Names and Nightmares
Norton had been quiet today. Usually, Mike would’ve been okay with that. He wasn’t good with words, but this was unnerving. Something seemed to be bothering him.
“Morton,” Norton spoke before Mike had the chance to.
“Huh?”
“You stare a lot, y’know?” The prospector mumbled, his bad eye twitching, like he was trying to focus on Mike better to no avail.
Mike was left almost wordless. He felt bad whenever Norton called him out for staring, he had no idea he had been letting his gaze travel that much. “I-I’m sorry.”
“Morton, I’ve told you this before. You don’t need to apologize. I’m used to it. But…”
Mike appreciated the way Norton spoke. He was always patient with him, never yelling like people Mike used to know did.
“You’ve said you find my scar interesting. Why? Do you really think I’m that… pretty?” Norton asked, sweeping a few locks of dark hair away from his face. Mike wondered how he could do that and continue to question why the acrobat thought he was so ethereal.
“Y-Yes. If you don’t mind me asking, what happened? I want to know where it came from,” Mike asked. But before Norton could even open his mouth, Mike continued to talk. “You are pretty. You’re beautiful.” In truth, this was barely scratching the surface. Mike could’ve gone into detail for hours about every ‘flaw’ that Norton had, which were simply features that made him more perfect. Mike wondered how many times he would have to tell Norton how perfect he was before the prospector caught onto the acrobat’s feelings.
“...It was a mining accident. The entire place collapsed. I was the only one who made it out,” Norton explained in one, shaky breath. “I really hate talking about it.”
Mike immediately regretted asking. “I’m sorry for prying.”
“No, no, I understand. You’re a very curious person, Morton.”
Mike wasn’t sure how to reply to that, but before he could think of something Norton gently reached his hand out. “What?”
“Your hand, Morton,” Norton said, as if that explained anything. But Mike trusted him, and gently placed his hand in Norton’s palm.
It was a slow, painful moment, but Norton pulled Mike’s hand to his face and rubbed their thumbs over the burned skin around his eye.
“N-Norton,” Mike gulped. What was he doing? “Doesn’t this hurt?”
“No, as long as you don’t put too much pressure on it,” The taller man reassured, removing his hand so now Mike was cupping his face on his own. He passed his thumb over the damaged skin a few times. Surprisingly, it wasn’t an unpleasant sensation, but definitely foreign and odd.
“Campbell… how much can you see out of that eye?” Mike asked quietly, still holding Norton’s face. His right eye had not survived the burn, it was also bruised and half-shut all the time. Its color had been lost to the accident.
“I can see you, but you’re blurry. Some parts of my vision are completely dark,” Norton replied. He frowned for a moment, but then smiled. “Morton, how long are you going to keep holding my face? It’s cute, but…”
Mike quickly pulled his hand away. He hadn’t realized how much of an intimate exchange it was, and it didn’t help that Norton had called him cute.
The prospector laughed, pink dusting his cheeks. Even if it was embarrassing, Mike preferred these moments over their conversations. They were usually dry and unproductive, he found it easier to express feelings through physical touches and glances. God, he loved Norton so much.
“Campbell?”
“Yes, Morton?”
“Can I just call you Norton?”
Norton smiled fondly. “Of course, Mike.”
“Norton, can we…” Mike frowned as he looked out the window. Night had fallen, making him realize how tired he was. “Oh. Nevermind,” He muttered, disappointed. “I was going to ask if you wanted to go to the garden with me.”
“That sounds lovely, but yes, it’s getting late. Perhaps we could go tomorrow morning? I believe Melly and Emma both have matches then, so we won’t be disturbing anyone.
Mike grinned. “Okay. Goodnight, Norton.”
“Goodnight, Mike. Sweet dreams.”
-
The irony, Mike thought bitterly as he wiped tears from his eyes, hoping the bad memories would be washed away with them. He wasn’t mad at Norton, but it was upsetting the last thing he would hear from him were those gentle words, only to be swarmed with traumatic memories in his sleep. He buried his face in his hands, trying to stifle his sobs. He had gone a week without having night terrors, and they had chosen a horrible morning to come back. He was vaguely aware of the small cut starting to leak red butterflies of blood on his chin.
He stiffened when a knock came to his door. But despite his panic, he knew who was on the other side, and rushed out of bed to open it.
“Norton,” Mike sighed, momentarily forgetting the blood and tears that covered his face. He was happy to see the prospector.
“Oh, my God. You’re a mess,” Norton said, face slack with shock as he examined the teary acrobat.
“I know,” Mike chuckled, starting to feel dizzy.
“Woah, woah, woah, don’t fall over, holy shit…” Norton caught Mike as he stumbled. He flinched at the touch and more diamonds fell from his eyes. “Crap… what the hell… what happened, Mike?” He asked, gently guiding the other to his bed so he could sit back down. He made sure he was supported well so he didn’t have to touch the flinchy acrobat.
“It’s nothing big…” Mike muttered in between sobs.
“This clearly isn’t something small, Mike. Holy shit, holy shit…” The prospector was clearly panicking, unsure what to do for his friend. “Okay, listen, get comfy. I’m going to get Dr. Dyer.”
“W-Wait. Please don’t leave. Please don’t get anyone,” Mike muttered, grabbing the fabric of Norton’s sleeve.
“I need someone who can patch that cut up. I also need you to tell me what happened,” Norton said softly.
Mike was sobbing too violently to speak now, he just gestured to the desk in the corner of the room. A pack of bandaids rest on top. He grabbed it and brought it back over to the bed.
“Is it okay if I touch you?” He asked, leaning closer to the trembling acrobat. Mike was silent for a few seconds, but when he looked up and made eye contact with Norton, he nodded and shifted so his face was more accessible. He appreciated that Norton asked.
The prospector patched up the cut and cleaned the tears from Mike’s cheeks. “The hell…” Mike flinched away as soon as the cut was covered and wiped his own tears from his face.
“No touching. Got it,” Norton muttered. “Mike. What happened? Please, I’m here for you.”
“It’s nothing,” Mike choked. Of course, it wasn’t nothing.
During his time at the circus, he had seen many horrible things. He had experienced many bad things. The memories had rotted his every thought, the images printed on the back of his eyelids. He would often wake up crying and bleeding after re-experiencing his trauma in his slumber. Those nights had left white scars over his face, they were the physical versions of those memories.
Norton bit his lip, worry lines deepening. “Mike,” He said gently.
“It was a nightmare. That’s all,” The acrobat insisted, struggling to keep his voice calm.
“Mike,” Norton sighed. “I don’t think it’s normal to wake up bleeding after just a nightmare. Are you sure you don’t want to see Dr. Dyer?”
Mike stared at him for a few seconds and considered it. Emily Dyer, the doctor, was extremely talented. He sighed. “Okay. Give me a few minutes to calm down?”
Norton’s expression softened into a fond smile that warmed Mike’s heart. “Of course,” Norton said. “I’ll be waiting outside.”
“Wait,” Mike grabbed Norton’s hands before the prospector could leave. “Thank you, Norton.”
The taller man squeezed his hand in reply and left, closing the door behind him.
Saying Mike was head over heels was an understatement.