Atticus watched Master Ryan, staying quiet as the man thought. He couldn’t help but follow the towel’s path as he wiped it over his body. The body Atticus had guarded all these months. Not that there were many times he had been needed in that aspect. Still, he wished he were untied, so he could clean Master Ryan off. See that tattoo a little more. It really was beautiful artistry, and seemed very much at home planted in Master Ryan’s skin.<br/><br/>The brisk, soft rub of the towel against him brought him out of his slight daze and he met the man’s dark, piercing gaze with his own.<br/><br/><em>"I swore you'd never be hurt again."</em><br/><br/>He blinked, then took a breath as if to speak, but hesitated. ‘<em>I don’t mind,’ ‘I enjoyed it,’ ‘It isn’t the same,</em>’ they didn’t seem right, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to start lying to the Master of the House now. He wasn’t sure if any of those things were true. He did mind, because it wasn’t that he enjoyed it but because he had needed it, that hurt, that pain, to feel close to the Master. And that made it exactly the same to all his past patrons.<br/><br/>He let out the breath with a small sigh.<br/><br/>He couldn’t help but smile at the man’s next words, though. Food and a bath. Master Ryan was<em>mothering </em>him. He knew the man was protective of his own, but he hadn’t expected this. But maybe it wasn’t for Atticus that Master Ryan was ordering these things up. He could very well be sent out.<br/><br/>He maintained his silence as he took to watching the Master again, the comb dragging through that sinful hair for a few long moments. He could almost feel it drag against his skin again.<br/><br/>The knock ruined it. He shot an annoyed look at the door and let his head drop back, wondering when Master Ryan was going to let him up. He looked at his left hand, and tried to commit the look of his wrist bound by Master Ryan’s belt to memory.<br/><br/>He lifted his gaze when Master Ryan approached and started untying him. He kept his freed wrist in place until both hands were released, then he brought them together before his face, rubbing the places the belts had bit his flash the hardest. There were going to be bruises, but only small ones, he was quite sure.<br/><br/><em>"I wonder why I recall us meeting right about now."</em><br/><br/>Atti looked up at Master Ryan again. “Our first meeting?” He had mistaken Master Ryan for a client. He had been... rather coarse and aggressive, even after he understood his contract had changed hands. Slowly, Atticus sat up, his muscles ripping as pain washed up through his body. “Mmngh...” he grunted. “Did I ever apologise for calling you... all those things?”<br/>