"Where are you going?" Vic asked as Benji and Zach got up from their designated seats at the baseball game. They were enjoying an afternoon game and the sun was extremely hot.
"I need something to drink and I have to pee," Ben said.
"Hurry up. No more beer, ok?"
"Come on, Vic. Just one more?"
"No."
"But..."
"I said 'no'," Vic repeated with a look, silencing further protests.
"That goes for you, too, Zach."
"Nelson! I've only had ONE," Zach complained to his partner.
"One twenty ounce and you sucked that down like it was water."
Mouth turning down in a pout, he gave up and followed Ben out of their seats.
They headed first to the restrooms and Ben stopped Zach on the way out.
"Come on."
He led Zach around the corner of the building and produced a pack of cigarettes.
"Man, I cannot believe you haven't gotten busted with those," Zach said shaking his head. "If you ever do, your ass will never be the same."
"What Vic doesn't know won't hurt him," Ben said lighting a cigarette.
"Yeah, right. And what he knows will hurt you when it comes to smoking. I hope you get rid of that fast. They'll wonder where we are. I don't want them looking for us and see us coming from behind the bathroom."
"They won't. I won't be long."
Ben finished his cigarette in a record six minutes, almost getting lightheaded from inhaling so fast. He didn't smoke that much since it was difficult to hide around Vic so he easily felt the effects of the nicotine.
Vic insisted he give them up when they first moved in together. He had managed to quit for awhile with Vic's "helping hand" but had picked up the habit again about a month ago. Finished with his smoke, Ben moved toward the concession area, Zach following.
"Can you smell it on me?" he asked Zach.
"No, but since I just inhaled all your second-hand smoke, I doubt I would be able to smell it on you anyway."
Ben lifted the top of his shirt to his nose and inhaled deeply. "I can't smell it."
Zach shook his head again as he got in line. "I hope it isn't on ME. I'd better not get in trouble over it."
They ordered one large Coke and a large Dr. Pepper and paid way too much for them. That was one of the pitfalls of buying food at arenas and stadiums. They slipped back to their seats in the middle of Vic and Nelson's discussion of possible vacation plans.
"It just seems that everything is so much cheaper since September 11th," Nelson was saying. "Flights and major tourist attractions are still unbelievably low."
The couples had begun vacationing together last year and had not quite decided where they would go this year. The younger two were convinced there was nowhere else to go but Disney World. They did Vegas the prior year.
Seeing the two return, Vic turned to them and asked, "Are you two still bent on going to Disney World? Is there anywhere else you'll consider?"
"I'd like to go to Disney. I haven't been for years," Ben answered.
"I like it, too. Can we stay at a Disney resort?"
"If that's where we end up going, we'll stay at a resort," Nelson answered. "So IS that where we're going?" he asked Vic.
Their partners were nodding vigorously.
"I guess we're outnumbered again, Nelson," Vic said. He liked Disney World all right, but his idea of a vacation included more R&R and less crowd fighting.
"I'll get on the internet and do some digging for prices. IF I can get Benji off it long enough to do some research."
"Oh, I'll get off for that! Don't worry," Ben said pausing to slurp his Dr. Pepper. "I wish we could have gone during spring training."
The guys were huge Atlanta Braves fans and Disney sponsored their spring training every year.
"Maybe we will one year. We could always go somewhere else this year and plan to go to Disney during spring training next year," Nelson suggested.
"NO!" both young men yelled at the same time.
"I guess that's it, huh?" Nelson said, resigned.
Just then, the home team batter hit a home run and the vacation discussion was ditched as the men jumped up to cheer. It was only a AAA league team but better than nothing. The closest major league team was six hours away. The home run cinched the game and gave their team enough of a lead to win easily.
They shuffled against the crowd to the car once the game was over. It was about 7:30 when Vic and Ben got home having stopped long enough to get dinner.
"I'm SO hot and sticky still," Ben complained.
"Why don't you go get a shower and cool down," Vic said as a statement, not as a request.
Ben thought a shower was a good idea and would give him a chance to get in another smoke. He trotted up the stairs and Vic decided to use the time to straighten up a bit. The house was mostly clean but there were still some things that needed to be done.
He shook his head as he saw Ben's shoes and socks laying where he took them off in the living room. He picked them up and took them upstairs to their room. He went back downstairs and gathered the kitchen trash to take it outside.
On the way back from the trash bin, he glanced up and noticed Ben had the bathroom window wide open. Vic frowned knowing the air conditioning was on. He was headed back into the house to tell Ben to close the window, but glanced up once more as he neared the back door. He did a double take as he looked up this time. He saw an unmistakable plume of smoke billowing out of the open window. He stopped in his tracks and continued to watch the window, not believing what he saw. His hands moved to his hips and a frown creased his brow. Once again, another puff of smoke escaped the screened window.
Vic stormed into the house and headed straight up the stairs to the bathroom, rapping sharply on the door having found it locked.
"Benjamin, open this door right now!"
Ben jumped at the sound and quickly flicked his cigarette into the toilet hearing it fizz as the ash hit the water.
"Just a second, I'm using the bathroom," Ben said.
"DO NOT LIE TO ME, BENJAMIN DAVID! Open this door!"
"OK, I'm coming."
Ben tried to think of what he could have done to make Vic so mad. He flushed the toilet for effect and sprayed room freshener to cover the smoke. He unlocked the door, barely getting out of the way as Vic barreled in.
"Where are they?"
"Where are what?" Ben asked.
"You know what. The cigarettes!"
Ben nearly lost his dinner. He had no idea how Vic knew, but he most obviously found out somehow.
"Cigarettes?" he asked questioningly, hedging.
"Yes, cigarettes. You know, those little things about so big with tobacco stuffed inside? Those things I forbid you to smoke?"
Ben's stomach tumbled and cast his eyes down, not responding.
"I just stood outside and watched you smoking, young man so do NOT even try to act like you don't know what I'm talking about."
Ben went white. Oh, God. He hesitantly reached into his pocket and pulled out the crumpled pack handing them over to Vic.
"Thank you."
Vic proceeded to tear them up and throw them into the toilet, flushing them away where they could bring no harm to anyone.
Finished with destroying the cigarettes, Vic asked, "How long has this been going on behind my back?"
"Vic..."
"HOW LONG?"
Ben's stomach squeezed enough to remind Ben it was there.
"Not long, maybe a few weeks..." Ben stretched the truth just a little. Technically, there are a few weeks in a month.
"How long did you plan to hide it from me, young man?" Vic asked.
He always seemed so much taller than 6'1" when Benji was in trouble. Or, maybe Ben just seemed smaller. It's all a matter of perspective. Ben could hardly tell the truth in answer to that question. He planned to take it with him to his grave and never tell Vic about it.
Instead, he answered, "I don't know...please don't be mad...I just like cigarettes, that's all. I don't smoke enough to hurt me."
"ONE is enough, because you have been told NOT to do it!"
"But, Vic..."
"I'm very disappointed in you, Ben. I will NOT tolerate you disobeying me or hiding things from me, especially when it concerns your health."
"I couldn't tell you. You would have been mad at me and you would have spanked me."
"Do you think I'm not mad now? Do you think for ONE minute you aren't going to get your tail beat?"
"No, sir."
"You know very well how I feel about smoking. It is not now, nor will it ever be, allowed in this house. Is there anything about that you don't understand?"
"No, sir."
Vic closed the toilet lid and took a seat. "Come here, Ben."
Ben's eyes started to tear up as he looked at Vic, hand outstretched to Ben. Ben knew he was in for it and managed to get his feet to carry his body within Vic's reach. He raised his hand and put it into Vic's. Vic pulled him close.
A tear trickled down his face when he felt Vic's hands at his waistband. Vic unbuckled Ben's belt, then unfastened the fly on his shorts. He yanked down the shorts and Ben's underwear in one solid motion and pulled him down across his knees. Ben studied the pattern on the linoleum trying not to think too hard about what was about to happen. A small whimper escaped his lips.
"I'm sorry. Please, Vic..." SMACK.
The first of many swats landed on the intended target quickly followed by a lot more. Back and forth between Ben's cheeks Vic continued to spank. He covered every part of Ben's bottom. Right, left, middle. Vic concentrated two or three swats in each area before moving to the next, repeating the pattern. He completed several circuits before he stopped. Ben was openly bawling, his ass on fire from the spanking.
Vic said over the crying, "Are you going to hide anything from me again?"
"N..no, sirrr!" Ben promised sincerely.
Another sound swat struck the middle of Ben's flaming rear.
"Will you be smoking again?"
"NO, I promise..." Ben wailed, barely managing to get the words out coherently around the tears.
Vic started spanking him again covering Ben's cheeks at least one more time before he stopped.
Ben was sure he never wanted to smoke again. Vic's treatment worked better than Nicorette or anything else on the market. His shorts and underwear had long ago been kicked off. Vic helped him to his feet.
"Get your shower and ready for bed," Vic said tersely before leaving the bathroom. He had offered no comfort to Ben at all. Ben cried even harder knowing how much he must have disappointed Vic.
He continued to cry under the calming spray of the shower but he did manage to calm down somewhat. He was more hurt from upsetting Vic than from the physical pain, not that it wasn't bad as well. He crawled into bed still crying and rolled over on his stomach, head turned away from Vic's side of the bed, one hand under the pillow, the other on his throbbing bottom. He heard the door open and Vic tread across the room. Ben continued to cry, his back to Vic, his pillow wet with his damp hair and tears. Vic sat on his own side of the bed in the vacancy Ben left and put his hand on Ben's shivering shoulder. The tears came harder at the touch.
"Come here, sweetheart."
In spite of his throbbing backside, Ben rolled over and threw his arms around Vic. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to disappoint you. I won't smoke any more," Ben said as the tears continued to fall.
Vic reached over to the nightstand and pulled a tissue from the box. He pulled Ben into his lap then cradled him in his arms.
"Here, sweetie. Wipe your face," he said handing Ben the tissue. Ben took the tissue and wiped at his eyes and nose.
Vic continued to hold Ben as the tears finally began to slow. "No more hiding things from me, OK love?"
"Never. I'm sorry."
"I need to know what's going on in your life. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir," Ben said leaning heavily upon Vic's strong chest, comforted with his arms around him.
"As for smoking, I'd prefer to keep you around a bit longer, so no more killing yourself."
"Okay."
"Why don't you get some sleep," Vic said after Ben had calmed down. "I'm going to get on the internet and check on our vacation."
"Okay," Ben sniffed, comforted enough to sleep.
"Goodnight, sweetheart."
"Goodnight, Vic." Vic settled Ben back down under the covers and snapped off the light.
Vic made his way down the hall to the office and booted up the computer. It bleeped to life and he signed onto the internet. After much digging, he found what he felt to be a package that would suit their needs. Jotting down several notes he signed off and called Nelson.
"Hey, Nelson."
"Hi, Vic. Did you miss me?"
Vic grinned at his friend's sense of humor.
"Of course I missed you, baby," Vic said, playing along.
Nelson chuckled then asked, "What's up?"
"I think I've found a package for our vacation." He went on to explain what he found and Nelson agreed that it fit the bill.
"I'll go ahead and call to secure it with a credit card. We can sort out the costs later."
"That's fine. Just let me know what I owe you."
Nelson hung up and found Zach sprawled out on the couch watching television.
"Looks like we're going to Disney. Vic's going to secure a package for us tonight."
Zach pulled himself up from the sofa, a smile spreading across his face, "YEAH! I can't wait! Do you know where we're staying?"
"Port Orleans I think he said."
"I need to call Benji!"
"Just a second, Mickey Mouse," Nelson said as he grabbed Zach, halting his mad dash to the phone. "You need to get the garbage together like I told you thirty minutes ago."
"Nelson! It isn't going anywhere."
"Neither are you. Not until the trash is out. I need to work on bills."
"Ok, ok," Zach grumbled toward the kitchen to gather the _d_a_m_n_ trash. After he finished he grabbed the cordless to call Ben.
Vic answered the phone, "Hi, Zach."
"Hi, Vic. Can I talk to Benji?"
"Not tonight, sweetheart. He's in bed."
Ugh. That sounded ominous. He wondered if Ben was in bed early by his own choice or by Vic's.
"Ok, I guess I can call him tomorrow. I just wanted to talk to him about our big trip."
"Excited, are you?"
"You bet I am. I can't wait. Nelson thought we were staying at Port Orleans."
"That's right. I've already called and put a down payment on it."
"I'm getting on the net and see what I can find out about stuff to do while we're there."
"I'm sure we'll find something to keep you entertained."
"Later."
Zach scooted into the chair at the computer desk in the office and turned on the computer.
"Did you talk to Ben?" Nelson asked, bending over a stack of bills at the other desk.
"He was in bed already."
"Hmm," Nelson muttered speaking volumes and understanding the obvious.
Nelson, too, wondered what Ben might have done. It wasn't that long ago they were all together, but he knew it didn't take a brat long to get himself into trouble. At least, HIS brat had no problem with it.
Zach stayed on the internet until Nelson pulled him away ignoring his protests and pushed him toward the bedroom.
"Sleep, you remember what that is, don't you? No more internet tonight."
Zach went to bed, however unwillingly, with Nelson pushing him along.
Visions of Mickey and Minnie danced in his head as he drifted off to sleep...
The weeks slipped by and finally it was time to go. Nelson and Zach picked up Vic and Benji since their house was on the way to the airport.
"Everyone ready to roll?" Nelson asked buckling his seatbelt.
"Absolutely," Vic responded.
The guys were in the back seat pouring over Birnbaum's handbook chock full of Disney vacation tips. In minutes they were at the airport. Ben and Zach were high strung, anxious to get where they were going. Vic and Nelson could hardly keep them in their seats in the waiting area at the gate.
"Zachary Adam, SIT down. I'm not going to tell you again," Nelson hissed at Zachary having jumped up once again. He plopped back down dramatically.
"Nelson, I just want to go to the gift shop," he said pouting from his seat.
"No."
"But it's right there!" he said pointing across the aisle. "We still have twenty minutes until we board the plane."
"Can I go, too?" Ben added turning his pleading eyes to Vic.
"What could you possibly need in there?" Vic asked, brows raised.
"I just want to look. I'm sick of sitting around."
Vic sighed and looked at Nelson, "Ten minutes?"
Nelson relented and nodded, "Ten minutes - not a second longer."
It was barely out of his mouth before Zach was standing again, he and Benji quickly disappearing into the gift shop.
"I see a long flight in our future," Vic predicted.
Nelson shook his head and rubbed a hand across his forehead.
Ben grabbed a couple of Snickers and laid them on the counter. Zach quickly followed suit.
"These should be better than peanuts or pretzels," Ben said, grinning at his friend.
"No joke."
They stayed a full nine minutes and 45 seconds before heading back to their seats. Zach saw Nelson glancing at his watch as they exited the store.
"Have they called us yet?" Zach asked flopping down in his seat. He hit hard enough to elicit a grunt from the woman behind, her seat connected to his own.
Nelson heard it and offered an apology when he caught her eye.
"Zach, watch yourself please," he said sharply patting Zach's leg. "And, no, they haven't called us yet."
"Sorry."
Vic held out a hand indicating he wanted the candy bar Ben was unwrapping.
"Come on, Vic. It's just a candy bar and it's vacation."
"And I'm not going to fight to keep you in your seat for a two hour flight after eating it. You can't sit still now."
Ben pouted but handed over the candy.
"Where's the rest of it?" Vic asked. He knew his brat wouldn't stop with one candy bar.
Ben rolled his eyes and pulled the other candy bar out of his pocket and surrendered it to Vic's outstretched hand.
"Where's yours?" Nelson asked.
"My what?" Zach responded innocently.
"Zachary Adam."
Zach pouted but handed over the candy just as seating was called for their flight.
They were on a fairly small plane with only two seats on each side of the cabin. The couples sat across the aisle from each other putting the brats in the aisle seats. Once the excitement of the takeoff was over, Ben quickly became bored and couldn't stop fidgeting. He couldn't wait to get to Orlando.
Vic laid a hand on Ben's arm. "Please try to sit still and relax. Read or something."
"But, I'm boorrreeeddd," Ben complained in an effective whine.
"Find something to do."
Zach piped up, "Let's play 'Who Would You Do'."
'Who Would You Do' was a favorite game of Ben and Zach's. One player would pick a category and then offer two choices of men for the other player. From the selection, the other player had to say who he would be willing to "do". "Do", of course, could be translated 'have _s_e_x_ with'.
Ben grinned, ready to play. "Okay, what category?"
"Let's make it interesting. How about old men, say fifty and over."
"Zach, I have to eat soon. Do NOT ruin my appetite."
"Come on, fifty and over," Zach urged smiling.
"Okay, go."
"Who would you do, Nelson or Vic?" he said casting a playful look over his shoulder at Nelson.
"Hey!" Vic exclaimed. Nelson just shook his head. The brats burst into laughter.
"Good one, Zach!" Ben barely got the words out around the giggles.
"We're nowhere near fifty," Vic pointed out. "If you want to put us in the hot thirty-something category..."
Nelson laughed, too. The brats continued.
"Ok, ok. DeNiro or Pacino," Zach said, still laughing at his own jab at Nelson and Vic.
"DeNiro," Ben answered.
"No way. Didn't you see 'The Godfather'?"
"Don't care, DeNiro."
"Whatever floats your boat. DeNiro or Anthony Hopkins."
"Hannibal?! Are you joking? DeNiro wins again."
"I hope you two will be very happy together," Zach said, laughing at his friend. "DeNiro or Eastwood."
"If Eastwood was still in the 'Dirty Harry' days, it would be no contest. But he's looking pretty frail lately. I'm going with DeNiro again."
"No fun with you sticking to the same old fart every time."
"OK, my turn to ask you. Ready?"
"Yeah."
"All right...category will be Has Beens. Starsky or Hutch."
"Then or now?"
"Now, dufus. The category is HAS Beens, past tense."
Zach explained slowly, "Exactly. So would I do them in the past or now?"
"Now."
"Which one is the dark haired one?"
"Starsky."
"Well...I usually go for blondes..." he said looking longingly at his partner and batting his eyes, "but in this case I'd have to go for Starsky."
Nelson returned the look unsuccessfully trying to repress a grin.
"Starsky or Erik Estrada."
And so the game continued, passing the time for about thirty minutes. They liked the idea of a 'Hot and Thirty-something' category and agreed you couldn't get much better than Ben Affleck. Vic and Nelson listened to them, amused at their little game.
Having finally tired of the game, Ben and Zach decided to flip through the Birnbaum book again.
"How about the Aerosmith roller coaster? We should do that first." Zach flipped to a page he had dog-eared, "It says here that it gets crowded because its one of the newer rides. The crowds are supposed to be lighter earlier in the day before they make it to the back of the park."
"I'm game for that. What park is it in?"
"MGM."
"I don't care if we go to the Magic Kingdom or not. It's more for kids."
"What are you talking about? They have a lot of good stuff," Zach said, quickly flipping to the Magic Kingdom section of the book. "They've got the Alien Encounter, the Haunted Mansion and some other decent stuff. We don't have to meet Mickey or anything like that. Not unless you just want to..."
Ben punched Zach in the arm. "Shut up."
"Ben!" Vic said. "Cut it out."
"Sorry," Ben mumbled, chastised.
Vic settled back with a book to pass the time while Nelson tried to catch a nap. They finally arrived in Orlando just as Ben and Zach thought they couldn't take another minute. They jumped up as soon as the "fasten seatbelt" sign was turned off.
Nelson and Vic continued to sit patiently. "Come ON," Zach urged grabbing Nelson's hand and tugging it firmly.
"We can't go anywhere until they open the door, Zach. Be patient." To Zach's dismay, Nelson continued to sit, as did Vic.
"Nelsssoonn! You need to be ready when they open the door!"
"You'll let me out, I'm sure," Nelson said, stubbornly staying in his seat.
As soon as they were allowed, they scrambled off the plane and collected their baggage. They had about a thirty minute ride from the airport to the Disney property where they were staying. They arrived at their resort and unloaded their luggage.
Both couples went to their rooms to unpack. Vic was just about to open the door to leave when he heard knuckles rapping on the other side of the door. He opened it to find Zach and Nelson ready to go. Ben came bounding up behind him.
"Where to first?" he asked, pulling the door closed behind him.
"MGM," Ben and Zach said in unison.
So MGM it was. It was designed and operated in classic Disney style. The big water tower announcing their arrival to MGM was adorned with its own pair of Mickey ears. They entered through the retro-designed turnstiles and looked down Main Street at Disney's rendition of the Grauman's Chinese Theatre.
"You gotta start from the back of the park. That way the lines aren't as long," Zach explained grabbing Nelson's hand and dragging him along toward the Tower of Terror and Aerosmith ride.
Both were located at the far side of the park. They had planned their vacation in October so the crowds were nothing like what they would be during peak season, but the gang followed Zach obediently.
They started with the Tower of Terror since they came to it first. It took them on a ride that made Vic think his stomach would never forgive him. They were trapped in an "elevator" in a hotel possessed by ghosts. The elevator dropped over and over in its shaft before finally releasing its captives.
"Definitely not something to ride after eating," Vic griped, grateful he hadn't had lunch yet.
The younger men thought it didn't get much better than the tower, but quickly began heading over to the Aerosmith roller coaster ride. The line was already long and it was only mid-morning. They finally got their turn and once again, the younger men thought it was great.
"Hey, check it out," Zach said to Ben. He was trying on various wigs available in the Aerosmith gift store.
Ben began to giggle at his friend, then joined him. He picked up drumsticks to complete his ensemble.
Vic and Nelson smiled at their partners acting like children rather than the grown men that they were.
"Ok, that's enough," Nelson said, breaking up the fun.
They continued to make the rounds in the park until it was time to eat. They had reservations at the Sci-Fi Drive-In restaurant for a late lunch or early dinner. It was on the other side of the park from where they were but MGM was small when compared to the likes of Epcot and Magic Kingdom so it did not take long to get there.
Zach studied the park map and once again led the way. The restaurant had a drive-in movie theme and it looked like it was outdoors under the stars once inside. It was filled with 50's style cars converted with a table ledge in front of the seats. Two could sit up front and two in the back. All the cars faced a movie screen showing cartoon clips and other short shows. The effect was unbelievable. It looked just like a drive-in theatre, complete with speakers hanging on poles.
Looking at the menu, Zach said to Ben who was sitting in the back with Vic, "I guess you're going to have the footlong. I know a hotdog is your favorite meat. Or, should I say, your favorite meat by-product? Plus, you're so original when you eat."
Nelson gave Zach's leg a small shake.
"Shut up, Zach. Like we don't all know you're getting a hamburger," Ben snapped at him.
"Calm down, Benji. Watch your temper," Vic responded casually, still looking over the menu.
"But he said..."
"I don't care what he said, Benjamin."
The switch from "Benji" to "Benjamin" showed that Vic did not intend to argue about it. The next step would be "Benjamin David" and that always spelled trouble.
They ordered and enjoyed their lunch, all four men feeling full and satisfied. They would not need to eat again that day.
"I don't know how you two could be full. All you ate was rabbit food," Ben said to Vic and Nelson.
"My salad had chicken on it, thank you very much," Nelson said.
"Yuck," Zach replied. "Who eats salad on vacation?"
The day went well and they were able to cover the whole park. MGM, being a smaller park, closed at 7:00 during October and they still had a couple of hours before closing. Zach glanced at his watch as they stepped out into the daylight from the Star Tours ride. It was a simulator ride based on Star Wars.
"We should go back and do The Tower of Terror again. We have time before the park closes," Zach, the tour guide commented.
Nelson said, "Haven't you had enough for one day? We've been up since 4:00 this morning."
"NO! We still have time, let's go back," he said pulling on Nelson's hand.
Nelson thought he was going to lose his hand before the day was over the way Zach had tugged on it all day.
Ben was ready to go back as well. "It's vacation. COME ON!" He grabbed Vic's hand who finally gave up and went willingly.
"Does this feel like vacation to you? I don't work this hard at work," Vic said to Nelson.
As they arrived at the tower, they were disappointed to see the line snaking out. It was much longer now than it had been earlier when they rode it the first time. The sign at the entrance announced a 45 minute wait.
Vic didn't feel like standing in a 45 minute line to ride something he had already ridden once that day. "Why don't you guys go without me? I'll sit here and wait."
"That sounds like a good idea," Nelson chimed in. "You guys go ahead. We'll see you in about an hour," he said as he relaxed onto a nearby bench. His feet thanked him.
"See? I knew I had you guys in the right category in Who Would You Do," Zach said playfully.
Vic and Nelson exchanged looks.
"Right now, I'm feeling like they had me in the right category, too," Vic said to Nelson as the boys walked off. "I'm feeling 50 and over."
Nelson laughed heartily. "I know what you mean," he said.
Approaching the line, Zach had a brainstorm on how to get through faster.
"Hey, you wanna try something to get ahead in line?" he asked conspiratorially.
"I don't know..." Ben didn't want to do anything to get in trouble and Zach was a wiz at coming up with ways to do just that.
"Come on. We're going to pick some people further along in line and just tell the ones we pass that we're with the ones in the front."
"That will never work," Ben was getting more concerned.
"Why not? Who's going to know?"
Ben thought it through briefly. He supposed Zach was right. No one would know they weren't with people ahead in line.
"You have a devious mind, my friend," Ben smiled at Zach, convinced all to easily to give it a try.
They approached the line and immediately began passing people offering up apologies and more than a few "we're with them"s. They gave the vacationers their best angelic faces as they quickly made their way through the weaving line. Having passed more than half the line, they figured they had trimmed their wait down to 20 minutes.
"Let's do it one more time. We're so close," Zach said.
His friend just did not know when to stop. Apparently, Ben didn't either. "ONE more time. I don't want to push it."
"Ok, we'll stop at the lady with the red tank top."
Tapping the couple beside them, they excused themselves and moved ahead once again. With the elevators in sight, a Disney employee tapped Ben on the shoulder as he headed steadfastly toward the lady in red.
"Excuse me sir, I'm going to have to ask you and your friend to step out of line, please."
"Why?"
"You are breaking line and we don't allow that in the park."
"Breaking line? We did not..." Zach tried.
"Sir, please come with me. I don't want to have to ask you to leave the park."
"You can't do that! We didn't do anything wrong," Zach continued.
"He's right. You can't prove anything," Ben retorted.
"I don't have to prove anything. Please come with me."
Ben and Zach defiantly stood their ground and the employee pulled his walkie talkie up to his mouth. "I need security."
"No, wait. We'll go," Zach quickly retreated, not wanting to be escorted out by renta cops wearing mouse ears. And more than that, he didn't want Nelson to find out.
It was too late. The walkie talkie screeched a response. "The Tower of Terror", the employee responded.
In no time, the renta cop showed up. He wasn't wearing mouse ears. The guys may have been able to laugh at their situation if he had.
"I caught them breaking line then they refused to leave with me," the employee was calmly explaining to the security guard.
"Okay, come with me. I'm going to have to ask you to leave the park."
Too scared and embarrassed to argue, they meekly followed the security guard out of the attraction. They had easily lost their bravado knowing now there was no way Vic and Nelson would not know about this.
The guard led them down the street nearing the bench where their partners waited. They immediately regretted not waiting the 45 minutes when they saw Vic and Nelson looking at them. Ben noticed the emotion playing behind Vic's features: confusion, understanding, and then anger.
Vic and Nelson's instincts kicked in and they came rushing over when they saw their partners being escorted by security.
"Excuse me, sir. What seems to be the problem? These boys are with us," Vic asked.
"They were breaking line then refused to leave the attraction when asked to do so. I was escorting them out of the park."
Nelson fixed a look at Zach. "Is that what happened, Zachary?"
Zach's eyes dropped, "Yes, sir."
Vic had a set of brown eyes piercing his partner.
"WHAT were you thinking?" he finally asked, looking from Ben to Zach.
"About the 45 minute wait?" Zach offered.
Nelson's hand snaked out and gripped the top of Zach's arm, turning him to face him, "Do you really think this is a good time to get smart?"
"No, sir."
Speaking to the security guard but with his eyes never leaving Ben's, Vic said, "You don't need to escort them out. We will be doing that ourselves if you don't mind. I hope this won't cause us any trouble the rest of the week."
"Not if they don't cause any," the guard answered. He could feel the tension between the couples.
"I can assure you, this will NOT happen again," Vic said to the guard. Then to Ben, "I think you owe this man an apology."
Ben quickly complied, face crimson, "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
"Zachary," Nelson prompted.
"I'm sorry, too. We won't try to break line again."
The guard nodded, curious at how the younger men responded to their older companions. He didn't know how the older men would make sure this did not happen again, but looking at the squirming youths, he was quite sure they would not be breaking line in the near future.
"You don't mind if I follow you out?" the guard asked.
"Not at all, we understand," Nelson said.
They exited through the gate that did not offer a hand stamp. They would not be coming back tonight.
They took the tram and headed back to the rental vehicle putting the boys in the backseat. Nelson sat up front as Vic drove.
Nelson turned around against the restraint of his seatbelt. "I cannot believe you would act like that. I have never been more embarrassed in my life," he said glaring at the guys in the back.
"We didn't mean anything by it, Nelson. We just didn't want to wait," Zach said, trying futilely to make what they did seem totally reasonable. It didn't work.
"You didn't want to wait?! That is what you DO at Disney. You wait in line. You're old enough to know that. If you didn't want to wait, you shouldn't have gotten in line."
"But, Nelson...we were hot and tired..."
"Not another word, Zachary Adam. I don't want to hear anymore. There is absolutely NO excuse for what you did."
Zach clamped his mouth shut and curled as deeply into the back seat as he could.
Vic had sat quietly letting Nelson grill the boys. He was too angry to discuss it at the moment. Ben managed to get up the nerve to check the rearview mirror. Just as his eyes flicked to the mirror he saw Vic's eyes pin him through the reflection. He quickly looked away, melting under the gaze. Vic's normally warm brown eyes looked almost black.
They were at the resort in far too little time. Nelson had a firm grip on Zach's hand. This time, it was Nelson tugging at Zach instead of the reverse. He pulled him along through the parking lot while Zach concentrated on dragging his feet as much as Nelson would allow. Nelson got tired of having to fight and suddenly stopped dead in the parking lot, whipping around to face Zach.
"Unless you want me to start spanking your rear end right here, you WILL pick up your feet up and walk with me," he warned calmly.
That got Zach moving. He didn't want to add to the fireworks set to go off at Magic Kingdom with sparks coming off his ass in the Port Orleans parking lot. He knew Nelson would have no problem following through on his threat.
Ben, on the other hand, followed Vic meekly through the parking lot, his own hand gripped firmly in Vic's. He knew Vic was not happy and he did not want to further inflame the situation. Vic may not be saying anything, but his face spoke volumes. Finally, the couples stood outside the doors to their respective rooms.
"What time in the morning?" Nelson asked Vic, pulling his room key from his wallet.
"We have breakfast reservations at 8:00, so no later than 7:30."
"Ok. See you in the morning."
"Goodnight."
Ben and Zach could not think of anything good about the night. Nelson and Vic disappeared into their own rooms, brats in tow.
Vic pushed Benji toward the bathroom. "Get a shower and get ready for bed. You have ten minutes. One second longer and I will come in there and drag you from the shower myself. And, trust me, you don't want that to happen."
"Yes, sir," Ben's mouth was pulled into a frown, his eyes stinging. He pulled his pajamas from the drawer and headed into the bathroom while Vic watched, arms crossed.
Vic sat down on the edge of the bed rubbing his temples after Ben disappeared into the bathroom. It had been a long day and this was the last thing he wanted to deal with. He got up and went to his suitcase, pulling a small paddle out of the zippered compartment. He had hoped he wouldn't need it, but had thrown it in the bag at the last minute just in case.
Next door, Nelson didn't wait for Zach to shower, but got right down to business.
"I'm going to ask you again, and I want an answer this time, young man. No, look at me Zach." He waited until Zach's eyes met his own to continue. "Why did you do it?" he lectured at Zach who was sitting in a chair at the table in their makeshift kitchen.
Zach was beginning to get angry over the fact he was in trouble. "Which part, breaking line or not leaving when they asked?" Zach couldn't keep the sass out of his tone.
Nelson snatched him out of the chair. Zach instinctively anticipated what was coming and reached a hand back to protect his bottom. Nelson easily found unprotected ground and expertly fired three sound shots to Zach's ass.
"You had better watch your smart mouth tonight, Zach. You will quickly make it worse. Sit down and answer the question without the attitude!"
Zach decided now was not the time to push Nelson and gave his best explanation for both offenses.
"We broke line because it was too long. I'm not sure why we didn't get out of line when the guy asked us. It just kinda got out of control."
"Out of control is the appropriate phrase to describe your actions. I was so embarrassed. Do you realize you two could have ended our vacation today?"
"We didn't mean to, Nelson."
"How could you not mean to? Was some force pulling you along in front of other people?" Now it was Nelson's turn to be smart.
"I don't know..."
"You know better than to act like you did today. I won't have it. Drop your pants and bend over the bed."
"Nelllsssoon...it's vacation, please..."
"Not a word, Zach. Do you think this is how I want to spend vacation? I expect you to behave yourself whether we're on vacation or not. If you choose to misbehave, you will be punished, even on vacation. Pants down and over the bed," Nelson said unbuckling his belt.
Zach went white when he saw Nelson's hands working the buckle. He made his way over to the bed with heavy feet. He turned around away from Nelson, hoping to hold on to a shred of dignity by not having to face him when he bared himself. As much as Nelson had seen him naked, it still embarrassed him to drop his pants to be spanked. He slipped his shorts and underwear down to his knees and leaned down onto the bed. He could hear Nelson freeing his belt from the belt loops.
Nelson stepped over to him and placed his hand in the center of Zach's back, lifting the tail of his t-shirt out of the way. He raised up the doubled over belt and brought it down across Zach's white cheeks. Zach yelped with the contact and pitched forward on the bed trying to get away. Nelson held him firmly in place and brought the belt down again. Tears quickly formed in Zach's eyes.
"Why are you being punished, Zach?"
The belt came down twice more quickly before Zach could answer, tears now starting to flow down his face.
"Because..because...I misbehaved at the...the park, break...OW!...breaking line," he sobbed as another stripe was laid across his cheeks.
The belt came down again and again leaving a trail of fire in its wake each time it struck. Nelson was careful not to bring the belt down across Zach's thighs, knowing he would be wearing shorts this week. He didn't want to leave any visible marks. He had no problem covering the rest of his behind. Zach gripped the comforter willing himself not to reach back.
"Do you think you will be able to behave the rest of the week, no matter how long the lines are?"
"YES! Yes, sir," he wailed as the belt licked his cheeks again. After twenty lashes, Nelson stopped. Zach lay on the bed crying fiercely at the sting across his butt. He carefully reached back and gently touched his cheeks, limp across the bed.
Nelson pulled at his arm helping him to his feet. He clutched at Nelson's shirt transferring tears and snot to the front of it. Nelson held him allowing him time to calm down. He sat them down on the bed continuing to hold Zach. After about 30 minutes of crying and feeling sorry for himself, he recovered most of his natural breathing, save for the sniffles and occasional hitching.
"Do you hate me, Nelson?"
Nelson's grip moved to Zach's arm and he pulled him back to look into his eyes.
"You know better than that. If you ever ask me that again, I'll spank you harder than what you just got. I love you, Zachary. I don't always like the things you do, but I'll always love you. Do you understand me?"
"Uh huh," he sniffed. "But, I embarrassed you."
He smiled at his brat's words, then pushed his hair back so he could see his eyes and said, "Yes, you did but we've dealt with that. It wasn't the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last. We'll just deal with things as they come, OK?"
"OK."
"All right, love of my life. Into the shower and ready for bed." He guided Zach into the bathroom and turned on the shower spray. He kissed Zach on the head before turning to leave.
Meanwhile, Ben's shower was finished and he found himself sitting on the bed as Vic paced in front of him. He wasn't being quiet any more.
"And you KNEW better. How could you act like you did? What made the two of you think you were above waiting in line like everyone else?"
Ben looked down without answering. "LOOK AT ME AND ANSWER THE QUESTION, YOUNG MAN!"
Ben wasn't sure what was harder: finding a response that would appease Vic or looking into his eyes. It really did not matter. He was going to have to do both. He pulled his eyes from the carpet and looked back at Vic, his mouth working as he searched for an answer.
"Well?" Vic persisted.
"I...I guess we were just hot and tired. We didn't feel like waiting 45 minutes."
Not the right answer, obviously.
"So, you think you two were the only ones waiting who were hot and tired? Did you not know it would be a 45 minute wait before you got in line?"
Vic picked up the pace and began wearing the carpet out again as he preached the appropriate behavior expected of brats in an amusement park regardless of whether or not they were hot and tired.
He paused for a breath and looked at Ben expectantly. Ben wasn't sure what else to say so he just tried, "Vic, I'm really, really sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble...I swear..."
"What you meant to do and what you did are two totally different things," Vic said, heading over to the bedside table.
Ben's eyes followed his path and he noticed for the first time what he hadn't seen before. The small round paddle was lying harmlessly on the table.
Just as the realization sunk in, Vic picked it up and said, "I decided at the last minute to throw this in my suitcase, never really expecting to need it. Much less needing it the first day here."
Great, Ben thought. I would have to have a _f_u_c_k_ing boy scout for a partner. That was Vic, always prepared. Vic strode over to the hard-backed chairs at the kitchen table pulling one out in the middle of the floor and taking a seat.
"Come here."
Ben's toes nervously scuffled at the carpet and he continued to sit on the bed, looking at Vic.
"Vic, please don't..."
"If you don't get your butt over here RIGHT now, so help me..." Vic let the unspoken threat hang in the air.
Ben wasn't sure what he would do but he didn't wait around to find out. He pulled himself up from the bed and slowly stepped toward Vic. His feet were pulling him along against the protests his brain was sending.
He quickly found himself within arms reach of Vic, who promptly grabbed his wrist and roughly pulled him across his legs. Ben found himself once again across Vic's muscular thighs. He loved Vic's legs any other time but not when he was draped across them with his butt in the air about to be spanked. Vic propped the paddle against the leg of the chair while he worked at getting Ben situated.
"I will NOT tolerate behavior like what you showed me today, not now, not ever," Vic said as Ben's sleeping shorts and underpants were relocated to his knees.
Vic's left arm went around Ben's waist changing from an arm into a vice. Ben involuntarily began to struggle.
"Lay still, Benjamin."
Ben tried, but was finding it difficult. He was ultimately able to still himself although Vic knew he would quickly be squirming again. Vic's hand raised up and began to fall delivering smack after smack to Ben's bottom. Ben's backside rippled with the smacks and he began to struggle against Vic's firm grip trying desperately to move his tender bottom out of the way of Vic's strong hand.
Ben couldn't stop the tears and he was soon crying hard and Vic hadn't even picked up the paddle yet. After several minutes, Vic's hand stopped falling and Ben's stomach twisted. He felt Vic's movement as he leaned down to retrieve the paddle resting in the floor.
Vic brought the paddle down hard in two quick strokes against Ben's right cheek. He wasted no time in repeating the effort on his left cheek. Vic was an equal opportunity spanker and made sure every part of Ben's bottom was included. After covering Ben's butt twice in this pattern, Vic stopped, laying the paddle back on the floor.
He pulled Ben up and settled him into his lap, being careful of his flaming bottom. Ben clung to Vic's neck crying hard. Vic had really given it to him. He continued to cry as Vic whispered calming words, like "it's OK", "don't cry", and "it's over, now". After a while, his gentle touch and soothing words began to work and Ben calmed down.
As Ben's thoughts wandered from his throbbing butt, he managed to think briefly of his friend in the next room. He wondered if Zach had been spanked yet and if Nelson had been a prepared scout as well remembering to pack a paddle. He would ask Zach tomorrow.
Zach's thoughts, too, wandered to his friend, as he was curled in the bed. His thoughts of how Benji made out were interrupted by Nelson, freshly showered, sliding into bed next to him.
Nelson's arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him close, spooning up to his partner. His hand went to Zach's bottom and gently moved over his sore cheeks. Zach's thoughts left Ben as he nestled in the warmth his partner offered.
Nelson didn't close his eyes until he heard the steady breathing coming from Zach. It didn't take long for Zach to drift soundly to sleep. It had been a long day in the wonderful world of Disney.