They're Only Photos || Norman x Ray

17

RAY

"Don't spend your last moments doing something you love, spend them doing something new."

~°~
"Norway?" Ray asked in confusion. Why was she mentioning a country? Emma sure had some nerve breaking into Norman's suite like that. To be honest he was a bit embarrassed - nobody had ever witnessed him being scared before.

"Not Norway, NorRay. It's the name I've come up with for you and Norman," Emma explained. "Nor- from Norman, and Ray is obviously from Ray."

"Hmm.... NorRayEmma? That would be all of us, since this is a friend group of three," Ray thought aloud.

Emma snorted and smirked at them evily. "That's not what I mean," she told the two men. "I mean name.... like a yaoi ship name."

Ray's face heated up when he realised what the woman meant. Norman didn't seem to get the gist, though.

"Y-ao-i? What's that?"

Ray tried to hide under the blanket, but Emma grabbed his shirt collar to stop him. "Go on," she said cheekily. "Tell him, Ray. What does it mean?"

Ray blushed and forced himself to meet Norman's eyes. For someone who'd gone to college at the age of twelve, he didn't seem to know much. "Well... Emma's being a bitch." Norman raised an eyebrow.

"By calling us a couple... like in a relationship," Ray added. Norman nodded like this was completely understandable.

"Emma, please don't do that," he conceded. "I don't think Ray is comfortable with it. Please refrain from calling us a ya-oi." Norman still seemed to have trouble pronouncing the word. He scrunched his eyebrows together. "Y-a-o-... nevermind."

For some reason Ray was kind of disappointed with Norman's reaction. It would've been funny if he'd gotten all flustered. Norman's current reaction just made Ray feel dramatic.

Emma snickered. She hopped on to the couch beside them. "I'll join the party then, if you don't mind. I can't believe you forgot to invite me!"

"Yeah," Norman muttered. "'Forgot'." Emma giggled and started to watch the episode of Adventure Time like nothing had happened. She totally hadn't just broken into room sixty-three.

Ray sighed and turned to Norman. "You wanna go to the lobby and get something to eat?" Norman nodded and got up off the sofa. Emma didn't seem to notice as they exited the suite and shut the door quietly behind them. She must've been too focused on Adventure Time. 'Understandable' as Norman would say. Ray still couldn't believe a Minerva and supermodel was obsessed with Adventure Time. Or living beside him, for that matter.

Or how he'd managed to get so many hot photos of the dude without Lambda Productions noticing. He'd only been friends with Norman a few days, but it felt natural to him. Like somewhere, somehow.... he'd known Norman before. In a previous life?

Ray laughed out loud at the thought. No, not that. It was the same feeling he'd experienced with the picture of the petite, white-haired little boy. Come to think of it? The boy did look pretty similar to Norman. Maybe that was it. Yes, that must be it.

"Uhm... Ray?" His thoughts were interrupted by Norman's angelic voice. "Hmm?"

"We've been standing infront of your door for the past fifteen minutes. I'm waiting for you to open it," Norman clarified. That was indeed the situation. Ray must have zoned out.

He fumbled for his keys and quickly inserted them in the lock. Pushing through to the threshold, he breathed in fresh night air. The air was fresh and cold, even though the two men were inside. Strange.

Norman started to shiver uncontrollably. Ray, not knowing what to do, gave him a subtle pat on the back. "What's causing the draft?" he asked.

"You m-might've left... the s-s-l-liding door to the balcony op-pen," Norman told him between shivers. "I'll close it then," Ray replied.

He scrambled to the far end of the suite and closed the sliding door to the balcony. He peered out and was met with a dark sky.

"Oh? It's dark already," he thought aloud. Ray went back to where Norman was waiting for him. The white-haired model had made himself comfortable on Ray's couch. "Norman, would you like to have a sleepover?" Ray asked. As soon as he said it, he regretted the words. Of course Norman didn't want to have a sleepover. He wasn't a kid.

Instead of saying sleepovers were for kids, his friend said blankly,  "I live next door to you though." Ray nodded.  "But Emma's occupying your room at the moment," he explained. "Besides, she kind of interrupted our movie night."

Norman seemed to contemplate his desicions, and then finally nodded. "Sure, I guess. Let's do it."

It was hard to believe they'd only met a week ago. Ray gulped. "Let's go raid the lobby then. Hopefully the receptionist is okay with it."