Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry this chapter is a day late! I was at a Anime Convention >///< Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. WARNING!!!! This chapter DOES contain a NSFW section near the end so just don't read it if you don't don't feel comfortable with it. Also in honor of this chapter here's a song I thought worked pretty well as a ship theme for Emery/Nicky. 

I managed to pick Emery up and carry him to his room which was luckily only a few doors down. He was heavier than I expected and as I carried him I could feel that his body was burning up. I lowered him onto the bed slowly and Emery kept his gaze on me the entire time, eyes still dilated and unfocused. He looked pale, more so then I had ever seen him, his forehead damp with sweat. Poison...someone had poisoned the glass I almost drank from. And...Emery...dumb arrogant selfish Emery had drank it. This could have been me. I tried to calm myself down, I had been trained in assassinations. I could figure out what this was. My mind flipped back through everything I had ever learned or used. Let's see...increased body heat...glazed eyes...still conscience. I was starting to get a few ideas of what it could be.

"Okay...I have good news and bad news."

"Fucking hell Nicky, I don't have time for this shit." Even when he could literally be dying Emery was still a little bitch.

"Well, the good news is that it could just be a harmless plant called Trisin which causes strong aphrodisiac effects made to throw you off for a few hours."

"....and the bad?"

"It could also be a deadly poison that is going to kill you in about 32 minutes."

"Well fuck."

"Yeah." Emery shut his eyes for a moment as if carefully trying to think through the situation.

"So...how will we know what it is?"

I sat down beside him on the bed now, moving a little closer.

"Well, it's actually not that hard. I just need to look at your chest. If there's a redish rash it's poison. If you're clear then you're going to be fine." I leaned forward to pull off his jacket when I felt a burning hand on my arm. Emery was staring at me and I could see something dark and unreadable in his eyes, something I had never seen before even after I punched him. It sent a shiver down my spine and I swallowed hard.

"What are you doing-"

"Please don't." His voice was quite, a low whisper.

"What are you talking about? It's between this and waiting it out. I think it's better if you really are dying to know so we can at least try and get some help." He didn't say anything so I finally pulled off his jacket and tossed it aside.

"Be careful with that dumbass."

"Whatever you say princess," I retorted as I reached forward to undo the buttons on his undershirt. Emery spoke again now, his voice weak.

"Please just...don't look." I rolled my eyes in response.

"I have to look. That's the point. What the hell is wrong with you?" I meant uh...haha...aside from the poison. "I'm just checking for a rash, okay?" I felt Emery's body tense beneath my touch and he turned his face away so he wasn't looking at me as if he was expecting something terrible to happen. I finally undid the shirts last button. As I pulled it open to reveal his chest my breath caught. Emery's entire torso was covered in tattoos. Dotted black lines circled around his heart...his lungs, his stomach. It was the same kind of markings a butcher might draw on a pig in order to make the right cut. Emery still wouldn't look at me, his chest rose and fell rapidly, his skin glistening with the shimmer of sweat. After a moment I spoke.

"You're not dying," It was the only thing I could think of to say.

"I figured."

"Well uh...do you want me to get Orla and tell her about this? She'll probably be concerned-"

"It's ugly isn't it," he cut me off. His voice was filled with something...contempt maybe? But for once it wasn't directed to me. A memory suddenly came of Emery stopping me during the pleasure training to say the words

'The shirt stays on.'

And then suddenly it hit me and everything made sense. The reason I had seen Emery in the bath house so late at night, why he always snuck off after training when everyone went to change. He hadn't been creating some devious scheme...he had just not wanted anyone to see these tattoos.

"It's not uh...that bad," I managed to say.

"Don't fucking lie. I know...that I....fuck," his eyes fluttered shut, his voice was a little more than a weak whisper. "Nicky could you...try not to sit so close to me..." Great he was still being a fucking asshole. Perfect.

"Listen. I'll just go get Orla. We could get you to a doctor to check you out just in case-"

"No." His voice came louder this time, almost desperate.

"Listen, if you stay here and don't tell anyone everyone will think you're missing, Orla will probably drop your ranking."

"I don't care. I just..." Emery attempted to sit up but could barely lift his head. His shirt was still open revealing those grisly tattoos and I could tell, even though he hadn't said anything, he hated it. I still disliked Emery but...I did feel bad. The least I could do was button his shirt back up for him. I scootched closer to him to reach forward for his shirt.

"Nicky what the hell are you doing. I told you not to..." I could hear his breath catch as my hands came in contact with his skin for a brief moment.

"Quit being an asshole for one second. I'm just trying to help you out. I assumed you would want me to re-button this for you since you were so opposed to it coming off in the first place." At that Emery attempted what appeared to be some kind of eye roll.

"Whatever," he said slowly, the contempt clear in his voice. "But I swear to God if you lay a hand on me after I'll....Mnngh. " I couldn't tell who looked more mortified at the noise that had just come from Emery, me or him. I had moved closer, and accidently bumped my thigh against his prompting that...sound? Emery was staring at me now, his eyes wide, the look of shock from what had just come from his mouth evident on his face as we sat there in silence.

"What the-"

"It's the aphrodisiac you shithead," Emery snapped cutting me off. "Or are you so dim witted that you do not even know what an aphrodisiac does. God, I can't believe I've been stuck here with such a complete and utter idiot. I wish I HAD been poisoned so I wouldn't have to deal with this shit." Still a drama queen even like this, God I hated him.

"Listen," I said with a sigh. "It's not that bad-"

"Yes it is!"

"Let me finish. It's not like anyone else is here. I'm the only one who's going to know-"

"That makes it even worse. Fucking hell I hate everything. " It was taking quite a bit of effort on my part to not just completely snap at him.

"Listen if you want me to leave just say it and I'll go, okay?" He went silent at that and just remained there, staring at the ceiling with a blank gaze locked on it. Finally he spoke again, his voice weak,

"How long do you think it will last? What if I'm like this when Alexander gets back? Oh my God...it will be so humiliating." I gave a little shrug.

"It depends on how heavy the dosage is. It could last a few hours but then again...it could take a day."

"A day! Are you kidding me? What am I supposed to do...?"

"Well, other than relieving yourself I don't think there's any other quick way to make it end."

"Wait you mean...?" I saw his face twist in disgust. "I can't do that. I can hardly sit up let alone...God Nicky please just kill me."

"Do you want me to do it for you?" I had no idea why those words had come out of my mouth but they did. The shock at the fact that I had even said them was evident in Emery's face as well. "What...I..." I knew he would hate this but it wasn't like there was much of a choice. He would either be left here to be found by poor Alexander and if that happened then pretty soon everyone would know, it would be all the boys would talk about.

"Say no and I won't do it." I could see it in Emery's face, the internal struggle. His pride wouldn't let him answer me but his silence was all I needed to know his response. God, I couldn't believe I was doing this. I should have just left him here to be humiliated, I was totally going to get shit for this later. Slowly I leaned forward and undid the first few buttons of Emery's pants before I dipped my hand inside, my fingers curling around his member. Emery's body tensed at the touch but he didn't say anything, he just watched me in silence through those dark unreadable eyes. Letting out a low breath I ran my hand down his length once. This wouldn't take long, we both understood that, Emery was already close. I moved my hand down him again, this time with more force. Emery shuddered and I noticed his chest had begun to rise and fall more rapidly though he didn't make a sound. My hand movements became faster and it was becoming obvious was trying his best to remain silent and to keep as much composure as he could. At one smooth pump in particular I saw him bite down hard on his lip as I felt his member pulsing beneath my hand. In that moment watching him I suddenly understood why everyone wanted him, why some dumbass in his room had made a move on him after only one day and why countless others might of as well if there wasn't so dangerous to do so. He looked disgustingly beautiful on the bed like this, blonde hair tousled, his shirt open, his fingers grabbing at the sheets every time my hand ran down his length. I had never seen him like this...submissive and at mercy to my touch. Watching him like this caused something in me to stir. Shit noooope....no way. Emery was not giving me another hard on, not tonight.

"...Nicky..." The sound of my name being said breathlessly by him like that was all it took to confirm my own arousal. Fuck. Emery was staring at me, his eyes hazy, he was hardly there by now I knew, the aphrodisiac had him.

"Yeah?" I said slowly.

"God...you look...you look just like her...ah..." with those words his head fell back against the bed, his eyes fluttered shut and it was done. I stood up slowly to find something to wipe my hand on. Well, that would be something Emery would have to deal with later tonight, not me. Finally I made my way back to him. He was still lying there on the bed, eyes shut.

"Feel better?"

"...yes."

"I think you owe me a thank you."

"Do I?" The sarcasm still dripped from his voice.

"We should get back to the ball soon before Orla notices we're missing. I don't think either of us want to explain any of this to her."

"Right. Oh...by the way...can we both agree to never speak of this, ever. I'm sure you don't want people hearing about this as much as I do."

"Right." I let out a little snort of laughter. "Gotta really 'hand' it to me on this one though."

"I hate you."

"I know." I found myself actually smiling at that.

"Oh and Nicky...?"

"Yeah?"

Emery sat up slowly, a slight smirk on his face almost disguising how clearly exhausted he was.

"It's lucky that you give good handjobs, it makes up for that face."

Good to know I still hated him.