Adi sat in the living room with Mother Firefly, waiting for Otis to finish a motor with Rufus and come in. She was quite comfortable with most of the family, though Grampa still slightly discomforted her.

"Hey, Eve?"

"Yes dear?" She cooed, turning to face her and smiling.

"Uhm...Can...Can you tell me a little bit about Otis's past...?" She felt dirty betraying him, but she felt she deserved to know- if she was going to be intimate with him, she needed to know what caused a reaction from him so she didn't get a knife to her throat.

"Well...What do you know?"

"I know he was abused...physically, and I...I think, sexually..." She hesitated, peering at Mother Firefly through her peripheral vision. She knew she would give her the information she wanted. She was a running spigot of information.

"Yes..." She frowned. "Our poor Otis...His mother beat him and his father...He's very skittish, I'm sure you've noticed."

Adoria nodded. "He flinches when I touch his face...Gotten better with just...me touching him, though."

Mother Firefly nodded. "Yes...He...I don't think he spent much time being a child when he was young...I think he spent most of his childhood on his knees or huddles in a fetal position."

"O...Oh..."

"I promise you, though, all he wants is to be loved."

Adi smiled softly. "Yeah...I know."

"Have you ever seen him sleep?"

"Hmm? No."

Mother Firefly shook her head, a small smile growing on her face. "He's always curled around somethin'. Always has been like that, since he first came here. Just wants to be holdin' somebody close...Usually its a pillow or his blanket, but I've caught him snuggled up to one of our dogs before."

"Awww..." She cocked her head. "Is...Is he real affectionate with you guys?"

The older woman shrugged. "Ehhh...Every now and again. You have to make him. He doesn't do it on his own. I think he still gets scared he's going to get hit...That's a hard thing to shake."

"I would imagine...especially if that's all you'd known..."

"I don't know everything he's been through, but I know enough to know that it's been absolute hell for him. I know he was chained to his bed a lot of the time...I know he's been beaten severely...I know he only saw other kids through his bedroom window...And I know he was terrified of Cutter for a good long while; he was terrified of all of us. Especially when he first came and he was so sick..."

"Hm?" Adi cocked her head again.

"Oh, sweetie when Otis first came to us he was on the verge of death. He had some...infection...like...the flu or something? And...he had these wounds that smelled putrid...He had sepsis...and he...He was so thin...you could count his ribs...My poor baby..."

"W...What...?"

"Oh, sweetie. Otis is anorexic...He's been doing really, really well, but he still has his bad days."

Adi began to speak, but heard the door open and saw Otis and Rufus stumble through, both exhausted looking and grease-stained. She stood and sauntered over to him.

"Hey, sexy. Where're you goin' lookin' like that?" She licked her lips.

He smirked. "Well, I was goin' to see my girl."

Adi's heart skipped a beat. 'his girl'. She tried to mask her excitement and astonishment. "Ah...w...I..."

Otis laughed. "Aaaah, so I finally got you speechless, huh?"

"Shut up." She grumbled, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. She drew back, then, wrinkling her nose. "Go get a shower. You stink."

"Well, I WAS out in the heat all day under a car."

"Exactly, you have a cloud of yuck around you. Go shower. I'll be here."

He trotted up the stairs and came down after about an hour, hair still damp.

"Better, your majesty?"

"Much." She wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and kissed him, placing her other hand on his chest. "Hey, I have some good news."

"Oh, yeah? What's that, mama?"

"I found an apartment!"

"Hey, that's great! I didn't really know you were looking?"

"I mean...I live at the hospital, dipshit."

Otis shrugged. "Free room."

"It's a pain in the ass. But now, I can have you over."

He smirked. "Yeah, that's true."

"So...can you come with me to get some stuff for my apartment?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Sure."

They traveled to the hardware store in town, sorting through this or that.

"Adi! What're you doing here?" Two women approached her, smiling.

"Oh! Just getting some things for the apartment."

They talked for a while; after a few moments, she turned to where she had thought Otis was standing.

"W...where did he go?"

"Who?"

"My boyfriend..." She saw him turn around an aisle and drug him over to the conversation. After the two had left, she took his hands in hers and began to shop again. "Where did you go?"

"Huh? I just gave you some space, is all." He shrugged.

"Why? You didn't even say anything."

"I...I didn't know if...You would want them to see you with me, let alone know we're together."

"What? Why wouldn't I? I love to show you off!"

Otis's face reddened, but he didn't reply.

Within a few days, Adi was moved in to her apartment, and invited Otis over for dinner.

As soon as they were finished eating, she was on him, sitting on his lap and grinding her hips against his.

"F...Fuck, mama..." He murmured as she felt him digging his fingers into her spine.

"That's what I'm tryin' to do, sweetie."

He picked her up and carried her to her bedroom-with her direction. Releasing her, he stripped his shirt off over his head.

She struggled with his belt as he undid her bra; before she let his jeans fall, she pushed her hand into the waistband, letting it wander.

Otis bristled, squeezing her hips harder than what could be considered sexual. Adi let her hand travel back up to the small of his back and let gravity take care of his jeans.

"So much more comfortable than a car..." She purred, shoving him onto the bed and climbing on top of him.

"Adi, last time-"

"I know." She began kissing his neck. He let out a low groan, cutting him off mid-sentence. She kissed his chest and neck, leaving warm prints of affection on his alabaster skin. "I just want to love on you."

She continued kissing up and down his body until he was squirming and moaning so much she couldn't take it, she needed him now.

They made love, her relishing at the view as he ground into her slowly and passionately.

When they had finished, she curled up to him under the covers, and was disappointed when he stood to get dressed.

"You can stay, you know."

"Huh?"

"Please...Stay...?"

"I...Adi, no, I-"

"Please, Otis?"

"Nah. You need to stay the first night in your new apartment alone."

"Don't tell me what I need."

Sighing, he paused. He had only made it so far as to put his boxers on. He stood, arms crossed over his chest, eyebrow raised.

"Otis, I want you to stay. Not because I need you to. I DON'T need you to. But I want you to. Because I want you to know that you're welcome here, and that this is your apartment, too, if you need it to be."

"Wow. That's a really great argument. That you don't need me."

"Fuck you, you know what I meant."

"Yeah..."

"Please, Otis. I want to spend the night with my boyfriend."

Sighing, he relented. "O...Okay." He lay back in bed with her, letting her curl up to him.

He fought sleep relentlessly, but eventually lost. Adi awoke to him whimpering slightly, feeling him tremble.

"Otis?" She stroked the hair away from his face, jerking away when he flinched.

"N...nnn..."

"Shhh...You're okay..."

"P...Please..."

"Otis...?"

"Daddy...M...Mommy already beat me...P...Please...Please don't...I...I'm so hungry..."

The blood drained from Adoria's face.

"Daddy...N...No..." Tears rolled down Otis's face as he shook, begging. "I'll be good...Please...Ah!" Otis flinched wildly from a blow that wasn't coming. "Please don't fuck me...G...God...Please...It hurts...N...NO! NO!"

"Otis, fuck! wake up!" She shook him, begging him to open his eyes.

He screamed, flinching away. "STOP! PLEASE STOP! I'LL BE GOOD PLEASE!"

She took his face in her hands, stroking his cheeks with her thumbs. "Shhhh...Shhhh...It's okay. It's okay. I promise I would never hurt you. Shhhh..."

He froze, his eyes flying open, staring into hers.

"Shhh..." She kissed his forehead. "It's okay. I'm here...You're okay. You're safe."

He stared at her, wide eyed in horror, frozen in place. His whole body was tense, like he was ready to attack.

"Relax...No one's gonna hurt you." She pulled away from him, giving him space.

He lurched out of bed, grabbing his jeans and pulling them on haphazardly.

"Where are you going? What's wrong?"

"I FUCKING knew I shouldn't have stayed. Goddammit..."

"What?"

"I FUCKING told you I didn't want to stay! You fucking made me stay and look what happened! God DAMMIT!"

"What the fuck?!"

He ran his hands through his hair, obviously extremely stressed. "Where the FUCK are my boots?! Fuck it." He started out the door, no shirt, no shoes.

"Otis, you can't drive at night! Don't leave! Where are you going?!" She grabbed his arm, pulling him back. "You'll get into an accident!"

"Let me GO, Adi!"

"You don't even have shoes on!"

"I don't fucking need them! I need to leave!"

"No! Otis, please!"

He wrenched his arm away, storming out and running to his car before she could catch up to him. Luckily, the sun was starting to peak over the horizon, illuminating the road enough for him to see.

He retched several times on the way home, eventually making it back. He headed to the pile of junk in the back yard, kicking and screaming and stabbing anything he came into contact with.