Rory collapsed against his door as soon as he was inside his room. He couldn't believe how things had gone since getting to this awful house. His eyes moved around the simple beauty of the room. It was well-decorated for a spare bedroom with high-end furnishings and eye-catching paintings hanging on the walls... though he couldn't place the artists... He slid to the cool hardwood of the floor as he stared up at the paintings, getting lost in their beauty, disassociating as the sounds outside the door seemed to multiply.

He hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep on the cold floor until banging and loud panting moans broke the quiet night's air. His first reaction was to jerk away and seek a fitting place to hide, but once he realized he was alone in his own room, he breathed out a shaky breath. His eyes moved to the door as more loud noises echoed from just across the hall now. He groaned as he forced his tired, aching body from the cold floor and moved over to the bed. He searched the ornate dresser for his cellphone and immediately pulled up his favorite music streaming service. At least it hadn't been canceled yet, though it was only a matter of time before Mike realized he was still using his account. Rory searched for the playlist he'd created and turned the volume of his phone up as loud as it would go before crawling into bed.

To Rory's dismay, the banging and sounds of well-enjoyed sex could still be heard over his phone from time to time, making it extremely difficult for him to get back to sleep. He searched his computer bag for his worn-out headphones and buried his head under a pillow.

***

"Who told you to stop sucking? Shouldn't you be grateful I'm keeping such a useless faggot around? You think the guys here want to see your disgusting cock while we fuck you? Maybe we should just cut it off? You'd like that better anyway, wouldn't you?" Mike chuckled, the combination of drugs and alcohol causing his wicked words to slur.

Rory squeezed his eyes tighter, whimpering more as the smooth side of a cold blade brushed against his testicles. "No, please..." He begged, but his voice came out in weak, hoarse rasps.

"You don't need these... what use does a faggot have with balls?" Mike's snarky words bit out, drawing drugged laughter from around the room. His relentless thrusts didn't stop as he flipped the knife and ran the sharp point along Rory's shaft. "I bet if we cut it open, at least two other cocks could fit in it while I fuck your ass." He pushed the blade harder against Rory, drawing blood this time and bringing depraved laughter along with it.

"Ah, hurry up and do it already, then, I'm getting hard just thinking about it." A husky, drunk voice echoed somewhere to Rory's left. He could hear several zippers slide down as the blade bit deeper into his flesh. He tried his hardest to stifle his whimpers, knowing it would only increase the sick fucks' pleasure... but he couldn't it hurt too bad. He tried his hardest to struggle against the administration, but it was useless. Before he knew it, he was getting pinned more firmly against the table by more hands.

"Make yourself useful." Another harsh voice snarled near his head before his jaws were gripped painfully tight. A dick was forced between his lips. "Bite and I'll cut your dick off myself." The man growled.

Rory's body shook with sorrowful gloom as he resigned himself to another night of torture and abuse at the hands of Mike and his drugged-up friends.  

***

Rory jerked awake. His body still trembled from the aftermath of the most recent nightmare. Tears stung his eyes as he yawned deeply and rubbed away the watery trails. He pushed off the headphones as he sat up in bed, feeling around for his phone as he did. He quickly checked the time, blowing out an audible sound of relief when he saw how early it was. He glanced irritably toward the door. The noises from across the hall had persisted throughout the night and into the early hours of the morning, frequently breaking past the barriers of the cheap noise-canceling headphones... and adding fuel to his horrible flashbacks of Mike. Rory grimaced, a shudder running through his body as his mind went back to the last images that had played through his mind before he'd awoken. Rory blew out a sigh. With nights like last night, he almost preferred insomnia better. With another heavy sigh, he rolled out of bed and quickly ran through his morning routine.

Rory did a double-take, nearly falling over his own feet when he walked into the kitchen and saw Dillon already in there. "What are you doing?" He stammered, eyes wide in disbelief.

Dillon cocked a pierced brow as he glanced up from the cappuccino machine. "What does it look like?"

Rory's brows knitted. "That's not what I meant. What are you doing up this early?"

Dillon shrugged. "I rarely sleep in. Neither does Rin." His eyes moved over Rory. "I'm sure your early rising status will be a plus... if you manage to stay." A knowing, mischievous grin curved Dillon's expression as he gave Rory a slow once-over.

The nightmares from last night flooded Rory's mind, and his spine straightened. "There's nothing that will force me away from this job. You both may as well give up or just find an agreeable way to use me. Either way, doesn't matter, but I'm not leaving."

Dillon cocked his head to the side, studying Rory. Determined, puffy, tear-streaked eyes held his gaze firmly, causing his resolve to waver. Rin will be alone in tormenting this one. I can't do it. Dillon shook his head as he did his best to hide the grin that tried to snake its way across his lips. "What would you like for breakfast? It will be a long day, so you should eat now while you have a chance."

Rory swallowed hard, not expecting the conversation to end so easily. "I... uh... You don't have to cook for me. If you just show me around a bit in here, I can cook for myself."

Dillon arched the same pierced brow again. "Have you ever cooked using gas?"

Rory's confidence deflated. "Well... no..."

Dillon smirked as he nodded for him to come closer. "Come on, I'll show you... But don't be surprised if it takes a while to catch on."

Dillon cradled Rory between his arms in front of the range. Dillon gently took Rory's hand and placed it on the knob for the eye they were about to use. He grabbed Rory's other hand and quickly curled his fingers into his own and brought them by Rory's side. "You don't want your hand near the top of the range when you're about to light it."

Rory's eyes moved to his hand that was currently being swallowed up by Dillon's, before risking a glance up at the man towering over him. Heat crept into his cheeks, causing him to turn back to the range.

Dillon smiled but didn't comment; instead, he continued with his lesson. "Press the knob in and turn it to the little flame here. That will activate the electronic igniters... and don't worry." He nodded to the other eyes. "It's normal for them all to make that noise."

Rory involuntarily jumped when the flame sparked to life, but his body hit against the hard wall of Dillon's torso. He quickly tried to move, but Dillon caught him around the waist and held him in place.

"You're fine. I was expecting a bit of a reaction. Try not to move around too much, though. We wouldn't want you to get burned on your first try, now would we?" When wary eyes met his, Dillon sent him a reassuring smile. He released his hold on Rory's waist and took Rory's hand, bringing it back to the knob. "You don't have to push down this time, but once the flame is steady, you'll turn it to your desired height. Ideally, you'll want it to be about the same size as the cookware you're using." He leaned to the side and grabbed a pan. "This should do." He poured some oil into the pan. "You have to be a bit more mindful when using gas. Things cook hotter, which means faster and tend to stick worse if you're not careful." He reached over and grabbed a few eggs and handed them to Rory. "Want to crack these in?"

Rory nodded, taking the eggs as Dillon stepped away to cut open a pack of bacon. Rory only stiffened slightly as Dillon's hand slid back around him and brought him in front of the other eye. He sent Dillon a hesitant glance.

Dillon smiled reassuringly down at him. "Go ahead, let's see if you remember the steps." Dillon couldn't help tightening his grip and taking a step closer as he watched the golden blonde strands glisten in the early morning light filtering in through the window.

"Ok, should I put the bacon in now, or does it need oil too? Bacon is already pretty greasy once it starts cooking, so it should be fine, right?" Rory asked as he lifted the first strip of raw meat.

Dillon's grin widened as he muttered his approval of Rory's decision, his focus still on the blonde locks just at chest level. His fingers hovered a scant millimeter from testing the lush golden nest's softness when movement caught Dillon's attention.

Rin blew out a long whistle. "Had I known it was simply a matter of which of us was your type last night, I'd have made the accommodations."

Rory jumped at Rin's teasing words, causing hot grease to pop against his hand. He jerked against the sting of the grease and bumped his wrist against the side of the cast-iron skillet, letting out a pained howl as he did. He quickly grabbed his wrist and spun around, clinging to it without thinking.

Dillon held him against his chest with one arm as he pushed the skillet away and turned off the stove eye with his free hand. He shot Rin an irritated glare over his shoulder as he ushered Rory toward the sink. "Here, let's see it." He turned on the water and waited for it to reach room temperature before directing Rory's wrist into the stream.

Rin's eyes rolled with a sarcastic smirk. "Overreact much?"

Dillon shot Rin another irritated glance, but didn't say anything as Rin crouched to search under the counter for a first aid kit. "It's in the bathroom, I think," Dillon answered when Rin's head popped up questioningly.

Rin's eyes rolled again. "Which bathroom?"

It was Dillon's turn to roll his eyes. "Yours of course. Where else would we need it?"

Rin was back in no time, first aid kit in hand. Rin's eyes scanned Rory as Dillon continued to cradle him against his body and run water over his burn. "I'd love to ask what all this is this morning, but some of us have actual work to get done... and part of that is getting the other half of the talent up and functional."

"And whose fault is it that they're not currently functional?" Dillon snorted.

Rin's eyes narrowed on him. "You didn't seem to have any complaints last night."

Dillon shrugged. "No complaints and yet here I am awake and fully functional, as are you, and look so is Rory... or at least he was until you surprised him..."

Rin blew out a sigh. "I hear what you're saying. I'll throw his ass in a cold shower and dress him myself if I must, but you know as well as I do, he's the best we have right now."

Dillon frowned. "Yeah... For now..."

Rory's eyes moved back and forth between the two, taking everything in and not asking questions until Rin was out of the room. "I feel like there's a lot going on here. I don't understand. The two of you interact like siblings half the time, but then..." His cheeks reddened.

Dillon gave a half-smirk as he finished up with the bandages. "You'll figure it all out soon enough... who knows... maybe after you do, you'll decide to leave on your own."

Rory frowned. "You don't understand... leaving isn't an option..." His eyes trailed down to the bandage on his arm. "I have nowhere to go even if I wanted to..."

Dillon was quiet for several long moments, his eyes trained on Rory's bandaged hands, before he finally nodded. "I see... then... You should know, you're not alone in that. Sabastian and I were both like that in the beginning... for our own reasons... Sabastian still is... in a way... and it makes him... hard to deal with from time to time." Dillon's eyes finally lifted to Rory's, an unreadable emotion trying and failing to be conveyed deep in their emerald depths. "So, be careful and watch your back. It's not just Mr. Perish you should worry about when it comes to Rin." Dillon patted Rory's knee before lifting from the stool and stepping back toward the stove. He finished out the breakfast and slid a well-loaded plate over to Rory, drawing him out of his troubled thoughts. "Eat up, you'll need your energy. Rin doesn't like to take breaks once we've gotten into a good rhythm."