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The curtains fall and the audience sits in stunned silence for a moment before erupting into applause. Naib joins them, a small smile on his face as the curtains lift once again to reveal the entire cast bowing. However, his eyes are focused on one person in particular: the star of the show.
Despite the flush in Norton’s face from the hot stage lights, he still manages to look gorgeous without a single hair or accessory out of place. Norton waves at some of the audience members with that charming smile of his that makes people weak in the knees. (Except Naib. He has a different smile for that.) Naib knows he’s tired though, that he’ll come down from his high soon enough and curl up next to Naib in bed to fall asleep within minutes.
The crowd disperses soon enough, but Naib remains in his seat, waiting for Norton to change out of his costume so they can walk home. A part of him really does enjoy seeing Norton walk around on stage as Ronald of Ness, donning his iconic red suit and reciting dramatic lines that Naib knows by heart. But he also enjoys the Norton that dresses down and becomes relaxed since he isn’t trying to impress anyone.
“My dearest lover, what a pleasant surprise it is to see you here,” Norton playfully greets as he walks down the aisle. He takes Naib’s hand in his and kisses his knuckles.
Naib rolls his eyes. “It’s almost as if my husband is the lead actor of the play and invited me to watch him show off for the upteenth time. Maybe I should decline next time.”
“You would never.”
No, Naib would never dare to miss a show Norton invited him to. Nothing could stop him. Not a major investigation, not an injury, not the end of the world. He would always make time, even if he had none.
“We should get going,” Naib says.
“But alas—”
“Norton,” Naib says, and lightly taps Norton’s leg with his cane as a warning. “Stop being dramatic.”
Norton pouts. “Okay, okay. No need to be a grumpy old man—ow!” In a true act of dramatics that can only be done by a professional actor, Norton whines about his leg being broken as if Naib smashed it with a sledgehammer.
Ignoring this, Naib stands up and begins walking to the exit.
“Wait, Naib,” Norton calls, easily catching up with Naib’s pace. His fingers thread with Naib’s, his hand a familiar warmth. “You’re so mean to me.”
“You’ll live,” Naib says, giving Norton’s hand a quick squeeze as a small apology and smiling when Norton squeezes back.
Evening is always the best time to walk around—most people aren’t in a rush to get anywhere, so Naib can take his time without bothering his bad leg. The city also looks different in the evening light, mysterious yet welcoming like coming across a masked stranger at a masquerade.
Naib turns to Norton to comment about the city nightlife, but Norton is already staring at him. The shadows soften his face while the warm lighting brings out the hints of gold in his eyes. Norton has no right being that handsome while looking at Naib like he’s starstruck.
“Any reason you’re staring at me so hard?” Naib asks.
“Huh? Oh,” Norton says, shaking his head. “Do you want to get something to eat? Someone recommended a bakery to me and I wanted to take you there.”
“You were thinking about a bakery while staring at me?” Naib says, pretending to be offended.
“That’s not gonna work. I’ll happily admit that I was thinking about how cute you are.”
“Call me cute again and I’ll smack you with my cane again.”
“You’re the cutest, Naib Subedar.”
Naib moves to keep good on his threat, but for once Norton is quicker than him and has the nerve to dodge before sweeping Naib off his feet and carrying him.
“Norton,” Naib hisses, “put me down.”
“The cutest!” Norton shouts, spinning around once then practically skipping down the sidewalk.
As much as Naib wants to kill Norton right now, he simply can’t because he's too busy laughing at the absurdity of this situation. Norton laughs with him, the sound rumbling through his chest. Hopefully people will think they’re a drunk couple goofing off, which isn’t far from the truth.
The bakery easily stands out among the line of restaurants with its bright colors and handwritten chalk sign outside. Norton gently places Naib back on his feet, snorting when Naib readjusts his clothes.
An employee at the register cheerfully greets them as they enter and offers to take their order, which Norton gives without hesitation.
It's been a while since they properly went out to eat together. Their busy schedules means they usually come home exhausted, so it’s more convenient to cook a quick meal or eat leftovers and relax on the couch than getting dressed up to eat out. Maybe Naib should find the time to plan something nice for them to do every now and then.
“Is this supposed to be a date?” Naib asks.
“Just…something casual,” Norton says, oddly shy.
“You’re acting like you have a crush on me,” Naib teases. “Are you going to confess after you walk me home?”
Norton starts to say something, but the employee placing the slice of cake he ordered on the counter interrupts him by telling him his total and ringing him up.
Once they sit down Naib takes a good look at the cake. It’s a strawberry shortcake that Naib could easily eat ten of by himself. How can anyone just be satisfied with one slice of cake?
Naib reaches for the fork, but Norton pulls the dessert out of his reach.
“Let me feed you,” Norton says, cutting off a sizable amount of the cake with the fork in a motion that’s so unnecessarily elegant that Naib considers punching him, if only because it’s annoying how refined Norton is without trying.
“I can feed myself,” Naib says.
Norton rolls his eyes. “I know that, but I’m trying to be cute.”
“It’s not even that cute—”
Norton shoves the fork in Naib’s mouth with a smug smile. Unfortunately Naib can’t do anything but glare at him while chewing as grumpily as possible, which is difficult given how good the cake is.
“Well?” Norton asks.
“It’s okay,” Naib replies. He has to commit to the act of being grumpy so as to not inflate Norton’s ego, even if it’s obvious that he’s eyeing up the rest of the cake. He won’t be defeated in a game of stubbornness.
“You can have the rest…if you let me feed it to you.”
“Why are you such an insufferable bastard?”
A toothy grin is Norton’s only response.
If someone told Naib he would end up being fed cake by his then-enemy and now-husband, he would’ve punched them for being stupid then made them run laps. But that’s his reality now—Norton feeding him cake while Naib pretends to hate every second of it.
“I need a smoke break then we can go home,” Naib says, eating the last of the cake and cleaning up their small mess. Not even good cake can stave off the craving of tobacco.
Outside, Naib digs around in his pocket and grabs his pack of cigarettes. They’re not even half as good as using his pipe, but they’ll do in a pinch like now.
“No pipe?” Norton asks.
“Forgot it at work,” Naib says, lighting the cigarette.
“Can I have one?”
Naib raises an eyebrow. “Now what will the people think if I let their beloved Ronald of Ness start smoking and rotting his lungs?”
“Just one,” Norton says. “One won’t kill me.”
Naib pulls another cigarette out and slips it between Norton’s lips before lighting it. This must be how Norton felt earlier, this strange intimacy that reminds him of something. For Naib, he remembers the silent smoke breaks they took together back in the military. It was the kind of silence that was impossible to find with anyone else.
Norton inhales, then proceeds to have a small coughing fit. He scrunches his nose up, frowning. “Ugh, how did I smoke these?”
“I don’t think Lieutenant Campbell cared about the taste,” Naib says.
“Actually, I hated it back then too,” Norton says. “I only smoked them as an excuse to go on smoke breaks with you.”
That’s news to Naib. Smoking wasn’t uncommon to take the edge off the intensity of the war, so he didn’t find it odd that Norton started smoking at the time. But now that Norton mentions it, Naib never saw Norton smoke with anyone else except him.
“We really did waste a lot of time bumbling around like idiots about our feelings, huh,” Naib says, taking a slow drag as he thinks it over. “Now look at us.”
Norton tosses his cigarette on the ground and puts it out with his shoe. He hums, then simply says, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Putting out his cigarette, Naib turns to Norton. “You have something on your face.”
“What? Where?”
Naib stands on the tips of his toes and gives Norton a quick kiss. “There.”
The way Norton’s face lights up has Naib’s heart doing some strange fluttering. That soft smile that makes Naib fall in love again is on Norton’s face, warm and loving, just for him.
“You,” Norton says, wrapping his arms around Naib’s waist and pulling him close, “are so cute when you want to be.”
“Not cute,” Naib grumbles.
“The cutest,” Norton says before kissing Naib.