Identity V Imagines

Norton Campbell

You wondered if there was ever a time where he smiled, if there was still happiness somewhere in his heart. You knew that everyone in this manor had stories they want to hide, stories that they never wanted to go back to.

You wondered what his was.

You found yourself glancing at his direction most of the time, his usual cold exterior present. He had only come to the manor a few days ago and you could already see how distant he is from the others. You saw how often he glares, how often he brushes people off, and how often he busts out. You had approached him once but you saw how he easily ignored you, preferring to be in the comfort of his own. That didn't mean you gave up though, you didn't know how to give up. He was just so sad and gloomy and as someone who has worked in the Hullabaloo Circus, you wanted to give him happiness. So here you were, by his side with a bottle of water and an apple in your hands.

"Yoo-hoo!" You waved your hand in front of his face, a grin plastered on your lips. "Here's a little something from me to you! I realized you didn't come down for dinner so I figured I'd bring you something."

His eyes went from the food to you, brushing you off as he continued reading his book. "Find someone else to bother."

You let out a fake cry, a hand on your chest as your face contorted into hurt. "You wound me, Norton. I'm only looking out for you."

"Well, I don't need your help!" He burst out, throwing the water bottle away, eyes cold as he glared at you. "You're annoying."

"I'm... huh?" You knew of his temper, the other survivors warned you of this but to experience it first hand, it truly was something else. You let out a nervous laugh as he continued to glare at you, soon standing up and leaving you. Before he left the room, however, he let out one last remark. "Never talk to me again, freak."

Your grin faltered, feeling a bit hurt from the statement. You knew that people tend to say things they didn't mean when they were angry so you thought little of it. "He didn't mean it." You whispered out, hugging yourself to stop the emotions you were feeling. Your smile soon turned shaky as you stared at the space where he used to be. "He didn't mean it."

'Who were you trying to fool?'

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It was time for the matches and you were one of the survivors chosen to participate. You glanced at the newcomer, worried about how he'll do. This was his first time participating in a match and you know just how scary it is. You couldn't forget how terrified you were when you got picked for the matches. So, you hoped that he'd be calmer than you were, knowing that panicking wouldn't get you anywhere.

You took the seat furthest from him, settling beside Tracy. You were glad that she was in this match, seeing that it will be easy to open exit gates at the same time. You looked at her with a grin on your face. "Man, with you here, I think we'll do fine!"

"No no, I'm more at ease with you here (Y/n)." She chirped, a smile present on her lips as she tried to encourage herself. You laughed as you pat her back, slightly reassuring her that she'd be fine. "I have your back, don't worry."

You glanced in his direction, his eyes holding a distant look. It seems that he was trying his best to focus and there was no sense of nervousness from his eyes. You mentally praised him, admiring his braveness and calm demeanor. So you relaxed, already prepared to do whatever it takes to make sure no one in here gets hurt.

No one but you, that is.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You saw how he got hit, how he contained the hunter enough for all of you to decode peacefully but you couldn't find it in yourself to decode after he got hit. So you ran towards his direction, ready to contain the hunter in his stead. You soon heard your heart beat louder, signaling that you were nearing them. You ran faster, hoping that you'd get there before he'd be chaired.

When you saw him, you saw how he panicked as he threw his magnet, missing the hunter entirely. It allowed Smiley to ready his rocket in motion to swing at him, a manic grin present on his ever-smiling face. You cursed under your breath as you ran to defend him, making sure to arrive on time. You let out a small scream as you felt the familiar pain of the rocket before composing yourself to get his magnet.

Once you did, you saw that Smiley was preparing to dash and this made you run faster towards him. You felt your legs burning from all that running but you pushed yourself to the limit, soon nearing him. You waited for the magnets to work, eyes glancing at Smiley from time to time. You saw how he looked at you with fear in his eyes but you could only give him a wistful smile. "Run, Norton." You whispered out, watching as he slowly repelled from you.

You felt yourself getting hit by the wall, stunned for a few minutes by the sudden impact. Once you came to, you heard the loud beating of your heart, signaling that the hunter was near you. You cursed before looking for an escape route, finding a pallet near you and making a run for it. You heard Smiley's dash grow nearer, your heart beating louder than it ever did.'Run faster!' You mentally reminded yourself as you looked behind, Smiley growing nearer by the second.

Once you were safely behind the pallet, you pushed it down, allowing the hunter to hit it instead of you. "I'm going to get you, pesky survivor!" You heard him yell out, an eerie cackle following. You paid him no mind, running to the next kiting spot with no time wasted.

You soon heard the familiar alarm, a sense of relief flowing through your veins. However, this didn't mean that you were going to slack off. You felt healed as if you sustained no damage earlier but you knew that one hit from Smiley was enough to make you tumble.

So you ran, ran towards the direction of the exit gate, already knowing that both of them were open due to Tracy's robot. You heard Smiley activate his dash once more, making your heart beat louder. You didn't bother to look back, already knowing that looking back would only make you more nervous.

You saw the large structure of the gate, adrenaline pumping through your veins. You could also feel that Smiley was nearing your form and you hit your legs to try to run faster. 'Only a few feet left...!' You mentally thought but you felt that Smiley was nearer. You mentally braced yourself for the hit as you grit your teeth.

"I got you now!" You looked at him as he cackled, a manic grin spreading across his features.

However, the familiar dropping of the magnet was enough to reassure you that you were going to be fine. You looked at him as he changed his magnet, soon feeling a tug towards his direction. "Run." He muttered, eyes staring directly into yours before diverting his attention towards Smiley. He took aim once more and threw it directly at him, soon creating distance between the three of you. You held his hand as the two of you ran towards the exit, completely out of breath.

You let out a sigh of relief once Smiley couldn't reach you, removing your hands from his and placing them on your knees as you tried to catch your breath. You could feel his stare on you as you turned around, his eyes asking all of the questions. You gestured for him to ask away, still unable to form any words due to the lack of breath. "Why did you save me?" He stared into your eyes, questioning each and every part of you. "All I ever did to you was be rude."

You could only give him a smile, hands reaching for his cheek to wipe the mud found on them. "Cause you're a friend."

He looked at you, disbelief written on his expression. You chuckled before raising your hands up in an attempt at a high five. "You did well today!" He stared at your hands before looking at you, wondering what you were doing. "Copy me!"

He did as he was told, albeit hesitantly, and you slapped your hands together, jumping a bit to reach his hands. You grinned and gave him a thumbs-up, "Let's keep up the good work!" You turned around, hands on the back of your hand as you whistled. You glanced behind you, allowing you to see the barely noticeable smile on his lips. Your heart warmed at the sight of it, mentally cheering at the small achievement.

On the other hand, Norton could only stare at his hands, a small smile tugging on his lips. He knew that it wasn't going to be easy but for the first time in his life, he didn't feel alone.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───