Page 22 of Pure Silence

“Hey! Where are you going now?” Goldie craned his neck to see what Day was doing, but gave up when he couldn’t see two feet past the bedroom doorway. “Fuckinggreat.”

He could distantly hear cabinets opening in the kitchen and then Purrcy’s annoyed yowling.

Purrcy!

Goldie’s dread hit a new level of fear, and he was suddenly terrified that Day might hurt his pet. He’d hate to have to kill Day, but he’d do what he had to.

He heard the microwave door open and shut. About a minute later, it dinged, and Purrcy had stopped meowing.

Did Day…

No.

No, he fucking wouldn’t…

Would he?

Goldie felt sick.

Day walked back in with a cup of water and a Goldilocks Goofy straw.

“What did you do to Purrcy?” Goldie demanded, immediately assuming the worst. “Where is she?”

Day sat on the edge of the bed and made a munching motion with his hand.

“Wait, you fed her?” Goldie narrowed his eyes. “How did you know to put it in the microwave for her?”

Day snorted. He held his hand in front of his face like a bowl, and then he made a snooty face and turned away from it.

“Oh.” Goldie couldn’t hide his surprise. “You tried to feed her right out of the can and she wouldn’t eat it, huh?”

Day shook his head.

“Thanks. You know. For not…” Goldie swallowed hard, hating how he and his beloved pet were literally at Day’s mercy. “For not hurting her.”

Day frowned and shook his head again. He picked up the pills to stick in Goldie’s mouth. He offered the cup out, lining up the straw so Goldie could take a sip.

Goldie drank deeply, eager to wash down the medicine and struck by a sudden thirst. He didn’t stop until he heard the telltale slurp of an empty cup. “Thank you.”

He’d said it reflexively, realizing after it was already out that it was probably unnecessary to thank the person who had kidnapped him inside his own home. He wanted to survive this, however, and for now playing nice might be his best bet.

Day smiled though, and he mouthed, “You’re welcome.” He picked up the lidocaine patches, giving them a wiggle and arching his brows questioningly.

“Yeah, uh…” Goldie hesitated. “Look, they’re all on my back. You don’t have to—”

Day grabbed Goldie’s hip and pushed just so, effortlessly forcing him to twist over onto his side.

“Ow! Fuck!” Goldie hissed in pain, his lower back lighting up at the rough treatment and his wrists stinging from the bite of the cuffs. “Easy, okay?”

Day rubbed Goldie’s side in what may have been an apology. He pushed up Goldie’s tank top to find the patches and peel them off.

Goldie froze when he realized Day would have to pull his pants down to put new patches on. He wore them pretty low, practically just on the top of his butt, and he hated how hot he blushed. This was ridiculous.

It had been far too long since anyone had seen his bare ass.

He tensed, preparing himself to be groped or grabbed. He really had no idea what Day would do, and he wanted to be ready for anything.

Day didn’t seem interested in doing any groping, only meticulously placing the new patches exactly where the previous ones were. He only lowered Goldie’s pants just enough to put the patches on and then immediately pulled them back up. Gently, he rolled Goldie back over.