(It's not a good idea to accidentally hit yourself in the head with a block of metal, then have that followed up by a headbutt from your dog in the same place. The headache is real.)
He was absolutely livid. There was no other excuse as to why his backside was throbbing so terribly besides Amia. That damned man. I'm going to kill him! Hollem thought as he tried to push himself up from where he lay on his bed.
His memory from the previous evening and early morning got more blurry as the time had passed, but he knew that he had not given Amia permission to have him.
The strong knock on his door had him pausing in his motions, then the sound of the handle being turned forced him to drag a blanket over his lower half. He only knew of one person who would walk into his room after simply knocking.
"Did I not warn you two? Hollem, you look like you are about to pass out... yet, you also appear to be extremely angry." Madam Maria said as she walked in, not hesitating to move over to the side of his bed and lean over, pressing a hand to his forehead as Hollem shifted onto his back and sighed, truly feeling terrible, though he didn't quite feel sick.
"Where is Amia?" He ground out through clenched teeth, trying to move his backside a little to find some sort of less painful position.
Madam Maria's eyes went wide, having clearly caught his minute movements with a sideways glance toward his lower half before returning her attention to his face.
"No wonder that boy was so eager to retrieve some things around town for me earlier. How on Earth did he manage to bed you? Even drugged, I would not imagine that you offered yourself to him..." She said, her tone carrying clear surprise.
Hollem wanted to scream, but knew it would get him nowhere. "To hell I would. I don't allow anyone to have me in such a way. My memory is blurry, but I would never allow him to do it." He growled.
Madam Maria shook her head and stepped back, gesturing in front of her. "Are you able to stand?" She asked, seeming honestly worried.
If they had only done it once, it likely wouldn't be too bad if he could deal with the pain for a short time, but as Hollem pushed himself into a sitting position, wincing the entire time he did so, he knew that Amia had gotten carried away.
Madam Maria watched him the entire time, her brows knitting together. "He seemed much more aware of his actions than you did." She stated, earning a nod from Hollem.
"I remember him mocking me because I drank the drug meant for him, while he knew not to intake the thicker part of the liquid or what was near the bottom of the glass." He said, then added. "But as time went on, he started acting affected, too, but my mind is so hazy with the details."
Frowning, madam Maria reached down and pulled the blanket away, revealing the blood stains Hollem had hoped wouldn't be there. "Drugged or not, he went too far. When he returns, I will send him up here immediately. You are to punish him how you see fit. I will also send a maid up with some medication, food, and to change the bedding. For the time being, keep from hurting yourself worse and rest."
He nodded, relaxing for a short time after madam Maria left before the maid appeared at his door. It took a great deal of effort just to gingerly slip to a pillow she placed on the floor for him, keeping the top blanket from his bed wrapped around his waist.
She was thankfully silent as she worked, removing his bed linens and replacing them all with fresh ones. Once she had finished, she dismissed herself to retrieve his meal, but he declined, stating that he wasn't hungry. So, she simply left him with a small amount of medication for pain, and a glass of water to wash it down with.
He remained on the floor after taking the medicine until a hesitant, quiet knock tapped against the door.
"Come in." Hollem replied as he raised his tired eyes to see who it was.
Amia slowly stepped inside, his gaze on the floor as he gently closed the door behind him. The silence that stretched between them after the lock clicked into place made Hollem's headache strain at his mind.
"Come here."
Wisely, Amia walked over, then dropped to his knees beside Hollem, head bowed. When he didn't respond for several minutes, Hollem licked his lips and sighed.
"Well?" He asked.
Amia shifted nervously and bowed his head further.
"I have no excuse, sir." He rasped.
Hollem watched him as he spoke. His hands were shaking and he refused to lift his head even the slightest amount. He wanted to punish him, and he likely deserved a good beating, however...
"What happened?" He asked, needing to know the full story. His mind left too many details of their later physical encounters blank.
Amia blew out a quiet breath and sat back on his heels, finally lifting his bloodshot eyes to Hollem. "I believe that I lost myself in the drug, but at a far later time than you. I jested about you being unwise drinking it, but even with my tolerance, it still clouded my mind in the end."
Hollem leaned against the bed and leveled him with a glare. "What do you remember?" He asked, his patience wearing thin as his backside began to ache worse.
Amia frowned, seemingly noticing his discomfort, because he quickly got to his feet and reached down. "I got you some good medicine that will help stop infection... I will tell you, but please lay down and use it to help?"
Why is he suddenly being so nice? Does he honestly feel bad, or did he do it on purpose and is just trying to spare himself being hurt in retaliation?
Either way, he couldn't stand sitting on the thin pillow much longer, so he reached up, taking Amia's proffered hands. It was a struggle to get back into his bed, but the fresh sheets and extra blankets the maid had added did stem some of the pain.
"Lie on your belly, I'll help." Amia said as he hurried into the small washroom, only to return with a few clothes and a small basin of water.
Hollem was hesitant to let the guy anywhere near him again, but he could barely stomach moving his lower half much. He definitely wouldn't be of much use doing what he knew needed to be done.
Reluctantly, he did as told. When he felt Amia's weight depress the bed beside him, he turned his head away. "What do you remember?" He asked again, right before he felt the moist cloth gently press against his backside.
"I... was trying to impress you, to get you to finally let me work." Amia replied quietly as he began wiping away the dried blood Hollem knew stained his skin.
"The evening was going well, I thought. The drugs made me eager, but I didn't think that I'd lose myself as time went on. I remember waking you up repeatedly, and us being quite physical... but I do not remember gaining permission, or performing what I clearly must have, on you." He said, his words growing softer as he finished speaking.
Hollem let his mind process Amia's words as the man cleaned his injury. He didn't like him touching him there at all, but he ground his teeth together and bared the pain it generated. He did not want to call one of the maids to do it.
"I deserve any punishment you wish to give me." Amia said when Hollem had remained quiet.
Hollem hadn't decided on what he wanted to do about the situation yet, so he stayed silent. Amia took the hint and began applying the medicine he'd bought. It felt incredibly cold and made Hollem squirm unintentionally, drawing a surprising and abrupt chuckle from Amia.
"You find this funny?" Hollem growled, glaring over his shoulder at the guy leaning over him.
Amia pursed his lips to keep from laughing and quickly shook his head.
"You wouldn't dare, right?" Hollem said sarcastically as he slowly rolled over, then sat up.
Amia shook his head again, but Hollem could see the smile in his eyes.
"Just help me to the bath." He sighed, eager to wash after having been so active the previous night.
"Alright. The medicine might wash off, but I brought plenty."
He was given help without a word of complaint from Amia and once settled in the cold bath, blessedly left alone. During that time, Hollem did his best to scrub himself without shifting too much. He removed the uncomfortable layer of sweat that had built up on his skin and was extra careful when he cleaned his sore backside, but didn't mess with the specific area the medicine was applied.
When he'd finished, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. I should have beaten him for doing such a thing... It didn't feel like very long after that thought that he was being shaken awake.
"You don't want to fall asleep here, Hollem."
Amia.
Blinking open his eyes, Hollem saw the young man's tired face beside him where he knelt near the tub.
"Do you need to wash?" He asked as he allowed Amia to help him get out.
The guy shook his head as he helped Hollem back to his bed. He'd arranged the pillows against the headboard, allowing him to relax back into them without having to lay down.
"Thank you." Hollem said as he tugged one of the blankets over his lap. He didn't feel great, but he did feel much better. The medicine had somewhat numbed his injury, so that was definitely helping his mood.
He expected Amia to head downstairs, and judging from the glances he sent toward the door, he wanted to, but something was holding him back.
"What's wrong? I'm not going to hit you. I... did something stupid and drank the drugs. You tried to drink around them, but clearly you got enough of the dose, too. We'll chalk this situation up to our stupidity, and not let it happen again." Hollem said, looking Amia directly in the eyes.
The look on the guy's face made him raise an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Amia?"
Amia licked his lips and fidgeted a little.
"Madam Maria said that while she is investigating what happened, I am not allowed to visit with my uncle and the maid who served us is not allowed to do anything besides laundry."
Hollem tilted his head slightly, not really understanding what he was trying to get at. The information was appreciated, but that didn't explain his hesitation to leave.
"And?" He asked, when Amia didn't speak again.
"Why did you drink the drug?"
Not the question I was expecting.
"So you wouldn't?" He answered without really thinking.
Amia frowned at his response. "But, you could have just taken the drink away or forbid me from drinking it."
Hollem furrowed his brow at Amia's words. That was true, but...
"That would have been insulting to the customer." He said, only for Amia to tilt his head.
"But you did it before. I've seen you decline drinks, even after lifting them to your lips."
Hollem had no reply for that. He had, in fact, declined several drinks in the past month. Most drugs people tried to slip into them had a sour scent right after being mixed, so they weren't hard to figure out. He'd also known that Amia's drinks were likely drugged, even without smelling them. Sighing, he leaned his head back against a pillow and shrugged, closing his eyes.
"I guess you want me to tell you that I'm just an idiot and didn't think of it right then?" He said calmly.
His eyes jerked open abruptly, however, when he felt soft lips brush against his own after he'd finished speaking.
Amia was already heading for the door when Hollem's mind managed to process what he'd just done. His mouth couldn't figure out how to work until after the door had been closed and he was left alone, though.
"The hell did he just do that for?"