A Miserable Pile of Secrets Ch. 11

Author's Note: There will be some mild bondage in this chapter.

***

Arthur thought he knew how to keep things to himself, and that's what he decided to do. Don't say anything. Don't do anything. Just continue to exist as if nothing weird happened. He often told himself, "A bartender might've cut himself. Maybe a maid got a nosebleed. It's nothing. Blood isn't a big deal."

But one day, Benny brought home a scrap of a handkerchief, and not only was it bloody, but there were a few short brown hairs stuck to them, along with some wiry hairs of a similar color. Something about these hairs itched in Arthur's brain. He couldn't figure out the reason why. This made him have quiet mental fits where he rubbed his teeth together, stared at nothing, had twitching fingers, and wondered what the fuck was going on.

One night, Vince gave him the longest massage yet, simply because he was that tense. Since that didn't work, Vince lightly slapped his back and said, "Okay, you need a drink. Now. Come on!"

That seemed pretty harmless, so Arthur walked with him to a bar. He assumed he'd be pressured into taking a glass of something and then given lots of snacks while Vince did the real drinking. At the bar, while some really terrible action film was being played on a nearby TV screen, Arthur watched the bartender do stuff that looked like juggling, shaking, and maybe some alchemy. The resulting beverage was something with caramel, whipped cream, and a damn cookie. Arthur hated it because he could still taste the alcohol, and all the sweet stuff seemed to be ruined by it. He couldn't blame the bartender. Arthur just didn't like alcoholic beverages. He just took a bowl of popcorn and enjoyed it much more.

Vince was sipping from a cup of something iced and severe. He was in a good mood, laughing at the TV and playfully touching Arthur whenever possible, lightly punching his arm, shaking his shoulder, flicking his ear, silly friendly things. It wasn't disagreeable. It made Arthur feel like everything was normal and happy.

Suddenly, he put an arm around Arthur's shoulder and said, "You really should learn to drink more often. It's good for the heart!"

"Probably not good for the liver," Arthur said after swallowing another crunchy handful of popcorn.

"Well yeah ... if you drink too much ... all the time." Vince did something almost creepy then. He took a huge whiff of Arthur's hair. Now, he'd done that sort of thing before, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to smell your spouse's hair, but Vince was so blunt, loud, and uncaring of the bartender on duty that Arthur had to resist the advance. With a frown, he pushed Vince's face away and pulled his arm off.

"You're getting drunk again," Arthur said.

"So what?" Vince then put in a fruity, icy, sugary drink order.

Arthur gave him a confused look. "You're not a fruity kind of guy. What's up?"

As the bartender made the drink, Vince said, "It's for you."

Rolling his eyes, Arthur wiped his fingertips with a napkin. "I don't want anymore. One drink's enough for me."

"Oh come on!" Vince was starting to look a little more bronze in his face, a red sort of bronze. "Life's not fun if nobody's living it with you!"

"Whatever that means, it doesn't apply here." Arthur got out of his bar stool. "You can drink that gay ass fruit smoothie. I don't want it."

Vince looked pouty for a minute, and he reached back to tug on his own ponytail. "Just what about the drink is gay?"

"It's gayer than me," Arthur said with a sneer.

"Alright, alright. I'll drink it for you, but let's do something else together after that." Just then, the bartender gave him the plushy beverage. It looked like the stuff Arthur had seen tanned women drink at bars on their honeymoon.

Arthur turned around. "I'm going to play video games."

Slapping the bar top with his palm, Vince barked out, "Sit right back where you belong!"

Where ... belong ...?

It was like ice had been dragged up Arthur's spine, and he remembered the frightening events with What's-Her-Name. He felt intimidated, even threatened, but he didn't know how to prove it. He looked at his feet and sat back in his bar stool, next to Vince.

Next to Vince, where he apparently belonged?

Or where Vince thought he belonged.

The way he'd said that ... with such fire, such dark passion ...

Arthur was given a bowl of chips and a glass of ginger ale to nurse while Vince got more and more drunk. When Vince was slightly wobbly, a cold meat and cheese sandwich in his hand, he said he wanted to watch Arthur play some games. So, Arthur put a hand on his arm and practically walked him out of the bar. Inside Arthur's room, he settled Vince in an armchair and turned on his TV and linked console. Then he asked Vince, "Do you want some more snacks?"

Vince nodded and said, "Veggie sticks, hummus and crackers, and sugar free lemonade!!"

"Okay." Arthur left him alone as he went off to find these things. He had to get a damn tray to carry it all. When Vince had all his snacks and lemonade set up, Arthur sat beside him and started playing an online game. He had his headphones and microphone, but Vince was close enough to hear whatever he heard.

It was an M-rated game. No little children allowed. Bloody violence, nudity, and the oh so dangerous curse words that would enrage some parents. Vince laughed and cheered while Arthur shot and stabbed some people. Eventually, though Arthur encountered a player who certainly had his mic too ... and he sounded like he hadn't started puberty yet. Vince gripped Arthur's shoulder and asked, "Isn't this an adult's game?"

"Yeah, I think so," Arthur said as the other player starting bragging a lot, using curse words that didn't really suit him.

Vince gulped down some of his food and said, "If you can kill him, do it. I'm tired of his stupid shit."

"Whatever." Arthur shot the other player right in the head, making that player disappear to a respawn point.

Cue underage screeching that made Arthur slip his headphones off for a moment. He cringed hard, and so did Vince.

"Fuck," Vince said with pure disgust, "it's just a god damn game."

"Well, it's fine to yell and cuss and stuff," Arthur said. "I do it all the time."

"But he sounds like nails on a chalkboard." Vince took a sip of lemonade.

Both men were suddenly very quiet, because they heard something unbelievable. Vince even leaned in to get his ear closer to the headphones Arthur held.

"These faggots are hacking me!!" That was the player.

Then some shuffling noises, and a new voice. Someone else had the other player's headphones.

"Alright," said a man's voice, "why are you hacking my son's game?"

Vince snorted and flapped his fingers at Arthur. "Give me the god damn headphones. I feel like owning a bitch."

"No way, you're drunk," Arthur said, but Vince took the headphones out of his fingers regardless.

Vince arranged the headphones on his head as if it was natural, and he adjusted the mic. Then he said with friendly words, "Hi there. I wasn't the one playing, but I was watching. Nice to meet you."

Arthur leaned in, listening as Vince held a single ear pad out to make it easier.

"The fuck? Don't lie. It was you, wasn't it?! Why the hell were you hacking? Quit ruining my son's game!!"

Vince shrugged. He was still calm. "Nobody was hacking anything. The game was being played exactly as it was designed to be played."

"No!!" roared the man on the other end. "You're ruining my son's game!! It's his game!! Apologize and let him shoot you!!"

"How old is he?" Vince innocently asked.

Arthur heard the child's voice in the background. "I'm eight, so what?"

Vince laughed in his throat and said, "This game is rated M. It not for children."

"Don't tell me how to raise my son!! I'll have you banned from Microsoft!!"

That made Arthur laugh, bending over and clutching his chest.

Vince's lips quirked. "Well, I'm glad I didn't let him talk to you, Honey."

"Who?!" the father snapped. "Is he your son?! Probably a little faggot!!"

"Oh no, Sir." Vince grinned and looked at Arthur. "You really should report him for abuse or harassment, something."

"I'm on it," Arthur told him.

"Oh fuck you," the father said. "You can't do shit!! Now let my son play his game or I'll get you banned from the Internet!!"

Arthurt had some minor difficult filing the complaint because he was laughing so hard. He was able to squeak out, "Vince, is he really going to ban us from the whole Internet?"

Vince was typing something in his phone at that point. "I guess so."

"Even Facebook?"

"Of course Facebook," Vince said as he kept typing.

"And Twitter too?"

The father tried to interrupt. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Vince ignored him. "Yes. Twitter two, Honey."

"And even Tumblr?!" Arthur was about to burst again.

Vince's fingers were practically crazed as they moved on his phone. "I guess so, but we don't have accounts on those sites, so it's not a big deal."

"But what about Amazon?" Arthur was nearly finished making the report.

"Hm ... don't want to be banned from Amazon." Vince made a few final taps on his phone's screen. Then he put his phone away. "I guess we'll just have to get our uncle that works for Nintendo to get this guy banned from the Internet too."

Arthur couldn't breathe. He was slapping his thigh so hard that it hurt. When he was finished reporting the other player's account, he left the game and turned off the console. Vince returned the headphones and mic and got up. The laughter seemed to have sobered him up, which was a weird concept but it must've worked. He had a sneaky, creepy smile, and he put a kiss on Arthur's cheek. "I'm going to my room. There's some work I need to do."

This late at night?

Arthur walked over to Benny's cat tree, where the white creature was sleepily watching everything. "Okay, well have a good night." He petted the cat's warm head and watched his multicolored eyes close in bliss.

"Goodnight!!" Vince didn't even stumble as he left the room.

***

Vince spent the next few nights in his bedroom. Arthur didn't know what the problem was, but he was too afraid to ask. He hardly ever saw the man. Arthur wasted his time with games, walks around the indoor courtyards, playing with Benny, and cooking things.

He realized that he hadn't gone grocery shopping since moving in. Someone else always did that, usually a butler. It was weird to live a life where you never had to leave the house. At least it was an amazing house, and Arthur had everything he needed, food, entertainment, cleanliness, and just luxury in general.

On a very early morning, Arthur went to his favorite kitchen and starting putting breakfast ingredients on a counter. Eggs, butter, milk, thinly sliced ham, bread, and strawberry jam. He was looking for a frying pan when suddenly something hot and strong grabbed his waist, and he heard, "Good morning!!"

Arthur was so startled the he cried out and accidentally whacked a cupboard's inner wall with the pan. Then his brain told him the person nuzzling his hair was Vince. "Dude ... don't do that! What if I beat your skull in?!"

"Yeah ... no. I'm not afraid of that." Vince moved away and smiled down at him. He looked like he hadn't slept well for a while, yet was recovering. He'd been caring for his personal hygiene, at least. "I want some breakfast too, that okay with you?"

Arthur shrugged. "Okay."

When the food was cooked and the men were sitting down, Arthur thought to ask Vince what in the world had been going on. He didn't. Vince went on and on about stupid things, except for working out. That wasn't stupid. He hadn't done that in a while, and he wanted to get back to it after breakfast had properly settled in their stomachs. Arthur nodded. He didn't say much, just nodded.

After breakfast, the men watched some anime on Arthur's PC to let their stomachs settle. Then they got ready for a short but intense bout of exercise in a gym. Arthur thought he was almost good at punching a non-moving target at this point. He also thought the skin on his knuckles felt thicker. Vince even complimented him, touching his arm and whispering how he looked nice.

Then they took a hot shower together and relaxed on a patio in a courtyard, under a mesh fabric shade with a thin metal frame, lying on wooden sunloungers. Summer was as hot as ever. A few bugs gave Arthur a bite or two.

"Maybe I should teach you how to shoot," Vince said at one point in their careless conversation.

A sip of his cold drink, and Arthur said, "I'd probably fall on my ass every time I tried to shoot something."

"I was pretty much like that when I fired a gun for the first time." Vince eyed a cube of cheese for a bit before putting it behind his teeth.

Arthur shrugged. "Well, you're pretty badass right now, so maybe it's something you just need to learn. I bet you haven't lost a fight with anyone in a long time. Anyone who messes with you likely doesn't know who you are."

Just then, Vince snickered into his fist. Then he put his glass of lemonade down as his body heaved with laughter that grew louder and louder. Arthur didn't understand, really. What was so funny? His eyebrows lowered and he frowned as he put his own glass down and sat up, gawking at him. "Uhm, what's wrong?"

It didn't stop. It didn't fucking stop. Vince was wild, uncontrollable, like an old machine or something. It was the most disturbing laughter Arthur had ever heard. Vince didn't look or sound like a man. He sounded like a recording. His mouth looked amazingly large and wide. His eyes were popping.

Arthur got off his sunlounger and took a few steps away, still looking at Vince. "Hey, you ... you need something?" He was wondering if Vince had a disorder.

Vince calmed himself down, and he wiped his eye with the back of his hand. Then he slid off his sunlounger and said one of the most disturbing things ever.

"Yeah, that dude that tried to bitch me out over a video game had no idea who I am."

Ice.

Ice fell in Arthur's stomach as his eyelashes fluttered.

"Wha ... what did you do?" Arthur wasn't loud when he said that. He was quiet, deathly quiet.

Still trembling with his hardly reined gratification, Vince said, "Well, security, or studying a lack of security, is a big part of my business." Vince clapped his hands together, his wedding and engagement rings flashing reflections in Arthur's eyes, making him close his eyes for a moment. "Turns out, finding out who that asshole is was a pretty easy thing. Took a long ass time, though. I found out he was married but also having affairs with thots on Tinder and PlentyOfFish. I bet his wife got pissed at the stuff I sent her!"

More laughter. Vince turned manic again.

Arthur took another step away. "Why ... would you even tell me that?!"

His back straightening, shoulders rising, Vince's face changed into something dauntless and foreboding. His palm rose as he slowly approached. "Oh? Are you scared?"

Well, fucking duh!!

But Arthur couldn't think to say that. He just backed up more and more and more ... all the way across the courtyard, even against the a wall. And Vince just ... stepped up to him.

Grinning ...

"Are you scared? Hm?" A happy little pucker was in his nose's length. "You don't need to be scared. I'm not going to hurt you."

The stone wall seared Arthur's back, but he couldn't move. He couldn't even explain why he couldn't move. He was like that one character in an old horror movie that doesn't fucking move even though they should, and you just scream at the movie about it. Move!! Just move!! He's coming!!

But Arthur was frozen, frozen and hot, shaking and sweating a bit. His useless hands just ... hung.

Vince was touching his cheek, his gray eyes taking over Arthur's already weakened mind. Their foreheads touched. "Heeeeeeeeey." Vince's voice was drawn out, slow and husky, when he said that word. "Are you afraid or something? I mean," here, Vince tapped and stroked under Arthur's chin with his middle and ring fingers, "you shouldn't be. I'm not angry at you. You haven't done anything."

He lightly grazed the tip of Arthur's crooked nose with his straight one. He smelled just like what he'd been having, nuts and cheese with lemonade. "I wasn't even mad when you made a new bank account and put your money there. I mean, it's your money, but I wish you'd told me you weren't feeling secure."

Vince just ... fucking grinned.

Arthur's jaw trembled, his blood cooled, and he thought he wanted to throw up. But he also didn't think he was capable of throwing up. He didn't even taste vomit. He tasted blood. He wasn't bleeding, but he tasted blood. He started panting, uncertain of what the next course of action should be.

And Vince added something else to the jittering, grilling mess in Arthur's brain. He touched Arthur's jaw and whispered to him, "I wasn't even mad when you tried to find the house on GPS. It's not your fault I'm pretty strict with things."

That was it.

Arthur shoved him. Literally put his palms on Vince's chest and shoved him as hard as he could. He was pretty sure Vince let him get away with it, because otherwise he'd never be able to make Vince move in any direction. Before Arthur could flee, his arm was taken.

A nearly robotic grip, kind of like a blood pressure machine.

With a very undignified, wet howl, Arthur was pinned back to the wall, and a few painful memories flashed in his brain, reminding him of how violent people could be.

But all he got was a kiss.

And another whisper.

"I guess it's fine if you're scared. You're just like a puppy when you're scared, and that's kind of cute."

Arthur was basically vibrating.

"But try not to get too scared, okay? You know I love you. You should trust me more."

Yeah, sure. Trust the hacker that didn't give a shit about his spouse's privacy. Makes sense. No sarcasm here!

It made so much sense that Arthur was trembling with loving excitement and not horror!

And that's why Vince was able to tug him away, off to one of the sturdy metal poles holding the fabric roof up. It wasn't because Arthur was in a confused, alarmed state, easily manipulated and easily harmed.

When Arthur's back was close to the pole, that was when Vince took something out of his pocket, which signaled to Arthur that he'd planned this in a way.

Plastic handcuffs.

Hooked over Vince's long fingers.

Arthur shifted away but Vince was quick, and he had Arthur's wrists bound behind the pole. That pole was bolted to the patio's floor. Arthur had no way out.

Whatever Vince was going to do, Arthur didn't want to see it coming. So he closed his eyes. His eyelids nearly burned from the friction. But that wasn't the only friction. Vince's hands were sliding under Arthur's shirt.

"Even when you're completely at my mercy ..."

Arthur turned his head to his right and tried not to say anything.

Vince circled around, then tapped his nipples with his middle fingers. Arthur tried to ignore the jolting tugs of pleasure that ran downwards, met at his belly, and shot to his balls.

"Even when you can't defend yourself," Vince said as he slid his cheek against Arthur's, "it doesn't matter. I'd never hurt you."

Arthur forced a swallow.

One of Vince's hands caressed its way down Arthur's belly, then unbuttoned his pants.

Another swallow.

A kiss at his ear. Then a lap of Vince's tongue, as if he wanted to cover the ear's opening for a bit.

"Did you forget I love you, Artie?"

Arthur didn't give a reply, but that didn't seem to bother Vince. He chuckled in Arthur's ear and licked it again as he dipped his hand under his underwear.