The Long Night
Author: Nelson – with tons of collaboration with Alex
Date: November 2003
Comments: Special thanks to Alex and Austin for their contribution and input. This story wouldn’t have happened without you two! ;)
Benjamin was stretched out on the sofa with Maggie curled up beside him, while he stared absently at the television. He pointedly ignored Vic when he filled the doorway to the living room, leaning his forearm against the doorframe above his head.
Vic spoke a single word when he was ignored. “Benjamin.” Ben didn’t bother to answer him but simply looked at him wordlessly to let him know he had heard. Vic said, “Time for bed.” Ben held the look for a moment longer then turned his eyes back to the television. “Benjamin, I told you when you wouldn’t get up again this morning you were going to bed earlier tonight. Turn off the TV and go get ready for bed.” Ben continued to ignore him and made no move to get up or to turn off the TV. Vic took the few steps necessary to reach the television and clicked it off.
Ben swung his legs around and sat bolt upright on the edge of the sofa, disturbing Maggie’s comfortable position. She jumped down excitedly with the sudden activity from her owner. “Hey!” Ben exclaimed.
Vic put his hands on his hips and glared a hole in Ben. “What?” he asked conversationally.
Ben argued, “It’s too HOT to sleep. You have it like an oven in here!”
“It is not. You’re going to bed, and I don’t want to hear it.”
“It IS too hot. I’m about to roast, Vic,” Ben whined.
Vic took a quick glance at his watch and said, “You have time for a quick shower if you hurry. That should cool you off. Get in the shower then go directly to bed.”
Since arguing wasn’t working, Ben went to his lover and slipped his arms around him, kissing his neck. “Come take a shower with me,” he spoke against Vic’s neck, extending a flirtatious invitation.
Vic’s lips found Ben’s and they shared a few kisses before Vic pulled away. “As much as I’d love that, Ben, I have too much to do. I have GOT to get prepared for this case.”
Ben’s lips pursed into a frown. “Fine!” he spat from the stinging rejection. He pulled roughly away from Vic, and stomped angrily up the stairs. Vic was torn between going to him and getting back to work. He wasn’t sure if Ben’s mini-tantrum was from having to go to bed early or because Vic wouldn’t take the tantalizing bait. Before he could decide what to do, he heard the shower running; he hesitated, peering up the stairs then he went back to work. He was quickly immersed again in the case, to the point that it was thirty minutes later when he realized the shower was still on.
It was Vic’s turn to stomp, thoroughly aggravated that Ben was still in the shower and not in bed. He rapped his knuckles sharply against the door twice before opening it and entering to hear his lover singing softly to himself in the shower. Ben stopped humming with a start when Vic reached around the curtain and turned off the taps, ending the long shower and the serenade. Vic said, “That’s quite enough, Benjamin.”
“NO!! I wasn’t done yet!” Ben complained from behind the curtain.
“I disagree, young man. You’re done, as you should have been long ago.”
He heard a dramatic grunt from behind the curtain and Ben reported, “But, I still have shampoo in my HAIR!” To prove it, he stuck his head around the edge of the curtain squinting and blinking back soap bubbles away from his eyes.
Vic glared at him and noted the soapy residue in Ben’s dark blonde locks. “You have 30 seconds! If you’re still soapy then, I’LL be rinsing you off, and believe me, you do NOT want that to happen.”
“But, that’s not long enough! I need conditioner, too!”
“What you ‘need’ is to do like I told you,” Vic said then added after a glance at his watch, “Twenty seconds.”
Deciding to ignore Vic’s stern comments, Ben asked with a sweet smile, “Why don’t you join me and get me all soapy again?”
“That isn’t going to work, Ben. You’re not going to distract me into letting you stay up. Fifteen seconds,” Vic shouted over his shoulder as he left the bathroom to grab a pair of shorts and a t-shirt for Ben to sleep in.
Ben huffed when he saw Vic leave, and reluctantly closed the curtain and turned the water on to rinse his hair. At exactly 30 seconds, Vic reached around the curtain and turned off the water again. He pulled a towel from the rack and pulled the curtain fully open. “Get out,” he said, holding the towel invitingly for Ben to step into.
He was surprised to see Ben pull the curtain around again and turn the taps back on. “Just a little more,” he said.
Vic tossed the towel across his shoulder and pulled back the curtain, turning the water off once again. He gripped Ben’s upper arm and turned him away from the faucet and swatted his wet rear end several times, sending water droplets dashing out of the way of his falling hand.
Ben exclaimed his displeasure. “OWWW! That’s not fair, Vic,” he whined. “I’m still WET!!”
“You had a chance to get out and dry off, AND avoid that. Now come on before I decide to really spank your wet behind. Right now.” Vic pulled the towel from his shoulder and held it open once again.
Ben scowled and snatched the towel out of Vic’s hands and wrapped it around his waist. “Can I at least have some PRIVACY to dry off??” he asked indignantly.
“No, you may not. You don’t have a thing I haven’t seen before. Let’s go,” he said with a snap of his fingers. He lost patience as Ben removed the towel from around his waist and began to take his sweet time patting the water away. Vic pulled the towel from his hands and efficiently finished rubbing him down then swatted his still-damp bottom hard. “Stop stalling and get ready for bed.”
“OW! Would you quit that?” Ben exclaimed, reaching back to rub the sting out of his tender skin.
“I’ll stop if you will. You’re pushing me.”
“No, I’m not,” Ben disagreed then launched immediately into more pushing, regardless of his denial of doing so. Ben glared at the t-shirt and shorts Vic had brought into the bathroom and said, “I don’t want to wear those.”
Vic’s arms folded across his chest and he informed Ben with a steady glare, “You have two choices, young man: put your pajamas on right now or take a trip across my lap, and THEN put your pajamas on. You’ve dragged this out long enough. Now, what’s it going to be?”
Ben reached for the t-shirt, knowing that standing there naked made his butt an easy target. “Can’t I just get different shorts?” he asked, slipping the t-shirt over his wet head. He made sure he pulled the tail down to cover his bottom, offering a little protection in case Vic got another notion to swat him.
Vic looked at him menacingly and said, “Sure, you can…but do you really want to do that?”
Ben looked at Vic with wide eyes. “Pleaaase? Those have a tag that itches. I hate them.”
Quickly tiring of Ben’s schemes to prolong getting into bed, Vic pushed him toward the bedroom with both hands on his shoulders, hoping the right shorts would put an end to the argument. “Get a pair you like and stop stalling.” Ben covered his butt expectantly with both hands since Vic was behind him, but the protection was unnecessary. Vic continued to talk. “I told you this morning you would be going to bed early,” he said looking at his watch, “and, since we haven’t accomplished that tonight, we’ll repeat the process tomorrow night and the following night.”
Ben rolled his eyes and quickly went out the bedroom door as soon as Vic’s hands left his shoulders. Vic bellowed, “BENJAMIN! GET back in here!” He followed Ben out into the hallway and saw him rapidly approaching the stairs to stay ahead of him.
Ben called over his shoulder, never halting his progress, “But, the shorts I want are in the dryer! I’ll be right back!”
Vic caught up with him and snagged his arm just as Ben’s foot landed on the top riser, effectively keeping him from descending. Ben wondered if all Tops were born with the ability to “arm snag’ because Vic was uncannily good at it, and he had seen Nelson perform the maneuver more than once. It was terribly aggravating to a brat who had no intention of getting snagged. Not only did it keep him from going anywhere, it also placed him in a precarious position that was prime for swatting.
Vic said, “Oh, no you don’t. You’re not going downstairs. You have plenty to choose from up here.”
“But, Viiiiic!” Ben whined.
“Go,” Vic said, pulling him from the stairs, and pushing him toward the bedroom.
Foiled again, Benji pulled the dresser drawer open, bent over and peered inside. He began to pull varying shorts options from the drawer, and discarded the unwanted ones to the floor, mumbling excuses as he went along. “Tag (toss). Torn (toss)…”
“What is wrong with those?? Quit throwing clothes on the floor!” Vic was busily picking them up as Ben threw them to the floor.
Ben never looked up from his work when he spoke. “You TOLD me to get a pair I liked. I’m LOOKING.” He continued picking through the shorts, finding nothing to suit him. “Wool (toss). Pink? (toss)”
In his current position, the t-shirt had ridden up and the fleshy part of his buttocks peered out underneath. Vic took advantage of Ben’s vulnerable position and smacked each mound peeking out at him soundly. Ben felt each cheek of his bottom rise with the swats then settle back where they belonged. He sucked in his breath with the force of the swats and grabbed the next available pair of shorts quickly. He straightened up from the drawer and strategically turned his back away from Vic, taking a step or two backward for extra protection.
Vic’s face was stormy when he looked at him. “The longer you take to get in bed is that much earlier you’ll go tomorrow night and the next night,” Vic said.
“That’s not fair!!” Ben argued, stepping into the shorts.
“Who decides what’s fair or not?”
Ben pouted and looked at Vic under his lashes as he mumbled, “I’m not sure that’s fair either…”
Vic’s eyebrows crawled up his forehead and he asked, “Is that a fact? Do you want it to become even more unfair?”
“NO!” Ben exclaimed then made a break for it, rushing to the bed then sitting down on the edge.
Vic said as he stalked toward the bed, “Ben, I’m tired and in no mood to keep this up. Get IN the bed, not ON it.” Ben quickly got under the protection of the covers, making it between the sheets just as Vic was rounding to his side of the bed.
“Well, if you wouldn’t work so much…” Ben grumbled as he fluffed the pillows. And, fluffed them, and fluffed them.
“That’s enough!” Vic said sternly. Hearing the warning tones and knowing he had pushed way too far, Benji pulled back the covers and crawled in the bed. Seeing Ben settle against the fluffed pillows, Vic said, “Finally. Goodnight, Pumpkin.” He leaned down and kissed the protruding lips, poked out unhappily. “I’ll be up to bed later.”
Ben sat up away from the pillows and Maggie jumped onto the bed, settling beside him. “WHAT?? You’re not STAYING?”
Vic leaned over to pet Maggie’s head and he scratched behind her ears. He said, “I have a lot to do, and I wasn’t the one who couldn’t get up this morning, remember?” Then to Maggie he said, “Sweet girl.” She closed her eyes against his touch.
“I COULD have slept in if you hadn’t insisted I have breakfast…”
Vic turned his attention from Maggie and cut off the comment with a full kiss to Ben’s lips, covering his mouth and trapping the complaint inside. “Goodnight,” he said with finality and snapped off the light.
He heard a “Hmmph” from Ben in the dark which he ignored and headed back downstairs. He thought through the evening events and was confused at the drama Ben used to stay up. He expected a little pushback, but nothing like what he had encountered. As a result, he lost almost an hour of time he could have been working. He shook his head and found his way back to the office.
Meanwhile, Ben lay in the dark staring at the ceiling, very much awake. He finally slipped from between the sheets, and gathered the spare flashlight they kept in the bedroom closet and picked up a book from the nightstand to read. He was quickly engrossed in the book and never heard Vic on the other side of the door or when he opened it. Only Vic’s thunderous voice echoing off the walls in the semi-darkness told Ben he was in the room. “BENJAMIN!! WHAT are you doing??”
Ben jumped at least a mile and fumbled with the flashlight. “FUCK!! You scared the SHIT out of me!” Ben exclaimed and tried to get his heart back in chest. Then his hand crept up to his offending mouth to cover it, just a few curse words too late. The light from the hallway created a silhouette of his partner allowing Ben to only see his outline, and not his features. He slowly turned the beam of the flashlight to Vic’s face to see if it registered, and saw his eyes were the size of softballs. Vic flipped on the overhead light and started stalking over to the bed.
Vic grabbed the book from Ben’s hands and turned off the flashlight, laying both on the nightstand. “I’ve had enough of this, young man. It’s enough that you’re disobeying me but now you had to add that filthy language.” He pulled Ben from the bed by his wrist and said, “You obviously missed a spot in the shower.” Maggie sprung to life and jumped from the bed to follow the men.
“I’m IN bed, Vic! You said to get IN bed!” he argued off-point, struggling furiously. “And, you SCARED me! It slipped out!”
Vic ignored the protests and clamped down tighter on Ben’s wrist so he couldn’t struggle free. “You know what happens when you use that kind of language.”
“It was an ACCIDENT!!”
“I don’t expect to EVER hear it.”
“But, it was YOUR fault! You sneaked up on me.”
Vic continued to guide Ben downstairs to the kitchen with Maggie close on their heels. “Just because you didn’t hear me, doesn’t mean I was sneaking. You’re getting your mouth soaped, young man. You should consider yourself lucky not to be getting a spanking, too, for disobeying me.”
Ben continued to protest, “But, I didn’t mean it. It was an accident!!”
“I don’t want to hear that kind of language from you, accident or not.” Ben found himself in front of the kitchen sink and watched as Vic pulled the liquid Ivory from under the cabinet.
“Please, Vic! Noooo!” Vic selected a teaspoon from the silverware drawer and filled it with Ivory. Ben frowned at the spoon as Vic brought it up to his lips and Ben shook his head vigorously.
“Open your mouth.”
Ben backed up a step away from the spoon and said through sealed lips, HmmmNmmm.”
“Ben! Open your mouth, right now!”
“HmmmNmmm!!” he muttered more earnestly.
Vic’s mouth settled into a frown and he stared at Ben. “Are you telling me ‘no’?” Ben shook his head ‘no’ but still kept his mouth clamped closed. Vic said, “Benjamin, if I have to put this spoon down…” Ben turned sad, mournful eyes to Vic, but it didn’t change a thing. Ben relented slightly as he fixed his eyes on the spoon full of Ivory and barely parted his lips. Vic tried to slip the spoon into his mouth, but it met resistance against his teeth. “Ben!” Ben parted his teeth enough to let the spoon through and he felt Vic tip it to deposit the liquid inside.
Vic slid the spoon out, wiping the excess soap off against Ben’s lips; his expression immediately turned into a scowl when the bitter soap made contact with his tongue. “Hold it until I tell you to spit,” Vic ordered, as he took in the time. Ben’s mouth was turned down in a frown with the sharp taste of the liquid soap that seemed to disburse throughout his mouth against his will. He tried futilely not to let any of it slip past the confines of his tongue as he turned pleading eyes to Vic. After a full two minutes, he told Ben, “All right, you can spit it out.” Ben rapidly spewed soapy spit into the sink as Vic filled a glass with water. “Here you go,” he said, holding it out for his lover.
Vic let him rinse, but then took the glass from his hands when he went to fill it again. “That’s enough. Back to bed, young man.”
Angry with the foul taste of soap in his mouth, Ben snapped, “Like I can sleep NOW!!”
“Benjamin, you are dangerously close to getting spanked,” Vic said evenly to which Ben responded with a hard glare before turning to leave the kitchen. He stomped heavily up the stairs and Vic pretended not to notice, having no desire to make things any worse. The two stood on Benji’s side of the bed and Vic pulled the covers back. Ben felt a half-hearted swat connect with his rear end and Vic said, “I expect you to sleep this time.”
“Okayyyy,” Ben said, rolling away from Vic.
“Goodnight, Benji,” Vic said. Ben said nothing, obviously ignoring Vic. Maggie curled up beside him and pressed firmly against his legs. Vic didn’t push for a “goodnight” from Ben and decided to leave him alone, hoping he would go to sleep.
Ben listened for the click of the door latching closed and glared out into the darkness. He had no desire to go to sleep and only managed to lie still for about ten minutes. He sighed heavily and got out of the bed to go to the bathroom. He grabbed a Dixie cup off the counter and filled it so he could rinse his mouth some more.
Vic was in the office downstairs which happened to be directly below the master bedroom. He looked at the ceiling, mentally watching Ben’s footsteps cross the room as he heard them once again. He used one hand to rub his fingertips across his forehead, and squeezed his eyes closed. He couldn’t figure out why Ben insisted on pushing him tonight. He had been walking the line for several days without fully crossing it, but appeared to be pulling out all the stops this evening. He got up once again to go investigate, leaving his work behind. He thought briefly of shutting down the computer because it seemed he wouldn’t be getting anything done anyway, but changed his mind.
He entered the bedroom and the first thing he noticed was the empty bed confirming Ben was still up. He heard water running in the adjoining bathroom and he yelled toward the bathroom door, “BENJAMIN! Why are you out of the bed yet again?!”
Ben practically ran back to the bed upon hearing Vic’s roar, making sure he kept plenty of distance between him and his lover. He crawled into bed and offered an explanation. “I just needed some water…”
“To rinse with, I’m sure,” Vic said with his arms folded over his chest.
“I can’t SLEEP!!” Ben complained.
Vic’s voice became calm, which was a sure sign he had had enough, and he said quietly, “If I come back up here one more time and you aren’t asleep, you’re going to get a spanking. Is that clear?”
Ben pouted and glared at Vic, “Can I have a sleeping pill, then?”
“You most certainly may not. I mean it, Benjamin. One more time and you’ll find yourself across my lap. I’m not repeating myself again.”
Ben sighed dramatically and said, “Yes, sir.” As quickly as Vic left the room, Ben’s semi-compliant attitude vanished and he picked up the remote control. He was careful to mute the volume before he settled back against the pillows.
It was barely fifteen minutes later that the door swung open with Vic poking his head inside to check on him. Ben was just able to feign sleep but wasn’t quick enough to switch off the television. Vic said on his way over from the door, “Benjamin, you can cut out the act. I know you’re awake.”
Ben opened one eye groggily, still going for the Oscar. “Hmmmm?”
“Enough with the performance, young man. It’s time to get up,” he said, snapping off the television as he passed by.
Ben’s heart skipped a beat at Vic’s words and the look he saw on his face when he turned on the bedside lamp. “Viiic. I was ALMOST asleep!!!”
“WITH the television on. Get up.”
“You didn’t SAY I couldn’t have the TV on…”
“I said to go to sleep. Not watch TV. Don’t even begin to act like you thought it was okay. If you believed that, you wouldn’t have muted it.”
“But, Vic! I needed the company. It’s not like you’re up here…”
“I told you I have a lot to do, although at this point, I’m tired myself; too tired to have to deal with this. I highly doubt you’re going to want me to stay right now. Get out of the bed.”
Ben yelled, “Nooooo!”
When Ben failed to comply, Vic took him by the arm and helped him from the protective covers of the bed. “I’ve told you time and again to go to sleep tonight. Your early night has turned out to be later than your usual bedtime.”
“It’s not my FAULT I can’t fall ASLEEP! Come to bed WITH me and I KNOW I’ll be able to…” Ben pleaded.
“I’ll come to bed with you after I spank you like I promised,” Vic said and pulled Bed across his lap.
Ben’s body went rigid with anger and he said, “If that’s what it will take for you to stay with me, then FINE. Spank me for something that isn’t my fault.”
Vic noticed the defiant posturing of his lover draped across his lap and said, “You can be mad at me all you want.” Vic tugged down Ben’s shorts as he spoke. “You know what I told you and you knew I’d be checking to see if you were asleep. It’s almost as if you wanted to be caught.”
“I just wanted YOU up here WITH me!” he exclaimed, burying his face in the covers and just waited for the spanking to begin. “Dooon’t!” he exclaimed when Vic’s hand came down twice with force against his bottom.
“You didn’t want to go to bed and I said you were going,” Vic said. He began to deliver a short, sharp spanking. Vic’s hand was falling in a steady rhythm causing Ben to squirm over his lap. Vic lectured as he spanked, “When I tell you to go to bed, you’re to do it without argument and without finding ways to avoid it.” Ben was quickly crying, which caught Vic by surprise considering he wasn’t spanking him as hard as he could be. Figuring the tears were from being tired, Vic stopped spanking the now-pink cheeks over his lap. He wanted to make a point but not enough of one to keep Ben awake any longer than necessary.
Ben was sobbing into the comforter, and Vic reached over and rubbed his hand down the back of his head. He pulled Ben to his feet and stood with him to hug him tightly. The tears were continuing to fall longer than the spanking warranted and Vic asked, “Why are you so upset, Pumpkin?” Ben pulled back to look incredulously at Vic. His wet eyes were wide with surprise and he stared open-mouthed at his unbelievable lover. Vic was able to bite back a smile at Ben’s expression and he pulled him back into a hug saying, “I didn’t spank you that hard, and you know it.” Ben shrugged Vic off, having no desire to hug him back. He pulled his shorts up from mid-thigh and crawled into bed. Vic looked at the clock and decided to join Ben since it was too late at that point to continue to try to work.
“I’m getting ready for bed,” he said to Ben. Ben lay with his head turned away from Vic still crying softly, and said nothing. Vic retreated downstairs to turn off the computer, then locked up for the night. He returned to their room, changed into a t-shirt and sleeping shorts, and crawled in beside Ben.
He pulled him over close, slipping a hand around him as usual. “I love you, Ben. I didn’t want to have to spank you tonight. I don’t expect a repeat performance from you tomorrow night.” Ben wiggled uncomfortably but said nothing. Vic asked, “Are you mad at me now?” Ben responded with a sigh and another wiggle. Vic took that as confirmation of Ben’s anger toward him. “I guess I’ll have to live with it, then. Just don’t let it creep into your attitude. You asked for a spanking multiple times tonight and you know it.”
Ben squirmed away from Vic, tossing and turning to get comfortable. Vic pulled him back to him and clamped a stilling arm around him. “Lay still, Benji,” he said gently. “Go to sleep.”
“I caaaaan’t!!” Ben said.
“What’s the problem this time?” Vic asked.
That question got a response from Ben, and he rose up on his elbows to glare loudly at his partner. “YOU know what’s wrong…” suggesting his stinging rear end was the problem.
“I didn’t spank you that hard,” Vic repeated. “Don’t tell me you’d like for me to do a more thorough job.”
“No, sir,” Ben said then sighed loudly, and tried fluffing the pillow again.
“Enough with the drama and the stalling,” Vic said when he saw Ben giving his pillow another workout. “Go. To. Sleep.”
Ben said through gritted teeth, “I’m TRYING!! I have to get comfortable!”
Vic flung the covers away from his target and swatted Ben across his shorts. Ben’s bottom was tender enough that the swat stung, even through his shorts.
A little yelp escaped his lips, and he exclaimed with a tinge of exasperation, “Vic! I’m trying!!”
“Lay STILL and close your eyes.” He settled Ben against him again, draping the covers back over Ben’s body. Vic started running his fingers through Ben’s hair, trying to relax him and get him settled, which didn’t work the way he intended. Ben’s thoughts were on how he could keep from going to sleep.
Vic rolled his eyes in the dark when Ben said, “I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Benjamin!”
“Well, I DO!!!!!” Ben barked.
“You do not, and you know it,” Vic said. “You’re just trying to keep from going to sleep. Now be quiet and go to sleep.”
“All right, but don’t say anything if I pee in the bed. I’ll try not to get any on your side of the bed.”
“Watch your mouth, young man,” Vic warned in the darkness.
“But, I HAVE to go! I’ll never be able to go to sleep if I have to pee.”
“Fine. Let’s go,” Vic said pulling the covers back and getting up on his side of the bed.
“I can DO it by myself,” Ben said as he got up as well. “I have for years.”
“I’m just going to be sure you don’t find any distractions to keep you from going to sleep.”
“I don’t sleep when I pee,” Ben said as he walked toward the bathroom. Vic was tailgating him on the way but respectfully stopped in the doorway. At least he didn’t stand right behind him. Ben flung up the toilet seat forcefully and it rattled against the back of the tank.
“WHAT is wrong with you?!” Vic demanded from the doorway while he took care of business.
“Nothing! Just leave me alone.”
Vic couldn’t understand where Ben’s attitude was coming from and Ben obviously wasn’t in any mood to discuss it. “Back to bed,” Vic said as Ben finished up.
“I have to wash my HANDS,” he said angrily, holding them up and wiggling his fingers for Vic to see. “Do you mind?”
Vic glared at him and uttered a terse, “Hurry up and watch your attitude. I don’t have any problem spanking you again, since I obviously didn’t do a good enough job earlier.” Ben ignored the threat and commenced to do a stellar job of washing his hands. He could have easily gone into surgery with no danger of spreading germs. Vic was far beyond being simply fed up as he watched Ben painstakingly wash every inch of his hands. He marched over and held Ben’s hands under the water to rinse them. He turned off the water and held out the hand towel for Ben to dry off. “I obviously didn’t spank you hard enough,” he commented as Ben took his time drying his hands. “That’s what I get for giving you a break. I don’t have a problem in trying to remedy that,” he threatened again.
Ben flung the towel to the counter without bothering to hang it up and stomped back to the bedroom. Vic put the towel back before following Ben to bed and saw he was once again curled up as far away from Vic’s side of the bed as possible. Vic got in bed and dragged Ben unwillingly from the very edge of his side. Vic wrapped his arms around him and asked gently, “Why are you being so difficult tonight, Benji?”
“If I wanted to talk to you about it, I would have told you the last time you asked,” Ben said.
“You just plan to stay mad at me forever with no explanation?” Ben lay still in the darkness, anything but relaxed against Vic, and said nothing. Vic said, “All right then. Goodnight for about the 100th time.”
As soon as Vic’s arms relaxed a bit, Ben moved away from him back to his side of the bed. Vic’s bark caused Maggie to jump up. “Ben! That is enough!” He pulled Ben back to him, not willing for his silent tantrum to work. “I don’t know why you keep trying to get away from me. You said earlier you couldn’t sleep because I wasn’t up here. I’m up here now.”
“I’m TRYING to sleep! You keep BOTHERING me.”
“How am I bothering you?”
Ben said slowly to be sure Vic got the message. “I want to sleep on MY side of the bed.”
“You’re only saying that because you’re mad at me. We always sleep like this, and you never want to be on your side of the bed.”
“Well, I do tonight!”
Vic, thoroughly aggravated by this point, snapped on the light and sat up in the bed. “Benjamin, we’re going to talk about this right now.” Ben responded by rolling onto his side with his back to Vic, to which Vic responded by dragging him up and into his lap. “What do you have to be angry about? Did I not say you would have an early bedtime tonight when you overslept for the third day straight?”
“Yes, and NOW you won’t let me SLEEP!” he grumbled angrily from Vic’s lap.
Vic ignored the retort and said, “AND, then when I told you to go to bed tonight you consistently fought me. Now, it’s far later than you normally go to bed and you’re still awake.”
“Fine, you’re right. Can I please go to sleep?” Before Vic could answer, Ben scooted off his lap and folded the pillow over his head to ward off the light. Vic read Ben’s behavior and attitude as being a direct result of having to go to bed early then ultimately getting spanked.
Vic could see Ben’s words were insincere as he hid under the pillow. He said, “We’re not finished with this conversation, young man.”
Benji said from under the pillow, “You’re the one who wants me to go to sleep.”
“I want to know why you’re so mad,” Vic continued with determination. “Is it because you got a spanking? You know me well enough to know how I would react to your behavior tonight, yet you chose to push me anyway. The way you’re acting, you’re going to get another one.”
Vic’s comments were met with silence and Ben continued to hide under the pillow. Vic needed Ben to admit understanding of why he was punished so he asked, “Benjamin, why did I have to spank you tonight?” Ben continued to ignore him and kept his head buried beneath the pillow. Vic’s voice cut through the pillow stuffing when he said sharply, “Answer me, young man!”
Vic heard a muffled voice escape from beneath the pillow. “Because I couldn’t sleep.”
“No. Try again.”
Ben forcefully pulled his head out from under the pillow causing his hair to ride up in the back. He glared at Vic and said, “Then, I don’t KNOWWWW!!”
“I just told you. Think about it.” Vic paused for an answer and got nothing but an angry gaze from Ben. Vic sighed and frowned as he spoke. “I obviously haven’t made my point.” Ben crossed his arms over the top of his pillow and hid his face in his arms. “Benjamin David Monroe. Answer me and quit sulking!”
Ben said into his arms, “Because I fought you on going to bed because I wasn’t TIRED!”
“You’re getting there,” Vic said calmly. “The first part was right. What should you have done if you weren’t tired?”
“If I KNEW that, you wouldn’t be MAD at me!”
“Oh, I think you know. What should you have done?”
Ben’s head jerked up away from his arms and he looked hard at his lover. “I. DON’T. KNOW!” Ben said, growing more frustrated by the minute. “I ASKED you for a sleeping pill…”
Vic trudged ahead, determined for Ben to get the point. “Should you have a taken an extra long shower?”
“It wasn’t that long!!”
“It was half an hour and would have been longer had I not come up. Should you have read a book by flashlight?”
“I was trying to make myself TIRED.”
“SHOULD you have been reading after I told you to go to sleep?” Vic persisted.
“Noooo…”
“Any ideas yet of what you could have done instead of those things? Not to mention the multitude of other schemes you concocted to keep from going to bed?
“Noooo…”
Vic looked at his obviously non-cooperative partner and said, “Let’s try this another way. What do you wish you had done?”
Ben said, still unwilling to comply, “Drowned myself in the shower…”
The comment cut the tension for Vic and he couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. “I’m glad you didn’t.”
“I’m not,” Ben said, looking at his pillow.
“Do you think it would have been a better idea to lie here quietly? You would have drifted off eventually.”
“I TRIED that later…” Ben said to Vic, leaning on his elbows.
Vic looked unconvinced. “When?”
“Before the soap,” he said, looking back at the pillows.
“You obviously didn’t try it long enough. Do you really want me to believe you didn’t get what you deserved tonight?”
“I don’t know…”
Vic pulled him over to him once again and wrapped his arms around him. “Do you think you were treated unfairly?”
Ben’s head was lying on Vic’s chest and he could hear his heartbeat and his voice through his ribcage. Ben answered, “If I say ‘no’ will you turn off the light?”
Vic kissed the top of the wavy hair beneath his chin and said, “If you say ‘no’ and quit with the sulking, I’ll turn off the light.”
“Then, no.” Vic reached over and turned off the light and Ben remained still against him for about ten minutes. Vic stirred when Ben started shifting again to get on his side of the bed. “Benjamin!”
“NOW, what?!” Ben exclaimed angrily.
“I said to quit sulking. Do you want something to sulk about?”
“Noooo…”
“Then cut it out.”
Ben moved a little closer to Vic in an attempt to shut him up but then said, “Can I have a glass of milk?”
Vic’s initial reaction was to tell him ‘no’ but then he thought the milk might help Ben to sleep. “I’LL go get it for you.” Ben smiled appreciatively at Vic when he turned the lamp on again and got out of bed.
Ben propped himself against the pillows while he waited and flicked on the television. He was rubbing Maggie’s head beside him when Vic came back bearing a glass of milk. “Television OFF, Benjamin. Didn’t you learn anything from getting spanked earlier? I swear, I’ll never let you off easy again.”
“Easy?!” Ben asked, knowing full well it could have been far worse. He turned off the TV with a roll of his eyes and took the glass, sipping as slowly as possible.
Vic said, “Finish it quickly please. You’ve stalled long enough.”
“But, it tastes like soap…”
“That’s not my fault.” Ben’s mouth hung open knowing it wasn’t HIS fault he had a soapy mouth. He would have never let it near his mouth without Vic’s insistence. Vic read the look and added quickly, “You know what happens when you talk like you did. I wouldn’t have soaped your mouth if you hadn’t talked so filthy. Hurry up with the milk.”
Ben said, “You don’t want me to choke on it, do you?”
Vic took the glass and sat it on the nightstand. “You’ve had enough. And, so have I.”
Ben leaned over toward the glass and said, “NO! I want the rest of it!”
Vic pushed Ben back away from the nightstand and said, “You had time and you fooled around. That’s it.”
Ben settled back against the pillows with his arms folded and watched Vic get back into bed. Ben said “And, it WAS your fault on the soap. I wouldn’t have said those things if you hadn’t scared the crap out of me.”
“If you had been asleep like I told you to I wouldn’t have scared you, would I? Go to sleep.” Vic turned the light off once again.
Ben huffed loudly and dropped facedown on his side of the bed. Vic said, “Goodnight, Benjamin.” Ben chose not to respond, but Vic was glad he lay quietly. With the extra workload Vic had been under, coupled with the ongoing fight with Ben, he easily slipped off to sleep after a few minutes.
Ben waited until he heard Vic’s steady breathing and then he eased away from the bed, tiptoeing downstairs to the living room. He turned to Maggie as she followed and said, “Shhh. We can’t wake Vic, girl.” She pranced along and curled up beside him when he stretched out on the couch. Ben turned on the television and found some old reruns on TV Land that caught his attention. He was careful to turn the volume way down just in case the sounds carried to their bedroom. The flickering images on the screen quickly caused his eyes to get heavy and he closed them briefly to rest. He didn’t know Vic had entered the room until he simultaneously turned on the light while turning off the television. Ben curled up tighter on the sofa, and he kept his eyes closed against the light and Vic, hoping to convince him he was asleep.
“What’s the excuse this time?” Vic said in clipped tones from somewhere on the other side of the room.
“For what?” Ben asked, his eyes remaining closed.
“Benjamin!”
Ben blinked sleepily at Vic and looked up with a perplexed look on his face. “I’m sorrrryyy! Just leave me alone.”
Ben’s stomach began to twist when Vic started over to the sofa. He ushered Maggie off the couch, and pulled Ben into a sitting position so he could take a seat himself. Before Ben knew what was happening, he found himself across Vic’s knees for the second time that night. Vic said, “I didn’t seem to make my point earlier. I’ll be sure you understand this time.” He was surprised to see Ben’s shoulders start to shake with tears before he even got his pants down. He chalked it up to being tired and frustrated, so he quickly commenced to relocate Ben’s shorts below his bottom to clear the way for another spanking. “If we have to do this all night, we will,” he announced, communicating his resolve to help Ben understand his opinion of things.
Vic began to spank Ben again and did a more thorough job than he did earlier. He made sure Ben’s rear end was glowing red before he stopped swatting his bottom, and his own hand had a healthy sting. After Vic’s hand quit falling, Ben wiggled off his lap and pulled up his pants. Vic grabbed him as he moved to get away from him and pulled him into his lap. “Are we going to have to do this again tonight or are you ready to go to sleep?”
“I want to sleep down here,” Ben said through his tears. “Especially now.”
“No, you aren’t sleeping down here. You’re sleeping in our bed like you always do.”
Ben cried harder and Vic pulled him against his chest. Ben said, “I won’t turn on the TV or anything…Just let me stay down here alone.”
“I said ‘no’,” Vic responded with a kiss to his head. “Let’s go to bed; upstairs, not down here.” He pulled Ben away and led him back up to bed, yawning as he led the way. “Get into bed. Try to stay here this time and go to sleep.” He handed Ben some tissues to wipe his face and blow his nose, and Ben worked to get cleaned up.
Ben was still sniffling as he climbed between the sheets. “Can I have some water first?”
“Ben!”
“Oh, never MIND!” he whined angrily and curled up on his side of the bed, well away from Vic.
Vic looked back at the clock, willing it to be earlier as the night continued to slip away. “If this keeps up, we’ll be up on time in the morning because we’re never going to sleep.” Vic glanced at the back of his angry lover and said, “I still love you, Benji, whether you like it or not.”
Vic noticed a shiver from his lover’s body as he turned off the light. “You don’t have to stay over there cold, you know. You can come over here if you like.” Ben stayed where he was as though Vic had said nothing. “Suit yourself,” Vic said, relenting only because he hoped Ben would finally go to sleep if he left him alone.
It didn’t take Vic long to go to sleep, being thoroughly exhausted by this time. He never felt the shift of the bed when Ben slipped out to go get Tylenol from the bathroom cabinet. He stirred when Ben got back into the bed and he looked over to see him cuddled on the edge, his back to Vic. “What’s wrong?”
“I want to sleep downstairs.”
Vic sighed heavily and said, “You aren’t sleeping downstairs and I don’t want to hear another word about it! You need to go to sleep!” Ben got up instead and headed to the bathroom. He heard Vic’s heavy steps on the carpet behind him communicating his displeasure. “What are you doing now?!” Vic demanded to know.
“My eyes are sore from crying, okay? I want to put cold water on them. Just go to bed and leave me alone,” he said with tears still in his voice.
Instead of complying with Ben’s request, Vic stormed past him and wet a washcloth with cold water. “Take this a put it over your eyes in the bed.”
“It will get my pillow wet,” Ben said obstinately.
“Benjamin, are you TRYING to make me angry?” Vic asked.
“No! You’re trying to make ME angry. Just let me stay in here a minute with the washcloth.”
Vic took his hand and plopped him down on the closed toilet without thinking. Ben popped up quickly and yelled out, “OWWW!” He rubbed his freshly-spanked butt and glared furiously at Vic through wet eyes.
Vic quickly recognized his mistake and apologized. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Here,” he said, placing the cold cloth to Ben’s eyes. He worked his free hand over Ben’s shoulders, massaging gently. For whatever reason, his brat was upset and Vic was at a loss as to how he could calm him down. His shoulders were taut, and although the minutes pushed them even further into the night, Vic asked, “Do you want me to rub your back when we get back in bed?”
Ben didn’t even take the time to think about it before saying angrily, “No!”
“All right, Benjamin. I don’t know what’s wrong with you and I’m not a mind reader. You’ll have to tell me eventually. I’m going back to bed and I’d suggest you do the same in a hurry.” He took Ben’s hand and put it over the washcloth to hold it in place and left him alone in the bathroom. Ben dropped the cloth away and watched his lover leave him, and head back to bed.
Ben waited in the bathroom until Vic was settled then he quietly made his way out of the bedroom and went to the guestroom. He had barely settled between the sheets when Vic came into the room, roaring like a lion – a very tired and fed up lion. “Get your butt back to our room NOW!”
Ben gave him a look that said “what the hell??” and stayed where he was. “I’m IN bed! Why can’t you leave me ALONE?!” Ben barked back.
“We don’t sleep apart! You can sulk and pout in OUR bed! MOVE!”
“Whyyyyy?” Ben whined.
“NOW!!” Vic demanded. Ben glared daggers at his lover, his face formed into an angry scowl. He threw back the covers vehemently and marched past Vic, intentionally turning his body so he wouldn’t touch him on the way through the door.
He stretched out on Vic’s side of the bed. Vic asked, “Now you want to be close to me all of a sudden? Move over,” Vic said when he saw Ben on his side of the bed.
Ben took in Vic’s frustrated look and said accusingly, “Now you’re mad at me.”
“Yes, I am. Can you blame me? We’ve been going around and around for hours. I’ve had enough!”
Ben leaned up from his prone position on the bed. “Yeah? Well, join the club. I’m mad, too. That obviously counts for NOTHING around here.”
Vic’s eyebrows raised and he looked evenly at his partner. “Oh, it’s counted plenty. You’ve gotten your point across loud and clear. If you think I haven’t noticed your mood, you’re dead wrong. Move over.” Ben scooted over with his back to Vic once again and Vic settled on his own side of the bed. “You’ve earned yourself early bedtime for the next five nights, now. If that makes you madder, so be it. Keep it up and you’ll get a paddling first thing in the morning before school. I doubt either of us is up to it tonight.”
Ben’s stomach clenched at the threat but he said nothing. Vic turned the light off once again, certain the threat of a paddling would put an end to the madness, and he closed his eyes. Ben began to wiggle again on his side of the bed, unable to get comfortable and still in no mood to sleep. Vic whipped off the heavy comforter and his large hand found Ben’s bottom in the dark, and he delivered several sharp swats like a pro.
“OWWWWW! That HURTS!!” Ben said.
“I meant for it to hurt. Quit pushing.”
“I’m NOT pushing!”
“Aren’t you?”
“I’m too upset to sleep!”
“You’d better look like you’re trying.” Vic laid his head back down and Ben pulled the comforter back over him protectively. Seconds later, Vic felt the bed shimmer caused by new tears from his lover. Vic rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling for inspiration. He rolled over close to Ben and put a hand to his trembling shoulder, kissing his head. “Benji, talk to me.”
“I don’t want to now,” Ben said through his tears.
“Then you leave me no choice but to try to figure it out myself. I’m guessing all of this is from you being mad at me for punishing you tonight. You know you had an early bedtime and this whole miserable evening could have ended there pleasantly. But, instead, you have fought me every step of the way. You don’t like it; I get it.”
“You don’t get anything!” Ben cried angrily. “No evenings lately have ended ‘pleasantly’. You don’t have TIME for me!”
Vic’s mind was reeling instantly with the unexpected information, but he was quickly putting the pieces together. He suddenly realized he had been totally wrong about Ben’s actions and the source of his anger all night. “Are you trying to tell me you’ve been feeling neglected, sweetheart?”
“How do you expect me to feel? You barely TOUCH me lately…” Ben said, continuing to cry.
Vic closed his eyes, angry with himself for not pushing Ben to talk to him more before things escalated so far. He realized with a pang of guilt that he had been more focused on his work than their relationship for the last few weeks. He pulled Ben to his chest and held him tightly. “Why didn’t you say something, Pumpkin? I had no idea you felt that way…” Ben merely lay in Vic’s arms crying softly. “Shhhh. It’s okay. I know I’ve been swamped with work lately. I’m so sorry, Benji. Do you forgive me?”
Ben gulped back tears and tried to come to terms with what he just heard. It wasn’t often that Vic had to apologize to him. The last thing he wanted to do was make Vic feel bad, no matter how bad he himself had been feeling. “It’s okay,” he sniffed.
“No, it’s not okay. I was so distracted by work I didn’t even realize you felt the way you did. That’s wrong and I’m so sorry.”
Ben started, “It’s o---, um, thank you. I forgive you.”
Vic kissed his head firmly and squeezed his eyes closed at Ben’s undying love and willingness to so easily forgive. He said, “I’ll tell you what. Tomorrow is Friday. Why don’t we cancel with Nelson and Zach and just spend time together? I won’t even make you go to bed early tomorrow night; not to sleep anyway. We can reconnect.”
“You mean it?” Ben asked cautiously. “What about your work?”
“I’ll get the work done, don’t you worry about it,” Vic said, stroking Ben’s hair. “How long have you felt this way and not said anything?”
“For WEEKS.”
Vic felt horribly for hurting Benji’s feelings, whether it had been intentional or not. Ben heard Vic’s voice catch when he said, “Don’t you keep something like this from me again. I love you too much, Benji. I don’t like the idea of you hurting and not telling me, especially when I’m the cause of it.”
“Well, I kept thinking you’d get done with that case and things would get back to normal. I just wanted to support you while you were under so much pressure.”
“You always support me, baby, just by being here. I WILL be done with that case in a couple of weeks. But, I won’t let it interfere with us again. That’s a promise. Okay?”
Ben nodded against him and tightened his grip around Vic’s chest. “Thank you.”
They lay together in the dark, both feeling expended and tired. Vic asked after several minutes, “Do you think you can sleep now?”
Ben’s breath hitched from his recent tears as he inhaled deeply and he answered, “I think so.”
Ben felt Vic’s strong arms flex into another tight squeeze and he said, “I love you, Benji Monroe.”
“I love you, too,” Ben whispered back. He was suddenly overwhelmed with exhaustion but he asked, “Do I still have to go to bed early for five more nights except for tomorrow night?”
Vic smiled into the night, “We’ll talk about it tomorrow. Go to sleep, Pumpkin.”
It wasn’t a “yes” so Ben held out hope he could escape the pronounced punishment. His lids slipped closed and he finally went to sleep.
The end.
