Shit.

If he heard all that banging and screaming, then others most likely did. Which was, quite simply, not good at all.

He leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes and sighing out. Of all times, now had been the time Ienzo had to call out for help. But, at least he had a general idea of where he was now. All he had to do was get there before them.

Pushing himself up to his feet, Aeleus moved surprisingly quietly for a man of his size -- slipping back out of the room and down the hall, not making any sound at all. He had to move quick, the boy had just stopped his crying for help, so maybe he could get there in time.

Down the hall and to the corner, stopping and peering cautiously around.

Alright, it was safe.

Around the corner and down the hall, listen for any sounds.

Ienzo, please, cry for me. I need to know where exactly that you are!

The boy had been screaming for him -- him! He had to get to him. Oh, he had to get to his Ienzo!

For some reason he stopped walking, freezing like a deer in headlights. There had been a small sound, had there not? He was positive there had been, but what and where was it?

Before he had time to register a clear thought, Aeleus quickly moved into a room and crouched down behind the door, peeking out through the crack.

Footsteps. Shit, he had not been fast enough.

And there -- there was the screaming again, crying out for Dilan this time. The boy sounded so… scared. And when his voice died down, Aeleus mentally kicked his self for not having moved fast enough, as the owner of the footsteps passed up the room he hid in and moved down the hall.

Watching as well as he could from the crack in the door, Aeleus watched the man in black reach for a doorknob and turn it, opening the door and peering inside.

Aeleus was already out of the room, and as the man turned and saw him, his eyes went wide -- but a split second later, a large fist collided with his head and sent him to the floor unconscious.

But the larger man’s eyes were elsewhere at the moment, so he barely registered that the man had fallen unconscious. Because, there, in the storage room, was his Ienzo.

“Oh Ienzo,” Aeleus whispered out, feeling his shoulders sag at the sight of the boy lying on the floor, all curled up and silent.

Kneeling down and being as gentle as he could, he scooped the boy up into his arms and sat there on the floor, holding him close to his chest and kissing his head.

Finally, after all this time, he had Ienzo!

The boy made a small whimper, and a large hand gently brushed alongside his cheek, fingers moving through the soft, messy hair, resting gently upon the bandage he soon found. Aeleus found himself unable to stop a few tears of joy from rolling down his cheeks and dropping down onto the other’s own face -- while though hurt and unconscious, Ienzo was alive!

A small chuckle. “Ienzo… Ienzo, can you hear me? It is Aeleus, it is Aeleus!” he cried so quietly, out of fear that if he spoke to loud, he would draw unwanted attention.

However, there was no spoken response from the boy, who merely just lay there, limp in his arms, body trembling ever so slightly. Aeleus rested his head against the other’s, eyes just partially closed.

“Oh, my dearest Ienzo, please, wake up,” he whispered softly, kissing the small nose of the boy and then hesitating, eyes looking at the partially separated lips beneath that small nose.

No, no, no, no, no. It was wrong, oh, so wrong, to put his lips against his, more so when the other was unconscious!

Instead, he merely held the boy closer to him in an attempt to stop the trembling, beginning to slowly rock back and forth.