Rory's grip on Eisen's hand tightened as Lexie spoke. He wanted so badly to jump in and defend Eisen, but he bit his tongue, forcing himself to remain silent. Like Eisen, he thought that Lexie deserved to say her piece while they listened. She was angry. They'd hurt her deeply, and the least they could do was listen to her rage.
Except... Lexie's rage wasn't really rage at all. It was more like... concern. Disappointment. And honestly, given what she said, Rory would've preferred rage. He closed his eyes when Lexie gave him... what actually sounded a lot like a blessing. I hope he means it. It was... the perfect slight. Rory was absolutely sure that he and Eisen would go through hell in the next few days. Maybe even the next few months. It would be as if they were both modern-day (male) versions of Hester Prynne, doomed to wear the scarlet mark of "cheater" for the rest of their lives. But what Lexie had said... Rory was pretty sure that no one would be able to make him feel any more vulnerable. He could handle death threats. He could handle yelling. But Rory could only barely handle the reminder that maybe this thing he had with Eisen... maybe it wasn't forever. Maybe it wouldn't last as long as he thought. Maybe breaking Lexie's heart this way was just another roundabout way of the universe punishing him for what he'd done to Fiona and Sebastian (not to mention to Lexie herself) and maybe it would all be over too soon.
But as Eisen looked into his eyes, as he sobbed stuttered his apology and collapsed, sobbing, against Rory's chest, Rory found the strength to ignore the barb. For now. It would come back to prick him later, Rory was sure - he would feel it in his dreams, and in his subconscious, but for now, Eisen needed him. And that fact alone was enough to make Rory ignore anything else. Rory ran a gentle (although not completely steady) hand through Eisen's hair and wrapped his arms around Eisen's pale form. "Don't be sorry," he murmured, brushing his lips against the crown of Eisen's forehead. "You don't have to apologize to me. Shhh."
He filtered his fingers through Eisen's hair again and reached up with one hand to cup his chin. "Hey. Look at me." He ran his thumb over the curve of Eisen's cheek. "I love you. This... all of this. It's awful. And yes, we probably deserve the ridicule that we're going to get as a result. But that doesn't change the fact that I love you and want to be with you. Eisen." Rory squeezed his best-friend-turned-lover a little closer. "I want to be with you. No matter what it takes."