Alessio stood frozen, his clothes damp where Noah's wet fingers had gripped him. For a moment, everything else faded—the running water, the lingering echo of Enzo and Theo's footsteps outside the door, even the icy marble under his boots.
All that existed was the trembling figure before him.
Noah sat in the bathtub, knees drawn up to his chest, drenched curls clinging to his pale cheeks. He was naked, his chest rising in shallow, panicked breaths. But more than that, he looked… small. Not physically—his body was lean, his collarbones sharp, legs long—but emotionally, spiritually, he looked like someone who'd been fighting so long, he'd forgotten how to rest.
"I told you not to touch me," Noah whispered, voice barely audible over the soft sloshing of water.
"You weren't answering." Alessio's voice came out colder than intended. "You were underwater. I thought you—" He cut himself off. The word dead wouldn't leave his mouth.
Noah shifted, pulling the towel from the side of the tub and clutching it to his chest. "You thought I what? Was trying to kill myself?"
"You didn't answer me, Noah," Alessio replied tightly. "You scared the fuck out of me."
There it was again—Noah's eyes narrowing like a cornered animal. "Why would you care? I'm just a body you bought at an auction, right? You didn't even want a wife. You wanted someone who could handle you yelling."
Alessio's jaw clenched.
"You're right," he admitted, stepping back just slightly. "That's what I told myself. That I'd find someone I could control, who wouldn't cry the moment I raised my voice. But then you looked at me with those eyes—like you were daring me to break you. Like you'd bite back."
Noah blinked, still holding the towel over his chest, water dripping down his arms.
"I didn't want someone submissive," Alessio continued. "I wanted someone strong. I just didn't expect that strength to come wrapped in such a vulnerable package."
A silence stretched between them.
Then Alessio moved. Slowly. Carefully.
He reached for the fluffy white robe on the counter, not stepping too close, and held it out. "Put this on. I'm not looking. I swear."
Noah eyed him suspiciously, then snatched the robe from his hand and stood up inside the tub, turning his back to him as he wrapped himself. Alessio kept his eyes trained strictly on the bathroom tiles, though every fiber of his being screamed at him to glance, to see. But he didn't.
When Noah turned back around, bundled and shivering slightly, Alessio finally met his gaze again.
"You should've told someone you weren't okay," Alessio said.
Noah snorted. "Oh? And who exactly should I have told? My 'owner'? Your watchdogs? The walls?"
"You could've told me."
"You don't even know me."
"I'm trying to," Alessio said softly.
That silenced Noah.
After a beat, Alessio gestured toward the hallway. "Come on. You need food."
"I'm not hungry."
"You almost drowned yourself, you need food."
"I didn't almost drown," Noah muttered. "I just… I was tired. The water was warm. It felt safe."
Alessio gave him a long, unreadable look. "Safe?"
"Yeah." Noah looked embarrassed. "Like nothing could touch me. No noise. No people. Just… peace."
It struck Alessio harder than he expected.
How long had this boy lived in chaos to consider drowning peaceful?
He didn't say anything as he led Noah down the hallway, one hand resting lightly on the boy's back—not pushing, just there. Protective. Possessive. Even he couldn't quite explain it.
In the dining area, Enzo and Theo looked up, instantly falling silent.
"Bathroom incident?" Enzo asked quietly.
Alessio nodded once.
Theo tilted his head toward Noah, his voice gentle. "You alright, kid?"
Noah didn't answer. He just moved to the furthest seat and sat down.
The table was already set—Theo must've done it while they waited. A tray of roasted chicken, steamed vegetables, and warm bread sat between them.
Alessio pulled out the chair next to Noah and sat, ignoring his advisors' pointed looks.
Noah stared at the food, then slowly reached for a piece of bread and nibbled it, careful not to make eye contact.
"You can eat, you know," Alessio murmured. "It's not poisoned."
"I wasn't thinking that."
"Then what?"
"I was trying not to cry again," Noah whispered. "I hate that I did. I've survived worse."
Alessio looked at him quietly, then leaned forward. "Crying doesn't make you weak."
"It does when it happens in front of you," Noah shot back, eyes glittering with something between shame and fire.
Alessio smirked faintly. "Then next time, cry in front of someone else."
Noah stared at him, caught off guard.
"…I'm kidding," Alessio said, voice low. "If there's a next time, and I'm there, I'll deal with it. I'll hold you if I have to."
Noah blinked.
Enzo choked on his water.
Theo dropped his fork.
Alessio didn't even blink. His eyes were on Noah, and only Noah.