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The party was so loud . The embalmer was sure his ears would explode if he didn’t leave, but his legs felt like they were rooted into the marble flooring of the manor’s ballroom, as though he had become a plant. Aesop Carl’s chest ached - as did his head. Overwhelmed by too much going on in one setting, he felt himself shrivel up in the corner he had claimed ages ago when the party first started. Unfortunately for him, the party didn’t seem like it was going to end soon, and Aesop’s legs felt like gelatin; he couldn’t move, no matter how much he wanted to. Not one person at this time had noticed his ‘absence’, but he was sure if he started moving, he’d be noticed and pulled into a conversation or asked to dance or asked to stay. It was miserable how torturous life was, especially for those who did not relish in social situations. You wouldn’t dare be noticed at the party if you stayed as still as a statue, but the moment you moved an inch, everyone would flock to you like you were covered in bird seeds. Aesop had made that mistake once during one of the first parties he was forced to attend, and he never made it again. Most of the parties, the manor residents were forced to attend, but they were not forced to stay the whole time. For whatever reason, the manor baron just liked having everyone there for a little while - even though he himself was never present - and always made sure Miss Nightingale marked down attendance, like some sort of school building. Once attendance was taken, however, you were allowed to leave. Most did not leave, and some did. Some even feared the same thing Aesop feared - being noticed while trying to leave. Aesop had a lanky figure; compared to most survivors, he could see almost everything happening in the ballroom. Such height also made it rather challenging to escape without being seen by someone, so Aesop made sure to remain as shriveled up as possible, practically hunching with his arms hugging himself tightly, keeping his head down to avoid eye contact with anyone.
He shuddered at the sound of drunken voices, daring to take a quick glance at one of the couch areas of the ballroom. Demi was drunkenly going off about whatever with a drunken Joseph and a drunken Jose about whatever, but neither of them were quiet. If Aesop cared enough, he could listen to the conversation word for word, but being near drunk people made him quite anxious. Originally, the couch area near him was empty and unused, but for some reason, the trio decided to make that area their drinking corner for the night, and even from this little spot could Aesop smell the various types of alcohol radiating off the three. The aroma was intoxicating in the worst way, and it made Aesop scrunch up his nose in absolute and utter dismay. He hated alcohol with a burning passion, and always avoided it whenever he could - this included in matches with Demi. He refused to take her healing dovlin, and would prefer to be healed normally without the use of alcohol. He feared being seen by others, and yet, he scanned the surroundings to see if anyone was staring at him. He let out a sharp exhale when he saw piercing blue eyes gazing at him before those same eyes quickly looked away. Aesop gulped down his saliva, shuddering. He recognized that piercing gaze - it belonged to Naib, the mercenary of the manor. Cheeks burning red, the embalmer felt himself become hot from both fluster and embarrassment. Did he look pathetic in the corner like this? It must’ve been an embarrassing sight. Naib had a flask in his hand, drinking away as he sat on the couch with his companions. The rescuers stuck together like glue usually, so it was no surprise they were all gathered around on the couches opposite to where Demi, Joseph, and Jose’s couches were. Unlike many, the mercenary could hold his liquor, so Aesop wasn’t worried about being too close to another irresponsible drunk. He wondered why Naib had been looking his way? It sent a spike of anxiety coursing through his veins. He was fond of Naib, so the thought of looking pathetic in Naib’s eyes was enough to make Aesop tremble a bit. The embalmer shriveled further into his corner, pulling his mask up as far as he could without looking ridiculous. The embalmer’s throat felt terribly dry, and he hated that he couldn’t move an inch. He wanted so badly just to leave before he did end up noticed - such a fear continued to grow and grow and grow.
The ballroom felt terribly stuffy and hot, and maybe it was because the embalmer felt like he was in a sauna. The survivors and hunters were dancing their hearts out or chatting away. The loudness felt agonizing, and the heat caused by everyone was sickening. Did he dare try to make a run for it while he could? Why did he pick a spot so far from the exit? He began to tremble further, and his hands came up to his head, covering his ears with his eyes closed tightly. It was so loud that he feared his ears might begin to bleed, and his pulse raced so fast that he could hear it ringing in his ears. The party went on the outside as well, a party of pounding rain against the windows of the manor. Too much going on and Aesop felt like he was going to choke. Voices began to flurry around him, but they were so blurred.
“Aesop?”
“Are - okay?”
“What’s - him?”
He couldn’t make out any of the voices. Why couldn’t they all just leave him alone? Why now were they noticing him? Was it because he moved? He hardly left his spot, though! His legs felt like they were actually growing numb from standing as still as a statue. Eyes shut tighter, his pulse rang louder and louder in his ears, and he feared his head might explode - or his heart, as either felt plausible in this exact moment.
“Leave - alone.” Another voice entered the frenzy of other voices, but with all the noise, Aesop still couldn’t make out who it was. The voices were jumbled together at this point, and he couldn’t recognize anyone’s voice. He felt a large hand grab on to his wrist from his head, gently tugging him forward. Aesop allowed himself to be pulled along, eyes opening just to stare at his feet so he didn’t trip. He ached and trembled, unable to meet anyone’s gaze. His wrist was limp, and through slightly blurry eyes, he could see a rough, tan skinned hand grabbing onto his wrist, holding onto his wrist with such gentleness, but enough firmness to pull Aesop along. Aesop could feel so many eyes gazing down on him, leaving his lanky figure shriveling up once more. He heard the doors of the ballroom open, and the temperature became cooler as the sound of the doors shut. The moving didn’t stop there, however; Aesop was still pulled along, and that continued until they had reached the stairwell to the survivor side of the manor. It was there that Aesop was gently sat down, and the person who pulled him sat down next to him, giving him respectable space. The embalmer shakily lifted his head, and saw Naib was his savior, the mercenary sitting hunched over with his flask in his hand, gazing out the window at the pouring rain as he took a quiet sip from the flask. The brunette man didn’t say a single word, hood resting at his shoulders. The silence was so comforting… so much so that it was nearly overwhelming. The shift between extreme loud to the only sound being the rain pounding away was all so quick. Despite that, Aesop appreciated it, and took some time to collect himself. His gloved hands were shaking so violently, and his breathing was so unsteady.
“... Try to listen to the rain. It might help relax you.” Such words were the only ones that Naib let out, and they were so quiet that Aesop would’ve missed them if the stairwell wasn’t so quiet itself. Aesop swallowed hard, but took Naib’s advice, nodding his head slowly. He listened intently to the sound of the heavy rain. It was beautiful, gentle, despite how it pounded hard against the glass panes. Aesop steadied his breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly and carefully. It took a long while, but he did eventually calm down and relax. It took what felt like forever, and to Aesop’s surprise, Naib had been patient and quiet the whole time. He didn’t utter a word after giving Aesop some advice, and to be quite honest, the embalmer really appreciated that. Being alone was his favorite thing but… being alone with his favorite person? It was… far nicer. He wasn’t sure why he enjoyed it so much… maybe it was because he was alone with Naib. Aesop glanced over at Naib, mask hanging down the side of face, having removed it earlier to help with his breathing. The man glanced at Naib with his gentle gray eyes.
“... Thank you… Naib…” his words were careful and gentle. He swallowed his saliva in a gentle gulp. “I don’t think… I could’ve managed myself without… you.” Naib glanced over at Aesop, before giving the smallest little smile. It warmed Aesop’s heart, leaving him with his cheeks burning red.
“Don’t mention it. You seem really uncomfortable back there,” Naib stated, before putting the flask down to the side. It was empty, and Aesop didn’t hear a drop left inside the small flask. “... I wasn’t enjoying the party much myself, either.” Aesop blinked, seemingly surprised. Naib noticed the change in Aesop’s expression, and cocked an eyebrow upwards. “Did you seriously think I was enjoying that?”
“Well… sort of,” the embalmer mumbled, somewhat embarrassed now that he thought about it. He should’ve known - after all, Naib was somewhat of an introvert as well. The mercenary was usually quiet and off on his own. “... Did your friends keep you tied to that party?”
“Yeah,” Naib rolled his eyes, “luckily, Jose was drinking with Joseph and Demi so I had one less problem but… the others weren’t too keen on me leaving… so I guess helping you out was my excuse.” The mercenary put one leg up and rested his arm on it, sighing. “To be honest, I saw you in that corner the moment you went over there. Multiple times, I thought about stealing you away to a better place for you, but every time I tried to get up, Martha and William pulled me down. Only when they saw that you were suffering that they let me go.” The whole time… Naib had been thinking of helping Aesop? His cheeks brightened as he gulped down his saliva, quickly turning his head to the side. Silence overtook them as the rain kept coming down. Naib was the one to speak up. “... Do you… do you want to get out of this stairwell?”
“Ah…” was Naib trying to dismiss him to his own room? For some reason, the thought felt so dejecting. “... Well… I guess I could go back to my room.” He seemed in no hurry to leave Naib’s side, however.
“Oh I meant get out of this stairwell… together,” Naib’s tan cheeks burned red, embarrassed with himself for not speaking more clearly… or maybe more embarrassed that he had to actually say he wanted to leave and go somewhere else with Aesop. The mercenary rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. Aesop’s cheeks didn’t look any less redder than Naib’s, though - in fact they looked even redder than Naib’s.
“I… sure,” Aesop cut himself off. He was going to say he loved that and he would gladly leave with Naib, but he grew embarrassed. Would that be too clingy? Would that be upsetting for Naib? The embalmer was left speechless, but his eyes glistened. He had to put back his mask on, however, considering he was up to his ears in red. If Naib looked at him without his mask on and saw how red Aesop’s face was, the embalmer was sure he would die straight on this staircase. Naib grabbed his flask and stood up, stretching a bit.
“Any particular place you like to go?” questioned the mercenary as he looked down at the embalmer. Aesop stood up and thought for a moment.
“... Unsure. I like going to my room…” the embalmer was embarrassed. He spent most of his time in his room - avoiding people was his top reason for staying in his room. “I don’t really leave it most times.”
“Would you be comfortable having me in your room? If not, that’s fine, we can go to mine,” Naib stretched his arms out, glancing out the window as he gulped down his saliva. His hands became clammy, anxious for his own reasons as he watched the rain pounded hard. He hoped that it would only stay as rain.
“I don’t really mind…” Aesop hugged himself a bit, following Naib’s blue eyes. There seemed to be some sort of anxiety coursing through them, clouding those beautiful blue hues. Naib flinched and quickly looked at Aesop when he realized the taller man had followed his gaze to the window. “Also, I’m… if you were the one in my room, it’d be no problem.” Aesop swallowed down his saliva in a hard gulp, hoping, praying he didn’t sound creepy when saying those words. He’d been told before by some others that things he said could come off as creepy, whether he meant it or not. The embalmer was sure that he came off creepy, and tightly closed his eyes, unable to bear what Naib’s disgusted or judgmental expression would look like.
“Alright then. If it’s no problem I’m there, lead the way,” Naib let out a breathy chuckle, “my room’s a pigsty anyway at the moment.” The mercenary paused, replaying the sentence in his head before panicking. “Not like, gross or anything…! I promise I clean my clothes and keep my room clean…! It’s just… a mess right now, is all.” Aesop paused, before bringing his gloved hand to his masked mouth, trying to stifle a chuckle. It didn’t work, and Naib was left pausing with his cheeks feeling like they were on fire. Aesop’s deep voice let out a handsome and perfect giggle, leaving Naib’s chest aching with warmth.
“Let’s get going, then,” Aesop began trudging up the stairs, his heart beating. Naib followed in step with Aesop as the two traversed the stairwell to the survivor bedrooms. Aesop guided Naib through the halls, constantly catching the brunette sneaking glances out the windows at the dark clouds ahead. Aesop was observant - it was part of his occupation as an embalmer to be good at observing people, dead or alive. Something was up, and while Aesop was quick to become socially anxious, he knew Naib being off had nothing to do with him… in fact, it seemed it had something to do with the outside, more specifically, the storm clouds darkening. It made Aesop’s mind wander, curious as to why Naib seemed to grow uneasy towards the ongoing storm raging outside the manor. They soon reached Aesop’s room, a chocolate colored door with Aesop’s name imprinted on a silver plate. The embalmer shuffled through his pockets, taking out his keys and unlocking his bedroom door. He stepped aside, and allowed Naib to enter first, the mercenary giving a gentle nod of thanks before entering. Aesop followed behind him, and closed the door shut when the two were both in the room. He turned the light on, and Naib gazed at the man’s room. It was in complete shape, incredibly clean and tidy. It was very organized and smelled nice. The room was grayscale except for the walls of the room, which were the same color as the door. Some could say Aesop’s room was pretty plain, but Naib found solace in that. The room wasn’t insanely decorative, and Naib had seen some really decorative rooms - some even made his eyes hurt. Aesop’s room was refreshing. “Ah… you can make yourself comfortable anywhere you like, really.”
Naib nodded, taking steps into Aesop’s room. He seriously hoped he wasn’t tracking dirt into the man’s clean room. Naib’s blue eyes figured out where to sit shortly, picking the couch in Aesop’s room that seemed untouched. Wow, the couch was more comfortable than Naib thought - even more comfortable than his own couch. Maybe it was because Aesop didn’t seem to really use it. The embalmer sat down next to Naib, keeping a respectable distance between the two of them. It was silent between the two, and the embalmer tried to think of a conversation topic… he wasn’t very good at those, though. He gulped down his saliva and shuddered. Social situations weren’t his thing with good reason. As he tried to think of a conversation, he saw a bright burst of light from his window, and in the corner of his silver eyes, he swore he saw Naib jump. “There seems to be a storm coming… well, besides the rain, I mean.”
“... Yeah…” Naib seemed barely responsive, leaving Aesop swallowing hard. That conversation didn’t last very long. Naib’s eyes widened and he jumped again, a loud boom of thunder filling the silence. Even Aesop jumped; he wasn’t fond of loud noises, and he hoped he had escaped the loudness back at the party.
“That was loud…” grumbled the embalmer, silver eyes looking over to Naib, who had flicked his hood over his head and crossed his arms, keeping his head downwards. Aesop couldn’t see Naib’s face like this. Despite that, the gray haired man could see the slight tremble in Naib’s body as the rain pounded harder on the window than it did before. Did he dare ask if Naib was okay? What if he upset him by doing so? The silver eyed embalmer pushed caution to the wind, delicately reaching a gloved hand out. Another flash of lighting, and Naib jumped once further, causing Aesop to quickly retract his hand as another rumble of thunder boomed. He could hear the sound of the mercenary grinding his teeth, shuddering. That was a rather loud boom, and soon, more lighting and thunder. Naib’s trembling picked up, and Aesop noticed it rather quickly. Was there anything he could do to help? Aesop swallowed hard. Naib had gone out of his way to help him… Aesop knew he should try to do the same, and he did indeed want to, he just wasn’t entirely sure how. Aesop decided to try again, and this time, didn’t pull away from reaching out to Naib when the mercenary jumped at the storm’s horror. Carefully, the embalmer placed his hand on Naib’s forearm. He was so gentle and so slow about it, not wanting to freak Naib out anymore than he already was. “It’s… it’s okay. Storms are frightening… I-”
“I’m not afraid of the storm…” Naib was quick to cut Aesop off, voice trailing off at his second sentence, “... I’m afraid of what the storm reminds me of…” Aesop’s gray eyes widened, and he paused, eyes flickering out the window before back at Naib. Ah… that was right, Naib was once a soldier, wasn’t he? He had war experience - that much Aesop knew. The brightness of the lighting could remind him of flash bangs, and the pounding thunder could remind him of the bombs and gunfire. That explained everything to the embalmer right then and there, and he sure was an observant one.
“... Is there anything I can do to help?” Aesop asked quietly, gently, keeping his voice steady and calm. Naib paused, tugging the hood forward over his head as he remained quiet. He thought it over a few times, his mind screaming in his head to stop before he started anything, but the mercenary swallowed hard.
“... Aesop… do you… do you love anyone?” the question certainly threw the silver haired man off, sitting straight up with his cheeks flaring.
“L-Love? As in… romantically?” asked the embalmer, mouth agape; he was lucky he was still wearing his mask.
“Yeah,” the mercenary responded flatly, “you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, it’s just… something to distract me… or at least… lead into something to distract me.” It’d… it’d help distract Naib, wouldn’t it? Why that topic of all things? Aesop wasn’t even sure he COULD talk about that topic… considering Naib was the one that Aesop was in love with. This was incredibly awkward, and the embalmer was too afraid to lie for fear that if he did, there would be the slim chance Naib loved him back and would be crushed by such a lie. However, if Aesop told Naib the truth, what if Naib didn’t love him the same way? Could that only make Naib’s tremors worse, cause more discomfort than he was already in?
“... I… I do…” mumbled Aesop. He could feel Naib’s arm tense and muscles tighten underneath the palm of his gloved hand.
“... I see… they must be really…” Naib cut himself off with a quiet gulp, turning his head to the side. “I love someone too, but… I’m not sure if he loves me back.”
“...” Aesop wasn’t good at giving advice. Would this really help Naib out? Realistically, Aesop doubted he could even take his own advice, but Naib was more confident than him, more vocal than him, and even more social than him despite often being considered a loner. “I… I think you should try and confess to him. You won’t know how he feels until you tell him.”
“And if I ruin the friendship I have with him?” Naib asked, “would it be worth it to confess?” Aesop paused, throat running dry. He tried to think of his words carefully - he had never been in this situation before, and he tried desperately to push back any thoughts he was having about who Naib’s love interest was.
“... If your friendship is ruined by you confessing… I would say he isn’t a very good friend,” Aesop shifted to hug himself with both arms, turning his head to stare down at his black shoes. “I can’t see you confessing to someone in a way that would make them uncomfortable to stay friends. Of course, everyone has their different reasons so it depends person to person, I’m sure. I just… think that if you just said how you felt and respected their rejection, the friendship should stay intact.” Aesop gulped down his saliva. What if he was wrong about that statement? What if his opinion was wrong? “... If it were me, I know I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t…” He gulped down his saliva. “I wouldn’t let the friendship be ruined.” Naib was quiet, before inhaling and exhaling. He shifted to face Aesop, gently taking Aesop’s hands in his. Aesop’s silver eyes widened, meeting blue eyes mixed with fear and yet… something sentimental.
“Then… if that’s the case…” the mercenary swallowed tightly. He was quiet for a while, the only sounds being the rain and thunder. Naib still jumped at every single rumble and every single flash, but Aesop remained patient, cheeks burning red. He wasn’t an idiot; was this going to be a confession? “Aesop… I… I’m… fuck…” Naib cursed under his breath, before leaning his face closer to Aesop’s. Hot breath fanning Aesop’s covered lips, Naib’s eyes flickered down to the embalmer’s mask. Was this a good idea? Did he dare try and go for it? Naib threw caution to the wind, and left a ghostly peck against Aesop’s covered lips. The kiss was so quick, as quick as a lighting bolt, and yet, Aesop felt like it had lasted for hours. The ghostly warmth of Naib’s lips against his own left his heart pounding aggressively in his ribcage. “... I love… you.” Aesop swallowed hard, his mind still wrapping around the kiss. “I’m sorry, I probably shouldn’t have-”
“No, I love you too…!” the taller man choked the words out, his heart racing violently in his ribcage. His eyes closed tightly as his cheeks burned red, so much so he was sure he would start tearing up at any second from embarrassment. Another flash of lighting, and then another loud booming - this time, a rumble far louder than the previous ones, so much so that it felt like it shook the manor. Naib lunged forward towards Aesop, throwing the embalmer off guard as his back collided with the couch mattress, blushing red as Naib laid on top of him, face buried into the crook of his neck. Naib held on tightly to Aesop, as though if he let go, he’d fall off the couch and through the floor until he was six feet under. “N-Naib?”
“I can’t… I can’t fucking take it… it’s so… loud… so scary…” Naib shuddered, laying on top of the embalmer’s body as he trembled. Aesop’s eyes widened but softened as quickly as they widened. His hands slowly wrapped around Naib’s back and held him close, one hand attempting to soothingly rub Naib’s back to console him.
“I-I’m here… you’re not alone… alright…? You’re not alone…” Aesop hoped his words could be reassuring - he admitted he wasn’t the best at this. He feared he would not help enough, as Naib continued to shake and shudder from the violent storm.
“Aesop…” Naib murmured, propping himself up a bit to meet Aesop’s eyes. He leaned forward, shakily pecking Aesop’s masked lips again, before burying his face into the embalmer’s neck once more, trying to hide his face from the wicked flashes of light, and trying to muffle the sounds of the aggressive thunder. “Thank you… for… being here…”
“... I should be thanking you… for saving me back there at the party…” Aesop murmured, shifting a hand to remove his mask entirely and place it on the couch’s armrest before going back to rubbing Naib’s back as comforting as possible. “If it weren’t for you doing that… I would be in trouble, and we wouldn’t be here right now.”
“Heh… I guess you’re right,” Naib murmured, “but you’re the one saving me right now; if I have anyone to thank, it’s you.”
“We’re just… each other’s saviors, aren’t we?” Aesop ushered out his words delicately, cheeks tinging red as he gazed lovingly at the mercenary in his arms. “Does… does this mean… we’re a thing now…?”
“If you want to be, but I would really like it if you were my boyfriend,” Naib let out a breathy chuckle, flinching at the thunder as he kept his face buried in the embalmer’s neck.
“I would like that, too…” Aesop muttered softly, the silver eyed man closing his eyes softly. His breathing was steady, and so was Naib’s. The two found themselves filled with contentment, and even as the storm raged on, the two never felt calmer, never felt safer. Naib had calmed down a bit as some time passed. He chose to focus on Aesop instead, focusing on how good Aesop’s hands felt rubbing his back so soothingly. He felt incredibly safe here… Naib couldn’t remember the last time he felt safe like this. It was so sweet, so painfully sweet… and the two ended up falling asleep with one another while the storm raged on.
—
“Do you think the two finally confessed to one another?” Martha asked as she helped with the after-party clean up. She was surrounded by other survivors and hunters who had offered to help.
“Gosh, I certainly hope so,” Eli chuckled with a smile on his handsome lips.
“You’re a seer! You know what happened, don’t you?” Emma questioned as she lifted up two chairs with absolute ease, walking alongside her father to place the ballroom table chairs off to the side. The blindfolded man just hummed contently, blue eyes softening underneath the blindfold.
“I am a seer, that is true, but I try not to pry into others’ lives outside of matches,” he hummed. He couldn’t exactly make a fortune off predicting people’s future in the manor like he tried outside the manor, but even so, it wasn’t his business. He did quite like the thrill of actually discovering things on his own, or by surprise. “I certainly hope that the two of them did end up confessing… and I hope the two of them are okay. We should be more mindful about Aesop’s behavior, and allow him to not attend these parties anymore.”
“True… maybe we can talk to the manor baron about it!” Emma beamed brightly, “either way, I hope the two of them are very happy with one another!”
“Heh… so do I, Emma, so do I,” Eli smiled faintly, glancing out the window as the storm began to clear, leaving a beautiful night for everyone to rest.