The Cost Of Love (Bxb, Rape, Abuse)

Claustrophobia

(This chapter title is a warning)

Austin noted the time as he made his to the check-out line, it was already passed 2pm and he only had five hours to get home, put away everything, cook and have the place cleaned. He struggled with the imaginings of his punishment if he did not complete his tasks, and then silently laughed at himself. Hadn't he been talking about his need to run from Eric not five minutes ago? Austin couldn't keep him out of his mind for five minutes, how was he supposed to have a life without him?

After he put the last of the bags in the trunk he checked his phone to make sure that Eric hadn't sent him a text telling him to pick anything else up. Seeing nothing he sent up thanks for average miracles. The afternoon was a mad rush getting everything done in what little time he had left. He finished screwing in the last screw on the new coffee table, glanced at the clock and did a quick calculation. Eric would be home in less than 45 minutes that gave him enough time to check on the lasagna and take a quick 15 minute shower. Once out of the shower Austin quickly put on the outfit that Eric loved the most, which was a pair of black basketball shorts and a grey Old Navy t-shirt. Just as the buzzer on the oven went off he heard Eric's car pulling into the driveway. He prayed that he didn't have a bad day at work and be in a foul mood. As he heard the key enter the lock he held his breath and waited to see if Eric was pissed or not. Thankfully Eric must have had a good day.

"Hey babe, how was your day?" Austin asked as he handed Eric a beer.

"Long. Had another guy start a fight and had to take him to segregation." Eric said as he opened the beer.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Did you have to take him down or did another officer?" Austin asked as he pulled the lasagna out of the oven.

"I did since I was the closest to him." Eric said as he took another sip.

"I made your favorite dish, lasagna with meat sauce and Chianti." Austin said as he placed it on the table. "Come on and eat babe, and later I'll rub your feet." Austin was elated Eric's aggression had been absorbed by the prisoner. An unwanted image popped into his head of Eric wrestling with a faceless man. A voice that popped up less and less in his head asked Austin whether Eric got hard while tackling a prisoner like it did when his boyfriend manhandled him? Austin shook his head and decided to do all he could to keep Eric in a good mood.

Sadly Eric's moods were fickle and it didn't stay pleasant for long. Eric's cell phone went off at seven in the morning, it was his supervisor. His boyfriend's tone let Austin know it wasn't good.

"Is everything okay?" Austin asked as he sat up in bed.

"No. Those motherfuckers told me that I have to be in early and I have to work a double shift." Eric said as he stormed out of bed and into the bathroom.

"Do you want me to make you something to eat before you go?" Austin got out of bed and started to put on some clothes.

"Fuck that. I don't have time for that. I'll just throw some breakfast sandwiches in the microwave."

Austin's heart fell out of his chest. He forgot to pick them up yesterday at the store when he was talking to Mrs. Steinbach. He prayed to god that there might still be some left in the freezer, he ran over to check but he knew there weren't any. Eric was already pissed and this was just going to make matters worse.

"Um, babe we're out of the breakfast sandwiches. Can you stop and pick up something on your way?"

"What the fuck do you mean we're out? You were supposed to pick some up when you went shopping yesterday! What the fuck did you spend that money on!" Eric said as he emerged from the bedroom fully dressed.

"I...I thought I picked them up but I guess I forgot."

"Well you thought wrong!" Eric said as he backhanded Austin across the face sending him flying into the stove. He hit his head hard enough to knock him out.

An hour later when Austin started come to the familiar pounding in his head was present, but as he started to regain focus he noticed that he was completely naked and not in the kitchen. When he tried to move he found that his hands and feet where tied to a chair. This was the extreme punishment Eric resorted to when he really was pissed off. Eric knew that Austin was claustrophobic and it would take Austin days to get over being locked in the utility closet.

Austin sat in the dark, attempting to control his breathing when it dawned on him that Eric was working a double shift; he would not be getting home until almost seven in the morning. The thought of him being trapped in the closet all day and night triggered a panic attack that was compounded by his being tied. Sweat rolled off of his thin body as waves of nausea crashed over him. Franticly he fought against the rope but the knots would not budge. He shook the chair violently, his body straining for freedom, then he felt something sharp; it was the new limb trimmer for their patio garden. Operating on instinct he twisted closer to the instrument. He slowly started to move his hands up and down the sharp blade all the time his heart was pounding in his ears. It only took him a few minutes to cut through and free his hands. Once his hands were free he untied his feet and bolted from the closet.

Shaking, covered in sweat, in a ball on the floor he knew he had no choice but to run. When Eric got home and saw that he was out he couldn't imagine the rage he would face. He knew it was now or never.

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At this point I felt that the story was going a little fast and it was hard to connect to Austin as a character since there are a lot of unanswered questions in the story but all in due time.