Virgin Heart Ch.1-Pt.2

            Rory felt one foot move, and then the other. Soon he was in step behind Atros, mounting the stairs behind that stranger. He was astounded that his own movement was so fluid; his mind was working in sharp jerks.

            Oh fuck – but this is good, right? – But what if he tries and – but I'll be alright, he's not allowed to – but that might not hold him back – oh, fuck, fuck, why do I have to be so scared? – I'll just go with it, just get it over with –  oh god, what if he's some sort of – calm down, it'll be alright, won't it? Rory felt his knees start to shake as he slowly mounted the stairs; they had never seemed to stretch on as far as they did then. Each step seemed a little higher than the first, a little harder to reach. He paused and looked up at the man striding ahead. He seemed to be walking normally, but Rory could see he was taking two steps at a time. Rory felt himself blushing – why did he have to be so tall?

            The boy lagged behind as Atros lead the stranger to the room on the farthest end of the hall. As they passed the door to Axis's room, Rory heard a soft laugh that he knew didn't belong to Axis. He glanced back at the slowly closing door, Axis wasn't afraid. Rory had never admired the rough-mannered prostitute, but just then he envied him horribly. The blue-haired patron glanced out past the door. Rhys gave the boy a knowing smile through the swiftly shrinking gap. Rory's fingers knitted together against his chest in a meek gesture as he jerked his head away from Rhys and his low laugh. The boy picked up his pace, dreading what meaning could have been hidden behind that smile.

            Atros was standing just outside the doorway of Rory's room with his arms crossed in his usual reserved manner. The boy came up beside him, but didn't step through into his own bedroom. The master of the Teahouse looked down at him. He didn't make a move, he didn't even turn his head, but Rory could tell from the way his frown tightened that he wasn't going to except this kind of behavior. The redhead ran his hands briefly through his hair and went into the small living-space. Atros followed behind. The tall stranger was looking over the room, his features still as motionless as before. The boy clutched his arm tightly; he wished he could make himself blend into the plain walls. He realized that this man was completely out of place here. The room was small, modest, and neat, much as Rory himself was. It was also completely unglamorous in any way and horribly plain. Rory's fingers dug into the sleeve of his coat. There was no way that this man wasn't noticing this as well. His arms slowly crossed and Rory noticed the slightest alteration in his face. The corner of his lips had curved downwards. Atros was no less observant.

             "Is there a problem?" He asked. Rory bowed his head and blushed; it wasn't just the room that was a problem, he was a problem. He felt so inferior next to this man seeing how little he thought of the homely living space. What would this man expect of him? For him to be exceptionally seductive? For him to know some fancy tricks? Rory didn't even feel that he was remarkably attractive. What could he expect? But Rory was the virgin, the only thing this man should expect was that he was untouched, and therefore inexperience, but . . . Rory felt his throat tighten. There was such a regal air about him, an aura of superiority. How could he be anything to this man, he would seem such a clumsy neophyte. What if he couldn't satisfy this man? What if he couldn't satisfy Atros . . .

             "I know you're aware of the company I keep." The man said softly, picking up the photo from Rory's dresser. "So why are you embarrassing yourself by implying that you'd leave us to such –" His eyebrow arched, "substandard settings?" The virgin could hear the slight bite in his voice. It was so subtle, so delicate a change but it made Rory's skin crawl. The only other person who could scare Rory that much with so little was Linneus. If that change in this man's voice was anything like that of the delicate prostitute, then this simple statement was a lethal threat.