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."
***
Sabastian blew out an indignant huff as he ground his teeth against the grin he was holding for the picture. "This wouldn't be so hard for him if he were at all familiar with Rin's work!"
Rory winced against the biting remark as he fumbled through the various props set out on the table. Rin's sing-song laughter clawed against his spine as it rang through the silent room mockingly. A long, frustrated sigh tickled his cheek as familiar, elegant fingers brushed past him and retrieved the item he'd been sent after several minutes ago. He could feel his entire face and neck redden when Dillon didn't move away instantly, his hot gaze burning into the back of his head instead.
"You know, Sab isn't wrong... and currently you're getting in the way more than helping." Dillon nodded toward a tablet at the end of the table. "Why don't you take the day to observe us, and while you're at it, start by familiarizing yourself with Rin's most recent release. At least then you'll be able to help during the con... hopefully..." When confused eyes met his, Dillon arched a pierced brow. "The most recent novel is on that tablet. We have places marked throughout the entire copy where we plan on cosplaying, creating art and merch, running scenes for events, and doing readings. It will be important for you to know these things, yeah?"
Rory nodded as his gaze moved from Dillon toward the tablet. "I... I won't be losing your place or anything, will I?"
Dillon shook his head. "Not at all. We have page marks set, so it's all good. It will be less irritating if you knew your shit than if we must flip through some extra pages later."
Rory nodded again, this time feeling shame creep into his chest as he considered all his declarations to keep this job... but the lack of effort he'd put into it thus far... He gathered the tablet and found a comfortable lounge chair in the corner. His eyes strayed to the three who had returned to work. It was obvious from watching them today what kind of story it would be. His face heated as he watched Sabastian straddle Rin's lap and press his palms beneath the front of the open robes. Privacy... How bad he longed for some privacy 0to read this, instead of having a live demonstration performed right in front of him the entire time he was forced to read it. He cleared his throat and lowered his gaze to the page that had been left open. His eyes bugged before shooting back to the two men entwined in a passionate embrace. Are they really going to act this out here? Right now? His eyes fell to the page as he began reading more.
Rory's eyes rampaged across the screen, his fingers nearly too slow to scroll fast enough. Wreathing, writhing, panting bodies seeking the darkest, most forbidden pleasures spilled out almost poetically across the tablet pages. Moans from the set mingled with the erotic text built the intoxicating passions being described. Rory could feel his cheeks redden as he quickly pressed his thighs together and glanced toward the others.
From his position across the room, the scene before him looked undeniably real. If someone were to walk in or see the many pictures and videos later, they would never know how carefully planned out each shot truly was... not that watching lost any of the erotic appeal. He bit into his lower lip as he watched Dillon attach a realistic, fully equipped with veins and all, dildo to a harness just beneath Rin's robes. He then positioned Sabastian in a way where any traces of the harness would be hidden. His eyes moved back to the tablet as he scrolled through the marked tabs, searching for the scene they were setting up for. His hand quickly shot to his mouth to muffle the gasp that squeaked past them, his wide eyes shooting to the three men once again. Curious grins met his wide eyes, and he realized too late he'd not masked his gasp well enough.
"Read something you like?" Rin chuckled, sending him a devilishly seductive grin that drew an extra click from Dillon's camera.
"You... you're not really acting THIS out, are you?" He could feel his cheeks grow redder still as he continued to speak. "I mean, you're not actually going to p-penetrate him in the pictures... are you?"
Rin's devilish grin widened, turning more feral, drawing more camera clicks from Dillon. "I am, and these will be the first to sell out." He sent Rory a wink before turning his attention to Sabastian.
Rory watched in what could only be described as aroused horror as they spent the next hour taking various pictures... but it wasn't what Rory had expected. No, instead of the raw, humiliating sex from last night, they had forced him to watch; this was art... There was no other word for it. Everything was precise, from the angle the pictures were being taken in, to the depth of insertion, the movements of Rin's body against Sabastian... every last aspect had been well thought out to give the viewer the best possible product in the end. Captivated by the process, Rory set the tablet aside and moved to Dillon's side. "Is there anything I can help with?"
Dillon glanced over at him, taking in his curious gaze, before chuckling. "Finally taking us seriously?" He nodded toward the props table. "We'll be moving on to the next scene in a few. Go ahead and read over that one and gather the needed supplies."
Rory did as he was told, once again getting lost more in the action before him than in the reading itself. He stroked his chin as he glanced down at the tablet. "Would it be ok if I took a copy of this book to my room tonight?"
Dillon shrugged. "You can take that tablet. We have another one with the exact same bookmarks saved."
Rory scrunched his brows. "Would it be ok if I left notes in this document?"
Dillon shrugged. "You may want to ask Rin first, but I don't see why not. What were you thinking?"
Rory stroked his chin as his eyes moved from Rin and Sabastian as they were preparing for the final shoot back to the tablet. "I don't know... I just feel like something is missing... I've not read the whole thing, so I've missed large parts of the story... but the story doesn't seem as captivating as watching them."
Dillon arched a pierced brow. "Hum... interesting take. I'm sure Rin will love to hear your feedback on this." He shook his head with a chuckle as he turned his attention back to them. "Why don't you go ahead and take that to your room, and once we have everything wrapped up for the day, one of us will come get you for dinner."
Lost in the captivating world of old, Rory didn't hear the door to his bedroom open. It wasn't until the door closed and a throat cleared that he glanced up from the tablet. "Oh..." He glanced at the clock on the tablet. It was after nine at night. "I didn't realize it was so late already."
A smirk curved Rin's lips. "Then you must be enjoying the story?"
Rory blew out an uneasy breath as he watched Rin push away from the closed door and stalk over toward the bed he was lying on. His eyes followed Rin as he flopped down beside him, but he stayed quiet.
Rin arched a brow. "I hear you have notes for me about the story?"
Rory nodded. "Not so many notes now that I've read a larger portion... more of... reflections and observations..."
The smirk returned to Rin's lips as he flopped down onto his back on the bed. "Is that so? Then let's hear them. Regale me with your reflections, why don't you?"
Rory scrunched his brow as he sat up. "The world-building is amazing. It really sucks in the readers. The characters even start out interesting... but slowly lose their appeal throughout the story, as there is little character growth with either. As for the plot... There isn't much past overly erotic sex. I suppose that in itself can be a selling point, but if paired with a plot..." His eyes moved down to Rin's stormy violet eyes. "Wouldn't it make the story better?"
Rin's lips fell into a near snarl. "You couldn't possibly have gotten far enough to make so many wide assumptions."
"I have... because I merely scanned through all the pointless sex." He interjected with a shrug. "Maybe it would have been worth reading if the plot had revolved around romance and the sex was building on that, but it doesn't."
Rin pushed up from the bed. "I think I've heard enough."
"You don't like criticism... but as your assistant, hired by your father to improve your work, I advise perhaps addressing these issues in your next story..."
Anger flared at the mention of his father. He turned back to the bed and pinned Rory to the mattress. "And what do you know of romance? Are you here to teach me?"
Rory shook his head. "I may not know much about love and romance, but I know what it isn't... and what you're writing about isn't love or romance... As for teaching you..." He flexed his hands against Rin's painful grip. "I doubt I'd be any better of a teacher than you would be a student."
Rin narrowed his eyes with a snarl to his lips. "Perhaps you're right... But for the sake of the next book, why don't you try?" He released Rory and scooped the tablet off the bed. After pressing a few buttons, he tossed the tablet back to him. "Here is my current work in progress. It will be released in a few months. Make this one a bigger seller than the current, and I'll stop harassing you."