Blurry

- 38 -

The rest of the evening went smoothly, with an excited Shaun asking Norman dozens of questions about what it was like being an FBI agent. All of them were questions Norman could answer and not scare the child. He found that, despite the bitter note his career ended on, he loved talking about it. It felt like the passion he felt for years in college and beginning of his career flooded back in a rush. The ex-agent felt happy to answer questions over pizza, almost forgetting about his boyfriend sitting next to him.

Dinner ended smoothly, and Norman took the chance to call his friend about his cat, to arrange when he could pick up Saturn and bring her home. The surprised look on Ethan's face was the only reaction to a cat suddenly being brought to the home, which was a relief for the ex-agent. Some time was spent with the young boy playing video games, and soon it became time for Shaun to go to bed. The large number of Mario levels beaten or attempted seemed to make the young boy tired, as he went to bed without much protest.

"You're a natural with him," Ethan murmured, an arm resting across Norman's shoulders. The ex-agent glanced up at him and smiled a bit, relief present in that smile. He leaned into the arm around him, humming softly. "He's with me every other Monday," the architect added as an explanation before Norman could even ask for it, kissing the ex-agent's temple.

"I'm just glad that I haven't scared him off with how I act," Norman murmured, tilting his head back to peck a kiss on Ethan's lips. "I'm surprised you're willing to share a bed with me, let alone like me." The ex-agent meant it as a joke but it did truly amaze him that someone like Ethan Mars wanted to be his lover. The architect raised a brow, tilting his head.

"Maybe how you act is the reason I like you." Ethan murmured softly, his tone soft. The ex-agent felt his heart flutter, draping an arm around the architect. Relief flooded his body yet again, silent worries put to rest for a moment. He pressed a longer kiss on the architect's lips, his arms moving to around the other's waist. He felt hands tangle in his already messy hair, his own dipping to the other's hips.

Norman knew that he wasn't ready to go all the way, and knew Ethan wasn't either. His hands on the other man's hips was as far as the ex-agent would go for a while, despite the yearning thoughts clouding his mind when he heard heavy breathing from Ethan. Bumping foreheads and messy kisses followed, smiled and soft laughs slowly ringing out. Norman missed having moments like this, just enjoying the company of his boyfriend and acting like it was first love. Innocent desire, the kind that simply wanted to be as close as humanly possible and enjoy each other.

The only thing that kept the two from falling asleep right there was the fact that they could be seen. Both feeling half asleep managed to walk to the bedroom and change into pajamas. A large t-shirt of Ethan's was Norman's pajamas for the night, the ex-agent held close by the architect the second he layed down, becoming tangled in the blankets. The worry of those blankets becoming a tripping hazard didn't occur, since the ex-agent was comfortable in that position. Head on Ethan's chest, arms tight around him and arms tight around the other. Warm breath brushed on his forehead, like a million kisses goodnight.