbfounded.
“Stop doing this,” he whispered, “Stop putting me before you,”
Mike opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when Norton kissed him. “When we get out of here,” he continued, “We’re going to find the circus killer, and we’ll end them,”
The acrobat and the prospector grinned at each other. It wasn't the usual sweet smile they were known for by the guests at the manor. Rather, it was a sickly smile, a side that they allowed only each other to see. Both of them had come from twisted pasts, and neither of them had plans to leave them behind.
“Thanks, Norton” Mike replied, “Now eat your damn cupcake,” he said, picking the treat up. The night faded as the couple chattered away, and then finally fell asleep.
-
Norton Campbell stared up at the ceiling and sighed. He lay sprawled on his bed, with a curled up Mike Morton in his arms, fast asleep. The day had gone like every other in the god forsaken manor.
Today however, was a little different. He had Mike.