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Fuck, not again. Every night Norton wakes up in cold sweat with that same response. And every time he dreads it. He does not want to remember, it hurts too much. The dripping can be heard at a distance inside the caves that have recently caved in. Was it from a nearby water source? Maybe. Was it the blood of his comrades? That sounds more like it. The screaming and silent prayer echoed through the barricaded caves. The only distraction he had was the agonizing pain of the burns that bubbled his left side. He weakly adjusted his sight just to view his arm being covered by heated blisters. Norton was never weak to the sight of blood; however, seeing his limbs covered by the substance, his vision suddenly went black.
Then he woke up.
Norton sat up in a panic, pushing aside the thick blankets that covered his sweaty body. His head quickly turned to the light source that helped his panicked state. The moon. It was a full moon tonight which brought some relief to the prospector. He always left his curtains drawn back to avoid his room being too dark. That reminded him of the caves. At this point, Norton knew he could not go back to bed. A drink, however, does not sound bad. It may have been 2 AM but he needed a distraction, stat. Getting up from his comfy bed, he waddled towards the light switch as he dragged his comforter along. Pulling the comforter down from his head he turned to glance at his reflection. His eyes were a rose color and darkened from the lack of sleep. As he touched at his pilling bags and sighed in exhaustion. He threw his blanket towards his bed, only leaving him with his pajama pants on. Turning his doorknob, he finally left his room.
Using the large window panes that reflecting the moon's light as a guide, the way towards the kitchen was simple. There was a light already shining in the kitchen which brought curiosity to him. He walked in, trying to avoid eye contact with the stranger who stood before him. The sound of a can be set down echoed in the room. “Norton? What are you doing here?” The owner of the voice was that of the mercenary, Naib.
Fuck. “Ah, stealing the cookies again, Subedar?” Norton stated in a mocking tone, trying to distract the shorter man from looking at his face. The prospector grabbed a glass and a bottle of liquor, still avoiding the man before him. “Shut up. Isn’t it late for you to be drinking, anyway?” Naib snapped as he reached for his glass. This led Norton to twist his head towards his direction with a pleading look. Naib then changed his approach, lowering his hand to his side with a sigh. ”I see. Let me join you, hand me a glass.” Another glass was set down and the only sound that filled the kitchen was the sound of liquid being poured. “Having trouble with sleeping? Or is it that nightmare that’s keeping you up,” Norton paused mid-sip to stare at the man before him. So it was obvious. Proceeding to drink the liquor in his hand, he exhaled, “I keep remembering those mines.” This statement caught Naib’s full attention. Norton was secretive about anything about his past, to think that tonight he might finally understand what is occurring in that mind of his. “The screaming especially, if only I changed course,” he continued to curse at himself as the other man listened. He continued to ramble about his recurring nightmares. And Naib listened. Norton appreciated this about the mercenary. As bold and confronting he came off, he was a sweet friend to rant to.
“Why are you up anyway?” Naib stared at Norton, then back at his drink. “Same shit as you but, you know, mercenary days.” That was enough for Norton to understand that they needed another round. After minutes of silent whispers about their dreams, the two men placed their empty glasses into the sink. “I’m not sure I can rest if I go back,” the mercenary admitted.
“Come with me then.” Naib was taken back from the words that were whispered out of Norton’s lips. “Stop kidding around like that,” he leaned back against the counter. Norton looked at him, dazed from his sleep-deprived and drunken state. “I am not kidding, please Naib. Come with me.” This caught the mercenary off guard, but he complied with a heavy sigh. “Fine. Just follow me, hold onto my arm or something.” Without a second thought, Norton reached for Naib’s hands. They were clammy but he did not mind, the warmth calmed him. Naib was surprised by the tight grasp but continued to guide them towards Norton’s room, biting the inside of his cheek as he tightened the grip on Norton’s hand. They were surprisingly soft, and he didn’t realize he was rubbing his calloused thumb against his drunken friend's hand. Due to embarrassment, he released his grasp and proceeded to hold the other man's wrist. Of course, Norton was drunk out of his ass, but it still didn’t change the fact that Naib was wary of his actions. Pushing against the dark oak door, Naib practically dragged Norton by his arm as the ex-miner mumbled details about lapis lazuli. “Stay right there and don’t try anything stupid. I’m going to fetch you some water.” And that he did, rushing out of the prospector’s room. He didn’t want to be out of Norton’s sight for long considering how wasted and exhausted he looked. His eyes appeared to be filled with sorrow and regret. He needed someone to be there for him tonight.
Naib wanted to ease his pain away.
Norton sat on his bed. He stared at nothing as he slowly started to be shaken up by the alcohol. He wasn’t as wasted as Naib assumed he was, but it was enough to keep him from thinking about the deadly screams. A heavy sigh exited from his lips as he slammed his back down onto his mattress. He stared at his white ceiling and sat back up instantly. Remembering that he was shirtless and only wearing his blue plaid pajama pants, he didn’t want Naib to walk into such a sight. He reached for the button-up shirt next to him and proceeded to struggle with the buttons. The sound of the door being pushed open scared him, however. He knew Naib was coming but he was sensitive to sound at the moment. “Here. Drink it, all of it,” Naib handed him the glass that was already dripping from how full it was. “Thank you, Naib. But why the fuck did you fill it up so much.” A quick response came from the male who acted ticked off, “Stop talking and drink.” Being as careful as he could, Norton reached for the glass and pushed it towards his lips. Accidentally, he spilled a bit onto his shirt but he proceeded to glug the whole glass. “Ah fuck,” Norton got up and removed his shirt as soon as he set that empty glass aside. So much for covering up in front of Naib. Out of curiosity, Norton glanced at the shorter male and noticed how he pulled his hood up and turned away. He was flustered. “Like what you see?” A huff came out as a response. Cute.
“Thank you, Naib. Also sorry I don’t have any stuffed animals you can hug, but I’m big and cuddly so c'mere.” The shorter male clicked his tongue and crawled over the other. “Not happening, also you are turning the lights off.” Naib smiled to himself hearing Norton whine, however, he complied. A few seconds in, the bed dipped from Norton jumping on the bed. “What the fuck, why did you-,” then Naib realized. He was afraid of the dark. Shit, how did he forget that?
Norton shuffled in the sheets aside to fit himself but also tried to take deep breaths. It wasn’t dark for that long. Why was he panicking? Fuck, he was shaking even. “I’m sorry,” he repeated and he felt a gentle tug. The sound of a lighter could be heard.
Light.
“It’s okay, you’re safe, Norton,” Naib reassured the male who was panicking before him. “You’re not in the caves,” he reached out and gently pulled him close as he raised the lighter above their heads. Naib felt his chest become wet from the tears and breaths from the panicked man, yet he was unfazed. Only his well-being is what was taking effect. Soft sniffling filled the room along with gentle whispers of comfort.
“Thank you.” Norton wrapped his arms around Naib’s chest as he continued to look at the light around them. The warm hue it gave off was calming. Suddenly he felt pressure on top of his head. Naib placed his chin on top of the coal-haired male as he hummed. If he could, he would have wished to stay like this forever. But the mercenary's arm was probably cramping up so he pulled away from the embrace.
Norton reached over Naib with the assistance of the lighter and pulled back the curtain to see the light of the moon again. Going back next to his side of the bed, he looked down halfway. Naib laid back after deposing his lighter and looked up, facing Norton who hovered above.
A gulp could be heard from above. Onyx met cobalt as they slowly pulled each other closer. The smell of alcohol coming from their breath was stronger. When did they get this close?
“Can I?” whispered Norton, with a tempting urge building inside him.
Not even a response came from Naib, only the feeling of being pulled closer towards his lips. His lips were as soft as his hands. He wanted more. Pulling away for a second to get a better angle, Naib kissed the hopeless male above him. After what seemed like an eternity of bliss, they both eventually separated.
Norton was left speechless and panting from the alluring kiss. Before he could comment, he was met by another pull.
“Let’s cuddle our nightmares away”
Not a word was spoken, only a gentle hum and wrapping around the smaller male’s waist was left as a response.