3 - Red

Bile curdled into a bitter lump at the back of his throat as blood stung his tongue. Every swallow, every gasp, every twitch-no matter how slight-sent the pungent stench of copper flooding through his mouth. Aurelius spat onto the carpet, wincing at the pain that bloomed through his lips.

"Damn it," he hissed, wrenching at the stale sour milk taste that mingled with the blood. No matter how much he spat out the taste of the other, the stench refused to leave his mouth-let alone forget the feel of blunt teeth ghosting over his lips.

The boy threw his legs over the edge of the bed and padded over to the dresser. The vanity perched within golden leaves and pearls caught his reflection as he leaned over the smooth oak. Aurelius felt his eye twitch. Bright red blotched the corners of his lips, making them puff out in a dark crimson that rivaled even the roses sitting in the vase on the dresser.

Aurelius tentatively grazed the puffy edge of his upper lip and cursed under his breath. Pain bloomed beneath the crimson bulges, the boy swearing he saw the blood swirling ever so slightly, as a shiver wracked down his spine. The feeling of rough fingers roaming down his backside made his skin crawl all the while mantras, "let me kiss you," echoed in the back of his mind.

Kissing, Aurelius rolled his eyes, tracing his puffy lips with a light scowl. More like mauling.

Just as he was about to turn away, a ringing pierced through the air. Aurelius winced, holding his head as the ringing malformed into thunder, and snatched the ivory phone from its stool. The boy cleared his throat and purred smoothly, "Corona residence."

"So this is where you've been hiding out at?" The other end of the line snorted loudly. Aurelius's gentle smile melted instantly as the voice guffawed uncontrollably.

He plopped his self onto the ruby, red bench before the vanity, growling, "The hell you want?"

"Oh, don't be like that!" Aurelius winced, carefully holding his mouth. "Where's that innocent callboy at?"

"Where the last of your teeth will be if you don't shut up." Aurelius mumbled. He cradled the phone between his head and shoulder before moving towards the closet. Flipping on the light switch with his free hand, Aurelius wandered into an array of dress shirts and suits that lined the never ending wall. His fingers trailed along the crisp black dress suits idly, leaving thick red lines in their wake until they were clean.

"Why are you so sour this morning?" The other asked while Aurelius shifted through the dress shirts. He snatched one off the hanger, holding it up to his bare chest towards a mirror, and frowned. He tossed the shirt over his shoulder, shifting through the shirts once more until he was tossing one after the other onto the floor. "I mean a Corona-that's pretty big, even for you."

"Oh, he's big alright." Aurelius frowned at the oversized shirt he held in front of him. The shirt slipped off the metal hanger into a crumpled heap on the floor. "A big pain in ass."

The voice on the other line clucked their tongue. Aurelius heard a faint drum of fingers on the receiver as he snatched one last dress shirt from the far side of the closet. He sighed exasperatedly, flinging the hanger over his shoulder. He shrugged the brittle cotton over his shoulders when the voice hummed absentmindedly, "Well since you're done with your lover, you can haul your ass to work."

"You've skipped three weeks in a row hiding in your little sex haven bungalow and I'm sick of having to hunt you down to finish my work!" A growl caught at the back of Aurelius's throat as he held the phone away from his ear.

He let the other drone on in their heated rant while he shuffled through a drawer. His fingers rummaged through several ties, plucking out one for his self, until his gaze locked onto a broach. Dull silver stained bronze leaves that curled around a lone ruby encased in glass. He snatched the broach out from the drawer, the ties tucked around it falling from it like wayward petals. Aurelius held the broach up to the light, his mouth dropping ever so gently as the light unfolded the intricate glass rose carved around the ruby. The smoldering gray dusting the edges of the glass made the ruby glint a darker flourish, drawing Aurelius deeper under its spell-.

"Are you even listening?" The voice snapped bitterly. The boy dropped his arm to his side with a frown; the corners of his lips burned at the mere gesture. "I'll have you know that I'm not your babysitter-"

Aurelius brought the phone closer to his ear, the other's voice practically screeching through his eardrum, as he icily spat, "I'm sorry. Whose working for who now?"

The ranting on the line came to an abrupt halt. The boy swore he could hear the words swelling at the back of the other's tongue as they gulped heavily. Shuffling papers and pens rifled through the receiver until the voice stuttered, "S-sorry..."

"Sorry what?" Aurelius arched an eyebrow.

Another heavy gulp filled the line. "Sorry, sir."

Aurelius felt the corners of his lips curve into a smirk only to wince. The bruises on his lips throbbed as the voice stuttered once more, "I didn't mean any disrespect sir. I just-"

"Shut up." Aurelius groaned. "I'll get there when I get there. Now buzz off."

"Yes sir!"

Aurelius rolled his eyes, quickly adding, "And have out some concealer for me when I get there will you."

"Of course."

The line immediately went silent, a chorus of beeps filling the silence gnawing through the air. Aurelius sighed deeply and tossed the phone onto the pile of dress shirts on the floor. He lifted the broach up to the light and felt the bruises on his lips grow alight with pain once more. Turning it over on its side laid thinly scrawled cursive just beneath the glass rose. His fingers tightened around the broach as the words seared through his mind:

To My Fairest Amour-

Dark red smeared across the end of the script where a name became flooded with its sticky substance. Aurelius blinked blankly at the silver leaf pressing into his middle finger and clucked his tongue. He brought his finger to his mouth, suckling at the prick in his flesh.

"I'm fair." He mumbled, careful to keep his lips in a soft pout as he clipped the broach to his breast pocket.

He stumbled around the closet, stepping over mounds of clothes, until he shimmied into a pair of dress pants that pathetically wilted around his waist. He scrambled out of the closet, fumbling with a belt until he plopped onto the edge of the bed. He snatched up his lone sock from the floor-the only survivor amidst his torn clothing-and slipped into his battered shoes all the while sporting a sour pout.

"Of all the pig headed..." he hissed under his breath. He retched at the taste of spoiled milk pluming in his mouth at the thought, gagging harshly until he cleared his throat.

Through short dry heaves, Aurelius glanced down at the small lunchbox tucked under the nightstand. His expression melted into vacant glare and turned around to the head of the bed. He ran a hand through his hair, brushing unruly golden waves behind his ears, and slowly crept forward. He stretched his arm out for the toppled picture frame on the stand hooked onto the headrest. He gently lifted the frame upward, staring into the blind black and white smile of a bride and groom through shattered glass.

Aurelius pressed his thumb against his tongue and carefully touched the corner of the photo. He traced the bubble of red that pooled at the top of the photo down across the groom's face and suit, then traced a frown across the woman's cheeks. Aurelius leaned back from the photo to admire the lonesome bride, then down at the bed.

Glittering black films stared up at the boy as if awaiting for him to make his next move. Aurelius frowned as gently as he could, running his hand up the man's side. He idly tangled his fingers in the jungle of hair on the man's chest. His hand dipped into the shallow hollow underneath the tapered jungle as his fingers ventured deeper, sliding along thick slabs of muscles and bone.

Aurelius hummed lightly and withdrew his hand. He stared down at the man's needy gaze as he dabbed crimson dyed fingers against his lips. The boy brushed his hand over the man's eyes, closing his lids and buried his fingers in the other's hair. He ducked down, tenderly pressing his lips against the man's. Aurelius sighed into the touch, raising his self up from he man to breathe.

The boy's curious gaze kindled into a scowl, jerking the man's head up.

"That's a kiss you dumb ass."

He roughly tossed the man's head back against the pillows and crawled off the man. He pulled the lunchbox out from the night stand, rolling off the bed with a thump. His shoes dragged caked mud across the yanked sheets as he bounded towards the door-leaving the lonely Corona heartless to the embellished room.