Mike was bored. He hadn’t seen Mary at all this game, he’d been left to decoding. Freddy, Aesop, and Norton had exchanged kiting, healing, and rescuing roles all game. Aesop was being chased now, while Freddy and Norton waited at the exit gates. Mike sat in a windowsill near the last primed cipher.
“Norton!” The acrobat called to Norton at the nearby door. Norton’s head shot up and titled, but he didn’t yell anything in reply. The moonlight of The Red Church illuminated his damaged skin.
Mike frowned. “Come here!”
Norton glanced between Mike and the exit gate and sighed when he saw the acrobat’s expression. He abandoned the door for his boyfriend and joined him at the primed cipher.
“Mike, you shouldn’t be so loud, Mary could hear you…” The prospector whispered as he approached.
“I don’t care. I’m sick of sitting around, I’ve done nothing but decode the whole game!” Mike said, a little harsher than he meant to.
Norton pursed his lips. “Let me guess. You want me to entertain you for a bit?” He asked, placing one hand on the frame of the window and leaning closer.
Mike laughed and nodded. “It’s not like Carl is going down anytime soon, right? He’s always been a good kiter.”
Norton wasted almost no time, quickly adjusting his position before pulling Mike into a kiss. The acrobat tugged at his beige suspenders, silently begging him closer. Norton pressed his body into his, firmly planting his hands on Mike’s waist to prevent him from falling backwards. Mike gently pulled at the prospector’s hat until it fell to the ground, and rooted his hand in Norton’s dark hair.
“Mike, darling, we’re in a match...” Norton breathed, parting his lips from the acrobat’s.
The blond couldn’t help but make a sullen face. He was already missing his boyfriend’s touch.
Norton sighed and rubbed his eyes. He locked eyes with Mike and smirked. “You fucking fiend,” He muttered, leaning back onto the acrobat.
Mike laughed. “There we go.”
Norton pulled off his left glove and pushed Mike’s hat off, combing through his golden locks of hair with his fingers. “Damn Carl is taking too long, his fault we’re getting distracted,” He said before claiming Mike’s lips once again. He left Mike’s hair for a second to find the ribbon that held the acrobat’s ruffle collar in place and gently undid the knot. He pulled the white fabric away from Mike’s neck and let it fall to the floor.
Mike pulled away for a breath and laughed. “If you wanna do it like this,” He whispered, slipping two fingers under one strap of Norton’s suspenders and pulling it off his shoulder. “That’s fine by me.”
Norton’s crooked mouth curled into a smile as he pulled the acrobat back into a kiss and let his hands travel Mike’s thighs.
Mike draped his arms over Norton’s shoulders and tried to pull him closer. The prospector’s eyes fluttered open at the gesture, deep gray meeting ocean blue in a silent agreement. Mike tightened his grip on Norton’s shirt and the prospector slipped his hands under the acrobat’s legs, lifting him up.
They continued to pull at each other’s lips as Norton guided them, pushing Mike against a solid wall. Mike could tell Norton’s muscles were slightly strained trying to support his weight, but the prospector obviously wasn’t struggling. He rubbed his thumbs in circles, trying to provide some sort of sensation.
Mike smiled into the kiss and lightly flicked his tongue against Norton’s lips, gently tugging at the prospector’s black hair.
Norton parted his lips enough for Mike to slip his tongue in and was met with a blissful feeling. He slowly lowered both of them to the ground. Careful to never fully pull away, he settled Mike in the grass and climbed on his lap, straddling him.
Mike’s hands dug into his back, beckoning him closer and closer until there was no space left in between them. Norton set his hands on the acrobat’s shoulders as they kissed.
They stayed like this for a little, tongues and lips working together with fervor.
Finally, they parted, both panting and struggling to regain their breath. It’d been a while since they’d kissed like that, and Mike suddenly realized how amazing it made him feel.
But despite the kiss ending on such a sweet note, Norton made no move to get off Mike. Instead, he leaned in next to the acrobat’s ear and whispered, “Can I?”
“What?”
“Your scars, can I…” Norton gently ran a finger over a particular spot on Mike’s neck.
The acrobat bore many scars, white lines that cut through his freckles and features. They were a result of horrible nightmares that left him crying and scratching himself in his sleep. His worst night had left a sizable mark, beginning at the base of his ear and ending almost halfway down his neck.
Mike laughed. “You’re into that? Go ahead,” He whispered back.
Norton nodded and gently began kissing the scar, starting at the lower end and slowly working his way up until he reached Mike’s ear. He repeated this gesture with his other scars, sometimes overlapping the same area.
Mike allowed it for a little bit. It was kind of Norton to treat him with such care, but he wanted something else. “Norton, dear?”
“Mmm?” Norton pulled away from Mike to look him in the eyes.
The acrobat smirked at him and pulled Norton closer. He set soft kisses all over the prospector’s neck and jawline, quietly laughing at the flustered expression that adorned his boyfriend’s face. Sometimes he would stop in one area and leave a tiny bruise with his teeth, nothing that Norton couldn’t cover up.
They fell into a rhythm, exchanging small pecks and bruises. There was a silent trust, a silent bond in between them.
But the mood quickly broke when footsteps came rushing towards them.
“Morton! Campbell! There you-”
Mike had forgotten that they were in a match.
Aesop Carl, the embalmer, turned the corner and found a very peculiar scene. Norton straddling Mike, both disheveled and covered in a series of love bruises.
He stared at them both for a few seconds.
“Uhm, hey, Carl…?” Mike said, face slowly lighting up. Norton quickly scrambled off the acrobat and covered his red face with his hands.
Aesop sighed exasperatedly and rubbed his eyes. “My apologies. I’ll let Mary know you guys are here,” He mumbled, barely audible through the cloth mask he wore. He left the couple and the still-primed cipher, talking to himself as he went.
Mike was the first to speak. “Oh, my God, I am so sorry, you were right, I-”
Norton laughed and pressed a finger to his boyfriend’s lips. “Darling, it’s okay. I shouldn’t have let myself get so distracted. Let’s just get out of here,” He sighed, kissing Mike on the top of the head.
The acrobat sighed and also laughed. He gathered up the discarded items from before as Norton popped the final cipher and activated the exit gates. As they quietly opened the doors in silence, Mike saw Mary and Aesop approaching side by side. Oddly, he did not feel the impending sense of doom that was normally present when the hunter was nearby.
Mary was smiling, despite the fact she was currently about to lose the match. She despised losing. She threw tantrums whenever she was having a rough time.
The four stood in silence as they opened the gate, awkward glances shared between the survivors and an amused Mary standing above them all.
As the gate opened, Aesop turned to Mary.
“Miss Mary, are you sure you want to let me leave? I can give you the draw…” He said, glaring daggers at Mike and Norton. Aesop was always the first to give up in the match, Mike suspected that he welcomed the pain of death. If he was the last one and the doors were not open, he would always let the hunter get him. Sometimes he would even sacrifice himself early game because someone messed up.
Mary laughed. “No, no, Carl, it’s okay. You may leave,” She replied, bowing to the trio.
“Thank you, Miss Mary.” Mike also bowed.
“Thank you.” Norton repeated the gesture.
Aesop simply gave a nod as thanks. He turned around and left quickly, most likely trying to escape the presence of people.
“Stupid homos,” Mary muttered, probably not intending for Mike and Norton to hear her.
“Aren’t you in love with Miss Michiko?” Mike asked.
Mary frowned and playfully slapped the acrobat. “Be on your way now, please.”
He laughed and bowed once more, leaving the arena hand-in-hand with Norton.