A loud thump drew Matt from his uneasy slumber, and he gasped. A surge of adrenaline was released into his blood, but he started to calm down when he recognized the genial laugh.

"I can't believe you fell asleep in the library again," Foggy said. "You should go home and get some rest." Matt heard Foggy settle into the chair across from him. "The books will still be here in the morning."

"Yeah," Matt said quietly. "I guess you're right." But he couldn't go back to the sub housing, not after what they had done to him. "I'm just going to finish this chapter."

"What's the worst thing that could happen if you don't? You're top of the class Matty. Whatever you're trying to prove, you proved it."

Matt felt a flash of anger. "I shouldn't have to prove anything." Matt could taste the venom in his words. It was bitter and vile on his tongue. Foggy wasn't the one he was angry at, not really. But the Dom was here, so he became the target of Matt's fury.

Instead of doing what most Doms would do with an uppity sub, raising his voice and standing to tower over Matt, Foggy did the opposite. Foggy spoke in a voice so soft Matt had to struggle to hear him. "I didn't mean it like that. You're right. You're in a shitty situation. I shouldn't joke about it."

Foggy had no idea. Matt's eyes burned, and he was mortified to realize tears were spilling out. Matt tried to squeeze his eyes shut and hide the evidence of his shame, but it was too late.

"Are you- Did something happen? Are you okay?"

Matt rubbed the tears away. "It's nothing."

"I don't believe that."

"Because all subs are liars?" Matt snapped. He could hear the anonymous Dom's voice in his head saying just that. No one would believe Matt, the Dom had said, because all subs are liars.

"Because I can see that something is wrong. Did someone hurt you?"

"So just because I'm a sub I can't defend myself?" Matt waited for Foggy to get angry about Matt's combativeness and storm off, but Foggy remained calm and kind. Matt didn't understand why. He had never understood Foggy Nelson.

"If you don't want to tell me, that's okay. You don't owe me anything. Will you at least let me know if there's anything I can do?"

Matt felt the burning again, and he tried to fight the stubborn tears. But he was as helpless against them as he had been against the Dom who had held him down while he was drugged and confused. The pain in Matt's shoulder, which he was pretty sure was dislocated, served as a consistent reminder. The tears came, and Matt gave up trying to stop them, just as he had given up trying to stop the powerful Dom. Matt's cheeks reddened with shame at the memory. "There's nothing you can do. There's nothing anyone can do."

There was a long silence. For a moment Matt wondered if Foggy had finally gotten fed up and left. But then Foggy spoke in that calm compassionate tone Matt had come to love. "You shouldn't have to carry this alone."

Then it all came spilling out. The glass of water that tasted strange. The wooziness. Waking up in an unfamiliar place. The impossible weight on top of him. The cruel hands that were all over him. The begging. The laughing. Not one voice, but many. They hadn't just dropped Matt off. They had stayed to watch. They wanted to watch him be put in his place. Matt didn't want them to have the satisfaction. So he fought. The hands became more than cruel. They became angry and violent. When Matt felt his shoulder pop out of place he gave up. After that it was over quickly. Matt cried out in pain when the man entered him. His injuries made it that much worse. The Dom was so excited he came in moments after a couple brief yet excruciating thrusts. The spectators sounded disappointed. They let Matt go after that. They even let him clean up before he left. They didn't want people to see evidence of what they had done Matt assumed. No one warned him to keep quiet. They knew Matt's shame would do a better job of silencing him than any threats could. On his way out the door the cruel hands grabbed him once more. "Tell me you liked it," their owner demanded. "Or I'll teach you to like it. As many times as I have to. Even if I have to keep you here for weeks."

The Dom's threat hardly seemed realistic, but Matt's terror overcame him. He submitted. "I liked it."

"Tell me I was the best."

"You were the best."

"Say pleasing Doms is all you're good for."

Matt said the words on autopilot, only vaguely aware of what he was saying.

"You can go. I'm ready for another round, but you weren't that good honestly. You need to practice. Find someone who has the patience to teach you. Then you can come back and try again."

Matt fled. He had no idea where he was, or even if it was night or day. Eventually he found his way to the library. He tried to lose himself in the books, and in time exhaustion overcame him. Sleep proved a welcome escape.

"Then you showed up," Matt said nervously. He knew what came next. The accusations. The words thrown like daggers. Liar. Slut. Attention whore. Matt braced himself and waited for the inevitable.