Nelson could hear Zach laughing in the den while he was busy making a list of things they needed at the grocery store. The laughter was infectious and Nelson found himself smiling without even knowing what was so funny. It must have been something on television.
Nelson glanced through the cabinet and added another item to the list. Satisfied he had completed the list, he went to the den to get Zach.
"What's so funny?" he asked, glancing at the TV.
"It's 'Dumb and Dumber'," Zach responded, eyes wet with laughter. "Those guys are hilarious!"
Zach never failed to find the ignorant duo funny no matter how often he saw the movie. Nelson sat on the sofa next to him and watched a few minutes, chuckling himself.
He finally got around to asking what he came to ask, "You want to go with me to the grocery store?"
Zach grimaced. The grocery store?! He hated grocery shopping. The look on his face said as much.
"You don't have to, but I thought we would grab dinner while we're out if you want to go. We don't need a lot, but I need to pick up a few things for tomorrow."
Vic and Ben were coming over the next day for a Fourth of July cookout. The Fourth was on a Friday this year and the couples were celebrating the night before since they all had plans with family on the holiday.
"You aren't going to Wally World, are you?" Zach asked, referring to Walmart.
"They have the best prices on groceries, Zach," Nelson said, explaining why they would be going there.
Zach's hunger overrode his hatred for grocery shopping, even grocery shopping at Wally World.
"I'll get my shoes," he said reluctantly, rising from the comfort of the sofa.
In minutes, Nelson heard the stampede coming down the stairs and knew Zach was ready to go. He clicked off the TV and went to meet him.
In the car, Zach said, "Want to hear the most annoying sound in the world?"
Zach was referring to the movie and was doing an uncanny imitation of Jim Carrey. Zach had a knack for imitating people and Nelson often wondered if he tried to imitate him when he wasn't listening.
"NO, I don't," Nelson quickly responded, knowing a truly annoying sound would surely follow.
"But, why not, Nelson? 'I like you, I like you a lo'," he said with another imitation of Carrey from Dumb and Dumber. Zach started laughing again, thinking of the movie.
They pulled into the ever crowded parking lot of Wally World and went inside to get there shopping done. They made it through the throngs unscathed and returned home after a quick dinner.
"Okay, that's everything," Nelson said, putting the last of the groceries away.
They still needed gas in the propane tank, but Nelson planned on Zach doing it the next day.
"Oh, Zach. I need you to get the tank filled for the grill tomorrow. Since you don't have school, I thought you could take care of that for me."
"Sure. You want me to hook it up and get it hot by the time you come home?"
"What do you think?" Nelson asked.
He never let Zach operate the grill. He knew only too well the damage it could cause if it wasn't handled carefully.
"Yes?" Zach said with a smile.
"Try again."
Zach slumped against the bar separating the kitchen and dining room.
"No?"
"Right answer. You just get the tank filled, that's it."
"You know, it's not rocket science, Nelson. I've seen you operate the grill lots of times."
"Don't get any bright ideas, Zachary."
"But, why won't you let me use the grill?"
"Gas and fire are a dangerous combination and I'd rather you not fool around with it."
"I'm not a kid, you know," Zach said, as he pouted like one.
Nelson smiled at the irony and said, "I know very well you aren't a kid. I'm glad you aren't or I would be in big trouble with the law."
He leaned down and snatched a quick kiss from his lover, then continued, "But you ARE a mildly high-strung 21 year old who often acts first and thinks later. Stay away from the grill."
"How am I going to get the tank if I stay away from the grill?" a smart aleck Zach asked.
"I'll get it for you, smart mouth," Nelson said. "What time is Benji coming over tomorrow?"
"I don't know. Earlier than you and Vic. Unless Vic has him slaving over the house or yard."
The boys were out of school for the summer so they would be able to get together before Vic and Nelson got off from work.
"You know very well Vic doesn't have Ben SLAVING over anything. He's home this summer like you are. There's no reason the two of you can't take on more household work while you're home."
"I guess," Zach said, not at all convinced.
Vic did have a list of things for Ben to do, but not much. He just wanted some basic cleaning done before the holiday. He had also prepared a list for Ben to go grocery shopping before they went to Nelson's.
"Now everything we need for tonight and the Fourth is on the list. There are also some things we need for the house. Make sure you don't forget the list, okay?" Vic said that morning over breakfast.
Ben was still in his pajamas and wasn't ready to get up but couldn't sleep with Vic milling about getting dressed. Since he couldn't sleep anyway, he decided to get up and have breakfast with Vic before he left.
"Okay," Ben said and yawned around a mouthful of breakfast.
"Ben, do you have to do that without covering your mouth?"
"Sorry," Ben answered.
Vic pushed away from the table and leaned over to kiss his partner. Ben moaned a response and got up to hug Vic goodbye. Vic kissed him again.
"I've gotta run, sweetheart," he said pulling away.
Vic grabbed the list off the table, "I'm just going to put this with your keys so you don't forget it."
"Don't you trust me, Vic?" he asked innocently.
"I trust you, but I also know you," he said with a smile.
Vic tucked the list under Ben's keys on the hall table and yelled another goodbye down the hall.
Later that morning, Ben was finished with the household chores Vic asked him to do. He decided to go to the store before it got much later. Once he had that done, he could go to Zach's. He decided to give Zach a call to see what was going on at his house.
"What are you doing?" Ben asked his friend.
"Watching television."
"You think you could tear yourself away?"
"For what?" Zach asked.
"Want to ride with me to the grocery store?"
"NOT again. I had to go with Nelson last night. I hate to go to the grocery store."
"So do I, but I couldn't hardly get out of it since I'm home all day."
Zach flipped channels while he talked.
"Oh, I almost forgot," he said sitting up sharply on the sofa. "I'm supposed to get the gas tank on the grill filled before you guys come over."
"Good, then you can ride with me," Ben responded.
"Do you have a lot of stuff to get at the store?" Zach asked before committing himself to the store trip.
"Not much," Ben said, stretching it just a little. The list wasn't terribly long, but it wasn't short either.
"All RIGHT, I'll go."
"I'll pick you up in a minute," Ben said.
He went to the hall table to get his keys and had to smile when he saw the list on the table. He would have forgotten it if Vic hadn't put there. He hadn't thought about the list again since Zach asked how much he needed from the store. He briefly reviewed the list and decided it wasn't so long after all. He thought he could pretty much remember everything on it if he had to.
Benji picked up Zach and threw the gas tank in his trunk. They headed to the grocery store and made their way inside, neither boy excited to be there. Ben grabbed a buggy and headed down the first aisle.
"Where's your list?" Zach asked.
"_f_u_c_k_!! I left it on the front seat."
"You want to go back and get it?"
Ben thought for a while and tried to remember what was on the list. He was pretty sure he could remember and that would save him some steps back to the car.
"No, I think I can remember. We can always check the list when we get back to the car to be sure I didn't miss anything."
They went down the aisles, Ben relying on the aisle titles to jar his memory. Ben had filled the cart with everything he could remember on the list and few extra things that weren't on it. If he had to do grocery shopping, he may as well get some things he wanted.
They loaded the plastic bags into the back seat and Ben put the car into drive. He didn't think about the list once again.
The gas station came into view and Ben pulled in near the door. Zach jumped out and retrieved the tank. He paid for the gas and got the tank filled, replacing it in the trunk.
"I can't believe how much heavier those things are once they're filled," he said, climbing back into the car. "So, we've done everything?"
"Yep, we've got your tank filled and got everything I needed..." Ben broke off, remembering the list again.
"_s_h_i_t_, the list. Here, look it over and see if we missed anything before we get home," he said handing the paper over to Zach while he drove.
Zach carefully reviewed the list remembering what he had seen in the buggy.
"Did you get dishwasher detergent?" Zach asked, not remembering them having gone down that aisle.
"No!" Ben answered. "_s_h_i_t_, I don't want to go back."
"Can you live without it? Can VIC live without it?"
"I don't see why not. It isn't life or death. We would just have to do the dishes by hand."
"Ick. I'd rather go back if I were you."
Ben didn't agree. They were quickly back at Ben's house and unloaded the groceries. Ben separated the things they were supposed to take to Nelson's and re-packed them in the plastic bags.
"Let's go," Ben said, grabbing two bags.
They pulled into Zach's driveway and Ben grabbed his bags out of the back seat. They were halfway to the porch when Zach remembered the gas tank in the trunk. Both brats' memories seemed to be suffering from the July heat for some reason.
He took the tank out onto the deck and sat it beside the grill. He thought about trying to hook it up but remembered Nelson's stern warning. He went back inside to find Ben hanging in the refrigerator.
"Do you have a beer?" he asked, head in the fridge.
"On the bottom shelf," Zach instructed. "Get me one, too."
Ben emerged from the refrigerator, beers in hand. He tossed one to Zach who promptly twisted off the cap.
"Did you hook up the tank?" Ben asked.
"No, Nelson's going to do it," Zach said.
"Why? It isn't hard."
"He's just going to do it."
Ben understood the unspoken "Nelson won't let me do it" and dropped the subject for the moment. They spent the better part of the day in front of the TV. The phone rang and Zach grabbed it off the coffee table hitting the talk button. It was Jordan, Nelson's sister-in-law.
"Hey, Jordan. What's up?" Zach said, answering the call.
"I just wanted to be sure you guys are bringing the banana pudding tomorrow. I couldn't remember if I asked you to or not."
Everyone loved Nelson's banana pudding. Zach knew the secret ingredients. He made it with vanilla pudding instead of banana pudding and put lots of Cool Whip in it.
"He made it last night."
"Oh, good. I was going to hit him up to make it tonight if he hadn't planned to bring it already."
Zach could hear Christien, his nephew, chattering in the background. Jordan directed her comments to him without putting down the phone or covering the mouthpiece.
"Christien! You are NOT pulling out all those clothes again. Christien!"
Christien began to wail protests in the background, demanding to be left alone so he could continue with whatever it was he was doing. Zach waited silently on his end of the phone waiting for the tirade to end.
"If you pull those clothes out, I'm going to throw them away, Christien. I mean it!" Jordan continued, threatening her son.
She turned her attention back to the phone, "Sorry, Zach. Christien is going through a dress up phase. He keeps pulling out nearly every stitch he owns and changes clothes every time I turn around - CHRISTIEN!"
Zach pulled the phone away from his ear and Ben looked at him questioningly. The angry crying in the background was unnerving and he wanted desperately to hang up before his hearing was permanently damaged.
"Okay, that's it. I'm telling your father when he gets home," she said with finality.
While Zach would have never thought it possible, the screeching in the background raised a notch. He glanced at the clock and saw it was almost 5:00. Justin would be home soon, so he imagined the threat held some weight. Nelson's brother had started to crack down on Christien since he was a headstrong child, resistant to the milder punishments they had tried. Zach was afraid a little someone might just get spanked.
As if reading his mind, Jordan said, "He's going to spank you when he gets home, Christien. Put those clothes back like I told you."
This was not an uncommon phone conversation. Often, when Jordan or Justin called, they spoke as much to Christien as they did to Zach or Nelson. Nelson was sure Christien misbehaved more whenever his parents were on the phone, vying for attention.
"I'm sorry, Zach. I have to go. See you tomorrow," Jordan said.
"Bye," he said, laying the phone down and rolling his eyes.
"What was THAT about?" Ben asked.
"Jordan wanted to know if we were bringing banana pudding tomorrow and Christien was screaming like a banshee in the background."
Ben just laughed sitting back on the sofa.
"I think he was dangerously close to getting his butt spanked. Justin's due home any minute. When will Vic get here?"
Ben glanced at his watch before answering, "He should be here in fifteen minutes or so. He was going to stop by the house and change first. What about Nelson?"
"Same."
"If we hook up the gas, we can have the grill ready by the time they get here," Benji started in again.
"Nelson didn't want me to," Zach finally admitted, hoping it would be enough for Ben to quit bringing it up.
"Why not?"
"He's got his reasons, I guess."
"He didn't tell ME not to do it," Ben suggested.
"No, we'd better not. I doubt he'd be any happier with you lighting the grill than he would with me doing it."
Ben just looked at his friend and shook his head.
"Pathetic," Ben said.
"What?! Like you'd do it if Vic told you not to? Sure you would."
"We could hook it up but not light it," Ben offered, continuing to push.
Zach thought for a minute. Hooking up the tank and lighting the grill were totally different. According to Nelson's rationale, Zach shouldn't mess with the grill because of the combination of gas and fire. There wouldn't be any fire involved in hooking up the tank.
"I guess we COULD hook it up," Zach conceded.
If Nelson saw he could do it right, maybe he would let him operate the grill sometime.
The boys headed out onto the deck and Zach worked with the tubing and clamps to get the tank attached to the grill as he'd seen Nelson do in the past.
"We should light it to be sure we did it right," Ben said.
"No, I'm not supposed to."
"It won't hurt anything. If it isn't right it won't light. If it IS right, it will light and we can turn it off. Nelson will never know," Ben reasoned.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
Zach wasn't so convinced, but he went inside to get the lighter. The ignition switch on the grill had long ago stopped working properly and they had to use a long necked lighter to ignite the grill. He returned in short order carrying the lighter.
He paused beside the grill, second-guessing whether this was a good idea or not. He would have felt better if Nelson had been there to make sure he reconnected the tank correctly before adding flame to an area this close to gas. He reached out and turned on the right burner, full force like Nelson always did. He slipped the lighter through the hole in the outside wall of the grill. He looked over at Ben before switching on the lighter. Ben nodded reassuringly at him, but not before he took a tentative step backward.
Zach held his breath and clicked the lighter. He heard the "poof" when the flame mixed with the gas. He watched in horror as the grill came to life with flames that started where it should but quickly spread to the outside, trailing the rubber tubing. Zach waited for the explosion as the flames began to grow. Ben started yelling wildly at him to get away from the grill but Zach was frozen in fear.
"MOVE, ZACH! We have to get away!" he yelled moving toward the door.
Zach had begun trailing him, walking backward slowly, watching the flames grow as they licked around the tank. Miraculously, Vic appeared at the door having heard Ben's yelling and saw the flames. He grabbed Zach who hadn't quite made it inside and pulled him through the door by the back of his collar.
"Where does Nelson keep the extinguisher?" he asked calmly, trying to maintain control and not freak the brats out any more than they already were.
He could see the flames through the sliding doors. He shook Zach by the shoulders to wake him from his shock. His face was white.
"Where?! Zach!"
Zach mutely pointed toward the laundry room and Vic ran inside finding the extinguisher hanging on the wall. He ran back out quickly and sprayed the white foam on the flames putting them out easily.
The hose around the tank was melted and the tank was scorched. The gas was leaking out of the burned hose leaving a strong smell. Convinced he had put out the fire, Vic returned to the laundry room replacing the extinguisher. He came back into the kitchen, both hands on his hips.
"Have a seat," he said sternly to both boys who were standing near the bar, well away from the threat of fire.
At least, well away from the threat of the gas fire. Vic was likely to be lighting one of his own in the near future. They mutely sat at the bar, hearts pounding either from the fire or threat of trouble. It was likely both.
"What happened?"
The boys squirmed under his tone but neither could find his voice.
"Benjamin, answer RIGHT now. I don't have the patience after something so dangerous to fool around."
About that time Nelson walked through the side door from the garage.
"Hi, all. What's that smell?" he asked coming through the door. "It smells like onions."
"That would be gas," Vic explained, laying out the truth nakedly without even trying to soften it a bit. "These two decided to have a bon fire on the deck."
It was only then that Nelson noticed Vic's posture and that of the two brats sitting nervously at the bar. Understanding flooded through him.
"Zachary, tell me you did NOT light the grill after I specifically told you not to," Nelson said, with his hands now on his hips as well.
I'd love to tell you that, Zach thought, but then I'd be in trouble for lying. He decided not to answer at all.
"Zachary, I want an answer. Now," Nelson said sternly.
Zach nodded his head, barely moving it up and down.
"Zachary! Answer me so I can hear you," Nelson pushed.
A barely audible, "yes, sir" escaped his lips.
Nelson looked up at the ceiling as if it could give him the answers he sought.
"All right, Zach. Go to your room. We'll deal with this later tonight."
Zach slipped from his barstool and quickly left the uncomfortable scene with his head down. He was relieved to be excused from the inquisition by the two tops, but his stomach was nervously anticipating the future discussion with Nelson.
Ben watched his friend slink away and shifted uncomfortably being left alone with the two angry tops.
His partner started again, "I want to know what your role was in this, young man."
"I didn't do anything. We were only going to hook it up, and we had to light it to be sure it was connected right. Something must have been wrong with the tank."
Nelson walked over to the sliding glass doors and saw the white foam all over the deck. His heart squeezed understanding what a dangerous situation this could have been.
He said from the door, "Zach was told to stay away from the grill. I don't know what the rules are in your house, but when you're here, that goes for you, too."
Hearing that, Vic asked, "Did Zach tell you he wasn't supposed to mess around with the grill?"
Ben looked down, "Not exactly."
"Exactly what did he tell you?" Vic asked.
"I don't remember," Ben said, trying to buy some time.
"You knew Zach wasn't supposed to operate the grill, didn't you, young man?" Vic asked, effectively reading his brat.
"We were only connecting the tank..."
"How then did I come in to find the grill engulfed in flames? Was it a case of spontaneous combustion?" Vic asked.
Ben wished he'd uncross his arms. It, along with the look on his face, communicated all too well his displeasure. Ben couldn't figure out how Zach's disobedience was getting translated to him, but he could sense it happening.
"We had to light it to see if we did it right. I KNOW we did, Vic. I'm telling you, something's wrong with the tank," Ben said.
"That is NOT the point here. The point is you disobeyed a rule Nelson set in this house and you did it knowingly."
So that's how Zach's troubles became his, Ben thought. It really was quite simple when Vic explained it. He thought of his friend, remanded to his room to await certain punishment. He didn't have a room to go to here, but knew by the way this conversation was going, he would be facing punishment himself. He hoped desperately that Vic would wait until they got home.
"Apologize to Nelson, young man."
"I...I'm...sorry, Nelson. We were only trying to help," he stammered, blushing terribly.
"This could well have turned into a disaster costing me and Vic our partners. Did you think at all about that?" Nelson asked in response to the apology.
"No, sir. We just wanted to help..." he tried again.
"That's enough, Ben," Vic said and grabbed his arm, not so gently lifting him off the barstool and pushing him through the dining room.
Ben suddenly found himself face to face with the corner in Nelson's living room.
"I don't want you to move from here until I tell you. I'm going to tan your behind when we get home, do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir," Ben answered. His head was bowed and eyes were down having heard for a fact he was getting spanked later.
It could be worse. Vic and Nelson could have decided to fix grilled butt of brat for dinner, spanking them right now within earshot of each other. It would be somewhat better happening later without an audience.
Vic left the living room and found Nelson on the deck assessing the damage.
"I don't know how that thing didn't explode. The flames should have been sucked inside the tank," Vic said stepping out on the porch. "The whole thing was on fire."
"I'm beginning to think Ben was right," Nelson said, squatting before the charred tank. "They connected it right, so it shouldn't have been engulfed in flames like you said."
"What do you think happened?" Vic asked.
"I think it was overfilled. Zach took it for me today to get it filled for tonight. That would explain why it didn't explode since the tank was so full."
"You're right, I don't think the flames would go back into the tank unless it was only partially full. It would have burned off the gas leaking out."
Nelson agreed and said, nodding his head, "The way it burned makes it look like the fire was following the leak."
Nelson pointed out the burned hose and then stood up from his crouched position. He ran his fingers over the slightly charred railing of the deck. A little paint should easily cover the damage.
"We have a small tabletop charcoal grill in the basement we can use for tonight," he said, brushing his hands together to knock off any dirt he picked up balancing himself while he squatted on the deck.
The two men came back into the house shutting the sliding door closed. Nelson reached into the fridge and pulled out a beer for him and Vic.
"Here you go. I'm guessing you may want one of these, too? I'm going to change my clothes. I'll be right back."
He glanced at Benji obediently facing the corner as he passed through, but didn't say anything to him. Nelson climbed the stairs and noticed the door to the bedroom was open as he approached it. He closed it behind him as he entered the room.
"I want this door to stay closed when I leave," he said to Zach who was sitting miserably on the bed. "I'd better not find the TV on either."
Zach was nervously facing Nelson, not sure if he had come to meet out his punishment. He was hoping he came up for some other reason, all too aware that Ben and Vic were still in the house. Not sure yet of the reason for Nelsons presence, he figured it never hurt to apologize. Didnt usually help much either.
"I'm really sorry, Nelson. I wasn't going to light it but Ben said I had to or I wouldn't know if it was connected right. I wanted to show you I knew what I was doing."
"And, did you accomplish that?"
Zach looked down. What he had proven was that Nelson was right. He had no business mixing gas and fire.
Nelson didn't want to add to Zach's discomfort by letting him think he was a failure so he explained, "The fire wasn't your fault, Zach. The tank was overfilled. It would have happened if I had been using the grill and not you."
Zach's eyes looked up hoping that meant he wasn't going to be punished.
"Really? It wasn't my fault?"
Nelson nodded his head, "But youre still in trouble, young man. It wouldn't have happened to you if you had obeyed me, would it?"
Zach's fleeting hopes of no longer being in trouble were solidly squashed with that statement.
"No, sir, but you said it would have happened to you, too."
"It would have, but you were told not to light it and you didn't listen."
"Nelson, I'm really sorry. Can I please come down?"
"No, Zachary. You can come down to eat, but that's it. Aside from that, you're going to stay up here until Vic and Ben leave, then I'm coming up here to give you a spanking. We aren't going to talk about this any more right now."
Zach turned pitiful eyes to Nelson, brimming with tears. Nelson didn't relent, just finished changing his clothes and went back to their company. Nelson brought up the tabletop grill from the basement and filled it with charcoal. He and Vic cooked the hotdogs and hamburgers while their brats spent time contemplating their fate and earlier actions.
Once dinner was ready, Vic called Ben from the corner and Zach was allowed to come down just long enough to eat. He was then sent directly back to the bedroom. Vic and Ben didn't stay long in light of all the trouble. Shortly after dinner, Vic decided it was time to leave. Neither the tops nor the one brat allowed to participate were in the mood to celebrate anything knowing what needed to happen that night.
As soon as they left, Nelson headed up the stairs. Zach was listening intently. Nelson had seen him looking down out of the bedroom window as he said goodnight to Ben and Vic from the driveway. Zach was back on the bed by the time Nelson entered the bedroom.
Nelson's hands went to his hips again and he straightened up to his full height beginning the punishment phase of the evening.
"What do you have to say for yourself, young man?"
"Nelson, please don't be mad. I was just going to connect the tank. I wasn't going to leave it lit. I was just making sure it was connected right, then it burst into flames."
"What did I tell you about operating the grill?"
Zach could see where they were headed and said simply, "Not to do it."
"Then what did you think were you doing lighting it at all?"
Wasn't Nelson listening?
"I had to see if it was connected right," he explained again, more slowly this time so Nelson could get it.
"Why were you connecting it after I told you to leave it alone?"
"To HELP," he pleaded.
"Do you think you helped?" Nelson calmly asked.
He squirmed uncomfortably on the edge of the bed.
"It wasn't supposed to happen like that, Nelson! Besides, you said yourself it would have happened even if YOU lit the grill. YOU wouldn't get spanked if it happened to you."
"That isn't the point, Zachary. Tell me what the point is," Nelson said.
Zach looked at the carpet under his feet and spoke softly, "That I disobeyed you."
"Exactly right."
No sooner were the words out of his mouth, Nelson was making his way across the room. He pulled Zach off the bed gently and took a seat in his place. His fingers started to work at the fly enclosure on Zach's shorts and he cleanly pulled them and his boxers out of the way.
Zach was immediately placed firmly over Nelson's lap with his bottom in perfect position for what was about to happen. Nelson's hand began falling steadily as he spoke.
"What you did today was extremely dangerous, young man. You are not to ever, under ANY circumstances, fool around with the grill. Not ever again, Zachary. Do you understand me?"
Zach was crying from the attack on his rear but was able to get out enough of a "yes, sir" to satisfy Nelson. Nelson continued to spank Zach's ass until it was an even shade of red then he pulled Zach up off his lap. Zach thought it was over and couldn't believe he hadn't been paddled. Then his stomach tumbled when Nelson spoke again.
"Lay across the bed, Zach," he said, unbuckling his belt.
Zach's red eyes were wet with tears, but his vision wasn't blurred to the point he couldn't see what was about to happen. He started pleading through his tears and clung to Nelson's shirt. His butt was already throbbing.
Nelson stopped working with his belt buckle long enough to disengage Zach's hands from his shirt.
"Across the bed, young man. This was serious and could have resulted in injury or death. I'm not telling you again."
Zach looked into Nelson's eyes and saw he would not be getting out of this. He gave up and turned slowly to the bed then leaned down over it. He couldn't hear the distinct sound of the belt coming out of the loops over his own crying, but he could imagine it from past experience.
"You're getting 10 with the belt, Zach," Nelson announced.
Zach felt the tail of his shirt being lifted out of the way just before the first lick fell against his tender backside. Nelson's heart was heavy hearing his lover's cries, but he was resolved to teach a firm a lesson. He was going to make sure Zach knew to never play around with the grill again. His thoughts kept flicking to what could have happened and that helped him to carry through on what he knew he needed to do.
Nelson lifted Zach up after the last of the ten licks was delivered. He walked the crying form over to the corner and helped him step out of his underwear. The shorts had slipped off during the first part of the spanking, but the boxers had clung stubbornly around Zach's ankles. Nelson left without a word. Zach would have had trouble hearing over his cries anyway.
When Nelson thought enough time had elapsed for Zach to calm down, he went back to him in the corner. He carefully touched the angry red and striped bottom. It was mild compared to the harm that could have come to him. He wordlessly turned his lover to him, wrapping his strong arms around him.
"I'm so sorry, Nelson," Zach sniffed. "I really didn't mean for it to happen."
"I know, sweetie. But, how do you think I would have felt if something had happened to you? Or, to Ben? What if Vic came in to find one or the other of you in flames and not just the grill?"
"I know. It won't happen again, I swear," Zach said earnestly, his extremely warmed behind helping him to NOT want it to happen again.
"I'm glad to hear it, sweet pea."
"I ruined the grill, didn't I?"
"No, YOU didn't ruin the grill. The only damage done was done by the fire. I told you the tank was overfilled and that caused the fire to spread like it did. Besides, I don't think it hurt anything except the tubing, but we should get another grill. It was time for a new one anyway."
"I don't WANT a new one. That scared the sh--, I mean, the crap out of me."
Nelson smiled at the near miss and gave Zach another firm hug. Between the fire and the spanking, he didn't think he'd have any trouble with Zach fooling around with the grill again.
"I love you, sweet pea. I don't know what I would have done if something happened to you."
The embrace comforted Zach. Nelson picked up the discarded shorts and underwear then pointed Zach toward the bathroom.
"Get ready for bed, little one," he instructed.
Zach shuffled into the bathroom to brush his teeth then he pulled on a t-shirt to sleep in. He had no desire to put on any pajama bottoms. Once Zach was settled still sniffling into bed, Nelson decided he would join him, wanting nothing more than to be close to his partner after the near disaster. He got ready for bed after Zach and slipped between the sheets, wrapping his arms around his partner.
"I love you, Nelson," a sleepy Zach said.
I love you, too. Goodnight, sweet pea."
Zachs thoughts went to his friend and he asked, "Nelson? Did Ben get in trouble, too?"
"What do you think?"
"Vic looked pretty mad. But, Benji didnt really DO anything." Other than push me to do it, Zach thought.
"Im sure Vic handled things the right way, Zach. Dont worry about it and go to sleep."
Nelson was sure the night was similarly eventful for Ben and he would have an equally sore bottom before the evening was over.
The Fourth came and went with no more "fireworks". Ben hadn't talked to Zach since the fire, first because they were both being punished, and then because both couples were busy with family. Ben's rear was finally feeling back to normal after Vic's ministrations two days ago. Vic apparently felt Ben's involvement equated to blatant disobedience to Nelson, which didn't go over very well.
Now that the holiday was over, it was back to life as usual. He and Vic finished dinner and Ben chose to do the dishes over laundry, forgetting he still hadn't been out to get the dishwasher soap he had forgotten two days ago.
There were hardly any dishes from the day before, but they had piled up since then, leaving Ben with enough dishes to keep him busier than he would like. Groaning at the pile of dishes, he suddenly remembered about the detergent. There was no way he intended to wash all those dishes by hand.
Impatience taking over the better part of his judgment, Ben decided to use the dishwasher and fill the soap cups with regular dish soap. Soap was soap, after all.
He started to fill the cups all the way, but then realized they used the concentrated soap. He decided it would be best if he only filled them half full. GOT to get dishwasher soap tomorrow, he thought.
Turning the dial to "wash", he started the dishwasher and went into the office to call Zach. He could play Solitaire on the computer while they talked. He didn't know if Zach was grounded or not, but he figured he would take a chance and call. Nelson would make sure they didn't talk if Zach was grounded.
The fire had been bad and scared the _s_h_i_t_ out of Ben. He was sure Zach caught it at least as bad as he did, if not worse, since he had been specifically told not to do anything with the grill. He dialed his friend's number and Nelson answered.
"Hi, Nelson. Can I talk to Zach?" Ben asked apprehensively. He could feel his face turning red, still embarrassed about the fireworks a few nights ago. Not exactly what he had in mind for celebrating the Fourth.
"Hold on," Nelson answered.
Zach came to the phone and uttered a greeting.
"I guess you aren't grounded," Ben replied.
"No. I guess you aren't either. Did you catch it, too?" Zach asking what he wondered the night of the big event.
"Im not grounded but my ass is just getting back to normal. I don't know about you, but I don't care if I'm ever near a gas grill again."
"Me neither," Zach agreed. "But, Nelson made me go with him to buy a new one today. He said ours was old anyway and the fire gave him an excuse to get a new one."
"Did you guys have a good time yesterday?"
"Yeah. We went to Justin's and..." Zach started to say.
He was interrupted by Vic's bellow in the background for Ben to get his "butt in here NOW".
"Jeez, what did you do? I think I would have heard that even if we weren't on the phone," he said.
Ben's stomach gave its familiar squeeze whenever he was in trouble.
"I don't know..."
"BENJAMIN DAVID MONROE!" the call came again.
"_f_u_c_k_, you'd better see what he wants," Zach advised, having clearly heard the last yell including all three of Ben's names. That didn't sound good at all. Whenever Nelson used all three of Zach's names, it was never a good sign. He had a feeling that Benjis back-to-normal butt was about to be in trouble again.
"Bye," Ben said, hanging up the phone.
Vic was calling from the kitchen and Ben hurried from the office to see what he had done to make Vic so mad. He came around the corner of the kitchen door and saw the white bubbles all over the floor.
"WHAT did you do to the dishwasher?!" Vic demanded from the kitchen closet, looking for the mop.
"I..I just...I didn't do anything..." Ben stumbled.
Vic was quickly heading over to the dishwasher with the string mop. He began swiping at the bubbles in the floor. Ben was sure they were multiplying. Vic turned from the dishwasher and walked carefully so he wouldn't fall then he shoved the mop into Ben's hands.
"Work on getting this up while I get the shop vac from the basement."
Ben tried to wipe up the bubbles but it just seemed they were getting pushed around. He pulled the mop bucket out of the closet and fed the string mop through the mechanism on top of the bucket to wring out the strings. There was far more on the floor than was in the bucket and the bubbles were still dripping in slow motion from the sides of the dishwasher.
In minutes, Vic was back with the shop vac and quickly plugged it in bringing it to life with the flip of a switch. He worked diligently on the floor and Ben stood by watching, engrossed with Vic's efforts. Vic switched off the vacuum and stomped over to Ben, swatting him soundly to get him moving.
"Did I tell you to stop mopping?"
Ben reached back and rubbed his bottom, "No, sir."
He didn't waste any more time, returning quickly to the job of spreading the bubbles around the floor. He was grateful for the noise of the vacuum since Vic couldn't yell at him over it. Vic managed to get the bulk of the liquid off the floor then cautiously cracked the dishwasher door.
"Hold the door right there, Benjamin," he instructed trying to suck the bubbles from around the edge so they wouldn't all fall in the floor. He continued to work until most of the suds were cleaned up. He had Benji busily rinsing the floor with the mop.
Once the kitchen was mostly back to normal, Vic snatched the mop from Ben and marched him over to a kitchen chair.
"Sit."
Ben sat.
"I don't know what happened...I didn't do it on purpose," Ben tried, squirming under Vic's dark eyes.
"What did you put in there?" Vic asked.
"Just soap," he answered.
"How MUCH soap?" Vic asked, eyes narrowing.
"Um, just half a cup. I mean I only filled the cups halfway," Ben explained, eyes looking imploringly up at Vic.
"What KIND of soap?" Vic pressed, determined to learn the cause of the lathering Vesuvius.
"Dish soap?" Ben answered.
Vic didn't say anything; he just continued to pierce Ben with his eyes. Ben was sure he had been staring at him for at least half an hour, when it was merely seconds. Vic's eyes turned even darker when he was angry, reminding Ben of the shark's eyes in Jaws. He wondered if they rolled up when Vic attacked like the shark's did in the movie. He wouldn't know because he was typically across Vics knees looking at the floor during the attack.
Vic finally broke the stare and walked over to the sink, yanking back the cabinet door. He looked through the cleaning supplies and came up empty when he tried to find the dishwasher soap. Never a dull knife, Vic quickly figured out Ben had forgotten to pick up more soap and must have used regular dish detergent in the dishwasher.
"Where's the dishwasher detergent?" Vic asked.
"...We don't have any?" Ben said nervously.
His nerves were busy in his stomach playing a friendly game of Twister.
Right hand yellow.
"So what did you use in the dishwasher?"
"Well, um, since we didn't have any dishwasher soap, I guess I filled the cups with regular dish detergent," he answered, looking at the pristine floor.
"Why didn't you just wash the dishes in the sink since you didn't pick up the dishwasher soap like I asked you?"
Left foot green.
"I don't know..."
"Benjamin!"
"I didn't WANT to hand wash them!" he whined.
Vic took a beat and continued to look at Ben before he responded.
"That's too bad, because now I'm going to hand SPANK you, young man."
Rear end red. Game over.
Vic pulled Ben up from his seat and sat down in his place.
"But, Vic! It was an accident! You can't spank me for an accident!! I didn't know that would happen!" Ben tried to reason with Vic unsuccessfully.
He may well have said nothing because Vic continued his work as if he'd not said a word. Vic unbuttoned Ben's jeans and slipped the zipper down. His jeans and underwear were quickly lowered to his knees in spite of the pleading. Ben found himself in a familiar position, bottom up and head down.
Vic began to explain why Ben was being spanked while his hand fell in a steady pattern against Ben's butt.
"You had NO business putting that much soap in the dishwasher, young man! You clearly could have hand washed the dishes and avoided this mess!"
Ben was quickly crying but he continued to beg Vic to stop and to utter promises of "never again" in an effort to convince him.
"You KNEW we were out of dishwasher soap because you were supposed to get more yesterday!"
Vic's hand continued to fall and Ben's bottom turned cherry red. Vic concentrated on the underside of Ben's butt before he stopped spanking him.
Ben's bottom was throbbing when Vic stopped and raised him to his feet. His hands found their way to his behind and they tenderly tried to rub the heat away. Vic drew him close and wrapped his arms around Ben tight.
Ben allowed himself to be held as he continued to cry against Vic. He didn't understand. It was an accident and Vic just got mad at him. His feelings were hurt as well as his behind. His hurt feelings made it that much harder to stop crying. It took a while, but the tears slowed enough so Vic could talk to Ben.
"Why did you get spanked, Benji?" Vic asked.
"Cuz you got mad at me." Ben sniffed, starting to cry again.
Vic smiled, "That is NOT why you got spanked, Benjamin. Try again, think hard."
Ben's mind was churning trying to grasp what exactly he had done wrong.
"I don't know! It was just an accident," he wailed.
"Benjamin, I know you didn't mean to cover the floor with soapsuds, but did you stop to think what would happen when you used the wrong kind of soap in the dishwasher?"
"I didn't think about it. Soap is soap."
"That's right, you didn't think. If there wasn't a difference, why do you think they make both kinds?"
"I don't know."
"You do now, don't you?"
Vic pulled Ben back and looked into the red, wet eyes. Ben nodded glancing back over toward the offending dishwasher. Vic bent down and pulled Ben's pants back into place. Benji's arms went directly back around Vic when his pants were straight. Vic held him but moved on to the next issue.
"Then there's the fact you didn't pick up the RIGHT soap the other day like I asked you to. It was on the list. Did you forget to take it with you?"
"I accidentally left the list in the car. I remembered to take it. I just forgot it when I went inside the store. I didn't mean to..."
"And, I suppose you would have had to walk miles back to the car to get it?"
Ben looked down and brushed a stray tear from his cheek.
Vic continued, "Why didn't you just tell me or wash the dishes the old fashioned way?"
"You would have been mad."
"Benji, do you really think I would have been mad because you forgot to buy dish detergent yesterday?" Vic asked.
Ben continued to look down. Vic took his chin in his hand gently and raised his face to look at him.
"What would I have said?" Vic persisted. "You know me well enough to answer that question."
Ben shifted his weight from foot to foot. His stinging bottom rubbed against his jeans.
"You would have said to wash the dishes in the sink until we got more soap."
"And, you didn't have any desire to do that so you decided to improvise instead. Am I right?"
Vic obviously knew Ben as well as Ben knew him.
Since he had already been punished, Ben didn't see the need to lie, "I guess so."
"I know so," Vic said. "That's why you got spanked. For that and not considering the consequences of your actions."
Ben tried to look down again, but Vic caught his chin bringing his head up to look at him.
"Are we clear?"
"Yes, sir."
As clear as the shining kitchen floor. Vic took Ben's hand in his own and led him into the den, taking a seat on the sofa. He pulled Ben down beside him and Ben stretched out on his side with his head in Vic's lap. Vic's fingers ran softly through Ben's hair.
Now that the soapy mess was cleaned up and punishment dealt, Vic began to think back to the sight he found in the kitchen. He began to laugh a little. Ben rolled back enough to look at Vic, but not enough for his butt to land on the sofa.
Raising puzzled eyes to his partner he asked, "What's so funny?"
"I was just thinking about all those bubbles. They were everywhere!" he said, laughing a little harder. "It's funny now, but when I saw that mess..."
"I don't think it's funny," Ben pouted, rolling back over away from Vic.
His head was bumping against Vic's lap with the movement from his laughter.
"What were you thinking, Benji?" he asked around his snickers.
"You weren't laughing a minute ago," Ben said, not at all amused.
He could still feel the throbbing in his butt from the spanking and didn't find it at all funny.
"I know, sweetheart. I'm not laughing at you. I'm just laughing at the situation."
"What's the difference?"
"I just can't believe how much soapsuds that little bit of detergent produced. Are you sure you only filled the cups halfway?"
"Yes! It was CONCENTRATE, Vic. Quit laughing."
"I'm sorry, sweetie," he said, laughter down to only the occasional chuckle.
"It's not nice to laugh at people," Ben griped, a frown firmly set on his face.
Both his pride and bottom were still smarting and he was in no mood for laughing, especially at something that just earned him a spanking.
"Easy for you to laugh, you're not the one with the sore rear end," Ben snapped.
"I said I'm sorry, sweetie. I won't laugh any more," Vic said, stifling the chuckles further.
He rubbed his hand down Ben's back and softly patted his bottom, "You haven't had such a great holiday weekend have you, sweetheart?"
"No. We didn't even see fireworks," Ben complained. "At least, none in the sky."
Vic smiled at the comment but managed not to laugh again.
He squeezed Ben's shoulder and gave it a little shake, "I'm sorry you had a bad weekend. Do you think you can behave tomorrow so we don't have to do this again?"
Ben nodded against Vic's leg and said, "I guess I've seen enough 'fireworks' for this year."
Vic couldn't help it and started laughing again but this time a little smile touched Ben's lips as well.
There had definitely been enough fireworks to last him a long, long time.
The End