His Bliss

- I -

( I know I write with Norman's thoughts for everything but shh- )
( Satan_Incarnate_666 )

"Stay, please."

The grip on his arm was gentle, hesitatant. The two words were a pained beg, spoken from bruised lips with a broken voice. The blue eyes that said more than his words did, feeling more convincing than the spoken words. Norman looked at a clock nearby for a moment, deciding he could stay for at least another hour. A slight nod and the hand let go. Ethan's gaze turned thankful, the injured man leaning back in his chair. The agent sat across from him at the end of the motel bed, trying to think of what to say. What could he say, the situation was probably bewildering to the other. He couldn't offer any sort of advice, he didn't even know what the hell was going on. Judging from the short time he's spent with Ethan, the man wasn't about to answer either. 

Half an hour passed of silence, which was broken by the sound of a pill bottle shaking a pill out. Painkillers, Norman was able to tell without looking up. While it gave him a chance to speak, the agent didn't take it. Tension felt high in the room, as if it was a physical thing that Norman could reach out and feel. He rested his forearms on his legs, leaning forward slightly. The eyes with secrets hidden inside flicked towards the movement quickly. The agent felt his heart skip a beat at the look, unable to figure out why exactly. He pushed the odd feeling down and cleared his throat, glancing towards the door for a second.

"Why did you want me to stay?"

The question hung in the air for a moment, like honey dripping from a spoon. Norman could feel his heart beat faster the longer the silence remained, wondering if he should've worded that differently. The agent didn't want to come off as rude, the thought of being assumed that way twisting his insides. But Ethan only had an expression of thought, biting his lip for a second. Slight relief flooded his system for a moment, but the aching curiousity of why he was asked to stay instead of the woman who had helped him out of that apartment. Obviously he knew her, trusted her. But why ask him, the man who'd arrested, interrogated with harsh tones, and broke him out of prison not long afterwards?

"I need you, Agent Jayden. You believe in me and I...need that now."

The answer was raw honesty, making Norman nearly shiver from it. The amount of emotion that was hidden under the words was picked up on only because of the profiler training. Ethan's gaze was away from the agent across from him now, which felt like a limb was torn off. Norman swallowed, shifting to lean foward more. The deep instinct to reach out and comfort the broken soul across from him was nearly maddening. His hand slowly lifted to rest on top of the other's good hand, trying to silently say that everything would be fine, that he'd help save the man's son at any cost. The other man's fingers slowly curled to hold the pale one on his own, a weak smile playing on Ethan's lips. The silent words were understood, thankfully.

Glancing at the time, the hour he promised to stay had passed. Norman felt surprised that he wanted to linger around longer, feeling the bandaged hand rest ontop of the agent's already held hand. Surprise at the touch was the first emotion felt, but it faded quickly into an unexpected feeling of warmth. The feeling started at his heart and spread to the rest of his body, enveloping him in an odd sense of safety. Yet he was the one that didn't need to feel safe at this moment. He wasn't the one on the run, with his name slandered with things far from the truth. The agent could tell many things just from looking at Ethan Mars, but not how all this was effecting his mental health at this moment. Unknowingly, a soft squeeze was given to the hand he held, a weak smile now playing on Norman's lips.