Exposure

Chapter 6

Aesop's POV

Matches and days seemed to fly past after that night. Aesop would sneak into Joseph's room every afternoon and he'd stay until the sun went down. They had decided that it was safer for Aesop to come to Joseph as there was less chance of a hunter coming out of their room than a survivor. However, Joseph insisted that they visit Aesop's room every once in a while as Aesop had persuaded him into seeing his room as cozy and comforting like instead of cramped.

The pair never really saw each other in the day because they made an effort to actively avoid crossing over schedules. Neither of them wanted to carry on the 'game' with each other so they would tell each other which matches they were going in the night before. Then Aesop wouldn't be injured by Joseph at least. Sometimes Aesop would limp or drag himself up to Joseph's room with his injuries. Joseph would always be very careful with him on nights like those and constantly changed bandages or whatever Aesop needed him to do.

However, they didn't lose all contact in the day. They wrote letters to each other, hiding them in certain places on every map. Joseph said there was a beauty to letters that he missed greatly one night and that he missed writing them so Aesop came up with the idea of writing each other. They would collect the letters at the start of the game and stuff them in their pockets to read later. It was especially comforting for Aesop when he had injuries so bad that he just couldn't make it up to Joseph that he could still sort of speak to him. Aesop could quickly tell that the name carved into Joseph's bedroom door really was a hurried scrawl now he saw how he wrote in letters. He took the chance whenever he could to joke that Joseph had ruined the whole door with the carving. Of course, Aesop was only joking with this but one evening he found Joseph outside his room with carving tools attempting to make it neater (Aesop found that even more hilarious).
Both of them hid away the letters where no one would ever look. Aesop's were under a loose floorboard under his small desk and Joseph's were in between the glass and the backboard of his mirror, both were a pain to get into but they decided it was worth it.

On the odd occasion that they did happen to be in a match together whether it be from miscommunication or just an honest mistake, the two still avoided each other at all costs. Joseph always let Aesop 'slip away on pure luck'. All the hunters believed that anyway with the way Joker still ranted about the embalmer.

Aesop was extremely cautious when he went to see Joseph, even going to the lengths to lock his bedroom door when he wasn't there so people would assume he just wanted some alone time. However, Eli had become suspicious of Aesop. He found his wanting to be alone every night excessive and expressed how worried he was for his best friend. And so, Aesop had to stay in the survivor manor for a few weeks. He apologised to Joseph in his letters, saying that they'd probably have to take intervals in seeing each other rather than every night like they had been doing.

On the first night after not seeing each other after those weeks was surprisingly quiet. Aesop was straight away in Joseph's arms hugging him tight, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding into his shoulder. Joseph had always been a physical friend, touching his hands or resting his chin on his shoulder so Aesop had gotten used to it. In fact, he liked it from Joseph.
"Aesop..."
Joseph said softly, stroking his hair tenderly. Aesop nodded already knowing what he was thinking,
"I know, I'm sorry I left you. I missed you too." He said, gripping onto Joseph cape like tailcoat as if his life depended on it. Aesop was quite certain that this feeling that kept rising in his chest wasn't just happiness to see a friend anymore but he kept his mouth shut about it,
"Talk to me more."
Aesop suddenly announced much like on their first proper interaction, sitting down on the edge of Joseph's bed and patting the space next to him.

A few hours later the pair were laying on the bed together. Aesop had his head on Joseph's chest and Joseph lazily playing with Aesop's hair. Aesop had let his hair hang loose so Joseph could play with it, he said that his hair felt like strands of silk which Aesop found hard to believe. He didn't know what to do with his hair at all. Too uncomfortable to grow out, too pointless to cut short and so Aesop's hair was often stuck back in a tiny ponytail. Although it's actual length hung somewhere between his chin and his shoulders.

Joseph was reading to Aesop, by now he'd confessed that he liked Joseph's voice a lot and he found it soothing. So, Joseph's readings had become a regular activity for them. Aesop shuffled on his chest and looked up at Joseph, looking over his features once again. Aesop was pretty sure he did this more often than he actually listened to the storyline. Joseph looked down at him and chuckled softly,
"Aesop, are you listening? Do you even know the name of the main character?"
He asked teasingly.
Aesop grinned behind his mask and shook his head sheepishly. Joseph chuckled,
"What's so interesting about my face, hm? How's it any different from yours? Or are you hiding fangs under that mask, I've heard rumours of a vampire in the manor. Don't tell me it's you!"
He teased, dramatically using two fingers and jabbing them in his neck to mime a vampire's bite.

Aesop laughed and fiddled with the corner of his mask, his expression turning to a bleaker one,
"It's not fangs."
He mumbled. Joseph slipped his hand into his hair and fiddled with the mask's strap behind his ear,
"May I take it off?"
He asked softly. He could see the fear and anxiety in his eyes and, as bad as it was, that made Joseph curious. Aesop considered it for a moment before deciding he trusted Joseph not to think of him any differently if he took the mask off so nodded.

Joseph slipped the mask off and let it hang off his other ear. Underneath the mask were two scars on either side of the corners his mouth. Aesop felt naked and exposed, he couldn't make eye contact with Joseph who started to say something but Aesop immediately cut him off,
"T-They were put in by the Host when I first got here. They were stitches but Emily, the doctor, took them out for me... I'm just not comfortable with the scars just yet."
Joseph seemed to recoil at the mention of the Host but apart from that he didn't seem to find his scars a big deal at all. Joseph gently ran over the scars with his thumb and Aesop instinctively flinched but soon flushed from skin contact in a place that was never touched,
"I know they're ugly-"
Aesop started but Joseph pressed a finger to his lips and shook his head,
"You don't have to be embarrassed because of this. You may not like them but they're nothing to be ashamed of. No one will judge you for it, especially since they were forced into you by a common enemy."
Joseph smiled. Aesop was still freaking out about one, showing his whole face to Joseph and two, he was still touching his lips. Aesop noticed that Joseph's eyes were flicking to his lips and turned it soon turned into him leaning in. Aesop knew that he was doing, and it wanted to accept it so bad.

But his hand went between their mouths before they could touch.

Joseph leaned back in confusion.
"Aesop, I'm sorry. I-I thought you-"
Aesop shook his head and stood up,
"We can't, it's wrong. What will the others say? How are we supposed to do anything like that in this place?" He rambled stepping away from Joseph towards the door "It's bad enough that we're friends."
He quavered then turned to rush out the door and tumbled down the hallway.

Aesop could hear Joseph calling for him to wait, he's being to reckless, he'll attract attention! Aesop thought frantically and ran faster without looking back.