From the ashes, we will rise 2/?
Chapter Summary
Ethan takes Norman to look at apartments. Amazed by the changes in the former FBI agent, Ethan has only one thing on his mind: filling the loneliness he senses in Norman. Norman, meanwhile, feels undeniably attracted to his new friend.
Notes
Thank you for your patience as you waited for the next installment of the story. I promise the next chapters will be coming very soon.
On Ao3
Rating T - 2693 words
Chap 1 - Chap 2
Golden late-afternoon light cast long shadows across the street as Ethan and Norman made their way to the third apartment on the list.
"You're going to think I'm picky," Norman said sheepishly, running a hand through his hair.
Amused, Ethan glanced at his companion. Norman had changed so much since the events that had brought them together ten years earlier.
He had hardly believed his ears when Shaun called to tell him who his criminology professor was.
However, if there was one thing Ethan had learned from that time when they all more or less nearly died, it was to take chances. He’d managed to get Norman’s number with the help of his son and was thrilled when the former FBI agent agreed to meet with him again.
Now, after their reunion the night before, Norman was helping Ethan pick out an apartment. The advantage of being his own boss was that no one was breathing down his neck, telling him that he should have been working on his current architecture projects instead of spending the morning looking for apartments for Norman.
Norman.
Ten years ago, the circumstances hadn’t exactly been ideal setting for a romance, and Ethan hadn’t viewed the other man in that light at the time. However, he’d had time since then to observe the man, and what he saw appealed to him. In fact, a great deal appealed to him.
What struck Ethan most was that even though ten years had passed, Norman seemed to have grown younger.
The days of suits and ties, immaculately styled hair, cold demeanor, and meticulous, uncompromising nature were gone. Now, Norman had a slightly shy air about him, dressed more casually with slightly tousled hair.
Ethan would be lying if he said he didn’t find him extremely attractive.
Even without the appearance of a professional FBI agent, Norman remained a hero in Ethan’s eyes. So, even if Norman was demanding and made him tour ten apartments, Ethan would do it without complaint.
Not to mention, during the evening they’d spent together the night before, Ethan had clearly sensed Norman’s deep loneliness. He couldn’t deny his desire to fill that void.
With a wink, he said, "The first apartment was too small and the second was too noisy. Maybe this one will be perfect. And if not..." Ethan waved a stack of papers in front of Norman. "I've got plenty more in reserve."
"Yeah, but still," Norman replied, pouting. "You're already going out of your way for me. I don’t want to take advantage."
Ethan gave Norman a light nudge with his shoulder, his face full of warmth and concern, and said, "Don’t worry. We’ll find the perfect place for you. You deserve it."
"I don't know if I deserve anything."
Norman spoke so softly that Ethan could barely hear him. Ethan looked at him in surprise. Norman waved his hand dismissively and said, "Forget it."
Ethan chose not to react, but he decided not to forget. He kept those words in mind to reflect on later because they revealed the same crack in his friend’s facade that he had sensed the day before. He steered the conversation toward the next apartment and explained the essential details to Norman.
A few moments later, they walked through the door together.
The third apartment was a charming loft on the second floor of a historic building. As Norman crossed the threshold, he felt a wave of comforting warmth. The living room was bathed in sunlight, and the solid wood floor gleamed in the soft light. He imagined his old mahogany piano tucked away in a corner. He knew with the same certainty he’d felt when he uncovered a crucial clue during an investigation that he’d found his home.
"It's beautiful," he murmured, his eyes shining.
He slowly walked through the loft, taking in every detail. Though small, the kitchen was modern and functional. He could already picture where to put a comfortable bed and desk. A small balcony overlooking the street promised peaceful evenings spent with a cup of tea and a good book.
"This is the one," Norman declared with conviction. "I can already see myself living here."
Ethan watched him, a smile on his lips. He knew it. He’d seen the look in Norman’s eyes and the expression on his face from the moment he walked in, even during the silent tour of the loft. Ethan found seeing the emotions on Norman’s face absolutely endearing. In that moment, he marveled as Norman’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm, replacing his usual calm. Ethan now knew what had changed in the Norman of the past. Norman now seemed truly alive.
"See? I knew you’d find one," Ethan said in a soft, warm voice.
Norman turned toward him and met his gaze. "It's true, isn't it? I can already picture so much. I’ve never had a pet, but I can imagine having a cat here and putting my piano over there. A couch here and…"
Ethan’s soft laughter made Norman stop mid-sentence, and the tender expression on Ethan’s face brought a lump to his throat.
"I'd love to see you with a cat," Ethan said gently, and then added with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Just imagine the chaos."
Norman laughed.
"Chaos and me in the same sentence? If you’d told me that ten years ago, I would’ve suggested you stop taking triptocaine."
He shook his head before continuing in a more serious tone. "I’ve wasted so much time. I’ve lived most of my life in the virtual world that ARI gave me, with nothing real outside of my work."
Seeing the disillusioned look on Norman’s face, Ethan gently placed his hand on Norman’s shoulder and said kindly, "Don't think of it as a waste of time. Think of it as an experience that brought you here. To me, it’s not a waste of time because the person you used to be saved Shaun and me."
Norman swallowed hard, then slowly nodded.
To avoid any misunderstanding, Ethan added: "But don't get me wrong. I really appreciate the person you've become. I’m happy to help you in this new life."
They looked at each other in silence for a few moments. The air between them vibrated with unspoken words, a kind of comfortable tension that had been simmering since their reunion.
Ethan broke the silence and asked, "So, is this the one?"
Norman nodded vigorously.
Ethan gave him a more detailed tour of the loft. Then, they went to the real estate agency with which he worked to take care of the paperwork. When they came out much later, the sun had set, and the streetlights had come on.
Norman glanced at his watch, hesitated for a moment, and then said in a slightly shy voice, "I'd like to celebrate my new apartment by treating you to dinner tonight."
His boldness was rewarded with a broad smile from Ethan, who simply replied, "It's a date."
Norman, now even bolder, retorted, "Is it?"
Ethan looked him straight in the eye and replied, "If you want it to be."
Norman swallowed and replied, "Yes."
Ethan smiled again, and after they agreed on a restaurant, they set off. They walked through the brightly lit streets. The city buzzed with the usual evening traffic, yet the rest of the world seemed delightfully far away.
Norman found himself stealing glances at Ethan. In the glow of the streetlights, Ethan’s profile looked sharp yet soft, his hands tucked casually into his coat pockets. It was hard to believe that ten years ago, their paths had crossed under such dire circumstances: fear, despair, and a race against time to save a little boy.
Back then, Norman was a workaholic agent who shielded himself behind a professional façade and chemical crutches. Ethan, on the other hand, was a desperate father who had been pushed to the limits of human endurance. Neither of them was looking to form a connection. A child’s survival was their only priority.
Yet there they were, walking toward the restaurant and chatting about this and that.
"What are you thinking about?" Ethan asked softly, breaking the pleasant silence. He glanced sideways at Norman, his gaze warm and welcoming.
Norman offered a gentle, slightly embarrassed smile and shook his head. "I...I was just thinking about how strange life is. Ten years ago, if someone had told me that I’d be walking down this street looking for an apartment and on my way to dinner with an architect I met under such terrible circumstances, I probably would have had them committed."
Ethan chuckled softly.
"Well, life has a funny way of setting things right. That said, even back then, amidst all the chaos, there was something special about you, Norman. Even when you were determined to put me in jail."
Norman felt a slight flush warm his cheeks and was grateful for the dim streetlight. "That's a polite way of describing a workaholic who was neurotic and a little rigid in his convictions."
"I'd say you were doing your job much better than that idiot Carter Blake. Your priority was to save my son, not lock me up," Ethan corrected gently, stopping at the corner in front of a warm, welcoming bistro whose windows glowed with amber light.
Norman looked at the restaurant’s entrance, then turned his attention back to Ethan. The sincerity in the other man’s gaze tugged at his heart in a delightful way, a gentle, rising pressure he hadn’t felt in a long time. Well, to be honest, he had never felt it before.
For years, he’d lived with the conviction that his life was frozen, unchanging, and doomed to loneliness. Ethan was proving to him, one gentle gesture after another, that he had the right to start over. That he had the right to be happy.
"Shall we go in?" Ethan asked, holding the door open for him with a gaze that was both playful and tender.
"Let's go," Norman replied, walking past him and stepping into the welcoming warmth of the bistro.
The waiter led them to a secluded booth in the back, where Norman settled into the plush seat. Ethan took a seat across from him and picked up the menu, but his gaze lingered above it, resting affectionately on Norman.
The clinking of glasses and the warm buzz of conversation filled the bistro, but Norman barely paid any attention to it. All of his attention was focused on the man sitting across from him.
The conversation had flowed smoothly ever since they raised a toast to Norman’s new apartment.
Norman had never been in a relationship before, nor had he ever felt such a strong attraction to anyone. It was a new and intoxicating sensation, a mix of intense excitement and apprehension. He was captivated by every word Ethan said. His gaze lingered on the way the light danced in Ethan’s dark hair, and on his lips curving into a smile, framed by a shadow of stubble that could melt glaciers. It was a sight he thought he’d never tire of, especially knowing those smiles were meant for him.
Ethan was also incredibly sensitive. He seemed to pick up on the slightest shift in Norman’s mood and knew exactly when to give him space. For example, he did so when the conversation turned serious and touched on the darker aspects of the former FBI agent’s past.
Norman felt a sense of ease unlike anything he had ever experienced, a feeling of being truly seen and valued.
Much later, as they stood on the street in front of the bistro, Ethan insisted on walking Norman back to his hotel.
"You know, I'm not an FBI agent anymore, but I can take care of myself."
Ethan chuckled, then said seriously, "It's not that. It’s just that I don’t want to say goodbye to you yet."
Although the connection they shared that evening exceeded anything Norman could have hoped for, Ethan’s honesty still caught him off guard.
He mocked himself inwardly. It had taken him 40 years to finally feel butterflies in his stomach!
Taking his silence as agreement, Ethan began walking side by side with Norman toward his hotel. The city lights twinkled above them, casting an ethereal glow over the cobblestone streets.
Ethan asked softly, "Did I make you uncomfortable with my forthrightness?"
Norman shook his head. "No, I'm not uncomfortable. Surprised, yes. But that’s also because I’m out of practice… or rather, my experience is close to zero."
Ethan laughed softly, gave him a playful nudge, and said, "I think you're doing just fine."
Norman replied with a light laugh as Ethan added, "So, if my straightforwardness doesn’t make you uncomfortable, I hope what I’m about to do won’t either."
Norman stopped laughing and furrowed his brow, intrigued. Suddenly, he felt Ethan’s hand slide up his arm from the elbow before taking his hand and intertwining their fingers.
The butterflies in his stomach made a big comeback.
"Still not uncomfortable?" Ethan asked.
Norman tightened his grip on Ethan’s fingers and replied with a wink, "What do you think?"
They continued walking in silence, holding hands, for a few moments.
Feeling confident, Norman softly confessed, "You know, this is a first for me."
"What?"
"That," Norman replied, raising their intertwined hands.
Ethan nodded and remained silent for a moment, causing Norman to worry that he had said too much. But Ethan asked softly, "With a man?"
Norman shook his head and laughed. "With anyone."
"By choice?"
Norman shrugged. "Until ten years ago, yes. Workaholic and all that jazz. And after that… let’s just say it’s not easy to find someone when you have a past like mine. Addiction issues and that sort of thing..."
"I understand."
Ethan traced the back of Norman’s hand with his thumb and asked, "So, after what you just told me, I feel like I have to ask: Are you really okay with this?"
Touched by the gesture, Norman replied, "Yes."
"Much more than okay," he thought.
They arrived near the hotel entrance and stood still for a moment, lost in silence. The air was thick with unspoken tension like a silent acknowledgment of the undeniable attraction smoldering between them.
Ethan’s warm, firm hand lingered in Norman’s before gently caressing his cheek. Unaccustomed to such contact, Norman closed his eyes for a moment, relishing the touch and leaning instinctively into Ethan’s warm palm.
Then he opened his eyes and met Ethan’s tender gaze.
Ethan took another step forward until he was close enough for Norman to feel his warm breath on his skin as he asked in a low voice, "May I?"
His heart pounding, Norman nodded silently. His breath caught in his throat as Ethan leaned forward, brushing his lips against Norman’s first lightly, then more earnestly. The kiss was slow and tender. It was a gentle exploration of the unspoken desire between them.
Norman closed his eyes and surrendered to the sensation of Ethan’s lips against his own. At first, he tried to etch every detail into his memory, the warmth, the softness, and the hesitant exploration. But he let himself be overwhelmed by the flood of unfamiliar sensations, and all rational thought deserted him.
A few moments later, when Ethan pulled away, his eyes reflected a sense of wonder that echoed Norman’s own feelings.
He said softly, "I've had a wonderful evening."
"Me too," Norman replied, his voice slightly choked with emotion.
Ethan pressed a light kiss to his lips and whispered in a tender voice, "Good night, Norman."
"Good night, Ethan," Norman replied in a barely audible voice.
Norman watched Ethan turn and walk away, his silhouette fading into the night. He stood motionless for a long moment, unable to stop himself from touching his lips. An intense warmth washed over him. He had never felt anything like it.
That evening, or rather, to tell the truth, Ethan himself, had opened a door within him, a door leading to a world of possibilities.
He didn’t know what the future held for him, but he knew, with a certainty that surprised even himself, that this was only the beginning.
_________
Still not beta'd
Still not my native language
Still hoping you'll enjoy this story 🥰
Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝
