Chapter Text
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The leaking pipe was like clockwork, each drip about a second apart. A few hours ago, Adrien had thought it nice, since it broke the silence and he could use the drips to soothe his aching throat. But now, it was an agonizing, annoying sound that was driving him up the damn walls.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The tiny room where he'd grown up was taller than it was wide. If he stood up and held his arms out, his palms would lie flat against the long walls. If he lay on his back and pressed his feet against the far wall, the tips of his fingers would brush against the short ones. But if he held his arms up, they'd fall about a meter short of the ceiling.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The room looked fairly unremarkable. It was made of steel, and every sound made within reverberated loudly and made his ears hurt. It was brightly lit, only ever dark when the bulbs burst. He remembered it happening… twice in his life. The walls were marked with scuffs and blood from angry outbursts. There wasn’t much inside besides him. There was a mattress, a bucket, a pile of threadbare blankets, and a few toys and books abandoned in a corner.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
He stood and looked at his threadbare clothes. A flannel shirt that had lost two of eight buttons and denim work pants, both filthy beyond any reason. He ripped the bottom of his shirt. It was too small now, showing a sliver of his skin, but the rag he'd created seemed to be good enough. Adrien checked to make sure the bucket was empty before turning it over to stand on.
Drip. Drip. Dri--this one hit his head, and the sound was softer against his matted hair.
He wrapped the rag around the leaking pipe. It started to soak up the water, but quickly grew thick with liquid. It flooded, doing nothing but delay the next drip a few moments. Now the pattern was off. He'd made an already annoying sound worse.
Drip. Drip drip. Drip… drip drip drip.
Adrien let out a frustrated groan. He plopped back down on the mattress and looked up at the ceiling, narrowing his eyes so the light didn't hurt them. He closed them, and he tried to focus on something other than the now uneven dripping.
Drip. His stomach hurt. He hadn't been fed in a couple of days. Hunger gnawed at his gut, twisting upon itself like a snake. It even hissed like one, and he frowned.
Drip-drip drip. There was a spiderweb in the corner. Adrien wasn't tall enough to reach it. He could see something small moving quickly on the web. He wondered what kind of spider it was. He wondered if he'd die if it bit him.
Drip.
Adrien tore at his hair. Anything would be better than this damnable dripping!
There was a loud scraping sound above the ceiling. Adrien flinched and covered his head. He took it back--he preferred the dripping. He prayed that it would stop, or that it would just be a food drop…
The hatch opened with an ear-piercing creak. Adrien squeezed his eyes shut. Please just drop food, he begged within his mind.
No such luck. He heard rope knots hit steel, and he buried his face in his knees as tears he wasn't strong enough to fight poured out of his eyes. There were short grunts, and the rope ladder swayed and hit the hatch.
Adrien looked up when he heard someone hit the floor. He made eye contact with Jackady.
Jackady was about average height and weight for an adult man, though that still put him much larger than Adrien. His hair was light brown, long and curly, slicked back and pulled into a ponytail on his neck. His eyes looked dark from far away, but were actually as cold and grey as the steel walls. He wore a dress shirt, a black bow tie, a silver vest and breeches. The breeches had one purple leg and one green leg, each pinstriped with the opposite leg’s color. The vest had watches melted onto the fabric, though they still seemed operational. Each face showed a different time, but ticked away the seconds in unison.
“Did you miss me? I missed you.” He asked, reaching for Adrien’s chin. He held it for a moment before Adrien jerked away. He curled into a ball and backed himself into a corner. “Don't be like that, pet. Come here.” Jackady said. Adrien ignored him. “I said, come here.” Adrien covered his ears and closed his eyes. He didn't want to see Jackady. He didn't want to hear him. It meant something bad was going to happen, that he was going to be hurt.
Jackady wrapped his leather belt around Adrien’s neck. He was yanked towards him, the belt tightening around his throat. He yelped, but it was quickly replaced with desperate gasps for air. Adrien clawed at the belt, his nails ripping into his own skin.
“You listen to me, boy! I said, come here!” Jackady shouted, his voice echoing on the walls. “After so long, how have you not learned the rules? I give you an order and you follow it!” Adrien’s breath was getting shallower. He reached up and clawed at Jackady’s hands, but he was too disoriented to physically harm him. “You will obey me!”
Adrien nodded vigorously. Anything to stop the choking. Jackady loosened his grip on the belt, and Adrien unwrapped the belt. He held it for a moment as he caught his breath, but he could feel Jackady's eyes appraising him. He looked up at him through his matted hair, and he started to shake.
“What are you waiting for, pet?” He grinned evilly. “Give me a little show.”
He flinched. But he had no choice. Adrien stood shakily on his mattress and reached for the buttons on his shirt. He undid them carefully so he wouldn't pop off any of them off--Jackady had beat him the first two times. Then he made eye contact as he pulled his shirt off.
Jackady walked forward and lifted his chin. He kissed Adrien, though it was starved and sloppy. He forced him against the wall, which hurt Adrien’s spine, and he reached down into his work pants. Adrien inhaled slightly and squeezed his eyes shut again. Focus on something else, he advised himself. Anything but his hands, anything but his teeth, anything but this.
Jackady let go of him and broke the kiss. He pushed him down onto the mattress, which startled Adrien into opening his eyes. He waited impatiently as Adrien struggled with the button and the zipper. He reluctantly removed his pants, now exposed completely to Jackady, who also dropped his pants. As Jackady drew closer, Adrien covered his face.
Jackady moved his hands to find closed eyes, but must not have deemed it worth the effort, because he started to touch him without mentioning it. Adrien opened his eyes again and watched the spider in the corner. It had caught a fly in its web, and had wrapped it in silken threads. The more he focused, the more he could see. The spider was quite large, easily noticeable now that he'd seen it. The thick legs, sharp fangs and light brown body were clearly outlined against the steel. The fly wasn't so easily seen. It struggled against forces it couldn't defeat, and soon enough, it stopped moving altogether.
It was easy to draw the comparison.
Jackady grabbed his face. Adrien met his eyes, fear shaking his spine. He tried to pull away from his hands. “Stop fidgeting. It doesn't become you.” Jackady said as dragged his nails against his abdomen, leaving marks. He brought them up, tearing at his neck and pulling his hair. “But you still aren't paying attention.”
Adrien let out a weak whimper.
“Are you hungry?” Adrien hesitated. “Oh, you were so much easier to talk to before you decided to hold your tongue.” He reached behind him and grabbed his pantaloons.
Within the pocket was a balled up piece of paper. Jackady opened it, revealing a few scraps of meat and an apple slice. Adrien watched Jackady’s face before he reached for the food. It was pulled away a moment before his fingers touched the paper.
“You know what you have to do. Or do you need to be reminded?” He asked.
Adrien glared at Jackady, who wore a smug grin. He shifted positions so he was on his knees, and he took a deep breath.
It had always been like this.
Adrien had forgotten what his life was like before Jackady pushed him into the room. In his desire to remain strong, details about himself faded away.
His family name had been the first thing he'd forgotten. No child needed to know it, not really. He'd forgotten where he lived though he remembered it was… big. He forgot what his room looked like, he'd forgotten the name of the girl he used to play with, he'd forgotten his mother's name…
Then he forgot his father’s face. He hadn't spent much time with his father, but it still surprised him when he realized that the memory was gone. Soon enough, he forgot his mother’s as well. He forgot, even, what his own face looked like, after time changed it.
Then he forgot nearly everything else. The only clue he had to his identity was a ring he'd pretended to swallow so Jackady wouldn't steal it. It was a silver signet ring, the face designed with an elegant butterfly within a circle. The words ‘in umbra sanaret’ were carved into the inside.
He didn't remember what they meant.
Salty flesh withdrew from soft lips. Adrien stifled a gag and covered his mouth with his hands. Jackady ran his fingers through his hair, pulling a few damp strands out of his ponytail.
He redressed, and upon finishing the task, removed the paper from his pocket and tossed it to Adrien. “Rest well, pet. I'll be back soon enough.” He jumped up and grabbed the rope ladder. He climbed out of the room, removed the ladder and closed the hatch.
Adrien was alone once again. Just him and the drip, which had finally evened out.
He crawled over to the bucket and spat the semen into it. He now openly gagged, rubbing his tongue against the steel to replace the taste of flesh with that of metal. He clawed at his skin, ripping and tearing at the places where he could feel Jackady’s touch. He sighed and looked up at the hatch.
Drip.
How long would he be gone this time? Minutes? Hours? Days? Would he sleep in that time? Would he touch him again, or would Jackady demand blood? Adrien looked at the wall and ran his fingers against a bloodstain.
Drip.
He reached for his clothes and redressed quickly. Adrien grabbed the paper and opened it. He looked at the food, wondered briefly if it had been worth it, and then started to eat. It was cold and ungentle in his throat, and after he finished, he licked the paper. He was still hungry--so hungry, in fact, that he ate the paper rather than let it go to waste. When he finished, he cried.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip… Adrien wasn't sure how long he cried, only that he did so until he was too exhausted to stay awake. He fell onto the mattress and used the blankets to block out the hot light. Now, in the darkness of his mind, he found peace.
He woke when Jackady opened the hatch again. Adrien watched with fear in his eyes. He carried a length of rope and some sort of metal prod with wires hanging off it. He made a disapproving sound at the mediocre patch job on the pipe. However, he didn't mention it at all, so Adrien assumed he thought it sufficient for the moment. Either that, or he couldn't talk with the cigarette hanging from his lips.
He walked over to Adrien and forced him to strip again. He lifted him up and bound his left wrist first, and then his right. Adrien hung there helplessly while Jackady finished his cigarette. He put it out by pressing it to Adrien’s ribs, which caused him to flinch and squirm. It left a mark, the fourth in a line of yellow burns there. When he'd finished with that, he wrapped the wires around his right forearm. Adrien looked at it nervously as Jackady turned around. He struggled against the ropes, but stopped when Jackady turned again.
He held a book in one hand, the prod held out in the other. Adrien had never read the book but he hated it--Jackady always had it with him when he was experimenting with new ways to torture him. The wires wiggled and made a high pitched, ominous sound. “So, high voltage through a low current should result in the subject feeling pain without serious injury?” He muttered. He looked at the prod, fiddled with the dials and then pressed a green button.
Electricity sparked and travelled through the wires. It made contact with Adrien’s skin and shocked him. He was in sudden and intense pain. His body convulsed and he screamed. Jackady shut off the power.
“Interesting.” He said, his voice more academic than torturous. Adrien fought against the ropes, using his legs to push himself forward. As punishment, Jackady turned the electricity back on, though this time the current was higher. It burned his skin, filling the room with the scent of charred flesh. His screams were agonized, echoing so much that he heard them again and again even after the power was turned off. “Don't squirm, pet. You'll only make things worse.”
There was a creak. Jackady jumped, the first time he'd ever seen him waver. Adrien kept struggling, though he was having a hard time moving his right arm. There was another creak, followed by electricity.
“Stay still!” Jackady demanded over his wails. “If you struggle, you'll electrocute us both!” There was another creak, this time unprovoked on Adrien’s end. Jackady shut off the power a few moments before the pipe broke and water slammed him against the far wall with great force.
Adrien slid off the pipe, hitting the floor with a ‘thud’. He was stunned for a moment as he cradled his arm close to his chest, but even when he recovered he couldn't comprehend what was happening.
Jackady was shouting something that was being drowned out by rushing water. Adrien realized that he was trapped, at least somewhat, by its force, and as he looked up at the rope ladder, he figured this was the only chance he'd get.
He ripped open the doll that held his signet ring, the only thing that truly belonged to him, and he tucked it into the coin pocket on his work pants as he quickly redressed. Adrien jumped, once, twice before grabbing the ladder on the third try. It took all his strength to pull himself up with one arm, but he didn't give up. He climbed up, using his right hand only to support him as he climbed higher.
“Get back here!” Jackady ordered over the water. Adrien ignored him. He kept climbing higher, pretending like the pain in his arm didn't exist. He grabbed onto the top of the hatch and climbed out of the room. “Adrien!” That was the first time Jackady ever said his name. “Get back here, Adrien!”
He pulled the rope ladder out of the room. Jackady had managed to get past the water and now stood directly beneath the opening. They made eye contact.
“Don't you dare run away from me, Adrien!” He demanded. “Get down here! Now!” Adrien narrowed his eyes. He looked at the hatch door and closed it. “Adrien! Adrien!” Jackady's voice was hardly audible once the steel door closed.
And Adrien was alone once again. He took a deep breath and looked around. He was in a bedroom. The walls were painted pale green, decorated with watercolor paintings of flowerpots and sunsets. The wooden bed frame had been lifted of its natural color, and the blanket was embroidered with violets.
Adrien stood on shaking knees. He kept looking around, and he spotted a door. He hobbled towards it, looking at his arm as he walked. He was badly hurt. The wire had left a spiral scar on his skin, an ugly red and yellow burn with black specks and hot spots where the skin had bubbled. It was so disgusting; he couldn't bear to look at it.
He tripped as he ran down the stairs. He landed at the bottom, his back and legs hurting now, too. But he didn't waver. He stood, taking in the living room now. A simple white couch with a white lace throw and violet pillows. A radio that didn't quite catch the channel. Windows that hadn't been washed in many weeks. And… a door. Adrien walked over to it, fussing with the locks until they opened and the last barrier was gone.
He was greeted by an overwhelming cold. It nipped at his ears and nose, and it was so different than the heat of the room--it was fresh and clean and exciting. It made the moon and the stars glitter brightly. The trees were nearly bare, the last leaves that clung to their branches brown and shriveled. Some had blown up into the porch, and they crunched under Adrien’s feet.
He ran. He didn't know where he was going, only that it was away. Adrien quickly ran out of breath, the cold sticking to his burned flesh and making him sweat. He bent over and tried to catch his breath. As he waited, he reached into his pocket and squeezed his ring for strength. He looked up and around.
Trees surrounded the road. The wind shook them, knocking leaves into his path. Adrien kept moving. He could see lights in the distance so he moved towards them. His knees gave out under him, and he fell, but he kept moving. He couldn't stop. He couldn't go back.
The cold turned from inviting to crushing. Soon enough, he collapsed. Adrien tried to get to his feet, but they wouldn't listen to him, and exhaustion was clawing at his consciousness. Shadow clouded his vision, and he passed out.