Recall mxm

Seeing Through

The guy had clearly not expected him to pick him up and squirmed for a moment before awkwardly wrapping his arms around his neck and settling down. Hollem felt his face press into his neck, but didn't think much of it as he nodded to the man. 

"Thank you, again." He said before turning to head down the hall to the washroom. 

Ducking inside of the small room, he carefully held Amia with one hand while closing and locking the door with the other, then set him down. Or, really, tried to. 

Why won't he let go? 

"Amia?" Hollem questioned as he tried to see the guy's face, but he refused to lift it from the crook of his neck. 

Confused, Hollem considered just taking Amia upstairs to talk, but it would have been awkward for both of them if they were seen walking around with him in his arms again, and he doubted that Amia wanted to walk right then. 

Relaxing the stress in his shoulders, Hollem leaned against the wall, then slid down it until his backside was resting on the floor. Amia fit decently well into his lap, though he made sure to be careful of his ankle as he moved. 

When he still got not a sound of him, Hollem leaned his head back and began to run a gentle hand up and down Amia's back. They remained that way until Hollem realized that Amia's breathing had evened out. 

He's... asleep? 

Glancing sideways, he reached up with one hand and softly moved Amia's head away from his neck just enough to see his closed eyes. Stifling a groan, Hollem thumped his head back against the wooden wall and sighed. 

He was so excited to work. What is up with this guy? 

Knowing that they couldn't stay there all evening, Hollem carefully got himself up, hoisting Amia with a bit more effort than before since he was now dead weight. 

When he stepped out of the washroom, Hollem glanced to either side of the hall before hurrying toward the stairs. He could feel several pairs of eyes catch them from the greeting rooms, but he didn't consider slowing. 

He did, however, stop at the bottom of the stairs as madam Maria appeared, giving him an odd look. "Hello, ma'am." Hollem said as he adjusted Amia's weight in his arms. 

"He said that he was going to the washroom, and he was walking with someone he told me he knew from before he came here. When I picked him up so that he wasn't walking on his bad foot, he fell asleep almost immediately." Hollem explained, still a little confused as to why Amia had passed out so quickly. He'd gotten a decent amount of sleep the past few days. 

Madam Maria leaned close to Amia's head and tilted it with one hand so that she could see his face. 

"He was drugged. Someone wanted him out cold." She said, rolling her eyes at him. "You two really know how to get into trouble." 

She looked around for a moment, making sure that they were alone, he assumed. "Did you see who did it? This is getting a bit ridiculous. I already reprimanded Lauriette for dosing you. Which customer tried to get at my new boy?" She asked, clearly upset. 

He unconsciously hugged Amia a little closer to his chest as he shrugged. "I really don't know. One of his old friends was leading him out of the room to help him to the washroom when I found him. I didn't look into the room..." 

Madam Maria smacked his shoulder firmly. "It was his friend that did it, then." She said, as if that should have been obvious to him. 

Would he really do that to someone he's known for so long, though? And if they are old friends, then doesn't that mean that the man was a client of his, too?