he has been hiding, no, not hiding, that word is filled to the brim with fear, with a little too much caution. it is an oily thing, a lie that echoes in his head. he has been avoidant. not for his own safety, not for otto’s, far too selfish for that, and he is not so arrogant as to claim as much, no matter how pretty such lies are. he has been avoidant because there is a little too much intimacy that comes with octavius’ knowing. he keeps back turned, eyes sternly averted, lest the shine of green in iris show, lest the thing beneath his skin show it’s face beneath his own. the danger of shared secrets could be so easily remedied if only norman had the guts to do it.
( oh, be kind . let him pretend his cowardice is the same as shame. )
norman shifts, discomfort written in body language, this feeling is foreign to the man who had so fit so comfortably in his own skin for so long: not anymore. he lost such privilege when he was bestowed with something else. to share body and mind with a consciousness that is not your own, it robs you of quite a few things. “ i don’t know if i can. ” admittance of cowardice, of weakness. it feels wrong on his tongue, the words pulling from his throat, crawling with too much honesty, with too much fear for him to feel as though they are his own.
⟢ @0ckts ︱ prompted one billon years ago !