They're Only Photos || Norman x Ray

26

RAY

"Long life is one thing, long happiness... that's even harder to achieve."

~°~
"What the fuck was that all about?!" Ray almost screamed at Emma. "You- I-" Emma placed a finger on his bottom lip, much to Ray's displeasure. "Now, now," she said calmly. "We wouldn't want poor Norman to hear you, would we? If those bad words ever reached his angelic, innocent ears..."

"Damn, way to sugarcoat it," Ray deadpanned. Internally he was laughing his ass off. Of course Norman's ears were angelic and innocent. Almost everything about him was..

"Oh, piss off. I know you've been fantasising over him." Ray blushed, covering his face. "Sh-shut up!"

Emma pretended to swoon. "The almighty Ray has stuttered!"

"What did you need to talk to me about?" Ray asked, trying to steer Emma from the topic.

"I want to talk to you about your crush on Norman," Emma told him. Ray blanched. Had she just said...

"Woah, woah! I don't like Norman like- like that.. I wouldn't uh- he's cute, but he's not my type," Ray blabbed. Did Emma seriously think he liked Norman in that way? They were just friends; the feeling was mutual. Norman had a boyfriend, Ray was... straight.. and besides, it wasn't a good look for a photographer and a model to be fraternising.

But somewhere in the back of his mind, Ray wondered... could they be more? If they got into a committed relationship... which they wouldn't, because Ray was most definitely straight.. would it all work out?

"Are you.. interested in men, Ray?" Emma asked.  She inched closer,  looking up at Ray seriously. "You can be honest with me, I won't tell anyone," she assured him. "And I certainly won't make fun of you." Perspiration dripped down Ray's already sweaty, hot neck. He could feel his fringe sticking to his forehead. 

"I... " Should he lie or just be clear with Emma? Tell her he didn't like Norman... or tell her how he really felt? There was no harm in being honest, he guessed. It wasn't like Emma could do anything that could impact on his chances with Norman negatively. "Yes. I am."

Emma smiled. "Thank you for telling the truth, Ray. I know it  takes some courage." Ray nodded awkwardly, fiddling with the lint on his hoodie. He swallowed. Somehow he was starting to feel even worse. "So, does that mean you have a crush on Norman? Ahh, I don't want to assume..."

"I do!" Ray blurted out, a little too loudly. 

"Try and keep it down," Emma told him. "We wouldn't want Norman to think we're hosting a wedding or something." Ray sniggered. "Yeah." He blushed as he realised Emma had been trying to distract him from the pressure of confessing his crush, and it had worked. But he did feel slightly better. It was a weight off of his shoulders. 

"Explain how you feel about Norman.. I just need to be sure this is a crush you're experiencing!" she added, seeming to notice how Ray was about to protest.

"Uh, well.." Ray's face heated up as he recited the words he'd been repeating in his mind for much too long. "I notice everything about him. I notice how perfect he can be, how.. how kind." His voice shook. Norman was his first friend. "And.. the imperfections, too. It's clear that he's sad when he's sad. When he makes a mistake, I see how hard he tries to right it. Norman takes care of everyone - of me, even! I can never take my eyes off him, even if he notices me staring. It feels so wrong to even look away for one second... which is why I've been keeping photos of him."

"Photos?" Emma questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

"Yes. I've had to keep looking at them everyday. When I'm stressed, if I'm sad.. if I need to socialise, they make me feel better. Hell, just the thought  of him makes me feel better!" 

"Uh-huh... okay, I think your feelings are pretty serious. But you have to let go of the obsession part. It's not healthy, and it could negatively affect your relationship with Norman," Emma told him. Ray nodded. He'd known that when he'd started taking the photos, but.. it was hard for him to stop. "I- I'll try my best. For Norman... for you."

"Thank you, Ray. So... I know some things about Norman that could be useful for winning his heart. First off, Norman likes to wear his heart on his sleeve."

"Huh," Ray mumbled. He had to admit he was surprised. He hadn't pegged Norman as that type of person. Then again, he wasn't claiming he knew a whole lot about him either. There was still so much... Ray vowed that he'd risk everything to form a close, trusting bond with his best friend.

"Yes," Emma continued. "That's why it was so easy for Don to steal his heart. That's why it's so fragile and easy to break." She paused. "I trust you'll be careful with him, right, Ray?"

"I would never hurt Norman!" Ray promised. "I love him too much."

Emma smiled sweetly, placing a hand on her heart. "I know for a fact that Norman would never hurt you, either... I.. think there's something going on with him."

"Like what?" Ray asked. He hoped nothing bad had happened.

"Well.. his relationship with Don.. it all happened kind of quickly, don't you think? I feel like there's something going on that we don't know about..."

"Don't tell me he's-" Ray couldn't even finish the sentence without wincing in disgust. "That bastard."

"Ah!" Emma said quickly. "Ha, don't worry Ray, I don't think that's what's going on. Don is either acting manipulative, or Norman's feelings might not be as genuine as we think..."

"Emma, Ray?" There was an impromptu knock on the wall of the kitchenette. Emma and Ray froze. "Are you two almost done? Because Ray and I were going to watch a movie and..."

"Yup!" Ray chirped, just to spite the look Emma was giving him. He knew they had important things to discuss, but he didn't like leaving Norman waiting, especially if it meant more of their alone time would be wasted. Norman strode in, wrapping an arm around Ray's shoulder. This made Rat blush intensely, and he whispered in Emma's ear while Norman was distracted blabbering away.

"We'll continue this after work tomorrow, okay?" Emma didn't look to happy about it but she ended up agreeing.

"Let's go, Ray," Norman said happily and he led Ray out of the room and towards the sofa.