#pepperonyscience

 What was worse though was Zander, directly across the room from him, bound in an identical position. Cain had been particularly rough with him, yanking his arms back harshly, slapping him when he complained about the position- before they’d both been muzzled that is. He hated that, hated that they couldn’t even verbally comfort one another, forced to endure this agony in a silence only interrupted by muffled swearing and pathetic whimpers. 

 He didn’t think it was a punishment- normally Cain made it clear when it was, and because he left once they were in position Wren didn’t think it was done out of boredom either. It made him all the more frustrated that he didn’t know why this was happening, couldn’t even ask Zander what he thought about it. He wasn’t sure Zander would’ve been able to answer anyways, he seemed to be handling the strain worse than Wren was, which was… unnerving, to say the least. Wren was used to Zander being so stoic all the time, holding out even through pain until he just couldn’t anymore, but it seemed like he couldn’t handle this from the start. He kept his eyes screwed shut, and even though anything he said was muffled by the muzzle, Wren just knew he was swearing and yelling nonstop. 

 He shifted uncomfortably in his own restraints, trying to find a position that would lessen the pain even a little bit. It was more or less impossible though, and the frustration was only serving to make him more uncomfortable. Tears streamed down his face, catching along the edge of the muzzle, the feeling just noticeable enough to be irritating. 

 He wanted to get move, to stretch his arms out right and relieve the tension in them, to scream or swear or do something but he was trapped. He had no choice but to endure this agony until Cain came back for them, and he didn’t even know when that could possibly be, it could take hours and he wouldn’t know until his owner walked through that door again.

 Honestly, he really wasn’t sure he’d even last that long.

 ***

 Zander knew he wouldn’t be able to last until Cain got back. He wasn’t sure what he was thinking doing this, he wasn’t sure why he thought this would be a good idea, and he wanted to yell and scream and swear at him for it but he couldn’t, forcibly silenced when he even complained of the pain. 

 The strain on his shoulders was agonizing, a burning ache that just got worse and worse. It was particularly bad on his left shoulder, and he knew that if Cain didn’t come back soon this would end very, very poorly for him. He tried to stay as still as he possibly could but it was difficult when all he wanted to do was find a position that didn’t feel like he was being tortured. 

 He almost felt guilty for focusing on his own pain, when Wren was across the room and not doing any better than he was. He was crying behind that muzzle, forced to take deep breaths through his nose so he wouldn’t suffocate choking on sobs. He hated the muzzles more than anything, he couldn’t even try to calm him down, at least it would’ve been a brief distraction from his own pain. He wanted to stay quiet, stay strong so that Wren wouldn’t have to watch him break down, but it didn’t take long for the pain to get to him, the panic of a worse case scenario making him shout and swear even if the words would be stopped by the leather muzzle. 

 The strain on his shoulders continued to get more and more unbearable, and though he tried to prepare himself for it to get worse it still caught him off guard, the agonizing pain shot through his shoulder and he screamed when he involuntarily leaned forward, putting even more strain on his right shoulder. His breathing was nearly erratic, he was vaguely aware of Wren’s panicked shouting but he could hardly hear him over his heart pounding in his ears. 

He’d suffered from dislocated shoulders so many times before but he’d never had so much pressure put on the joint, he’d never been forced to hold a position while dealing with that injury, and even though he was sure this was some kind of emergency, he knew it would be hours before he got any help. 

***  

 Wren was worried sick by the time Cain finally returned. Hours had passed, hours holding this uncomfortable position, hours of Zander’s uncontrollable sobbing tearing at his heart. He couldn’t stand to see him in so much pain, to see the unnatural way his arm was hanging. He couldn’t imagine how much that had to hurt and it killed him that he couldn’t do anything to help. 

 Cain seemed to realize what had happened almost immediately, the smug look on his face disappeared as he rushed over to Zander. He swore under his breath as he freed him, but the disturbance of his arm only made Zander whine more, his arms falling limp at his sides. Cain hesitated before deciding to remove the muzzle, though he seemed to regret it as soon as Zander opened his mouth.

 “Fuck you!” He shouted, eyes screwed shut as he brought his hand to his injured shoulder. “You stupid fucking- god you fucking idiot!” He only opened his eyes to glare at Cain, even as tears streamed down his face. 

 “Would you calm down!?” Cain snapped at him, helping him to his feet.

 “Yeah sure fucker let me just ignore the dislocated fucking shoulder-!” His voice pitched into a cry as the movement just made things worse. He was unsteady on his feet, Cain tried to help him out of the room only for Zander to snap at him again. “Don’t just fucking leave Wren! He can’t take this much longer either!” 

 Wren was surprised that Cain actually listened to him, he was quick to uncuff his wrists, and though Wren could hardly feel his arms at this point he tried not to whine too much. He was grateful that the muzzle was removed, taking a shuddering breath as he struggled to his feet. 

 “Wren, to your room, now.” Cain ordered him, and he didn’t need to be told twice. He spared a quick glance at Zander, he wanted to say something to him but he knew it was a bad idea, keeping his mouth shut as he struggled to make it there on his own. Keeping one position had been exhausting, his legs felt weak and numb from kneeling for so long, he was lucky it was only a short distance because he collapsed as soon as he was in the room. He hoped that Cain intended to get Zander some kind of help, but he figured he wouldn’t know until they came back, Cain locking him in the room as they walked past. 

 He was glad he hadn’t been left to wait in that uncomfortable position, but he wished that Cain had brought him along, only so he could stay with Zander, try to comfort him however he could. He knew he’d complained of pain in his shoulders before, he was always in so much pain and he hated to know that he’d have to endure even more because of some careless game Cain wanted to play. 

 He couldn’t help but scowl, tiredly rubbing at his aching arms. Even now, left by himself, he didn’t want to think about how much it hurt, he knew Zander was hurting way worse right now. He was glad that Cain seemed to tolerate being yelled at that way, or at least, that he didn’t plan to punish him for it immediately, only adding to his suffering. He hoped he’d let it slide, hoped that Zander could finally get a fucking break, but he knew it wasn’t likely. 

 He’d spent hours waiting for Cain to return, hours in excruciating pain, and now he had no choice but to do it again, sit down and wait just to find out if Zander was okay.