Lucio didn't respond to the man's question, he just averted his eyes and reached up to grip his left shoulder with his right hand. He looked as though he was trying to pull his body in on itself, to make himself appear smaller and smaller as though Ansel wouldn't be able to observe the fruits of his labor if he did so. Unfortunately he remained just as present as ever, and Ansel's broken voice pierced his heart as cleanly as an arrow.<br/><br/>He lifted his eyes slowly as he saw Ansel's hand coming towards him. He didn't have time to react before a fair bit of pressure was applied to the large, dark bruise that marred his face. Lucio cringed and shied away, though Ansel had already smudged off a fair bit of the makeup with his thumb. The gasp that emanated from the man felt like a swift kick to the gut and Lucio again averted his eyes to the floor before closing them briefly as Ansel grabbed a hold of him and pulled him in gently. For a mere moment everything felt okay, perfect in fact. Simply standing quietly in Ansel's protective embrace made all of the pain and fear melt away and left little Lucio with only contentment.<br/><br/>But that simply couldn't last.<br/><br/>The boy gasped harshly as the man's fingers dipped into one of the open wounds scattered across his back. He stumbled forwards just slightly as Ansel pulled back very suddenly, but he was quick to right himself once again. He didn't bother with attempting to hide the wounds from Ansel, he'd seen enough already that he must have been able to deduce what had happened. But little did he know that he hadn't yet come to the realization. It came quickly after he witnessed the lashing wounds, however, and when the truth dawned on him it became promptly clear to Lucio.<br/><br/>The primal snarl that escaped his love made Lucio's heart drop instantly. He turned to face the man, his stormy gray eyes having widened considerably as he stared down the furious professor. "Ansel, please darling, calm down and sit. We can talk about what happened, I promise it isn't as terrible as it looks," he whispered as he slowly stepped forward and attempted to grab a hold of Ansel's arm. The man didn't give him time to do so, however, as in the middle of a line of pacing he suddenly lunged at the wall. Lucio cried out, his hands flying up to cover his mouth as he watched the older males fist go flying through the layers of material, leaving a jagged hole in the middle of the pristine apartment.<br/><br/>Tears sprung into the boys eyes as the sight of the mans bloodied fist and he painstakingly dragged his gaze up onto Ansel's face, which had faded off to a blank expression. "Oh, my love," he breathed out shakily as he slowly dropped his hands down to his sides.<br/><br/>He didn't take too long to gawk at the professor after his short fit of rage, his slowly moved forwards and placed a timid hand on the mans shoulder, looking up into his eyes with a furrowed brow. "Ansel . . . I can explain this. He didn't abuse me, I promise you. I know the residual marks look horrific, and it wasn't a pleasant evening by any means, but it was consensual," he whispered as he slowly wound an arm about the mans waist as though to steady him. "He asked me permission to do these things, and I gave it to him. Remember what I said to you on our first night together? I am a vessel for my clients desires, and this just happened to be his," he finished quietly. He wasn't sure if it would offer any solace to his love, or if it would only infuriate him further, but he prayed that it ended up being the former. He didn't wan't Ansel experiencing these negative emotions at all, but especially not on his birthday; Lucio was kicking himself for not trying harder to keep the graphic evidence of his night with Buckley hidden. He should have requested sex with the lights off, perhaps. It would have been painful, of course, but Ansel would have been happy and this could have been dealt with in the morning when he was sober and thinking straight.<br/><br/>"Come, love . . . Let me take care of that hand," he whispered as he began pulling Ansel off towards the back hall where he assumed the bedroom was situated, and likewise the master bathroom.