Rob woke Jian-Michael by saying "Hello" with his hand. They had been out partying the night before and the younger man had danced and drank a little too much to be of any use earlier. There was a truly annoying nasal twang emanating from the TV, droning on about the desert.

"That's worse than water torture....PLEASE shut that off.", Jian-Michael complained as he shifted his position to enjoy being wakened. "_s_h_i_t_! That's the champagne wishes guy, owww, he's like fingernails on a blackboard! Oh, my head! Oh god, just strangle me with one hand, OK? Ooooo, no, don't stop, I said one hand."

"Shut up, I'm listening to this. All your yapping about the desert lately has me interested in seeing it. I've been passing a deposition down the line, but I've been watching this show and it really looks beautiful. I want you to arrange a couple of days off work. We're going to fly to L. A. and rent a car, holy sh....run! Don't you throw up in up here, goddammit!"

Jian-Michael was running and made a knee-sliding-into-home-base assault on the john with Rob right behind him. He wished he would go away, shut the door and give him some privacy. No way. Rob was paranoid about leaving him alone when he was sick, he'd handled a case involving death by aspiration. "Didn't I tell you to cool it, but you had to do shooters, didn't you? When you get around your asshole friends, what I say goes in one ear and out the other, doesn't it? I'll teach you to ignore me!! What I say is LAW! From now on, the only person you listen to is ME, UNDERSTOOD?"

The younger man nodded miserably and retched again. _s_h_i_t_, he was in trouble and he was too muddled to think of a way out. His head was swimming and all he wanted to do was stretch out on the cool tile floor, but that would mean being whisked back to their bedroom and across Rob's knees. So he stayed where he was, slumped against the porcelain and praying for some privacy. Rob fussed around, wetting a cloth to wipe his face and placed a few quick smacks to his naked backside. Jian-Michael faked a retch to prevent being hit again. The main event would come soon enough. He needed time for the double vision to disappear before he had to look at Rob's toes when he was hung over in more ways than one.

Higher powers were listening to his prayers as he heard the door bell chime. Whomever it was, really wanted someone to answer because they were obviously leaning on the button. Rob muttered under his breath as he left to open the door. Jian-Michael took the opportunity to creep back to bed and burrow under the covers, hoping that the previous threats of punishment would be forgotten. Oh _s_h_i_t_, he recognized the voice of their visitor. It was his 'asshole best friend' from the night before. He was moving into their guestroom, yet another casualty who had been thrown out by his girlfriend. Could the day get any worse?

Of course it could and it did. After Rob helped A. J. unload his meager belongings and told him to help himself to whatever he needed, he returned to their bedroom.

"Escuche, it's A. J. Tara threw him out and he says it's really over. He's nose-dived into the fridge and he wants to talk to you. He can stay until he gets on his feet, but this is not permanent, comprende?" Rob spoke as he pulled the covers back and reached into the drawer of the bedside table for the dreaded paddle. Could they get through one week without seeing that freaking thing?! Oh no! He wasn't getting paddled with his friend in the house!! Hell, they had been friends since they were kids! They were the keepers of each other's deepest secrets and most private thoughts. Whoa, Jian-Michael's _s_e_x_ life just flew out the window! No way was he getting up close and personal with Rob with his best friend in the next room...._s_h_i_t_, that was perverse.

"Please Rob, not with A. J. here! Please, it makes so much noise, please, no! Puulleezze, just use your hand, OK?" Jian-Michael was scrambling out of bed and sprinting to the door to shut it before his friend could overhear any conversation. "Please Robby?", he pleaded as he rushed back and stretched out over his lover's thighs, anxious to get it over with. He'd made a remarkable recovery at the thought of being embarrassed in front of his friend. "Please Robby, please?" The drawer shut slowly and he waited with eyes closed for the first lick of whatever....

SWAT!!, "Owwwwww!" Oooo, that smarted. Oh thankgod, it was his hand, not that it wasn't as hard as any paddle and Rob was becoming an expert at using it on his derriere. Waves of nausea washed over him as the blows rapidly fell. His stomach was protesting being pounded into Rob's thigh and beads of sweat were competing with tears for face-space. Minutes later, it was over and he could make a quick run to the john rather than splash on the floor. After cleaning up, he could see to his friend's needs. He was probably really upset and Jian-Michael was ready to offer some comfort. What he wasn't prepared for was his friend grinning slyly ear to ear and offering him a cushion for his sore butt. A. J. heard it all, _d_a_m_n_ those thin walls! His stay had better be brief because it was clearly going to be torture.