Streaking Out
He loved his boys dearly, but sometimes it was good to spend some
time apart, giving them each a little room to breathe and a chance to do
things the others didn't necessarily enjoy. So, he had spent a quiet
evening at home, while Mulder and Krycek were out and about, going
to the movies and grabbing something to eat.
The fact that they had each shared their respective activities with some
newly found friends, was an added bonus.
Skinner couldn't help but chuckle when he remembered the excited
look on Krycek's face and the definite bounce in his step as the
younger man told his lovers about the new neighbors he had run into.
They were gay, they lived in a D/s relationship and there were three of
them. It was a bit like looking in a mirror, Skinner thought with
another chuckle, though he had to admit sadly that the mirror images
were somewhat a younger version of themselves.
Krycek had met the new arrivals at the animal shelter, no less. He had
been busy walking the dogs when he got what he described as a "whiff
of Toppiness". Normally acting the tough guy and only getting weak
in the knees in the presence of his own Dom, Krycek couldn't help but
be utterly enthralled the second he literally ran into the wiry man with
the deepest blue eyes he had ever seen. The salt-and-pepper beard
framed a broad smile when the visitor held out a steadying hand,
trying to help Krycek keep his balance from rushing around the corner
without looking where he was going.
There was no mistaking. That man was a Dom. Krycek felt the alpha
male waves radiating from him, and the two young men next to him,
shuffling their feet nervously, as if they wanted to dash off and look at
all the animals but weren't yet given permission to do so, were final
proof. Krycek had smiled at the eager faces, the mischief sparkling in
their eyes, and had recognized himself and Mulder in them.
Usually not playing well with others, Krycek was immediately and
uncharacteristally his most charming self, helping the three men find
the perfect dog for them—the most disresputable looking mutt they had
in the shelter, but it was a hound with a heart of gold—and had, even
more uncharacteristically, invited them over to dinner.
It was a match made in heaven. While all four subs immediately
recognized a kindred spirit in each other, the Doms found out that they
enjoyed the exact same things, from art to music and the occasional
glass of good red wine. Even Elvis immediately befriended Rocco, the
old dog, and happily dragged all of his chew toys out to generously
share and play.
Skinner and his subs had a good chuckle over their new friends'
names, but they took it all in stride, almost expecting a few silly one-
liners.
The Dom's name was actually Dom—short for Dominic—and he
announced that his name helped his subs to always remember they
were just a swat away from misbehaving. Dom owned a small gallery
and was an art dealer. Even though both Mulder and Krycek had an
extensive knowledge of all things art, only Skinner really appreciated
the finer aspects, and Dom was thrilled to find someone he could 'talk
shop' with.
Dom's subs were a good ten years younger than Mulder and Krycek,
making them feel momentarily as old as Earth itself, but somehow all
four of them displayed mischief a mile wide and were acting like
juveniles. The senior by almost two years was Sam—"yes, my name is
Sam and I am a SAM, how'd you guess?"—and he counselled
homosexual youths part-time. Mulder immediately recognized the
brilliant psychological mind behind the sparkling brown eyes and the
easy smile, and knew that the kids were in good hands. Then there was
Ben—"yes, my name is Ben and I am gay, and I've already heard all
'Bengay' jokes so don't bother coming up with a new one!"—and he
looked like the typical blond Californian surfer dude-come-College
kid, though he already had a pretty good vet practice going.
They lived two blocks away from the Skinner-Mulder-Krycek
household, and after that first fateful dinner, the six of them (plus
dogs) spent a lot of time together, enjoying each other's company. It
was liberating to find so many similarities, not the least of which was
the fact that there were people living the exact same life style. They
talked a lot about it, sharing ideas and experiences, though it was also
obvious right from the start that they would never play together.
Krycek and Ben had some issues about sharing their lovers like that,
so both Skinner and Dom decided to not even mention the possibility.
Still, any kind of other activity was gladly shared, either by all six or
just in pairs, and so this evening was once again spent together,
Skinner and Dom sharing a bottle of red wine while listening to jazz
and talking about some of the new artists Dom was promoting, while
all four subs wanted to see a movie and probably stuff their faces with
some greasy fast food—something both Tops didn't particularly
approve of but allowed on occasion.
Skinner climbed into bed and got comfortable. He had decided to wait
until his lovers came back so they could enjoy some quality time
before falling asleep in each other's arms.
It was funny to see Mulder and Krycek turn into big brothers while
they were out with Sam and Ben. At home, with just their Tops
around, Mulder and Krycek were usually the ones acting more juvenile
than the younger men. The four of them spurred each other on with
their antics until the Tops had to step in and call a time-out before it
got completely out of hand.
Still, it was nice to see his lovers act to uninhibited and carefree,
Skinner decided, and even though he would never admit it openly he
was glad to see them reenact a youth they had never had.
He idly wondered what kept his boys so long, and he seriously began
to nod off for seconds at a time, when the phone ringing startled him
awake again.
"Skinner," he answered while fighting a big yawn.
"You have a collect call from Alex Krycek. If you wish to accept the
charges, please say yes, or press one at the sound of the tone. If you do
not wish to accept the charges, please hang up to complete this call at
no cost to you."
Skinner stared at the phone in his hand, a completely bewildered look
on his face. After a long second, he held the receiver back to his ear.
"Yes," he said cautiously, desperately trying to figure out why he was
having a conversation with an automated message at one in the
morning. He tuned out the friendly 'thank you' and only began to
concentrate when he heard his lover's hesitant voice.
"Walter?"
"Alex? Is that you? Are you okay?"
"Um, yeah. Yeah, we're okay. Uh, Walter? Could you, erm, would
you pick us up, please?"
Skinner's eyebrows didn't know whether to shoot upwards in surprise
or knit together in a downward motion as a frown. "Pick you up?
Where?"
"Uh, we're at the McDonald's on Walnut."
"And why would I want to pick you up? Did your car break down?"
"Well...no. The car's still running." There was a long pause. "I guess."
Skinner pinched the bridge of his nose, suddenly reminded of the time
when he was still Fox Mulder's boss and had to deal with cryptic
comments on a daily basis. "Alex," he said carefully, "if your car is
still okay, why would you want me to pick you up?"
"Well, because, um, because..." There was some rustling in the
background, and Skinner had the distinct feeling it was someone
hiding in bushes that was making this peculiar sound. There was also
some shushing and desperate whispering going on. He felt the definite
beginnings of a headache throb behind his eyes. "Walter? Never mind
the car. We just need you to pick us up."
"What about Sam's car, Alex?" Skinner asked patiently. He knew that
the men had met at the movie theater, therefore having two cars at
their disposal.
"Sam's not here right now. So, can you come get us, please?" The
almost whiny tone in Krycek's voice made Skinner more than a little
suspicious. His Alex never whined.
"Would you please explain to me why I have to pay for a collect call,
Alex? Why didn't you use your cell phone?"
"What is this, an interrogation?" Krycek exploded, only to be shushed
by someone in the background—Mulder, obviously—so he took a deep
breath and forced himself to calm down. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Uh, I
don't have it on me right now. My cell, I mean."
Skinner's voice turned stern. "Alex, I'm used to Fox losing his cell
phone, but it's a new trick that you two do this simultaneously."
"Your sarcasm isn't helping," Krycek griped. A second later, Skinner
heard more rustling, and then a new voice. Obviously, Mulder had
fought over the receiver, and won.
"Walter? It's me. Listen, I know it's late and we're really sorry to
wake you, but we really need you to pick us up now."
"Fox? Whatever happened to Alex's car or your cell phones," here,
Skinner gave a deep sigh just thinking about what new catastrophe his
subs had gotten into, "why don't you just take a cab home?"
"Uh, we can't. We don't have any money."
"No money?" Skinner's eyebrows shot up. "Wait a minute! Have you
two been robbed?"
"Um, well...not directly. Uh, maybe a little. Sort of."
Concern for his lovers overriding any and all annoyance he might have
felt, Skinner jumped out of the bed and began to drag on his
sweatpants. "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"
"No, Walter, we're both fine. Nothing bad happened, to none of us, I
swear. Just please, pick us up?"
"I'm on my way, sweetheart." Mulder gave a sigh of relief at hearing
the endearment. So Skinner wasn't really furious after all.
"McDonald's on Walnut, right? I'll be there in fifteen minutes, Fox.
Just stay where you are, okay? I'm hanging up now."
"Okay, Walter, we'll wait for you. Thanks. Oh, and please don't forget
to bring some extra clothes for us, okay?"
And all Skinner could do was stare in utter disbelief at the receiver that
answered with a merry dial tone.
Mulder and Krycek huddled in front of the fireplace, clad in thick
socks and sweats, wrapped up in blankets. They were slowly getting
warm again and smiled gratefully at Skinner when the big man
brought them each a cup of hot chocolate.
"I can't believe you did something so stupid," he growled.
"I think you mentioned that once or twice already, Walter," Mulder
replied with an innocent smile, trying not to agitate the big man
further.
"More like twenty times," Krycek muttered into Elvis' fur. The little
dog wiggled gleefully in his beloved Alex's arms and gave a bark of
agreement. He couldn't believe his luck and decided to make the most
of this unexpected quality cuddle time in the middle of the night.
Skinner glared at his lovers for a moment before concentrating on the
phone in his hand. After a few seconds, he sighed and hung up. "Their
cell phones are still turned off," he fumed. "You know, they really
begin to remind me of you two."
"Hey," Krycek interjected with a pout, "we always leave our cells on!"
"Yeah," Mulder chimed in. "We might lose them somewhere..."
"...or forget to take them with us..."
"...but we never turn them off!"
From the way Skinner glared at the younger men, it was obvious that
he didn't really see the difference—or at least didn't care about it.
The subs were saved by the bell though, and Skinner went to answer
the front door, muttering, "This must be Dom."
He was right. Even at two-thirty at night, his fellow Top looked
immaculate and rested. "Who'd've thought we'd meet again so soon,
huh, Walt?" he chuckled.
"Who'd've thought our subs are so juvenile," Skinner dead-panned.
Dom laughed and walked towards the living room. "So, what was that
cock-and-bull story you told me over the phone?" Before Skinner
could reply, Dom looked at the two subs in front of the fireplace. "Are
you two boys okay?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.
Even though Dom was about the same age they were, both Mulder and
Krycek reacted to the innate Toppiness of the man and chorused, "yes,
sir." With a shy smile, Mulder added, "Thanks for asking."
Elvis had wiggled out of Krycek's embrace and raced over to greet
Dom personally, only to find that his friend Rocco wasn't
accompanying the man. Just to make sure, Elvis circled Dom twice,
sniffling the ground and looking pointedly in the direction of the front
door. When he realized that Rocco really wasn't coming, the little dog
gave Dom a baleful stare and then turned around to walk back to his
beloved Alex, making a show out of ignoring their visitor. The men
couldn't help but chuckle.
Once Elvis was securely cuddled in Krycek's arms again, the men
grew serious though. Dom sat down on the couch and gratefully
accepted a cup of coffee from Skinner.
"I just tried to reach your boys over the phone again, but both of their
cells are turned off," he explained with a sigh. "I didn't want to call the
police before talking to you though."
"Don't worry, Walt, that's their usual MO. They turn their cell phones
off 'by accident' and then use their famous guileless look to try and
make me believe that they had no idea they couldn't be reached. They
always do that when they know they're doing something forbidden."
Dom shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. When he saw Skinner raising
a suspicious eyebrow, he chuckled. "Oh, don't think they ever get
away with it. You'd think they had learned by now, huh? Smart boys
that they are. But nope, they give it a try every single damned time."
Dom shook his head with exasperated affection.
"But, uh, but aren't you scared that something happened?" Krycek
finally asked, a little unsure whether or not he was overstepping any
boundaries.
"Oh, Alex, of course I'm concerned. And we may very well have to
call the police after all, but I don't want them to get into any legal
trouble, so I think it's best if you just tell me exactly what happened.
Then we can decide on the next step. Okay?"
Everyone agreed, and Mulder and Krycek turned fully around to face
their visitor. They shared a look, obviously trying to decide how much
blame they could take without getting into too much trouble with
Skinner while at the same time not wanting to make it any worse for
the other two subs.
Finally agreeing silently on the whole truth and nothing but the truth,
they looked at the Tops.
"Well, it was actually a silly dare," Krycek began.
"Kinda like the Truth or Dare game, only without the Truth," Mulder
added helpfully.
"I think we know what a dare is, Fox," Skinner said warningly, trying
to convey that he was running out of patience. Mulder bit his lip.
"Yes, sir," he whispered. "Sorry. Anyway, Sam and Ben dared us to,
uh..."
"They dared us to...well, to..." Krycek blushed and semi-buried his
face in Elvis' fur. "To run naked through a McDonald's," he
whispered.
Skinner had already listened to the story once, so he was prepared for
that part, but Dom all but spew his mouthful of coffee all over the
carpet. "To what?" he asked, nearly choking. Alarmed, Mulder and
Krycek looked up, but only to see that their visitor was almost howling
with laughter. "You were streaking?" he asked, just to be absolutely
sure he had heard right.
"Yes, sir," the subs whispered, privately thinking that it wasn't that
funny.
Dom merely wiped tears of laughter off his face. "Walt, I gotta hand it
to ya, your boys really are worse than mine," he exclaimed, smiling
affectionately at the men in question to take away the sting of the
words. "So, did ya?" he asked them.
"Of course we did," Krycek replied indignantly, as if it had been a
question of honor to go through with the dare.
Dom, again, broke out in a hysterical laughing fit. After almost a
minute, he finally had himself under control again. "Okay," he
managed to gasp, "go on with the story." He grinned at Skinner. "Man,
this is good!"
Krycek, still indignant, raised his chin. "Well, Fox and I planned this
professionally," he lectured, wanting to make sure that everyone in the
room understood that this wasn't just a silly game. From Skinner's
thunderous look, he had obviously miscalculated though.
Mulder, seeing the potential threat, quickly took over. "What Alex
meant was, we tried to make sure that we wouldn't be caught." He
smiled disarmingly at the big man. The thunderclouds hanging over
Skinner's head got visibly smaller. "Okay, so Sam and Ben dared us to
go streaking. We thought it would be a little harmless fun, especially
so late at night. No kids would be around and there would hardly be
anyone inside the restaurant and all that. We decided on the
McDonald's over on Walnut because it's easy to get away and straight
towards home from there."
"Very clever," Dom commented solemnly.
Krycek beamed at the praise. "Yeah, I thought so too when I suggested
it," he threw in casually, giving Skinner an uppity smirk. When the
thunderclouds over the big man's head got darker again, Krycek's
smirk slipped visibly and he looked at his fellow sub for help.
"Well, so we drove to the restaurant," Mulder hastened to pick up his
story. "There's an abandoned building half a block away. We parked
there, got out of our car, took the license plates off and undressed
except for our shoes and baseball caps. Then we got back in the car
and drove the rest of the way. Sam and Ben waited in their car. They
were parked close enough to easily see inside the restaurant through
the windows but nobody would think they belonged to us since they
stopped at the other end of the parking lot."
"Very clever," Dom commented solemnly again.
This time, Krycek didn't fall for it. "We just wanted to make sure they
didn't get into any trouble in case we did get caught inside or
whatever," he muttered.
"Anyway, Alex and I stopped the car right in front of the main
entrance, left the engine running for a quick get-away and then raced
inside," Mulder went on. Then he stopped and blushed furiously.
"While we were chasing through the restaurant, a guy walked out, got
in the car and drove off..."
Dom roared with laughter again, he couldn't help it. Krycek glared at
him. "You wouldn't find it so funny if you were stuck, buck naked,
in a restaurant watching your brand-new car leaving the parking lot
with screeching tires, knowing your clothes, your wallet, your damned
cell phone was inside!"
Completely unaffected by the glare, Dom managed to tune his laughter
down to a mere chuckle. "You're probably right, Alex," he agreed.
"But it didn't happen to me, so hell yes, it is funny!"
Krycek decided the best reaction to that was a professional pout.
"Seriously though, what did my boys do?" Dom asked a second later,
and this time, he was not only serious but also concerned.
"Well, they apparently thought it was a great opportunity to try out
those car chasing talents they think they have, because they took off
after Alex's car the second it got stolen," Mulder muttered, now also
pouting. "They didn't even stop to think that maybe, just maybe, it
would be a good idea to pick us up first."
Now Skinner broke out into a broad grin as well. He shared a knowing
look with Dom. "Well," he said easily, "overeager subs sometimes do
that, you know? Acting without thinking first."
That earned him a double glare, but like Dom, he wasn't in the least
impressed.
"Yeah, but what are we going to do about Sam and Ben now?" Krycek
asked, worry about his new friends evident in his voice.
"Well, what happened after they took off? Do you have any idea
where they might've been going?" Dom asked.
Mulder shrugged. "They were obviously chasing after Alex's stolen
car," he replied. "We just saw the cars drive out of the parking lot and
ran after them, but of course we weren't fast enough. They were
'round a corner before we could even yell after them to stop and wait
for us."
"We just knew that we'd better stay hidden in the dark," Krycek said.
"The people in the restaurant didn't even find it necessary to chase us.
They just took our streaking in stride. What has the world come to
anyway?"
Skinner and Dom couldn't help but chuckle at the adorable look of
disbelief on the younger man's face.
"There was a pay phone at the edge of the parking lot so we hid in the
bushes there and debated which person to call for help," Mulder went
on. He looked at Skinner. "Admittedly, the choice wasn't really all that
difficult to make in the end."
"Well, you could've called the police, Fox, or tried to reach Sam and
Ben," the big man replied.
"We knew Sam and Ben wouldn't just turn around and get back. They
obviously wanted to chase after the car, probably to make sure where
it was being brought, and even if they did come back for us to bring us
home, we'd still have to face the music. So it made more sense to call
you right away," Krycek explained.
"But why not call the police? Your car was stolen, after all," Dom
said.
"Yeah well, but we really didn't want to be arrested for indecent
exposure," Mulder muttered.
"Not to mention stupidity," Skinner added darkly. That earned him
another double glare, and again, he wasn't in the least impressed.
"We wore those baseball caps with a reason," Krycek said. "We had
them pulled down so our faces wouldn't be captured on tape. These
fast food places have security cameras everywhere. We just thought
the police, in case someone did call 911 after all, shouldn't be able to
recognize us."
"Ah," Skinner interjected knowingly, "so that's why you also took off
the license plates first. So that nobody could remember the number and
tell the police." Krycek nodded, feeling pretty smug.
"Very clever," Dom commented solemnly once again. This time,
Krycek merely narrowed his eyes suspiciously, trying to decipher if he
was being made fun of or not.
"So anyway, that's why we decided to call Walter and let him pick us
up," Mulder finished the tale.
"Yeah, and you spent about half an hour outside, wearing only your
birthday suits," Skinner admonished.
"It was fucking freezing," Mulder agreed with a shudder.
"Sissy-boy! You'd never survive an hour during Siberian winter,"
Krycek groused. "It was slightly cool." That earned him a death glare
from his fellow sub.
"It was cold enough," Skinner said sternly. "I remember seeing blue
lips on you, Alex." Krycek had the decency to blush slightly. "I really
hope you guys didn't catch pneumonia out there." Remembering just
how horrible his subs were as patients, he mostly wished they didn't
get sick for his own good.
"Well...so, what should we do about Sam and Ben?" Mulder finally
asked, looking at Dom for guidance. "I'm a bit worried that they're in
over their heads with the car chase thing."
Dom had a wistful look on his face. "Yes," he finally said. "So am I.
Maybe we should call the police and report the incident. I don't have a
problem looking for them myself, if only I knew where to look."
The other three men agreed silently, thinking hard. Krycek's car could
be just about anywhere right now, and who knew if Sam and Ben had
actually managed to tail the thieves to whatever hide-out they were
driving to.
"Whatever will happen, one thing's for sure though," Dom added
darkly. "I know a couple of young men who are going to be sporting
two very sore bottoms very soon!"
Mulder and Krycek winced and couldn't help but clench their own
behinds in sympathy. They tried to furtively sneak a look at their own
Top, since they hadn't yet talked about any punishment with Skinner,
but the big man's face was completely neutral and didn't give them
any hint on what might happen to them later on.
Dom sighed and reached for his cell phone, about to call the police,
when they heard two cars pull up. They looked at each other, hope
evident on their faces, and raced over to the window to look outside.
Krycek's sleek black BMW was parked right in front of their double
garage, gleaming beautifully in the moonlight, while directly behind it,
Sam's trusty Honda Accord could be seen.
Skinner had the front door open before Sam and Ben even climbed out
of the cars. They looked a bit startled at the welcoming committee but
that didn't keep them from flying into the warm embrace that Dom
offered his boys.
"Are you two okay?" he asked, squeezing his subs as if to make sure
that they weren't missing any limbs.
"We're fine, Dom, don't worry about us," Sam replied, snuggling up
happily.
Ben looked over his Top's shoulder at Mulder and Krycek. "So you're
home. I'm glad you got here alright. We weren't really sure so we
thought we'd at least bring the car back and figure out the rest then."
"Why don't we go back inside?" Skinner offered. "It's too cold
outside."
That didn't stop Elvis from wiggling out of Krycek's arms though in
order to run towards the new arrivals. He had high hopes that at least
they had brought his trusted friend Rocco with them, and was more
than disappointed after a thorough search around the perimeters when
he came up empty. Giving the three visitors one last baleful glare over
his shoulder, Elvis trotted back to Krycek and let himself be picked up
again. The only thing that could possibly cheer him up now was some
professional ear rubbing, and Krycek was only too happy to deliver.
The men chuckled at the little dog's antics even while they were
entering the house.
"So, what happened?" Dom asked his boys expectantly, but they only
looked at their subby friends, checking to make sure they didn't say
the wrong thing.
"We already told them everything," Mulder reassured the younger
men. "They know everything right up until the moment you decided to
chase after Alex's car."
Sam winced, knowing they'd be in Big Trouble. Still, it couldn't be
helped, so he decided to tell the rest of the story without sugar coating
it. Besides, he and Ben were too proud of what they had done to really
care one way or the other.
"Okay, well, we were waiting in my car and watched Fox and Alex
run through the restaurant." Here he stopped for a quick snicker at the
memory of the event. His streaking friends scowled at him, but neither
Sam nor Ben were unduly cowed. "Well, then we suddenly saw this
guy walk outside. He looked like a normal guest leaving the restaurant
until he jumped into Alex's Beamer and drove off."
Ben took over, youthful excitement evident in his voice. "At first we
were stunned. We saw that it took you guys a moment to realize what
had happened, and then we thought, the car will be gone forever if we
don't give chase. I mean, the thief gunned the engine for a block or
two but when he realized that nobody was after him, he decided to
drive normally instead. The police would've never been able to find
the car. I mean, there are quite a few black BMW's around here, and
we couldn't even tell them the license plate number."
"Since you were so clever to take the plates off before this stupid
stunt," Skinner commented.
"And since you were so clever to not even bother with the police in the
first place," Dom added darkly. "You could've at least called them to
let them know you had witnessed a theft, boys."
"But we had everything under control. The guy didn't realize we were
tailing him, so we learned where he was heading. Had we told the
police, they would've come with all guns blazing, and he would've
been spooked and had raced off. This way, we could see where he was
going and then call the police." Sam grinned, quite proud of himself
for his brilliant deduction.
"Okay, I give you that," Dom conceded. "But you could've called
either me or Walt to make sure someone picked up your poor freezing
friends!"
"Uh..." Sam blushed and dropped his eyes. He didn't really know what
to say. Finally, he ventured, "Uh, I was driving and didn't want to be
distracted?"
Dom merely raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly at Ben, who had
been riding shotgun. "Um, I, uh...I...I forgot?" the young man
squeaked, sending an apologetic look in the direction of Mulder and
Krycek. It was obvious that the two subs had been too excited and
preoccupied by the chase to think about anything else much.
Except, obviously, to turn off their cell phones.
"Well, if you were so eager to get in touch with us once you knew
what had happened, why didn't you call us instead then, huh?" Ben
argued with false bravado, realizing too late that he was making a huge
tactical error. Sam immediately rolled his eyes at the sheer stupidity of
his fellow sub.
"Funny, that," Dom growled, "because we tried just that. Too bad your
cell phones were turned off!"
Sam managed a feeble smile. "They were?" He knew they were in a
lot of trouble and didn't even try to talk his way out of it.
Ben, on the other hand, was more optimistic. "Oh, I didn't know. We
must've forgotten to turn them back on after the movie," he offered,
though he realized that this only seemed to infuriate Dom. He bit his
lip guiltily. "Sorry," he mumbled a second later.
"We'll deal with that in a moment," Dom promised. "First I'd like to
hear what happened during the chase."
"It wasn't much of a chase really," Sam explained. "We just followed
the guy without him realizing it. He finally stopped in front of a house,
and we parked about half a block away to watch what would happen.
He honked loudly, obviously expecting someone in the house to come
outside and look at the car he had stolen or something."
Ben snickered and chimed in. "Yeah, but nothing happened. So he
honked again. And again. After the third time, he got so angry that he
got out of the car to personally knock on the front door." He snickered
again. "He left the car door open and the engine running. Sam hit the
pedal, I jumped out of his car and climbed into Alex's Beamer, and off
we were!"
The other men stared at Ben for a long moment, then broke out in
gales of laughter.
"You stole my car from the thief?" Krycek managed to gasp after a
while. "Ben, you da man!" They grinned at each other and high-fived.
"We drove straight back to the restaurant to look for you, and when we
couldn't find you there, we came here," Sam ended the report. "And
now, here we are."
He smiled a bit nervously, and Dom gave an understanding nod. "And
now you'd like to know what will happen to you boys, right?"
Sam bit his lip. "Yes, sir," he mumbled.
"Well, I think the only thing happening to us all is a few hours of
sleep," Skinner suggested, but all four subs immediately protested. All
of them hated, absolutely despised, having to wait for their
punishment, both Skinner and Dom knew that.
The Tops sighed and looked at each other.
"Okay," Skinner finally said to the subs. "Why don't you go on into
the living room and wait for us there while Dom and I have a quick
talk in the kitchen?"
A chorus of reluctant, "yes, sir" could be heard before they went their
separate ways.
A few minutes later, the Tops walked into the living room, looking at
the assembled subs there.
"Okay, we've decided on your punishment," Dom said.
Skinner nodded, addressing all four subs. "We're going to revoke your
car privileges," he explained, holding up his hands warningly when
there was instant protest. "We are not going to argue with you, boys,
Dom and I have already made our decision."
"But how am I supposed to get to the animal shelter?" Krycek fumed.
Skinner gave him a level look. "You walk. Wouldn't be the first time,
Alex, it's not that far away from our home. And Elvis would love a
leisurely stroll."
Hearing his name, the little dog dutifully gave a bark of agreement.
Krycek scowled at his canine friend.
"But Dom, my office is too far away for a leisurely stroll," Sam
argued. "I need my car!"
"You have a bike," Dom replied. "Or use public transportation for a
change."
Sam opened his mouth to argue some more, but when he saw the stern
look on Dom's face, he decided to shut up instead and just heave a big
sigh.
"What if I have an emergency?" Ben challenged triumphantly. "I can't
use my bike to ride to my patients when they need me."
"True enough," Dom conceded, "but if I remember correctly, you have
hardly ever an emergency to deal with, and if you do, there's also
always your colleague. There must be a reason why you opened your
practice with a partner, Ben. You will not drive your car for one
month, and that's final!"
"A whole month?" Krycek whined. He adored his beloved car, it was
so shiny and gleamy and sleek and looked dangerous when he drove
around in it. There was a definite pout developing on his face.
"Well, if one of you three ever really need to drive somewhere, all you
have to do is ask Fox," Skinner said with a wide grin. He felt like a
magician who had managed to enthrall his entire audience by pulling
one last rabbit out of a hat.
Mulder just stared at him in disbelief. "Me?" he croaked. Granted, he
hadn't protested much when he heard about the first part of the
punishment, mostly because he was working at home and hardly ever
really needed the car. It wasn't much of a punishment for him, would
merely be inconvenient at times.
"Yes," Skinner said. "Since we all know you wouldn't miss your car
privileges overmuch, Dom and I thought it would be a good
punishment if you had to act as chauffeur for the rest of the gang for a
month. Which, of course, would be the only time you're allowed to
drive."
"Of course," Mulder echoed darkly.
"And since I'm retired and therefore home most of the day, all you
have to do is let me know when you need Fox's help and I'll happily
give him the key to his car and off he goes to drive you guys to
wherever you need to be." Skinner beamed at the subs.
They scowled back.
Skinner ignored their glares blithely.
"Next part of your punishment," Dom went on. "Sam and Ben, you are
going to write me an essay on the history of cell phones. I also expect
each of you to list me in detail six incidents where the use of a cell
phone saved someone's life. You may look at each other's essays
because I expect a total of twelve different occasions, so don't think
you can copy each other's work. Twenty pages each."
Sam and Ben made a face at that, but they had expected something like
that. A writing assignment was usually given as part of their
punishment.
Skinner looked at his own subs. "Since Dom told me that the writing
assignments are usually very effective tools of punishment, especially
as far as sitting down and actually thinking about what the boys did
wrong goes, I've decided to give you one as well."
Both subs groaned dramatically. Krycek even buried his face in Elvis'
fur again, which the dog interpreted as a cry for consolation, so he
dutifully began to nuzzle and lick his beloved Alex's neck.
"I expect a report on the dangers of exposure to the cold, though you
may crossreference to the dangers of heat exposure as well if you're
running out of things to say."
"Gee, thanks," Krycek muttered sarcastically.
"Well, I'm sure you'll be grateful that you have other options once you
realize you're done with your assignment but still need to fill several
of the twenty pages I expect of you," Skinner replied, completely
ignoring his sub's growing sulk. "I'm sure Fox will be happy to help
you since he's got first hand experience," the big man added with a
stern look in Mulder's direction. It was obvious that Skinner the boss
still hadn't forgiven Mulder the ditching Special Agent the trip to
Antarctica.
Mulder had the decency to blush.
"I just want to make sure that you guys realize how easily a silly dare
can turn into something serious, even life threatening," Skinner
explained softly. "Catching a cold is the best you can hope for right
now, boys."
Mulder and Krycek hung their heads, realizing that the big man was
right. "Yes, sir," Krycek mumbled, and Mulder added, "sorry, Walter."
Skinner visibly melted and walked over to his boys, giving them each
a chaste kiss. That cheered up the subs, and they gave the big man twin
smiles.
"Last part of the punishment," Dom cut in, wanting it to be over asap.
"All four of you will get a spanking." The subs sighed but weren't
really surprised. "Since both Walt and I think you're going to be
punished enough by the other stuff, it'll only be a mere hand spanking,
but we'll make it count."
Here, the subs sighed heavily, knowing that there was no such thing as
a 'mere' hand spanking where their Tops were concerned.
"Now, it's entirely your decision, boys. We either do this in the
privacy of our own homes, but then we'll do it after we catch some
sleep first, or we'll get this over with right here, right now. Which one
will it be?"
Dom and Skinner looked expectantly at the subs, mostly watching
Krycek and Ben though, knowing that the other two wouldn't mind
one way or the other. Ben chewed on his bottom lip for a few seconds
before giving a slight nod of consent, but Krycek was still very
obviously wavering.
Skinner wrapped a strong arm around him and gave a reassuring
squeeze. "It's perfectly okay to say you only want Fox near you,
sweetheart, or even ask to do this in complete privacy, with just the
two of us. Nobody will mind one way or the other, I promise. I just
thought it might be a good idea if the four of you see the others being
punished as well. There's always a difference between witnessing it
and only hearing about it afterwards when you chat about what your
evil nasty no-good Tops did to you."
Krycek gave a watery smile at that, knowing full well that Skinner
didn't mind it when he groused about their punishments. Then he
thought about the stunt all four subs had pulled. True enough, it might
be a more effective deterrent to see Sam and Ben pay for the dare,
instead of just intellectually knowing that Dom had spanked them. It
might keep him from agreeing to another of those idiotic stunts in the
future, even if it was just to protect the younger men.
Deciding it was a good plan after all, he finally gave a tiny nod. "But,
uh, but I... Can Fox hold my hand and talk to me while you spank
me?" he whispered into Skinner's neck, slightly embarrassed that the
big bad ex-assassin had a hard time being spanked in public.
Understanding that Krycek just wanted to be distracted from the
knowledge that others were witnessing his punishment, Skinner
nodded his agreement. "Of course he can, sweetheart, don't worry
about it." That was good enough for Krycek, and he smiled his thanks.
"Would you like to go first so it's over and done?" the big man
offered, and his sub nodded vigorously. He'd be too busy rubbing his
behind and feeling sorry for himself after the punishment to think
about the fact that there had been witnesses.
"If you like, I'll spank one of my boys at the same time, Alex," Dom
offered. "That way, they'll be too distracted to take much notice of
you."
Krycek smiled his thanks again, and locked eyes with Ben who readily
walked over to his Top.
Thus decided, Krycek and Ben draped themselves across the laps of
their respective Tops, wiggling to find the most comfortable position.
Their butts were bared, and their fellow subs knelt next to their heads
to whisper encouragement into their ears during the spanking.
Skinner and Dom looked at each other, and couldn't help but break out
in proud smiles. They were absolutely delighted by their subs, and
even though they cursed the misbehaving brats on occasion, they
wouldn't give them away for anything.
They were true to their words: it was merely a hand spanking, but they
both made it count. Soon, Krycek and Ben were wincing and gasping
as their behinds turned an impressive shade of red, while Mulder and
Sam were whispering soothing nonsense words to them, carding their
fingers through their lovers' sweaty hair.
It was a sight to behold, yet Elvis was completely torn. He wanted to
run to his beloved Alex and help him, since it always distressed him to
see his favorite sub-master being punished. At the same time he knew
that his Master-master was wise and all-knowing and that therefore
there must be a good enough reason to punish his Alex. Didn't mean
Elvis had to like it though.
At the same time, he thoroughly enjoyed watching Ben getting a
spanking. It was more than deserved, considering that he forgot to
bring Rocco along on their impromptu visit, and Elvis made sure to
spend an equal amount of time sending silent support to his beloved
Alex and glaring accusingly at Ben.
So the little dog wasn't the least bit perturbed when Sam took Ben's
place and received the same kind of punishment. They had both
ignored Rocco, after all, so they both deserved to be spanked for their
thoughtlessness.
The only difference was that Elvis watched Sam's punishment from
his favorite place in the world: wrapped up in Alex's strong embrace.
The little dog twisted around enough to lick his beloved sub-master's
face clean of any tears before he quickly focused on Sam's punishment
again. He ignored his other sub-master's cries for the most part,
knowing that his Fox didn't want to be comforted during a spanking.
That was the same reason Krycek hadn't just swapped places with
Mulder; he knew his lover felt crowded as soon as someone besides
Skinner was near him during a spanking. He'd give his fellow sub a
loving hug once the spanking was over, and Krycek knew it would be
gladly returned. For now, he busied himself with cuddling Elvis
instead.
Soon the spankings were over, and both Doms opened their arms
invitingly to cuddle their respective subs and rain kisses on their heads.
The subs basked in the love and enjoyed the closeness that always
followed a punishment spanking.
The only one disagreeing was Elvis, who walked up to Dom and
barked accusingly. Utterly confused, Dom looked at Skinner for help,
but his fellow Top merely shrugged helplessly as well.
It took Krycek a second before he made the connection. "I think Elvis
thought the spankings were for not bringing Rocco with you," he
explained. "Now he wants to see Dom punished as well."
The men laughed at that, but stopped when Elvis growled warningly.
Completely ignoring and forgetting his friend was no laughing matter,
after all!
"Okay," Dom finally said gamely, "unless I want to leave this house in
disgrace and never be allowed back inside, I think someone should
better give me a swat or two." He threw a big smile over his shoulder
and stuck out his behind in Skinner's direction. "Go on, big guy, give
me your best shot," he challenged good-naturedly.
While all four subs stared in complete disbelief at this turn of events,
Skinner shrugged mentally and proceeded to land two medium-hard
spanks on Dom's behind, one on each butt cheek. Then he looked
expectantly down at Elvis.
The little dog cocked his head as if thinking the situation over, then
obviously decided that Dom had paid the price for leaving Rocco at
home. Elvis gave a friendly yelp and butted his head against Dom's
knee, officially welcoming him back as a guest of honor in this house.
Dom just shook his head with a smile and bent down to give Elvis a
quick belly rub. "Well," he announced, "as long as I'm back in his
good graces again, I think I'd better leave." He chuckled and began to
herd his subs towards the front door. "I have two tired boys to tuck in,
and I'm ready to drop as well."
They said their good-byes and promised to call each other the next day
to make sure everyone was really okay. Once the front door was firmly
closed and the alarm was set, Skinner gravelly announced, "The last
one in bed is going to make breakfast for everyone!"
Said it, shoved his subs away from the stairs and proceeded to make
the most of his tactical lead by taking three steps at a time.
His subs, smarting behinds forgotten in the face of this utter disgrace,
gave hot pursuit and managed to tackle their Top right in front of the
bed. All three of them landed in a tangle of arms and legs in the king-
sized bed, causing it to groan and squeak dangerously.
They decided that they had all won and would therefore just hope for
the breakfast fairy to magically appear in the morning, got undressed
and crawled into bed.
Settling down with Skinner in the middle, hugging his subs close, they
began to drift off.
"You know," the big man suddenly said, "I remember an incident a
few years ago, I think it was a Christmas party, or maybe just a get-
together to celebrate someone's birthday at the office or something. In
any case, Fox was in one of his sulky moods and someone apparently
managed to rile him up. The next thing I know, he pulls down his
pants and boxers and moons the entire crowd."
Krycek stared, completely stunned, at his lovers before he broke out in
a hysterical laughing fit.
"I did not!" Mulder protested indignantly. "I never did anything like
that!"
"Sure did," Skinner replied smugly. "You had a few drinks already,
egg nog or whatever spiked punch they were having, so I'm sure that
was the real reason. Normally you wouldn't do something like that, I
agree."
"Well, I never did!" Mulder repeated forcefully, trying in vain to be
heard over Krycek's still hysterical laughter. He glared at his fellow
sub, which caused Krycek to laugh even harder.
"Yes, you did," the big man replied patiently. "We'll call Scully in the
morning. She was there and she'll happily back me up."
Mulder decided to sulk, and muttered something about being
completely misunderstood. This threatened to make Krycek choke on
his laughing fit.
"You know," Skinner went on philosophically, "I think I'm beginning
to see a developing pattern here, Fox. Are you a closeted streaker?"
"I'm not--" Mulder began indignantly before sighing and giving up.
"Ah, whatever. Why do I even bother." He sighed again. "Okay," he
finally mumbled, "maybe I did moon Colton once. He would've
deserved it anyway."
Skinner chuckled and kissed the top of Mulder's head. "Naughty boy,"
he said affectionately and reached down to swat the enticing butt.
"Seriously though, no matter how funny or even appropriate the
occasion is the next time, I'm warning you, Fox. One more streaking
incident, and you're in serious, and I mean serious trouble. You hear
me?"
Mulder looked at the big man solemnly. He knew Skinner meant
business. "I hear you," he said softly, and snuggled up to the strong
chest.
Krycek, who had finally managed to get himself under control, began
to laugh hysterically again. His lovers, not understanding what could
possibly be so funny, looked at him oddly, obviously expecting an
explanation.
Gasping for air and fighting for control, Krycek finally managed to
press out, "Batter up, Fox. Three streaks and you're out!"
Sub-Urban Legends VIII
by Gaby
It had been a wonderfully and intellectually stimulating evening,
Skinner decided with a smile while he was getting ready for bed.
