Chapter Text
Arnold had felt anger many times before. For example, he remembered how angry he felt back in his sophomore year when he found out Ruth's boyfriend had cheated on her, and how he practically hunted the dude down during his lunch break and completely rearranged is face. He also remembered the time somebody sped passed his mom and swiped her phone, and how he spent most of the afternoon ranting to Gerald about what he wished he could do to the asshole that dared steal from his mother. Anger was a common emotion for him, when you partied like he did and hung out with the people he did, you were never short on people to be furious with, people to beat the absolute daylights out of. However, never in his seventeen years of living had Arnold felt a rage this intense, a fury so all-consuming that every corner of his body shook and twitch with the flames of hell itself. He wanted to punch something, and the only thing stopping him was him not wanting to distress the very cause of his anger any more than she already was.
The blond was caught quite off guard when Helga suddenly asked if she could come over to the boarding house, it had been a few days since he promised to help the girls discover what was wrong and the trio had made no progress. Helga had continued avoiding them like the plague and keeping her distance, so this message was as random as it was relieving. He of course told her she was more than welcome, and about fifteen minutes later, Helga was sat on his bed, shuffling awkwardly in place and refusing to make eye contact with him. She wore no makeup, her hair was messy and unstyled and she seemed to put on whatever her hands got a hold of, if her random green sweater and long orange skirt was anything to go by. Funnily enough, in that moment Helga resembled her neurotic mother more than she ever had, though instead of a drunken haze, she sat with a melancholic look.
At first, she didn't speak, and Arnold didn't make her; she was finally making an effort to interact with him, he wasn't going to ruin it by being too pushy. The girl stared at his floor, before randomly asking him to promise not to hate her, that even if he was disgusted with her, he had to promise he would at least pretend he wasn't, and only express his distaste behind her back. Arnold was almost offended by the idea that she could ever disgust him, but he eagerly nodded, and swore that he wouldn't do that to her. She went quiet for a bit, before suddenly blurting out everything that had transpired at the party and the days following it; she confessed that she had lied to him about partying with some girls, and had actually had 'almost-sex' with DJ Brainy in the bathroom, she told him that they had been meeting consistently after the fact, but with each meeting, their activities became more violent and painful, and that he completely disregarded her well being. The thing that really pushed him over the edge however was her telling him about the choking incident, and how she still to that day had the bruise on her neck and a scratch in her throat, even though both were fading. She discussed her fear that he was following her, constantly sending her pictures of her walking up and down the street, and talking about places she had been that she knew she never told him. Not only was he actively hurting her, but he had her feeling trapped. What if she cut him off and he kept stalking her, or tried to ruin her life?
By the end of it, the girl had been reduced to sobs, and Arnold was quick to wrap his arms around her and hold her close. He could admit, he often did somewhat intense things with girls he slept with, but it was always something agreed on beforehand, and he always knew when to stop, and what not to do. Helga was clueless, sheltered and delusional enough to have been in love with her faceless, nameless fiancé up until a few weeks ago, she wasn't the type to do things like that for. To take advantage of a girl like that, a girl he knew didn't know any better, and didn't have it in her to make him stop by force? Arnold couldn't even find the words to truly capture just how disgusting of a person you had to be. He couldn't lie, deep down there was a pang of jealousy in knowing some other guy had been able to get her to do things of that nature, but with each tear drop that stained his white tee, said jealousy was overshadowed by the sheer ire he felt towards the DJ, as well as his guilt in putting her in a position to ever meet him.
Arnold knew of DJ Brainy, he was a regular DJ at Club Underground that people quite liked due to his versatility, but he had also heard... stories. He had a pretty infamous relationship with a girl named Gloria, who bore a striking resemblance to Helga, now that Arnold thought it over. Not just in appearance, but in background. Similarly to Helga, Gloria grew up in a pretty Christian household, and though not as... odd as the Patakis, she was known for being your run of the mill good girl, that was until she met Brainy. Arnold didn't know the two personally, so he knew little of the details, but he knew their relationship was volatile and intense, with the word on the street even saying he'd occasionally have her sleep with other guys; he knew for a fact that the girl was never really the same, and even after their dramatic break up, she would frequent the clubs and circles he introduced her to, never going back to the lifestyle she was raised under.
Since her, he had been linked to many girls, all with similar stories; they claimed he was really kinky, even to the point of scaring off the girls he knew that were anything but vanilla, they said he had a temper and would become obsessive after just a short time together. He remembered a girl he met at a rave claiming that he was a 'total porn addict', and would talk to her about wanting a sex slave more than anything. She claimed that he was turned on by words like 'no' and 'stop', he even actively banned safe words or anything of the sort. She even claimed that one time, when she really wanted him to get off of her, she had to pull out her pocket knife just to get him to finally stop what he was doing. No girl since Gloria had been with him for longer than a handful of weeks at most, often being so terrified that they blocked him on everything and never went back to Club Underground again. It was strange, because outside of these horror stories, he was always so friendly and charismatic that Arnold often forgot how allegedly depraved he was.
It made him shiver in disgust, disturbance and bile, he knew he was going to DJ that night, he should have never left Helga alone at a party he was going to be at; especially considering she was exactly what he sought after in a girl. Impressionable, naive, sheltered with seemingly no one to really protect her and no one she could talk to.
As her tears began to calm, and her hiccups got softer and softer, all Arnold could think about was how desperately he wanted to choke that bastard out until the light in his eyes faded. This wasn't about him 'tainting' Helga, the little bit of envy he felt didn't matter, this was about him hurting her and being a harmful introduction to sex and what it should be like. No one deserved to be treated like that, but especially not her. Pulling her back, he looked her in the eyes, and for a second was able to soften his enraged expression into something more comforting for her.
"You thought I would be disgusted?"
With a timid nod, Helga sniffled, "I-I... the same n-night I—"
"I don't give a shit Helga," he bluntly stated, "I... I would be fine if you and him were sleeping together, you can do what you want, I wouldn't have been upset at you," he was only partially lying, he certainly would have been upset, the green-eyed monster eating him alive, just not with her, "but all of this... you should have told me the first time he crossed a boundary, I would have caved his fucking face in for you."
"I... I thought it was normal," she warbled, tears building yet again, "he said it always hurt the first time..."
"Well he lied," he simply responded, holding her close again and allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder, "don't worry, he won't go anywhere near you again, I promise, he'll regret ever thinking you were an easy target, I'll... I'll..."
Arnold didn't know what he would do, his mind was racing with all the things he wanted to do. He wanted to castrate the fucker and make him eat his own cock, he wanted to flay him and leave him in agony, he wanted to gauge his eyes out. He never took himself to be that violent, he wasn't afraid of a fight but he never sought to hurt people, but in this situation? An inner sadism he never even knew he was capable of was clawing at him and begging to be set free. Yet, he managed to stay outwardly calm, just so he could comfort her.
He would keep his promise, after he was done with Brainy, he wouldn't be able to go near Helga, even if he wanted to.
Brainy was beyond bored.
It was yet another Friday night at Club Underground, and he had just finished his set and was now waiting to just go home. He knew it was strange, blankly staring at the wall as a hot, albeit drunk, college girl was on her knees, slobbering on his cock with the grace of an elephant doing ballet. Surely, he should be a bit turned on, most men would be, but he wasn't. She was attractive, his type really, a curvy pretty blonde with big blue eyes and even bigger tits, but no matter how visually appealing she was, she wasn't her. Yeah, that was the problem, this sexy, confident, sloppy drunk blonde wasn't his blonde. His blonde wouldn't have shamelessly propositioned to suck his dick in a dark corridor, no, his blonde would probably die of embarrassment before she even considered doing anything that bold. His blonde wouldn't be swallowing his whole length with enough skill to rival even the most experienced of pornstars, she would instead shyly lick his tip like a kitten drinking milk, making him force the whole thing down her throat. His blonde wouldn't wear clothing so edgy and makeup so dark, she was light and soft and wore the sort of outfits old ladies expect the young girls to wear. His blonde was innocent and sweet, in spite of everything they had done together, an all-American virgin whore, nothing like the trash that was currently doing everything she could to get at least one moan out of him.
The more he compared this chick to his blonde, the more annoyed he got, before he eventually shoved her off of him with enough strength to knock her over, "hey...!" the blonde slurred, though the DJ couldn't bring himself to give two fucks that he had probably hurt her. Pulling up his boxers and jeans, he zipped his fly and stomped off, leaving the poor girl dazed and confused. He felt he had adequate reason to be annoyed, his blonde hadn't contacted him since the last time they met up, and even had he nerve to leave his messages on read. He had called her, texted her, and even contemplated just pulling up to her house, though revealing himself to Big Bob Pataki would probably ruin his chances at ever seeing her again. He'd see her going to and from school, and when he honked his car horn at her, she was skedaddle up the road suddenly.
How he wished he could just speed up, grab her, throw her into the car and ask her why the hell she wasn't speaking to him or coming to his apartment, but the knowledge that someone would inevitably see him and report the incident was yet another thing that stopped him. He had tried to satiate his desires with other girls, such as the hot blonde he just dumped in the corridor, but it just didn't hit the same, none of the exuded the purity she did, even the ones that liked being dominated, he didn't feel dominant when fucking them, they were too eager, too in control, they liked it too much. Whenever he was with his blonde, it was the first time since her that he felt truly in control, as though the woman was completely at his mercy, and had no choice but to bend to his whims. The way she would plead in soft tones in hopes to appease him, the way her crystal eyes shone when they welled up, the redness of her cheeks and how easy it was for her peach skin to bruise. How could he settle for any less? How could he enjoy random club sluts when he had finally found the girl of his dreams?
As he made his way through the club, his plan was to just go straight home, the party was trash, he didn't feel like fucking any girl there and the current DJ was doing a piss poor job and kept playing shitty EDM from 2015, but he was stopped in his tracks by a hand on his shoulder. Thinking it may be that blonde coming to slap him across the face, he turned around with an aura of hostility, though it completely faded when he saw who it was, that shaggy mess of sunny blond was noticeable from a mile away.
"Oh, Arnold, 'sup."
Brainy knew Arnold, but only because Arnold hung out with Wolfgang, who the DJ was quite close with. He and Arnold actually attended the same school, with Brainy being a Junior when Arnold started as a freshman; they were never close, and only really got to know each other after Brainy graduated and began his DJ career, hosting many clubs before settling at Club Underground as his main gig spot. He thought the kid was alright, a bit of a firecracker, yet simultaneously surprisingly goody-goody considering the lifestyle he led. Still, he had no problem with him, and any friend of Wolfgang might as well be a friend of his, so her turned around fully and accepted the handshake that Arnold offered.
"Yo man," he said with a grin, red cup in hand filled with a drink that Brainy couldn't recognized, "how ya been bro?"
"You know me, chillin', DJing, the use', you?"
"Living life man!" he managed to yell over the music, before leaning in close, "this party lame as fuck, Rhonda's gotta stick to house parties her club parties always fuckin' suck dude! Yo, Ruth's gonna drive the gang down to Diamond Rabbit, apparently a friend of hers is having a bachelor party and we can tag along, wanna come? You look as bored as we do."
Brainy didn't really want to go, the idea of going to a strip club where there would probably be even more hot blondes that reminded him of his blonde wasn't too appealing. However, if this was Wolfgang's crew, then he trusted the party would at least be fun, and maybe it could take his mind off of what was currently pissing him off, "sure man, I'll tag along."
"Sick! C'mon!"
Arnold grabbed onto Brainy's arm, leading him out of Club Underground and straight to Ruth's black Toyota. It was a tight squeeze, with Gerald having called dibs on the front passenger, meaning the other four guys had to squeeze into the back, which wasn't helped by the fact that they were all relatively tall guys. Though, the promise of arriving at a strip club more than made up for it in Brainy's eyes.
"Yo, dudes, DJ Brainy's gonna come with us to Diamond Rabbit."
"Cool," Gerald casually said as Arnold and Brainy sat down, the former closing the car door as he did so. Being squeezed between Wolfgang and Arnold was quite uncomfortable, and if his asthma was as bad as it was when he was a kid then he may have started wheezing, but whenever it got bad, he remembered strippers, and then decided to suck it up.
The ride to Diamond Rabbit was... uncomfortable to say the least. Everyone was rather quiet, which was strange considering they had all just left a party seemingly tipsy and eager to party. Gerald was casually typing away at his phone, Ruth was quietly humming along to a song on the radio, Sid rested his head on the window with his eyes closed, Wolfgang was mindlessly scrolling on his phone and Arnold was staring ahead, not blinking. The energy was off, it didn't give off the vibe that they were going to enjoy a night of drinking and mostly-naked women. Brainy's anxieties only got worse when Ruth took a strange turn. Diamond Rabbit was a straight drive down the street from Club Underground, there was no need for her to take a turn.
"Hey Ruth, why'd you just turn there?" He asked, hoping his voice didn't give away his concern.
"Just takin' a shortcut," she simply replied, continuing to softly sing the lyrics to Espresso.
Bullshit. Why take a shortcut to a place you can arrive to by driving straight down? He looked around to the other guys, when he saw the lack of concern on their faces, he tried to calm down. Maybe the road was closed and she had to go another way?
After a strangely long drive, Ruth finally parked, and Brainy's fight or flight began to kick in. Diamond Rabbit had a big, gaudy, neon sign that flashes so bright that he would definitely notice it if she parked nearby, but when he looked out of the window, he saw absolutely nothing but the night. Ruth and Gerald got out first, with Arnold opening his side of the door to step out. Before Brainy could ask where the hell they were, he felt Arnold wrap his arms around his neck, pulling him out by force while choking him in the process. The DJ immediately fought back, struggling and clawing at his arms in order to set himself free. He didn't stand a chance though, because the staggering Wolfgang was quick to assist Arnold, wrapping his huge arms around Brainy — the skinny DJ could have never overpowered him.
"Yo what the fuck!? Get off of me! Let me go!"
"Shut the fuck up!" Arnold snapped. Brainy could only struggle and stare in anger and fear as he was brought into... the forest, it was the woodlands that surrounded Hillwood.
Why the hell was he here?
Wolfgang dropped him, but plopped his foot on his chest before he could consider running off. Brainy huffed, yelping at the feeling before glaring at the group, "what the hell do you want!?"
Sid, Ruth and Gerald stood back, as though this wasn't their business, while Arnold walked up and knelt down, "I should kill you, y'know? Slit your throat and just leave you here."
"Why? I ain't done shit to you!"
"It ain't about me motherfucker!" He yelled back, standing up to kick him in the arm. When Brainy groaned in pain, he knelt back down, "oh? It ain't so fun when the rabbit got the gun huh? You're not into it when it's you getting hurt?"
"Let me go!"
"Listen here," Arnold said, ignoring his pleas, "I know what you did to Helga, the bruise on her neck, that shit looks gnarly as fuck y'know? Like someone tried to kill her — you don't do shit like that to her, I won't let ya."
Brainy went quiet for a bit, this was about his blonde? He had been tricked and led to a dark forest because of his blonde? Though still fearful, he forced out a laugh, "oh, let me guess, you're mad that I'm fucking her? You're mad that she comes to me whenever I want and not you? What, is she your girlfriend or something? My bad, not my fault she wants me inst—"
Before he could finish his taunting, Arnold gave him a swift stomp to the face, which hit quite hard, considering the heavy, vintage Doc Martins he wore that day. The DJ could only choke in pain, that stomp had definitely busted his nose, and is made his lip scratch at his teeth, causing it to bleed. With one single stomp, his face began bruising, staining with blood.
"You shut the fuck up," he hissed, "she told you no, she'd say stop, you fucking suffocated her until her throat gave out and she passed out, she's got bruises all over I should fucking kill you!" he roared, panting, "... but I won't, I—" he gave him another stomp to the face, this one even stronger than the last, so much so that even Ruth, who had peaked over, flinched and cringe at the loud 'crunch' his face made.
Knowing he was now in no position to fight back, Wolfgang removed his foot, allowing the furious Arnold to grab the barely conscious Brainy by the collar and drag him up to face him, "if you ever, ever, contact Helga again, I put this on my mother's name I'll slit your fucking throat and dump you in this forest myself, and I better never see you at Club Underground again or I swear to fucking God I'll smash a bottle over your head and drag you out, got it?"
Brainy grumbled, any bravado he would have had being replaced with pain and timidity. Arnold however didn't take this groan for an answer, not pitying the man's half knocked out state. Bringing up a fist, he cruelly punched his bloody face with all the power he had, not caring for his now blood stained knuckles, "I said you fucking got it!?"
"Y-Yes! Got i-it!" He replied, his mouth muffled and filling with his own blood. Satisfied with the response, Arnold dropped brainy gracelessly on the ground and turned around, signaling to the others that he was ready to go, not caring what happened to the bleeding, probably concussed DJ.
The group walked in silence, they were used to Arnold fighting occasionally, but never had he been so violent, never had he been so desperate to cause such pain to his opponent, never had he gone this far; it was quite scary to witness, he was usually the most mature of the group, and as he tactlessly shook Brainy's blood from his fist and shoes, it was clear he meant every single word of what he had said. Ruth agreed to drop everyone off, mostly because Arnold's boarding house was always last and she wanted to talk to him away from the other guys. When it was just the two of them left, she finally spoke.
"Did Brainy really deserve that? I know he's a kinkster but—"
"Yes." Arnold bluntly replied, "he hurt Helga, he honestly deserved more."
Ruth remained silent, Arnold was very protective of the women and girls in his life, and he'd have definitely dealt with Brainy if he had got to any of them. With that being said, the sheer brutality of breaking the DJ's face in every possible way felt... personal.
"You like her, don't you?" She asked with a soft giggle, "you went into it planning to fuck and embarrass her and you caught feelings, huh?"
Arnold stayed quiet, staring down at his stained knuckles, "... maybe I do."
The woman sighed, looking up as the boarding house came into view, "then I suppose I'm rooting for you, I admit the bitch has grown on me a little bit too, I guess she isn't too bad."
"Don't call her a bitch—"
"Oh, that's how I know you really like her, you don't react like that when people call me a bitch." Ruth laughed a bit, only for her tone to grow serious, "you know you'll have to tell her about the plan then? You gotta be honest."
As she parked near the boarding house, Arnold tried not to think about it; he was hoping he'd never have to bring it up, why not let it fade into obscurity? Helga was beginning to grow on the crew, eventually they might forget about that stupid plan as well. Honesty was all fine and dandy, but was it necessary when it was truly better for her not to know?"
"... I will," he responded, more so to appease Ruth rather than a genuine promise.
Taking his word, she waved at him when he stepped out of the car, "nighty football face!"
"Night Ruth," he waved back, watching as she drove away.
Three days later, Helga sent him a text message and told him that Brainy had blocked her, to which Arnold simply responded with '🙊🤫'.