They're Only Photos || Norman x Ray

18

A/N: Before we start the chapter, thank you so much for 250+ reads! I didn't actually think that many people would want to read this book, but it keeps me motivated to keep updating chapters.

NORMAN

"Interference is like a game of chance."

~°~
"Hi, Gilda," Norman chirped to the receptionist. Gilda looked up, slightly startled, but sighed with relief when she realised it was only Norman. "Hello, Mr. Minerva. You're friends with the new photographer, I see?" She sent Ray a warm smile.

Ray smiled akwardly back. Norman was happy they were getting along. "Do you mind if we take some of the breakfast leftovers?" He asked. There was always stuff left over from breakfast - heaps of pancakes, platters of hash browns and a mountain of sausages stacked high. Never warm but always delicious nonetheless.

"Sure," Gilda said, tapping away at her computer. Ray's face lit up. "Wow, thank you."

"Uhm, also..." The green-haired woman faltered as a slight blush colored her face. "Say.. say 'hi' to Emma for me, will you?"

Ray smirked. "Sure."

"Thank you!"

Norman nodded in appreciation and led Ray to the back room, where the apartment kept its leftovers. "Awe, sweet! Some of the good stuff is still here!" Norman eyed the food like it was made of pure gold. His mouth watered.

Ray seemed to be in a similar state of shock, as it took a while for him to compose himself. "Woah..." he cleared his throat. "Right, so, uhm... can we just take whatever?"

"Yep. As much as we want..." the white haired man's voice trailed off. Ray sighed. "If you're not going to snap out of it, I'll just take all of it for myself. None left for you!"

"None?...." Norman's eyes widened. "None?! Ray, you can't! I'm gonna take way more than you anyway."

Ray snickered. "Yeah, right. Try to beat me, Mr. Snowball."

"Maybe I will, Drama Queen!"

"Dumb shit-"

The battle that ensued was perilous.

~°~

"Where'd you get the Snickers?" Norman asked, his mouth still full of pancakes. Maple syrup dribbled down his chin.

"Gilda's jar," Ray mumbled, his face shoved into a spotted yellow cushion. Earlier's fight had eventually ended in a compromise. They'd agreed to share out the food equally between them.

Norman giggled and patted him on the head. Ray poked his head up. "Bitch, what the fuck?"

"What's wrong?" Norman asked, confused.

"You pet me on the head!" Ray accused him. He shot Norman a glare.

The sides of the taller man's mouth curved upwards. "And?"

"You're showing me affection."

"What's wrong with that?"

Ray tutted and turned away. "Disgusting."

Norman withdrew his hand. "Hey!" Ray complained. His glare became deathly. One wrong move and Norman would become a piece of gum stuck to the ceiling.

"W-what did I do this time.. ?" Norman squeaked nervously. He didn't understand what the problem was. Ray had told him to back off, and he had done just that.

"Why did you stop?"

"Because you told me off!"

"Yeah, but I never said stop!"

Ray harrumphed and exhaled in an annoyed manor. "You seem annoyed," Norman commented, patting Ray's head once more. "Would you like to watch something? I have a Netflix account."

Ray opened his eyes, which had previously been shut tight. "Yeah, I guess. Sorry for giving out earlier; I guess I was just tired."

"That's fine," Norman assured him, the hint of a smile playing on his lips. "So what do you want to watch?"

"Uhm... a series maybe?"

Norman nodded. "Whatever you like. Does that mean we can have more nights like this?"

Ray smirked, a tint if blush appearing on his cheeks. "Yeah, heh. Guess it does. I wouldn't mind."

Norman gave a slight incline of his head as he switched on Ray's TV by remote and logged into his Netflix account. Ray was silent for a while. As Norman carefully scanned the rows of shows, a new release caught his eye. "Oh? What about this, Ray?"

"Heartstopper," his friend read. His dark eyes scanned the description.

"It's a romance," Norman said nervously. He didn't know how Ray would feel watching romance with him. Especially gay romance. People in their age group weren't really attached to the LGBTQIA+ community. It was mostly teenage girl groups and couples who watched this stuff. He and Ray weren't a couple, obviously. Something in the back of Norman's mind wanted him to add an extra word to that sentence, but he pushed it away. Yet. They weren't a couple yet.

Maybe he was over thinking it, since Ray just shrugged and said, "Sure."

A/N: Yes, another author's note. Go watch Heartstopper on Netflix, it's out now! Also I know the story is progressing pretty slow at the moment, but there'll be a huge time skip of about a month in the next two or three chapters.