The next few days were thankfully simple when it came to dealing with Amia. The guy had mellowed out a bit after receiving his treats, and he couldn't do much sneaking about with his ankle being hurt. 

On the fourth day, Amia finally dared to ask if he could start working in the greeting rooms again. His ankle wasn't quite done healing, but he could walk well enough if he was careful. 

To his surprise, Hollem couldn't find a decent reason to refuse. "You can start working again, but you need to stay sitting most of the time." 

Amia was on his feet in seconds, but he barely managed to stay upright as he tried to get himself dressed for the day. 

"Amia." Hollem said with a raised eyebrow. 

When the guy looked over at him, Hollem stepped forward and gently grasped his waist, steadying him. "Get dressed." He told Amia when he just stared at him funny. 

After an awkward minute of silence Amia quickly tugged on a shirt, then removed his loose trousers and undergarments. Hollem didn't bother averting his eyes since Amia's shirt was just long enough to cover anything, even though it was bunched up a bit around where he still gripped his bare waist. 

He could feel Amia's muscles fidget beneath his fingertips and couldn't help squeezing once or twice, but it was just for fun. 

When he was finished dressing, Amia nudged him away, forcing Hollem to bite back his grin as he saw the faint blush coloring Amia's cheeks. So the guy likes being held. Of course, he had no idea as to the details, but it was nice to get at least a little bit of information from him that he hadn't willingly tried to shove at him.

"Uh, thanks. I can get to the greeting rooms by myself." Amia mumbled as he limped past him. 

Hollem followed the guy with his eyes until he was out the door, then got himself ready for his busy evening. He spent two hours with a redhead that thought his mind was strictly in his pants whenever she smiled at him. Mainly because that was exactly the way he knew she wanted him to act. 

The woman was all spit and little fire once he actually got to work on her, though. She lasted perhaps three minutes each time, and he could have sworn up and down that she was faking it considering how loud she was screaming. 

She loved to show him off when she had paid for his time and body. It was annoying, but the worst part about her was the fact that her husband came in on a different night to get his rocks off with at least two of their girls. 

When he had finished with the wife, he excused himself and went  up to his room to wipe his body off. She'd also put more than a few lipstick stains on his nice shirt, so once he'd changed into a clean one, he ran it down to get washed right away. 

Once that was done, he headed for the greeting rooms to check on Amia. He was just about to step inside when the same older man from last time walked out with Amia holding onto his arm to help. 

Hollem fought himself to keep from reaching forward and breaking the contact immediately. Amia knew that he wasn't allowed to leave the rooms with anyone, and his old friend? 

"Where are you going?" He asked, trying to keep his voice from sounding too clipped. 

Amia licked his lips nervously and pointed down the hall. "I need to relieve myself." 

Clenching his teeth, Hollem sighed out a breath through his nose and slowly shook his head before putting on a fake smile for the man. "I'll help you. Thank you for escorting him so far, sir." He said before stepping forward and carefully lifting Amia into his arms. 

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? 

Granted, he hadn't exactly asked about the details of their relationship, and had honestly not wanted to know, but now it worried him. Amia was under his care until madam Maria allowed him complete freedom to work. He didn't want anything to happen to him. 

"I will sit with him tomorrow." Hollem said reassuringly. 

When madam Maria nodded, he bowed his head slightly and excused himself. She knew he had another client, but the woman was partial to another worker, too, so it wouldn't be a problem. 

Once upstairs, he got Amia situated on the bed. He wasn't quite asleep anymore, but he definitely wasn't awake enough to be walking around. 

He slowly rolled around on the bed, his movements sluggish from whatever he'd been slipped. When he flopped onto his back and belched, Hollem rolled his eyes. 

"Very cute. I'm sure you pick up all the gentlemen with that." He joked as he heard a light knock on the door. 

A young maid stepped inside a moment later, a small tray of food in her hands. Hollem hurried over to take it, giving his thanks before dismissing her and closing the door. He was about to turn and set the tray down on the nightstand across the room when he decided to flick the lock in place, first. 

At least that will give us some peace for a bit unless Maria needs me... or until Amia is fully awake again. 

When he turned around to go set the food down, he was greeted with a sleepy leer. 

"What?" He asked, a bit hesitant to get anywhere near the bed with the guy staring at him like he was a piece of meat. 

They held each other's attention for a solid minute before Amia groaned and fell back against the pillows. 

"I'm so fucking horny." He grumbled, drawing a slight grin from Hollem's lips as he finally walked over and set the tray down. 

"It's probably what your friend drugged you with. It should wear off in a bit." He said as he grabbed a slice of apple from the tray. The green ones tended to be a bit sour, grown at an orchard not too far from them by the odd new magistrate, but he didn't mind the tart flavor. It was actually pretty interesting. 

"He wouldn't do that... Can you touch me inna... in... inappropriately?" He struggled.

Hollem raised an eyebrow at the guy splayed over his blankets. "You have two hands. Try dating one of them." He said as he finished off his apple slice, then grabbed another. 

Amia moaned and rolled around for a moment before yawning and shaking his head on the pillow. 

"You know it feels better when someone else does it." He slurred slightly. 

Finishing his second piece of apple, Hollem took his time chewing, then swallowed before bothering to reply. "Does it? I haven't noticed." 

For some reason, that statement had Amia pushing himself up, seemingly a bit more awake all of a sudden. 

"You don't feel better when someone else touches you?" He asked as he awkwardly reached over toward the tray of food, but missed picking up an apple slice twice before Hollem huffed and handed him one. 

"No. I'd rather take care of myself than have someone else do it." He stated simply while grabbing another piece. 

Amia didn't look like he understood, but it was probably just the drug still messing with his head. 

At least he looks like he's getting better by the minute. 

"You liked it when I touched you before." Amia said after an awkward silence. 

Hollem paused mid-bite and scowled. "You mean when you forced yourself on me?" He stated. "That was just my body reacting. I'm a whore, what else would you expect as a response from someone touching my crotch?" 

He expected Amia to laugh, or make a joke at least, but when the guy just stared at him with a sad expression, Hollem fidgeted. 

"What?" He asked. 

When Amia just continued to look at him, Hollem turned and stalked off toward the washroom to relieve himself. He returned a few minutes later to find Amia snoring quietly, curled up against he wall. 

I thought he had to relieve himself, too.

Shaking his head, Hollem dropped down onto the edge of the bed and finished off the remaining apple slices and piece of bread left on the tray. He was just about to turn and get under the blankets when he felt two arms gently wrap around his waist. 

"Amia?" He asked, a hint of a warning in his tone as the guy's right hand inched down a bit toward his undergarments. He had thought that he was asleep so he hadn't bothered to wear anything else. 

Amia's hand paused in its journey, its fingers curling against his bare torso. "I can make you feel better than those other people..." He mumbled against Hollem's bare back, drawing a sigh from him as he reached down, grasping Amia's hands with the intention of removing them... but he never quite finished the gesture. 

"What makes you say that? I don't know you and you don't know me. So why would you even want to touch me that way?" He asked, honestly curious. 

Amia sounded decently aware, so the drug must be dwindling in his system, yet he was still trying to get some, or at least give it. He didn't understand. 

"You... look like you need to be loved." He finally whispered, making Hollem's back immediately go ram-rod straight. 

The hell is he talking about? Since when is fondling someone until they cum considering 'being loved'? 

"I've had enough love, thanks." He growled as he undid Amia's arms from around him and dropped down onto his side, intent on ignoring the guy and going to sleep. 

"Hollem." 

When he didn't reply, he felt Amia nudge his back. 

"Hollem." He said again, dragging out his name. 

After another few minutes without a response, Amia sighed and began climbing over him, nearly making Hollem throw him right off the bed. In fact, the drug seemed to still be playing with Amia a bit, because he struggled as he was trying to carefully land on the sliver of bed in front of Hollem, only to miss and slip off. 

This guy...

Reaching out abruptly, Hollem managed to snag Amia around the waist a second before he smacked into the hard wood. With a few grunts of effort, he pulled him back up. 

When he realized that he was completely out cold, and even snoring, Hollem scowled. 

"You are such a pain in the arse, without ever even being in my arse." He grumbled as he yanked him against his chest, wrapping his arms around him so that he didn't slip off the bed again. 

He intended to go to sleep right then, but Amia felt a bit warmer than normal... and his breathing was also a little odd. 

Damn this guy. 

Sighing, Hollem scooted back a bit, pulling Amia further onto the bed before getting comfortable. He'd stay awake, but just for a bit. And only to make sure that Amia was fine so that madam Maria wouldn't need to be bothered.