[Episode] The Bloody Chamber

Noah was sitting at the counter of the bar he might label as his favourite one- the Stoneridge. Since he came of age, it was probably the establishment he visited the most. Though, at first glance, it could be hard to see why. Situated in some poorer parts of Bleue Fontaine, people here were bawdy, less formal, said what was on their minds, but most importantly just wanted to have a good time without following any protocol present at court or more fancy establishments.

To put it nicely, Stoneridge was run down. A gloomy atmosphere, its furniture had seen better days, and the distinct smell of spilt beer, sometimes mixed with other odours one does not wish to think about, lingered in the air whenever one dared to enter. Daring to enter was indeed needed, as many of the local citizens made sure to search for a better place to stay, whereas for others it was precisely the charm they needed. Unknowing tourists hardly found their way here, too. Its visitors preferred to be among themselves.

However, the queer, deviating from the atmosphere found in every other bar, vibe was precisely the charm its regular guests, like Noah, looked forwards to. Here, every customer was treated with respect as long as they showed a bare minimum of human decency, while nobody had to be somebody they were not just to fit in. Though it certainly helped how Stoneridge’s regulars decided to defy the norm to begin with.

Only a few women were brave enough to enter and those who did usually enjoyed their stay. Most of them had a peculiar taste in their partners which was hard to come by, whereas others simply enjoyed being left in peace. While the vast majority of Stoneridge’s clientele was male, stemming from different classes and standing, they all shared at least one aspect: their taste in partners. At Stoneridge, women could enjoy their drinks in peace, unless they were looking for one of their own, not having to deal with brash men trying to flirt with them. Here, visitors were more focused on flirting with their own than it would be possible in other places. As queer as Stoneridge was, so were its customers as well.

Here, seeing kissing men was no oddity. Before their amorous endeavour could escalate, though, they were usually thrown out by the barkeeper to find more private chambers. Since Noah came to peace with who he was, he enjoyed being here. There was no need to adjust here- Noah could flirt with other men without fearing repercussions. Other than the occasional rejection everybody else had to fear as well, of course.

Tonight, Stoneridge was well-frequented, with many visitors intermingling in smaller groups. The redhead was one of the few who was still solo, checking the other customers out, imagining what the night had yet to offer. After a while, Noah’s eyes locked on somebody he declared as his target for tonight, sitting at the other side of the counter, almost the definition of what a twink would be: with blond hair and blue eyes, an effeminate appearance with a slender build, and roughly the same age as Noah, but looking as if he knew what he wanted. When Noah was just about ready to leave his place, a man suddenly leaned on the counter next to the redhead, casually addressing him. ”Are you sure you’re looking for boys if you can have a real man instead?”

Without waiting for a response, he placed a drink he brought with him in front of Noah. ”If you would do me the honour of having a drink with you. Don’t they say, ‘old horses for young riders, young horses for old riders’?” For a moment he smirked, suggestively teasing Noah. ”Anyways, if they don’t, they totally should. I’m pretty sure whatever you had planned to do with that boy over there won’t be as fun as what I could do to you.” When Noah now looked into the stranger’s eyes, he felt as if he was peeled out of his clothes with eye contact alone. Unsure if what he had heard would be a threat or a flirt, Noah decided to believe it was the latter.

"Oh, what would you do to me if I let you?" Noah took the drink and sipped at it, unable to name what he was tasting, before he decided to tease the man a bit himself. "I don’t want to risk you getting a heart attack. I mean, aren’t old horses quickly exhausted?" With his lips still wet, Noah slowly licked over them without realizing it, taking a closer look at his vis-à-vis. He had thick blue, almost black, hair which was gelled backwards and striking facial features which were framed by a similarly blue and thick beard which almost reminded Noah of a mane. His eyes were almost black, managing to make somebody freeze if directly looked into. To boot he was big, probably a few inches taller than Noah, though his build looked slenderer than Noah’s, as far as the redhead could judge through all those clothes.

But most importantly, he was a good chunk older than Noah was- he guessed the man was in his late twenties, though the mane could easily be distracting. ”Oh, don’t you worry about me, little robin. Old horses precisely train with young riders because they want to stay in good shape.” Noah had to giggle, looking at his drink which was now almost empty. He felt surprisingly light, questioning how much he had drunk already. Or was simply all the flirting and teasing getting to his head? "Why don’t you show me what you can do, then? Lead the way."

Without waiting for another answer, Noah sealed the man’s lips with a kiss, while simultaneously grabbing hold of one of his partner’s hands, slowly leading him outside of Stoneridge. Before Noah left the establishment, though, he quickly placed some money on the counter to pay for his debts. "As charming as Robin could be, the name’s Noah Lacroix." The man, meanwhile, followed Noah at first, before quickly leading the way as soon as the night’s air grazed the couples’ faces. ”Levio. Levio Delgado.” After a short break which Levio took to inspect Noah once again, he ultimately continued. ”How unfortunate. Just when I remembered all those little robins I caught as a child I ran into you, reminding me of those. You know what, an old horse’s memory isn’t the best, so you’ll be my little robin.” With that, Noah doubted he would hear his actual name too much in the hours ahead. Not that there would be much time spent talking, anyways.

Noah followed Levio, who led Noah further and further away from town. The fresh air helped him to sober up a bit- emptying the cocktail might not have been the best idea. It took the duo not long and they seemed to travel near a forest, only passing one farmhouse. If Noah saw correctly, the farmer would raise pigs here, but that was rather hard to tell in the darkness- the moon was probably the biggest source of light right now. "Isn’t this usually the part in detective stories when the victim realizes that following the murderer might’ve been a bad idea?"

When the man turned around now, looking Noah in the eyes, the boy guessed that he saw how Levio slightly raised the corners of his mouth. ”Of course. For the victim, it would’ve been wise to turn tails long ago. But lucky for me, we’re not in a detective story, right? Otherwise, this could very well be the part where the perpetrator disposes of the corpse by feeding it to pigs, right?” Well, this would confirm Noah’s hunch. Just when the boy wished to respond, his lips were sealed again by a kiss, while Levio’s hands now moved downwards. ”Of course, I could’ve taught you how to ride in one of the many back alleys in town. But I usually enjoy some of the privacy my home has to offer. We don’t want to disturb some citizens with all the screaming now, don’t we?” Just the right words to assure somebody that everything would end well, right?

A few more minutes passed and they finally arrived at their destination. Levio’s home was remote- whatever would happen behind closed doors, nobody would witness it anytime soon. The minute that Noah set foot into the man’s house, Levio lunged at the boy. Before Noah had any chance to properly take in the interior, the predator was already all over his prey.

Noah fell on the bed sheets, while his chest quickly moved up and down, trying his best to catch his breath. Simultaneously, droplets moved over his body, doing their best to cool the boy down. The bed was bigger than any piece of furniture he had slept in so far. Shortly after, another body, Levio’s, collapsed next to him, similarly out of breath. Noah turned around to lay on his back, trying his best to inspect his acquaintance. Looking sidewards, Noah saw how the man next to him turned to lay on one of his sides, resting his head on one of his palms. With his other hand, he was soon tracing over Noah’s chest.

"Looks like you are in better shape than I thought you would be, old man." Noah now had a better look at the man next to him. Now, he was sure that Levio was quite a few years older than he was- enough for some to question the morality of the intercourse.

”Don’t you worry, little robin. I might be older, but you still have much to learn.” As if to undermine his words, the man tried to leap forwards, lunging at Noah. The redhead saw this attack coming, trying to grab Levio’s hands as a response. In the ensuing struggle for the upper hand, Noah was slowly but surely winning. With the man’s wrists finally in his hands, the boy emerged victorious, now looking down on the man. "So, what exactly do I have to learn?", he tried to mock his vis-à-vis.

However, even though Levio was pinned down, he still looked as if he was the one still in control of the whole situation. In an attempt to conceal the increasing doubt emerging within the redhead, he quickly moved forward, putting a kiss on his partner’s lips before another laughter slipped his lips, as Levio’s impressive mane tickled the boy. "You and your mane, old man."

”But isn’t that exactly why you found me so interesting, little robin?” Suddenly, in a moment of surprise, Levio moved forward and freed himself, placing his arms behind Noah’s back, and lifted the boy shortly before he placed him down again. Now the revolutionary had an idea why Levio still appeared to be so confident. Or was all the alcohol just dulling his reflexes? A kiss on Noah’s forehead later, Levio left the bed and walked to a sideboard. ”Though there appear to be other assets you seem to enjoy.” The redhead blushed. With his back turned to Noah, the older man probably knew exactly what the other would be doing right now. Not that it would be hard to guess. ”Or just my boldness, right?”

However, while Levio walked back to the bed, Noah just realised how quietly Bluebeard could move- as if he were a predator on the hunt, cautious not to startle his prey. Upon arrival, he handed Noah an expensive-looking glass. ”Here, drink. I don’t want you to get dehydrated.” When Noah now looked at the man, he suddenly did not dare to refuse. Was this how the mouse felt when the cat approached?

Noah hesitantly accepted the delicate glass and took a big gulp. "Thanks. Always my well-being in mind." Looking at the bottles, Noah tried to gain some hint to identify whatever drink he was given, but the sheer number of different bottles made this all the more difficult. While he could taste some added juice as the main ingredient, naming more would be impossible. The fruity liquid covered whatever else was added to the mix.

”Of course, little robin. I’m not done with you yet.” Without further ado, Levio joined Noah in the bed again. With new liquid courage, Noah felt lighter and less restrained than he had in a long while.

---

When Noah woke up the next morning, he could not tell how long he had been sleeping- for this, he still needed some time to wake up. As soon as he managed to open his eyes, he could see how only a few rays of light slowly illuminated the chamber he was in. So, he probably did not sleep too long. However, of one thing he was already certain: his body was heavy and his head was buzzing. Which just made him all the more irritated. If his body needed the rest, apparently, why was he already awake?

Noah tossed and turned for a few more minutes, but soon realized that he could not find any more rest. He tried to recollect some of the details of yesterday’s intercourse, but his memories were surprisingly… foggy. Had he drunk so much? The redhead could not properly remember, but if his hangover was any indication, then he properly did.

Noah rose, a hand supporting his head. As soon as he felt comfortable keeping his balance, he turned to the first order of business: finding his clothes. After yesterday, he had paid no attention to where he put them. To his surprise, though, finding them was rather easy. Instead of lying everywhere and nowhere, everything he wore was now neatly folded on a chair. Naturally, this sped up Noah’s plan to dress, but he had yet to decide if he found this sweet or creepy.

With his mind still a bit foggy, Noah now moved to one of the windows and looked outside. It was just as he remembered: he was on the second floor. Not that he remembered using any stairs during the night, but maybe the memories would return when he was properly awake. Similarly, he did not exactly question what he was seeing through the windows. Levio’s front yard was not what he found suspicious- an orderly lawn, a small well surrounded by beautiful flowers, a few bushes framing the plot, and a few statues Noah could not fully make out. What he did find unusual, though, were the bars the boy had to look through.

For now, he decided that there was one thing which might help him to wake up: coffee. With his next destination in mind, Noah left the bedroom and moved downstairs. There, it did not take long until Noah was already greeted. ”Good Morning, little robin.” Levio sneaked up on Noah, a cup of coffee in hand. ”I hope you slept well. Here is something I prepared for you- I hope you like your coffee sweet.”

Noah thanked the man, took a careful sip, and immediately had to mask his apparent discomfort. The black liquid was not just sweet, if the redhead had to describe it, he would label it as sugar moisturised with coffee. Well, at least as somebody who usually drank his coffee black, he would exaggerate like this. "It looks like you like your stuff sweet." While Noah was mostly referencing the drink he was given last night, similarly sweet as the coffee if not outright sweeter, the smirk he saw on Levio’s face made him realize the double meaning.

”If you want to take a shower, the bath is on the second floor, next to the bedroom. I’ll have some business to attend to in the city. If you’re up for another round, wait for me. I’m sure you’ll find my atelier interesting.” Noah was taken by surprise and just managed to say a little "I’ll think about it". While he could not deny the fun he had last night, his instincts started to tell him how something seemed to be off. Though he could not pinpoint what exactly, he decided that he could at the very least take a shower.

As Noah placed the cup of coffee on the side to maybe finish it later, Levio left his home. Soon after, the redhead was in the bathroom and enjoyed how the water washed away his leftover tiredness. It would be an exaggeration to say he felt fit after just a shower, but additionally drinking some water helped him to think more clearly. "Now, what to do?", Noah asked the boy he saw in the mirror.

He would be lying if he said he was not intrigued by Levio, but without exactly knowing why he increasingly felt some discomfort around here. Especially as he now started to sober up. "Fresh air. I’m sure taking a good old deep breath in the morning rays is exactly what I need now." With that, he left the bath and walked to the front door. Levio’s art would be something he could still check out later if he still wanted.

A few quick steps later, he reached his goal, grabbed the door handle and imagined already how the morning air would caress his face, just to realize that the door was not moving. "You’re freakin’ kidding me!" With that, he just got a whole new idea of what his one-night stand meant with ‘catching robins’.