As Otis continued to heal, Cutter continued to try and expedite his emotional healing. Two weeks had passed since Otis had returned, and Cutter felt that not much progress had been made in that aspect of his recovery.
He gently kissed Otis, pushing him against the bed.
"Mmm..." Otis responded, wrapping his arms around Cutter's middle.
The clown moved down to Otis's neck, biting and suckling on the pale, sensitive flesh, making Otis squirm and writhe in pleasure.
"M...More...Oh, god...Don't stop...More..."
Cutter chuckled, snaking his hand behind Otis to stroke his back. "Mmm, are you begging?"
"N...No..." Otis's face reddened.
"Ohhh, don't get embarrassed with me." He kissed Otis softly, letting his hand ghost over Otis's hips. He still flinched, blue eyes staring in anticipation as he gasped softly. "Shhh. It's your teddy bear. Ain't gonna hurt you."
Otis was still tense, and Cutter began to kiss down his body, glancing up at his face every so often. As Cutter kissed his chest, Otis closed his eyes and tilted his head back, growling low in the back of his throat. Cutter knew that to Otis, yeah, the sex was good, but he could get that anywhere. It was the foreplay, the affection and love Cutter showed him that really got him. How Cutter cared for him, kissing every inch of his body if Otis wanted him to, if that's what he needed, and then fucking him slow and hard until he screamed, but it was the euphoria of being loved that really mattered.
Otis laughed easily as Cutter's beard tickled his ribcage when he kissed him, so Cutter lingered there a few minutes, just to hear that again.
"John!" Otis chuckled. "Stop!"
"Stop? You want me to stop?" He nibbled on Otis's flesh, making him moan slightly again.
"N...Nnn..." Again, Otis closed his eyes and relaxed as goosebumps rose on his skin.
As Cutter kissed down his abdomen, stopping at the waistband of his pants, Otis ventured to look at him again, blue eyes meeting those chocolate brown. "What do you want, little angel? What do you want me to do to you?"
Otis gulped. Something changed in his body language that Cutter detected, but mistook for anticipation.
"Do you want me to fuck you until it hurts? Low and slow until you fucking scream?" He growled.
Cutter stripped off his pants and Otis began to shake. Cutter rested one hand on his abdomen, staring down at him.
"F-Fuck...John, stop..."
"What?"
"Stop...D...Don't touch me...Please...Get off of me..."
"Daddy? Otis?" Baby called, slamming the door behind her.
Cutter grumbled, rising from the bed. Otis pulled his pants back up and skittered down the stairs.
"Hey! How're you feeling?" Baby wrapped her arms around Otis, pulling him into a warm embrace. Quickly pulling away, she scrutinized him. "You're shaking."
"I-I'm okay. Just...uh..."
"Okay. You don't have to tell me." She pushed the hair out of Otis's eyes, then rested her hand on his cheek. "Beard's growin' back, huh?"
"Mm-hmm..."
"You're all scratchy, though!" She wrinkled her nose and Otis's heart clenched. She was so adorable sometimes, it made him question his relationship with Cutter.
"It'll get softer..." He mumbled, absentmindedly smoothing the facial hair.
The three spent most of the day together, ordering takeout for dinner and enjoying the time they spent.
Cutter, however, started drinking. He was extremely frustrated with Otis's reactions. Why couldn't he just get over what had happened? Why wasn't he better yet?
He rested his hand on Otis's thigh, making him jump.
"What the fuck, Otis?"
Otis stared back at him, big blue eyes wide with fear.
"That was two fucking weeks ago or more. Get the fuck over it."
"Daddy!" Baby scolded.
"No! I'm fucking tired of it! It's always what YOU want in the bedroom! When do I get what I want? Huh? No, it's always me catering to what YOU want. Being all sweet and lovey-dovey because 'that's what you need'. BULLSHIT! You're fucking spoiled and you don't want to do anything you think is fucking below you. You're SPOILED! That's all it is!" He turned to Baby. "You know what this mother fucker said to me today? He told me to stop. Oh, he was all into it when I was loving on him, kissing all over him. But as soon as I wanted to get down to business, he wanted me to stop. Fucking spoiled brat."
Furious, Otis stood. "YOU mother FUCKER! I risked my fucking LIFE for you! I could have fucking died! Do you...Do you have ANY idea what they did to me?! No, because you didn't have to go through with it, so you don't fucking care! I paid your debts FOR you, you fucking asshole! You may have taken me in, but you didn't suffer like I fucking did for you. I was beaten for DAYS on end. With no food. They showered me with a fucking pressure washer. They r..." Otis paused, looking into Cutter's eyes, trying to find some inkling of a clue as to what he would do. "They fucking raped me over and over and over again. And I'm still fucking healing from that and you can't ACCEPT that?! Because I did it for you because I fucking love you! I suffered because you were a fucking idiot! I went through this because of you!"
Otis felt the blow to his cheek before he fully registered what had happened, tasted the blood pooling in his mouth.
"Think that's the last time you'll see the back of my hand, bitch?" Cutter took a step toward Otis, towering over him as he began to cower.
"Daddy, stop!" Baby stepped in between them, but Cutter moved around her and shoved Otis, toppling him over the coffee table and onto the floor.
"There, bitch. Broke my fuckin' table, didn't you? Bitch!" Cutter back-handed Otis once more. The smaller man then guarded his face, curling into a tight ball. Cutter managed one more blow before Baby finally wedged herself between them.
"Babygirl? What's wrong? Why're you cryin'?"
"Daddy...?"
Cutter took another shot of whiskey and immediately threw up.
"I think it's time for you to go to bed..."
"Yeah...I'm gonna go upstairs."
"Okay. Can you make it up?"
"Yeah. I'll be fine."
Baby knelt in front of Otis, who was still curled into a ball, shaking. "Hey...It's okay. It's okay...Let me see..." She tried to pry Otis's arms away from his face, to no avail. "H...Has he done that before?"
Otis shook his head. "N...N...Never h...hit me b...before..."
"Okay...I think you need to stay at my house tonight."
He shook his head again. "N...N..N...No...H...He...He'll get madder if I'm not here when he wakes up..."
Baby sighed. "Let me take care of you, then..."
"I'm f-fine..."
"Otis...Fine. Okay. But I'm staying over here, then. If he wakes up and comes down here-"
"N...No...I...I've gotta go up with him, he'll get pissed if-"
"I don't care. You're not going up there. I'll stay here and you wake me up if he comes down here, okay?"
Otis nodded, finally looking up at her. Her father had landed two really good blows on his face, but the third had fallen on his shoulders.
"Oh, Jesus...Did...Did you hear anything crack?"
"No. I said I'm fine."
"Okay. Okay. Are you in your sleep clothes? Do you need anything from upstairs?"
"No..."
Baby helped Otis to settle on the couch after she had gotten him calmed down. She fell asleep in the recliner, but he couldn't slumber peacefully. He would begin to doze, and then wake himself up. Until morning, when Baby began to stir, and he felt protected once again. She began to make breakfast, knowing her father would be hung over.
Cutter wandered down the stairs, moaning and rubbing his head. "Mm...Why's he sleepin' down here? He just pass out there last night?" He squinted. "What's that big bruise on his face?"
"Daddy...Don't you remember?"
"Remember what?"
"You fucking HIT him last night."
"What?"
"You told him how sick of him being so scared you are. And...Dad, I get it, but you have to let him heal in his own time. Do you realize what he went through for you?That he did it out of love for you? I know it kind of sucks for you but it REALLY sucked for him when he was being fucking TORTURED for you. And you don't even have the fucking decency to let him work through it, to be there for him as he does. To support him because he supported you."
"B...Baby...I..."
"I'm so fucking mad at you, Daddy...Just..." She threw the pan of bacon onto a plate and shoved it into his hands. "Here."
She sat next to Otis on the couch, stroking his hair as he slept. He whimpered, stirring.
"It's just me. Just Baby."
He fell relaxed again, snoring softly.
"I'm...Sure he's scared of me now..."
"Probably." She glared.
"I...I'll let him rest." Cutter mumbled, sitting at the kitchen table and munching on the breakfast Baby had prepared.
