Page 43 of Obsessed

“My mom isnota doormat, but she’s unstable and doesn’t care about my safety. If she did, then she wouldn’t have brought all those perverts home.”

“All those perverts?” A chill ran up Mason’s spine as the cause of Rain’s screaming gaze became crystal clear. He tried to meet Rain’s eyes but Rain kept staring straight ahead, his hand going clammy in Mason’s hold.

“There’s only one jerk now, but before Tristan - when I was a kid - sometimes her dates would sneak into my room and touch me.” His fingers twitched again. “I installed my first lock when I was five, ordered it from the internet, but it didn’t always stop them.”

That’s when Rain turned to him and Mason could see the kaleidoscope of his pain, hear the cries in his heart, and for the first time in a long time he wanted to hug someone, to hold Rain in his arms and drain all his hurt, his anger, and his agony, because Mason knew what it was like to suffer at the hands of others, to be too young and weak to have any agency, tormented by the people who were supposed to protect you. It fundamentally changed you as a person.

Now things made sense - why Rain knew so much about security, why he slept in The Pointe’s storage room, and why he carried around pepper spray - because his childhood had been a hellscape too, with one exception. Rain never had a Gran.

But you know what, Cricket? He has you.

“I’m sorry.” Mason wished that he had something better to say, something wise or reassuring, but if Rain knew that he’d only said those words to Gran, then he’d know how special they were. To send it home, Mason pulled on Rain’s hand, slowly drawing him in, and while Rain’s eyes widened, he didn’t resist, allowing himself to be carefully embraced.

Awkward at first, Mason didn’t know where to rest his hands, worried that he’d set Rain off, but then it dawned on him that even with Rain’s history, and what had happened today, he was allowingMason’stouch. Plus, he’d stopped shaking and Mason took that as a good sign, so he kept his arms loosely around Rain’s middle. Trilling, Mouse moved next to them, settling down with her paws tucked in.

Following her lead, Rain let out a bone-weary sigh, some of the tension sliding from his body as he leaned his forehead on Mason’s shoulder. They stayed like that for a bit and while Mason was proud to be a throne for his elfin prince, his frothing rage kept him from basking in this strangely intimate moment.

He wanted to find Rain’s mother and tear her and her boyfriend apart and then find every single person who touched Rain without his consent and rip them into pieces as well. But he wasn’t a fighter, he couldn’t even face his own bullies, how could he protect Rain?

By sharing his sanctuary and letting Rain stay here for as long as he wanted. He hadn’t thought much about their photographer and muse relationship beyond the exhibition, but he knew that this place would feel even emptier without Rain and Mouse. This house was becoming a home again, and now they could both be children sheltered under Gran’s roof. Mason knew that if she were still here, she’d approve.

Starting, Rain sat up as if he’d been caught doing something wrong and wiped his eyes.

“Thanks. And I’m sorry about your dresser, I got scared but I’m okay now.” He tried to shrug it off and snap back to his old persona but his red-rimmed gaze screamed louder than ever. “I feel like I overreacted. I’ve been dealing with this harassment since I was a kid. I should be used to it by now.”

“You didn’t overreact.” Mason could feel his brow furrowing. Did Rain not understand what had happened to him? “And it’s not harassment.”

“Then what is it?” Rain frowned, sounding defensive, and Mason cursed himself for not softening his tone.

“It’s abuse, sexual abuse,” Mason stated a bit more gently. “You were touched in a sexual way without your consent.”

Rain looked down at the floor, confusion across his face as he played with the end of his braid.

“But it’s not like those guys fucked me…”

“It doesn’t matter.” Mason’s anger leaked, spilling around him. “You were a child.”

Expression dark, Rain went silent, processing. Several times he glanced up at Mason, who tried to emote that this anger wasforRain, notatRain, and he seemed to understand. Eventually, the truth sank in because he let out something between a laugh and a sob.

“When I was nine, I tried to tell my mom what happened and she got quiet. Then she said I was lying.” Unshed tears bloomed in his eyes. “If I was lying, then how would I know what their dicks looked like? And that one of them had a foot fetish? I didn’t tell anyone about it after that.”

“You told me,” Mason stated as softly as he could.

“I did.” Rain bit his lip, staring at nothing, and then shrugged, blinking away his tears. “But it’s in the past, it doesn’t matter-”

“It does!” Mason didn’t realize that he’d raised his voice until Mouse stirred, looking at him, and Rain’s eyebrows flew up.

“Wow…thanks.” His voice held pleased shock. As always, he inherentlygotMason, knowing that he only yelled when he needed to, when he cared, but that concern bounced off another shrug, defeat in the curve of Rain’s spine. “But what can I do about it? I don’t even know their names. All I have is an SD card with video of her latest jerk trashing my room…maybe. But it’s his place, so it’s not like he did anything illegal.”

“Have you thought about cutting off your mom?” Mason had done that with his family and even though they weren’t making it easy now, those years with Gran had given him room to breathe.

“I want to.” Worry squeezed Rain’s brows. “I’m almost there but I’m afraid of what she’ll do to find me if I go no-contact, and how she’ll act if she does.”

“Is she violent?” Mason flooded with anxiety.

“A little. But she’s mostly loud and scary.”

“Does she know you’re here?” Glad he’d beefed up security, Mason pulled Rain a little closer, the proximity relaxing both of them.

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