𝓪𝓼𝓱𝓵𝔂𝓷𝓷𝓮

. . .

(Part Two)

. . .

Norton didn’t like looking at himself. Whenever he passed by his reflection, he couldn’t help but recognize every imperfection that lingered across his face. The scars were obvious, and the burned eye that he’ll never see through, the scorched-off patches of hair that he tried to hide beneath his bangs. He hated when people stared at him, because he knew that they were staring at his burns, that stupid mark he’ll wear for the rest of his life. He could never get away with hiding his face from people, of course, but at least he could hide the ones on the rest of his body.

That was, until right now. He hoped that the dim light of his bedroom would conceal most of the damage, but if he knew anything about Alice, it was that she was very observant, even in the dark. Her fingertips brushed against the burns on his chest, making him shiver at the unfamiliar contact. He was torn between regret for letting himself be this vulnerable with someone and just giving in to the affection she was currently showering him with.

Her hand made its way to his collarbone, then his shoulder, up to his neck and the burned side of his face. Norton swallowed hard and prayed to whoever the hell is up there that she couldn’t feel how much he was shaking. Stupid, he mentally cursed at himself, You’re a grown man, she won’t hurt you, stop acting like a goddamn child.

Alice looked so fixated on him, as if he were one of those paintings in the hallway, and she was picking out every single detail. Carefully, she inched closer and kissed the burnt patch of skin, just above his blind eye. Her warm lips traveled in the opposite direction of where her hand went, and soon he could feel her breath fanning the side of his neck, then his shoulder. She was kissing just about every inch of scarred flesh she could reach, and not once did he try to stop her. His eyes eased shut as his arms snaked around her waist.

She kissed him like the burns were fresh on his body, like her touch alone was the only thing that could possibly heal him. Norton couldn’t think, his mind was too clouded with the sight of her lips on his collarbone, journeying even lower until he was struggling to keep his breathing steady, and for a moment, he was finally at peace with the thought of his reflection.

. . .

. . .

(Part One)

. . .

The air was decently warm as Norton stepped into the greenhouse, and behind the glass walls, the blue sky was streaked with pale clouds that veiled the sun’s golden face. Taking a seat on the small steps, he began to take a good look around at all the scenery, as if he were admiring a painting in some art gallery, but it wasn’t the flowers or the heavenly skies outside that caught his attention. No, instead, his eyes were gazing at a certain journalist standing at the other side of the greenhouse, who was capturing a few photos of the recently grown flowers.

He was sure that she heard him come in. In fact, he knew she heard him, because the moment he stepped inside, her head turned ever so slightly towards the sound, and he could swear that he saw a faint smile on her lips when she noticed him. God, he didn’t know what it was about her that made him so mesmerized. Her hair? Her eyes? The way she spoke, or the way she laughed? Hell, all of the above?

It soon became damn near unbearable for him to just sit there and stare, so he finally managed to stand up from the steps and walk over to her. Norton looked over her shoulder and glanced at the flowers she was trying to take a picture of.

“Nice shot,” he said, to which she immediately jumped in surprise. The camera clicked as the photo was taken, instead capturing the wall in front of them and not the intended flowers.

“Norton! You surprised me!”

“Did I? You didn’t see me come in?”

She smiled again, and there was something almost mischievous about her gaze.

“No, I suppose I didn’t. You know how absorbed I get in things like this, don’t you?”

He bit back a smirk. “Right. Then, I guess that means I ruined your photo, huh?”

“Yes, you did,” she said. “And you’re going to have to make it up to me somehow.”

Norton glanced back at the door. Nobody, they were completely alone, and he could feel the soft heat rising to his face. Carefully, he lifted his hand and cupped the side of her face, running his thumb along her cheekbone. Smooth, like the skin of an apple, and tinted a rosy hue. He took a small step forward, until there was hardly any air left between them, and leaned down to press his lips against her cheek.

Her skin felt warm as he kissed her, nearly the same as the sun that was currently shining down on them. She giggled softly, and he fought back the urge to just put his mouth on hers.

He pulled away, still holding the side of her face.

“Is that good enough to make up for it?”

Her fingers slowly curled around the knotted scarf he wore to keep him from moving. Not that he was planning on leaving anyhow, but the firm feeling of her hand tugging him closer was making him feel dizzy.

“Not quite,” Alice hummed sweetly. “I think it’s going to take a bit more than that.”

. . .

. . .

“It’s late. You should be asleep.”

The sound of someone’s voice nearly made Alice drop her candle. She looked towards the doorway of the living room and saw the shadowy figure of Norton standing there, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Breathing a sigh of relief, she placed the book she was holding back on the dusty shelf and faced the quiet intruder.

“I could say the same about you.”

He shrugged and turned his head away. “I’ll sleep better knowing you weren’t breaking the rules.”

“Since when did you start caring for the rules?” she chuckled.

“I don’t care when it’s me,” he said, then took a few steps forward. “And besides, you look like you need the extra rest.”

Conveniently, as if to prove his point, she yawned and rubbed her eye with her hand. Still, Alice tried to hide her growing exhaustion by lowering the candle from her face, hoping that the lack of light would veil the dark circles beneath her eyes.

“I’ll be okay,” she reassured.

“I don’t believe you.”

He was standing right in front of her, and in the dim glow of the candle, all she could see was the front of his button-up shirt and the outline of his suspenders. Gently, he lifted his hand and pushed back the hair framing her face. He wasn’t wearing his gloves, which meant that his touch was much more careful than usual. Alice’s eyes flickered between giving in to the sleepiness and staying awake to investigate.

Norton leaned down and pressed his lips against her forehead, lingering like an apparition for a moment, before slowly pulling away. His name left her mouth in a quiet whisper, though now she was much too tired to fully realize what she was saying anymore. His hand moved from the top of her head down to the side of her face.

“Get some sleep.”

As if it had all been a dream, she opened her eyes to see him already walking out of the living room, leaving her alone with nothing but a dimming candle. Alice smiled to herself and lightly touched the spot on her forehead where he had kissed her.

Her investigation would have to be postponed until tomorrow evening.

. . .