COMPLETED | Take Me Down The Rabbit Hole (BDSM | 18+)

LXXI

"Well?" Noah asked, following Aspen into the room.
"This is a lot," Aspen responded. "I haven't even gotten used to the idea of doing this professionally and now here I am in a room that is stuffed to the brim with things I asked for. Thea didn't say no to a single one."
Noah laughed. "They're just happy you're sticking around. For people in the professional space it's the norm to have clear cuts between seeing a client and not seeing a client. But you were never a client in the first place."
Aspen took another step into the room and spins in a slow circle.
Finally, after a long moment of silence, he said, "I love it. Thank you."
"My pleasure, Sir," Noah returned, smiling at him.
Their hair wass minty blue these days, still cut in the same mullet style that they've had since Aspen had gotten to know them, and they were holding a clipboard, looking very officially-proficient personal-assistant-like.
"You don't have to call me Sir," he said softly.
"I do," Noah returned, matching his tone. "It's protocol for employees. But if you prefer Master Aspen—" they trailed off and pointed at the little brass sign on the door.
"No," Aspen said immediately. "If it's ever just the two of us, Aspen is just fine. You're not going to get in trouble with the Silvas because of it, I promise."
"I like you," Noah added, unbridled. "I think having you around is going to be fun."
"Yeah? How so?"
Noah threw a nervous glance at the door, and in two steps, they were by it and closed it — gently.
Then, they leaned against it, flipping their clipboard around so the papers clipped to it faced Aspen and then said, "You don't have a stick up the ass yet."
Aspen chuckled. "I see."
Noah pursed their lips. "It might come," they tacked on, humor lacing their voice. "Leo's always had it, even though I know him well enough to not be bothered by it, but I think the point I'm trying to make is that this is a hard business to be in and at some point that starts showing in how professionals act when they're not with their clients."
"Thea isn't like that," Aspen noted, and Noah's eyes sparkled with something that could only be admiration for a moment as they shook their head. "No," they agreed. "Thea's always been special like that. — Do you mind if I test-sit those brand new armchairs over there?"
"No."
Aspen found himself almost automatically making a sweeping inviting gesture towards the aforementioned furniture, and it felt as if he had been in this room forever and knew it like the back of his hand.
Noah skipped toward them and plopped down in one, resting their clipboard on their knees.
"You might be special like that too," they said. "And I think I can already tell, which is why I like you."
"That is a compliment if I've ever been given one."
Aspen sits too, and he immediately sinks into the plush velvet fabric. "Oh," he noted, running his fingers along the armrest. "These are nice."
Noah blinked. "Leo bought those for you," they explained, after consulting their clipboard, "as a welcome gift."
"I never know what to make of him," Aspen said into the uncomfortable silence.
"Me either," Noah nodded. "I just know to do what he asks me to, and so far that meant we got along fine."
"Is he here often?"
Noah flushed. "No," they said evasively. "At least he wasn't before you came along."
Great.
"He definitely took an interest in you because of Alan."
"Their relationship is none of my business but they've put me in the no man's land that is what's left of it."
"Leo will come around." This time, Noah's voice was firm and they smiled up at Aspen. "You're right. It is none of your business and neither of them have been very fair to you through all of it." Another pause. "You might see Leo around here more often, but I promise you I'll keep him nice and busy."
"Thanks."
Noah looks back down at their clipboard, and then held it out to Aspen.
"Here," they said by way of explanation, Your pre-session check-list to make sure all your equipment is in order."
Aspen took the clipboard from them and then looks around the room again. "Does this mean that I'm now officially up for—"
"Yup!" Noah interrupted him. "Thea is busy running your data through the backlog to see if any unmatched applicants could be a good fit for you, and they offered to sit in on your first interview too. Just in case. But unless you have anything you need to do in here or bother them about in person, I'd say we are done here for the day."
They moved to stand, and then walked back to the door.
They were almost out of the room when they turned around again.
"Welcome to Aphrodite."

*

Aspen knew he should probably go home, but he attached the clipboard to the hook on the door and then tracked further down the corridor to Thea's office.
The door was cracked open and he could hear soft music being played inside, so he carefully peeked inside. "Thea?"
For some reason, their office looks and feels exactly like it did when Aspen had first met them months ago, and a warm fuzzy comfort sort of feeling spread through his stomach at the thought.
Thea was at the far end of the room at their desk, and the soft warm light of the lamp illuminating the space was bouncing off their hair and casting shadows across the room.
They looked up. "Hello," they said gently, and Aspen's heart squeezed at the tone of their voice.
"Hi," he returns. "Am I bothering you?"
They shook their head. "Never. You are my favorite person as of right now, after all."
"That's very kind. May I come in?"
Instead of responding, Thea stands, and when they walked over to one of the couches, aspen noticed they were in an outfit similar to back then, too.
He gulped and joined them at the couch, but then he stopped dead in his tracks. "Uh—"
Thea only laughed. "If you want to sit on the floor," they murmured, as if they could read his thoughts, "feel free to."
Aspen doesn't even consider it, and he's not sure he actively entertained the thought of being at Thea's feet again, but in the blink of an eye he's on the floor, and Thea's hands are in his hair and he feels as they wind strands around their fingers.
"I came to say thank you," he murmured. "For the warm welcome. Again."