Milo's hands stopped moving. "I'm sorry, but… why?"
Alben smiled. He shifted forward on the edge of the bed, close enough that Milo couldn't look anywhere without looking at him. His voice dropped. "Do I need to make it clear?"
Milo's heart rate spiked. His eyes moved to the door without meaning to.
Alben noticed. He let out a short laugh, not mean, just amused. "I won't kill you. We'll just have some fun. You're used to it, right?"
Milo looked down at his hands.
He was used to it. He'd been through far worse, Nero's hands, torture chambers, things he had stopped trying to name because naming them didn't help.
But...
He sat very still for a long moment.
Then he sighed, a small, quiet sound, and stood up from the bed. He pulled his pajamas down and sat back on the edge of the mattress.
He was naked. He kept his eyes on the floor.
"Don't make a sad face like that," Alben said.
"I'm sorry," Milo said softly.
