Never Say 'Old'

Co-Written By: Mel and LJ






Todd paused at the top of the stairs with the empty laundry basket in his hand. He was hit with a unexpected urge and without giving the temptation a second thought; he put the basket on the top step and stood back laughing gleefully as it bumped its’ way down the stairs. Then he placed his left leg over the banister and squirmed to get his butt perfectly lined-up. Once seated comfortably, he let go of the top newel with an exhilarated, “Wheeee!”

He stopped just in time at the bottom to avoid hitting his lower back on the much larger newel and hopped off. He turned to find himself grinning up at a white-faced, somewhat shaken husband.

“Did you see that, Hayden? I did it! I was standing at the top of the stairs and suddenly it hit me that it’s been years since I last slid down a banister. And that means I’ve never slid down this one. So I thought I’d give it a try. And I did it!”

Hayden’s right hand was itching so much it took every effort of self-control he had, not to bend Todd over and apply that hand firmly to his husband’s still very attractive bottom. “You did it all right!” he exclaimed. “You scared ten years off my life, is what you did! What were you thinking; a man of your age sliding down the banister like a ten-year-old boy? What if you had fallen?”

“My age?” Todd sputtered as he stepped around his husband and picked up the basket from where it had come to rest against the coat rack next to the front door. “Really, Hayden, you say that as if I was getting too old to have any fun,” he huffed indignantly. “I’ll have you know that being in our early sixties, doesn’t make us old. Well maybe you, but certainly not me.” With that sassy remark, he winked up at the slightly older man and sashayed down the hall towards the kitchen.

Hayden ran down the hall and blocked Todd’s path. He took the laundry basket from the spluttering man’s arms and tossed it on the floor. He then pulled him into a hard kiss, forced his tongue into the sweet mouth and ravaged it until he felt Todd respond. When he knew he had his husband’s full attention, Hayden pulled away from the kiss and smiled at him; then drew his arm back and landed two hard swats on Todd’s butt cheeks. “I never said that either of us was old. However, you are old enough to remember that I do not put up with cheeky Brats, no matter what their age.”

Todd rubbed the seat of his jeans and peered passed the glasses into Hayden’s warm, hazel eyes. Eyes that showed no hint of irritation, eyes that held only a deep abiding love, a love that was returned in equal measure. Knowing he hadn’t seriously stepped over the line, Todd wrapped his arms around his husband. Always grateful for the role Hayden played in his life, he contentedly murmured, “I’m happy to hear you agree with our not being old. But have you noticed that some parts of our bodies seem younger than others?” He pressed against his lover, grinding his pelvis into Hayden’s and smiling at the results.

Hayden grasped Todd’s butt in both hands and dug his fingers into the firm flesh as his body responded to the pressure against his groin. “Let’s go upstairs and give those young body parts a work out.” He took his husband by the hand and led him up to their bedroom, where he made short order of divesting himself of his clothes and then watched appreciatively as Todd did the same. Bedcovers were quickly tossed back and soon two naked bodies were pressed together on the bed.

Hayden felt overcome with the need to possess his lover. He rolled Todd onto his back, grasped his hands and placed them above his head to grip the wrought iron frame. “Don’t let go,” he ordered gruffly. He grabbed the lube from the bedside table and kneeling between Todd’s legs, he quickly had him lubed and stretched enough to accommodate his girth. He lifted Todd’s legs over his shoulders and smoothly thrust into the welcoming heat he knew so well.

“Mine,” he growled as he continued to thrust. He wanted Todd to feel this for the rest of the day, wanted him to remember he was cared about. Hayden didn’t like it when Todd took risks; even little things like sliding down a banister worried him. He soon lost himself in the look of passion in his lover’s eyes and quickly felt himself nearing the edge. He grasped Todd’s straining erection in his hand and stroked it in time to his thrusts until they both were crying out their climax almost simultaneously.

Several minutes later, Todd lay looking up at Hayden with his eyes still shining softly with the afterglow of their lovemaking. He reached up and gently ran his finger tips over the start of stubble on his husband’s chin before moving his hand to the nape of Hayden’s neck. “I love you, you know,” he murmured, then pulled Hayden’s head close enough to kiss his lips. He slowly ended the kiss and smiled sleepily. “I hope my admitting, I could do with a little nap right now, won’t be taken as a sign that I may be getting more than just a teensy bit older.”

Hayden chuckled. “If needing a nap after mind-blowing sex is a sign of getting old, then we were old in our twenties. I recall falling asleep in the back of your old Beetle before we got our first apartment. We were lucky campus police didn’t catch us in the act!”

“Oh yes, I remember those fun days. We should go parking again sometime,” Todd replied around a yawn as he fought to keep his heavy eyelids from closing.

Hayden rolled onto his side and pulled Todd close so he was spooning against his back. “Sleep, my love,” he whispered softly before drifting off himself.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“I just need a little more practice, Hayden.” Todd winced and tried to pull his hand back from the painful first-aide being administered to his badly scraped palm. It hurt even more than the scrape on his shin. “I really believe I’d do a lot better if I had my own skateboard; then I wouldn’t have to borrow from the young fellow down the street.”

“Hold still,” Hayden commanded rather gruffly as he gripped the damaged hand firmly in his own, carefully inspecting it for debris. Though the cut wasn’t deep, there was a sizable amount of skin scrapped away and it was speckled with dirt. Still holding Todd tightly with one hand, Hayden flipped on the water at the kitchen sink and then thrust the open wound under the running water until the dirt was flushed away.

“You’re right about not borrowing Robby Sampson’s skateboard again. As it was, I had to pay him forty dollars for the damage you did to it,” he said as he gently dried the wound. “However, you will not be getting one of your own nor will you be going near another skateboard again as long as you live! Because if you do; a certain board that lives in the bottom drawer of my desk is going to be making repeated connection with your backside.” He applied a liberal amount of Polysporin and wrapped the hand with gauze.

Todd grimaced, knowing his husband meant business. What he’d done earlier fell into the category of harming himself and that had always been a spanking offence.

“It looked so much easier than it is. Mind you, I’m sure if I had been able to keep it going in a straight line, it wouldn’t have slipped off the curb. Of course, catching a wheel in the sewer grate didn’t help matters.” Todd sighed out his relief at having the bandaging in place, happy in the knowledge that Hayden would no longer be poking about the sore hand. All that remained now was a dull throbbing. “I’m sorry, Hayden, for being such a bother. No more skateboarding, I promise.” He crossing the fingers on his uninjured hand in the hope his husband wouldn’t notice the injury he’d done to his left leg.

“Thank you,” Hayden replied as he gave Todd a quick kiss. “Why don’t you set the table and I’ll fix lunch for us. I don’t want you getting that dressing messed up.” As Todd turned to walk around the kitchen island, Hayden noticed a slight limp in his husband’s gait. Then his eyes zeroed in on a tear in Todd’s normally immaculate jeans. “Todd William Pierce, stop right where you are!” He bent over and tugged up the leg of the torn pants. A long, lightly bleeding graze marred the pale skin. Hayden stood and quickly unbuttoned Todd’s pants and pushed them down his legs before the other man could protest. “Step out of them now!”

Todd meekly lifted his sock-clad feet from the pants pooled around his ankles. He opened his mouth to speak but Hayden stopped him before he could utter a sound.

Hayden turned Todd around and landed a firm swat on the boxer-covered bottom. “Had you any intention of telling me about this cut or were you just planning on hiding it from me? I thought we had long ago come to the understanding that you do not keep injuries or sickness from me.”

“I would have told you, Hayden. I just wanted to get it cleaned up a bit before showing it to you. I would have taken care of my hand as well, had you not been in the kitchen when Robby helped me home.” Todd leaned over to better check out his leg. “I admit it looks a lot worse than it feels. You see, I grazed my hand when I fell on the sidewalk. When I tried to get up, I felt a little woozy and tripped and landed on the edge of the skateboard that was lying on its’ side.” He frowned a little in confusion. “I can’t figure out why I got light-headed. I didn’t hit my head and besides, I was wearing a helmet as well as knees and elbow pads.”

Todd happened to take that moment to glance up at his husband and notice a slight look of disbelief on the handsome face. “What? You didn’t think I’d take the time to put on safety gear? Because I did. Too bad there weren’t any gloves or shin pads,’ he mused as he once again examined his leg. “My hand and lower leg are the only parts of me that got hurt.”

“I’m pleased to know you did use some safety gear to help protect you from injury. What I am concerned about here is your being light-headed.” Hayden went to the cabinet where Todd’s diabetic testing supplies were stored. “So let’s get a blood sugar reading, shall we? Just to see if that’s the culprit in this case.”

Todd kept up a steady flow of chatter while watching his husband first swab the end of his finger, then prick the tip of it with a lancet and squeeze out a drop of blood onto a glucose strip.

“You know, there are lot of things I’d like to try, Hayden. Activities we never had time to do when we were busy doing other things like getting our practices set up, establishing our relationship, buying a house, raising a family and lastly, relocating here to Jade Heights. But now we’re retired with plenty of time on our hands.” He leaned in closer to read the result showing up in the small window of his glucometer. “Hmm, five isn’t very good, is it?” Blue eyes lifted to gaze into hazel ones.

“It is a little low, my love, and I’m sure the reason behind your light-headedness.” Hayden walked over to the refrigerator, poured Todd a glass of orange juice and placed it in front of his husband. “Drink this while I clean up the cut on your leg. Then we’ll have some lunch and we can discuss these things which you say you’d like to try. After lunch, you’re going to go upstairs and have a nap.”

Todd normally voiced his objection when a nap was mentioned, but today he willingly agreed with the plans just decreed by his husband. He obediently drank his orange juice while his leg was being tended to; managing to only wince a couple of times as he tried hard not to complain about it hurting.

After a careful examination of his torn designer jeans, he resigned himself to just chucking them out as they were now stained and damaged beyond repair. ‘Apparently, learning I may not be cut out for having wheels under my feet has proved rather costly,’ Todd thought with a slight frown, keeping the observation to himself.

Over the light meal Hayden prepared, Todd brought up his earlier subject. “I don’t want to do anything overly dangerous, Hayden. For instance, I wouldn’t be interested in bungee jumping or parachuting. But I do think I would like to learn to parasail. Maybe it is something we can look into next January when we go for our annual vacation in the sun. I’d also like to try snowboarding.”

Hayden rolled his eyes. He didn’t want to jump all over Todd and crush his enthusiasm, but he wasn’t about to allow his husband to get involved in extreme sports or activities. “Sweetheart, I’m all for participating in healthy and fun exercise. However, neither of us is twenty years old anymore. I think we can find some activities better suited to us.”

“Ah-ha, ah-ha; I knew it! I knew you’d eventually get around to saying we’re too old for something.”

“I did not use the word ‘old’ at all. I simply indicated that some activities are not suitable to be taken up at this point in our lives.”

“Reminding me that we’re no longer as young as we were is hinting that we’re getting old.” Todd finished off the last of his lunch and put his empty plate to one side. Without a second thought, he boldly suggested, “Maybe we can learn how to knit. That can’t be too dangerous. We can do it from the safety of our rocking chairs on the front porch.”

He immediately clapped a hand over his mouth and his eyes almost doubled in size when he saw the expression on his husband’s face. That was definitely not the smartest proposal to give voice to. Why did his ‘self-preservation’ gene always fail him when he needed it most?

Hayden’s lips thinned and he took a deep breath to compose himself before replying. One of Hayden’s pet peeves was a disrespectful mouth. He’d never tolerated it before, and wasn’t about to start now. As he stood up, he put a smile on his face that came nowhere near his eyes. “Learning to knit sounds like an excellent idea, my love. You can knit me a glove for my right hand to protect it from the sting it feels when spanking your backside!” He pulled Todd up from his chair and landed a hard swat on the seat of the other man’s boxers. “It’s convenient that you’ve got your jeans off. You’ll have less to take off for your nap. Now let’s go before I decide to drop those shorts too, and add several more swats.”

Todd didn’t say another word. He just headed for the stairs, making sure he stayed out of his husband’s reach. In the master bedroom, he hastily removed his shirt before pulling back the bedcovering and sliding underneath it.

“I’m sorry, Hayden, for being smart-mouthed with you. I didn’t mean any disrespect.” Stretched out on the bed with the quilt held tightly under his chin, Todd believed himself to be relatively safe from additional consequences. Staring up at the man standing over him, he tried to explain. “The thought just came into my head and before I could stop myself, it got out. You’d think after all these years I’d have gained better control over what I say.”

“Yes, you’d think so, wouldn’t you,” Hayden agreed with a chuckle. “However, I have come to realize ‘after all these years’ as you put it, that your mouth operates about ten seconds ahead of your self-control. Not that I’m saying I find that totally acceptable, nor will I cease in my efforts to help you learn better control, but I do acknowledge that it is... possibly... at times... part of your charm.” He walked around the other side of the bed, removing his own shirt and trousers as he went. “Come here and we’ll nap together,” he invited as he slipped under the covers and held his arms open.

Todd smiled and scooted over to snuggle against the bigger man. “I love you, Hayden.” Todd gently kissed his lover’s lips. He laid his head on Hayden’s shoulder, wrapped an arm around his husband’s broad chest, placed a leg over both of Hayden’s and squirmed to get into one of his favourite sleeping position.

In a matter of minutes, both men were dozing off.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It had taken a week for Todd’s hand to heal, finally enabling him to work in his dearly loved garden. Early spring was his favourite time of year as he spent as much time as possible out in the sunshine and fresh air.

This afternoon, it had taken him a good part of the last hour to weed around all the dahlias bulbs he had planted. They had brought his treasured collection with them when moving to Jade Heights last fall. Todd was thankful the bulbs had survived the transition as they’d been prematurely removed from the garden at their old home.

He straightened up from where he had been leaning over the flower bed and stretched his back. He lifted his head skyward and felt the warmth of the sun kissing his face. Just as he opened his eyes, he saw the robin who had recently built a nest in their maple tree, take flight.

Now was his chance. Todd quickly got to his feet and hauled an old plastic garden chair over to the tree. After making sure it was as stable as he could make it, he stepped up onto it and reached for the lowest branch. It was a bit of a struggle but he finally managed to hoist himself up, grateful that the branch was able to hold his weight. Although he had not climbed a tree in some time, he was still confident in his ability to do so. After all, he was the one who had taught their son, as well as a couple of Zack’s friends.

He was peering into the nest, marvelling at the three tiny blue eggs nestled inside when the mother bird returned. “You are going to have quite the little family there,” Todd murmured to her as he began to climb down.

He had just placed his foot on the arm of the chair when it toppled over, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. He lay there on his back with the wind knocked out of him and stared up through the leafy foliage. Suddenly his view was blocked by the man standing over him.

‘Strange how Hayden looks so much bigger from this angle,’ was the only thought that went through Todd’s brain as he laboured to get his breath back.

Hayden quickly knelt down beside his fallen husband. He’d been looking out the kitchen window when he saw his husband up in the tree. Unfortunately by the time he’d reached him, Todd was laying on the ground. “Don’t try to move,” he commanded softly. “Are you in pain? Does anything feel broken?”

“I-I’m fine, Hayden,” Todd gasped. “Just a bit winded. Give me a minute or two and then you can help me up.” He smiled and attempted to point up at the branch above him. “You should see what’s in that nest. We’re going to have a nice little family living in our back yard.”

Hayden glanced upward and then looked back at Todd, his facial expression changing from one of concern to one of complete dismay. “You climbed up on a cheap plastic garden chair to look at a bird’s nest? Never pausing for one moment to think about falling?”

“I’m very good at climbing trees, Hayden. You know, I have to stay in practice so I can teach the grandchildren we’ll be blessed with someday.” Todd sat up and all but sneered at the cause of him being where he was. “But now that you mention it, it does beg the question; what the heck are we doing with a rickety plastic chair in the first place?”

Hayden stood, then took Todd’s hands into his own and pulled him to his feet. He looked his husband over, critically assessing for damage. Seeing no sign of injury, he grasped Todd by the shoulders and gave him a slight shake. “The only question being begged here is why you felt it necessary to do something as foolish as climb up on that chair; not why we haven’t tossed out that old thing left here by the previous owners. Now let’s go in the house; you and I are going to have a talk about what’s going on with you. Sliding down banisters, skate boarding and tree climbing are a symptom of something and I intend to get to the bottom of it!” Hayden emphasized his point with a swat to Todd’s bottom as they headed inside.

Todd grabbed Hayden’s hand and walked beside him up the couple of steps leading to the deck and into their kitchen. He figured if he had a hold of the hand, it couldn’t swat him again.

Once inside, he pulled out a stool and sat down. With an elbow on the counter and his chin resting in the palm of his hand, Todd gave the only explanation he could come up with. “It’s a battle I’m involved in, Hayden. One pitting me against growing old, and one I intend to win. I want to keep active and continue doing the things I did when I was younger.”

Hayden sighed heavily. Though he understood Todd’s feelings, he could not condone his actions. He took a seat on the stool next to Todd’s and drew his husband’s hand into his own and kissed it. “My love, there is nothing wrong with wanting to keep active or wanting to do many of the things we did when we were younger. However, there is something wrong with the way you’re going about this. You could have been badly hurt, falling from that tree. If you wanted to look up at the bird’s nest, you know as well as I do there were much safer ways to do so. Do you have any idea how frightened I was when I found you laying on the ground?” He could see Todd cringe at the question. “I’m sorry, Todd, but this was self-endangerment and you know what that means. Now let’s get this taken care of.”

Hayden slid off the stool and pulled a straight-back chair out from the kitchen table. He stood waiting patiently for his reluctant husband to join him.

Todd slowly slid off the stool and made his way over to Hayden. “I’m sorry for frightening you, Hayden. I had no idea you would be looking out the window.” He undid the button on the waistband of his jeans as he neared his ever-so-tolerant Top. “I just didn’t stop to think…..again,” he muttered somewhat self-disparagingly.

“I know,” Hayden replied, not unkindly as he sat down. He pulled Todd in between his legs and finished undoing the jeans, then slid them along with the boxer shorts, down below Todd’s knees. He gave the now exposed butt a pat and Todd hesitatingly bent over Hayden’s thigh. Hayden raised his hand and brought it down with a loud smack. He proceeded to pepper the entire surface of Todd’s bottom until it was a deep red.

When Todd was no longer yelping with each swat, but was gasping and letting out quiet sobs, Hayden stopped the punishment and carefully guided Todd back up and into his arms. “All right, my darling, it’s over now,” he soothed. “I sincerely hope that is the end of any reckless attempts at regaining your youth. You can still be active and healthy without endangering yourself. Besides you’re only as old as you think you are. I don’t think of either of us as old, but I do appreciate the stage we are at in our lives. Being retired, having time to spend with you, and with our son and his spouse, seems a pretty great place to be.”

Todd nodded and sniffed several times in an attempt to get his crying under control. He accepted the handkerchief held out to him and wiped his eyes, then blew his nose. “You’re right,” he quietly agreed, laying his head on Hayden’s shoulder. “We are at a rather good time in our lives. Retiring was hard, but no where near as bad as I had imagined. I really like all the free time we have to do whatever we want.”

Todd sighed deeply as he wrapped his arms around his husband’s neck. He was still sitting on his husband’s lap with his jeans and boxers around his knees. His butt was throbbing, but he felt loved and protected. “I’ll try to think of safer activities from now on, my love.” He said a silent prayer that he’d be able to keep his promise.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Several days later, Todd was still on a mission. He was bound and determined to prove he and his husband were not getting ‘old’. It was just a question of who he was trying to prove it to; himself or someone else.

He stood in the living room, checking out his handiwork and reviewing the mental list he had made. The drapes were drawn and flames jumped inviting in the fireplace; the Chardonnay was chilled and the wine glasses set out; candles were lit and pillows in place. He completed the last of his preparations and lay down on the pile of blankets.

Satisfied that all was ready, he called out for Hayden. “Come here, my love. I need you,” Todd requested loud enough for his voice to carry across the hall to the study where the man he wanted, was working.

Hayden was sitting at his desk paying bills, when he heard Todd’s call. Long used to his husband’s demands for immediate attention when he beckoned, Hayden closed his laptop and headed out to the living room. He thought perhaps Todd was in need of assistance with some chore, so he was quite surprised with the sight that greeted him.

Todd was laid out stark naked on the floor in front of the fireplace, nested on blankets and surrounded by pillows. He’d obviously spent some time grooming himself, as his body was smooth and hairless, barring that which grew on his head. Hayden had always been highly turned on when Todd did a complete body shave. There was something about the satin-smooth skin of his lover that he simply could not resist.

“Well...well...well... what have we here?” he asked with a rather lecherous grin. “A beautiful creature just laid out for my pleasure.” Hayden began to slowly unbutton his shirt. “I hope you are prepared to be ravished?”

“I most certainly am.” Todd grinned back. “And now that you’ve started to undress, I wouldn’t mind being treated to a slow erotic strip-tease.” He picked up the remote control to the stereo system and within seconds, soft music was playing. “Does this tune work for you, darling?” He sensuously ran his fingers lightly over his own chest and abdomen, all the while flirting shamelessly.

Hayden grinned. If Todd wanted a show, well he could provide it. He finished undoing the last button on his shirt and allowed it to fall open, revealing his lightly haired chest. He took his time slowly undoing his belt and then slid it of the loops. He gyrated his hips as he played the length of leather over his hands and slid it sensuously through his fingers before dropping it on the floor. He then bent over and quickly removed his socks and twirled and tossed them in stripper style, one at a time over each shoulder. He smiled at his lover as he slowly undid the button and zipper on his pants, then turned his back to Todd and let them drop to the floor. He then stepped out of them and kicked them aside. Then looking back over his shoulder, he slowly allowed his shirt to slide down off his back until it too fell to the floor. This left him wearing only his boxers.

By this time, Hayden’s penis had grown very hard and was tenting the front of the black silk. He turned back to face his husband and pulled the elastic out so it could clear the sizable erection, allowing Todd a peek at it before he pulled it back over and covered himself again. He knelt down by Todd’s face. “You want to see more? You’ll have to take these off yourself...using your mouth,” he challenged.

Todd was as horny as hell. His husband was a major turn-on at any time, but this…this was what dreams were made of. He pulled himself up on one elbow and leaned in to meet the challenge he’d been given. Fastening his teeth on the front of Hayden’s waistband, Todd kept his eyes on the other man’s face as he slowly lowered the article of clothing that was blocking access to the body part he wanted most.

Once the boxers were down around Hayden’s knees, Todd smirked triumphantly as he flicked his tongue over the head of his lover’s shaft. “Stand up, Darling, so I can remove them completely,” he breathlessly requested. When his lover had done as requested, Todd once again took the waistband between his teeth. He paused long enough for Hayden to step out of the underwear when they reached his ankles. Then with a toss of his head, Todd sent the silk boxers flying across the room.

Hayden smiled at the needy look on his lover’s face. Todd’s pupils were dilated, and his lips slightly parted and moist. It was pleasing to know that he could still entice this level of excitement. He shifted to stand between Todd’s legs, and after pushing them further apart with his foot, he knelt down between them. Leaning forward, he began a slow and thorough oral assault; kissing, sucking and gently biting each of Todd’s erogenous zones. He worked his way from the neck slowly downward. He spent an inordinate amount of time licking along the perineum behind Todd’s heavy balls that had Todd writhing and panting, before he moved up enough to capture a hairless testicle in his mouth, laving it thoroughly and then repeating the same on the other. By the time he took the ridged member into his mouth, Todd was beyond conscious reason. Hayden sucked deeply, moving his mouth up and down the engorged shaft while at the same time rolling the balls around in his hand. Within moments, he felt Todd’s testicles pull up towards his body. Todd arched his back and screamed as he came deep in Hayden’s throat.

Hayden released the now softening penis from his mouth and sat back on his ankles with the look on his face like that of the cat which got into the cream. Todd was panting for breath but otherwise his body was limp and boneless in the aftermath of his orgasm. Hayden reached for the bottle of lube Todd had left beside his pillow, quickly slicked his own erection and then pulled Todd’s legs up over his shoulders. It only took a second to prepare his lover for penetration; the muscles were so relaxed that his opening stretched without effort. He aligned the head of his penis with the relaxed entry and then thrust inward. It was only then that Todd even seemed aware of him as he let out a gasp at the sudden intrusion.

Hayden grinned wickedly and set up a driving rhythm, sliding deeply inside and then pulling out almost the full length before pushing inward again. As Hayden worked, Todd began to respond as he reached for and grasped a hold of Hayden’s butt cheeks and began to pull hard with each downward thrust.

It took only moments before Hayden felt his own balls drawing upward and his orgasm followed with explosive force. He collapsed forward, laying full length on top of his beautiful lover. “Love you soooooo much,” he panted.

Todd lay still under his husband’s body. He barely had the strength to pant. He certainly didn’t have the strength to move the bigger man off him. He felt as weak as a new born kitten; completely depleted and yet so contented.

“I love you too, darling,” he managed to whisper as cool air waved over him to replace the weight that had been there seconds before. He lay boneless while Hayden cleaned them both and drew a light blanket over them before shifting to spoon behind him.

Neither man even remembered having fallen asleep when they woke an hour later.

Todd looked around to get his bearings and began to laugh. “See, Hayden, we are still young. We not only had floor sex, we were actually able to sleep in comfort.” His face glowed with self-satisfaction.

Hayden shook his head in slight, but loving exasperation. “My darling, I never thought for a minute we were old, and certainly not too old for ‘floor sex’. As far as sleeping in comfort goes, I could have slept on a bed of nails after having such mind-blowing sex with you.” He rolled onto his back with a slight groan. “However, my not-old back is protesting against this floor. How about we go upstairs and have a nice soak together? We could take this bottle of wine with us and enjoy it at our leisure.”

“I’m all for that idea,” Todd enthusiastically agreed and lithely got to his feet. He grabbed the bottle and headed for the stairs. “You bring the glasses, love,” he called over his shoulder.

“Hmm, this is so nice,” Todd murmured a short time later. He was sitting between Hayden’s legs, relaxing with his back against his husband’s broad chest and sipping wine. He turned his head to lovingly kiss Hayden’s lightly whiskered chin. “You know, I really think we should go parking and make out again in the back seat of your car. Maybe I can ask around for an ideal location. Does that sound like a good plan?”

“Todd, enough is enough.” Hayden looked at his husband as if he’d lost his mind. Were they not sitting in water, Hayden would have given Todd a swat for such a ridiculous proposition. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but we are not about to go parking and make out in the back of my car. We may not be old but neither are we a pair of horny teenagers. When I want to make love to you, it will be in the privacy of our own home.”

“You’re right, Hayden. Car sex is really for kids,” Todd graciously accepted his Top’s decree. He realized he may have been pushing things a bit. “But I hope this isn’t a sign that you’ve lost your sense of adventure. There are so many things we’ve never tried before.” Todd briefly considered tackling the subject at a slower pace, but then opted for his usual ‘just jump right in’ approach. “For instance, I’d be interested in looking into that wall-climbing activity the piglets are involved in. Rene gets so excited when he is telling us about it. They’ve been doing it for several weeks now, you know. What do you think? Can we give it a try?”

“Actually I find that idea very appealing. Zack was quite enthusiastic about the workout they get from wall-climbing. And I must confess, I’ve always thought it looked like fun. We’re both fit enough that I think we could take it on. Why don’t I give Zack a call to see when we can set up a date to join him and Rene?”

“Oh yes, do that; the sooner the better.” Todd clapped his hands and then looked a little closer at them. He chuckled as he held them up for Hayden to see. “I think we’re just about wrinkled enough to get out of the tub now.”

Later that afternoon, Todd and Hayden were in the kitchen getting their supper ready. Hayden was talking on the cordless phone as he set the table. “All right, son, we’ll look forward to seeing you then. Bye for now.” He put the phone down and gave Todd a smile. “Zack said he’s happy to have us join him and Rene on Sunday. We’ll leave at noon to drive to Kelowna. He’ll make the reservations at a place called ‘Kelowna Rocks’. He said they have good instructors for new climbers.”

Todd’s eyes lit up at the news. “It can’t come fast enough for me,” he exclaimed, throwing his arms around his husband and hugging him. “Do we need to purchase anything special in order to participate in this sport? A certain type of footwear, maybe?”

“Zack says you can rent everything you need from the Kelowna Rocks, including shoes. Once we’ve tried the sport and if we decide we like it, we can purchase our own shoes and harnesses. He said he and Rene just bought their own shoes the last time they went but still use the other equipment supplied by the climbing facility.”

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll like it. This is so exciting. It’s been a while since we tried something new.” Todd’s face had a dreamlike expression as he tried to imagine what the activity would be like. He smiled up at his husband. “It’s a good thing Sunday is only a couple of days away, isn’t it?”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sunday afternoon came quickly enough and the four men were on their way to Kelowna. Zack was driving with Hayden sitting in the passenger seat beside him and Todd and Rene in the back.

Rene had Todd as his captive audience as he enthusiastically described his experience at wall climbing. “I really think you’re going to enjoy it. It’s a real challenge finding the hand and foot holds and then pulling yourself up. But it’s a total rush when you get up to the top. And you don’t have to worry about falling, cuz you’re secured in the harness. They have several levels, from beginner to advanced climbing walls. We’ve moved on the intermediate level now and boy, it is way harder than the beginner. The holds are further apart and narrower too.”

Todd listened avidly to the young man sitting beside him; totally enthralled by everything he was being told. He would have liked to ask questions, but didn’t know enough about the sport to do so. He just sat in his seat and silently hung onto every word.

Zack glanced over at his father and smiled. “I can’t remember Papa being so quiet for such a lengthy period of time.” He couldn’t help but chuckle at the priceless look on Hayden’s face.

“Neither can I, son. I might have to borrow Rene whenever I’m in need of some quiet.” Hayden laughed.

“What was that, Hayden?” Todd piped up from behind his husband. “Are you insinuating that I talk too much?” he asked in a feigned huff.

Hayden was saved from answering when Zack pulled into the parking lot of the facility.

Zack found a spot close to the building and turned off the motor. He glanced around as they got out of the car and was surprised to see so few vehicles. “It looks like we’re not going to have too long a wait for our turn at the wall, guys, which will be great.”

“Come on, let’s get our gear! I can’t wait to hit the wall.” Rene was very excited about this activity and the opportunity to share it with Todd and Hayden, made it more so. “Zack, can we try the more advanced wall today?”

“I think with this being Dad and Papa’s first visit, we should stick with what we already know so we can assist them,” Zack suggested as he held open the door for his parents to enter.

“Okay, that makes sense. But I can’t wait to tackle the big one; maybe next time.”

Zack wrapped an arm around Rene’s shoulders. “I’d really prefer we stayed with my dads today, Rene. We can always do with the extra practise and advance as a team. I hope you’re not too disappointed.”

Rene leaned into the embrace. “No, it’s okay. I want to do it together with you when we’re ready.”

“Thanks, love.” Zack smiled and tightened his hold briefly. “Now let’s get things underway.” He tapped Hayden on the shoulder to get his attention. “Dad, before we get geared up, you and Papa have to sign climbing waivers. They’re referred to as a ‘Release and Acknowledgement of Risk’ agreement, and should be read by each participant prior to using any of the equipment.” With his father being a lawyer, Zack knew the man would study the document carefully before signing it.

Hayden perused the papers. They were standard disclaimers disavowing the facility of liability in the event of accident. He knew that such would hold little weight in court should the business prove to be negligent in their practices, but he’d been reassured by Zack that this was a reputable place. So he filled out and signed his form, then passed Todd’s on to him.

While Zack and Rene got ready to do a climb, Hayden and Todd were led off to take a first-timer’s class on climbing and belaying. Both men listened with rapt attention to the instructor as he explained the equipment and techniques. Hayden ensured that he and Todd understood fully each detail of belaying, as the person climbing depended on the belayer to stop them from hitting the ground should the climber lose his grip and begin to fall. They learned the names of the various hand, finger and foot holds; which ones to aim for as beginners and also which ones to avoid until they developed the strength in their fingers and hands to hold their body weight on the tiny grips. Techniques for tying the figure-eight knot and securing the ropes took some practice for both men to feel comfortable but once they had that down, they were ready to try their first climb.

Hayden knew Todd was anxious to climb so he suggested that he would belay while Todd made the first assent on what was deemed the ‘baby’ wall.

“The ‘baby’ wall?” Todd questioned, glancing up from the harness he was in the process of tightening around his legs before securing it behind him. His expression was one of umbrage. He knew there was a beginner’s wall, but had not heard of one for toddlers. If there was such as wall, he had no intentions of using it. “You better be teasing me, Hayden.”

Hayden smiled and winked. “What? Me tease you?” he asked with mock indignation. “I’d never do that.” He glanced around to ensure he wasn’t being observed and then discretely gave Todd a pinch on the butt. “Now show me what you got there, mountain man.”

Todd rolled his eyes. “Never tease me; yeah, right! And pigs fly,” he muttered before turning his mind to more pleasant activities. “I’ll show you, have no fear of that.” He grinned as he accepted the challenge and headed to where Zack and Rene were already climbing.

Finding an available area to climb, Todd grabbed hold of the two ropes hanging down and handed the one furthest from the wall to Hayden. “You’re sure you won’t let me fall?” He knew his husband would never let that happen but thought a bit of returned teasing was in order.

“I’m sure; now let me see you properly tie that rope off on your harness.” Hayden watched carefully as Todd completed the knots they’d been taught and then secured his end of the rope through the belay. He gave Todd the thumbs up. “Anytime you’re ready.”

Todd stepped up to the wall, took a deep breath and released it before grabbing two holds with his hands and setting his left foot on the lowest hold. Then he placed his right foot on the wall and stretched his left arm up slightly higher to reposition his hand. He paused to think over his next move. Remembering what he’d been taught, he walked his right foot over so it crossed to the hold above his left one.

He kept up this step-through method, making sure his center of gravity was directly below his feet, until he was halfway up the wall. Then he made his first mistake. He looked down, panicked and let go of the wall.

Hayden was very glad he’d carefully listened to the belaying instruction and was able to rapidly hold off Todd’s fall as he gripped the rope and absorbed the shock by jumping up slightly himself. As soon as he got his own feet back under himself, he looked up to his husband hanging from the rope several feet above him.

“I’ve got you!” he called out. “Just hang on while I lower you down slowly.” He carefully allowed the rope to slide though the belay device until Todd’s feet touched the ground. He released it and stepped forward to give Todd a gentle pat on the back. “Great first try, love.”

With his feet once again firmly planted on the floor, Todd looked back up at the wall and then at Hayden. “I’d really like to give it another try, Hayden, if I may?” he requested, slightly out of breath. “I’m not promising I’ll make it to the top, but I think I can go higher this time.”

“Of course, my love, go for it. But don’t let yourself worry about how high you climb. Just have fun and do what you feel comfortable doing.”

Slightly to the right and twenty feet overhead, Rene called down to his father-in-law. “Don’t worry, Papa, you’ll get the hang of it!”

Todd made his second attempt and managed to get almost as high as his son-in-law before asking Hayden to bring him down.

They ended up spending another couple of hours with the men taking turns and gaining confidence with every climb. Hayden was able to get all the way to the top, but Todd never succeeded in getting much more than half way up. Still, they left the facility feeling they had accomplished a lot.

“That was so much fun,” Todd enthused on the drive home. “We really have to do this again and the sooner the better.”

“It really was enjoyable and challenging,” Hayden agreed. “We need to set a date for the four of us to do this again soon.”

“That would be great!” Rene encouraged. “I’m all for coming more often. I’d go a couple more times a week, except...” Rene hesitated to give the reason he couldn’t go wall climbing as often as he’d like.

“Except, I’ve forbidden him to come here without me,” Zack finished for him. “A climber must have a belayer at all times and the gym doesn’t always have the personnel on-hand to supply them. We don’t know anyone else who comes that I can trust Rene’s safety to.”

Hayden nodded his agreement. “Most definitely this is a fun sport but one that requires caution and safety procedures be followed at all time. The same goes for you, Todd. We do this together, okay?”

“Fine by me,” Todd readily answered. He couldn’t imagine why he’d come without Hayden, as they had decided on this as an activity to do as a couple.

Over the next three weeks, the four men returned to enjoy this new activity as often as time would allow.

One Saturday morning, much to Todd and Rene’s dismay, Hayden and Zack chose to get in round of golf before going to the rock-climbing facility. However, in order to save time, they did agree to meet their husbands at the gym.

Being as Hayden had used his car to go to the golf club, Rene was using his to pick up Todd. The younger partners of the two couples arrived at the designated time. They quickly got into their gear and were watching other climbers while waiting for their husbands to join them.

Todd’s cell phone rang and flipping it open, he found a text message from Hayden.

“Hayden and Zack have met up with an old friend who is visiting the area, and have gone to have a coffee and chat. They’ll try to get here as soon as possible.” Todd slid the cell back in his pocket. “Oh yeah, I can just see how this plays out. Time has a habit of slipping away when chatting with old friends.” It was easy to tell from his manner that Todd was far from pleased. He had never handled being kept waiting very well.

Rene sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. We’ll probably be here waiting for ages and bored out of our minds. I’ve half a mind to start climbing without them.”

“Now there’s a thought! We shouldn’t have to stand around like this,” Todd huffily commented. “There aren’t too many people here, and that leaves more free space on the wall.” His attitude improved as an idea hit home. “Why don’t we just go ahead and practise some? We can belay for each other.”

“Great idea; we’re both experienced enough to manage just fine. Do you want to climb first, while I belay?”

“Sure thing,” Todd readily responded and they walked over to the beginners’ wall.

After switching roles several times, and with Rene’s encouragement, Todd finally made it to the top. He was ecstatic.

Once he stopped his happy dance, Todd boldly suggested they move to the more advanced wall. He had noticed Rene looking at it rather longingly.

“We could really surprise our partners with our expertise.” The older man’s rubbing of his hands together, demonstrated his enthusiasm at moving to a higher level.

Rene was exhilarated with the climbing and happily agreed to take on the advanced wall. On this one, the grips were much smaller and further apart. The height of this wall went the full reach of the massive warehouse ceiling in which the gym was located.

“Do you mind if I tackle it first?” Rene asked. He’d been wanting to do this wall for the last couple of weeks but Zack had held him back, insisting he become more proficient with the easier climb first.

“I was going to suggest that,” Todd informed him with a wide grin. “That way, I can learn where the more difficult parts are.”

“Great. Let’s get going then.”

The two men moved over to the wall in question and proceeded to prepare the rope for Rene’s first ascent. Rene studied the various finger and foot holds for several minutes before he felt comfortable with his route. He grasped the first hold and started up. He had to concentrate on each move by trying to put the majority of his weight onto his feet, but the grips were smaller and about one third up he slipped and found himself falling. Todd was very good on the belay and had him carefully lowered to the ground with no difficulty.

“Thanks. I didn’t get my weight situated properly. Let me try it again.”

With Todd’s agreement, he tried again; this time making it a little further before losing his grip. After the third attempt and making it almost three quarters of the way up, Rene decided to take a break from climbing and give his father-in-law a shot.

“Try and go over to the right a bit. You see those yellow grips? They’re a bit better spaced,” Rene advised as Todd secured his line.

Todd nodded. He was determined to do this, no matter how daunting the task.

By taking his time and carefully following Rene’s instructions, Todd made it just about as high as the younger man had. He reached for a new grip, missed and grabbed onto the one he had just let go of. A moment of uncertainty caused him to doubt his ability to go further and he froze. He couldn’t move, up or down. He just hung there with his eyes tightly closed and wished Hayden was near by.

Rene noticed his father-in-law’s hand slipped slightly, that he grabbed frantically at the grip and then stopped moving and froze in place. “Papa!” he called up. “Are you okay?” When no answer came, he quickly realized that Todd was too frightened to move. “Papa, if you don’t want to climb or descend on your own, just let go. I can lower you down. You’re perfectly safe, I promise.”

When there was still no response, he continued to try and persuade Todd to let him belay his decent but nothing was moving the frightened man. Two of the gym’s staff came over and also called up to him, but no amount of encouragement from Rene or the staff could alter the older man’s present position.

Meanwhile, Zack was merrily joking with his father as they got into their equipment, totally oblivious to what was happening in the other area of the large facility.

As the two of them entered the climbing area, he stopped short and his jaw dropped. “Oh my God,” he uttered as he tried to fight down the fear he felt at seeing his Papa up so high and obviously terrified.

Rene hadn’t noticed Zack and Hayden’s arrival as he continued his gentle words of encouragement to his father-in-law.

When Hayden looked up and saw his husband’s predicament, he knew immediate action was needed. “Zack, belay for me. I’m going up to him.” He took hold of the rope next to Rene and quickly secured the figure-eight knot while Zack took the other end and fed it through the belayer cinch.

Rene turned when he became aware of his husband’s and other father-in-law’s arrival. “Zack, he’s been up there just frozen in place for almost fifteen minutes. He won’t move.”

Zack glanced up from what he was doing and took in the anxious expression on the young man’s face. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart,” he softly assured his husband. “Dad will get Papa down.” Zack never for a minute doubted the older man’s ability to do so.

Hayden took enough time to study the wall before he began his ascent to reach his distressed husband. He didn’t even think about the fact that this wall was much more difficult a climb than he’d attempted before. His only thoughts were on helping Todd.

With a speed and agility born of fear for his beloved, Hayden moved up the wall and within minutes, had his right hand over where Todd’s left hand held the wall in a death grip. “My love, look at me,” he spoke quietly. “I’m going to move over and grasp your harness. Then when you’re ready, we’re going to push off the wall with our feet and let Zack and Rene belay us to the ground.”

Todd instantly responded to the voice that meant the world to him. His breathing was no longer shallow. It had slowly been increasing in speed and was nearing the point of hyper-ventilating when he felt his husband’s gentle touch. Drawing in a much slower breath, he opened his eyes and looked into the beloved face of his rescuer. He blinked back tears and nodded.

Soft words of encouragement enable him to push away from the wall and within minutes, both men once again had their feet planted securely on the floor. Todd wanted so badly to throw himself at Hayden and feel the comfort of his husband’s strong arms around him, but he held back. Quickly realizing he’d already put on enough of a spectacle for those present, he tightly wrapped his arms around himself and allowed a numbness to settle over him, successfully shutting out everything around him with the exception of Hayden.

In almost a trance-like state, he stood quietly while Hayden removed the ropes and harnesses. Then he meekly walked at his husband’s side to the changing area.

Hayden placed a steadying hand on Todd’s shoulder in an attempt to ground him without causing him further embarrassment. “Let’s just get changed and then we can go home.”

They quickly changed into their street clothes and headed towards the door. He turned to Zack, who was followed by a rather shaken-looking Rene. “I’ll give you a call later this evening.”

“That’s fine, Dad. We’ll be home.” Zack turned to Rene and held out his hand. “The keys to your car, please,” he softly requested. It was a sign of just how distraught his young husband was when not a word of contention was uttered. As a rule, Rene preferred to drive his own car.

Hayden guided Todd to the passenger side of his car and waited until he was situated comfortably and had his seatbelt secured before he closed the door and moved to the driver’s side. He waited until they were on the highway back to Jade Heights before he spoke to the silent man beside him. “I know you’re feeling upset right now, but I want you to talk to me anyway. I need to understand just what you and Rene were thinking, when I know you both had been specifically told not to climb without Zack and me with you.”

“Rene isn’t to blame, Hayden. It was my idea to try the other wall. I was sort of on a high after finally getting to the top of the first one and I became over zealous in wanting to surprise you.” Todd twisted slightly in his seat to face his husband. His eyes lit up as he remembered the good news he had to impart. “I did it, Hayden. I really got to the top of that wall I’ve been struggling with ever since we started going there. I figured I was on a roll and just went for the bigger challenge. But it proved to be much harder than I expected.” This last sentenced was muttered with a note of despondency as he settled back in his seat and once again wrapped his arms around himself.

Hayden wanted to take away the sadness his husband was projecting, but he knew it was also accompanied by guilt for his behaviour and he knew there was only one way of dealing with that guilt.

“I’m not blaming Rene, my love. However, you both knew how Zack and I felt about you climbing without us. Zack and Rene will have to work Rene’s part in this out between them, just as you and I will work out your part. Though I’m sure you feel good about accomplishing your goal to reach the top of the wall, it was done in unacceptable circumstances. I didn’t request that you not climb without me just to be draconian there were justifiable reasons. Firstly, we started this as a couple’s activity and I thought it was nice to keep it that way. Secondly, whether you like to admit it or not, you do have a tendency to get carried away when you’re excited about something and you agreed a long time ago that for your own safety, you would accept my authority in such circumstances. But without me there, I have no opportunity to make a judgement as to how you’re coping. Do I?”

“No, you don’t, and I know your decisions are made with my best interest in mind,” Todd unenthusiastically, but unequivocally agreed. “Rene and I arrived at the appointed time. We waited for you and Zack, but when I got your text message saying you’d been held up, we didn’t want to wait any longer. We were bored and I just thought I’d use the time to practise a bit. Then one thing led to another and before I knew it, I was stuck on the wall and praying for all I was worth that you’d arrive soon and save me. I’m sorry, Hayden, for not waiting until you got there and for scaring everybody.”

Hayden reached across the centre console of the car and took Todd’s hand in his own. “All right, love, I know you’re sorry and we’ll deal with the consequences when we get home.” He glanced quickly at Todd and could see the strain and exhaustion in his face. “It’ll be a while until we get home. Why don’t you close your eyes and rest?”

Todd readily agreed with Hayden’s suggestion and was soon quietly snoring.

Once home, Hayden roused his sleeping husband and guided him inside. “Let’s go through to my office and get this discussion over with.”

Hayden’s office had always served as a quiet sanctuary. The colours were rich and masculine; the slight smell of well cared-for leather furniture and books touched at the nostrils. Hayden took a seat on the soft hide of the sofa and pulled Todd down to sit beside him.

“I’m very disappointed in you choosing to disobey my decree that you not climb without me. I understand completely that you were bored and disappointed with Zack and I running late. I fully expected to get an earful from you for keeping you waiting. I was prepared to tender apologies and offer to take you, our son and our son-in-law out for a nice dinner in hopes of making it up to you. But being bored or disappointed is not an excuse to break our rules. You know I will not tolerate that from you. Is there anything else you want to say before we deal with your disobedience?”

Todd remorsefully shook his head. More than anything, he hated disappointing this man who made up his world. “I take full responsibilities for my actions, Hayden. I deliberately ignored an important rule and I am truly sorry for disobeying you. I’m prepared to take whatever punishment you see fit.” There were many times when Todd would do his best to get out of a spanking, however this was not one of them. This time he was being bluntly honest in owning up to his wrongdoing.

“All right then, let’s get this done.” Hayden waited patiently as Todd stood and unfasten his trousers. Knowing his husband could never quite bring himself to do more; Hayden reached up and pulled the pants along with the silky boxers over the slender hips and down Todd’s thighs. He pulled Todd forward and assisted him in getting situated as comfortably as possible across his lap with his upper body resting on the sofa.

Todd’s butt cheeks were clenched in anticipation of the onslaught they were facing. Hayden wasted no more time and began to spank. His hand fell in a rapid staccato on the rounded cheeks, continuing without hesitation until they were glowing red and hot.

Todd had long stopped kicking and jerking at the strength of the blows. He was sobbing uncontrollably and at first was unaware of the hand lightly stroking his back instead of assaulting his backside. He spent several minutes calming down as he listened to his chastiser’s softly spoken words of love and forgiveness. Then when ready, and with Hayden’s help, he carefully manoeuvred himself until he was sitting on his husband’s lap rather than lying over it. He wrapped his arms around Hayden’s neck and silently held on while a post-spanking haze settled over him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Zack waiting until Rene was buckled up before driving out of the parking lot and turning towards home.

He glanced at the man sitting so tense in the passenger seat. He reached over to pat Rene’s knee and get his attention. “Would you like to talk now, sweetheart, or do you prefer to hold off the entire discussion until we get home? However, you can only choose to wait with the condition that you don’t sit there stewing over what happened and working yourself up. Personally, I think the sooner you get it out, the better. But the choice is yours.”

Rene had barely spoken since Zack and Hayden had arrived at the climbing centre. All he could think about was how frightened Todd had looked up on the wall, just frozen there and unable to move. Rene knew the blame lay on his own shoulders. If he hadn’t come up with the idea to climb without Zack and Hayden in the first place, none of this would have happened.

The lesson about keeping things from Zack had been well learned, so he knew he had to talk. And Zack was right, better now to get it out of the way. “It was my fault, Zack. Your papa wouldn’t have been up there so frightened if it weren’t for me. And I climbed too, even though I know you told me not to climb without you. I’m so sorry. I know I screwed up big time.”

While Zack appreciated his partner owning up to his transgressions, he was also disappointed. “Rene, you are only responsible for your own actions. Like you, Papa made his own decisions. And like you, he’ll have to deal with the consequences. That said; I have to admit my disappointment in you not waiting. I was looking forward to doing the advance climb with you. Why didn’t you wait?”

Rene hung his head. “It sounds so petty now, but we were kinda put out that you guys were running late after your golf game and we just didn’t want to sit around waiting any longer for you. Your papa was so excited when he finally reached the top of the intermediate wall. His enthusiasm had me wanting to go for the advanced one. I didn’t think it through and now any pleasure I got from the climb just feels sour. I’m sorry I disappointed you, Zack.”

Zack released a troubled sigh. “It crossed my mind when Dad was texting Papa if there would be ramifications for keeping you waiting. I should have gone with my feelings and texted to remind you not to start without us. But that does not absolve you of your disobedience, does it?” Zack momentarily took his hand off the wheel and placed it behind Rene’s neck, gently rubbing to take the sting out of his words. He wished he could do more to sooth his husband, but traffic was heavy.

“No sir,” Rene murmured sadly. He leaned heavily into Zack’s hand, relishing the comfort his husband’s touch always gave him. He felt Zack’s thumb brush over the love bite he always left on the back of Rene’s neck. It was a small mark of possession they shared only between themselves. Rene secretly checked the mark every day by standing in the bathroom and using two mirrors to see it. To some it might seem silly, but to him it was a strong symbol of Zack’s dominate nature in which Rene revelled.

Feeling the young man settling somewhat, Zack decided he wanted to give Rene something to help take his mind off the discussion facing them when they got home. He swung off the road and got in line to await their turn. Five minutes later, they drove away from the Tim Hortons, each with a fresh cup of coffee in hand.

Some time later, Zack pulled into their driveway and shut down the motor. Together they walked into the house and without exchanging a word, headed for the study. This was Zack’s refuge of sorts and spoke strongly of his personality. They sat down on the leather sofa, facing each other.

“We both know what happened earlier, having discussed it at length in the car. I see no need to rehash it, do you?” Zack’s voice was one of love and patience, no reproach was present.

Rene shook his head. He was always relieved when Zack didn’t insist on him reviewing the reason why he was about to be spanked. “No sir.”

“Then let’s get this taken care of, love.” Zack helped his husband get to his feet, lower his jeans and boxers, and stretch out over the hard thighs, wriggling to get in position.

Raising his right hand, Zack brought it down on the unprotected bottom with a resounding smack. The suddenness of the pain caused the young man to jerk, and Zack tightened the arm he had wrapped around Rene’s waist. He kept up the painful onslaught, sounding spanking first one smooth globe and then the other, until the entire backside was red and very hot. Zack trusted it was enough to curtail his Brat’s penchant for acting without thinking things through, at least for the time being.

Landing two last swats, he carefully lifted the sobbing man unto his lap and began the soothing mantra of nonsense words he used to calm the younger man after each of these sessions.

Rene’s butt felt as if it was on fire, but his heart felt lighter. Zack’s spankings were wicked, but they absolved him of the guilt he’d been feeling. He wrapped his arms around his husband’s neck. When he’d calmed down enough, he spoke. “I love you and I’m sorry I disappointed you. Thank you for making me yours.”

“I know, sweetheart, and it’s over now.” Zack placed several light kisses on Rene’s wet cheeks, forehead and damp hair. “I love you with all my heart and will never let you go. We belong to each other until death do us part….and that will not happen for a long, long time if I have anything to say about it.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It had been a long afternoon of mixed emotions that resulted in two men calling it a day somewhat earlier than they normally did.

While Todd had gone to shower and prepare for bed, Hayden slipped into his office, picked up the phone and dialled Zack and Rene’s home. Zack’s voice answered with a quiet ‘Hello’.

“Hi son, how are you and Rene doing? I hope Rene isn’t too upset about this afternoon. He looked very pale as you were leaving.”

“He’s been fine since we had our discussion and wiped the slate clean. Right now we’re just enjoying a relaxing, stay-at-home evening. ” Zack was talking quietly as if not to disturb someone. “How’s Papa? Is he over his scare?”

“I’m glad to hear that Rene is feeling better, I was quite concerned about him. Your papa is also feeling better now. We worked things out between us in a similar manner to how I’m sure you and Rene did. I think that once this incident is behind us, say in a couple of weeks, we’d like to go back and do some more climbing together with you two if you’re interested.”

“We’d both really like that. I was kind of thinking that waiting for two or three weeks before returning to the gym would be a plan to consider. I have to talk it over with Rene though.”

“Okay we’ll arrange something for then. In the meantime, I believe I promised you and Rene a dinner out this evening which of course never came to pass. So how about Papa and I take you to the Maple Grill tomorrow?”

“Both of us will certainly look forward to that, Dad. Thank you for calling. Love you.”

“We’ll see you then. Goodnight, son. Love you too.” Feeling more contented now, Hayden hung up the phone and headed up to the bedroom.

Zack waited for his dad to hang up and then he settled back down beside his husband to finish watching the movie Rene had chosen from their DVD collection. Wrapping an arm around his lover, Zack pulled him close and lovingly kissed his head.

Finished with his evening ablutions, Todd pulled down the duvet and crawled into bed where he thought he would just wait patiently for Hayden to join him. “Hayden, what’s taking so long? I’m waiting for you.” So, maybe he doesn’t yet have patience down to a fine art.

Hayden was just approaching the bedroom when he heard Todd calling to him. “I’m here, love. Just give me a moment and I’ll join you in bed.” He quickly got washed and stripped down to the boxers he normally slept in. He slid under the covers and reached across the bed to pull Todd up against him and kissed him soundly.

Todd cuddled up against the bigger body and let out a sigh of contentment. “You know, Hayden,” he spoke softly while playing with the hair on his husband’s chest. Tired but not quite ready to sleep, he opted for a bit of teasing. “You and the piglets weren’t the only one I scared a couple of years out of. I scared myself out of some time too. Only a month or two, mind you. But I guess I can afford to lose that much. After all, I’m a great deal younger than you are.”

Hayden laughed and applied a light swat to Todd’s hip. “Brat! Those two years do not make me an old man compared to you. Besides, there is nothing wrong with growing a little older. I happen to believe very much in that beautiful line from the poem by Robert Browning: Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be.”

The End