Reverse (mxm)

Pretend

Come morning, Abel awoke and made his way silently downstairs, finding a spot in front of the dull fire after receiving a small mug of warm milk from a young server. It wasn't very cold outside when he had checked before sitting, but the milk still soothed his worried nerves. Nothing, however, could quell the terrible ache in his backside. Images of Kirin's physical attentions swarmed his mind again, as they had been all morning and eve. His heart fluttered into a paced canter, slowly working its way up to a trot. It probably would have grown into a full-blown gallop if fear hadn't slammed into his chest, halting his excitement in an instant.

No wonder Father told me not to make those feelings surface.

"Hey there, hun."

Abel flinched, biting the lip of the mug he held to keep from letting a sound slip out. When he had control of himself again, he looked up, noticing the man who had taken him upstairs the night before.

Hollem.

"Hello," Abel replied with an awkward nod as a blush covered his cheeks. Instead of poking fun at his obvious coloring, Hollem calmly slid into the large wing chair beside him with a small smile on his face.

"How was your night?" he finally asked, making Abel shift uneasily.

"Painful."

He hadn't meant to say that. Heck, he hadn't meant to say anything. The words just slipped out. Abel hunched in his chair, hoping that the man would ignore him. Of course, he was quite low on luck from his current status as prisoner, thief, and murderer, so he wasn't surprised in the least when Hollem spoke. A slight chuckle sounded in his words but died quite quickly when he noticed that Abel had been being honest.

"I am sorry, hun. You did not know that your companion... I mean, you two were not physically involved prior to coming here?" Hollem asked.

Shaking his head, Abel forced himself to take another sip of his warm milk. The liquid was not settling well in his stomach. He had made a mistake and would try not to dwell on it. Though it was hard not to when Hollem refused to drop the subject, even when it was clear that he did not want to talk about it.

"I checked on your friend before coming down here. He will be up soon. Are you going to tell him what has happened? I do not doubt that he will remember eventually, but perhaps you will have a day or so to put together what you wish to say..."

What I wish to say?

Furrowing his brows, Abel set his mug aside on the tiny table between them and frowned. "What do you mean?"

The man's smile returned as he stood. "It is clear that you are unfamiliar with the idea of relationships. Please, do not allow him to figure it out on his own. Tell him what has happened as soon as you are able."

Before Abel could question him further, Hollem leaned over and pressed a small kiss to his forehead before sauntering off with a swagger that emphasized his hips. When Hollem disappeared around a corner, a sound over by the stairs drew Abel's gaze to Kirin, who was now standing at the bottom of them, one hand pressed against his forehead. It was clear in his eyes that he was hungover from the large drink he'd had the night prior, but when their eyes met, the pain in the man's head seemed to be pushed to the back of his mind. His face lit up, an excited grin on his lips as he walked over. Instead of sitting, he dropped several coins onto the counter to pay for their night then stopped behind Abel, forcing the younger man to turn in his seat.

"How was your night, Abel? Did you enjoy yourself as much as I feel I did?" Kirin asked.

Ah, so he cannot remember. Yet.