*none of these characters are mine. All characters belong to Netease*
*cover art creds to @nonosi on Twitter*
Identity V one-shots based on Norton Campbell and Emma Woods
(this is my first fanfic so it's not top quality, but I hope you enjoy!)
Author's note: THANK YOU FOR THE VOTES AND SUPPORT! This is a shorter chapter than normal but it's very wholesome and fluffy for all you Nortemma shippers out there. Anyways enjoy your food :)
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Art by @nonosi on Twitter
After a long day of being chased by hunters, decoding cipher machines and dismantling rocket chairs, the well-known Gardener was exhausted and shut her bedroom door with a yawn. She was more than happy to slip on her green nightgown and slippers and plop down on her cushy bed. As she crawled under the soft covers and rested her head on her pillow, Emma closed her eyes and prepared to drift off and have sweet dreams...
Until she couldn't sleep.
Normally she didn't have a problem with falling asleep since kiting was so much work. Maybe it was William's snoring from the room next-door, but usually she could just ignore it. Or it could've been Tracy's late-night tinkering on her robot, but that didn't usually bother her either. With a deep sigh, Emma sat up and stretched her arms, thinking of something that would make her drowsy.
The Gardener stood up from bed and sat on her desk chair, opening up her toolbox. Maybe after polishing each and every one of her dismantling tools she would be tired.
Nope.
So she stood up again and walked up to Mr. Whiskers, who was sleeping peacefully on the edge of her bed. She poked his side and held a toy mouse by the tail in front of his face, wanting him to play and wear her out. The cat opened one eye and wasn't amused, rolling over with an annoyed meow to go back to sleep.
Emma huffed and tossed the toy aside, trying to think of something else. Polishing her tools didn't work, and Mr. Whiskers was just grumpy. What else would make her drowsy?
That's when she remembered what her father would give her as a little girl to make her sleepy. Warm milk. The Gardener smiled and crept out of her bedroom and down the hall, making sure to stay quiet and not wake up any other survivors.
She soon reached her target destination: the kitchen. Walking to the fridge, she opened the door and grabbed the milk jug and a pot from the neighboring cabinet. With her expert hands and the help of a stove, Emma now had a small pot of warm milk. The girl smiled and poured the liquid into a mug, sipping from it contently. This would definitely put her right to sleep.
As she began making her way towards the door she paused, blinking a few times in surprise at what she saw. Norton was slowly trudging towards her in his green pajamas, holding a small pillow in front of him. His eyes were closed; was he really sleepwalking?
The Gardener couldn't help but giggle at the sight of him, tilting her head. "Norton? This is the kitchen. You should be walking back to bed." she scolded playfully. The Prospector didn't respond, instead continuing to slowly approach her.
Emma sighed, thinking this must've been a weird prank of his and set her mug down, forgetting about it completely. "I know you're awake. You should be sleeping, mister." she said with a yawn, earning a tired grumble from him in response. Suddenly feeling very tired, she assumed the warm milk was kicking in and decided to head to bed.
"We can play pranks on each other in the morning." She said softly, walking past him and into the hallway. Norton wasn't normally playful like this in the open. Usually they would have fun in the garden or their own rooms since he was quite introverted around the other survivors. He used to be introverted around her as well, until she used her charms to bring a little sunshine into his life. Ever since then they were best friends.
That's why it took her by surprise when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her backwards into his chest. The Gardener gasped in surprise, her cheeks blushing faintly as the Prospector grumbled tiredly above her.
"N-Norton! What are you doing?" she whisper-yelled, not wanting to make a loud scene in the middle of the hallway. She tried to gently pry his arms off her middle, but he simply tightened his grip and stood up straight, lifting her off the ground in response. Her eyes widened as her feet dangled in the air, her back pressed against his warm body as he slept-walked back to his room with her in front of him.
"Wake up...please?" she whispered, nudging his arms. He grumbled tiredly again, his chest rumbling against her. He reminded her of a big bear, making her quietly snicker. Her slippers fell off her feet outside his bedroom door when he went inside, clumsily shutting the door behind him.
"Norton? If this is a joke it's not- EEK!" she squeaked in surprise when he plopped down on his bed with her in his arms, pinning her back against him. Not being able to escape his grip, Emma listened as he eventually began to softly snore, her body being spooned by his.
Was this intentional? Did he pretend to sleepwalk so he could take her to bed? Was this his plan all along?
But...his body was so warm and he smelled like evergreen trees. His hands were firm around her waist, giving her a sense of security and safety. She found herself enjoying this. Enjoying him.
So with a tired yawn, she decided to savor this moment with him and closed her eyes, drifting off faster than warm milk could ever make her do. Emma had sweet dreams of her and Norton that night, sleeping peacefully until morning.
