Chapter 9: March 12th, 1992
Mark couldn’t believe it, but he was back at the shop again. Well, okay, maybe he could believe it. He was here for those handcuffs that Cesar wanted to goddamn badly. Any normal person would have just gone whenever it was most convenient. But Mark, being himself, had to rush in at the first opportunity he had. Anything Cesar wanted, he would get, no questions asked. If Cesar knew, he’d never let Mark go a single day without hearing some sort of “sugar daddy” joke.
It’s not like I’m buying him everything he would ever want, anyway, just sex toys. That’s different! I think.
Isn’t this what guys would call being whipped? Well, if it was, then maybe being whipped wasn’t such a bad thing. In fact, it was the most fucking fun he’s had in his entire life. Usually. This part of it wasn’t easy or fun, but hey, he could get used to it. He just hoped that nobody besides Cesar would ever find out—
“Mark mother-fucking Heathcliff? Is that you?” The slightly familiar voice made Mark’s blood freeze over.
Oh God. Oh fuck. No no no.
Mark’s body jerked forward when a hand slapped down hard on his back. A few guys from school found him here, and now they were mouth-breathing directly down his neck. He didn’t even really know them that well, they only talked in passing now and then. He didn’t even remember their names, but that didn’t stop them from acting like they were best buds.
“Didn’t expect to see you here.” The taller of the two boys quickly looked over both of his shoulders before leaning in close to Mark’s face, lowering his voice. “Are you even old enough to be in here? They ain’t carded you yet?”
He wasn’t about to let it slip that he had a fake ID in case that ever happened. “And you’re one to talk?”
“Ha, you right, you right. Just didn’t know you were such a rulebreaker.” He stepped back around to Mark’s side, looking over the shelf that Mark was deliberating over. It made his face burn, fucking hell he did not want randos from school knowing what kind of shit he was getting up to. And these two were going to blab about it for sure. Thank God he was graduating soon… Then again, he could just blackmail them with the threat of letting it slip that they were here too. They didn’t seem like the kind of guys that would do stupid shit that would fuck themselves over.
The second boy chimed in. “So, since when did you have a girl? Didn’t know you were a lady killer.”
Oh shit.
“Um, last year, actually.”
“Last year?! How come we’ve never seen her?” The taller boy was…actually genuinely offended at that. Not playing around or being an insincere douchebag. Mark didn’t understand how this guy was under the impression they were close enough for Mark to tell him something like that.
“You wouldn’t know her. She goes to a different school.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Oh, from out of town, too.”
“Long distance? No wonder you’re here. All pent up n’ shit, right?”
Mark hoped the two couldn’t tell he was sweating. At least the random bullshit was working. “Yeah, uh, right. What about you guys? I don’t suppose you’re, well, you know…”
The two made the same kind of disgusted face and lurched away from each other. “Oh that’s fucking grody dude, no way. Just the thrill of it, you know? We’re almost old enough to be here, gotta scope out all the shit we’ll get to mess around with when we finally move out. And get girlfriends.”
“You’re really living the dream, Heathcliff,” the other boy said, seething with jealousy. “You have a girlfriend, and you already live by yourself? You can do whatever you want.”
Another voice, much more familiar, joined in. “Yeah, sure is great, isn’t it?”
Just when Mark thought he had a handle on the situation, it went and got so much fucking worse.
Please, not him, not now! What the fuck is Cesar doing here?!
Mark shot him a pleading look, which Cesar returned with a look that made it clear he was only here to be a problem. Affectionately, but still a huge fucking problem. Whatever happened now was up to Cesar and God.
“Torres? Didn’t know you were into freaky stuff too. Or are you also just here for shits and giggles?”
“Something like that,” he muttered, approaching the shelves that Mark was browsing before he was interrupted. Cesar pretended to examine the toys closely, and each second felt like an eternity to Mark.
What the fuck are you up to? Don’t blow my cover here Ces, please, I’m begging—
“That girl of yours would like these, I’ll bet.” With a wide smile, Cesar straightened back up and turned to face Mark, holding a packaged pair of black fuzzy handcuffs. It took everything Mark had for him to not lose his composure. He had to keep the lie going.
“…You think so?”
“She’ll go wild for it, Mark.”
“You know the chick or something?” Oh, right. Those two were still here, watching Cesar pick out toys for the “girlfriend”.
“That’s his bestie you idiot, of course he’s going to give Heathcliff some pointers!”
“Oh, true?”
Alright, maybe this wasn’t going to be that difficult, as long as Cesar doesn’t decide he wants to be especially devious today. The guys did half of the work of keeping Mark’s ass covered without him having to say a single word. Mark was a little surprised that he and Cesar were, apparently, just that good at flying under the radar. If anybody suspected them, then they haven’t said anything yet.
While those two were bickering, Cesar dumped the package in Mark’s hands, it being pretty much decided that he was getting that. Whatever his prince wanted, he supposed… They were essentially for him anyway. It saved Mark the trouble of asking him what he wanted or just picking something and worrying about it later. Cesar went back to poring over the shelves while Mark watched these two guys theorize Cesar’s relation to Mark’s “girlfriend”, as if he wasn’t standing right there where they could just ask.
That was for the better. Less lies piled on top of more lies. He’d never be able to remember all the fake stories he’d have to come up with. While the two idiots were distracted, Cesar tapped Mark on the arm to get his attention.
He didn’t know what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t for Cesar to be holding a very, very stereotypical rubber ball gag. The exact kind you’d see in every BDSM porn flick ever. “Cesar, what the fuck,” he started, and it got the attention of the other two.
“Whoa, is she into that too? Just what kind of queen did you reel in?”
“Well, uh, you know…”
“Mark’s always telling me how much she’s into this sort of thing. I think she’d really, really like it.” Mark’s mouth went dry as Cesar leaned in towards him just slightly, his voice taking on a seductive tone. “A lot.”
His change of tone was obviously lost on the other two, who went back to gossiping between each other.
“So fucking jealous… How’d he get the catch of a lifetime, but I’m still single?”
“Same man, it’s fucked up. I’m actually fit and good-looking, so where’s mine at?”
Mark was just going to pretend he didn’t hear any of that. Even if they were right, considering girls weren’t all that interested in him. Not that they needed to know that. The longer they believed he was slamming mad pussy, the better.
Cesar gave Mark a fake little pout, and it would have been cute if not for how desperate Mark was to hurry and get the fuck out of this shop. “You get what I mean, right?”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Thanks, I think you’re right, she probably would like it.” He felt completely defeated, letting Cesar push the gag into his hands along with the cuffs he’d picked out. Without bothering to say goodbye to the other two, Cesar started to work his way towards the door, casting Mark a smug look from over his shoulder.
Mark noticed just then that Cesar was wearing some of the tightest jeans he’d ever seen in his life, and it hugged his ass in all the right ways. Nobody else would notice it, probably, but Mark had already seen so much of Cesar that the guy may as well have been naked right there in that shop.
Now that’s just not fucking fair.
Looks like it was going to be another long night between him and his right hand. He refused to look at anyone as he slammed the items down on the counter in front of the clerk to pay, and quietly left without speaking another word to the two assholes who made this way more stressful than it already was.
He was madder at them than he was at Cesar, who easily caused more chaos and destruction than they did. To Mark’s blood pressure, anyway.
But that’s different . Because couldn’t do anything to those two, but he could “punish” Cesar.
And somewhere in a dark recess of his mind, he was already scripting everything out, down to the last detail. If this is what Cesar wants, then he’ll fucking give it to him.
