Ace of Spades

Chapter 4: Unknown Emotions

Bray watched as the man shuffled back into the room with his arms filled to the brim with different art supplies. Paint, brushes, and canvases alike—Despite the man having very large biceps, even he had trouble getting everything in one place—some of the supplies slowly slipping out of his grip. He threw everything onto the couch and began setting up his station, all while Bray kept a tight grip on the front of the red robe that was swallowing his body whole.

Bray felt an awkward tension reel it's ugly little head into the decently sized room, the silence starting to become louder than the thoughts swarming around his head. He felt the overwhelming urge to open his mouth and say something—anything—just to hear something other than the sound of supplies knocking against each other.

"I never got your name."

The man looked up and huffed, looking just about done with Bray.

"I know you're annoyed, and I get you don't want to speak to me, but I have a feeling this would be enjoyable for the both of us if we knew each other a little better." Bray suggested

The man sat down in a stool in front of the canvas before looking up at Bray, "Atticus."

"Atticus." Bray repeated after the man, kind of liking the way his name slid off his tongue like smooth butter. "It's nice."

Atticus took a second to examine Bray's body, causing the smaller man to clasp the robe a little tighter. That pesky blush began to fade its way onto Bray's face once more, causing him to look down to hide the embarrassing pigment. Bray is far from a blushing virgin, but he's never done something like this before—standing before a man in such a vulnerable state—not willingly at least. The way Atticus' eyes bore through him, the thought of the man being able to see through the thick robe crossed through Bray's mind for a split second, before being banished just as quickly.

"And yours?" Atticus asked, effectively cutting Bray's thoughts short and snapping him back into reality.

"Mine what?"

Atticus cracked a small smirk out of amusement, "Your name."

"Oh right. Bray, I-its Bray." Bray punched himself mentally for stumbling across the last part of his sentence.

"Are you nervous?"

"No! Of course not. I uh... I honestly am not sure how I feel right now. It's strange." Bray answered truthfully. He recognized the fire that ignited itself in his lower belly, but he wasn't quite sure what name he could slap onto this unfamiliar emotion.

"I could get started if you dropped the robe fa' me."

Bray hesitated which caused Atticus' eyes to soften slightly. Atticus recognized how frightened the guy in front of him looked, so he began to retract his statement, "If you don—"

"No, I can do it. I just, needed a second to process this." Bray hooked his finger between the makeshift loop he created with the belt attached to the robe, before pulling on it gently. The belt fell to the ground and the robe opened, revealing the pale skin that Atticus was hoping to see eventually. Atticus stood up and walked over when he noticed Bray hesitating once more. Rough, dark-skinned hands ran under the robe and pushed it off the shoulders of Bray Levisay. Bray's breath hitched as Atticus' warm, calloused hands made contact with his cold skin.

"Is this alright?" Atticus asked with slight concerned as he felt Bray's body gently quiver under his touch. Bray nodded a little in response, before opening his tightly screwed eyes.

"Relax, its just you and me. I won't hurt ya." The effect of his words did more to Bray than he expected because his entire body relaxed all at the same time.

"There we go." Atticus whispered. He gently turned Bray's body to the side and ran his hands down to the pale thigh he had rested his eyes on seconds before.

"Lift this up for me" he softly commanded while tapping his thigh with two fingers, causing Bray to lift his leg up and rest his foot on the arm of the couch. Atticus put his left hand on the small of Bray's back and his right on his chest, lightly pushing the boy backwards so his back can touch the cool glass of the window.

"Tilt ya head fa' me" Bray obeyed Atticus' every command. Atticus nodded in satisfaction before making his way back to his stool. Bray's body was flushed, and he panted like he had just ran a marathon—and as he struggled to catch his breath he wondered; would he ever get used to this?  

A/N: Oh no, such a short chapter! I'm sorry guys, but this is the last of what I had before I ran into a writer's block. I surely will try my best to make the next one longer, but for now this is all I have! 

Thoughts on Atticus?

Thoughts on Bray?

Do you think Bray may like his stay more than he thought?

Do you think Atticus may warm up to Bray after this? 

Thank you for reading! Don't forget to vote and comment so that I can interact with you guys :))