B-Low the Belt
by Nelson
Nelson bit a salsa-coated chip in half then dipped it back in the bowl for more. "Double dip," Zach pointed out around a mouthful of tortilla.
"Pardon me," Nelson said with a smile, continuing to dip his half-eaten chip in the salsa bowl.
"That's ok," Zach laughed. "If I haven't caught anything from you by now, I never will."
Ben and Vic had a bowl of their own between them and Ben double-dipped a chip himself. "I can't believe we only have a few more weeks of college. Thank God."
"We need to celebrate," Zach said.
"What did you have in mind?" Nelson asked.
"I don't know," Zach said wistfully as he thought through their options. His eyes began to dance and he said with enthusiasm, "A trip!"
"Oh, God…" Vic said.
"Yeah! A trip," Ben agreed.
Nelson put his head in his hands and groaned. "Elbows off the table, Nelson," Zach admonished. "It's rude."
Nelson raised his head and looked to Vic for help but left his elbows right where they were. "We aren't taking any trips, are we, Vic?"
"I don't think I'm up for that much fun," Vic replied wryly.
"What?" Ben asked. "We have a good time."
Vic and Nelson took turns volleying one vacation incident after the other.
"Missing Brats," Vic said.
"Odd pets."
"Fighting Brats."
"Ghosts," Nelson added.
"Fighting Brats."
"Hey!" Ben interrupted Vic. "You said that already."
Vic glanced at his partner. "Different trip."
"Oh."
"Ok, so things don't always go that smoothly, but we still have fun," Zach pointed out. "Right?" He looked from one man to the other finding agreement registering in Ben's eyes only.
"Oh, come on," Ben said. "We have to do something to celebrate. What about a weekend in Vegas?"
"No!" Vic and Nelson said in resounding stereo.
"Why not?" Ben asked.
"Yeah, why not?" Zach echoed indignantly.
"Pick somewhere else and I might - *might*," Nelson emphasized, "consider it."
Zach reached for a chip and almost knocked his drink over with his elbow. Righting the glass quickly, he said, "Oops."
"See?" Nelson smiled. "Disaster threatens at the very prospect of us going away together."
Vic nodded emphatically, adding, "It's a sign."
"It was an ACCident, not a sign, and it didn't fall over," Zach said with a roll of his eyes. "Jeez."
"Wonder when the food will be here?" Vic asked looking around innocently with interest, checking the restaurant for signs of their waitress.
"Quit trying to change the subject," Ben said, elbowing his partner in the ribs.
"Omph!" he grunted, and laughed. "What?"
"How about a cruise? We haven't done that before," Zach suggested.
"Here we go," the waitress interrupted.
"Thank God," Nelson said.
"Hungry?" she replied with a grin.
"Uh… yeah," Nelson said, taking his plate. "Something like that."
"We can eat while we talk," Zach said. "Ben and I are talented that way."
The fajitas sizzled on the mini-skillet the waitress set down in front of Vic. "Thank you," he said, then turned his attention to Zach. "A cruise, huh?"
"Yeah, what about that?"
"We'll see," Nelson said, scooping some sour cream onto his burrito.
"That means no," Zach interpreted.
"It *means*," Nelson said, overriding Zach while making eye contact, "we - will - see."
Zach caught Ben's eye and said, "Uh huh."
~~~~~~~~~
Ben was buried in his books, with visions of logarithms dancing in his head when his thoughts were disrupted by a colorfully printed paper being slapped down on top of the page he was looking at. "Hi, to you, too, Zach," he said without looking up while he nonchalantly slid the paper out of his way.
"Well?" Zach asked, perching on the tabletop of the picnic table where Ben was studying.
"Well, what?" Ben said, squinting against the sun peeking out between the leaves of the oak tree behind Zach.
"The answer to our question on how to celebrate our graduation."
Ben gave in and read the paper that was stuck under his nose and shook his head. "Hell, no. No way."
"What?"
"Vic would have a stroke, that's what. And so would Nelson. Are you *trying* to put your partner in an early grave?"
"What's wrong with it? It's just for fun."
"A stripping contest? Are you shitting me?" Ben held the paper up for Zach to see and ran a finger under the name of the club hosting the contest. "At the B-Low, of all places?"
"So? It's just a gay bar."
"A gay bar with a reputation. They won't like us going there without them and I certainly wouldn't want them to be there for something like this. Not that I'd do it anyway. Not my thing."
"There is nothing *wrong* with it," Zach protested. "I'm proud of my body." He stuck his chest out and tipped his head back in vogue.
"You do what you want to, but I'm not doing it," Ben said, pushing the paper aside once again and turning his attention back to his books.
"Benji, Benji, Benji…" Zach said, shifting to the bench beside his friend and tossing an arm over his shoulders. "What's the problem? Just because we toss our names into the hat doesn't mean we'll win. And imagine if we won. The cruise would be a huge surprise."
"Oh, it'll be a huge surprise, all right," Ben said, contemplating the possible outcome. "I don't know if I'd want to win because then I'd have to tell Vic how I did it. Have fun."
"No!" Zach complained. "It has to be both of us."
"Why?" Ben asked shrugging Zach's arm off his shoulder. "Why both of us?"
"Because," Zach said slowly as if talking to a three-year-old, and replacing his arm around Ben, "if we both participate, we'll have a better chance of winning. Increased odds."
"Bullshit. You just don't want to do it alone."
"No, I just know you have better legs and that could win it for us."
Ben glared at Zach and slipped over away from him a few inches. "Flattery isn't going to help this time."
"Just register with me, Benji. There's no guarantee we'll win. Come on. You aren't ashamed of your body, are you?"
"No!" Ben said. "But stripping in a bar? It's like a fucked up Queer as Folk episode."
"You want Brian and you know it."
"Shut up," Ben said, trying hard not to let the smile playing on his lips take away from his resolve.
"Come on, Ben."
Ben said, "We'll see."
Zach's mouth flew open and he said, "No. No, do NOT pull that shit with me."
Ben laughed and said, "What?"
"That 'we'll see' crap. Just register. See what happens. Think about their faces if we won that cruise."
Ben said incredulously, "That's supposed to make me *want* to do it?"
"What will they say?"
"It isn't what they'll *say* that worries me," Ben said sarcastically.
"You worry too much. Register," Zach said. "We'll do a routine together. It won't be bad."
The angel on Ben's shoulder was overpowered by the devil on the other shoulder, who looked remarkably like his buddy, Zach.
"Shit," Ben said, seriously reluctant, yet scribbling his name on the registration form Zach handed him. "I'd better not get in trouble for this."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There it was again.
The same raggedy red bookbag Zach had been carrying for the last four years was lying once again on the kitchen table. Nelson shook his head and opened the refrigerator door retrieving left over casserole from the middle shelf. "Zach? Zach! Come get your bookbag off the table, please."
No answer. He sighed and called again. "Zach!" He listened for his younger lover and heard nothing. He suddenly remembered why: Zach and Ben were going out that night. With another aggravated shake of his head, he picked up the bookbag after he put a helping of leftover casserole in the microwave. A bright blue envelope was sticking out of the front pocket and Nelson saw the return address.
Club B-Low.
Curious, Nelson slipped the envelope out of the bookbag and saw that it was hand-addressed to Zach. He turned the envelope over and saw the ragged edge of the flap where it had been torn open. He ran a finger under the flap slowly, trying to decide if he should check the contents. He peeked inside and saw a letter in there, but stopped himself from pulling it out. He frowned and stuffed the letter into his back pocket. His hand lingered on the envelope for a moment as he re-thought his decision to wait and talk to Zach about the contents. No, he told himself. He'd wait. He opened the cabinet for a glass, then paused.
Club B-Low, he thought. Why would Zach be getting mail from there? And where was it he said he was going tonight?
He didn't.
Nelson reached back to his pocket and slipped the blue envelope out again, suddenly worried about where Zach and Ben might be. Club B-Low had never been off limits but it wasn't exactly a place he wanted Zach to be and Zach knew that. His decision made, Nelson slipped the letter out of the envelope and read.
"Oh, my God," he said to the empty kitchen.
~~~~~~~~~
Vic turned the stove down just as the phone began to ring. "Man. Stupid phone," he grumbled to Maggie. "Why don't you answer it? Huh?" He grabbed it on the third ring. "Hello?"
"Vic? Do you have any idea where Ben and Zach are tonight?"
"Out," Vic said, reaching for a potholder.
"Yeah, that's all I knew, too. Until about two minutes ago."
"What?" Vic asked, worry twisting a knot in his stomach at Nelson's tone.
"Club B-Low."
Vic stopped what he was doing, unconcerned with the boiling contents of the pot he was stirring. "You're kidding."
"No. And it gets better."
"Do I need to sit down?" Vic asked, feeling the strength in his knees fleeing.
"You might. They're in a stripping contest. I just saw a letter Zach got confirming the date and time and their participation."
"Why would they do this, though?"
"I don't know but I'm going down there, and I figured you'd want to go with me."
Vic rubbed his forehead. "I don't know, Nelson."
"What do you mean, 'you don't know'? They're *stripping*. Getting naked in a club full of strangers." Nelson paused reflectively. "Oh, that's right. You…"
"Never mind." Vic sat down and Maggie jumped up with her front paws on Vic's big thigh. He reached down and scratched behind her ears. "I guess I'm more concerned with the fact that they're at Club B-Low and decided not to tell us about this contest."
"Have you ever specifically said that Club Blow is off limits?" Nelson asked, reverting to the locals' nickname for the club. He propped the phone under his chin while he dug for his keys.
"No, but he knows I don't like it." Vic took a moment, trying to put the current events into perspective. "Are you sure Ben's involved?"
"Is he home?" Nelson asked.
"No," Vic replied in revelation and took a deep breath. "I'll meet you there."
"See you in 15," Nelson said as the garage door rose on its hinges.
Vic hung up the phone and said to Maggie, "Looks like Ben might be baring his butt for a crowd tonight. Wonders never cease, girl." He stood up and turned off the burners. "So much for dinner."
He reached for his keys in his jeans pocket and headed to the garage.
~~~~~~~~~~
"I can't do it," Ben said. He turned from Zach and headed for the door.
"You have to!" Zach said. "This is it!"
"I can't! I'm just not cut out for this sort of thing."
"You already paid your $25 participation fee. We're this close to winning!" Zach said, holding his finger and thumb an inch apart. "We're on in about 30 minutes."
"I think I'm going to puke," Ben said, holding his stomach. His hospital gown flowed behind him, flapping open to reveal his bare butt and just a hint of red from the silk thong he was wearing as he paced in his sock-feet. That was Zach's formula for him. Zach was wearing one of Nelson's doctor's jackets covering a set of scrubs and he had a stethoscope draped around his neck.
"You'll be fine. It's no big deal. Imagine the audience being in their underwear!" Zach said.
"Yeah, right. They'll be wearing more than me, then," Ben mumbled. "I can't." He turned to leave with Zach hot on his trail.
"Wait! Ben! Don't leave me to do this by myself!" He stopped short as he ran into Ben's back when his friend stopped on a dime.
"Vic!" Ben said as he found himself toe to toe with his partner.
"Fabio," Vic said sarcastically. "Going somewhere?"
"I was leaving. I… what are you doing here?"
"Nelson," Zach said.
"Zach," Nelson said in acknowledgement. "Get your things. We're going home."
"Nelson. I… we're supposed to go on in about…"
"You're not going on," Nelson interrupted. "We're going home. Now."
Other potential winners were milling about the room, and one bumped Zach as he passed by in the crowded room. "Sorry, doc," the guy said.
Zach frowned at the intrusion then said, "Nelson, you ruined the surprise! We have to go on. It's for a cruise! For graduation!"
The only cruise Nelson was interested in was one that would lead them home. He said through clenched teeth, "My car. Now."
Zach could see there would be no arguing about staying. He knew it was over as soon as he saw Nelson. Zach said, "We brought my car…"
"I *said* go to my car," Nelson repeated frigidly.
The tone spoke volumes and Zach meekly followed his partner out of the room and away from any chance of winning the cruise. He rarely saw Nelson mad. Aggravated, yes. Mad, no. He was looking mad right about then. It wasn't that big of a big deal and he hadn't actually gone through with the contest. Zach wasn't about to point out that Nelson had no reason to be so mad.
Quiet. He would just stay quiet and try to disappear into the leather seats of Nelson's SUV. Maybe he would melt into a puddle and Nelson would forget about him. But then he'd probably be mad about the puddle-Zach ruining the leather seats. He couldn't imagine Nelson meant to punish him, but he was beginning to worry that was the plan.
Not a word was spoken between the club and the house. Zach slinked out of the car and tried to remain invisible as they went in the house.
It didn't work. Nelson saw him. Clearly. "Upstairs. Plant yourself in a corner."
Zach wheeled around in the hallway, knowing what followed a "plant yourself in a corner" routine in their bedroom. He said, "What?! No! Nelson, you can't mean to spank me for this."
"Oh, yes I can. I think you need to be spanked and that's what I plan to do."
"What? No you won't. I don't think it's the right thing to do. It's not fair!"
Something in Zach's tone told Nelson that this was more than the usual "please don't punish me" routine. He truly seemed to believe that punishing him was not in the cards.
"Are you telling me you don't think what you did was wrong?" Nelson asked.
"No, it wasn't wrong. First of all, it's no big deal, and…"
"No big deal?" Nelson interrupted in surprise. "*No* big deal?? No big deal to strip naked at Club Blow?"
"*B*-Low, Nelson," he corrected as he slipped out of the doctor's jacket and slung it over the banister.
"Whatever. How is it you see stripping in front of a bunch of strangers, sharing your body - which I'm a little selfish over, by the way - at a club I don't approve of ok?"
Zach turned to Nelson with his fists clenched. "I didn't even do it, Nelson! You can't punish me for *attempted* stripping. Anyway, you never *said* I couldn't go to that club so you can't punish me for that. I don't know what you're so mad about!"
Nelson saw that Zach was not only angry, but indignant at the thought of being in trouble over what Nelson saw to be clearly "trouble-worthy". "You don't see it, do you?"
"No. I don't," he said in clipped tones.
Nelson sighed and walked toward the living room, grabbing Zach's hand as he passed by. He went to their chair, sat down and pulled Zach in to his lap. He felt him stiffen immediately. "Zach. Calm down. Sit with me and let's talk about this. Calmly."
"There's nothing to talk about. I don't deserve to be punished for something I didn't even go through with."
Nelson held Zach to him and waited while he succumbed and relaxed - to a point - against Nelson's chest. "All right, Zach. Let's talk about why I'm right."
"There's a surprise," Zach mumbled angrily.
"I beg your pardon?" Nelson asked, his voice having an edge intended to cut through Zach's anger before he dug himself in deeper.
"Well, it isn't fair, Nelson!"
"That's what we're going to talk about."
Zach didn't answer right away. "You're just going to try to convince me you're right and I'm wrong."
"And you won't do the same?"
"You'd better believe it," Zach said stubbornly. "Because I'm right this time."
"You thought I would approve of you doing something as low-class as stripping for a cruise we could pay for if we wanted to go on? Or of doing it in a place like Club B-Low?"
Zach huffed and said, "I *didn't* do it! And not approving and not allowing are two different things."
"Are they?"
"You never said I couldn't."
"If you thought it was ok, then why didn't you tell me where you were going tonight? What you were doing?" Nelson asked.
"You didn't ask."
"Do I need to start keeping tabs on you to that point? Because if you need me to start outlining exactly what you can do, where to go and..."
"No," Zach said emphatically. "You don't. But there's nothing wrong with Club B-Low. And you're missing the main point: I didn't actually do anything wrong while I was there."
"You meant to strip tonight. That was your intention. And the fact that they had a stripping contest at all is a perfect example of why I don't care for that club. All kinds of things go on there. You know it as well as I do and if I'm not mistaken," Nelson said as he stopped rubbing Zach's back, "you've always said to me you'd never go anyway. Why now?"
"For the contest. It was supposed to be a surprise," Zach stammered.
"Congratulations. I was surprised." Silence filled the room as the two sat entwined together, contemplating the events of the evening. Nelson finally spoke the obvious. "We need to deal with this, Zach. Take care of business."
He felt Zach stiffen once again, and then he sat up, pushing off of Nelson's lap. "No, Nelson. There's no business to take care of. I didn't even go through with it! You know that!"
Nelson leaned up and grabbed Zach's wrist, pulling him back into his lap. "Because I showed up 30 minutes beforehand. What if I hadn't?"
Zach kept his head down, his body rigid with frustration. Nelson pressed, "I didn't hear you."
"There's no way to know what I would have done," Zach said. He added earnestly, "You just can't punish me for something I didn't do!"
"You *meant* to do it. You registered, showed up and were in full costume ready to go on. Which you would have done had I not shown up. You fully intended to strip and I'm going to spank you for that."
"For *intent*?!" Zach's face was clouded with apprehension and dismay, and he looked straight at Nelson. "That's a pre-emptive spanking! You can't spank me for something I might or might not have *done*!"
"Yes, I can," Nelson said calmly. "It's like this. Say you were planning to kill someone…"
"KILL someone? God, Nelson, it wasn't that bad!" Zach interrupted.
"Calm down and let me finish. Let's say you were planning to commit murder. The cops figure it out, know you're planning to do it. Would they wait until you pulled the trigger to arrest you?"
"That's not the same thing!" Zach protested. "We aren't talking about murder."
"We're talking about intent, Zachary. And you had every intention of going through with stripping tonight without any regard for what I would think of it," Nelson said. "Wait, I take that back. You did regard it. That's why you kept it from me."
With an effort, he held eye contact with Nelson. "But that doesn't mean I should be punished. Ben was leaving. Maybe I wouldn't have stripped alone. It isn't fair, Nelson. And how was I supposed to know what you'd think?
Nelson's eyebrows rose wonder. "You mean to tell me," he said slowly, "that you don't know me better than that by now? If that's the case, why didn't you tell me about it?"
"It was a surprise, I told you! You don't typically tell someone a surprise."
"Is that the only reason you chose not to tell me? Zach?"
Zach slipped off Nelson's lap and headed toward the door. "I'm going to bed."
"Zachary," Nelson said, his tone sending shivers down Zach's spine. "We're hardly finished here, young man."
"Yes, we are," Zach said, turning to face his partner. "I don't believe you want to punish me for this!"
Nelson walked over to Zach and gathered his hands in his. "Zachary. Let me tell you what I believe," he said looking straight in Zach's eyes. "I believe you planned this behind my back because you knew good and well what I would think of you taking off your clothes to get a club full of men turned on enough to give you a cruise. I believe you knew how I would feel about you doing something like that at Club B-Low. I…"
"But…!"
"Wait a second," Nelson said, raising his hand. "I'm not finished." Zach sighed resignedly and waited for the rest as Nelson continued in a tone gentle yet firm. "I believe you thought I couldn't say no to a trip for graduation if you won. And I believe," he said, placing his curled finger under Zach's chin, "that if I'm right about those things, that you deserve to be punished. That's what I believe."
Nelson started them toward the stairs and Zach stopped, turning toward Nelson. "I didn't mean to do all that behind your back. I only wanted to try it and surprise you if we won."
"What if you didn't win? Would you have told me then?"
Zach shrugged and searched the floor. "I don't know."
"If you had any reservations in telling me, even if you lost, then you know in your heart of hearts," Nelson said, laying a hand to Zach's chest, "that something didn't fit." His hand moved from Zach's heart to his chin, and he tipped Zach's face up. "Don't you?"
Damn it! Zach felt torn. Torn between self-preservation and submission. Nelson was right… partially. He hadn't been trying to be deceitful, not at all. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he knew that winning the trip would have hooked Nelson when maybe nothing else would. He wouldn't toss a free cruise, no way in hell.
Zach also knew what "we'll see" meant when Nelson used it to staunch a fervently rallied request. It was Nelsonese for "let me put him off for a while and maybe he'll let it go before I have to say 'no' straight out." That's what it meant. But he wouldn't say 'no' to a free cruise.
Nelson was staring at him, waiting for an answer. He knew Nelson wasn't going to go for another "I don't know" but to answer in the affirmative, sealed his fate, and he wasn't entirely sure he should be punished even after Nelson's eloquent explanation. He couldn't say no because -
"Zachary?" Nelson said.
"Nelson, it isn't fair," he said desperately when nothing else seemed to fit.
"Do you really believe that, Zach? Honestly?"
"I don't want you to," Zach said, sensing in himself a sense of surrender, of giving over to Nelson that position of authority that he had long ago agreed to. Nelson had the final say in their home of right and wrong, and he was insistent that stripping, even the intent to do so, was distinctly wrong.
"I asked if you honestly believe I'm not being fair. Do you?"
"I did intend to do it when I went there, but I didn't actually do it. I don't agree that it's fair to punish me for intended actions."
"No?" Nelson asked.
"Well, I mean," Zach said, struggling for the right words. "You could punish me for all sorts of things if that's the case."
"It's the level of intent here," Nelson explained. "You had done everything but the deed and I see nothing at all that makes me think you wouldn't have followed through had I not shown up. The very fact that you planned it to the last detail without telling me anything about it tells me a lot."
Zach shifted uncomfortably, his eyes fixing on their hands locked together. He felt sunk. It was going to happen. While he didn't agree 100% with the reason why, he couldn't deny Nelson had a point and he respected Nelson's authority. He wished that Nelson's decision on how to deal with it were different. Something less painful.
Nelson asked, "I think we need to go upstairs and get this done. Don't you?"
Zach exhaled in a rush and looked at Nelson, his eyes begging for mercy. "Nelson… I don't… please let it go."
Nelson gripped Zach's hand and squeezed it. "I don't think I should. You know me well enough to know what I expect and you knew it when you planned this."
Zach's mind raced, searching for an escape, as he felt the noose tightening. "It wasn't as bad as you're making out. Not bad enough for a spanking."
"What went through your mind when you saw me standing there tonight?"
Something to the tune of "holy fuck", Zach thought.
"Did you have any inkling you were in trouble? That you might get spanked?" Nelson asked.
The noose snuffed off Zach's air and he nodded. "Because I could see you were mad."
"Why was I mad?"
"Because I was at Club B-Low. I didn't know if you knew why I was there."
"Were you worried that I might know? And what I would think if I did?"
Zach's stomach did a comparable swan dive with the question just as it did when he saw his partner on the other side of the door in the back room of the basement club. "Yeah. Yes, sir," he said in resignation.
"When we first started this relationship, I told you I would never surprise you with a spanking. Didn't I?"
Zach swallowed a lump about the size of a softball and said, "Yes, sir."
"I don't think you're surprised. Are you?" Zach shook his head against the sting in his eyes. "Do you understand my point?"
Yes, he understood. He knew with understanding came acceptance and that was the hard part. Acceptance when not faced with the inevitable wasn't such a tough thing. Acceptance knowing what came with the package in the immediate future was damn near impossible. He blushed at the cracking of his voice when he uttered a "yes, sir", setting events in motion that would not be reversed.
Nelson squeezed Zach's hand. "Are you ready to go upstairs now?"
Zach groaned to himself. "Yes, but I don't want to."
Nelson put his hand to Zach's back and pushed him toward the stairs. "I know."
They entered the bedroom and Nelson led the way to the bed with Zach following, although grudgingly. Nelson took a seat in his usual place on the edge of the bed and tugged Zach around to his side. Human nature wouldn't allow Zach to simply give in, to submit without at least some semblance of a fight, and he pulled back against Nelson's grip on his wrist.
"Wait," Zach said, distraught.
"Waiting won't help anything," Nelson stated firmly, still urging Zach toward his lap. Zach, finally resigned to what was going to happen, submitted despite his better judgment, which was heartily protesting on behalf of his posterior.
Nelson reached under the hem of Zach's shirt, and gripped the waistband of the scrubs, sliding them out of the way. He looked on in fascination at Zach's butt, perfectly positioned over his right thigh…
His cheeks separated by merely a thin strip of fabric running between them.
"A thong, Zach?" Nelson asked in awe.
Zach explained, "I couldn't wear boxers or briefs if I wanted to win."
Nelson was glad on some level that Zach was facing the floor because he wasn't sure he could hide the smile on his lips if he had to. Out of form more than necessity, he slipped the thong down as well.
With every obstacle out of the way - even the scantily covering thong - Nelson immediately began doing what he had to do. He slapped his hand against Zach's butt repeatedly, the sound echoing in the bedroom in an unmistakable staccato. Zach began to move reflexively, trying to get his butt out of the way, and Nelson tightened his grip, keeping Zach right where he was. Nelson was keenly aware of Zach and he continued the spanking until he heard the tears switch from shock to remorse and his body go from tense to limber resignation. It was only then that he stopped.
Zach tried to catch his breath once the realization hit him that it was over - all but the singing, and he was taking care of that. Regardless of Nelson having to bring Zach around to his way of thinking, he apparently didn't see the need to go at all easy. Zach tried to clear his head of the sheer overload of sensations, mainly the heated thumping in his behind, while he tried to block out the raw pain. As usual, he was inundated with emotion, from utter vulnerability to embarrassment, torn between the desire to be plastered to Nelson and the inability to face him. He was left without a choice as he felt a familiar strength in the hand pulling at him. He allowed it to guide him to a standing position then capture him in a chest-crushing hug.
Zach wiped at the flood pouring down his cheeks when Nelson knelt in front of him after an eternity, sliding the scrubs and twisted thong down and off his legs. As soon as he didn't need his hands for balance, they went gingerly to his backside, hidden underneath the long scrubs shirt he wore.
Nelson held out his hand, the one he used to leave him feeling like shit, and didn't drop it until Zach's was clutched in it. Zach followed him downstairs wordlessly then climbed carefully into Nelson's lap in their chair in the living room.
Zach's thoughts fleetingly went to his friend. He wondered if Ben was feeling the same way, if it was over already for him, or just beginning.
Wherever he was in the process, Zach was sure he was not exactly Ben's favorite person right about now. Zach shifted carefully, but the renewed pain drew his thoughts back to himself and suddenly Ben's plight wasn't his main concern.
As much as he wished he hadn't gotten Ben in trouble, he was on his own.
~~~~~~~~~~
The silence was overwhelming in the SUV when Vic slammed his door closed. He slipped the key in the ignition without a word, but didn't fail to take a good long look at Ben. Ben glanced away uncomfortably, and traced a finger along the rubber molding surrounding the window.
"Well, well, well," Vic said finally, as he reached over and turned off the radio. "A stripping contest."
Ben scrunched his eyes closed while he struggled to come up with a response to Vic quickly. His butt automatically clenched at his predicament and Vic's tone. He turned to Vic and said, "It was for a trip. For graduation."
"I see. Go on," Vic prompted for more as he twisted the key in the ignition, bringing the vehicle to life.
"Go on, what?" Ben asked. "That's it."
"How about telling me why I found you at Club B-Low?"
Ben felt the air thinning as it suddenly became a little harder to breathe. He answered, "That's where the contest was being held."
Vic cut disbelieving eyes across the SUV to the passenger's seat. "I figured that much. You know I don't think a lot of that club. Too much weird crap goes on there for my taste."
"Yeah, weird but not a big deal. Not dangerous or anything. We were only going to be there for the time we had to perform, er, participate."
"You had it right the first time," Vic said sardonically. "I can't believe you went sneaking off to that bar."
"We weren't deceitfully sneaking. We were surprise sneaking. There's a difference, you know." Ben reached over and turned the air conditioning vent his way as it was decidedly hotter in the confined vehicle and seemed to be getting more so as the conversation continued. "I wasn't trying to do anything wrong by you, I swear."
It felt like the clock stood still while Ben waited for Vic to speak, which he finally did. "Why would you do something so crazy? It isn't like we couldn't afford the trip."
"I was just doing it because Zach…" Ben started. "Nothing."
Vic expelled a sigh from his toes. "I should have known! Benjamin, I ought to wear your behind out for listening to him again. How many times have I told you…"
Vic's rampage was cut short as Ben's attention was focused on one word. Ought? Did he say "ought"? Ben's mind scrambled to replay Vic's last comment then made an attempt to decipher any hidden meaning buried between the words. Did that mean he wasn't planning to wear Ben out already? Was there hope of survival? A prayer of seeing the light of dawn? A light that didn't come from his glowing rear end?
"…Haven't I?" Vic said at the end of his tirade.
"Huh?" Ben said.
Vic let out an exasperated huff and said, "Benjamin David, were you listening to me?"
"Yes. Yes, sir," Ben said hesitantly.
"What did I just say?"
Aw, shit. Ben had lived with Vic long enough to make an educated guess and he tried, "You don't understand why I listen to Zach and you've told me before. Right?"
"Yes, that's right." Ben deflated in relief at having hit on the right message as Vic continued on. "I swear, I need to find out what he says to you to convince you to do crazy things, because I'm obviously not saying the right things to convince you *not* to do them," Vic said in exasperation.
Ben frowned, still flabbergasted at the possibility that his butt might possibly remain unscathed even though Vic had to haul himself down to the club to get Ben. "You convince me plenty," Ben said. "You really do. I just wanted to surprise you like he wanted to surprise Nelson."
"I think Nelson was surprised," Vic said dryly. "At least he sounded it when he called me. I knew he was quite angry at the situation and thought we needed to get the two of you before you went on display."
"It was Nelson's idea to come? You didn't want to?"
The darkness did a decent job of hiding much of Vic's expression but Ben could envision it without seeing a thing. It was that disbelieving, aggravated, a hair away from exasperated look. "I would have let you do it. That in itself would be punishment enough for you IF you actually went through with it."
No shit. But he hadn't gone through with it so what did that mean? Ben felt like he might be stepping squarely into a steel trap but couldn't seem to stop the momentum of his mouth as it opened completely on its own and said, "Am I in trouble?"
"Should you be?" Vic asked.
"Trick question, Vic," Ben said. Shut up! he told himself. "But I really wasn't doing anything except having a little fun hoping to win a trip. And shut Zach up."
"*That's* the part I hate in all this," Vic said, slamming the tip of his index finger against the dashboard. "You've listened to him again, and let him talk you into something."
"He's my friend."
"Listen, Ben. I love him, I really do. He's a great guy, but sometimes…" Vic hesitated, shaking his head. "Sometimes he just comes up with stuff I'd rather you had the forethought to say 'no' to."
"I do have the forethought. He's just convincing or something," Ben said.
"Well, let me see if I can do some convincing," Vic said with that non-nonsense tone that sent lead to the pit of Ben's stomach. "The next time you let him talk you into something that is even halfway 'off' or makes you think twice, *I'm* going to do my convincing on your backside. Is that clear?"
Next time? "Yes, sir. Crystal," Ben said in wonder.
Thirty seconds of silence hung in the air and Vic glanced over in the dim light glowing from the dash. "Who came up with the outfits?"
Ben grimaced and said, "Zach?"
Vic shook his head. "I might have known."
A few seconds later, the quiet was shattered by a soft chuckle on the driver's side of the car. "It would have been something to see, that's for sure. At least when I did it, I…"
"What?!" Ben exclaimed, turning to face Vic. "When you did what?!"
"Oh, didn't I ever tell you about that?"
"About what?" Ben asked incredulously.
"It was a long time ago," Vic said with a grin, remembering years gone by. "I was in college, and I did it on a dare. Made some good money that night."
"A dare? How is that different from being talked into it?"
Vic said, "Because I wasn't dared by Zach."
"Point," Ben said. "I can't believe you did that. It doesn't sound like you."
"What? You think I was born a Top? That I didn't do some stupid things when I was younger?"
"I don't know… it just surprises me," Ben said.
"It was ten years ago. I hope I've changed."
"Oh, believe me, you have. I should find out what other things you did. I might need it later," Ben said. "A get out of jail free card or something."
"Don't you worry about it," Vic said firmly. "Just consider yourself lucky that I learned some valuable lessons from my stupid mistakes and I have no intention of letting you repeat them."
Hmmmmm, Ben thought curiously.
"Like stripping?" Ben asked. "Did Nelson do it, too?"
Vic snorted and said, "God, no. He was just as surprised that I had done it as he was with Zach tonight."
Ben had been so caught up with thoughts of his own demise, he hadn't given Zach's situation a second thought. "Oh, Zach. Nelson was really upset with him?" he asked, concerned about his friend.
"Don't worry about that either. That's between them."
And that said it all.
~~~~~~~~~
"You guys have everything under control in here?" Nelson said from the backdoor.
"We've got it," Zach said, cutting up an onion. The pork and beans were simmering on the stove and Ben was finishing up setting the table. "We'll be ready in ten."
"Good enough. We'll be done right about then, too." Nelson pulled the door closed behind him and went out to the grill where Vic was just opening a cold beer.
Nelson lifted the lid of the grill and started tossing the hotdogs over the flame. "White meat or dark?" he asked Vic.
Vic peered into the grill and saw the hamburger patties sizzling there now joined by the hotdogs. "I think I'll take one of each." Nelson picked up his beer and sat down in a lawn chair after closing the lid on the grill. Vic sat down beside him and said, "So you didn't tell me what was it like?"
"What?" Nelson asked.
"Sleeping with a stripper?" he said with a grin, barely hidden despite his best effort to camouflage it behind a sip of beer.
Nelson cast him a disapproving stare and said, "You should know."
Vic didn't even try to hide his laughter at that. "It was pretty good actually. In my experience."
"Speaking of experience, is this going to be a family tradition for you?"
Vic said with a smile, "Kiss my stripped butt, Nelson."
Nelson had to laugh. "Well, our fully-clothed partners say they have the kitchen under control. Probably comparing war notes while we're not there."
"War notes?" Vic asked curiously.
"From last night," Nelson explained.
Vic glanced over his shoulder at the house and said, "I hope not. Because if they do, I'm afraid you're going to be in the doghouse."
"Why?" Nelson asked.
"You uh… might have gone a bit tougher on Zach than I did with Ben."
"You didn't punish him?"
"No. I talked to him about following Zach's lead into half-cocked plans and going to Club B-low," Vic said.
Nelson looked toward the house, wondering… "Uh oh. Zach's going to be…"
"…so PISSED!" Zach exclaimed to Ben. "I can't believe I got my butt blistered and you didn't! You didn't get ANYthing."
"Well, I was leaving when they got there, and it *was* your idea, Zach. That had to count for something," Ben explained, trying not show relief at his good fortune.
"He never mentioned that. Not at all. He was mad about the club, about the stripping, hiding it from him, INTENT. I didn't even *do* anything! Damn it!"
Ben gave Zach a sheepish grin and said, "Sorry?"
"Not as sorry as I am," Zach tossed out angrily. "And it isn't like he held back anything either. He shouldn't have even known about it."
"How *did* he know?" Ben asked.
"He helped himself to the confirmation letter that was sticking out of my backpack. I told him reading other people's mail is illegal. He said it wasn't illegal for him," Zach said rolling his eyes, "WHEN it applies to me."
"Oh."
Zach shrugged and wiped his eyes. Ben frowned and said with concern. "Are you ok?"
Zach blinked back tears and looked at Ben questioningly, then the light dawned. "Onion, moron."
"Oh," Ben said. "You had me worried there for a minute."
"I'm not crying; I'm freaking pissed off!"
Nelson and Vic walked in the backdoor in time to hear Zach, and they exchanged a knowing look. "What's wrong?" Nelson asked, setting a plate of hotdogs and hamburgers on the table.
"Unfairness. That's what's wrong," Zach declared. "Ben didn't get in any trouble last night. I told you I shouldn't be in trouble."
"Vic and I are not joined at the brain."
"Clearly," Zach grumbled.
"Zach," Nelson said in warning. "What he decides has no bearing on my decisions."
"Or vice versa," Vic threw in. He grabbed a French fry off the plate Ben was setting on the table and popped it in his mouth. "Hot," he hissed.
Zach washed the remaining onion residue off his hands and said while drying them. "I told you it wasn't fair."
"We're not discussing that now, Zach," Nelson said resolutely. "Have a seat."
Zach pulled out a chair next to Nelson and said, "But I'd like to know what he thought. Why Ben didn't get in trouble." He shot a venomous glare at an unblemished Ben across the table.
"I just had a different view of it than Nelson did. That's just the way it is," Vic said.
"And because he stripped once when he was in college," Ben said with a sly grin.
Zach's mouth fell open in a cavernous "o". "You're going to catch flies that way," Nelson said, slipping his finger under Zach's chin and pushing gently.
"Did you do it, too?" Zach demanded accusingly of Nelson.
"No, I did not," Nelson said, helping himself to some potato salad. He leveled a glance across the table at Vic and said, "I didn't think much of it when he did it either."
Vic tried to hide a smile but failed miserably. "I wouldn't do it today, but when I was 21 and three sheets, it seemed like a good idea."
"Couldn't you have talked Nelson into it?" Zach asked. "Then maybe I wouldn't have been in trouble either."
"Unlike SOME people," Vic said with a pointed look at his partner. "Nelson doesn't let himself get talked into foolish things." Ben blushed and focused on his food.
"Wouldn't have mattered anyway," Nelson said. "Just because I might have done something doesn't mean I'll think it's something you should do. Or get away with." His right eyebrow crept up his forehead to emphasize the point.
Not at all happy with that response, Zach said, "That wouldn't be fair. Just like last night."
"I know. I'm just horrible, aren't I?" Nelson said to the scowling face.
"Yes. You are," Zach agreed, folding his arms.
Nelson leaned over and kissed his cheek, but was met with a cold reception. Nelson said, "And you're impulsive. But I love you just the way you are."
Zach swallowed his resentment enough to say, "I love you, too. But that doesn't mean you're fair. You're unreasonable."
"He might be unreasonable," Vic said trying to change the subject, "but he's a heck of a griller. Good hamburgers, Nelson."
"Thanks," Nelson said.
"We still didn't decide how to celebrate our graduation," Ben said.
"Oh, God," Vic groaned.
"How about a nude beach?" Nelson suggested. "A gay nude beach." Vic threw a French fry across the table, hitting Nelson squarely in the forehead. "Hey!" Nelson protested.
"Good throw, Vic," Ben laughed.
"Very funny, Nelson," Zach said with a shove.
"What?" he responded with a chuckle. "You and Ben want to get naked so badly, I was just trying to be *reasonable*."
"Oh, NOW you want to be reasonable?" Zach said, slapping his palm down on the tabletop. He rolled his eyes and added, "If you want to continue this comedy routine, you really need work on your timing. Last *night* was the time to be reasonable."
"I'll keep that in mind," Nelson said. "For the future."
End
