Those Hot Winter Nights

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Those Hot Winter Nights
Ratadder

Part One
Walter trudged five paces to the left through knee deep snow, and dutifully swung the scanner in an arc. Nothing. "Mulder, you're sure this is the place?"

"YES. Sir. I'm sure. Stop asking."

"I'm just asking because... well, we've been looking for a few hours now and to put it bluntly, I'm cold."

"I'm not exactly roasting chestnuts out here myself."

Walter gave Mulder a considering look as he trudged back through the heavy wet snow. "You may be head of the X-Files Division now, but may I remind you I'm still your superior."

Mulder blew a lock of hair out of his eyes and glared at his silent scanner. Finally he lifted his head and met Skinner's look. "I'm not exactly roasting chestnuts out here, sir."

Walter rolled his eyes. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same. He studied the peaceful forest around them and sighed. "Vermont seems like an... odd place for a landing."

"Vermont seems like an odd place for anything. Except maybe cows." Mulder whacked the side of his scanner sharply, as if that would help. His lower lip grew ever more prominent when it didn't. He stalked off toward the east.

"And not even so many cows anymore," Walter sighed as he followed.

"Which may explain why they've always had well below the average number of cattle mutilations up here."

Walter blinked. "There's actually an average?"

Mulder gave him a look then proceeded to ignore him.

Walking in the quiet, snowy Vermont woods started out invigorating. Two hours ago. It moved on to bracing after the first half-hour of trudging around and getting soaked. About twenty minutes after that, it degenerated to downright chilly. Eventually, about fifteen minutes back, it had become flat-out freeze-your-balls-off uncomfortable. Walter gave up attempting to appreciate the outdoors and began fantasizing hot cider in front of the fireplace at the inn.

The inn. He snorted and his breath frosted in the chill air. "I still can't believe you booked us an inn on the Bureau travel budget," he muttered. The place was incredible, though he didn't think Mulder had even noticed. Their room had a fireplace and a hot tub, and it wasn't even the best room there. The Holiday Inn it most certainly was not. If accounting ever got wind, he'd be in deep shit.

Mulder answered absently, still walking and scanning. "It was the closest place to stay next to the site."

Walter looked around pointedly. "Yes, and it was obviously so important to be right on top of 'the site'." His sarcasm went unnoticed as Mulder curved slightly to the left and kept walking. Walter fell silent and debated how long he should wait before ordering Mulder off the spaceship hunt.

His decision became moot when mere minutes later Mulder jerked to a stop on his own and made a sound of frustration. "This doesn't make any sense. The equipment specifically pinpointed this area. But we've been over the entire spread, save for climbing the trees." He pulled out his compass and directed his fierce glare at it. "We're moving offsite completely if we go any further out."

Walter shrugged. Much as he hated to own a severe waste of Bureau resources, he was ready to throw in the towel. Besides, his and Mulder's track record with short-circuiting the full invasion gave the X-Files a lot more wiggle room these days. They could both survive one or two wild goose chases, no matter how expensive. "It may be time to consider that the Rebel's equipment was wrong."

Mulder shook his head, face determined. "No. Their technology has never been faulty. It's incredibly accurate. We've never had one false signal. Hell, I wouldn't have dropped everything and come myself, sure as hell wouldn't have dragged you all the way up here, if I wasn't damn sure we needed an experienced team on site immediately. Otherwise John and Scully could have just handled it when they got back from Oregon. It's got to be here... the equipment doesn't malfunction."

Walter shrugged again. "There's a first time for everything. And maybe it didn't malfunction... maybe a ship did land. Maybe it just left already. From what I understand the system is only set up to give you early warning of a landing, right?" He still felt vaguely uncomfortable dealing with alien technology, so he didn't know the systems as well as Mulder did. Of course, no one knew the systems as well as Mulder did. Which was why he was traipsing around after his most brilliant and most irritating agent, wading through snow up to his ass, when he could be back at home in Washington staying on top of his accumulating paperwork. Even now he could hear the distant sounds of files piling up on his desk.

Mulder shook his head, vexed expression firmly in place. "No. No, They wouldn't just land and leave again in the space of..." He glanced at his watch. "Twelve hours. No way. That doesn't make any sense. It's here somewhere. They're here somewhere."

Walter groaned internally. No fireplace for his frozen feet. No hot tub for his cold and aching bones. No, the most he could expect would be to maybe get a little warmed up being chased by a wolverine. Did Vermont have wolverines? He turned and scanned the empty forest in a wide circle. He glanced doubtfully back the way they'd come then looked forward in the direction that would lead them off the coordinates the Rebel technology had spit out.

Then blinked in the late afternoon sun, trying to determine if he was seeing what he thought he was seeing.

Then rubbed his eyes and looked again.

"I don't suppose that might have anything to do with our inability to find Them?" He lifted his arm and pointed at the evergreen tree not five yards ahead of them. Huge green branches bowed down toward the ground under their weight of snow. Curled up on the ground between the arching branches, like the nesting wolverine Walter kept expecting, was a shadowy black figure.

"What the hell?" Mulder's voice rose, startled. Walter almost laughed. Mulder had been so focused on his scanner, so sure the ship would be invisible to the naked eye. He himself had been too preoccupied by the cold, by his frozen toes, by the thought of the fireplace waiting back at the room. They could have walked right by the man and missed him completely.

In tandem they both started forward. Some instinctive knowledge clicked over in Walter's mind, in his chest, and even before they reached the huddled figure he knew what—whom—they had found. Something about the body, the black clothes... the ship alert that brought them to Vermont in the first place.

There really wasn't any question, was there?

"Mulder—" he started to warn as Mulder's stride lengthened but he was too late and he wasn't sure what he would have said anyway. Mulder crouched and made a sharp sound of... what? Distress? Frustration... anger? Relief? Who knew. His own feelings—of distress, frustration, anger and relief—rose up and choked out anything else as Mulder caught the still shoulder and rolled Alex Krycek onto his back.

Krycek slumped over limply in the snow, head rolling to one side, mouth falling partially open. He looked asleep, but since Walter sincerely doubted the survival-lovin' spy had decided to take a quick nap in three feet of snow in the Vermont woods, he'd be willing to bet Krycek was out cold. Mulder's muttered curses confirmed his suspicion as Mulder felt for a pulse, pulled up an eyelid, slapped Krycek's face lightly.

"He's out. And whoa... he's really cold. How long do you think he's been out here?"

"No way of knowing." Walter glanced around at the crushed snow under the tree. "Let's get him back to the inn. Is he hurt?" Walter watched as Mulder felt up and down the sprawled body, trying to decide if he was jealous or thankful that Mulder was doing the touching.

"Nothing seems broken or... hey. He's got two arms." Mulder's voice was suddenly wary.

"Shit. Clone? Replicant? What?" The relief Walter had been feeling coiled into hard tension in his stomach. Suddenly he didn't want to know. Didn't want confirmation of what he'd wondered about for too many months. He watched Mulder's fingers feel the back of the neck and almost staggered with the release when Mulder shook his head sharply.

"And look, he bled red." Mulder tilted the man's head further to one side and Walter saw the small cut at Krycek's hairline. Sure enough, dried blood coated it and had run into Krycek's hair. The flaking dark rust on his skin and the small spot of brighter red on the snow testified that this wasn't a clone either. Mulder reached inside the jacket, felt around, and produced a wallet. He flipped it open and snorted, lifting it to Walter. Three separate picture ids, with three separate names, none of which were 'Alex Krycek'. "Offhand," Mulder offered wryly, "I'd say this is Krycek himself."

Walter nodded and tucked the wallet into his coat. "Offhand, I'd say we're not the only ones to whom the Rebels may have passed on that handy-dandy first alert equipment. Back to the inn?" At Mulder's nod, he bent and helped Mulder lift the limp body, then knelt in the snow while Mulder tipped Krycek forward over his shoulder. Standing again with Mulder's assistance, he gripped Krycek's legs and settled his burden. They turned back toward the inn and started walking.

Whether it was the warmth of the inn or the effect of being carried upside down, of course Krycek woke up when they were stripping him down.

"Muh... hu... whaaz?"

Mulder finished working a black boot off Krycek's left foot and dropped his leg back to the floor. "You back with us?" He tossed the boot to rest next to the soaked leather jacket and crawled up to peer into Krycek's face. He exchanged a look with Skinner who was bent over Krycek's chest and unbuttoning his shirt.

"Wher'mI?" The huge eyes blinked, confused, staring first at Mulder then at Skinner.

"You're in Vermont, at the Burgess Inn." Skinner spoke slowly and loudly. "We found you unconscious in the woods. We brought you here."

Krycek stared at him for a long moment then looked down and stared just as thoroughly at Skinner's hands, still undoing buttons on his black chamois shirt. "Wha—wha' you doing?"

"We need to get you warm. We don't know how long you were out there. Your clothes are cold and wet. We need to get you out of them."

Mulder marveled at the calm patience in his boss' voice. He'd been unsure what Skinner's reaction to finding Krycek would be, but his supervisor had seemed completely unruffled, and expressed a real concern for the assassin's continued health. Mulder didn't argue, just worked on maintaining a blasé attitude toward the man lying on their rug in front of their fire. He tilted Krycek's chin toward him and looked in the man's eyes. The pupils were over-large but both the same size and Krycek looked awake. "How do you feel? We think you might have hit your head."

Krycek appeared to think about the question. "M'cold..." he finally answered, still in that dazed voice.

"Right." Mulder crawled back down his body and started working off the right boot. "First things first." He got the boot off, stripped off both socks, and moved back up to reach for the jeans. He'd maneuvered Skinner into disrobing the upper half, leaving the lower half for himself. And rather smoothly, if he did say so himself. He tugged at the fly of the black jeans, unbuttoning, unzipping, then working them down off the solid hips he remembered only too well. Krycek made another sound of protest, but his arms barely lifted from the floor. Skinner pressed them back down as he removed the chamois and started on the turtleneck under it.

Mulder tsk'd as he managed to pry the jeans out from under Krycek's butt and strip them down the long legs. The long bare legs. "No long underwear? What were you thinking."

"Thinkin' I w'dn't... be out th'r... that long. Didn' plan on... nap in th' woods." The rough voice still sounded thick and slurry, but the edge of irritation made Mulder grin. He exchanged another look with Skinner as the other man pulled the turtleneck up over Krycek's head.

"Mild hypothermia at most," he theorized.

Skinner nodded, then looked up at the knock on the door. "Looks like you woke up just in time, Krycek. That'll be your hot chocolate." He pushed himself to his feet and went to answer it.

Mulder felt the side of the white briefs, the only thing Krycek still wore. They were damp, so he stripped them off too, ignoring Krycek's grunt of displeasure, listening instead to Skinner thanking the woman who had brought the hot chocolate. He assured her they believed the man they'd found would be fine, thanked her for staying near the phone in case they needed a doctor.

Then Skinner was back by Krycek's other side, and together he and Mulder lifted the shivering body up and carried him to the closer of the two beds. His own, Mulder realized with a sense of satisfaction. Lowering Krycek into his bed brought back a few too many memories, but the chill coming off the man chased them back.

He propped a grumbling Krycek against a pile of pillows while Skinner pulled a quilt off his own bed and added it to the ones covering the shaking body. Mulder settled down on the side of the bed and waved a hand toward the chocolate. "Can you grab that for me?" Skinner paused, an odd expression crossing his face, then did as Mulder asked.

Mulder felt an anxious knot constrict in his chest... was he being too obvious? Would Skinner guess? He made his expression as blank as possible as he took the mug from Skinner and turned back to Krycek, whose mouth was clenched in a tight line, trying to keep his teeth from chattering. "Think you can drink something? It'll help warm you up faster."

Krycek focused on him and glared. His eyes skated from Mulder's face to Skinner standing at Mulder's shoulder, and his expression got fiercer. "W-what the fuck is th-this?" he spat, his ire somewhat undercut by the teeth-chattering stammer. "Wh-what's w-with the F-florence Nightingale routine?"

Mulder paused, a little surprised at the vehemence in the eyes, the voice. At the same time, he let out a breath of relief. Obviously getting him under the blankets had him feeling a little more like his old self already. The confusion was fading fast, and with it Mulder's concern about head injury. "We told you, we need to get you warm."

"Oh sure, and I'm s-supposed to believe you g-guys are concerned about my w-welfare."

Mulder bit down hard on the smile that wanted to surface at the sight of Krycek, propped on pillows, wrapped in blankets up to his neck, only his face visible, shivering and shaking, but spitting and hissing at them all the same. He always did hate being in a vulnerable position. Except on certain memorable occasions. "Well, we need you warmed up so we can have a little chat. We'd like to hear all about how you ended up out in the snow. At those particular coordinates," Mulder finally offered.

"And we're curious to know if you found what we were looking for," Skinner added over his shoulder, voice dry.

Krycek's eyes darted around the room. He took in the fireplace, the luxurious furnishings, the large hot tub in the far corner. If anything, his face got harder. "Oh yeah, th-these are definitely alien hunting digs," he said, voice scathing. "What, w-was the honeymoon suite already booked? Or are the two b-beds a cover for the Bureau, so nobody suspects fraternization and faggotry? Can't have anybody knowing you're bending over for the boss, eh Mulder?"

Mulder's amusement washed away like it had been hit with a cold shower. It was a low blow, and coming from Krycek... he jerked back, further annoyed when hot chocolate slopped onto his hand. "Don't be such an asshole," he snapped, trying for cold and unaffected, very conscious of Skinner standing right behind him. He hadn't worked this hard for this many years to keep his personal life personal, only to have Krycek trot it out in front of his boss like yesterday's headline. "We're trying to help you. We could have left you out in the snow." It sounded like a vague threat even to his own ears.

"Yeah and come back here to your romantic getaway in the mountains and have a fabulous little fuck-fest to celebrate, I'm sure," Krycek jeered, lip lifting in a sneer. "Nice to see you're finally getting practical, Mulder... boning the boss must be a good way to get a few perks for the X-Files."

"Not hardly," Skinner growled from behind him, but Mulder had had enough. He stood, thunked the mug down on the bedside table and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door for all he was worth. His fist curled and he kept from punching the wall only through supreme self-control.

Self-control, and flattening his hand out at the last minute so his palm impacted against the wall rather than his knuckles.

He stared at his smarting hand and it just made him madder. The asshole had the fucking nerve to suggest he was sleeping with Skinner! The outrage poured through him. Hell, he'd never even been attracted to Skinner! Oh, he supposed the man was attractive enough, in his own way, but his way just wasn't Mulder's way. As Krycek damn well ought to know. Skinner, for fuck's sake! Skinner of the stick up his ass so far he could barely unbend to sit down. Starched-up button-down bureaucrat Skinner. Who was his boss, besides. His straight boss. As if Mulder would be stupid enough to do anything with his direct supervisor, presuming it was someone he'd want. Alex was such a bastard. To be throwing that at him... knowing...

His teeth ground together and he relaxed his shoulders with an effort. Closed his eyes and counted to ten. He shouldn't be getting this pissed off. That's all Alex was after. He shouldn't be playing into it.

But he'd wondered. He'd always wondered. Wondered after sleeping with adorable and adoring Agent Krycek if it had all been nothing but a trick. If Alex really even liked men, or if it was just part of the job for him, part of the act, a skill like spying or lying or shooting people.

Alex was good at it, and Mulder wouldn't have doubted he was really into it, especially given Alex's proclivities once they ended up in bed. But then he'd wondered if that too hadn't just been a case of Alex reading him too well, catering to his tastes. Guessing what would make him sit up and take notice quicker than anything else. He didn't really think so given Alex had suggested most of it, but... the sneer on Krycek's face when he'd delivered the digs minutes ago loomed large in Mulder's mind. Fraternization and faggotry.

His eyes opened and he glared at himself in the huge, well-lit mirror. All these years. All this time. And the bastard could still make him madder than anyone else on Earth and beyond. Even the most frustrating of all their Rebel allies paled next to Alex's ability to enrage him in mere minutes.

And now he was probably trotting out sordid stories for Skinner. Hopefully Skinner would assume Krycek was a lying asshole just like he always did. Skinner never held much patience where Krycek was concerned. There was more than one reason Mulder had declined to name his suspicions on the identity of his anonymous source when the fight against the colonists went into full swing.

He wondered if it was just the vulnerability of the situation driving Alex to be so crass. It was an odd thing for Alex to resort to, after all this time. He'd waited, after Alex first disappeared, for the blackmail to start. It never had. Over all the years and all the shit, Alex had never seemed inclined to throw the sex back in Mulder's face, or use it to ruin his career. No demands, no pictures, no tapes, no nothing. Of course there was an excellent chance Alex didn't like what the sex said about himself, and didn't want to risk that getting out...

No doubt.

Mulder sighed and slumped against the lavish marble counter, suddenly more depressed than angry. A pity, really. Because it had always been one of the aspects of the younger man he'd most appreciated. And it had certainly seemed real, even if the feelings were all up for doubt. The pure erotic enjoyment Alex had taken at his hands had felt like a sure thing.

But he still couldn't help wondering.

Walter stood at the bedside and watched Mulder slam his way into the bathroom. Then he transferred his gaze back to the conundrum in the bed before him.

"Well, that looked like fun," he said conversationally. Picking up the mug, he wiped the drips from it and lowered himself into the same spot Mulder had sat. Rather than offering it as Mulder had, he simply moved closer and held the mug to Alex's mouth. "Drink this." He started to tip it, giving Alex a choice of either opening up or wearing it. "You need the warmth and it's incredible stuff. Real hot chocolate. Steamed milk. Chocolate that gets melted into it. Stirred together by hand. Vicki made it special for you and it's not going to waste."

Unsurprisingly, Alex chose to drink rather than wear. He gulped as Walter continued to tilt the mug, steadying it only long enough for Alex to draw a breath now and then. A line of the chocolate ran down Alex's cheeks on either side of his mouth, but Walter didn't pause until his charge had downed at least half of the mug. Angry green eyes glared up at him, but no hands emerged from the blankets to stop him so Walter assumed he was still feeling the chill.

When he lifted the mug back and Alex had a chance to draw a real breath and sputter, Walter cut in before the forming words could jump off Alex's tongue. "And don't even bother trying to goad me like you just did Mulder. If you'll cast your mind back, you'll remember I'm nowhere near as easy a mark as he is. I don't fly off the handle around you like he does."

"Unless I'm being given over to you for safe-keeping and you feel like practicing your gut-punches," Krycek shot back, voice snide.

Walter shrugged. "I owed you that one." He brought the mug back to Alex's mouth and once again tilted it without asking.

"Mu-urmph..." Bright spots of color rose in Alex's cheeks and his eyes flashed as he worked to swallow the chocolate before it poured down his front. Walter took it as a good sign that blood circulation was getting back in shape. Neither of them so much as blinked when they both heard the shower turn on in the bathroom.

After pouring the chocolate down his throat, Walter finally deigned to snag a napkin from the bedside table and wipe off Alex's cheeks.

"You're a regular fucking Samaritan, Skinner," Alex growled.

"And you're a smart-ass with a dirty mind and a gutter mouth, Krycek," he returned mildly. "Mulder and I are here on business. Same business you are, I'd wager. This just happens to be the closest accommodations to the site. We're sharing a room to reduce costs, since this place is more than expensive enough already." Alex opened his mouth to make some new sally but even as Walter watched it turned into a jaw-cracking yawn. He shook his head and stood up. "You're going to be out of it in minutes now that you're warming up. Get some sleep. We'll get some answers out of you when you wake up."

"I'm not—"

"Shut up, Krycek," he ordered flatly, "or I'll gag you. That hit on your head doesn't look like much more than a scratch. You're not concussed so go to sleep. You'll be coherent that much quicker." He leaned in and gave Alex a nasty smile. "And maybe all that sugar I just poured down you will sweeten your disposition while you're out."

Turning on his heel he walked to the pot of hot chocolate, filled another mug, dragged a chair closer to the fire and settled himself down. Propping his feet out in front of him he picked up the copy of Vermont Life from the basket beside the chair and started to leaf through it, ignoring the man in the bed. Who for whatever reason—tiredness or gag threat—chose to obediently fall silent.

The glossy photos of beautiful Vermont blurred in front of his eyes and none of the words made any sense. Alex Krycek. Naked. In a bed, three feet away from him. Perfect for his concentration. Old memories of Alex-Krycek-naked-in-a-bed swam through his mind, lazy and arousing. It had been so long. Years. And it still had the same heated power, still fired his senses and warmed his groin.

And it wasn't just the sex. He remembered only too clearly the intensity of the relief he'd felt when Mulder had turned over that body and his suspicions were confirmed. Alex... alive. Alex, in person, after so long of not seeing him or hearing from him.

Sure, he'd suspected who it might be feeding him information when the invasion heated up and things started to go down and tips began flowing through unexpected channels. Of course he'd suspected. Hoped. By the end, been positive. And so he'd waited. Waited for the inevitable time when Alex himself came to deliver the latest tidbit of information in person. When they'd be able to see each other in person and sit and talk and settle the question of Alex's loyalties. Work out all the old animosities.

Walter wanted that. He'd wanted it for all the long months that he and Mulder and Scully and Doggett and Reyes and the Gunmen battled the invasion. Wanted it throughout the months that followed, through the clean up and the cheering, through the public revelations and the promotions. Wanted the clearing of the air, wanted to be able to thank Alex for his part in it all.

It never came. Alex never came. The information stopped just before the Colonists bit the dust and no Alex ever showed up to claim his thanks. To clear the air.

To tell Walter he was still alive.

And after waiting for so long, Walter began to believe that he wasn't. Couldn't be. Otherwise... he'd have come by now, wouldn't he? But no hint, not the barest indication of a presence, ever arose again.

Until the Vermont woods on a cold snowy day when a black lump caught his eye and he knew, knew without seeing anything more than the outline from a distance... knew it was Alex.

And the relief had flooded him like a spring thaw in this part of the world. Wild and rushing and fast. So fast as to be unexpected, so strong as to almost knock him on his ass in that fucking snow.

Walter sucked in a slow breath through his nose and released it through his mouth. Then turned a page, just in case Alex was still awake. Damn the man anyway. Shows up alive again after all this time, after so much silence, and the first thing he did was accuse Walter of sleeping with Mulder? Walter almost laughed out loud, but reflected that he was unlikely to be able to pass off Vermont Life as that amusing.

Him. Sleeping with Mulder. Honestly.

Well, he supposed, given he'd had Alex when Alex was purportedly an agent beneath him, the man might assume he did subordinates all the time. He didn't, though. Hadn't before Alex and hadn't since. It was pure stupidity, and he'd known it at the time and he'd known it doubly so after it all fell out. After he sat in his office, working his ulcer into an uproar, positively petrified... for weeks, months, waiting for the blackmail to show up. Waiting for his marriage to explode in his face. Waiting for his career to end in a blaze of tabloid photos and lurid headlines.

That none of it happened—well, the marriage exploded but that was his own doing—made him more solid than ever about not bringing sex to the workplace. He felt he'd escaped by the skin of his teeth. He'd taken his one risk and used up any luck he had. To test fate again would be pure arrogance.

And Mulder! He almost laughed again and reminded himself to turn another page. Mulder of the Scully Obsession so strong you could almost taste it when you watched them together. An obsession that shone so bright and so clear anyone with a functioning brain would have to be completely nuts to fall for him. Mulder of the obsessive personality and mood swings, of the unconscious arrogance and self-centeredness and martyr complex. He shook his head and breathed out a soft chuckle. He got more than enough of Mulder at work. Mulder! His eyes watered as he vibrated with silent laughter. Of all people, Alex should very well know Walter didn't have the inherent masochism necessary for a relationship with Mulder.

Inherent... masochism...

His brain stuck for a moment, then clicked. Masochism. Inherent masochism. Relationship with Mulder. His head slowly swung and he stared at the bed. Alex was asleep or pretending really well. His face relaxed, his mouth open just a bit, his eyes closed. Breathing slow and regular.

Odd, wasn't it. That Alex's first words to them were an accusation of a sexual nature.

He'd assumed it had to do with his own history with Alex. Thought it might be Alex's way of striking out, trying to establish some sort of higher ground. Maybe even be a veiled threat... deal carefully with me or I'll reveal you to Mulder as the faggot you are. An event Walter was prepared to deal with if forced but no doubt about it he'd just as soon keep the question of his sexuality out of the office completely. And a brain like Mulder's didn't need any hints, however obscure. All of which led him to the firm-handed approach he'd taken when Mulder disappeared into the bathroom. But now... now he wondered. Maybe warning him off wasn't the only reason the sexual innuendoes had leapt to Alex's mind.

Mulder had gotten awfully fired up awfully fast. Not unusual for Mulder, particularly Mulder around Alex Krycek. But still. When they'd first found Alex, Walter had been concerned he'd have to pry Mulder's hands off Alex's throat. Instead Mulder had been... solicitous. Alarmingly so. Hadn't been overly aggressive in the least, not even to hurl a few insults. Very unusual. Had even been about to feed Alex the hot chocolate before Alex did his little verbal tap dance.

Hmm.

Walter sipped his chocolate and let the fire toast his toes. He looked out the porch doors that displayed a wide swath of snow covered meadow. And let his mind turn gently.

The bathroom door opening behind him brought him back to his magazine-reading pretense. He let his gaze slide sideways as Mulder padded into the room in a thick white robe, walked over to the bed and checked on their guest. Walter watched Mulder surreptitiously resettle the quilts over Alex's still form, and he knew he was right. He kept reading while Mulder pulled on a thick pair of socks and came to sit in the chair across from him. Then he folded the magazine back together and looked up at the damp and silent man.

"The hot chocolate is pretty damn amazing."

Mulder offered him a wan smile and shook his head. "No thanks. I see you got it down him though." He waved his hand at the empty mug sitting on the bedside table.

Walter grinned. "I forced the issue. I find with Alex Krycek, sometimes the best thing to do is take control. I find he has the most amazing reaction to that at times." He worked hard to keep his voice perfectly innocent but he almost laughed aloud at the flush that colored Mulder's cheeks and the way Mulder's eyes danced away from his to focus on the fire.

"Really?" Mulder's voice sounded strangled.

"Yep." Walter nodded and sipped his chocolate to hide his smile. Oh, he was so right. He sighed internally. He supposed he should have guessed. But... well. Perhaps he hadn't wanted to guess. Hadn't wanted to think he might have competition in the form of a younger, better-looking man. With hair. And hell, what about Scully! It wasn't his fault he hadn't realized this before! Mulder did a damn good job of pretending to be in love with Scully.

Walter had even watched him so carefully for signs of a broken heart when it was clear Scully and Doggett were becoming close. He'd watched and waited and been ready to offer Mulder some genial straight-guy support of the sort you expected from your divorced boss. The awkward pat on the back and the gruff platitudes that didn't help but what else could you say? He'd been relieved when Mulder had hid the pain well enough that he didn't really need to play the role. But he'd also worried. Worried about how bad the pain might really be and how much it might be costing Mulder to hide it all, and he'd taken it easy on Mulder for weeks.

And the bastard had been perfectly fine the whole time. Probably thrilled for his best friend. Walter felt like he owed his agent a few extra reamings just for the all the times he'd gone easy on him without really needing to. He sighed and shook his head. Mulder looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. Letting his thoughts subside—after all, he couldn't really fault Mulder for his own misinterpretation—he returned to the business at hand.

"Do you suppose he took care of the landing single-handedly? Sent them on their way?"

Mulder ran a hand through his hair. "I was thinking about that in the shower. Either that or the landing was a drop off... and they dropped him off."

"Ah. Good thought. Definitely possible." Walter nodded sagely. It would be just like Alex. Hiding in outer space while Walter was worrying he was dead or worse. "Although the Rebel technology is set to detect Colonist ships, isn't it?"

Mulder nodded. "But who knows... maybe an unannounced Rebel ship would set it off too. I'm not sure. For all I know Krycek has his own ship that he flies around." Mulder snorted. "I can just see that. After all, he obviously got his arm back from them. What's to say they didn't give him a ship too?"

Walter smiled.

"What?"

"Nothing. No, I'm not laughing at you. Just... occasionally I forget that you're definitely the best at the 'extreme possibility' thing. I hadn't thought of either of those options." Of course, he admitted to himself, that could be because he had been preoccupied with wondering about Mulder and Alex.

Mulder resettled in his chair and huffed out a sigh. "Whatever happened, I think it's a safe bet the ship that rang our bell isn't there anymore, which is why we couldn't find it. I suppose we can try to get the real story out of him when he wakes up."

Walter nodded. "My thoughts exactly." He turned his mug in his hands, staring at the bed. Then, without warning, he turned back and pinned Mulder with his gaze. "Why do you suppose he accused us of having an affair?" He shook his head and snorted. "That was a little odd to be the first thing out of his mouth, don't you think?"

Mulder opened and closed his mouth three times before any sound emerged. "Uh... I don't know," he finally managed, sounding uneasy. "Because he's a foul-mouthed little prick who lives to piss us off?"

Walter smiled again. "Well, all that's definitely true. But you don't suppose he threw that at us because he's slept with us both, knows we do men, and therefore, given the setting," he waved his hand around the admittedly romantic room, "actually thought we might be... doing each other?"

Mulder gagged and choked, his face going three shades of red as he sputtered, "I didn't! What... who... he—" Midsentence he froze, eye going wide and mouth dropping open as if he'd suddenly digested the entire sentence. "Slept with both of us?"

Walter nodded calmly. "He and I had an affair. I'm assuming you and he did as well? Maybe I shouldn't assume?" He offered Mulder the polite out, knowing that as a subordinate Mulder was in the more precarious, and likely the more fundamentally weird, position.

"No." Mulder winced and shook his head. "I mean yes. Wait. I mean, I did, I do... that is, we... yes. Yes." He drew a deep breath and met Walter's eyes directly. "Yes. Sir. I... had a relationship. With Krycek." His voice sounded formal and somehow defeated at the same time. His eyes though... his eyes showed his brain was already ticking.

Walter nodded. "I thought maybe." A sane voice in his own head wondered why he'd even opened this conversation. A not-so-sane voice wondered if he was really thinking what he thought he was thinking. A wickedly gleeful voice overrode them both.

Maybe it was the Vermont air.

"But... you, sir? You and... and Krycek?" Mulder shook his head again, as if dispelling a mental image. "I thought... well, I always thought you were straight."

Walter laughed. "So did I, once." He shrugged. "It's okay, Mulder, I thought you were straight too."

Mulder sagged in the chair in what looked like relief. "Really?"

"Really. Hell, I thought you and Scully..." Walter trailed off, waving a hand.

Mulder shook his head. "Oh. No. I mean William... he's mine. But no. Not like that."

Walter nodded. "So I gather. Now. I didn't know before. Up until about fifteen minutes ago I'd always assumed you were straight."

"Well, it's good to know all that effort didn't go to waste," Mulder cracked, shoving his hair out of his eyes.

"So when did you... I mean, you know. You and him?"

Mulder carefully concentrated on the fire again. "When we were partners." He slid his eyes sideways. "You?"

Walter grimaced. "When he worked at the Bureau."

Mulder made an incensed sound. "That two-timing little—"

"Like that's a surprise, all things considered?" Walter cut in, eyebrows going up.

Mulder stopped, and suddenly grinned. "Okay. Good point. And I suppose I should be relieved. All along I've wondered if I was just a job, or if he really liked guys. I think I can now assume he actually liked guys?"

"I'd say so," Walter snorted. He'd never even doubted that. "He was certainly enthusiastic enough."

Mulder laughed, then glanced over at the bed and lowered his voice. "You don't say," he agreed dryly.

"And he never used it against me. He sure as hell used enough else, so I finally assumed he'd really been in it for me. Well, for the sex." Walter shrugged.

Nodding, Mulder leaned back in his chair. "Same here. I worried about blackmail but nothing ever came of it. Uh, sir? I should probably add at this point that... well, I'm ninety-nine and forty-four one-hundredths percent sure that Alex was my source. My anonymous source, the one that helped us take out the Consortium and do away with the Colonists, the Replicants."

"Your source?" Walter blinked. "He was my source!"

Mulder's head snapped up. "What? Your source? You mean... the tips you were getting? The ones that filled in the blanks on some of my information? That was Krycek?" Thunderclouds gathered on his face at Walter's nods. "What the fuck game was he playing?!"

Walter groaned, and rested his forehead against his hand. "Again, we're surprised by this? For a couple of trained investigators we haven't learned much over the years."

Obviously not yet ready to release his growing anger, Mulder sat forward and glared at Walter. "Why didn't you tell me your source was Krycek?"

Walter gave him an incredulous look. "Hello? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wasn't positive! It sounds like you were."

"Well, it's not like any of the information was signed, but yes, I figured out after a while that it had to be him. And don't tell me you don't think ninety-nine and forty-four one-hundredths percent is pretty damn positive."

Mulder sputtered but with a glance at the bed made an effort to keep his voice low. "I just... I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"And I can't believe you kept telling me your source was so anonymous! At least I had a good reason for not telling you my source was Alex. I just assumed you wouldn't believe a word he said. I mean after all, he did kill your father."

Mulder sat up straighter. "What, and you don't think I had the same reasoning for not telling you? He killed you."

Walter's lips twitched. "I was supposed to stay dead. I didn't. Thanks to him. What's your excuse?"

Mulder rolled his eyes. "My father. Hell, do I need an excuse?"

"No, I suppose you don't," Walter conceded with a half-smile. Now it was his turn to study the fire. "Did he... let you know he was still alive? After everything, I mean."

Mulder started, as if the question was unexpected. "No. I haven't heard from him since before we knew it was over. All of a sudden the information just... stopped. I looked for him a little bit after everything died down. But until today I didn't know he still existed at all."

"Me either," Walter murmured. He glanced at the bed. "It's good to see him."

Mulder ducked his head. "Yeah. I had pretty much assumed the worst when he disappeared. When I realized it was him out there—" His voice roughened and he didn't finish the sentence.

Walter turned back to the fire and laughed, mindful of the volume. "And here I was thinking I was going to have to figure out a way to keep you from arresting him or smacking him around."

"Same here," Mulder muttered.

Watching the flames dance for long minutes Walter finally sighed deeply and offered, "I guess I can understand why you wouldn't have told me you thought he was your source. I never gave you any indication that I'd listen to anything Krycek said."

He heard the answering long sigh from Mulder's chair and looked up. "Same here," the other man repeated, still grudging. But after a moment he continued. "It was hard enough as it was. At first I kept wondering if I was doing the right thing, trusting the information. If you'd told me your suspicions on your source I would have probably figured it was all some sort of trap and maybe we wouldn't have gotten as far as we did as fast as we did."

"Something tells me he knows the two of us better than either of us ever knew him," Walter murmured wryly.

Mulder snorted then suddenly fixed Walter with an odd look. "Speaking of knowing him..." He paused, and the silence hung just long enough to feel a little uncomfortable. Walter stiffened. He thought he knew what was coming. Mulder cleared his throat. "You said something. Just a bit ago." Mulder's long fingers tapped restlessly on the arms of his chair. His slouched posture was still relaxed but there was a coiled alertness about him. "Something about the best thing to do with Alex is to take control."

Walter's lips curled up. "Why do I have the feeling I know what you're going to say."

"Just wondering... what you meant by that?" Mulder offered innocently and Walter had the overwhelming urge to throw a pillow at that bland face. Well, fine. If that was the way Mulder wanted to play it.

"I meant that if you get assertive he tends to fall into line," Walter responded smoothly. "I'm sure you've noticed that in the past. I've watched you be overly aggressive with him at times and the way he responds to it."

Mulder gave him a shrewd smile. "Fine, fine. If you're going to be vague, I'll say it plainly." He glanced at the bed where Alex was snoring softly and lowered his voice even more. "Were your experiences that he responded... the same way in the bedroom?"

Walter grinned. "And how. So, I take it we both had the same Alex in bed?"

"I get the feeling we did."

"More proof it was real for him," Walter murmured, eyes drawn to the bed as well. He looked back at Mulder. Mulder, a highly intelligent, intuitive man. A man he liked and respected, most of the time. Someone he could talk to, finally, about Alex. Someone who would actually understand. Because he'd been there too. "Ah, I know this could get... awkward. Us working together if we talk openly about this." He cleared his throat and plowed on, ignoring the sane voice that was calling out in the back of his head, warning him he was truly losing it. "But, well, I consider you more than an employee, Mulder. I consider you a friend. I have for some time. Given the fact that our job here is apparently done for us, what say we treat this as personal time, away from work, and understand that it has different parameters than our Monday to Friday lives? Give ourselves a break. None of what is said here affects our work lives."

Mulder relaxed noticeably in the chair. "I'd like that, si—... Walter."

Walter nodded, pleased. He kicked the little sane voice into silence again. "In that case, tell me. When he was with you...," he leaned forward and lowered his voice to match Mulder's pitch. "Did he want you to be really forceful?"

Mulder shifted forward himself. "Maybe we should define 'really', but yeah, you could say that. Liked it rough and liked it often." His eyes glinted with wickedness. "Did he want you to tie him up?"

"Constantly! I'm sure there are hotel headboards that still have the scars on them from the handcuffs."

"You should see the legs of my table! I'm just thankful Scully never seemed to notice."

"Your table? He did that with you, too?"

"It was one of his favorites."

"Well, that and over the back of a chair..."

"Oh yeah, that one too!"

"Did he want you to spank him? And did it make him a total slut?"

"Oooooh yeah." Mulder's voice hit a new low.

On cue the snickers started until they were both laughing so hard it was almost impossible to keep it down, but they still struggled, not wanting to wake the man in the bed. Yet. Walter was reminded of years ago, a younger self and fellow Marines, getting a little drunk and trading stories about their girls, their exploits... and he could almost feel guilty. His conscience almost nagged at him. Almost.

Except this was Alex Krycek. Alex. Alex, who had played them both like guitars. Not once, but twice. Alex, who had disappeared again, without a trace, after slipping all that information to Walter and getting his hopes up. Alex, who had been alive for months and hadn't had the decency to let Walter know even though it had been safe to come out of hiding ever since the dust settled. And Walter had made sure that word got around. But no, this was Alex, who stayed away and let people who cared about him think the worst and didn't even call or write or email or just give some sign that he wasn't dead in a ditch somewhere. Who obviously would have kept himself hidden too, if something hadn't happened out in the woods. Something that let him be knocked unconscious long enough for Walter and Mulder to trip over him.

So no, dammit. Walter was not going to let his conscience nag him at all about having this conversation, or about laughing with Mulder, or... or any of it. Surely Alex Krycek deserved a little something at their hands. If some jocular kiss-and-telling was the height of it, he was getting off easy and...

And...

And why exactly should he get off easy?

The sane voice in his head got tromped by the not-so-sane voice that started repeating 'oh god, you are thinking what I think you're thinking.'

And the gleefully wicked voice just got louder still.

He drew a long breath. If he said it, it was out there. No taking it back. He looked across at Mulder. A risk but... worth it? He considered his agent. A creative mind if ever there was one. And a man who liked those extreme possibilities. He felt a slow smile stretch his lips.

"Mulder, I've got this idea. What say we teach Mr. Krycek that he doesn't know us as well as he thinks he might..."

Mulder opened the car door and exited into the biting cold, a shudder racing through him. He spent a moment appreciating the fact that they'd gone enough off the coordinates to find Alex. If they hadn't, he'd have been a Krycicle by now.

Full dark had fallen while he was out shopping and it gave the cold more force. He leaned back into the lingering heat of the car to gather up the multiple bags from the back seat. Just the sight of the burgundy paper bags with their black writing brought a not-entirely-uncomfortable flush of heat to his cheeks.

Was he really doing this?

When Skinner... Walter... had first broached the idea he'd almost choked all over again. His staid boss was certainly surprising the hell out of him this trip. Maybe Vicki had slipped a little something into that hot chocolate.

Of course, he was an old hand at knowing how Alex Krycek brought out odd traits in a guy. He looped the black plastic handles over each arm, piled more on top of arms, and backed out of the car, bumping the door closed with his hip. Even in the frigid air, he couldn't help but pause, staring at the huge old remodeled barn that held their room. The innkeeper had taken great delight in telling them how they loved the looks of panic on the faces of their guests when they first saw the barn from the outside, and were told that their room lay within.

Mulder didn't pause out of trepidation of the room. He'd already seen enough of the clever work that had transformed the interior of the barn into luxurious rooms. He stood, letting the cold claw its way under his jacket, and wondered about his own sanity. Walter Skinner was his boss. His direct supervisor. Sure, they could say that what went on here didn't affect work, but could they pull it off? He'd just been congratulating himself on not being stupid enough to do anything with his boss.

And this was going to be a little more than going out on a bender together and enjoying the local nightlife, maybe starting a bar fight.

This would permanently affect the way they looked at each other. It had to. Hell, it would affect whether they could look at each other after this.

The icy wind rustled the bags in his arms. The thought of the contents made a small spark of warmth curl in his gut, spread up through his chest and down to his groin. A slow smile tilted his lips.

Alex Krycek. In his room. Naked in his bed.

The smile became a grin. A grin that would have sent said Alex Krycek racing straight out the glass porch doors and into the snow, naked or no.

And he knew that no matter what affect it had, this was going to be worth it.

Hurrying across the slick parking lot to the barn he shouldered his way inside. Breathing easier in the warmer, moister air he realized that something had changed. Knowing that Skinner—Walter, he corrected himself again, calling him Skinner would just make this too strange—had slept with Krycek changed something irrevocably. Sure, he worked for the man. Sure, things might get awkward. But that infectious grin and the wicked glint in his boss' eyes had caught him, let him see a side of Skinner he hadn't suspected. A side of Skinner that Krycek had obviously discovered and already experienced.

He forced down the swell of jealousy that Alex had been doing Skinner during their own affair. Jealousy over Alex could make things get very weird, very quickly. Best to concentrate on the illicit excitement that had poured through him at Skinner's words. Concentrate on the pure charge he'd experienced at realizing Skinner wasn't joking.

Concentrate on the impossible lure the idea held for him.

Still grinning, he reached their door and knocked once to let Ski—Walter know he was back, then pushed his way inside. Walter stood before him holding up a finger to his lips.

"Still asleep?" Mulder whispered.

"Woke up, I poured some more chocolate down him, and he was out again. How'd you make out?"

"Great." Mulder let the evil grin spread across his face once more. "Burlington is quite the cosmopolitan little town."

"I got that sense when we flew in," Walter nodded. "Can I see?" He waved impatiently at the bags.

Mulder nodded but kept hold of the bags as he kicked snow off his boots and then heeled them off. Going to the second bed he glanced over at Alex's sleeping form as he set the bags down. "Was he pretty with it when he woke up?"

"Definitely." Walter stationed himself between the beds, blocking Mulder's view of Alex. "I cleaned up his head and we were right—barely a scratch. Now that he's warmed up he's just exhausted and we're taking care of that now. We don't have anything to worry about on that front." He waved at the bags again. "Come on... give."

Mulder grinned, dragging it out just a bit longer. "So, you're still game for this? Even if it could get really weird for... well, for you and me?"

Walter grinned back at Mulder, arms crossing over his chest. "I'm thinking we can handle it. Because I'm thinking... it's worth it."

Mulder nodded in satisfaction and selected a bag. "You read my mind. And in that case, let's start with this one..."

Alex woke up for the second time fully warmed and rested, and with a bladder complaining loud enough to be heard in the next room. With an irritated grunt he tried to roll onto his side to lever himself out of bed and—

Couldn't.

Confused, he tried to turn to look at what was keeping his arm from moving and discovered his other arm wouldn't comply either. Wide-awake now, he jerked on both arms and found himself firmly cuffed to the headboard, his arms spread wide to either side of his head. Huffing out a sound of pure aggravation he rattled his arms against the headboard and lifted just his head. "Oh for... Hey! I need to piss."

Two heads lifted in unison and swiveled to face him. Two sets of eyes behind the shielding gleam of glasses focused on him. Comfortably ensconced in the two chairs in front of the crackling fireplace Mulder and Skinner looked like an ad for country GQ. They glanced at Alex, turned back to each other, and folded their respective magazines shut.

"I think he's awake, Walter."

"I have to agree with you there, Mulder. Finally. Wondered when he'd rejoin the living."

"Hello, I need to use the bathroom now," Alex snapped, shaking his arms again with growing anger when neither man rose. "And since you've obviously decided to get all g-men on me, I could use a little assistance getting out of bed."

"Definitely awake," Mulder nodded at Skinner.

"Most definitely," Skinner agreed, still in his chair.

Alex stopped himself from screaming at them with an exertion of pure will, though his bladder was doing enough screaming to make it more challenging than usual. Their casual tones of voice had finally registered and a chill chased down his spine. Nobody sounded that casual and jovial unless they were quite confident they were in control and planning to exercise that control. Especially not these two. Alex drew in a slow breath, wished desperately that he didn't have to pee quite so badly, and glared at the two men watching him expectantly. "What. Do. You. Want."

As if on cue, both stood. Mulder removed his glasses. "Well Alex, we've decided we want you to be a bit nicer to us. After all, we did rescue you. Brought you in from the cold and the snow, got you all warmed up again."

"Handcuffed me to the bed," Alex added sarcastically.

"That too," Skinner nodded, and both he and Mulder smiled.

Alex stiffened. "What the hell is this? Have you two lost it? There's not even anything left to arrest me for! Let me go! I really need to use the bathroom."

"We understand, Alex." Skinner drew up on the right side of the bed. "And you will. As soon as you ask nicely."

"Ask—" he almost choked, yanking at his cuffed arms again uselessly. "Dammit, will you just let me up?!"

Mulder paused on the left side of the bed, meeting Skinner's eyes over the thrashing body. "That wasn't very nice."

"No, I wouldn't say so," Skinner agreed.

Alex flung himself back against the pillows and groaned, closing his eyes and counting to ten. What the fuck. Whatever was up with these two he knew he could handle it if he could just take care of the urgent need to PISS. Fine. He couldn't believe he was doing this but they obviously had their hearts set on being total assholes. It was just words. He ground his teeth together and managed to keep most of the irritation out of his voice when he said, "I need to use the bathroom. Will you please let me up?"

"Much better. Of course we will," Skinner said promptly, and bent over the right cuff while Mulder bent over the left. As each lifted an arm they leaned across the bed and recuffed his arms together in front of him.

Jerking against the restraints reflexively, Alex sat up and scowled at them as they each backed up a step. He swung his legs to the side and started to rise, then sat back down again.

"It's all yours." Mulder waved a hand toward the bathroom, an innocent expression on his face that told Alex he knew exactly what the problem was.

"Can I have a robe or... something?" Again he worked hard to keep the edge out of his voice, almost succeeding.

Mulder tapped his lips with one finger and gave every indication of pondering. "Um... let me think... no."

"Definitely no," Skinner's voice came from behind Alex then the man himself walked around the bottom of the bed into Alex's line of sight. "But please help yourself to the facilities."

Alex opened his mouth but couldn't for the life of him think of an appropriate response. Or any response at all. What the fuck were these two playing at? "Excuse me?" he finally croaked.

"No robe," Mulder clarified. "Or anything. Not yet anyway."

Alex stared from one to the other in disbelief. Both faces beamed back at him as if it was perfectly normal to deny him clothes and make him walk to the bathroom naked in front of them. The chill that had chased down his spine suddenly reappeared at the base of his neck and the small hairs there rose on end. Before he had a chance to pin down his unease a rush of marginally cooler air hit him all at once as the blankets were yanked off him from the end of the bed. He jerked back against the pillows, hands dropping into his lap self-consciously. "What the fuck?!"

"Tsk... language. And why so shy, Alex?" Skinner asked from the foot of the bed, folding the quilts together. "Not like it's anything we haven't seen before. Earlier today in fact."

Screw these jackasses. They weren't going to get the better of him with a little macho humor. Firming his chin and forcing himself away from the pillows, Alex planted his feet flat on the floor and stood, trying to ignore the color sweeping into his cheeks. Ignoring both men he started for the bathroom then stopped and held his hands out to Mulder. "I sort of need my hands for this," he growled.

Mulder shrugged and smiled and made no move to unlock him. "You'll manage."

A wave of pure fury poured through Alex from head to toe but he doubted punching Mulder in the gut would get him out of the cuffs and into clothes any faster. Without another word he stalked into the bathroom, slamming the door with a shove of his shoulder at the sound of the chuckles from the outer room.

Bastards! The fucking war was over, he'd helped them end it, where did they get off cuffing him?! He got himself in hand awkwardly, aimed and let loose... and almost choked as he stared down at his cuffed wrists.

Cuffed together with three-inch wide black leather cuffs, lined with fleece.

Somehow he doubted the FBI had taken to issuing bondage gear in place of handcuffs.

He stared at his hands, trying to force his brain to work. To comprehend what he was seeing. This couldn't be what it looked like. This was Fox Mulder and Walter Skinner, for fuck's sake. FBI Agents. The good guys.

Yes, whispered a soft voice in the back of his mind, and you've worn cuffs like these for both of them in the past.

But that had been years ago. Before all the lies and betrayal and death and... everything. Before he'd lost both of them to his own stupidity and his own willingness to do what needed to be done. He'd assumed a long time ago that neither of them would even think of touching him again.

He stared at the black leather restraining his wrists and felt a cold sensation of confusion and fear settle in his stomach.

Walter whistled softly as he leaned against the wall across from the bathroom door. He glanced at his watch then at Mulder. "Think he's noticed the cuffs?"

Mulder smirked. "It's a good bet. He's an observant boy."

"What do you suppose he's making of it?" Walter grinned.

"If there was a window in the bathroom, I'd be concerned."

Walter laughed then turned his attention back to the bathroom as the door edged open. Alex stuck his head through, staring at Walter like he'd never seen him before. Walter gave him a wide smile. Alex went a shade paler.

"What the hell's going on?"

"If you're finished in there I think Mulder and I will be asking the questions," he answered, stepping forward and pushing the door back, catching Alex's arm and guiding him out of the bathroom. Mulder fell in on their prisoner's other side, catching the other arm and preventing Alex from twisting away. Together they walked him back to the bed and pushed him down onto it. Walter rounded the bed and got a good grip on Alex's right arm while Mulder unhooked the cuffs from each other. In short order they had Alex cuffed to the headstand again.

Leaning against the pile of pillows, chest rising and falling too quickly, cheeks pink, Alex glowered at both of them. "What are you two playing at? Since when does the FBI issue these cuffs? You don't have anything outstanding on me, you don't have any reason or right to cuff me or hold me or question me at all." He kicked out with one leg and swore when Mulder stepped back too quickly for the foot to connect.

"Now now, none of that," Walter leaned against the bedpost at the foot of the bed and spoke mildly. "Or we'll have to cuff your feet too." Alex's blistering gaze transferred to him, and Walter had to bite his lip to keep from smiling at the ire in the green eyes. He'd waited a long time to be looking into those eyes again. He had to admit, he rather appreciated the circumstances. "We just thought you'd be more comfortable in those cuffs. After all, you might be in them for a while. We can change over to the standard issue if you'd prefer? No?" He smiled at Alex's snarl. "Okay then. You're right, of course, there's nothing outstanding on you. Nothing for us to officially hold you on. Not even for questioning." He looked over at Mulder. "What was it we decided on, Mulder?"

Mulder put on a show of thinking again and dropped to sit on the other bed. "Let's see... I think we decided... oh, I know what it was!" He snapped his fingers. "We decided it didn't matter, because nobody 'officially' knows we have him."

"Right, right!" Walter chimed in. "That was it." He paced back to his chair and sat down. "We don't need any reasons because we won't be making any reports. What the FBI doesn't know won't hurt it."

"You can't do that." Alex's hands clenched into fists.

Walter looked to Mulder then they both looked back to Alex. "We can't?" they chorused, as if it had been rehearsed.

Alex drew up one leg, then forced it back flat again as if he realized the movement gave away his self-consciousness. "It's illegal," he spat. "Not to mention unethical. But what am I saying? The two of you have never felt much need to follow your precious legalities when it comes to me. I guess some things never change, eh?"

Walter pushed himself out of his chair and stalked back over to the bed until he could lean directly over Alex's face. He closed the distance slowly, pleased that Alex couldn't move away as he loomed closer. "Got that right, boy. Some things never change. And something tells me you're one of them." He stared into the wide green eyes and almost laughed again when Alex's gaze dropped first. He straightened up but stayed where he was. The view was too damn delicious. Alex all stretched out and naked, cuffed and flushed and struggling. Helpless. It had been too long. Far, far too long. As he stared down at the man on the bed, one long leg drew up again restlessly. "Cold, Alex?" he asked, softening his voice to a rumbling purr. "Wouldn't be very responsible of us to let you get chilled again, now would it. Mulder?"

Mulder stood at the summons and Walter watched as Alex's head jerked to the side, tracking Mulder's movements with something like fear. When Mulder approached the bed with a light gray bundle in his hands Walter felt rather than saw Alex relax. He wondered with an internal chuckle how long the relief would last. He moved down his side of the bed and caught Alex's right ankle as Mulder caught his left and together they pulled the soft, worn long-underwear bottoms onto him. The thin, well-washed material molded to the long legs as they dragged it up over knees and thighs before settling it over his hips and groin. Bought for Mulder, they stretched to their limit on Alex's thicker body.

Alex stared resolutely at the ceiling, giving Walter ample opportunity to appreciate the way the tight weave clung to the gentle swell of his cock and balls. He stepped back and caught Mulder making the same perusal. Alex's legs shifted uncomfortably, drawing his eye again. He reflected that he couldn't exactly blame Mulder... Alex was almost sexier in the barely-there underwear than he was naked. Whether Alex felt their interested eyes or he was just starting to react predictably to being cuffed and man-handled, Walter thought he detected a certain rise in interest from their prisoner's crotch. He almost reached out to check with his hand but decided that dragging out the suspense for Alex a little while longer promised too much fun.

After all, they hadn't confirmed for their little trapped rat exactly what he could expect. Yet.

Backing up a few steps he leaned against the bedpost again, safely out of reach of any unexpected kicks. Alex's gaze jerked down from the ceiling to stare at him warily. Mulder mirrored his position on the other side of the bed and Alex's eyes jumped to him.

"You guys have lost it," Alex breathed, looking back and forth between the two of them, hostility boiling off him in waves.

"And we're hoping you found it for us," Mulder responded immediately. "Big, invisible ship? Set off our sensors? Somewhere out in the woods where we found you?"

Alex's face chilled down to nothingness though Walter could still see nervousness in the rapidity of his blinks, the unevenness of his breath. "Don't know what you're talking about."

Walter laughed. "Oh Alex. I told Mulder you wouldn't answer us. Let's try again. What were you doing out in the woods? How'd you end up unconscious and courting frostbite? And just to be clear," he lowered his voice and let a nasty note creep in, "I'm really hoping you keep refusing to answer. Gets us to the fun part that much quicker."

Alex's eyes widened and Walter watched his throat work as he swallowed. "Look, I don't know what the hell is wrong with you two but you're obviously not thinking straight. The war's over. I helped you win it, damn it! I'm not the enemy. I haven't been for a long time and don't tell me you hadn't already figured that out. There's no ship out there now. Isn't that the important thing? Fuck!" His voice hit a strident note. "What do you guys want from me?!"

"Oh plenty. But for now we'll just keep asking questions and racking up the non-answers. You just get so much more leeway with uncooperative captives. So, let's see... you helped us win the war?" Walter inquired as if the answer was of absolutely no consequence whatsoever. "And how would that be?"

Alex's head lifted and he fixed Walter with a hard look. "Your source? Who did you think was feeding you all that information."

"Thought it was probably you," Walter offered.

"Duh," Alex muttered.

"But then," Walter continued, still casual, "my source stopped sending me information. I never really got confirmation of who he was. And once he disappeared I didn't know whether he was dead or alive."

"You won," Alex snorted. "That's all that mattered."

"Not exactly," Mulder's soft voice chimed. "I don't know, Alex, things don't look so good for you. Want to reconsider explaining what you were doing out in the woods?"

"Or perhaps telling us where the hell you've been for months on end?" Walter added.

"Where you went when you disappeared?" Mulder asked.

"Why the information just stopped showing up?" Walter fell into the rhythm easily.

"Why you fell off the face of the earth?"

"How you knew to show up here? Now?"

"Where the extra arm came from?"

Alex's face flared with anger, eyes flicking from side to side, trying to keep both of them in his line of sight. "What are you two playing at? I don't have to tell you a goddamned thing! I don't owe you any explanations and I sure as hell don't have to answer to you."

Walter shot a satisfied look over at Mulder. "See what I mean? That's the spirit, Alex. Uncooperative. Think uncooperative." Returning to the chair he'd been sitting in he reached down on the far side of it and rummaged in the burgundy bags. He reemerged with another set of the black leather cuffs, slightly larger. Walking back to the bed he tossed one to Mulder then reached out and snagged Alex's right ankle. Wrapping the cuff around the bony ankle he ignored the outraged exclamations and the struggles.

With each of them holding an ankle and no leverage to speak of Alex didn't stand a chance of jerking away. Walter sat on the mattress and faced the end of the bed, securing Alex's lower leg under his arm so he could hold the leg still while fastening the cuff. Standing again, he stretched Alex's leg out to the side with a firm grip. "Spread him nice and wide, Mulder," he said conversationally, looping the leather hold around the bedpost and securing it, then readjusting the length of chain running from it to the ankle cuff. He shortened it another couple links, enough to restrict Alex's movements further.

"What in hell?!" Alex's body bounced against the bed as he tried to thrash. "You're fucking nuts! Both of you! What kind of sick freaks bring bondage gear on a business trip? I thought you guys came up here for the FBI, not your own personal perverted sex games—" Alex's attempt at a nasty sneer fell flat due to the breathy, nervous quality in his husky voice.

"Oh, we did come here for the FBI," Walter murmured, watching in pleasure as Mulder efficiently took care of the other leg, leaving Alex bound to the bed, legs spread and held apart. He smiled at the sight of Alex's thigh muscles contracting uselessly, visible through the thin underwear. He dragged his eyes slowly up over the widespread crotch on display, the lump of Alex's balls clearly delineated under the stretched waffle-weave. He finally managed to force his eyes to coast up over the heaving stomach and chest, to the bright red face. "We were telling you the truth," he assured Alex calmly. "Both of us. This trip was strictly on the up and up. We rented this room together to save on costs for the Bureau."

"We aren't fooling around with each other," Mulder added from the other side of the bed, also indulging in the eye candy available. "We never have. We came here on business and never would have even thought of dallying in perverted sex games. Except, of course, until you brought it up."

"Exactly. Because then, well... once the topic was in play, we started comparing notes," Walter added casually, feeling a thrill of triumph at the pure fear that lit Alex's eyes at his words. "See, you got us thinking, Alex. About why you immediately started throwing sexual accusations at us. And that got us talking. And you'd never guess, but turns out we have lots in common, Mulder and I. More than we'd ever expected." He walked slowly beside the bed, extending his hand to hover just over Alex's knee then up over his twitching thigh. "Starting with... you." His hand dropped heavily onto Alex's crotch in time with his final word. Alex jerked but had nowhere to move, no way to escape Walter's hand closing over his cock, rubbing none too gently before moving on to fondle his balls freely.

"Cut it out!" Alex's voice went higher than Walter had ever heard it, even as he felt Alex's dick swell under his fingers.

"Why should I? You seem to like it. And don't you want to hear what Mulder and I found we had in common?"

Alex's head started shaking rapidly back and forth but Mulder got the distinct impression Alex didn't even realize it. Satisfaction spread through him like the heady fire of a good drink at seeing Alex so rattled. It was a good look on him. Mulder felt his own cock swell in his jeans at the sight of Walter's big hand working between Alex's legs, Alex helpless to move away or evade.

Deciding he wanted in on the touching, Mulder moved up to stand opposite Walter again and leaned over to nudge the other man's hand back with his own, telling himself he didn't do so out of jealousy or possessiveness. With only a knowing smirk, Walter dragged his hand up to stroke over Alex's stomach. Mulder didn't even pause to touch the tempting hard-on starting to tent the underwear, but simply reached through the Y-front fly of the underwear with sure fingers and moved the stretchy material aside until he could get to skin. Heated skin. Ignoring the yelped "What are you doing?!" Mulder wrapped his fingers around hot, hardening flesh and guided Alex's rising dick back out through the holes until it stuck up out of the underwear. He smiled down at it in a moment of sweet nostalgia... just as he remembered. Not especially long, but nice and fat. Squeezing once, he ran his thumb up the underside then released Alex completely.

"But finding out what we had in common was really fascinating, Alex," he murmured while his fingers dug greedily back into the underwear, feeling around and tugging Alex's plump balls out into sight as well. The Y-front stretched to accommodate Mulder's hand and the ample scrotum, then hugged back into place leaving Alex's cock and balls hanging out in the air. His bared genitals bounced gently as Alex wriggled his hips on the bed, trying uselessly to avoid the invasion of Mulder's hand. "We discovered we both made the same mistake a number of years ago. Isn't that funny?" He smiled down at Alex as he took his hand away completely. "What are the odds? We both fell for a two-timing little slutrat who was sticking his ass in the air for anyone who would tie him to a bed."

"Imagine our surprise," Walter put in, "when we found out we'd both had you and when we really started comparing notes. In detail."

Mulder almost laughed aloud at the wicked grin Walter sported and the shocked look on Alex's face. Both he and Walter started nodding even as Alex's head shaking got more emphatic.

"No—" Alex croaked, and the flush of embarrassment flared from his throat straight up to his hairline, even his ears going pink.

"Oh yes," Mulder and Walter chorused together.

"Look, that was a long time ago." Alex spoke fast and low, his voice carrying a strangled note of hysteria now. "I mean you wouldn't... You guys know I had a job, and you know I've tried to make up for it since then and... and—"

"And done more harm than good along the way?" Mulder offered sweetly when Alex faltered.

"No! Well, yes, but I've tried to fix that too! You know I have. You guys admitted to knowing I was your source! I mean, you guys can't think... you can't... you wouldn't just... I mean, you can't!"

Mulder sighed. "There's that word again," he said with mock seriousness as he sat down on the bed. "Don't you remember what happens when people tell me I can't do something, Alex?"

Walter grinned at Mulder's response and settled down on the bed at Alex's other side. "And Alex, really, you seem to have a mistaken idea of what we can and can't do."

He spread his hand out, sinking his fingers into the slight extra flesh Alex carried at his waistline. In direct contrast to his own lifelong dedication to maintaining minimal percent body fat, he'd always loved the well-padded figure of his younger lover. After the occasional bouts of spareness he'd watched Alex cycle through in the years since their affair, he was delighted to see the boy was filling out again. The gently rounded stomach drew his touch like a magnet and added to the sensuality of the body on the bed. He pinched a luscious handful of flesh then stroked his way to the navel, thrusting his fingertip into the sensitive hole and giving it a teasing wriggle. With an effort he picked up the thread of conversation again. "The fact is there isn't a lot we can't do and you'd be wise to remember that."

Mulder nodded at Walter. "I'd say he's not only a little confused about what we can and can't do, but also what we will and won't do. We actually discussed it while you were sleeping, Alex. We think you're laboring under an unfortunate misconception about us. Maybe more than one."

"Yes," Walter shook his head gravely and continued to play at thrusting in and out of Alex's navel, letting his other hand coast up over the heaving ribcage, fingers circling a tightening nipple. "You think you know us so well, Alex."

"But maybe you don't," Mulder's voice dropped to a husky whisper. "Maybe you don't know us anywhere near as well as you think you do." Mulder reached for the other nipple Walter left ignored. Rather than teasing as Walter was doing, with ever-smaller circles around the nub, Mulder just reached out and tugged with forefinger and thumb, apparently oblivious to Alex's yelp. He pinched and rolled the nipple between his fingers over and over until it stood up straight and started to swell under his ministrations. Walter caught himself licking his lips and sucked in a breath as Mulder began to rub his thumb back and forth over the nipple repeatedly.

Alex moaned and twisted, then bit his lip and tried to choke back the sound. "Stop it! For fuck's sake think about this! You think I don't know what you can do? What you will do? Maybe I don't, but I know you both well enough to know you wouldn't rape anyone! You don't have it in you."

Walter burst out laughing and heard Mulder start to snicker at the same time. "Rape?" Walter gasped, and lost it all over again, one arm wrapping around his own waist as he shook with laughter, balancing himself with his hand on Alex's stomach.

"You've got to be kidding," Mulder snorted, glancing down pointedly at Alex's dick sticking up out of his underwear, waving at them.

Alex's face flushed darker and he avoided their eyes. "I'm tied to the fucking bed!" he hollered.

"So?" Walter challenged bluntly between guffaws. "Who do you think you're kidding? You like it like that, if we remember correctly. Prefer it in fact." Alex growled low in his throat, eyes sparking with anger, and Walter gave him a sunny smile. "We're only going to give you exactly what you really want. You know Alex, for as long as I've known you, and I'm sure even longer than that, I think you've gotten by on the concept that you can rely on most people to be nicer than you. You don't trust much of anything but you do trust the average person to have more limits than you do. To have a functioning conscience, to not be as willing to do the things you do. And I'm betting it's served you pretty well. But it's about to fail you and fail you big, because this isn't something you can guilt us out of by pulling the 'rape' card or the 'you guys are better than me' card. It's not going to fly because this time," Walter held the pause for a long moment then smiled widely, "this time we're just not better than you."

Mulder shook his head and pinched the swollen nipple, smiling at the sharp intake of breath Alex couldn't disguise. "Well said, Walter. Not at all better. And we're kinda enjoying falling to your level, Alex."

Walter nodded. "See, we're prepared to go out on a limb here, based on our recently discovered shared history with you. And based on the fact that you owe us." He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow at Mulder.

Mulder picked up the theme, his voice going throaty. "You deserve this, Alex, and you need it. What's more, you want it, but let's stick with deserving and needing right now. You know you do. We know you do. We're calling in your debt and teaching you a little lesson at the same time. And it's just that simple."

"WHAT?"

Walter grinned at the outraged outburst, leaned forward and licked Alex's right nipple. In direct contrast to Mulder's rougher attentions, he kept his mouth all lips and tongue, wet and gentle. Sliding his eyes sideways he watched Mulder's fingers pluck the tender peak on the other side of Alex's chest and he sucked on the one in his mouth at the same time. Alex gave a choked wail and his body shuddered. Lifting away, Walter smiled down at Alex, admiring the way his mouth hung open as he gasped for air. "Like that? Don't worry, you don't have to answer. I know you do."

"OWE YOU?!" The scathing fire in Alex's voice impressed Walter, given the way his body was betraying him.

"Oh yes," Mulder chimed. "This is long overdue. You owe both of us and we intend to collect. And what with comparing notes, we're finally getting a sense of what the debt actually looks like."

"And you just keep racking it up," Walter added with a sigh.

"Mm," Mulder made a sound of disapproving agreement, looking over at Walter and nodding. "Uncooperative."

"Very uncooperative," Walter confirmed. "And all that foul language."

"Walter and I have decided that the old 'pound of flesh' is particularly apt in settling this particular debt, given the circumstances." Mulder tweaked the nipple under his fingers.

Alex seemed to draw himself inward, coiling as if he would actually burst the bonds, then spat, "I don't owe the two of you a damn thing!" He sucked in a breath and roared, "Get me OFF this bed RIGHT NOW and LET ME GO!"

Walter sighed. "You know, the gag threat still stands, Alex," he warned.

"Owe YOU! You ungrateful, bloody-minded bastards! OWE YOU! I'll kill you with my goddamned bare hands! After all I do for you—"

Walter rolled his eyes and turned to Mulder. "Shall we?"

"—fucking balls to tie me up and—"

Mulder shook his head and shrugged. "Looks like we'll have to."

"—sit there and act like fucking gods on high, judge and jury, like I need to report—"

Walter rolled to his feet, went to the burgundy bags and returned.

"—punished! Like I need to explain myself to you two federal assholes—"

Climbing onto the bed again he caught Alex's chin, pulled down on his lower jaw and forced the bit gag into his mouth. In seconds he and Mulder had it secured behind Alex's head and Alex was thrashing his head back and forth against the pillow, making unintelligible sounds of protest.

Walter shrugged and patted his cheek. "We did warn you," he said simply. "Now then, if you'll quiet down and listen to us, maybe we can take that out again." He paused a moment and sure enough the muffled noises stopped, though the look in Alex's eyes told Walter he better hope the cuffs held up to their specs. "Such a little spitfire." He reached out and pinched Alex's cheek then ruffled his hair, laughing when the head whipped around as if Alex would bite him. He made a mental note not to try that maneuver when Alex wasn't gagged. "Now then." He sat back and slapped Alex's thigh sharply, looking to Mulder. "Speaking of lessons, I think the boy needs a lesson on exactly what his debt looks like. Then maybe he'll understand the tone of his repayment a little better."

"I think you've hit the nail on the head, Walter. Should I begin or do you want to?"

"Oh, let me." Walter shifted closer and rubbed his hand up the inside of Alex's thigh, letting his knuckles chafe against Alex's balls. He looked down into the angry green eyes and let his voice drop into the dangerous calm that his agents knew too well. "You played us, boy. You played us both, twice over, three times in fact. Like fine violins." He leaned closer and held Alex's eyes with his own. "And I don't much like having my strings plucked." At the wary look on the mobile face, he held up one hand and raised one finger. "You carried on with both of us at the same time, going back and forth between our beds." He smiled in satisfaction as the eyes widened. He wondered if Alex was starting to get it.

"We realize we shouldn't have been surprised. That we should have actually expected it. But call us stupid," Mulder shrugged and toyed with Alex's reddened left nipple again. "We only just found out and we're still a little... annoyed. You know, masculine pride and all."

"Annoyed," Walter nodded and held up a second finger. "Then of course there's the issue that you were lying to both of us back then about who you were, playing us both for idiots, but hey, we both found that one out a long time ago, and we've dealt with it." He held up a third finger. "To return to the more recent infractions, the ones we just figured out today, the ones that are still—" he slapped Alex's thigh again "—stinging... let's chat about your role as mysterious informant to the rebellion."

Alex blinked and stared from one to the other. He lay almost still now, just the barest movements that almost looked involuntary. His chest still heaved and his cock still twitched but his face was different, listening.

"Talk about playing us," Mulder drawled. "Informing to both of us, knowing we wouldn't tell each other who we suspected of giving the information. Giving one of us some of the picture, giving the other one just enough to fill in the extra brush strokes. Making it seem like the sources were two different people. Making us jump to your tune. Were you feeding Scully tidbits too, Alex?"

The dark head shook madly against the pillow and suddenly the noises behind the gag started up again. Walter smiled. Yes, he thought perhaps Alex was finally getting the fact that this time around, things were not the same old dog and pony show.

"We aren't pleased about that," Walter intoned, careful to keep his voice low and dangerous. He moved his hand to cradle the warm scrotum but kept his voice clinical, detached. He watched Alex stiffen under his touch. "Even knowing it all worked out in the long run, even suspecting a lot of why you may have played it the way you did, even understanding that it may have been the best method for the circumstances... it still doesn't make us happy. See, it makes us feel used again. Makes us feel like we're dancing to your music. Like we just... keep... dancing. Give us enough information so we both suspect, but don't know. Give us both what we need to hear, and keep us hooked and hanging. So familiar when dealing with you."

"And then, even worse." Mulder's voice went soft again and took on a remote tone that had Alex rolling his head to the left instantly, eyes watchful. "You disappeared. Again. On both of us."

"That made twice you pulled that disappearing act," Walter said. "Two times of just up and going, no note, no number, no indication of when or why, no contact at all. And this time, you just let us think you were dead."

"How could you, Alex?" Mulder heard the hurt plain in both of their voices but couldn't be bothered to try to disguise it in his own. If Alex didn't figure it out anyway he wasn't as smart as they thought he was. Silence hung for a long moment then he spoke again, his hand moving restlessly on Alex's chest in time with his words.

"That wasn't nice at all, Alex. As we got to discussing things, Walter and I, we discovered that we were both pretty displeased with you over that one. And we decided what you really needed was a memorable lesson in not running away from us. We thought immediate administration of the lesson would be best." He smoothed his fingers back and forth over Alex's nipple then pinched it up to a hard peak again. Standing up from the bed he walked away to rustle in the bags then came back with a slim silver chain heavy in his hand. He let it fall into a small pile on Alex's chest then sat and pinched the nipple up again, plucking at it. When it stood up away from his chest Mulder pressed open the small clamp on one end of the chain and settled it firmly on the nipple. Rubber guards cushioned the little metal teeth but Alex's back still bowed, his chest arching up away from the bed, head pressing back into the pillows. A throaty noise escaped from behind the gag. Mulder tugged gently at the chain attached to the clamp, then turned the screw in the side to make the pressure a little firmer. "And then there's all this latest mess with the ship. Once again, business as usual with Alex Krycek."

Walter's voice, when it came, sounded husky to Mulder's ears. He glanced over to see the other man staring at the clamped nub while he spoke. "Showing up here in Vermont. Scooping us on the ship. Refusing to answer simple questions. Being so... uncooperative." As Mulder watched Skinner tugged lightly on Alex's bared balls and the bound man's hips squirmed.

Mulder nodded and shifted his attention back to Alex's face, smiling broadly down at him. "Very uncooperative. Not to mention ungrateful."

"Definitely just asking for punishment," Walter rumbled.

"And then we find out about our... shared history and that we both know exactly what kind of punishment is most effective on you," Mulder murmured. He left the clamped nipple and reached down to check the status of Alex's cock. The obviously happy dick throbbed and twitched in his hand. "Apparently still very effective."

Walter reached up and undid the gag, hooking it out of Alex's mouth just in time for a heartfelt groan to escape the freed lips. Alex twisted as much as he could under their hands, sweat standing out on his brow. "You cannot be fucking serious!" Alex rasped.

Mulder laughed. "There's that word again! You're just not getting the picture, are you?"

"Oh, I'm getting the picture just fine... peacetime has made both of you fucking nuts or They were sneakier than I thought and you're both Replicants," Alex snarled.

Mulder and Walter exchanged a look then shifted around on cue and displayed the backs of their necks. "Not clones, either," Mulder added conversationally as he turned to face Alex again. "But forgive me if I don't feel like bleeding for you right now."

"You can't be doing this!" Alex's voice rose again, scratchy and desperate. "You can't be thinking what I think you're thinking! You two work together! You can't just turn me into a sex toy for the night and expect it not to ruin your ability to work together!"

Mulder grinned, dark and eager. "For the night? We were thinking more like for the weekend."

Alex's eyes widened and he gulped.

Walter shrugged and nodded at Mulder. "I know I don't have to hurry back to DC."

"And you were the only one expecting a report from me," Mulder added. "I assume a verbal report on my findings will be fine?"

"Perfectly fine."

"I didn't find the ship that set off the first alert system, sir."

"Thank you for that succinct and decisive report, Agent Mulder. See, Alex? Leave the work concerns to us. Let us worry about it... we'll work that out." Walter stroked Alex's stomach in a soothing motion. "All you need to wrap your pretty little head around is the fact that Mulder and I are exacting a bit of a payment from you and we expect compliance. Or rather, we don't really expect compliance but we will ensure compliance."

"And have a lot of fun doing it," Mulder murmured, tugging on the silver chain until Alex's breath caught in a soft groan.

"And teach you a few manners at the same time," Walter finished with evident satisfaction, patting the soft stomach under his hand. "Leave you with some nice lasting reminders about treating the two of us with more respect."

Mulder rose to his knees beside Alex and looked him up and down, spreading his own thighs and rubbing his cock through his jeans. "We're going to spend the weekend turning our defiant little slutrat into a sweet and compliant little slutpuppy. We've both realized it's what we should have done in the first place. All those years ago. But since neither one of us could seem to manage it on our own, maybe the both of us together can swing it."

Walter patted Alex's stomach once more and shifted off the bed completely. "And to start, obviously, you're desperately in need of a good sound spanking."

"NO!"

The pure horror on Alex's face made Mulder bite his lip, hard, to keep from laughing. Obviously spankings still had the same old effect, if the panic chasing across Alex's expression was any indication. "Oh yes," he intoned as solemnly as he could while biting the insides of his cheeks. "I mean there's really no question you've been extremely bad." He tugged playfully on Alex's cock, which already stood up with increased enthusiasm. "Besides, someone seems pretty interested in the idea."

"Surprise, surprise," Walter interjected dryly from where he had returned to the burgundy bags.

"Okay, guys, you've had your fun, but enough is enough. Let me up now," Alex pleaded, arms tightening against the restraint of the cuffs. "Please, you've made your point."

Mulder balanced himself on his arms and kicked backward with his legs, bouncing off the bed to stand beside it. "No, we haven't even started to make our point yet." He held up his hand to Walter, who tossed him a thin, flat black paddle barely an inch and a half wide. He caught it and tested it lightly against his own thigh. As it had in the store, it made a nice stingy slap. And a wonderful sharp noise. He grinned at Alex's reaction—the dark head swung toward him, already wincing, and each limb tugged uselessly against its tie. "We figured our hands would get too tired much too quickly this weekend," he confided seriously, having to fight laughter again at the way Alex's eyes widened.

"And I hope you're truly appreciating the money Mulder laid out here," Walter added as he approached the other side of the bed, dropping a few things down onto the mattress. Alex craned his head, trying to see them, but Walter reached out and caught his chin, lifting his head until their eyes met. "We obviously didn't have any of the right materials along with us, so Mulder kindly took a drive into Burlington and made some purchases. Very thoughtful of him, really, when you consider he already owns some of this stuff back in DC."

"Can't think of a better use for the money," Mulder murmured, winking at Walter as he fingered the paddle.

Walter released Alex's face and picked up a black leather strap with a buckle. Mulder held out his hand but Walter shook his head. "I want to put it on," he said, gripping the strap tighter.

Mulder pouted, his hands going to his hips, but he gave in. He supposed he couldn't keep grabbing all the fun stuff for himself. This could get interesting, negotiating who got to do what to their captive. Besides, he of all people could appreciate the fun in watching.

He sighed in pleasure as Walter's hand circled Alex's cock and balls, to the distraught protests of the man in question. Under Walter's careful fingers the black leather strap wrapped under the scrotum, up around the cock shaft, and buckled tight. Mulder felt his mouth water at the sight of Alex's swollen genitals bound up and protruding from the black leather. He smiled down at Alex. "That should help keep you a little calmer, considering your reaction to spankings," he taunted.

Alex's entire body flung itself against the restraints with a snarl of rage. "So help me, the two of you better realize what you're getting into, because the minute I get out of this you are DEAD! DEAD! Do you hear me?!"

"Do his feet?" Walter asked mildly.

Mulder nodded. "Sure thing." He crawled onto the bed and straddled Alex's left leg, then carefully unhooked the chain from the loop of leather on the bedpost. Once he had it free, he used his weight to keep Alex's leg immobile as he leaned across and attached the chain to the cuff on the other ankle.

"Suppose we ought to do the arms before we unhook him from the bedposts?" Walter asked.

Mulder nodded. "I'd recommend it." They each unclipped one of the wrist cuffs from the headstand, and leaned into Alex's arms until he stopped fighting against them, exhausting himself in no time.

"YOU BASTARDS!"

"Do you think he realizes he's making things worse for himself?" Walter asked casually.

"Hard to say," Mulder replied, as they each pulled up on Alex's shoulders while keeping a grip on his wrists. They forced him forward into a sitting position and folded his arms up behind his back. "You know him, he's a slut for the punishment. Could be he's actually trying to get more of a spanking."

"I am going to take you APART! Both of you. You assholes are going to wish you'd never seen me out there." Alex's harsh breathing whistled between his clenched teeth. "Hell, you're gonna wish you never met me."

Walter swiveled the clasp and connected the cuffs together behind Alex's back. "You've got a point, Mulder. I remember back in the old days, when he'd 'misbehave' on purpose just to goad me into putting him over my knee..."

"ARGH!" The inarticulate roar of embarrassed rage shook all three of them on the bed.

Mulder grinned at Walter as they both slid backwards, leaving Alex rolling on the bed on his cuffed arms. "Think he's finally getting it through his head that we really meant it when we said we'd compared notes?"

"One can only hope," Walter sighed. Looking down at Alex he reached out and took hold of the silver chain hanging from Alex's left nipple. Alex went still almost instantly at the increased pressure on his nipple, catching his breath.

"Now Alex, I'm getting tired of this." Walter maintained the pressure on the clamped nipple and leaned into Alex's face. "You know you're getting spanked, you know it's going to be a good long one, and you know you deserve it. Fighting is only going to make it harder on you. If that's what you want, keep it up. Otherwise, CUT IT OUT." The full bore Marine drill sergeant growl poured out of him with an ease that reminded him how much he'd enjoyed the old games with Alex. Alex's body went limp instantly at the three-word bellow. "Much better," he murmured as he stared down into the panting face. "Now... lie... still."

He fingered the unclamped nipple and admired the difference in appearance. The right nipple stood tight and erect but the left was swollen and puffy, red and sensitive-looking under the silver and black of the clamp. Delicious. Alex's cuffed arms made his chest bow up, as if he was thrusting his nipples up at Walter for more attention, an image Walter appreciated. In fact... "Raise up here, boy," he snapped, yanking on the chain just a touch harder.

Alex yelped and arched, trying to lift his chest higher, breath coming quicker. "Please..." made it out of his mouth before he clamped his lips together, a look of angry embarrassment crossing his face.

Walter ignored his pleading slip and just kept a steady pressure on the chain while he played with the right nipple, carefully squeezing with his thumb and forefinger, pinching it up into a hard peak. He played for long moments as Alex struggled to keep his chest raised, to keep himself offered like a sacrifice. He pinched and pulled until Alex was making choked whimpers. Then finally he extended the other clamp and pinched it open, settling it firmly on the sensitive nub of flesh.

Alex gave a yowl as the clamp closed and his body dropped back to the bed. Walter tested the chain and turned the screw once, twice, making sure the clamp pinched tight enough to hold and exert a steady pressure. He looked up and found Mulder standing on the other side of the bed, mouth hanging open, eyes half-closed in lust, his free hand gripping his crotch through his jeans. Walter smiled at him and raised his eyebrows in question. Mulder swallowed hard then lifted his hand and gave Walter a thumbs-up.

Alex lay gasping on the bed, sweat standing out on his forehead, lips red and swollen from biting at them. He kept moving in small, helpless wriggles, as if the pain at his nipples wouldn't let him settle. Every time he shifted the silver chain shifted, changing the pressure slightly. He stared up at Walter with a dazed expression then swallowed hard. "Fuck," he managed in a shaky voice. "You guys are seriously going to do this." He looked back and forth between them.

Walter smiled at the amazement in the breathy voice. They'd done it. They'd actually surprised Alex Krycek. A heady sense of power flooded him and he chuckled. "Oh yes. And we're going to enjoy it."

The low moan that broke from Alex's mouth was music to his ears as he bent and caught Alex's arm, lifting him back into a sitting position and nodding at Mulder. Mulder came around the end of the bed and unhooked Alex's cuffed ankles from the one remaining chain then leaned in and got hold of Alex's other arm, helping to pull him to his feet.

Together they walked him around the end of the bed and over to the chairs, moving slowly in deference to the chain hobbling his feet. At the chairs Walter ran one hand down the center of Alex's back, tracing the line of his spine, leaning in to speak low and silky into his ear. "You know Alex, until today, I don't think I actually realized how much I've missed having you face-down over my lap. Let's see how much you've missed being there..."

Part Two
Alex closed his eyes and wished, like he'd never wished before, that the floor would simply open up and swallow him down. This could not be happening. Simply could not be happening.

Say nothing of the fact that he'd fantasized it himself, a time or two. Or twenty.

Maybe more.

But not as a reality! Jesus Fucking Christ not as a reality. Who would have thought? Mulder? Skinner? Comparing notes? Hell, who would've thought they'd even have a personal conversation, say nothing of swapping lurid sexual details.

It wasn't enough to be standing half-naked, in just a pair of Mulder's long underwear, with his strapped cock and balls hanging out and his nipples clamped and aching and his hands and feet cuffed. Oh no, that wasn't embarrassing enough. The thought of the two of them... discussing him. Discussing their old affairs, what he'd done with both of them... a wash of red-hot shame filled him.

Fuck!

Doing it was one thing. In the privacy of a bedroom—or the occasional kitchen. Knowing what turned him on, knowing what he needed. But they'd always had a sort of unspoken deal... both his lovers. At least he thought they had. They'd always left it in the bedroom. They'd done that for him and he'd returned the favor by never using their sexuality against them, never relying on it for blackmail when he'd had ample opportunity.

Now they'd not only dragged it out of the bedroom but compared notes?! Talked it over, like he was dinner party conversation. Probably laughed. God knew they were certainly enjoying themselves enough at his expense.

And his goddamned traitorous cock, like the Pavlovian dog it was, reacting to their very presence. Sitting up and begging at the very mention of the word 'spank'. How fucking cute. Not enough that they were already swapping stories about his kinks. Now they got to experiment on him in person and watch how his body reacted. Together. Elbowing each other like a couple of teenage boys at their first strip-show.

The heat in his face could only be matched by the heat in his groin. He almost groaned aloud. There was no way... no fucking way... he was going to be able to control his reactions. He'd never gotten over either of them. Not sexually, and not, if he was brutally honest, emotionally. Hell, at least disappearing the first time had saved him from having to choose between the two of them.

And now... here they were, doing things he'd only fantasized, in what he thought were some pretty way out fantasies, never assuming they'd ever actually do them.

Doomed. He was fucking doomed.

Rustling noises around him brought his eyes open and he found Walter in front of him, settling into the comfortable armchair while Mulder stayed behind him with a hold on the wrist cuffs. Alex swallowed hard as he realized Walter was positioning himself perfectly for Alex to be laid across his knees, sitting forward in the chair so there was room across his thighs for a large body.

"Don't." He spoke before he even realized his mouth was opening. "Please don't—"

Walter looked up and grinned, that wide, awful grin that kept appearing on his face. The dark grin that set hooks right into Alex's balls and tugged. Alex didn't think he'd ever seen Walter smile so much since... well, since they were sleeping together the first time.

"But Alex," Walter said earnestly, "this is the official start of your lessons. All lessons should start with a good round of corrective spanking, to then be applied regularly throughout the lessons as a reminder. You were the one who told me that."

"Now lay down across his knees, Alex," Mulder's silky voice came right at his ear, making a shiver run up his spine, punctuated by a sharp slap with the paddle across his ass.

Alex yelped and stepped forward, straight into Walter's reach. Walter caught his arm and pulled him down and Alex tumbled forward, falling across the hard lap with a whump and an "oof". The air was forced out of him as he landed and the chain connecting the clamps swung out away from his body, increasing the weight and pull on his nipples. He arched at the sensation but Walter's large hands were already on him, moving and resettling him like a doll. Walter shifted him forward until his head and shoulders hung down toward the floor and his ass was centered right over Walter's lap, his legs caught at mid-thigh and dangling over the other side of Walter's thighs. He twisted helplessly, unable to regain his sense of balance.

Walter's hand pressed in on his cuffed wrists, holding them to his lower back and keeping him steady. Alex stared at the floor in front of his face as he heard the deep voice rumble above him. "Mulder, get the underwear?"

"Certainly," Mulder responded, and then Alex felt those long fingers hooking under the elastic of his waistband on either side of his hips. As the long underwear was slowly and deliberately pulled down to bare his ass, Alex knew instantly why they'd given him the covering in the first place, and it wasn't to keep him warm. The feel of someone pulling down your pants, without your control, without being able to stop them... Alex tried to swallow a moan as his blood raced and his cock reacted predictably to the amplification of his helplessness.

He remembered one dark night as he and Mulder curled together after a particularly hot bout of sex... Mulder pressed close against his back, up against his hot spanked ass. He remembered talking low and sleepy, all about how the feel of pants pulled half-down, just baring his ass, could be more powerful—more embarrassing, more arousing—than being fully naked over someone's lap. As if the partial covering was more of a reminder of what was naked, the feel of the pants around his thighs emphasizing the vulnerability of his ass.

In retrospect, telling someone with Mulder's memory his more deviant sexual kinks didn't seem like a particularly smart course of action.

Mulder's hand reached underneath his body and gathered the front of the underwear, tugging it down over his cock and balls protruding from the front opening, then sure enough, left the underwear bunched at the top of his thighs. He squirmed, unable to not, and Walter's hand landed on his ass in a heavy blow.

"Lie still," Walter ordered, and he stilled. Oh god, he stilled, holding his breath as the heat from the slap warmed his ass. And the bastards had his ass facing the fire. He could feel the ambient heat from the flames already, as if his ass wouldn't be hot enough by the time they were through.

Mulder's hand reached under him again and checked the positioning of his cock and balls, making sure they hung down between Walter's slightly spread thighs. He sucked in a gasp and tried not to move as Mulder's hand casually felt him over, then left him bereft and dangling.

"Alright, ready," Mulder's voice came, and from the direction of the sound Alex could tell he'd sat down in the other chair, facing them. Watching. Unable to help himself, he twisted his head enough to look. There was Mulder, settling back in the chair with an eager look on his face, legs spread and fly undone. Alex swallowed what he could of a groan but some noise emerged, causing Mulder to meet his eyes, smile at him. "You look great, Alex," Mulder murmured, licking his lips. "It's a natural position for you."

Alex's teeth ground together but in that instant, before he could come up with a smartass reply, he realized Mulder no longer held the paddle.

Oh shit.

CRACK

Alex howled with the surprise and the pain. The paddle came down hard, directly across both full ass cheeks, in the same spot again. Heat flared, pain ripped through him, and his nerve endings started singing.

The paddle was lighter than a hand, more flexible, more whippy. It had a smart, sharp snap to it and as Walter landed three more spanks in quick succession, Alex found himself arching, writhing, trying desperately to evade the paddling even as arousal flooded through him. Walter was having none of it, his hand on Alex's wrist hard and unyielding, his other hand rising and falling in steady strokes of the paddle, laying stripe after burning stripe across Alex's ass. Each time Alex bounced the clamps jounced as well, pulling and tugging at his sore nipples, sending sparks of arousal straight down to his cock.

"Oh god... fuck... please!" Alex caught himself babbling and clenched his teeth. But clenching his teeth seemed to clench all of his muscles and he felt the muscles in his ass tighten and the bite of the paddle stung even more, driving his pleasure higher. He tried to relax his muscles, lost his hold on his clenched jaw, and wailed as Skinner started working up and down his ass, from the undercurve where his ass met his thigh right up to the top of his ass crack. And back down. First one cheek then the other received the same thorough paddling, the paddle always landing exactly one width lower or higher than its previous fall.

God, he'd forgotten Skinner's precision aim.

He moaned and tried desperately to forget that Mulder was sitting three feet away enjoying the view.

When both cheeks had been seared from bottom to top and back, Skinner stayed on the undercurve, bringing the paddle down over and over at the base of both cheeks until Alex felt sure the flesh must be steaming. His whole ass boiled with heat and each spank sent waves of bright hot pain lancing through him. Blood flooded his groin, called by the slaps of the paddle, and his cock and balls engorged further, hanging between Skinner's thighs like ripening fruit. The leather cock strap bit into the base of his cock, the top of his swelling balls, and he writhed on Skinner's lap. "Please, enough, enough!"

The paddle stopped completely between one breath and the next, and Alex gasped, suddenly aware his cheeks were wet with tears. Over? He didn't dare hope, but...

Skinner's hand tightened on his wrists and pressed them harder to his lower back. "I said lie still," Skinner rumbled again. "If you can't hold yourself still for your punishment, you'll get ten extra swats."

"NO!" Alex yelped before he could stop himself, then stopped, remembering Skinner's manner as a dom. He didn't like back-talk and he wanted immediate compliance of a physical nature. Alex forced himself to still, trying to find something in his center to hold onto, to go to and calm himself. But it had been so long... so goddamned long and it was so fucking good... the simmering in his ass made him want to spread his legs and rut against Skinner's lap, press his aching cock against a hard thigh and—

"That's better. You only have five more to go."

Alex sucked in a breath and focused on holding himself as still as possible as the paddle landed.

"Count them out," Skinner ordered.

Alex felt the blood pound in his cheeks. Both sets. He hated counting his own spanks. "One!" he choked, knowing better than to disobey. He heard Mulder chuckle and he wanted to die.

The paddle lifted and flew again. "Two!" He gasped for breath and tried to relax his legs to keep from squirming. The silver chain hung heavy from his nipples, swinging just enough to tug. "Three!" The paddle landed on his sit-spot with enough force to make him feel it in his balls. "FOUR!" His voice hit a high note as Skinner turned the paddle and brought it down vertically, smacking his crack. "FIIIVE!" The paddle came down hard, right over his anus, and despite his best efforts he jerked.

Skinner sighed heavily. "I'm afraid that's ten more, Alex." His hand at Alex's wrists released as he reached down and ruffled Alex's hair. "When I say lie still I mean still."

"Nooo," Alex moaned, the flaring fire in his ass making the thought of ten more unbearable. He truly doubted his ability to not start humping Skinner's thigh at any moment. "Please, I can't..."

"Sure you can," Mulder's voice came thick and creamy from the other chair. "You're just out of practice. But don't worry. We'll get you back in the swing of things in no time."

Alex burned with mortification at the reminder of Mulder sitting there, watching his debasement. It took him a minute to realize Skinner was helping him up, easing him off his lap. Alex looked up at him in surprise as he rose unsteadily to his feet with Skinner's assistance. He groaned at the pound of blood in his cock and balls as he got upright. The long underwear slid a little further down his thighs but he was helpless to catch it.

Skinner tossed the paddle to Mulder, who caressed it hungrily. Alex looked from one to the other, then realized what was going on. He started to resist, but Skinner guided him forward and pulled him down over Mulder's lap, and he was too dazed and dizzy to do anything other than comply. "Only fair to let Mulder give the extra ten, don't you think? He hasn't had a chance to use the new paddle yet."

And as Alex was upended over Mulder's knees, he felt a flash of anger. He smelled a set-up. Something told him that even if he'd managed to hold still, he'd have been handed off to Mulder just the same, for some other infraction... if nothing else, just to give him a chance to try out the paddle. Without thinking, he reacted. "YOU BASTARDS!" His head craned around to glare at Skinner, just in time to see him meet Mulder's eyes.

"Just for that, fifteen?" Skinner asked.

"Fifteen," Mulder confirmed.

Alex groaned and snapped his mouth shut. Bastards or no, he was at their mercy. At the moment, as his roasted butt begged to remind him, that was no small matter.

So he lay still as Skinner adjusted him on Mulder's lap just as Mulder had done on Skinner's earlier. Right down to making sure his painfully hard cock hung down between Mulder's thighs, not brushing against anything that might bring him off. He whimpered against his will as Skinner took an extra long time adjusting his cock and balls, checking the strap that bound them.

The waves of heat and the delicious tingling in his ass made him long to wriggle on Mulder's lap, squirm closer until his cock was nestled tight between Mulder's thighs and then hump away, bring himself off with Mulder's scent in his nose and Walter's punishment decorating his backside. Perfection.

He caught the direction of his own thoughts and groaned. Oh man, was he in big trouble. They'd only just started in on him and he was already falling into line. Maybe he could claim Stockholm.

Walter finished setting him up for Mulder's attentions and ruffled his hair again. Alex jerked his head away but flushed at the low chuckle.

"Feeling good, Alex? Who's our little slutpuppy?"

Mulder's laughter joined Walter's and Alex felt his ears burn to match his ass. He twisted his head to stare at the chair fabric. A large hand rubbed over his sore ass and he jerked then forced himself to stillness again. Fifteen. Fifteen. He could do fifteen. Without coming. He could. He would.

Jesus, he couldn't come. It would be too fucking humiliating. He'd never live it down.

The hand lingered, fondling his ass and reawakening every tingle, every sensation. Alex groaned without thinking and he heard the twin chuckles again. He realized that without meaning to, he'd begun pushing his ass up into the rough touch. He stilled with an effort as his face burned anew. Just get on with it! his mind screamed.

And in the next instant his mental plea was answered as the paddle descended and the fire flared to life again in his tortured cheeks. He couldn't imagine having wished for it to start any sooner than it had to as the pain reawakened and his tender butt screamed. He caught his breath and readied himself.

But the second didn't come. He opened his eyes and stared at the floor again. And then, with a sinking feeling, he realized what the pause meant. As if to confirm, Mulder's voice came in a sing-song. "We're wai-ting, Alex."

He had to clear his throat to speak. Finally he managed, "One."

"Good boy. We shouldn't have had to remind you," Mulder scolded, then landed the second blow even harder than the first.

"Two!" Alex yelped. He counted out as Mulder paddled him erratically, the blows never landing in the same place twice, crisscrossing his ass in a haphazard pattern that nevertheless managed to cover every inch. When he reached ten the paddle stopped and he opened his eyes.

To find Walter stretched out on his side on the floor, watching him.

He cringed at the thought of Walter watching him as he'd been counting... his eyes screwed closed, his face contorted, squeezing out the counts between gasping breaths. He couldn't help wondering if Walter could somehow see in his face the terrible excitement, the aching pleasure that rose inside him at being spanked, humiliated, controlled so totally. Something in the man's avid expression told Alex he could.

"Walter, will you give me a hand with the final five," Mulder asked.

"Of course." Sitting up, Walter moved out of Alex's line of sight.

"Hold his cheeks spread will you?" Mulder's voice inquired in his usual flat monotone. Alex's breath stopped in his chest. "He's already spreading his legs on his own, so I don't think we need to reposition him."

At the words, Alex realized it was true. To the extent the ankle cuffs and the long underwear allowed, his thighs were spread, his lower back arched, his ass lifted and presented to Mulder. He closed his eyes, wishing to hell and back that his body didn't fall into submissive postures so goddamned naturally. But then hands on his ass gave him something else to think about as Walter got a grip on both ass cheeks and spread them wide apart. Alex couldn't prevent the small noise of protest he made deep in his throat as he felt his puckered asshole bared and stretched.

He knew what was coming, and he couldn't say if the knowledge made it better or worse.

Then he couldn't think anymore because the thin, whippy paddle was striking from a new angle, vertically, slapping down directly on his exposed anus, and he was hollering with the new pain, the new arousal spiking relentlessly through him.

"COUNT," someone ordered implacably from above.

"ELEVEN!" he screamed. Then "TWELVE!" and "THIRTEEN!" The paddle stung like a sonuvabitch and he felt his anus swelling under the smacks. The tender flesh was completely open, exposed, and "FOURTEEN!" came out in a sob. The searing paddle caught his perineum and the back of his balls on each impact and he'd long since lost the ability to hold himself still when he choked out "FIFTEEN!" and fell into low, throaty whimpers.

The hands on his cheeks rubbed again, moving the rounded flesh roughly, and Alex wriggled as he whimpered, unable to keep himself still under the stimulation. His anus stung impossibly, and the pure humiliation of having his ass held open to receive the spanks poured through him, spiking his lust and making him worry about coming all over Mulder's leg. The intense pain receded the moment the impacts ended but the crack of his ass felt like it was on fire and the hands chafing him didn't help the sensations die down. He whimpered again, unable to stop, and then he was being lifted, hands catching either arm and setting him back on his feet, keeping him standing when he wobbled. The silver chain settled against his chest.

Mulder and Walter stood to either side of him, beaming, eyes gleaming wickedly. He swallowed hard and refused to meet their eyes, only too aware of his throbbing cock and pulsating balls.

"An excellent start," Walter declared.

"Yes, I think that really set the tone," Mulder agreed, and the two of them started pulling him back to the bed.

Alex walked carefully, his ass protesting every movement, but with their help he still reached the bed faster than he would have expected. As they directed him up onto the bed on his knees, he wondered what would come next. Their words implied they were far from through. He hoped they'd let him come sometime soon but even as he hoped, he knew it was unlikely at best. As he crawled into position the long underwear sagged further down his knees and a hand caught at it, dragging it down to his ankles. He felt hands at his ankles, heard the click of metal. Suddenly the underwear was gone, and the chain between his ankles longer.

"Chest to the mattress, puppy," Walter ordered, snapping his fingers. Alex shot him a dirty look and Walter reached out and slapped his ass, hard, his big hand covering a lot of skin. Alex yowled at the unexpected move as the slap brought the fire raging back. Without a word he dropped his chest to the bed, gasping. His nipples protested being flat against the bed with the clamps on, but he didn't dare say anything.

"Ass up," Mulder said from the other side of the bed. "Higher. Get it in the air. We want a nice view of those red cheeks. You color up so nice, puppy." Alex swallowed a retort and lifted his ass higher, feeling his face heat at the words. They both always had excelled at the verbal topping he loved so much.

"Spread your knees further apart." Walter guided a knee as he spoke, until Alex felt his thighs protest the stretch. "I want to be able to see those balls hanging. They're ours now and don't you forget it. We own those balls and you'll have them on display for us. Anytime you're face down I want your ass in the air and your legs spread. You hear me, boy?"

Knowing an answer was not just expected, but required, Alex didn't hesitate. "Yes sir," he gasped out, trying to fight back the ache of arousal that ripped through his groin at Walter's words, his tone. He'd never thought to hear that voice domming him again. He swallowed past a sudden thickness in his throat.

The next thing he felt were hands on his wrists, unhooking the cuffs from each other and spreading his arms. He coiled to respond but even as the thought materialized, his arms were recuffed to the headboard. Mulder and Walter rubbed his arms briskly and he couldn't deny his appreciation as they rubbed his sore shoulder muscles.

Stop it! his mind screamed. Don't start appreciating the little things! But it was way too late and his dick already knew it. These two knew him too well, too thoroughly, at least from a sexual standpoint. If they wanted to take him apart, they couldn't have picked a better way.

Thick fingers traced down his spine and he identified them by feel as Walter's. Steps receded and bags rustled as those fingers stroked down his vertebra, then continued down the crack of his ass. He wiggled his ass before he could stop himself and blushed at the soft laugh.

"Who's a little slutpuppy," came the amused voice and Alex closed his eyes, wanting to die all over again. "We've got something I just know you're going to like." Footsteps came closer again and Alex twisted his head to see what Mulder had brought back with him.

"Uh unh," Mulder grinned at him, empty-handed. "It's a surprise." Even as he spoke Alex felt the cool tip of a tube at his hot anus and then lube was squishing up into him, dripping back out as his ass clenched reflexively.

Alex flushed at the wet, sloppy feel as another squeeze filled him up again. Then the tube was gone and a long, thick finger entered him, pressing through his smarting anus and forcing his muscles apart slickly. With all the lube it didn't hurt but the invasion was quick and forceful, leaving him gasping and wriggling against the finger. A second finger followed the first and then they were withdrawn and thrust into him, once, twice, three times. His breath caught as the fingers stretched apart, held him open, then relaxed and thrust in and out again rapidly. He closed his eyes as they stretched him again, pressing further apart this time. His spanked anus was just sore enough to make it doubly interesting and the fingers weren't gentle. He bit his lower lip but couldn't prevent the grunt of pleasure from emerging.

"Told you that you'd like it," Walter commented. "Not that there was much question. You'll like everything we do to you, won't you, puppy?"

Alex buried his face in the bed but the slap came hard and fast and the fingers were still up his ass. "OW!" He gasped with the pain but the hand kept spanking him and the relentless fingers kept thrusting into him and his ass was bouncing, trying to get away from the spanks and only succeeding in riding the fingers. "Yes!" he shouted before he could even think it through. "Yes, YES!"

"Yes, what?" Mulder drawled, still spanking.

"Ye-es," he choked. "Yes... I'll like everything you do to me... everything. I'll love it." Alex caught his breath as the spanks stopped, as the sharp pains subsided and the delicious burning tingle reignited. He wanted to scream at himself for capitulating so quickly but they punched his buttons like they had an illustrated guide. Which, in fact, they did... courtesy of him. He groaned and buried his face in the bed again as the fingers finally withdrew from his thoroughly-lubed anus.

Immediately the blunt, solid head of a thick dildo nudged his sore asshole and he swallowed hard. After his workout on the fingers the head of the dildo pushed inside with only a token resistance and he groaned as it slid into his ass. Whoever guided it didn't pause once, just worked it smoothly back and forth, thrusting further in each time. Alex thought it was probably Walter, that steady pressure had a strength behind it, and... oh!... a relentlessness that was like the fingers.

Alex gasped as the thing rode all the way into his ass, thickest at the base, holding his asshole stretched wide and open. The dildo settled inside him, stayed pressed in to its fullest, then suddenly withdrew and just as suddenly thrust all the way in again, much faster and stronger. Alex arched and wailed at the intense sensation of being forced open and invaded. The dildo stayed in and still for longer this time, then just as he started to relax around it, it withdrew and plunged back into him again, all in one nonstop motion. He yelped again, he couldn't help it... it was so damn big and thick and hard. Totally unyielding as it thrust up his ass, and again, and again.

This time it stayed seated deep within his ass and he worked to catch his breath. His cock ached anew at the intense feeling of fullness in his ass, the totally opened sensation at his anus. The longer the dildo was held still within him, the more he wanted to feel it plunge again. He swallowed hard and forced himself to stay still, waiting to hear a command, a suggestion, a comment... anything to give him an idea what was coming next. What they wanted. But nothing... just silence and breathing and the huge silicone cock up his ass holding him impaled.

Then... a soft laugh. And another. And he realized that his ass muscles were clenching... his asshole clenching and releasing on the dildo, and that the men behind him couldn't help but notice as the thing was probably rocking in whoever's hand held it. He forced himself to stop clenching and kept his face buried in the sheets.

Mulder's voice tickled his ear as it murmured, "Who is a little slutpuppy..."

And it was too much. Lifting his head and wrenching against the wrist restraints, Alex twisted to holler back over his shoulder. "I am going to fucking KILL YOU! Both of you! DEAD! DEAD IN THE FUCKING WATER! ENJOY THIS WHILE IT LASTS, YOU BASTARDS! BECAUSE YOU ARE SO FUCKING DEAD!"

The laughter started up again and Alex started to twist, which moved his ass on the dildo and... holyfuckingshit... The thick fake cock in his ass mashed against his prostate and his whole body stiffened as white hot lightening shot through his dick. He bit his lip as hard as he could and froze, trying desperately not to do that again while trying just as desperately to remember why the hell he didn't want to do that again because oh FUCK it felt goooood.

"Something wrong, Alex?" Walter's jovial voice came and the dildo suddenly withdrew and thrust in, and Alex yowled and arched his back, forcing his ass up and back, undulating his hips, riding the thick cock again and again, as his prostate sparked and his dick leaped.

"Uh uh uh, careful there, puppy," Mulder slapped his ass lightly and the dildo stopped thrusting, forced all the way up inside him and held there even as he moved his ass, trying to ride it. "Don't want you coming just yet. Walter, I think we should probably secure that."

"I think you're right. Raise up a bit, puppy."

Alex twisted his head in confusion as he felt a strap wrap low around his waist, just above his hipbones. It tightened as someone buckled it at his spine, then another strap was suddenly running down from it in back, straight down between his ass cheeks, separating them, and the dildo was shifting in his ass. At the same time he felt hands slipping something over his dick and he arched up on the bed, looking down under his body to see Mulder working a wide silver ring down over his cock and... ohfuckohfuckohFUCK... his tendertender balls. Once his tortured flesh had squeezed through and it settled over his bound genitals, it laid flat against his body and Alex realized it was attached to a strap above and below. The strap above ran to the one around his waist. The strap below...

The dildo shifted in his ass again and suddenly all the straps tightened.

Fuck.

His lust-dazed brain finally took in the fact that he'd just been fitted with a harness. A harness that held the huge dildo securely in his ass from both front and back, and had a convenient ring opening in the front for his strapped cock and balls to dangle through. He moaned and dropped his forehead back to the bed.

Diabolical.

He loved it.

"Very pretty," Walter said as all hands released him.

"I'll say." Mulder had to clear his throat twice to get the words out. "That is a good look on you, puppy."

Alex concentrated on trying to breathe. Slow and steady. He was so aroused he felt like he would burst at any moment and any movement at all shifted the cock in his ass and it was... so... fucking... big. Such a tight fit, holding him so open... it was so deep in him and it wasn't moving.

"But I don't think we can really trust him not rub that pretty cock on the bed," came Walter's voice again.

"You have a definite point," Mulder responded. "And he's practically there, now."

And just the words had the image running through Alex's mind and he could feel the rough friction of the sheets on his poor tortured cock. Could feel the sensation of settling against the firm mattress and humping into it, pressure and friction and rubbing and—

"OUCH!" Alex yelped as a hand gripped the strap running down between his ass cheeks and lifted. The harness lifted him up a little too effectively, and the dildo shifted inside him, stretching his asshole. The pressure on the straps tugged at the ring settled around his genitals, and his cock and balls bounced with the movement.

"I don't think so. We don't want you misbehaving," Walter admonished.

Mulder's steps came closer again and Alex realized he'd been too distracted to notice Mulder walking away. What the fuck did he have now? He felt another, lighter tug on the strap around his waist and the one running down his ass, and then a length of cool chain fell against his back. The chain lifted and clinking noises made him look up... to where Mulder fastened the new chain around the top rail in the headstand.

Mulder stepped back with a satisfied smile. "There. That'll keep those hips up nice and high."

Alex stared at the chain running from the back of his harness to the headstand, and tentatively lowered his hips. The chain jerked taut and the dildo moved inside him. He groaned at the sharp shift. There was no way he was getting his cock any closer to the mattress below him.

"Hey look, Mulder, it's dinnertime," Walter's voice came heartily.

"WHAT?" Alex couldn't stop the outburst. He swung his head to stare at Walter in disbelief.

"So it is," Mulder agreed cheerfully. "Will you look at that. Time flies when you're having fun."

"You cannot be fucking serious!"

Both men turned their gazes to him.

"There's that word again," Mulder cautioned.

"And more profanity," Walter added in a disapproving voice.

"But... but... dinner? DINNER?" Alex heard the screechy note in his own voice and knew he was about ten seconds away from begging the two of them to let him come. However they wanted.

"You wouldn't believe the food at this place, Alex. It's amazing," Mulder said.

"And you've been recently mildly hypothermic," Walter added. "It's our duty to make sure you're eating right."

Alex stared from one to the other in total incomprehension. "I'm not hungry?" he finally tried.

"You just think you're not hungry," Walter said, leaning over and ruffling his hair. "Trust me, once you see what they serve, you'll be hungry."

"Besides, we're hungry," Mulder cut in. "After all, we spent a lot of time today out walking around in the woods, looking for a spaceship. It was a lot of work. Really gets the appetite up. To say nothing of training slutpuppies."

"Mm," Walter agreed in all seriousness. "We need to keep our strength up too. There's a lot more to do. Okay, Mulder, how about I go get dinner and you take puppy-sitting duty?"

Mulder nodded and stretched. "Sounds like a deal. Maybe I'll use the hot tub while you're getting the food."

"Great idea. Get some relaxation." Walter walked past Mulder into the bathroom and called over the running water as he washed his hands. "You want me to call you from the main house with the selections?"

"Nah, go ahead and order for me. I'm sure everything is incredible here," Mulder called back.

"Good, good." Walter walked out of the bathroom and started putting his boots on then reached for his coat.

Alex stared from his chained and spread position on the bed as his two devilishly accomplished torturers morphed back into sane and sensible FBI agents on an out of town assignment. "HELLO?!" he shouted from the bed as Walter got ready to go out into the cold and Mulder turned on the taps in the hot tub.

"It's okay, puppy, we're not leaving you alone," Walter said. "Mulder will be right here in case you need anything or in case of emergency. But you understand we can't exactly go to the dining room for dinner? And I don't think we're quite at the point in your training where we can expect you to behave if we call for room service." He gave Alex a fondly tolerant look. "Maybe by the end of the weekend though." With that he exited, closing the door behind him.

Alex stared open-mouthed. "Mulder?" he croaked.

Mulder looked up from running the taps. "Hmmm? Oh, just relax, puppy. The food will be a little while. Quality takes time." He started to pull off his shirt.

Alex clenched his burning, tingling ass on the huge dildo filling him, wriggling his hips in frustration. He stopped as the movement made him twice as aware of the pressure up his ass, and made his heavy, aching genitals swing. He was so damn horny he could kill. He stared at Mulder with a desperate, sinking sensation in his chest as the other man turned his back and stripped off his clothes.

No two ways around it. They'd better keep a damn close eye on his restraints, because the minute he got an opening, they were both going headfirst into the closest snow bank.

Mulder couldn't quite maintain the straight face under the direct power of Alex's huge-eyed, desperate stare, so he turned away and faced the tub as he pulled his clothes off. Alex might as well have "come back and keep torturing me!" tattooed on his forehead in neon green.

Given his own lack of surety about Alex's personal investment in their affair, Mulder felt gratified that he'd listened to Walter. When the man was right, he was really right. Alex was like the ideal toy... the best present he'd ever given himself. Wind him up and he was all sorts of interesting.

Smirking down at the filling tub, he shimmied s-l-o-w-l-y out of his jeans, making sure the bed across the room had an excellent view of his body. Stepping out of the jeans he stretched leisurely, then pushed down his underwear and, staying bent over, took off his socks. He flicked on the tub jets while he was down there, then straightened and turned back around, careful to school his expression.

Sure enough, twin green laser beams were fastened on his every move. He scratched absently low on his stomach and watched with ill-concealed glee as Alex's hungry gaze went straight to his groin. Good to know he still caught Alex's interest. "I'm just going to soak for a while... just holler if you need something." While he spoke he reached the rest of the way down and took his sizeable erection in hand, pumping himself once, then twice.

He could hear Alex swallow from across the room.

Turning back to the tub he tried not to let his shoulders shake with the silent laughter clutching at him and climbed into the hot tub. Sinking into the water with a long sigh, he stretched out and positioned himself on the far side of the tub, giving himself a clear view of Alex chained to the bed, ass lifted and plugged with the sizeable dildo. He only wished he had a better view of Alex's cock and balls, straining their strap. What a pretty toy he made.

All the teasing they'd been doing had affected more than their puppy and Mulder let his hand return to his dick underwater. Watching Skinner spanking Alex had been arousing enough but then to have Alex all hot and wriggling on his own lap... his hard-on pulsed in his hand. He wondered if Alex had any idea how his body responded to the spankings, twisting and bucking, then going all pliant and lifting his butt up for more. He gave himself a few gentle squeezes and saw it all again in his mind's eye, that round ass bouncing on his lap. He tipped his head back with a long, loud groan thinking of Skinner holding those plump cheeks apart.

"MULDER!" Alex yelped from across the room.

"Hmmm?" he asked lazily, lifting his head and giving Alex a sleepy look from under half-closed eyelids. "Oh, you don't mind if I jerk-off, do you?" He grinned at their harnessed puppy and stroked himself faster under the water. He knew Alex could see the motion of his arm and made sure to keep his movements broad, sliding his other hand down to fondle his balls and throwing in another loud groan for good measure. It wouldn't take much after the way they'd spent the evening and having Alex just across the room, naked and restrained and panting, wouldn't slow anything down.

"Mulder, please, for fuck's sake," Alex begged, a groan in his voice. Then his head lifted, his eyes suddenly narrowing. "Mulder, listen to me. Let me up, I'll take care of that for you. You don't want to use your hand... come on, you want my mouth."

Mulder sucked in a sharp breath, remembering Alex's skill at cock sucking. He'd order him across the room on his knees, make Alex go down on him underwater. His breath came harder and his hand worked faster. His eyes stayed glued to Alex, helpless on the bed.

"Mulder! Come on! Just unhook me, please? You don't even have to uncuff me. Just let me off the bed, let me suck you, I want to suck you... please?"

The husky voice teased his ears and he wondered if Alex knew how perfectly he added to Mulder's fantasy. Given Mulder knew good and well exactly how idiotic it would be to unhook Alex's arms and let him off the bed, the added vocal stimulation was ideal for his solitary pleasure. Both hands working in his crotch, Mulder let his head fall back, still trying to keep his eyes open enough to keep Alex in sight. Groaning with abandon now, he let his body undulate freely in the water, hearing Alex's rough groans join his own. Skinner would be pissed if Alex came, but somehow he doubted their puppy would be getting off on visual stimulation alone. Besides, he'd let Walter have the offered blow job when he got back with the food.

And that did it... the thought of Alex on his knees, sucking Walter off, hands cuffed behind his back... Mulder's back arched, his muscles contracted, his cock jerked in his hands and he came and came, the warm water bubbling against him, surrounding him in delicious waves of comfort.

He relaxed with a long groaning sigh, leaning back against the tub wall and humming with pleasure. He opened his eyes to find Alex's pained face still watching him raptly from across the room.

"Dammit, Mulder!"

Mulder grinned at him again, lifting his hand out of the water and waggling his fingers at Alex. "Hey, you know I'm well-acquainted with my right hand, Alex. It's seen me through some tough times. I'm quite happy with it. And you don't really think I'd be stupid enough to let you off the bed and let you get my dick in your mouth, now do you? Not yet anyway. Not until you're a little more tamed."

Alex gave a muffled moan and Mulder watched in delight as his hips squirmed in the harness, trying not to pull against the chain that would jerk the dildo inside him. From what Mulder could see, it was a losing battle. He caught his breath and sank back against the jets, letting the pulsating water work on his suddenly lax muscles and enjoying the view.

Walter knocked twice, then opened the door and wheeled the small cart inside. He noted in pleasure that Alex looked fully as aroused and unsatisfied as he had when Walter left twenty minutes before. He took off his coat and heeled off his boots as Mulder greeted him lazily from the hot tub.

"You look relaxed," Walter commented, wheeling the cart further into the room.

Mulder stood, water sluicing off him as he stepped from the tub and toweled off, then pulled on the thick robe and socks. "Well, the hot tub is great, but I also took the edge off," Mulder said with a smile. "Needed a little relief after all that playing with our new toy. And I think the puppy enjoyed the entertainment." The smile took on a wicked edge and Walter laughed.

"Ah ha. Very nice." He walked over to the bed and reached between Alex's spread thighs to play with the dangling balls, the coolness of his hand making Alex jerk. "You like watching your other owner in the tub?" Alex glared over his shoulder. Walter shifted his hand to the thick cock and stroked just long enough for Alex to start shifting his hips, then released him. "Answer me."

Alex sucked in a harsh breath and let it out. "No," he muttered between clenched teeth, petulantly.

Walter raised an eyebrow at Mulder, who grinned at him from checking out the choices on the cart. The various smells of dinner wafted through the room as Mulder uncovered dishes. Walter watched Alex's nose twitch. Settling a hand on Alex's ass he leaned forward. "No, you didn't enjoy it or no, you won't answer me?" Walter asked in a dangerously soft voice.

Alex colored and stubbornly refused to meet Walter's eyes. "NoIdidn'tenjoyit," he grumbled in an irritated rush.

Walter smiled and reached out to stroke Alex's balls again. "Good to see you know enough to answer, puppy. But something tells me you're lying to us, which isn't a very good idea. This tells me you enjoyed it at least a little." He let his fingers dance over Alex's cock again, squeezing and releasing. Alex whimpered but tried to stay still. Walter motioned Mulder over and started unhooking the closest wrist cuff from the headboard. "But we'll pick up with the matter of lying later on. For now, it's dinner time."

They had Alex kneeling on the bed with his arms cuffed together behind his back in a matter of moments. Getting practiced at that maneuver, Walter thought as he let his eyes wander over the front of Alex's body. He reached out and unclipped the nipple clamps, tossing the toys to Mulder and rubbing a thumb gently on each nipple. He listened to Alex's breath hiss and lifted one hand to stroke through the mussed hair. "Mulder's right you know," he murmured. Alex's eyes opened and focused on him in puzzlement. Walter tugged on a lock of hair and raised his eyebrows again. "This is a good look on you." He let his eyes travel insolently over the bared and harnessed body again, and grinned at the way Alex's face colored. "Roll over on your back."

"No."

Walter rolled his eyes. "Don't go getting uppity and disobedient now. I'm hungry, dinner is here, and I don't have the patience." Jerking Alex's cuffed arms hard, he shoved and sent Alex sprawling back on the bed face down then roughly rolled him onto his back. Alex gasped and his hips jerked up as his ass came in contact with the bed, though whether it was a reflex reaction to the shift of the dildo or to the pressure on his spanked ass cheeks, Walter could only guess. Probably some of both, he thought with amusement.

"Dammit, Skinner!"

Walter gave him a look of mock disappointment and made a tutting noise. "What happened to 'sir'?" Alex glowered up at him and Walter couldn't help it, he started laughing. "You are so cute when you're all fired up," he teased, laughing harder at the snarl he got. He glanced over his shoulder and sighed. "Mulder, get out of the food and get over here with the underwear."

"Mulg-mmph," Mulder responded and came back to the bed, licking his fingers and carrying the gray long underwear bottoms. Walter noted the way Alex's nose twitched again as Mulder came closer, the smells of food clinging to him. He wondered when Alex had last eaten, prior to ending up unconscious in the snow.

Once again proving that practice was definitely on the way to making perfect, Walter and Mulder worked together efficiently to get the underwear onto Alex's feet, immobilize his legs while undoing and refastening the ankle chain, then drag the underwear all the way back onto him, up over the pelvic harness. As a final touch, Mulder once again reached in through the front of the underwear and pulled Alex's bound genitals out through the hole in the material. "Such a nice image," he murmured at Alex's curse.

"And I like easy access," Walter added. "Get used to it, puppy." Getting a hand around Alex's upper arm, Walter guided him up off the bed and walked him across the room to where the wheeled cart sat between the two chairs like a small table. "Kneel," he ordered. When Alex opened his mouth to protest, Walter yanked hard on his arm and used his other hand to push down on Alex's shoulder, simultaneously driving his knee lightly into the back of Alex's knee, sending him to the floor with a thump.

Wrapping his hand in Alex's hair again, he wrenched Alex's head back and gave him a cold look. "I said I'm not in a patient mood. Rethink your attitude, and I mean now." He met Alex's angry eyes head on, holding the stare easily. All the times Alex had used the palm pilot—jerked his strings, forced his hand. All the times Alex had just up and disappeared—always the one controlling the circumstances, choosing when and where he would appear in Walter's life. Years of frustration bubbled through Walter's memories and he let it show in his expression.

He had the control this time and control felt good. Damn good.

A long silent moment passed with just the crackling of the fire in the background and dueling stares. Then Alex's mouth closed, lips firming in a tight line, and his eyes dropped.

Walter relaxed minutely, keeping his painful grip in Alex's hair long enough to make it clear he was choosing when to release his hold and that the decision was independent of Alex's submission. He loosened his fingers slowly, looking up to find Mulder standing open-mouthed, eyes half-closed with that lusty look on his face again. Walter gave him a questioning look.

Mulder licked his lips and swallowed, then smiled. "I gotta tell you," he said, "when you do that? You guys are so hot."

"Do 'that'?" Walter asked, sinking into his chair.

"Go all alpha on him," Mulder murmured, sliding by Alex and sitting down in the other chair. "I never used to have the chance to watch myself do it, you know? When you're in it, it's something else entirely. Your attention is different. Watching it... it's good." He dragged out the 'good', made it a lascivious collection of syllables that stroked against Walter's ears.

Walter smiled as he started uncovering their food. He remembered watching Mulder work over Alex's nipple earlier, remembered his own intense response to watching Mulder paddle Alex. "I think I know what you mean."

"Speaking of watching," Mulder continued innocently, leaning over the makeshift table and plucking a warm roll, "I meant to ask you if you wanted to take the edge off. Because, you know, I highly recommend it, and the puppy was begging to get a bone in his mouth while you were out getting dinner."

Walter stopped spooning soup into Mulder's bowl and looked up at Mulder. "Oh really?" Out of the corner of his eye he saw Alex's head snap up and he turned a stony glare on him. "I didn't ask you. I'm talking to Mulder." He watched in satisfaction as whatever words Alex was about to speak died on his tongue. He turned his attention back to Mulder. "What did I miss?"

"He kept offering to suck me," Mulder reported casually, nibbling the roll. "If I'd just unhook him from the bed, of course. Which I wasn't about to do. Anyway, I figured what with me having had the chance to relax while you were out foraging for sustenance, it would only be fair to give you the same opportunity, and since he seems to be so eager to suck a little cock..." He trailed off, giving Walter a hopeful look.

Walter gave him an evil grin in return. "Well, I can't really help him there. 'Little' isn't a word I've ever had applied to it."

Mulder laughed and took the bowl of soup. "Figure of speech only, I assure you."

Walter sat back in his chair and turned his full attention to Alex, kneeling before him. Alex watched him back, a wary look in his eyes. "So, the puppy wants a chew toy?" he asked archly. Alex flushed and averted his eyes. "Answer me," Walter ordered.

Alex's mouth tightened in frustration, then he finally looked back to Walter. "I just... he was jerking off. Right in front of me. I thought I'd offer and—" He paused, but didn't finished the sentence.

"And you thought just maybe after you got him off, he'd feel beholden and get you off?" Walter asked casually. "Or maybe you thought if you could just get unhooked from the bed when only one of us was in the room, you'd have a chance at making a getaway." He nodded as he watched Alex's brow furrow in frustration. "Or probably a little of both. I don't know, puppy. Planning on running away again doesn't demonstrate that we've made much headway with you." He sighed deeply and looked to Mulder. "Obviously more training is needed."

"Well, we did figure that, Walter," Mulder shrugged between slurps of his soup.

Alex glared from Mulder back to Walter. "At the time, I was a little more focused on the possibility of reciprocation," he grumbled.

Walter snorted. "As if that's any better. Still shows entirely too much self-interest, Alex. Not an attractive quality in someone in your position. You'll get off when we decide you'll get off, and not a moment sooner. That's all you need to remember. You're here for our enjoyment and that's all you should be thinking about. Focus on that and put your own orgasm out of your mind. Because I can assure you it's a very secondary concern to us."

Alex's mouth opened, his eyes snapping, and he looked poised to say something angry and ill-thought again. Walter stood, towering over the kneeling man. He caught Alex's hair and twisted. With his other hand he reached out and tweaked a very sore-looking nipple. Before Alex's gasp even finished, he extended his jeans-covered leg and rubbed his shin roughly between Alex's thighs, right up tight against his swollen cock and balls. The gasp morphed into a yelp and Alex's body twisted, his hips riding against Walter's leg uncontrollably. Walter tightened his hold in the dark hair and tilted Alex's head back so their eyes met. "Want the clamps back on?"

"No," Alex gasped. Then, as if catching himself, "Please, sir. No, sir."

"And I'm ready to eat my dinner, which I'd like to get to before Mulder finishes everything, so tell me you're not really going to require another spanking right now?"

"No, sir!" The big green eyes widened.

"And do you plan on eating tonight?" he asked finally, letting his voice get silky.

Alex blinked up at him, face struggling to remain neutral. Walter watched the long throat work. "Yes," he finally whispered.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, please, sir. I'd like to eat, sir."

"Then I'm telling you again, for the last time this evening, kill the attitude, watch your mouth, and behave." Releasing the hair, removing his leg from between Alex's thighs, Walter turned to Mulder. He shifted the cart from between the two chairs, rolling it to the right of Mulder's chair. Looking to his rapt cohort, Walter gestured to the food. "Would you take over the serving, Mulder? I think you had an excellent idea about puppies and chew toys."

"Absolutely!" Mulder grinned and jumped at the chance, spooning himself more soup, then filling a bowl for Walter and starting in on readying their plates, keeping an eye on the action the entire time.

Walter turned back to Alex, rubbing his hands together and cracking his knuckles. He stretched his neck from side to side, letting his chin roll against his chest. "I could use a little tension-relief, too, but I don't feel like eating in the hot tub. And since you're so eager to get a cock in your mouth, you can do the honors." He stepped back to his chair and sank down, spreading his knees. Crooking one finger at Alex, he gestured the kneeling man closer.

Alex swallowed hard and considered resisting. Considered just not going over there. Not following the heady pull of those implacable dark eyes, that hard-featured face, the authoritative voice.

His nipples ached deliciously. Puffy and sore, they throbbed with feeling, and just the thought of reclamping them made him wince. Even the whisper of the cotton underwear felt like too much stimulation on his sensitized ass. His mouth watered with every fresh waft of scent from the food cart, reminding him he'd had exactly one power bar for breakfast. Many long hours ago.

They wouldn't starve him. Not really. He didn't think they would anyway. But he had no doubt they'd be willing to make him damn uncomfortable again before allowing him to eat... who knew when. And they'd be more than happy to keep eating in front of him.

And god only knew when he'd get some sexual satisfaction. He felt a scream welling up in his chest and held it back with superhuman effort. They were playing this only too well. They knew exactly what to do to keep him at the disadvantage... and keep him loving it. Even the thought embarrassed him, but it was too true. And the embarrassment only made it hotter.

He hated the way he fell into line for Skinner with one AD growl. His scalp ached deliciously where his hair had been pulled. He'd been up against a hell of a lot worse than that and not folded, but therein lay the problem... he'd been up against worse but he'd never yet been up against anything better. The real problem was rooted in who gave the orders, and how deeply in his sexual subconscious they caught.

He'd run a long way in a lot of different directions to get away from his reactions to these two men.

And where did he end up? Karma just fucking sucked sometimes.

Some juicy meat smell from the cart made his stomach growl and he threw over the momentary thought of resistance. Best to comply now, get it over with, and hopefully get some food.

Sure, an inner voice whispered sarcastically, and the fact that you're absolutely dying to crawl over there and wrap your lips around Skinner's cock has nothing to do with your compliance.

Steadfastly ignoring the little voice, Alex moved one knee forward and then the other, knee-walking to Walter's chair carefully, in deference to the chain around his ankles. He positioned himself in between the spread thighs. Against all mental efforts, his breath accelerated at the thought of blowing Walter again. Already the man's smell overshadowed the food, filling Alex's nose as he leaned in toward Walter's groin.

A hand caught hard in his hair and he winced as his head jerked back once again. He opened his eyes and stared into Walter's face, suddenly a bare inch from his own. "I don't imagine I have to tell you to be damn careful that I don't feel even a scrape of teeth," the deep voice rumbled. "You won't like the consequences."

Alex tried to shake his head automatically, but only succeeded in pulling his own hair. "No, sir," he managed quickly, hating the hoarseness of his own voice. "I won't, I swear."

"No," Walter agreed. "You won't. Puppies that can't control their teeth get punished."

With that, Alex felt his head guided back down until he was staring at Walter's crotch again, and the thick bulge that lay down the thigh of his jeans. Alex felt his mouth water all over again and he lowered his head, nuzzling against the soft old jeans, drawing in deep breaths of scent, rubbing his face against the hardening bulge. The hand in his hair shifted to petting him, over and over, and he lost himself in the sensations. Playing the dog they'd named him, he nosed his face into Walter's crotch and sniffed and whimpered and rubbed.

"Alright. Alright, puppy. Here you go." A hand worked between his face and the jeans, and the material parted, the rasp of the zipper loud. He pressed forward again, trying to get his face into the opened jeans, but a large hand held him back with a laugh, pushing his face aside once, twice, before tapping his nose sharply. "Let me get it out," came the amused voice above him and Alex came back to himself a bit, just enough to feel the hot curl of embarrassment in his gut at his own actions, at his inability to control himself.

Then Walter's scent flooded him and Walter's cock was there before him, huge and dark with blood, as thick and full as Alex remembered. Hefty balls appeared next and rested on the white cotton of Walter's briefs, holding the elastic strap down in front. Alex made a small sound of delight and dove again. This time no hand stopped him and he buried his face in Walter's crotch, nosing the heavy balls, rubbing his cheek against the underside of Walter's cock, mouthing the scrotum over and over, lips covering his own teeth as he explored the hot skin.

Voices and laughter above him caught a sliver of his attention, and he tried to slow himself down enough to keep aware of his surroundings. "—eager," came the voice directly above him and he felt Walter's hands stroke over his hair again, scratching behind his ears. "Aren't you, puppy?" One hand continued to pet his hair while the other lifted away. "Thanks, Mulder." The second hand left too and a savory aroma curled down around Alex's nose. He heard Walter sipping and guessed Mulder had given him the soup. He heard dishes clinking behind him then the sound of Mulder sitting again.

"Figured," Mulder's voice came, muffled with chewing. "He always did like a mouthful. Look at him go... he's good on his knees, isn't he? Gives the best head I ever had."

He felt a scalding blush in his cheeks but tried to ignore it as he started working his lips up the underside of Walter's cock, letting his tongue trace the heavy vein. He kept his eyes closed as he reached the head, widened his mouth and began to work himself back down onto the shaft. Salty fluid leaked onto his tongue but he pushed past the taste and concentrated on the feel, the thickness swelling to fill his mouth, the hot heavy flesh riding over his tongue. He worked his tongue muscle, forcing the cock-head against the roof of his mouth repeatedly.

"Suck," came the voice above him.

Instantly he complied, physical reaction kicking in before he had even mentally processed the order. He groaned around the cock filling his mouth. It had always been that way... Walter just called it out of him, some innate obedience that longed to fling itself at Walter's feet. He sucked instinctively, bobbing his head up and down. Balance became difficult with this hands cuffed, so he leaned his chest against the front of the chair, settling himself between the strong thighs sprawled to either side of him. Walter's cock was too big to take all the way down without some work and some careful positioning, so he made himself as comfortable as possible and kept his head rising and falling in regular rhythm.

"Now that is sexy," Mulder's voice prickled his ears even as a throaty groan from Walter stroked over his nerves like a velvet glove. "I always did love watching that head between my legs."

"Oh yeah," Walter's voice came strained and a hand fell heavily on Alex's head. His next ride down the cock went a little further with the hand guiding him none-too-gently. He opened wider and tried to take more. Walter's cock was so thick his jaw already ached. The hand tightened and suddenly his head couldn't rise as far. The blunt cock-head hit the back of his throat repeatedly and he fought his own gag reflex as the controlling hand kept him in check, only just allowing him to rise before forcing him back down, taking over the rhythm and working him to Walter's liking. Alex tried to relax his throat as the cock rode further into his mouth, swelling to choke him. Walter's hand rocked his head and with a helpless moan he gave up all control, trying to force all his muscles to go lax. A second hand joined the first and Walter fucked his face up and down on the skewering cock, while Alex swallowed against the thick flesh and tried to time his breathing.

"Here, try some of this," Mulder said from somewhere above, and Alex realized distantly that Mulder had gotten up again. He heard chewing and exclamations of enjoyment and his face burned anew. One of the hands left his head and he knew Walter had returned to eating. Both of them, passing food back and forth, enjoying their dinner, like he was a piece of the furniture. Or some novel dinner entertainment. The clink of silverware on porcelain struck his nerves and reminded him exactly how much of a plaything he was.

God, they knew him so well...

He sucked harder, wanting to finish Walter off. Maybe then they'd feed him and—

Suddenly he felt warmth at his own crotch. He stiffened and lost his rhythm, coughing slightly as Walter's hand kept him moving. At his mild choke Walter's hand backed off immediately, and he was able to get a full breath, but something... something... fuck! Foot... foot...

Mulder's foot rubbed between his thighs from behind, working against his dangling cock and balls and sending aching, shivery spirals of pleasure through him. Alex moaned around the cock in his mouth and tried to concentrate on keeping his teeth under control. It got harder the more distracted he got by the toes wiggling within the thick woolen sock, deviling his tender scrotum. Then they moved on, stroking down his cock dexterously to rub repeatedly over the swollen, sensitized glans until he was making helpless grunts against Walter's cock.

His hips lifted and bucked, trying to escape the torture, but the foot moved with him. Their twinned laughter surrounded him and he knew they watched him, watched his hips dancing, his ass riding further up into the air as he tried to control himself. Every thrusting movement made the dildo in his ass move, made him more conscious of the harness straps holding it in. Continuous noises came from his throat and he lost the battle, no longer trying to evade but instead trying to hump against the foot. It was too good... firm pressure and scratchy, itchy, friction... he bobbed on Walter's cock and tried to muffle his own sounds. He was going to come, going to come, no way he could stop it, no way he could keep from—

The foot withdrew.

With a sobbing gasp he felt the muscles in his thighs go liquid as his cock was left bereft once again. He arched his lower back and hips, spreading his thighs further, trying to invite the tantalizing foot back with body language alone. His cock simmered with sensation, the skin tight and itching and ready to explode. But it was as if Mulder had realized he was so close, too close, and no more teasing was forthcoming.

Keeping his ass tilted up, he refocused his attention on the blow job as best he could. After long, agonizing minutes working his mouth on the huge cock, a hand found its way into his hair again. From the groan above him he knew Walter must be close. He sucked firmly and increased both pressure and speed.

And almost jumped clean out of Walter's lap as he felt the foot return, nuzzling between his thighs, forcing its way up into his crotch.

He rode the warm, scratchy foot as Walter rode his face and then the cock in his mouth erupted, shooting down his throat. He swallowed and swallowed, working his hips helplessly to rub himself against the sock. And as Walter slumped under him, the foot left him again.

He gave a mournful moan as he lost the tantalizing stimulation, his hips still pumping uncontrollably in the air. Walter's cock slipped from between his lips. His own cock ached and pulsed, begging with every nerve ending to be touched. His hands worked futilely against the cuffs, his fingers wanting nothing more than to just wrap around his tortured dick and find his relief. He lifted his head from Walter's lap and licked at his lips, cleaned his mouth, trying to keep from making any further embarrassing noises.

Walter stroked his head and helped him to kneel up again, setting his own plate aside for a moment. Fingers caught under Alex's chin and his head tilted up, up to face Walter. Alex's breath caught at the relaxed, sensual enjoyment in Walter's warm expression. The man looked... replete. "Well done, puppy."

The deep voice stroked over Alex's frayed nerves, calling to something inside him, something that sat up and panted and wiggled and shone under the sincere praise. His swollen lips opened and before he could stop his tongue, "Thank you, sir," tumbled out, thick and throaty.

Walter's face creased in a wide smile, genuinely pleased as opposed to taunting, and the hand not steadying Alex's chin reached out and ruffled his hair fondly. "You've definitely earned your dinner," he murmured warmly.

"I'll say," Mulder's voice came from behind. "And dessert, too. But we'll start with the first course."

Alex waited for Walter's releasing nod, then backed up slowly, his knees protesting. As he turned himself around to position himself equidistant between the two chairs, his stomach sank. Mulder filled a third bowl from the soup tureen... and placed it on the floor in front of the fireplace.

Alex groaned internally. He should have known. Should have expected it. They'd already demonstrated their unwillingness to release his hands. Not that he could exactly blame them given his history but... damn. He'd hoped. He couldn't help sending one pleading look over to Walter. Hadn't the expert head gotten him anywhere?

Walter just laughed and Alex ducked his head in annoyance. Apparently not.

"Come on, puppy. It's incredible. And you've got to be hungry," Mulder cooed, nudging Alex's thigh with his foot.

Alex closed his eyes and counted to ten. Hungry didn't even begin to cover it. Starved. No amount of frustrated arousal could distract him from the fact. And given that the arousal obviously wasn't about to be assuaged any time soon, he couldn't really convince himself to refuse to assuage his hunger out of a pride he'd already thoroughly sacrificed.

How much worse could it get?

Opening his eyes, he studiously ignored both Mulder and Walter, and knee-walked toward his bowl. He eased himself down into a crouched position carefully, not wanting to overbalance and go face-first into the soup. He winced as his ass came in contact with his heels. Leaning forward, he bent toward the soup, then stopped short.

"What the fuck is that?"

Thick, oddly yellow liquid filled the bowl, spots of apparent grease gathering on top. It still smelled decent but Alex couldn't determine its makeup from scent alone.

Mulder nudged the bowl. "Try it, you'll like it. It's cheddar ale soup."

Alex lifted back enough to give Mulder a look. "Cheddar? Ale?"

Mulder rolled his eyes. "Just try it. It's a Vermont specialty."

Alex looked doubtfully back to the bowl but hunger won out. Leaning down again he settled on his calves, chest to thighs. His hips twitched as his cock-head brushed the rug. Trying to ignore his body and simultaneously ignore the humiliation of eating off the floor without his hands proved a little too much, and he couldn't quite ignore either, feeling his cheeks warm as he lowered his face into the bowl. Impossible to drink without getting it on his nose, his chin, he finally gave up trying to lap like a cat. Slurping the warm soup down flipped a switch on his hunger, helped along by the piquant taste. Greedily drinking the thick soup, he found himself at the bottom of the bowl before he expected. He licked around the bowl, tilting his head to clean all sides.

"Up, puppy," Mulder ordered as he finished. Alex lifted his head, nose twitching, trying to lick off his chin. Mulder snapped his fingers and pointed to the floor directly between his legs. Alex hesitated, hoping like hell Mulder didn't expect a blow job before he got more to eat. Crawling over to Mulder's legs, he barely kept himself from vocalizing his surprise when Mulder caught his head in both hands, bent in, and started licking his face clean. Sucking in a sharp breath, he stilled and closed his eyes, reveling in the sensation of Mulder's tongue stroking over his chin and lips, right up to the tip of his nose.

Mulder backed off and smiled down at him and Alex's breath caught again. Somehow he didn't quite like that smile. Mulder picked up something from his plate with his fingers and offered it to Alex ingenuously. Alex felt a growl starting up in his throat and barely choked it back. If the bastard wanted to hand feed him, well... at least he was getting fed. Right?

He wondered how bad the punishment would be for biting the asshole's fingers.

His lips tightened but the smell of the meat in Mulder's hand drew his head forward against his will. Staring daggers up into Mulder's face he opened his mouth and carefully sucked the meat from Mulder's fingers.

Immediately a wash of flavors filled his mouth and he chewed in delight, eyes falling closed.

"Good, isn't it? Didn't we tell you the food was amazing?"

Alex opened his eyes and nodded, searching Mulder's hands for more. Mulder smiled wider and pointed to Walter. Turning to look over his shoulder Alex saw Walter's hand reaching out, offering a plump, juicy bit of the same meat. Frustration welled up inside his chest but hunger chased after it. Without conscious decision he found himself turning and crawling the short distance back to Walter, leaning in and eating the meat from his hand.

"Venison," Walter murmured as he chewed. "With maple horseradish dijon mustard."

Alex paused. "Venison?" He looked up at Walter and made a face. "As in Bambi?"

Walter grinned at Alex's expression. "It's a perfectly respectable meat, Alex."

He wrinkled his nose. "I grew up in a city."

"Then you missed out," Walter said. He looked thoughtful then spoke again. "I have this friend who calls deer 'rats with hooves'. They're kind of a nuisance animal you know... for gardeners."

Alex rolled his eyes at Walter's innocent expression and ignored Mulder's explosion of laughter behind him. "Cute."

"Besides," Walter added, "it's a Vermont—"

"Specialty?" Alex groaned aloud as Walter nodded and pointed back over at Mulder. He glared up at Walter before turning himself around and making his way to Mulder.

Back and forth he went as they took turns feeding him, alternating between the savory chunks of venison and fingers-full of buttery mashed potato run through with cheddar cheese. Despite the toll on his knees he found himself embarrassed to admit it was an incredibly sensuous experience—all the smells and tastes, licked and sucked from their fingers, smeared across his lips. In an odd way, he felt... cared for. They fed him small sips of hot spiced apple cider in between bites and anytime anything dripped down his chin, they gripped his head, held him still and licked him clean.

He started 'accidentally' spilling more down his chin as the meal went on. If his erstwhile owners noticed, neither mentioned.

The warmth of the room, the comfort of the excellent food, the almost hypnotic rhythm of eating from their hands, all conspired to wrap him in a cocoon of contentment. Even the bindings at his wrists and ankles and cock, the feel of the pelvic harness, the hard bulk of the dildo, the tingling in his ass and groin, all added a spiced undertone of familiar heat to the sensory experience. He felt lulled, as if he could stay in this odd limbo of prolonged arousal indefinitely. That each kept running their free hand through his hair and petting him repeatedly only enhanced the sensation. He found himself rubbing against their hands, pushing into their touch, pressing closer to their legs, luxuriating in the old delicious servitude. Crawling between them, being half-naked at their feet, bound and filled and tamed like a good little sex-pet, felt entirely too good. Felt right. Felt like... home.

Comfortably full, he cleaned Mulder's fingers of a final bite of mashed potato, then kept licking the offered hand while Mulder stroked his hair and ear. "Dessert?" came the delightfully husky voice from above him and he lifted heavy-lidded eyes to stare up at Mulder.

"Please, sir," he murmured and felt pleasure burst in his chest at the proprietary expression that flooded Mulder's face, the approval in his changeable eyes.

"Good boy." Mulder reached out to the cart at his side and picked up a small round jar with a fancy label. Alex's eyes tracked his movements, watching those long fingers unscrew the cap. One finger dipped in and came up coated in thick, creamy... Alex's nose twitched. Maple. Maple butter. Mulder's finger extended and rubbed the cream all over his mouth, smearing it liberally. The scent filled Alex's nose and his tongue came out instantly, licking at the gooey confection covering his mouth. Mulder watched, a small smile curving his lips as Alex cleaned his mouth as best he could.

Alex drew in a breath at the first explosion of flavor on his tongue. The maple filled his mouth and melted instantly, leaving a soft pure wash of sweetness. The texture was as delicious as the taste... thick and sticky but so smooth. He moaned as Mulder leaned down and finished the job for him, leaving him with a Mulder-and-maple flavored kiss.

When he could breathe again, he saw Mulder offering the small jar to Walter. Walter rose and took a finger-full for himself, but then shook his head. "I got the blow job, you can take this one," he said with a smile.

Mulder grinned. "Push that footstool over here, will you?" He gestured at the cushioned ottoman they had shoved out of the way beyond Walter's chair.

Walter obliged, dragging the stool within reach of Mulder's foot while Mulder stripped off his sock. Alex blinked from one to the other, then caught on as Mulder touched the maple butter liberally to each toe, over the ball of his foot, and well up onto the metatarsals running along the top of his foot. He extended his leg and rested his heel on the stool, sinking back into the chair before offering the jar to Walter again. Walter took it and went back to his own chair. "Dessert is served," Mulder said to Alex, gesturing toward his foot.

Alex stared at the maple-drenched foot propped up before him and his mouth watered though from which stimulus he couldn't have said. Knowing they both watched him brought the thrill of submission through his gut again and his cheeks warmed. Watched him bending to lick Mulder's foot... they had to be loving this. Sharp arousal coursed in his groin and he hesitated in his descent just long enough to drag out the agonizing ache of giving over to the obedience—the longing—that drew his head down. He wanted it as badly as he didn't want to want it, and the familiar internal struggle just fired his blood further. Their enjoyment or his own agony... it was hard to say which made him hotter.

His bonds again made leaning in awkward, and he spent a futile moment wishing for the use of his hands to help with balance, then simply spread his knees further apart to brace himself. And that felt right, his body arching into a more abject position, his muscles searching out their natural posture. And there, his tongue could just reach, and his mouth opened and lowered...

Sucking Mulder's toe into his mouth rolled over him like a benediction. Something inside him screamed at the pure surrender, at the heady eroticism boiling through him hard on its heels. You shouldn't want this... need this... so badly... and he paid it only enough attention to effectively ignore it.

Because Mulder sat like royalty on a throne and he knelt before Mulder in his place, his only place, and it felt so right, so good, so perfect... that he should display his worship as he had already demonstrated it on Walter. That his mouth and his tongue should serve the pleasure of these men—his men—who owned him today as surely as they ever had so many years ago.

He pushed his tongue through the thick coating of maple candy, luxuriating in the resistance the hardening cream gave. Engulfing the toe, he swirled his tongue around it and caught the scent of Mulder's soap through the heavy overlay of maple... the skin so soft from the long soak in the hot tub. He ran his tongue down over the ball of Mulder's beautiful foot and then licked his way down the arch and back up in long, sweeping strokes, listening with all his attention for the pleasured sighs from the chair above him. Each sigh kissed his ears and tickled deep into his chest.

Working his tongue into a point, he licked the underside of the entire line of flexing toes free of cream. Letting his tongue flatten out again, he worked it against the bottom of Mulder's foot, setting his teeth lightly and sucking here and there. Back up and one toe at a time, he sucked them in and ate them clean, maple bursting across his tongue over and over. Moving to the top of the foot, he ate his way up over the long elegant bones, working up to the well-turned ankle and indulging himself in sucking on the prominent knob of ankle bone. Mulder's foot arched and flexed under his ministrations and he cast a glance up at Mulder under his lashes. Mulder lolled in the chair, a blissful expression on his face. Alex felt an aching surge of pleasure at making him look so happy, much as he'd felt upon seeing Walter so satisfied by his oral talents before dinner.

You're in so deep you're drowning, screamed the voice in his head. Wanting to please them is admitting defeat. Alex sighed as he buried his mouth and nose in Mulder's toes, laving the sensitive skin between each. Wanting to please them is admitting the inevitable, he finally answered the voice, losing himself in the lingering traces of maple.

"Well done," a breathless Mulder drawled at last, easing his foot away from Alex's mouth and slipping his sock back on. Alex watched the foot disappear into the wool with a sense of loss that worried some sane part of his brain. The voices in his head were so right...

"Time for our dessert?" Walter asked, bringing Alex's head around in time to see Walter lounging in his chair, heavy-lidded and flushed, licking maple butter from his own fingers. Alex's eyes tracked the movement hungrily.

"Just about," Mulder agreed, his voice thick. "Don't you want to sample that tongue again first though?"

Alex didn't move, just stared at Walter, his chest rising and falling a little too fast. Walter smiled one of those slow, evil smiles. "Of a sorts," he finally answered Mulder, dipping his finger into the maple butter and crooking it at Alex.

Now moving without delay, Alex knee-walked his way to Walter and took the finger into his mouth readily, working it like he had Walter's cock, bobbing his head smoothly. When he pulled back, Walter snapped his fingers and indicated Alex should stand. It took a long minute and some careful weight shifting, but Alex finally managed to rise to his feet, the dildo making its presence felt in his ass. He stepped forward when Walter waved him in to stand between Walter's spread thighs.

Alex gasped as Walter daubed the maple thickly on both of his aching nipples. Setting the jar aside, Walter wrapped his arms around Alex and settled a big hand on either ass cheek, gripping hard and tugging Alex further in. Leaning forward in the chair, Walter set his mouth against first one nipple then the other, licking and sucking and biting repeatedly. Alex moaned helplessly as his nipples awoke to the frenzy of sensation again. His cock suffered anew where it just brushed against the wiry hair on Walter's chest. His sore ass smarted under the punishing grip of Walter's fingers. Each time Walter squeezed, it called Alex's attention to the strap riding tight and unyielding between his cheeks, holding that monstrous dildo firmly in place. Just thinking about it made the thing seem to swell and his ass clenched on it, feeling the weight and heft of the solid invader all over again.

He caught his breath when Walter finished, only to moan again when Walter merely loaded up his nipples and set upon them again. Only after a third time left Alex breathless and dizzy did Walter finally stop, releasing Alex's ass and recapping the maple butter. With a sharp slap to the ass, he waved Alex back to stand between the two chairs. "Delicious," he teased as he stood up, grinning again at the flush coloring Alex's cheeks and the way he ducked his eyes. "But now I do think it's time for our dessert."

"Most definitely," Mulder agreed, standing as well.

They both closed on Alex, moving in tight on either side. He felt a hand settle on either ass cheek once more, the grips subtly different. Moving in tandem, both hands worked their way up, then tugged out the elastic of the long underwear, slipping underneath it to brush over the leather straps and rest on the hot, reddened flesh beneath. He caught his breath as the hands curved down over his ass again, this time on bare skin. Once again the straps of the harness felt suddenly omnipresent, increasing the unbearable itch of his horniness. He tried to still, looking straight ahead, tried to keep his breathing steady, tried to will his mind to relax into the teasing, to give him the strength to bear it.

A mouth nuzzled at each of his ears. Warm, moist breath circled the whorls inside his ears and coasted over his earlobes. He lost the fight with his breathing and heard it speed up, get shaky. In front, a slightly sticky hand cupped his balls. Another hand circled his cock oh-so-gently, just holding. No pressure, no stroking... just holding. He closed his eyes then immediately opened them again on a gasp. Shutting out his sight just amplified the sensations chasing through him and he moaned piteously.

"Do you want to come, slutpuppy?" whispered Mulder's low monotone.

"Do you? Hmm?" Walter rumbled.

"Yes," he breathed before he even realized he was speaking. "Yes, please sir. Sirs. Please, sirs. I want to come so bad." He heard the desperation in his own voice and it was like a hot lance through his chest. But god, the need was so bad. The pressure, the ache. He'd do anything...

"Mm." Walter's lips caught his plump earlobe then teeth sank into it sharply. "That nice hard dildo up your ass keeping you good and ready for it?" The words came with a steady rhythmic squeezing of his ass.

"'Cause we know how much of a slut you are for a big thick dick up your ass, puppy," Mulder joined in. "You should've seen yourself squirming, just asking for it to be shoved up your butt, good and hard. You like to ride it, don't you?"

Alex stood panting between the overwhelming heat of their bodies, their hands teasing him, deviling his erogenous zones, their words driving spikes of lust-sodden embarrassment through his brain. The verbal torment made his insides boil, just as it always had, made him ache...

"Answer us." The growl demanded obedience.

"Yes!" he gasped as the hand on his balls squeezed in time with a sharp pinch to his ass.

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, sirs!"

"Yes, sirs what?"

He struggled to recall the phrasing of their questions, knowing nothing but direct answers would satisfy. They remembered only too well. "Yes," he whimpered, his blush painfully hot now as the words burned his tongue. Nothing but the truth and it seared so much stronger than any lie. "Yes, I'm ready." He panted, trying to catch his breath. "Yes, I'm ready for it... I... I like to ride the dildo, I... I need to. I need something hard in my ass, keeping me ready for it. Ready for you. I'm a slut for it. It feels so good..."

"Slut." A hand drew away and slapped his left ass cheek.

"Yes..." he groaned.

"Slutpuppy." Another slap, to the right cheek, harder than the first.

"Yes... god..."

"Whose?" The slaps came in tandem now, his flesh tingling and bursting with sparks of pain and heat.

"Yours! Your slut, yours, please. Please! Both of yours... I'm your slut..."

Hot tongues laved his ears and low chuckles vibrated his eardrums from either side as the hands spanked him over and over. The dildo jarred and rocked in him at the regular smacks. He wanted to deny the intensity of the pleasure arcing through him, but his toes curled against the floor, his fingers flexed helplessly behind his back, groans fell from his lips.

"Yeah, I think he wants to come, Walter." One of the hands stopped slapping and took hold of the underwear in the back, pulling it down over his burning ass, baring his butt. The other hand kept up a slow steady spanking, harder now that it had more room to swing. The underwear caught on his jutting cock in front.

"I'd say so. I think about now we could get him to agree to anything." Walter nibbled up around the top edge of Alex's ear. "Maybe we should use the advantage. What do you think we should ask of him?"

"Hmmm... good question." Mulder's humming voice moved away from his ear. "Man, does he have a great ass or what? You know, puppy, your ass is incredible when it's been spanked. Even more delicious than usual." Mulder's fingers pinched and rubbed his rounded cheeks in between Walter's slaps. Both men laughed at the groaning yelps Alex couldn't contain. "I think we ought to get his agreement on something important. Important to both of us." The monotone voice vibrated against Alex's ear again, Mulder's lips shaping the words into his skin.

"Alright then. The most important issue." Walter's hand fell with suddenly increasing weight and Alex bit his lip. "Good, obedient slutpuppies don't disappear with no warning, do they?"

Alex gasped at the intense stinging brought by the large hand impacting his already well-spanked butt. Disappear? That was the most important issue?

"DO THEY?" Walter suddenly thundered in his ear, and the hand swung even harder, the spanks impossibly loud in the room.

"NO!" Alex howled, trying not to jerk in their enveloping grasp, but finding it impossible not to squirm as Walter's strength transmitted straight down his arm directly into that implacable hand. Alex found the absurd thought that Skinner would excel at martial arts running through his brain. And then the rhythm altered again and he knew Mulder had rejoined the punishment.

"No what?" Mulder barked.

"NO sirs, they don't disappear!" Alex gasped, willing to promise to never disappear again if it would bring him relief... any relief. "Obedient slutpuppies don't disappear."

"And?"

This time his brain was way ahead of his body, knowing what they were looking for from him. He wondered at the words even as they tripped off his tongue, practically climbing over each other in their haste to get out into the room, to answer the demands of his... his owners. As his subconscious ran away with his vocal chords, he could only listen in horror to his own response. "AND I WON'T! I won't, oh god, I swear I won't. Please... please. I promise. I won't disappear I won't disappear I won't disappear I won't..."

The spanks stopped. Hot hands caressed his scorched butt. Two tongues licked from his ears across his cheeks to taste the tears at the corners of his eyes. He fought down a sobbing breath, the burning in his ass radiating through him in voluptuous waves of pleasure now, his cock throbbing in time. Spankings always made him crazy but... jesus. He sagged between the two of them, leaning on Walter, supported by their solidity. His ass felt as swollen as his balls, though he knew it was just sensation, just the teeming blood and pulsating nerve endings. He stood, quivering, waiting for whatever would come next, head spinning at what he'd just promised. Promised?

"Alright then." Walter's voice was soft and teasing again, and Alex almost whimpered. Why did he have the sneaking suspicion that they would find a way to make letting him come as much of an ordeal as anything they'd yet done. "I like the sound of that promise."

"On to our dessert," Mulder murmured from his other side, his voice heavy with satisfaction and a touch of... anticipation.

Alex's concern swelled.

"Now listen closely." Walter guided the underwear off over Alex's cock as he spoke, careful not to brush against the turgid flesh for any longer than he had to. "If you want to come, you're going to do exactly as we say. Understand?"

"Yes," Alex heard his voice shaking and tried to steady it. He wanted to just turn to the side, either side, turn and press himself into the warmth flanking him. If they'd just let him...

"And you'll do it without hesitation, and without complaint, won't you?"

"Yes... yes. Anything," Alex gasped, then winced. Fuck. Even though he meant it, he really knew better than to say 'anything' to either of them. Saying it to both of them was really asking for it.

Mulder's chuckle caressed his cheek with puffs of warm breath. "Anything? Glad to hear it. Because any hesitation, any complaints, any lip, and you'll have a very long... very hard... night. Understand, puppy?"

Alex groaned at the silky menace in Mulder's words. He could hear the man almost wishing he'd disobey, hesitate, complain. Don't give them a reason. You can do this. Whatever it is, you can do this. "I understand," he managed hoarsely.

The underwear dragged lower and he realized they were both tugging at it now, removing it, stripping it down his legs to his ankles. He stood on trembling legs as they rose, leaving it bunched around his feet. Then Walter backed up while Mulder continued to touch and pet him, one hand stroking his ass, the other hand plucking gently at his nipples. He watched Walter move further away, uncomprehending, distracted by the feel of Mulder's lips tracing his throat, kissing along his cheekbone, following the line of his eyebrow.

As Walter opened the door of the room and stepped out into the hall, confusion swamped Alex. Something tugged hard in his chest. He wanted to call Walter back, he didn't want him to go. Mulder's hand rose from his ass to the middle of his back, moving in soothing circles and he heard the low monotone whispering, "Shhh, shh puppy. It's alright, he'll be right back. He's coming right back." Alex blinked and realized he must have made some noise, some protest, said something out loud, for Mulder to be trying to calm him. He tried to blink away the fog in his brain but he was too strung out, too lost in the sensuous haze they'd wrapped around him. Sensation overwhelmed thought and he didn't want to return to thinking, didn't want to let go of the place he'd gotten himself to... the place they'd taken him to. Mulder's fingers stroked down his spine, down the bisecting strap, and gripped the dildo at its base, rocking it inside him. He bucked and moaned but there was nowhere to go, Mulder's hand followed his every movement, so he stilled and just rode out the exquisite sensations radiating through his ass as Mulder tormented him.

True to Mulder's word the door opened again bare seconds later, and Walter came back, carrying a high stool. He carried it to the center of the room and placed it carefully, positioning it below and between the two beds. Alex watched with a growing sense of unease but then he was being guided to the stool, allowed to take small steps to keep from tripping on the chain, the long underwear.

Standing him in front of the stool, Mulder and Walter easily sat him down on the hard wood. He couldn't control his reaction as his ass connected painfully with the seat. He gasped, trying to rise reflexively, only to be held firmly down by hands on either side.

"Sit," Walter ordered. He sat.

Sucking in a breath he shifted uncomfortably and winced. The dildo pressed up into him, a huge hard presence filling him completely. The strap of the harness bit into his flesh between his cheeks. The wood was cool, but firm and unyielding against his tender ass. No complaints, the voice repeated in his head over and over. No complaints, no hesitation.

He swallowed hard as they both knelt by the stool. Staring down, he tried to see what they were doing but the bunched underwear obscured their hands as they worked. The hard stool kept distracting him... he couldn't think of a more uncomfortable position at the moment.

Then they spread his legs to either side.

He bit his tongue to keep from protesting as their hands caught his knees and parted his thighs. The underwear was gone and the ankle cuffs... the cuffs were no longer connected to each other, and his ankles were being pulled back. He sucked in air as he felt his inner thigh muscles stretch, as his ankles were securely cuffed to each of the back legs of the stool. NO COMPLAINTS, the internal voice insisted. A wash of heat crawled up his neck to his hairline. His breathing ratcheted up another notch. So exposed. It didn't hurt, but his thighs wouldn't close in this position, his cock and balls on prominent display.

Obviously the intent, he realized, as Mulder stepped back and studied him in blatant satisfaction. "Yes, Walter, that works just fine. Told you it would. How's that on your thighs, puppy? Too much stretch?" Mulder stepped back in and massaged the inner left thigh gently. "You look delicious like this. We left some length on the ankle cuffs so you'd be nice and spread open, but not too uncomfortable. Yes?"

Staring up into the gleaming, hungry hazel eyes, Alex tried to make his mouth work. Mulder waited for an actual answer and he didn't want his silence to be construed as a complaint. "Yes," he finally managed faintly. Mulder nodded happily, and rubbed at the inside of the right thigh, standing between Alex's widespread knees.

"We thought we'd go a little gentle on you, puppy. You've been so good this evening, we're going to make things easier for you," Walter whispered in his ear. Alex shivered at the voice, and at the rakish smile working its way across Mulder's lips. Still lost in the blinding headlights of Mulder hot stare, Alex startled as he felt a large hand brush his face, then something at his lips, pushing through, forcing his mouth as open as his legs.

He made a muffled noise then nothing more would get through as the gag was fastened around his head. His tongue worked automatically at the short, thick object forced into his mouth, and immediately recognized the dimensions, the shape. Horrible heat flooded his face as he realized he'd been gagged with another cock, his lips stretched around a short but immensely thick dick-shaped gag rooted in a black leather base attached to the straps buckled behind his head. He moaned low in his throat, his traitorous tongue insisting on searching out the feel of the detailed cock head, one he could easily imagine as Walter's or Mulder's. Too easily. His mouth worked the gag reflexively.

"There, see? Now you won't have to worry about complaining," Mulder grinned at him. "And we think this really will make things easier for you."

He stepped back and Alex felt his arms release. The cuffs still encircled his wrists but they were no longer cuffed to each other. He drew a deep breath through his nose and brought his arms around in front, flexing the muscles and shaking out the tingles. Large, strong hands rubbed his shoulders briskly, then traveled down each arm, massaging hard. He groaned in pleasure and the hands were gone.

Walter walked out from behind him. He stood beside Mulder and joined the other man in devouring Alex with his eyes. Alex swallowed hard against the dildo-gag and stared back at them, hands resting lightly on his spread thighs, fingers twitching but not touching anything they wouldn't want him to touch. He knew better than to touch himself no matter how much his cock ached for it. He hadn't complained. He hadn't hesitated. They'd said they'd let him come. They kept their promises. They even said the gag would make it easier for him. Much as he hated to admit it, they were right. And the worst of it was it redoubled his arousal, increasing the feel of invasion, penetration... another constant reminder of how completely they owned him. He tried to slow his breathing and waited. Waited. His hands itched to move. He waited.

Walter started backing up. Then Mulder did the same. Alex watched them back away in growing bewilderment. No! They'd said he could come! He made an interrogative sound deep in his throat. Walter flung himself back on his bed. He piled up the pillows and settled himself against them. Unzipped and unbuttoned his jeans. Worked them open. Slowly. Looked up and smiled at Alex, dark humor wreathing his face.

"Alright, puppy. Touch yourself. And make it good."

Mulder watched the huge eyes widen deliciously, the pretty face go slack around the fiendish gag. Alex's eyes went from Walter to him, a pleading look clearly reaching across the room despite their captive's inability to voice any request. Alex's head jerked back and forth in desperate negation and muffled noises struggled against the gag.

Mulder grinned at the delightful picture Alex presented, bound and gagged, unable to close his legs and shield his most private parts from the open stares of his tormentors. Alex always did suffer well and sexual suffering was indeed his best look. It suited him so well, especially since he enjoyed it so much and gave into it so thoroughly.

As he would now. Mulder could already see the awful knowledge in the eyes that begged him to countermand Walter's order. Knew Alex would do as they bade, sit before them and humble himself, fondle and stroke his betraying body to shaking, shivering completion. Pump out his aching pleasure before their merciless gaze, give himself up to all they asked, all they demanded. Strip himself bare, barer than they could possibly strip him externally, and put on a show for their amusement.

All the while locked in the terrible rapture it gave him to be at their mercy, to be pushed beyond his boundaries and made abject to their whims.

Mulder sighed in anticipation. They should have done this years ago. Settling calmly on his own bed, he stacked his pillows and made himself comfortable, opened his robe and stroked his renewing erection. Alex had his appetite up in a big way, and a glance over at Walter confirmed he wasn't the only one affected by their delightful sex toy.

"If you're lucky, puppy," he drawled, "Walter and I won't take that head shaking to be a complaint."

Alex froze on the stool, panic chasing across his miserable features.

"But if you don't get those hands busy and start entertaining us, we'll have no choice but to take it for hesitation," he added firmly.

Alex's eyes closed and Mulder's breath caught as the bound man's entire body shuddered, then went pliant. Something had changed. Some last wall had tumbled. Some last hold-out of pride, some final reserve had given, and the submission that flowed through Alex from mussed head to flexing toes was tangible. Struck by the pure beauty of it, Mulder cleared his throat before he could speak. "Open your eyes," he breathed. "Look at us while you jerk yourself off."

Mulder felt his cock swell, his balls ache, as those impossible eyes opened again, total surrender in their depths. He wrapped his own fingers snugly around his cock and massaged gently.

Alex's thighs parted even further on their own, his legs spreading to thrust his crotch forward, open himself more fully to their eyes, to their demands. His chest expanded, nipples swollen and prominent, and he arched back unconsciously as his shaking hands slid down inside his own thighs. His head tilted back, exposing his throat, as his fingers brushed the swollen, dark mass of his balls. His breath caught jerkily and his cheeks worked around the gag filling his mouth.

Beautiful. So beautiful. Mulder couldn't get enough air. The room felt hotter and closer by the second, the sublime form of the renegade assassin submitting his will to theirs driving the temperature higher than any fire could. So much power, so much control, served up in the long fingers curling around that fat cock, in the wide eyes, dark with their terrible self-knowledge.

And in the helpless hips, harnessed and displayed, thrusting and twitching with the least touch, forcing the strapped cock and balls forward, forward. Rocking that spanked and impaled ass against the hard wood seat of the stool uncontrollably.

And in the sounds... the sounds Alex couldn't stop making. The grunts and muffled moans. The wet sucking noises as he gave in and let his mouth work on the gag. The aching whimpers from deep in his heaving chest.

Mulder marveled at the sight, the sounds, the smells. Committed it all to the flawless memory that would let him conjure this vision at will, this Alex, his Alex, giving... giving... giving. Giving it all up.

Alex's body shuddered uncontrollably as his fingers pulled at his blood-dark cock, over and over. Alex met their eyes and pumped himself, face bright red and completely wild behind the gag. Mulder let his eyes course from Alex's crotch to his face and back again, wishing he had a video camera and could rewind, watch from all angles, catch every shifting expression of agonized release. Alex's stomach muscles flexed as his hips rocked on the stool helplessly. The merest touch on his cock and balls had him out of control and rutting, mindless... obviously close to completion. His other hand, the black leather band still prominent around his wrist, squeezed his balls repeatedly as the scrotum drew up tight, yet still held out from his body by the cock strap.

"Stop," Walter thundered, and it took Mulder a minute to remember his own hand could continue working his own cock. "We don't want this to end too fast," Walter continued, and Mulder turned to watch him fisting his own returned hard-on slowly. "Play with your nipples."

Alex's agony was evident but his hands immediately unclenched, though with obvious effort. Garbled noises rose behind the gag. His hips continued to rock and shift, his genitals bouncing, as he forced his hands up to his nipples. Mulder licked his lips and tried to swallow as Alex's long fingers brushed over his nipples, his eyes half-closing at the sensations.

"Good boy," Mulder found himself joining in, breathlessly. "Pinch them."

Alex obediently pinched both puffy nipples between thumbs and forefingers. His nipples hardened into swollen peaks.

"Tug them," Walter ordered.

Alex complied, stretching his nipples out away from his chest over and over.

"Stroke your thighs," Walter continued in a controlled voice Mulder envied. "Rub your inner thighs, right up to your balls. Tease yourself."

Alex's hands dropped to his widespread thighs, rubbing sensuously up to his crotch and lingering in the crease where his thighs met his groin. His hips pressed forward into his hands and Mulder could see in his face the intense hunger to let his hands continue. But he held back, waiting for orders, eyes pleading.

"Take off the cock strap," Mulder said, "but don't touch yourself for too long."

Alex's eyes lit with a grateful shine and his shaking fingers worked at the buckle. He winced as he had to pull the strap tighter to get it undone, then let it drop with a heartfelt groan. Mulder watched as the full balls crawled up closer to his body instantly, the cock twitching within the wide silver ring of the harness. Alex's fingers flexed but returned to rest on his spread thighs.

"Back to your nipples," Walter rumbled and Alex complied instantly, hands rising to pull at his nipples again.

"Feel that cock in your ass, in your mouth?" Mulder asked. Alex nodded, tugging on his nipples. His cheeks hollowed and expanded and Mulder knew he sucked restlessly on the dildo gag. "That's us, puppy. Taking you from both ends. Claiming you. Because you're ours. You know that, right?"

Alex nodded again, even more enthusiastically. Mulder stared into the wide eyes and smiled at the yearning knowledge there. Alex did know it. If his total submission didn't send the message clear enough, here he was telling them. Mulder wondered how long it would take the lesson to fully sink in and stay with Alex.

"Good boy," Mulder complimented, smiling wider at the way Alex softened visibly at the approval. So pliant, so totally owned. A delicious rush of heat flooded Mulder's crotch. "Now you're going to come for us, with those cocks inside you, reminding you that you're ours. Reminding you that we can do whatever we want to you, whenever we want. To punish you, teach you a lesson, or just because we want to. Isn't that right?"

Alex nodded readily and Mulder didn't miss the fact that he hadn't stopped sucking on the gag since Mulder started talking. His fingers worked his nipples while his hips shifted.

"And we will," came Walter's low rumble, and Mulder watched Alex shudder. "We will do whatever we want, just because we want to. Because you're ours to play with and you'll come—or not come—at our command. Your pleasure is for us. And right now, because you need a lesson in doing exactly what we say and remembering who you belong to, and because you've been a good puppy, and because it amuses us, we want to see you jerk that cock until you spurt. We want to watch you play with yourself and wriggle and squirm with that nice big dildo up your butt and another one down your throat until you can't take it anymore and come all over yourself. Make it last as long as you can, and keep your eyes on us... both of us. We want to see that knowledge in your face, we want to see that you know it's all for us. We want to see everything you're feeling. Now."

At the final, single-word command Alex's hands left his nipples and dove into his crotch, one hand circling his cock and pumping. Continuous noises sounded low in his throat as his other hand rubbed his balls. His eyes shifted from Walter to Mulder and back again, and Mulder felt seared by the abject submission in the expression, the body, the movements as Alex rocked on the stool, bringing himself closer and closer to the edge. His hand worked furiously on his cock, grip tight and almost punishing after the long, extended tease. The flaring cock head purpled and twitched, and suddenly Alex's body tightened and spasmed, hips thrusting forward, shoulders going back. Jerking again and again, he came over his hand, all over his stomach and thighs. His shuddering body slumped as his hand relaxed, still cradling his cock loosely.

Immediately, low whistles filled the room and Mulder and Walter both broke into applause. Alex ducked his head. Mulder swung his legs sideways and stood up off the bed, not bothering to close his robe. Walter rose beside him, and they walked to the trembling figure on the stool. Each taking a limp arm, they carefully cuffed his hands together behind his back again.

Walter stroked the bent head and the heaving shoulders while Mulder went to the bathroom for a wash cloth and towel. Bringing it back, he cleaned up Alex's hands and arms, then circled the stool and washed his stomach and thighs. Finally, with a gentle touch, he stroked the warm washcloth over Alex's cock and balls. He smiled at the sharp intake of breath and lingered over the task. Patting Alex dry, he bent to unhook Alex's feet while Walter removed the gag.

Bringing Alex's right leg to the front of the stool, Mulder shifted around and unhooked the left leg. He stood and watched for a moment as Walter rubbed Alex's shoulders, nuzzling his temple. Alex's eyes were closed, his head tilted back to rest against Walter, his mouth slack. The red outline still stood out around his mouth where the base of the gag had pressed. The sight made Mulder's dick twitch. He left Alex's feet loose from each other and stepped closer, hands stroking Alex's torso as he kissed the other temple. Alex sighed happily between them. Lifting his face, Mulder met Walter's eyes over Alex's head. Walter nodded and Mulder grinned.

"Up, puppy." Mulder urged Alex to stand and with Walter's help, they got him on his feet and turned him to face the stool. Bending him forward over the stool was simple with Alex in this relaxed, compliant state. The shift in position brought a startled sound from Alex but he was bent forward, chest to the stool seat, before he'd even managed to form a full word.

"What—" Alex started huskily, but Walter brought a hand up to cover his mouth.

"Quiet, puppy," he said sternly. "No one asked you to speak."

Alex fell silent and Mulder grinned at Walter again. Once firmly in the zone, Alex broke to their control as if the intervening years hadn't even existed. Mulder unbuckled the straps attached to the dildo and eased it out of Alex's ass in one swift motion. The resulting deep groan made Mulder's cock tingle. He handed off the dildo to Walter, who took it in the towel and put it aside. This time Walter used the washcloth, running it between Alex's cheeks and over his relaxed asshole. Alex was making soft sounds but no real words, so Mulder simply stroked his back.

"Alright then," Walter said as he finished, tossing the washcloth aside. "How do you want to decide this?"

"I don't know. We've both already gotten off once but we're both obviously set to go again." Mulder felt the barest edge of tension stiffen Alex's back under his hand at their casual words.

Walter's hand rubbed over Alex's red ass, delivering a soft spank to first one cheek, then the other. Alex moaned and his back arched, his ass tilting up into the spanks. Mulder raised an eyebrow at Walter and they both grinned. "Flip you for who goes first?" Walter asked, and Mulder had to bite his tongue not to laugh.

"That'll work," he agreed, digging in his pocket for a coin. He tossed it into the air directly over Alex's back. "Call it."

"Tails," Walter said as the coin spun, then fell to land on Alex's back with a soft plunk. Alex jerked, then stilled, his breath picking up again.

Mulder leaned down over the broad back before him and laughed. "How appropriate," he drawled, giving Walter a pout.

"Mm," Walter murmured as he bent and placed his mouth directly at Alex's ear. He squeezed the rounded ass. "Indeed. Tails."

Walter felt the tension returning to the body stretched before them and squeezed the ass cheek a little harder. A small whimper came from the man beneath him and he pressed a kiss to Alex's ear. "Tails for your tail," he said, tonguing the hollow of the ear. A shiver ran through Alex. "Sort of a new twist on penny for your thoughts."

Mulder laughed and wandered back to his bed, sprawling again. "Good thing I'm into the voyeur thing," he complained good-naturedly.

"Hey, it was a fifty-fifty shot," Walter shrugged, straightening up, his hand still heavy on Alex's ass. He lifted it and delivered a much harder spank, bringing a yelp and a bounce from Alex. "And you'll get your turn as soon as I'm through," he added in a velvet voice. "I'm sure this ass will be just as good then. You'll just have to be patient. Not your best quality, I know, but you'll just have to suffer through."

Mulder snorted. "How patient?" he complained. "I'm horny again now."

Walter rubbed the hot ass cheek under his palm roughly. "Well, I've already come once, so I'll be able to last a lot longer this time." He grinned at the strangled sound Alex made and slapped the delectable ass once more. "What was that, puppy?"

"Nothing, sir!" Alex's voice came quickly, if hoarsely.

"Mm. Looking forward to a nice, long hard ride, then?" He chased the words with three more sharp spanks.

"Y-yes, sir," Alex gasped, squirming. Walter wondered if he even realized how his legs were edging apart, how his back kept flexing, arching his ass upward. Actually, he wondered if Alex had even noticed his feet were no longer cuffed to each other.

"Good to hear. Stand up."

Alex lifted his chest from the stool slowly and Walter kept a guiding hand on his arm in case he got dizzy. When he stood, staring straight ahead, Walter moved in closer, his hand still chafing at the plump, hot buttocks. They felt too good to stop touching. He found his own desire to be back in that ass hadn't dimmed any over the years.

"Do you need more lube?" he breathed against the side of Alex's face. He watched the heavy lashes tremble and drop as Alex's eyes closed.

"Yes, sir. Please, sir," Alex managed in a bare whisper.

"Of course," Walter replied, lifting his other hand to stroke Alex's face. Old memories assailed him and his hunger stirred, sharper, more insistent. "Go bend over the bed."

Alex moved without pause, walking between the beds and bending forward over Walter's, giving Mulder on the other bed an excellent view of his ass. Walter grinned at the look Mulder shot him. He could be really awful and ask Mulder to lube Alex, but he'd really rather do it himself.

Stripping off his jeans, underwear and shirt, Walter tossed the clothes across the bed to land on the floor on the far side. Alex tilted his head to watch and Walter puffed up under the dazed, admiring gaze stroking over him. He took a little longer than strictly necessary bending and removing his socks, then took further long moments searching out the tube of lube. Finally he stepped up to stand next to Alex, letting his own erection nuzzle Alex's hip as he unscrewed the lube and squeezed some on his fingers. Reaching between Alex's hot cheeks, he pushed his fingers up into Alex's body. Still relaxed and loose from his long session on the dildo, Alex's sphincter offered the barest resistance then gave and Walter's fingers smoothed all the way in, stroking the lube into the hot channel, twisting to coat everywhere. Alex twitched and made soft sounds.

Walter withdrew his fingers and gave Alex a sharp spank. "There you go. Stand up. Get on the bed and lay on your back. I need to decide how I want to take you." Walter squeezed more lube onto his hand and rubbed it onto his cock as he watched Alex obey, getting onto the bed awkwardly without the use of his hands, then stretching out on his back, his chest thrust up by his cuffed arms. He stared up at Walter, eyes liquid, face rapt. Walter's gaze raked him up and down, lingering on the parted lips, the red and swollen nipples, the scrotum now hanging loose and relaxed again, the cock back to its regular size though still blood-flushed. His eyes wandered further down, enjoying the thick black bands around the shapely ankles, a solid reminder that he could stretch Alex's legs out on a whim and take him that way, buckled tight to the bed posts and unable to move.

However, Walter decided, he'd rather Alex could move. He'd rather be able to watch that luscious body struggle, only to give in to its darkest desires, bend to his commands with such lovely submission. He smiled, then wondered exactly how evil he'd looked as he watched Alex's expression flicker, eyes widening, teeth catching his lower lip.

Still stroking his own cock, Walter climbed up onto the bed and settled on his back next to Alex. With his free hand he pushed at the pillows behind his head and shoulders until he rested back against the headboard comfortably. "Get up and straddle me," he ordered. "Face the bottom of the bed first." He teased himself with extra pressure on his cock head as he watched Alex roll awkwardly to his knees, then work his way down the bed to Walter's hips and stretch one leg over Walter. He knelt above Walter's cock, his cuffed hands clenched into fists at the small of his back.

Walter admired the strong lines of his back, the curve of his cuffed arms, the backs of his thick, muscled thighs. And that ass, of course. That ass. The twin globes of bountiful flesh, much redder than any of the surrounding skin, fairly glowing with heat and color. Walter sighed happily. That was the way that ass should always look. He fisted his cock and reached out to stroke Alex's hip, then took a firm hold and guided him down.

Alex's knees bent further and he lowered himself at Walter's urging, sucking in a sharp breath when Walter's cock head nestled between the fullness of his cheeks. Walter drew in a breath as well as he dragged Alex down further and felt his cock slip into that softened, punished asshole. Alex's low moaning played at his ears as he held his cock steady and tightened his hand on Alex's hip, forcing him lower and lower. Alex sank down onto his cock an inch at a time, his ass opening inexorably to the solid pressure from below.

Walter watched his cock disappearing slowly up Alex's lush backside and had to fight for control. The sight was almost too much, he had to close his eyes and breathe deeply. Those incredible cheeks spreading for him, taking him in... he opened his eyes and swallowed hard as he released his cock and brought his hand to Alex's other hip. With a balanced grip he tugged sharply and seated Alex firmly on his dick, spanked ass settling into Walter's lap all at once. The tight heat engulfed him.

Alex gasped and arched, and Walter heard Mulder moan from the other bed. He'd gotten lost in Alex's body, almost forgetting about the watcher. The reminder stoked his pleasure and he gripped Alex's hips a little tighter, keeping him firmly impaled, thinking about Mulder watching him fuck Alex, watching him make Alex sit on his cock. And after this, he would watch Mulder take this ass.

That he knew Alex was drowning in the intensity of the dual mastering, the forced vulnerability, helped reign in the flash of fiery jealously that lanced through his chest. He didn't know that he wanted to watch Mulder take this ass. A strong possessiveness filled him at the sight of Alex's body over his own, riding his hips, taking his cock. Without conscious decision he started spanking that luscious ass with both hands, making Alex startle and jump, his strangled cry filling the room.

"Mine," he said forcefully, hands impacting flesh with loud slaps, fingers clenching into the rounded flesh. Alex's surprised movements rocked him on Walter's cock and Walter liked the feel. He gripped the lush cheeks firmly in both hands and squeezed. Releasing, he delivered another matched set of spanks. "Ride," he ordered, voice raw and primal.

Immediately Alex started bouncing, lifting and working himself on Walter's cock. His breath came fast and labored, keening moans dragged from his throat. Walter rested his hands on Alex's hips or stroked his heaving sides, watching Alex's ass as it rose and fell, reveling in the sight as well as the delicious feel. "That's it," he coached, giving Alex an encouraging spank. "Fuck yourself on that cock. Ride it good and hard." The spanks drove Alex to faster movement and Walter's cock loved it, the steady friction, the slick glide, the squeezing muscles. "That's right, take it." His voice came guttural and harsh. He started to lift his hips to meet Alex's downward strokes and heard a gratifying yelp. "Like that? Yeah, I thought so." He gripped Alex's hips tighter to control the rhythm, driving up harder and harder. Alex's ass spasmed around his cock and he howled with pleasure. He could feel Alex's balls bouncing against his own. It took a superhuman effort to suddenly hold Alex still and stop moving. "Stop."

Alex stilled with a sobbing breath, his shoulders rising and falling unsteadily, his ass clenching and relaxing. Walter stroked his hips and when he could speak finally said, "Get up. Turn around. Straddle me again. I want to see your face."

The low moan accompanying his words was sweet, so sweet. Walter moaned as well when Alex rose to his knees, Walter's cock slipping free with a wet sucking noise. Moving on shaky muscles, Alex slowly got his leg over Walter and clumsily turned around. Walter felt a blow to his chest at the sight of Alex's face, so broken open, so vulnerable, so soft. And that, he felt with a surge of emotion so deep it scared him, was how that face should always look.

Sitting up, he reached out and helped Alex move over him, lifting and guiding his leg easily until Alex straddled him once more. Staring directly into Alex's eyes he lined up his cock again and drew Alex down to take his aching erection into his body a second time. He watched, breathless, at the incredible expressions crossing Alex's face as the large cock breached him once more, as he sank to take the full length, thick and hard. Alex's lips parted on a moan, his eyes half shut then flickering wide again at each shift of sensation as Walter's cock rode into him.

Walter could read his responses through his face, could read every minute shift, every place that ached so good, every place that sparked pleasure. He knew the exact second his cock slid over Alex's prostate from this new and better angle, saw the eyes go wide and incandescent, the face flush with uncontrollable pleasure wrenched from an over-stimulated body, the lips trembling and caught between a moan and a cry.

As gorgeous a sight as his ass taking in Walter's cock had been, nothing could compete with Alex's face in surrender, giving everything Walter had asked of him and more... more...

And suddenly Walter was driving up into the pliant body over and over again at a wild pace. He couldn't hold himself back, thrusting and thrusting and watching Alex's eyes and face grow frantic as he was fucked and fucked and fucked and Walter's cock hit his prostate over and over and over...

He gripped Alex's hips with bruising fingers and tore his eyes away from that face before it tumbled him into orgasm unexpectedly. It wouldn't be much longer now anyway but he would control it, he would. He groaned as he took in Alex's arched and heaving chest, running with sweat, his soft genitals bouncing with each rise and fall, each thrust. He wanted to take this man so far over the edge Alex would never find his way back. Wanted to bury himself so far inside of Alex that Alex would never be able to dig him out. Wanted to possess that endless need, that aching vulnerability, that impossible surrender.

His eyes rose again to Alex's face, pulled with magnetic force, and the aching, sweet, plaintive cries surrounded him as he fell into the blissful agony Alex wore so openly. He rocketed over the edge and felt his orgasm drive through him like an explosion. His hips arched and his body stiffened and he rode out the spasms with a shout of completion. The bed shook, or he did, or the room did, and then he collapsed. Spent.

He opened his eyes to stare up at Alex shuddering above him, still pried open and so beautiful. His hand lifted and stroked down Alex's cheek. He levered himself up on his elbows then to a sitting position, his hands catching Alex's face and holding him still as he leaned in and covered the panting mouth with his own.

He pressed Alex's lips apart with his tongue as his cock eased from Alex's body. Replacing one possession with another, he plundered Alex's mouth until the so-sweet moans came again, until the sweaty body arched against him and pressed closer, closer. He kissed Alex breathless then tilted his head in the opposite direction and started all over again. He drank at the soft, swollen lips of the man in his lap and never wanted to release him.

Finally, long wet moments later, he released Alex's mouth to stare into green eyes swimming with confusion. Stroking a hand back through Alex's hair, he smoothed the ruffled spikes. "You are unbelievable," he whispered softly, then pressed Alex's head down to his shoulder, wrapping him in a gentle embrace.

As awkward as Alex's size made the position, he melted against Walter, his entire body cleaving to Walter's. Walter stroked the long back and felt Alex shudder and tremble, felt his unsteady breathing and the way he squirmed and pressed closer. He sighed and turned his head to glance at Mulder's bed.

And almost burst out laughing.

Mulder lay on his side, facing them, robe fallen open, one arm up under his head, the other wrapped across his chest. His cock and balls were firmly wrapped in the black leather strap Alex had worn most of the day.

At Walter's raised eyebrow, Mulder sucked in a shaky breath. "If I had any hope in hell of lasting long enough for my turn, I definitely required the extra help."

And Walter gave in to impossible impulse, luxuriating in the feel of Alex's body shifting and resettling against him as his chest shook with laughter.

Part Three
Alex kept his eyes closed, kept his head bent to Walter's shoulder, and let the vibrations of Walter's laughter ripple through him. He wasn't quite sure why Mulder's comment had been so funny but he was more than willing to enjoy the results, the deep reverberation of Walter's laugh wrapping around him like a blanket.

Besides, Walter hadn't said he could move yet.

He knew he was past the point of no return when no little voice piped up to object to the lazy thought circling his mind.

His entire body felt tenderized. His muscles trembled with the after effects of the incredible fuck, his aching, empty ass still resting on Walter's thighs. He could feel Walter's come dripping from his ass but couldn't make himself do anything about it. The aftershocks of the overwhelming pleasure-quake were still shuddering through him. He'd come too recently to be getting any kind of hard-on, but Walter's cock skewering him repeatedly had brought tidal waves of impossible erotic sensation pouring through him, nonstop.

He couldn't have said, mid-fuck, if it was too much or if he wanted it to never end.

If he'd been able to form words, he thought he probably would have ended up screaming the latter.

So soon after his own brutal orgasm, the sheer... totality of the fuck had taken him straight into overload. Stripped him raw. Every nerve in his body sizzled. His skin felt too tight. His breath rasped in his lungs. Heat coiled in his groin. Errant sparks of sensual delight danced up and down his body.

Just the thought of how Walter had driven him, taken him. Another shiver coursed through him. He drew in a shaky breath and smelled Walter... sex... sweat and testosterone and semen. Restless arousal pooled low in his belly. After all the extended teasing he shouldn't be surprised his body still hummed, and Walter had chased his overwrought pleasure sensors right back into hyper-awareness.

Cracked him open and slurped him down raw.

If he could have, he'd have begged for more.

And then... the kissing. Fuck. Meltdown. Walter's bulk slowly easing from his ass. Walter's hands holding his face like the most precious thing ever. The gleam of possession in those deep brown eyes, all through his expression. And the kissing... the kissing. Not enough breath and lightheaded already and... the kissing.

He wondered absently if Walter was minding his weight yet. He wasn't exactly a small guy. Slumped over Walter's lap, his thighs ached, his back ached, his knees hurt, he was too hot...

Fucking heaven.

"Waaaalteeeer. I really hope you didn't break our new toy."

Mulder's voice sounded closer and it dragged Alex's head up, his eyes opening. Mulder leaned in from the side, his hand smoothing Alex's hair just like Walter's had done. He had a smile on his beautiful lips and when he straightened... Alex's eyes widened and he caught his breath. When he straightened, Mulder's sizeable erection was right on eye level, jutting from his open robe, the black leather strap at the base accentuating it. The ardor in the pit of Alex's stomach spiked. His ass clenched.

"Nah, he's not broken. I just may have worn down the batteries a little. Give him a minute to recharge."

Mulder stroked his fingers through Alex's hair and leaned in again, brushing a soft kiss to the swollen lips. Alex moaned into the plushness of Mulder's mouth and felt hands on his hips, easing him up and back. The buzzing under his skin increased as rousing hands lifted him, jostled him, up off the bed and then he was standing. He took it for Walter's permission to get up. His muscles stretched and his joints popped as he straightened and his legs took his weight. Mulder in front of him and Walter in back and his hands were suddenly free.

He pressed closer to the warmth of the body in front of him, his hands rising to grip at Mulder's shoulders. Touch him. God, they kept not letting him touch them... he sucked in the scent of Mulder hungrily, mixing it into the heady musk surrounding him, washing over him. And finally, his hands could move, touch, feel. He moved in on Mulder's mouth again, that damnable little tilt to his lips that just needed to be bitten and licked and sucked at... Alex heard Mulder's surprised 'mrmph' then their tongues met and tangled. And yes... the kissing.

He let his hands slide back down the lean length of Mulder's torso, rubbing up against him like a cat in heat, feeling the hot hard length of Mulder's erection against his own naked groin. Another body behind him and Walter's weight leaning into him, Walter's low chuckle in his ear, Walter's hands catching around his wrists and plucking his hands off Mulder's body. He moaned his protest into the wetness of Mulder's mouth but it was too late, Mulder drew back.

Alex eyed Mulder up and down and struggled half-heartedly against Walter's hold, the incessant fire pumping through his veins with every throb of his heart. He gave a pained moan and wriggled against Walter again, eyes dropping to fasten on Mulder's hard-on, his tongue licking out to wet his lips.

Mulder backed up a step and blinked at him, and he saw the wonder in those hazel eyes. That damn pouty mouth was curling up in a half-smile again and Alex shimmied in Walter's hold, his back rubbing against the wiry hair on Walter's chest.

"Yep, definitely not broken," Walter stated and Alex wanted to scream at the calm, collected voice. Fucking hell, were they automatons? How did they stay so together when his body felt like it was about to fly apart? "How do you want him, Mulder? I'll help you get him into position."

And Mulder walked forward again, a slow sexy sway in his hips as he closed on Alex, the smile widening. "I'm going to have to think about that for a minute," Mulder murmured, his hands smoothing over Alex's chest, fingers lightly stroking his nipples. Alex arched against the touch, his nipples almost too sensitive to bear it, then bit his lip and tried to still. "How do I want you," Mulder sighed and returned the perusal Alex had been giving him a few minutes ago. Moving his hands right up to settle gently around Alex's throat he rubbed his thumbs up and over the heavy pulse running along either side of Alex's Adams apple. "I think... face down on the bed. Ass up."

Alex felt his heart kick up with the words and knew Mulder felt the answering throb in his pulse. Then without delay he was dragged to the other bed and laid out, his arms stretched up over his head and fastened to the posts. As soon as he was bound down again, Walter stepped back and away and Alex heard him move back to his bed and flop onto it. He turned his head enough to see Walter stretch out on his side with his head toward the foot of the bed, one pillow dragged down to rest against as he propped his head on a hand.

Perfect watching position.

Alex closed his eyes as Mulder's hand touched his hip. "Kneel up, puppy," came the order and with it, the now-expected spank to his ass. He got his knees under him immediately, not wanting to tempt further chastisement at this stage of the game, and felt Mulder pushing pillows under his lifted hips. "There you go, lay back down now."

He lowered his hips and they didn't have far to drop before they rested on the pillows piled high under him, propping his ass well up into the air. The position stoked the pulsing excitement crawling through him and he felt the blood pound in his groin, the ache starting up again in his balls, his cock struggling to stir where it nestled in the downy softness of the pillows. Being on display brought the familiar burn, low down and achy.

Worse yet, he felt Mulder's hand on his ankle, stretching his leg out and fastening his ankle cuff to the left bedpost. Momentarily his right ankle was caught in the same deft grasp and then his thighs were pulled wide apart as his ankle was fastened to the other post. He bit his lip as a casual hand stroked up the inside of his thigh, teased at his exposed asshole, rubbed firmly over his perineum until his hips tried to squirm.

"Ready for more, puppy? Because I'm beyond ready to get inside this ass."

He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his face into the mattress. After the dildo, after Walter... he couldn't believe it, couldn't say it, but he was. Ready for more. His ass was sore but he ached with the emptiness. He remembered Mulder's size only too well. He wanted it. Wanted Mulder in him. Wanted to be mounted, to be filled. To feel the heavy thrusts. Wanted to be taken again, in this devastating position. Wanted the same claiming from this lover... wanted to be fully used to the extent of both their abilities. Both their desires.

"I'm waiting, puppy. I said are you ready for more?"

Mulder's voice came with a hot slap to his ass and Alex lifted his head immediately. Fuck not saying it, he couldn't take another spanking. Not as hot and bothered as he was already getting all over again. "YES! Yes sir, I'm ready for more," he gasped quickly. "I'm ready for you."

"Alright then. That's better." Mulder's weight shifted the bed and Alex tensed against his bonds without thinking. The feeling of being tightly held down, unable to move, unable to close his legs... increased the anticipation, the sizzle, and he moaned at the painful hooks of arousal dragging through his groin.

Hands pressed into his ass and he felt his burning ass cheeks spread wider, held open and ready. Mulder's cock touched his tender asshole and he gasped. Then Mulder was in, and the full length of him rode all the way, sinking in until Mulder's balls pressed up against his own. Alex exhaled in a rush, the burn of Mulder's entry lost to the exquisite fullness, back again. Mulder shifted and Alex groaned...

The bastard had left the cock ring on. No doubt to try to last as long as Skinner had. Men and their goddamn ego-driven competitive streaks...

Head dropping forward again, Alex whimpered into the mattress as Mulder drew back and started thrusting. He was still wet enough that Mulder moved easily, and his well-used ass sang with the renewed attention. Draw almost all the way out... and in. Mulder had a harder drive given the assistance of gravity and positioning, and Alex couldn't move more than a centimeter. He lay there, tied down and spread open and completely vulnerable, and all he could do was take it, take the fucking, as long as Mulder wanted to do it to him. The knowledge drove as deep as Mulder's cock, deeper, touched off the lightening sparks inside his brain as if Mulder's cock rubbed right up against something deep in his limbic system.

That image fired him and he groaned in abandon, heard an answering groan from the other bed. And got an instant crystal clear mental image of the picture he must be presenting to Walter. And there went the fireworks behind his eyes again...

Mulder changed his angle and his cock rubbed Alex's prostate, making Alex's entire body seize up over and over as Mulder realized what he had and played to it. Alex rocked his face against the mattress and wailed, long past the point of holding it in, almost past the point of even hearing himself. And on it went, impossible, unbearable, unending... until Mulder's throaty shout, Mulder's fingers squeezing tightly into his cheeks, Mulder's hips slamming into him... Mulder's body slumping forward, collapsing on top of him, heavy and unmoving.

And the terrible, itching need was back even worse than before. Even worse than after Walter's fuck. Driven by the nonstop stimulation, the merciless domination, the entirely too-expert use and abuse of his body. He moaned brokenly as Mulder lifted himself away, as the another cock slipped from his ravaged body. The awful hooks had set, and they tugged, tugged. Relentless. His body simmered, his own exhausted cock half-hard and the low pound back in his balls.

He lay on the bed and wondered distantly what they were going to do with him now. Instinctively he knew no further satisfaction would be his tonight. This constant, bone-deep hum of unfulfilled arousal would be his next torment. And it made him theirs as surely as their cocks inside him or their bonds on his limbs.

His breathing slowed and the blood stopped pounding in his ears and his surroundings came sharper. Their low voices caught his attention even through the haze of exhaustion settling around him.

"—already in my bed, after all."

"And it would such a hardship to move him. Pull the other one, Mulder."

"But look at the poor thing... he's practically catatonic. Be easier just to leave him."

"I just don't see how that's fair."

"You got to fuck him first."

"Well, it's not like you didn't get to fuck him. It was a fair toss."

"And you got the blow job..."

"It's not my fault! You offered it to me."

"I'm just saying, I don't think it's too much to ask that I get to keep him in my bed tonight. You can have him tomorrow night. That's fair, isn't it?"

Walter's low grumbling didn't resolve into actual words, leaving Alex with the impression that he consented. For fuck's sake. They were arguing over who got to keep him in bed? Whoever heard of anything more stupid—

Arguing...

...over him?

His overwhelmed mind couldn't grasp the meaning, couldn't make sense out of what seemed a simple enough thing. Too tired, too wrung out, too shattered from the soul-destroying sex. The best sex of his life.

Fighting over who got to sleep with him?

Warm, gentle hands unhooked his wrists from the bed, rubbed his arms, relinked his wrists to each other. A just-hot-enough washcloth stroked over him, cleaning away sweat and semen, soothing skin and muscle even as it brought shivery sensations through his hyped-up nerve endings. His ankles were released and his legs relaxed, closed, as he was rolled off the pillow stack, lowered to the bed, settled on his side facing across the room toward Walter's bed. A chain linked his wrists to the headboard, long enough to allow him a comfortable position, hands curled at chest level. Strong hands rubbed his thighs briskly, his calf muscles, settled his legs before linking his ankle cuffs one to the other and looping an equally comfortable length of chain from them to the bottom bed post.

Alex sighed in contentment as a pillow was eased under his head. With the exception of the eddies of arousal racing up and down his body, destined to keep him half-awake for who knew how long, he felt more comfortable than he had since... since he could remember. Even the lust crawling just under his skin had a lazy, logy feel to it, contributing to the overall sense of achy complacency.

Movement in the room clattered about just at the edge of his hearing. A sheet and a quilt settled over him and warmed his cooling body. The bed dipped, the lights dimmed. A large body moved in behind him and then Mulder's arm slid around his waist, tugging at him until his back pressed to Mulder's chest, his still-warm ass flush with Mulder's groin. He could feel the brush of Mulder's soft boxers against his tender flesh, emphasizing his own nakedness.

Mulder sighed heavily and nuzzled the nape of his neck in sleepy comfort. Pressing closer, Mulder's thigh nestled between his from behind, Mulder's hand on his stomach slid lower, fondling over his sensitive cock before settling proprietarily around his aching balls. The weight and warmth of the hand didn't help calm the uneasy ardor still stirring through him but Alex seriously doubted Mulder intended to calm him. He sighed and tried to relax into the heady feel of being held by Mulder.

Across the small gap, Walter put his own bed to right, and climbed in. Alex watched him through half-closed eyes, then startled when Walter turned and looked right at him. A slow, knowing smile curled Walter's mouth. Then the final light went out, leaving Alex with only the sounds of a large body settling on the mattress a few feet away.

Alex lay unmoving, trying to still himself, to calm the rousing butterfly wings of desire tickling throughout his body. Within moments he realized the darkness wasn't complete. A soft spill of light came from the direction of the bathroom. Not enough to disturb sleep, but enough to calm... someone who might have difficulties with the dark.

He regulated his breathing, closed his eyes, tried to will himself to sleep. Puzzling about that funny little smile on Walter's face kept his mind occupied for the long, long... long... time it took for him to drop off.

Mulder came awake suddenly, unsure what had woken him. He blinked but didn't move. His arm still wrapped around a warm, sleeping Alex Krycek. Hand still nestled snugly into Alex's crotch, his sleep-lax fingers tucked around the other man's balls.

As wakefulness filtered the rest of the way through his brain, he reflected it was lucky he hadn't had one of those nightmares that caused him to wake up clutching whatever was closest in a death grip.

He shifted his hand just enough to chafe lightly at the flesh under his fingers, so much hotter than the rest of the body pressed to his. Alex made a soft sound in his sleep but didn't wake, not even when Mulder's fingers explored further. A gentle squeeze brought a sigh and full body shift but still Alex slept.

Mulder eased his own body back enough to prop himself up on his other elbow, staring down at his bedmate. One would think an assassin would need lighter sleeping habits than this to stay alive as long as he had. Mulder had him by the balls—literally—and he wasn't even stirring. And he'd slept some of the day yesterday. Granted, they had given him quite the workout the previous evening...

Mulder smiled. He rather liked the thought that between the two of them they'd managed to exhaust Alex Krycek.

And perhaps Alex hadn't fallen asleep as quickly at he had. Mulder's smile widened. He knew Alex had been more than a little worked up again by the time they finished with him for the night. He remembered the brush of a semi-erect cock against his fingers when he'd gripped Alex's scrotum before nodding off. At the time he'd appreciated it as another appropriate lesson for their little slutrat. Tamed, well-fucked, and left with a lasting and uncomfortable reminder of who was in charge.

Mulder stroked his thumb back and forth over the plump balls and eyed the clock on the small stand between the beds. They'd given Alex a long night to recharge, whether he'd slept immediately or lain awake suffering. Mulder had no doubt that by this morning they would be back to dealing with the defiant slutrat, rather than the docile and sweet submissive they'd broken through to by night's end.

Mulder's smile morphed into a grin at the thought. The slutrat incarnation wasn't exactly unwelcome. Alex struggling with his pride and resisting his own inclinations could be a hell of a lot of a fun.

Besides, they hadn't gotten to try out even half of their new training tools last night...

Releasing Alex's balls reluctantly with a final squeeze he let his hand slide up and over Alex's hip then rolled onto his back and out the other side of the bed. Alex made another mumbling noise in his sleep but still didn't wake. Mulder couldn't stop staring at him as he stretched.

Than again, maybe... He shook his head, trying to write off the fanciful thought to morning-cobwebs. But it resurfaced. He supposed... just maybe... Alex's failure to jerk awake could be ascribed to something more than exhaustion. Perhaps Alex just trusted Mulder that much. Could still sleep beside him and be less tense. Less alert.

He'd like to think so. He supposed the exhaustion made the more probable explanation though. Shaking his head he yawned his way into the bathroom, shaking off the sentimental maundering.

When he returned Walter sat on the edge of his own bed watching the sleeping Alex across the small gap with a soft, unfocused expression Mulder had never seen on that face. He felt a sharp tug of jealousy but forced it down. And that's going to work how long? snarked a nasty little voice in his head. At least for the rest of the weekend, Mulder returned firmly. Walter looked up as Mulder approached and Mulder managed a smile.

"Morning." He pitched his voice low and jerked his head toward the chairs by the fireplace.

"Morning," Walter returned in the same tone, joining him across the room. "Sleep well?"

Mulder's grin came much more naturally. "Oh yeah. You?"

Walter nodded thoughtfully, a small smile curling his lips. "Better than I have in a while. I think this is good for me."

"Closure," Mulder nodded readily.

"Mm. I meant the incredible sex, but that too."

Mulder stifled a laugh and tipped his head toward the lumpy bed. "Was it just me or did you think yesterday's training was a huge success?"

"Better than I'd even hoped. Having a general outline mapped out ahead of time was ideal. We work well together."

Mulder nodded again, pleased. "We do. Of course I'm thinking by this morning we'll probably have lost a little ground."

"Of course. If I remember correctly, mornings after can always be a little chancy with our boy."

"Mmhm." Mulder smiled fondly in the direction of his bed. "Part of his kink is he really loves to have it dragged out of him. Which makes him a little testy the next day."

"Hopefully the fact that we aren't going to be letting him out of subspace will get through reasonably quickly," Walter murmured dryly, glancing at the bed as well.

"He's not going to be giving in to that easily," Mulder chortled.

"No, I don't believe he will." Even pitched low, Walter's voice rang with satisfaction. "So... we drag it out of him."

They looked back to each other, twin glints of eagerness shining in two sets of eyes. With a confirming nod, they started laying out the day, consulting the remaining contents of Mulder's burgundy-and-black bags.

Within a short time, either the low buzzing of their voices or the wearing of the morning brought Alex to wakefulness. As his body shifted under the quilts Mulder and Walter rose and crossed back to the beds. Mulder crawled onto his bed and positioned himself behind Alex while Walter sat down in front of the loosely bound body. Alex's head arched on the pillow as he stretched, his chains clanking as his arms and legs moved against their pull. His eyes blinked open.

He lay there staring up at the faces staring down at him. The heavy lashes fell shut again and his breath whistled out. "Fucking hell."

Mulder shot a 'told you!' grin at Walter then reached out and stroked one hand over Alex's forehead, pushing the sleep-sweaty hair back off his face. "Aw, what's wrong, puppy? Didn't you sleep well?"

Alex's eyes slowly opened again and narrowed in the same breath. "Oh just wonderfully," he snapped, sarcasm heavy in his voice. "I always sleep great when I'm tied to the fucking bed."

"That's what we remembered." Walter nodded sagely without even a hint of irony.

Alex drew in a deep breath and glared from one to the other. His expression was hard for Mulder to decipher, a mixture of irritation trying to hide apprehension overlaying something else entirely. Mulder decided puzzling out Alex Krycek's face while the man was chained to his bed was something he could grow to like doing first thing in the morning.

"So, is it too much to hope for that you guys might have come back to the land of the sane?" Alex ground out.

Walter shook his head. "The land of the sane is boring, Alex. You of all people ought to know that. We're not ready to go back there quite yet."

Mulder watched Alex's eyes flicker closed, watched that... something... in his face surge to the forefront. Relief? Hope? Need? Mulder continued stroking Alex's hair thoughtfully. "We told you the weekend and we meant it," he added.

"I just thought maybe you'd come to your senses after getting a little sleep," Alex snarled. "There was always the chance you were both suffering from exposure yesterday."

Mulder shook his head. "No, sorry to disappoint," he murmured with careful emphasis, "but we're having way too much fun." He smiled demurely as Alex's eyes cut to his, a suspicious gleam in them. "And we just don't believe the lessons have really made it home yet." His hand left off stroking the dark head, pinched a cheek on the way down to Alex's chest, and then thumped him gently on the breastbone. "We question whether things have really sunk in and your returning attitude this morning isn't a very good sign. We figured our puppy would require more training."

"Which of course we're more than happy to administer," Walter put in, standing up from the bed and bending over the headboard chain.

Mulder peeled back the quilts covering Alex and played at his nipples while Walter jerked his hands up over his head with a pull on the chain. Alex tilted his head back, obviously looking for the best moment to lash out, but Walter efficiently shortened the chain then straightened.

"Roll over."

"No."

Walter sighed and exchanged a look with Mulder. Shrugging, Mulder reached out for Alex's arm and between the two of them they flipped him onto his stomach easily. Ignoring Alex's threats and curses, Mulder yanked the quilts the rest of the way off, leaving them bunched at the bottom of the bed. Straddling Alex's kicking legs, he lifted the struggling man's hips while Walter stuffed a pillow beneath him. Mulder settled down onto the backs of Alex's knees while Walter walked over to his own jeans from the previous day and removed his belt from the belt loops with single hissing jerk.

Alex froze mid-diatribe, lifted head giving him a perfect view of Walter's actions. As Walter walked back toward him Alex started shaking his head rapidly. "No... don't, wait—" His voice broke off, ending in a yowl as Walter doubled the belt, lifted his arm and started swinging, bringing the belt down in a wide arc.

Mulder watched transfixed as Walter's arm swung, the belt flew, and Alex's ass striped. The pillow under his hips kept Alex's lovely round ass poked up in the air, the perfect target. Mulder's weight on his legs made rolling away to either side impossible. Alex jerked and wriggled and screamed under the steady whipping but the belt just kept coming. Always one to appreciate the joy of watching, Mulder settled in comfortably, his dick stirring with lazy interest against the heat of Alex's legs as Alex dissolved into hoarser shouts, then quavering pleas. Only when Walter showed signs of tiring did Mulder rouse himself from the hypnotic sight of Alex Krycek's ass getting thoroughly strapped. "Want me to take over?" he asked conversationally.

Walter nodded and stopped. "Don't mind if you do."

Mulder levered himself off Alex's legs and accepted the belt while Walter took up the straddled position. Mulder resumed the spanking with renewed energy, bringing howls from Alex in minutes. The weight of the belt felt good as he hefted it... a much less precise tool than the paddle but better for longer, harder sessions. With more lasting results. For more intensive discipline. It certainly had more wallop to it and utilized the strength of a full-arm swing.

Settling into the rhythm Mulder found himself falling into his own zone again, a little surprised at how readily it came back to him after years of not indulging. His world narrowed to the arc of the belt, the leather in his hand, the crack of the strap against those beautiful bouncing ass cheeks. Under direction of the part of his brain not ruled by sensation, his ears gauged Alex's exquisite sobs with care, the same care with which he watched the furiously blushing skin of Alex's ass.

The split attention felt like an old friend and a particularly welcome one. He'd always excelled at the combination of focus and distance required by topping and the power flooded back to him. His entire body delivered each swing, the belt moving like an extension of himself. And between one blow and the next his attenuated senses picked up the minute shifts in the body laid out before him—the slump of releasing muscles, the tremolo in the cries, the surrender in the arching and lengthening of the lower back.

He continued the steady rise and fall of the belt just beyond the point of capitulation, watching the generous ass jounce with each impact, then finally began to slow. The longer the pause between straps, the louder Alex's sobbing moans when the leather struck home. Finally he let the belt unfold from his hand and dragged the dangling end across the cherry-red ass. Standing still and catching his breath, he realized Walter watched him as opposed to the delicious sight before them both. His boss looked... impressed. He offered the belt back to Walter wordlessly, trying to ignore the swell of pride in his chest at the approval in the older man's eyes.

Kneeling down at the head of the bed Mulder ran his hand through Alex's hair. "You'll get a daily morning spanking whether you need it or not, but today you can just call it a reminder of your place, puppy. We assumed you'd need an immediate refresher this morning. And just to be clear, it's a reminder you'll get every time you give us that attitude today, understand?" He exerted just enough pressure to force Alex's head to turn. The thick lashes clumped with tears, the sheet wet where Alex had buried his face in it. Huge, limpid eyes blinked up at him. "Understand?" he repeated sternly.

"Yes," Alex rasped in a thick voice.

Mulder nodded. "I told Walter we should just keep your ass so sore that one good slap would bring you right into line." He glanced over his shoulder.

Walter enthusiastically patted the bright red cheeks still propped up on the pillow. Obediently, or involuntarily, Alex squirmed under his hand. "Obviously frequent intense correction is indeed the way to go," Walter agreed with a wink.

Standing, Mulder unhooked one of Alex's wrists and smiled when their captive didn't even tug against his grip. He easily brought Alex's arm down and folded it behind his back. As Walter took over his grip on that wrist, he reached up and unhooked the other. When both wrists rested in the small of Alex's back Mulder left Walter sitting on Alex and walked back to the bags, returning with a length of rope. Winding it in and around Alex's wrists above the cuffs, he unbuckled the cuffs, removed them, and tightened the rope. Alex's only response was a shifting of his wrists against the new bonds. Mulder finished with a nod, cueing Walter to climb off Alex's legs and uncuff his ankles. Then Mulder calmly delivered a stinging slap to Alex's glowing ass that had Alex yelping and leaping under his hand. "Up, puppy."

Getting his knees under him Alex managed to work his way to the edge of the bed without turning over to sit down. Easing first one leg then the other off the bed, he stood as Mulder moved in on one side and Walter on the other. He stared straight ahead and Mulder could tell he worked diligently to ignore the tear streaks on his cheeks. Glancing down, Mulder grinned. Either that, or Alex was just hoping like hell they wouldn't notice his erection.

Taking either arm Mulder and Walter led him into the bathroom, chatting amiably about showers and the luxury of the facilities. Alex hobbled between them wincing with each step and Mulder realized he was likely sore from more than just the morning whipping. The thought brought a satisfied smile to his face even as he realized they'd probably have to forgo fucking for at least a little while. He almost laughed aloud when he realized that all in all, Alex would probably be the one most disappointed by that eventuality. He and Walter had plenty to keep them entertained but Alex loved having something up his ass. He combed through their list of toys in his head, wondering what might be acceptable in lieu of yesterday's dildo.

He adjusted the showerhead and temperature controls while Walter pissed, then couldn't help but watch as Walter positioned Alex and stood behind him, chin on his shoulder, hand around his dick, aiming for him. Alex bore it in blushing silence and finally, after a wait that must have been more interminable for him than for them, he pissed long and hard, eyes closed and jaw tight. Mulder had to choke back another laugh when Walter's solicitous inquiry if Alex needed anything further was met with a death glare, even when they offered to leave the room. Shrugging, Walter gestured to the shower.

Mulder nodded, pulled back the curtain, took Alex's arm and guided him under the spray. Alex's "What the—" cut off short, as if he realized it could be construed as 'attitude'. Even with a large luxury shower, the space became tighter when Walter followed them in. But as each focused on Alex the space constraints didn't hinder them unduly—Mulder stepped up right tight behind him while Walter closed in on his front, sandwiching him between their bodies. Mulder adjusted the spray to wet back Alex's hair and smoothed in shower gel, lathering briskly with his fingertips. Picking up a bar of soap, Walter went to work soaping up the front of Alex's body, hands sliding freely over slick skin. Alex shifted uncertainly under the sensual onslaught.

Mulder rinsed out Alex's hair, breathing in the almond shampoo scent hanging heavy in the steamy air. Alex's soft moan made him rub harder, working the thick hair between his fingers and massaging Alex's scalp. He tilted his own head just enough to watch Walter's large hands taking full liberties with Alex's body, feeling him up and down and everywhere under the pretense of getting him clean. Walter brought his hands back again and again to Alex's already-awake genitals, always moving on after brief sessions of soapy fondling that left Alex groaning and breathless.

Finishing with Alex's hair, Mulder unhooked the bath brush from the shower rod and turned Alex to face the spray head on. Starting at Alex's throat Mulder began brushing him down, scrubbing the soap off with firm, methodical circular strokes over every inch of wet skin. Walter picked up the bar soap again and started on Alex's backside. Alex bit his lip as Mulder reached his nipples and Mulder took great delight in drawing out the process as long as possible. He dragged the short, stiff bristles back and forth over Alex's nipples repeatedly until the sensitive nubs stood up hard and red. He finally moved on, down over the soft skin of Alex's stomach, again pausing to tease at the sensitive navel and rubbing harder the lower he went.

At Alex's rough gasp Mulder checked on Walter's progress and found that he'd begun a very meticulous soaping of Alex's ass. Grinning, Mulder continued down, scrubbing Alex's thighs while watching Walter's fingers probe intimately between Alex's buttocks, working up inside him until Alex was rising up and down on his toes, shifting his shoulders restlessly.

Returning to his own work, Mulder brought the brush back up to Alex's crotch, the stiff bristles getting Alex up on his toes again with the pleasing addition of a satisfying yelp. Mulder grinned into the panting face as he thoroughly scrubbed Alex's balls, then teased the now-fully erect cock with the agonizing friction. Taking Alex's swelling dick in hand, he turned it this way and that, rubbing the brush up one side and down the other while Alex's hips twitched madly, trying to jerk away from the stimulation but only succeeding in driving himself back onto Walter's slick fingers. The groans came more steadily, rising above the rushing of the water and echoing in the otherwise silent bathroom.

When Mulder mercilessly teased the bulging head of Alex's cock with the rough bristles, the groans turned to pleas of a delightfully desperate nature.

The growing heat of the shower finally drew them on and Mulder reluctantly turned Alex to face Walter and started scrubbing down his back. Walter leaned in and kissed the parted lips over and over while Mulder brushed Alex's back. He moved on to the full ass cheeks and couldn't stop a chuckle at Alex's startle, and the way he bolted against Walter's body when the brush scoured his inflamed ass. Walter's hands caught Alex around the hips and moved him firmly back until his engorged cock touched nothing, then went on enjoying him with slow, wet, open-mouthed kisses.

Mulder pressed closer and watched until the feel of Alex's hot ass cheeks against his own erection became too much. He tapped Walter on the shoulder and Walter broke off with obvious reluctance. In tandem, they both caught Alex's shoulders and pushed him gently down to his knees. He stared up at them with a dazed expression as he knelt, the water pulsing down over him. Stepping closer to each other, Mulder and Walter each caught their own dick in hand and extended it toward Alex.

Alex's eyes widened and he looked from one to the other helplessly. Walter's hand caught in his hair and drew his mouth inexorably to Walter's cock. Barely had his lips wrapped around the shaft when Mulder's fingers twined in his hair from the other side and guided his head back off Walter, then Mulder shoved his own cock between those swollen lips.

Back and forth they passed him from one cock to the other, leaning against the shower wall to support themselves as they thrust one after the other into Alex's mouth. Mulder handed him back to Walter and watched through heavy-lidded eyes as Alex's lips were forced apart by Walter's thick hard-on. Mulder fisted himself languidly as he followed the movements of Walter's hips, pumping that big cock in and out of Alex's face. Alex worked it as best he could, sucking when he had the chance, riding the thrusts when he didn't. Within minutes Mulder couldn't stand it and reached out to tug on Alex's hair again, pulling him away from Walter's groin and pressing forward, pushing himself back into that hot, gasping mouth.

Gripping Alex's wet hair tightly he held Alex's head still and fucked his face with short, steady thrusts. Watching his own cock work in and out of the stretched lips was almost as good as watching Alex give head to Walter, with the added benefit of the amazing sensations of the wet suction pulling at his erection. He couldn't decide which he liked better. The watching alone had its own appeal. He pulled Alex off his cock and turned Alex's head toward Walter. Walter took over immediately, driving his cock home before Alex had managed a full breath. Walter settled one hand in Alex's hair, braced himself against the wall, and started working Alex's head up and down.

The diabolical thrill of watching Alex being used so thoroughly coursed through Mulder's gut. Helpless, hands behind his back, soaked and dripping. Cock ripe to the bursting, balls hanging heavy. Down on his knees with his mouth getting plundered. Fuck... what a picture. Mulder tried to slow himself down, make it last. He wanted to watch Walter come down that throat then he would explode in Alex's mouth himself. He wasn't sure he'd make it. Then, even as he debated between taking back Alex's mouth or jerking himself off to the hot spectacle before him, Walter's head went back with a full-throated howl of completion. Large, strong hands now held Alex's head immobile as Walter drove his cock in and out with strong thrusts of his hips. Mulder gripped himself around the base of his shaft tightly. The minute Walter slumped against the wall, hands going limp in Alex's hair, Mulder pounced. Once more Alex barely had time to get his breath back before his lips were stretched wide again as Mulder pushed his throbbing dick as deep as he could.

He felt Alex's throat suddenly give as the man on his knees relaxed his muscles. He pushed in just... that... much... further and grunted at the intensity of the sensation as Alex's throat swallowed against him. He pulled back and thrust again, staring down into Alex's dark eyes staring up at him. He held the gaze, grinning down at Alex with feral satisfaction, pumping in and out with ever-increasing speed.

Alex took it—he couldn't do much else. His mouth opened as wide as it could, his throat stayed lax, his eyes dazed and blissed-out. Within a few short thrusts Mulder couldn't hold back any longer and came with a hoarse shout. He pressed forward as far as he could and his dick spasmed its last deep in Alex's throat. He stayed that way as his cock began to deflate, pulling Alex ever closer until Alex's face was flush with his body. He could feel the jut of Alex's chin against his balls, the press of that pretty little nose in his pubic hair. He moved back only enough to allow Alex air. The swollen lips continued to cradle him so gently while the water pummeled his back and sluiced off his legs.

Leaning against the shower wall he finally gave Alex his mouth back and turned to wash himself under the spray. When Mulder finished rinsing they got Alex to his feet and Mulder stepped out onto the bathmat, leaving Walter to wash in the suddenly spacious shower. Drawing Alex out as well, Mulder left him standing and dripping while he dried himself off, then waited a little longer as Walter finished, stepped out and dried himself as well. Only when both were fully dry did they turn to Alex with their damp towels. Mulder toweled Alex's hair until it spiked, then they both dragged the soft cotton leisurely over Alex's body, playing with all the sensitive spots they'd aroused in the shower.

Alex bore the teasing at his nipples in stoic silence and even the rough toweling of his ass, but when Walter's towel-covered hands worked between his thighs, a choked whimper escaped from between clenched teeth. Mulder lounged against the bathroom counter, shaving with an electric razor and watching Walter bring Alex to full tumescence again under the pretext of drying him. Mulder grinned, thinking the only possible thing that could still be wet on Alex were the ropes around his wrists. "Breakfast?" he asked cheerfully when his cheeks were smooth.

Walter patted Alex's full red cock once more then turned to Mulder and nodded. "Sounds good. You'll take care of it?"

"Sure. I'll call it in then go over in a bit to pick it up. I still don't think we're ready for room service, yet." Taking Alex's arm in a firm grip, Mulder walked him out into the main room. Bringing him directly to the bed he sat Alex down on the foot of the mattress, ignoring his wince and gasp. He unclipped the ankle cuffs that still hung from the bedposts and kneeling down, quickly cuffed Alex's ankles together then linked them to the bottom of the closer bedpost. Leaving Alex without a word, he went to the phone and called in a large breakfast, assuring the front desk that he would be over to pick it up and that no room service was necessary.

By the time he had completed the ordering and pulled on jeans and a shirt, Walter emerged from the bathroom looking entirely too energetic and alert for the morning hours. Mulder groaned inwardly. Trust his boss to be a morning person.

"Food on the way?" Walter inquired as he dressed.

"Be ready in about twenty minutes," Mulder confirmed. "Which should give us just about enough time."

Alex stiffened on the end of the bed, his eyes narrowing. "How much longer are you two planning on keeping this up?" Alex rasped abruptly.

Mulder smiled as he considered the reason Alex's voice was so hoarse then grinned as he watched the effect his expression had on Alex. The bound man hugged closer to the bedpost reflexively before forcing himself to still with obvious effort. Mulder finished his approach and reached down between Alex's legs, wrapping his fingers firmly around the hot erection. He pumped it twice. "Oh, I think we can keep this up for quite a while, don't you, Walter?"

"Oh yes," Walter put in, coming to lean over and inspect Alex's cock as Mulder worked it. "Judging from yesterday's performance, I think we can keep it up for hours."

Alex flushed, looking ready to flay them both. "You can't just keep me here indefinitely," he gritted between his teeth, eyes flashing. "And what the hell are you going to do with me when you go back to DC? Cut your losses now and I'll just disappear, no harm no foul. You've had your night of fun. And a little morning after too. Now you're just really pushing it."

"Mm," Walter made a noncommittal noise. "I'd say we've had your fun too, Alex." He raised an eyebrow, then shook his head. "But anyway, if you keep up with the attitude, we'll have to strap you and then twenty minutes won't be near enough."

"Actually, I'd say he already deserves another strapping," Mulder intoned regretfully. "Not only for the attitude but also especially because he's still talking about disappearing. It's just like we worried—things just aren't sinking in. But here's an idea... how about we go ahead as planned now then you can administer correction while I'm over getting breakfast."

Walter clapped his hands together once. "Ideal. Excellent thinking, Mulder."

"Jesus Christ," Alex burst out angrily. "Are you two fucking NUTS?"

Walter sighed. "He keeps asking that. Was this morning's lesson so easy to forget, puppy? Fine, we'll make sure your next strapping really gets the point across."

Alex's mouth fell open and he stared up into Walter's implacable face. As if regretting every word that had fallen from his lips so far, his head started to shake back and forth. "No, look, I just... I mean, you don't have to—"

"Hush, Alex. We've got other things to attend to first and it sounds to me like you need another session with the gag." Walter looked to Mulder who already had the bit gag at hand. Alex jerked his head back but Walter easily forced it between his teeth and Mulder buckled it behind his head. Walter shook his head as he met Mulder's gaze. "You were right... feisty after a little sleep. If you want to get the stuff, I'll take care of positioning."

With a nod Mulder retreated to the bathroom and gathered up his own shaving kit and Walter's, as well as a fresh towel. Dumping the decorative soaps neither he nor Walter bothered with onto the bathroom counter, he filled the pottery bowl they sat in with hot water. Bringing everything back to the bedroom, he surveyed Alex's new position with satisfaction.

Alex still sat on the end of the bed with his hands behind his back but now he was positioned equidistant between the two bedposts, his knees spread wide, his legs stretched out with ankles cuffed to the bottom of each of the posts with short chains. His thighs were spread out to their limit, leaving his crotch exposed and vulnerable. Mulder nodded and moved to stand directly in front of him. "Yet another good look on you," he teased, ruffling Alex's hair.

Alex's eyes tracked his hands, dark brows drawing in as he took in what Mulder held. Recognition dawned slowly. Then suddenly the green eyes went wide and Alex's head started to shake back and forth, muffled noises coming behind the gag.

Mulder grinned down at him. Given Alex's on display position, he had an excellent view of how Alex's dick responded in direct contrast to the protests Alex tried to voice. Kneeling down until he was eye level with the swelling cock, Mulder shook his head. "Whatever you're saying, Alex, somebody else is telling a very different story. In fact, I'd almost say he looks eager. Maybe that's what you're trying to tell us? That just the idea of being shaved makes you hot and horny?"

Walter laughed as he leaned up against the left bedpost. "I think that is what he's trying to say," he intoned in a silky voice. "After all, you wouldn't very well be objecting, now would you, puppy? You know better than to object to anything we want to do."

Alex's head snapped back, a pleading look on his face as he met Walter's gaze. Walter took a moment to enjoy the expression before he nodded to Mulder to carry on. He couldn't help but grin at the enthusiasm Alex's cock was displaying for the proceedings.

Mulder set all of the materials on the floor between Alex's feet. Taking the towel, he nodded to Walter and they both grasped Alex under an arm, lifting him up enough for Mulder to push the towel under his ass. They dropped him back to his sitting position on the bed and Walter stifled a chuckle at the wince and moan this brought from Alex. Walter carefully spread out the end of the towel hanging down between Alex's legs while Mulder dug out the small scissors from his shaving kit.

Ignoring Alex's unintelligible protests they both knelt down. Walter took a firm hold on Alex's throbbing dick, warm and twitching in his hand. Holding it to one side he watched with pleasure as Mulder clipped off the thicket of black curls, cutting the pubic hair close to the pale skin beneath. When he'd shortened the hair on one side, Walter bent the dick in his hand to the other direction and Mulder cut back the hair on the other side as well.

Walter got out the round brush and mug of shaving soap he carried and dipped the brush in the water. Wetting down Alex's groin thoroughly, he then lathered the shaving soap until a rich, creamy lather sat in the mug. Whistling softly, he lathered up Alex's crotch, taking time to work the brush all over his balls and down the inside of his thighs where the hair grew thick.

Ignoring Mulder's electric razor, Walter took out the safety razor he carried and looked up at Alex. Chin to his chest, Alex sat staring down at them with a dismayed look on his face. Walter smiled up at him. "I'd recommend you sit very still, puppy. No squirming." With that, he redirected his attention and began shaving Alex's pubic area, stroking carefully then rinsing the razor in the water bowl, then bringing it back to scrape over tender skin again. Little by little he bared Alex's flesh in clean white strips.

Aware of Mulder sitting at his shoulder, eyes riveted to the shaving, Walter rinsed the razor and held it out to him. Mulder accepted it greedily and they continued, swapping off, until Alex's entire groin was completely denuded of hair, right down the inside of his thighs. They took particular care shaving his balls, pulling the skin tight and working one small patch at a time, one shaving and one holding his cock out of the way.

Walter stood and retrieved the stool they'd used the previous night, placing it right in front of Alex between his widely spread legs. Once again they both lifted an arm and pulled Alex up into a standing position then bent him over forward until his chest rested on the stool. With this better leverage, Mulder lathered up his ass then spread his cheeks so Walter could shave between them thoroughly. Alex lay perfectly still for them and Walter found himself humming in contentment.

The warmth and comfort of the room, the genial companionship of Mulder as they worked Alex over, Alex's alternating spitting and hissing and total submission... Walter found to his own surprise that he rather liked sharing the experience of mastering Alex. The domination felt more complete, somehow, in front of someone else, as if he and Mulder offered external witness to what Alex gave up to them both, making the conquering more tangible.

Finishing up the job of shaving Alex's erogenous zones completely clean of hair, Walter plucked the towel off the bed and toweled down Alex's smooth ass and groin. While Alex stayed bent over the stool, Mulder collected the leather wrist cuffs and Walter untied the wet rope. Tossing it to one side, he held Alex's arms while Mulder replaced the rope with the leather cuffs and linked them one to the other again. Pulling Alex up off the stool they sat him on the bed and left him chained there, spread and displaying his naked crotch to the room, while they cleaned up the shaving kits and put the stool to one side again.

Alex sat and stared straight ahead, valiantly ignoring his own begging hard-on and carefully not looking down at himself now that the shaving was complete. Walter cast amused looks at him while they cleaned up, admiring the red flush staining Alex's cheeks as he sat helpless and exposed. Finally, Mulder started dressing in his coat and boots to go collect breakfast and Walter returned to the bed to unhook the ankle cuffs from the bedposts. He jerked Alex to his feet, turned him to face the bed, and shoved him hard in the back, causing him to tumble flat on his face onto the mattress with a muffled 'oomph'.

Mulder raised an eyebrow at him from the door when he saw Walter pick up the belt without refastening Alex's legs to the bed. "Are you sure that's wise?"

"I can handle him," Walter stated confidently. "But if you think we should, come help me get his wrists reattached before you go. I want his legs free though. I want him to be able to move and bounce under the strap... help him really feel the effects of the shaving."

Mulder nodded thoughtfully as he returned to the bedside and the two of them quickly unhooked Alex's wrists from behind his back and spread his arms up over his head, cuffing him to the headboard. "I'll be right back," he said as he backed away, looking increasingly reluctant to go. "Don't have too much fun without me."

Walter grinned. "Then hurry," he drawled, turning his attention back to the already-red ass in the middle of the bed. The long body stretched across the mattress was his to play with and this time he would get to watch Alex struggle. Watch those hips squirm and twist, watch that ass bounce. Make him change positions on a whim. With a happy sigh he lifted the belt and brought it down across the pert, round cheeks.

The response was everything he could have wanted. Already beyond sensitized, Alex immediately started squirming madly, groaning behind the gag as the belt played with his ass once again and his shaved groin rubbed across the bed. Walter amused himself with making the rounded cheeks dance, bringing the belt from unexpected angles and letting the pauses last a little too long or not quite long enough to ever be predictable. The strokes seemed to lift Alex and toss him about the bed. Walter began to try to determine where Alex would shift next and place the strap there to snap at him just when he moved. Alex rocked uncontrollably against the bed, keening behind the gag, never able to avoid the flying strap or know from which direction it would strike next.

"Up on your knees," Walter ordered suddenly, cracking the strap three times in quick succession to encourage quick obedience. "Get that ass right up in the air. Higher. Stick it up there. Spread your legs more. Show me how much you want to have your ass blistered. That's it, now hold it up there good and high." When Alex's ass was high enough for his liking, he began bringing the belt up and under, enjoying the way the sharp smacks made a delightful quiver run all through the plump cheeks.

Finally leaving off he set the belt on the bed next to Alex and palmed both hot cheeks. "You can lay back down. Keep your legs spread. But if you come, you'll be punished." Delivering one light smack with his hand he left Alex on the bed and went to the fireplace, building up a fire. As he placed the match the door swung open and Mulder hurried in, pushing another meal cart.

Mulder's face fell when he saw Walter kneeling at the fireplace, Alex stretched out on the bed, back rising and falling with his heaving breaths. "You finished already?"

Walter stood with a grin. "He's already had one strapping this morning, Mulder. This was just a reminder about attitude."

Mulder sighed and wheeled the cart over to their chairs. "I suppose," he said grudgingly.

"You were the one who suggested punishing him while you were getting breakfast," Walter offered unrepentantly, peering under dishes and taking deep breaths of the wonderful smells. "What do we have here?" He dished up a mixed plate for Alex while Mulder rattled off the menu.

"Apple sage sausage, maple pecan waffles with, of course, real Vermont maple syrup—"

"Well duh."

"—Vermont cheddar omelet, maple-cured bacon. I think that covers it."

Cutting everything into bites, Walter set Alex's plate down on the rug before the fireplace then jerked his head toward the figure on the bed. Mulder joined him to release Alex from the bed and cuff his hands behind his back. As they helped him to his feet Walter smiled his approval at the still unsatisfied hard-on rising shamelessly from Alex's shaved groin. He unbuckled the gag and plucked it from Alex's mouth, giving him a hard look. The puffy lips closed immediately with not even the hint of a smart remark.

Walking Alex over to his plate they pushed him gently to his knees. Walter fed him sips of orange juice then gestured to the food. "Real Vermont breakfast, puppy. Eat hearty." Going back to the cart Walter heaped a plate for himself and sat back in his chair, watching in satisfaction as Alex bent to his breakfast, cherry-red ass rising as he caught up bites of egg and waffle in his teeth. Chatting casually with Mulder while he cleaned his own plate, Walter found his eyes continued to stray back to the beautiful vision kneeling on the rug between them.

At least Mulder wasn't taking his inattention personally given he could barely keep his eyes off Alex either.

It was a sight Walter had missed in his life. When Alex had gone, he'd worked hard to put it out of his head. He'd mostly succeeded. He still played occasionally, when the internal itchiness grew too uncomfortable or the memories haunted a little too loudly. But it was nothing like it had been with Alex. No one ever felt as... right... as Alex.

Alex's words echoed in his head. 'What are you going to do with me when you go back to DC.' The ultimate question, he supposed. God knew he and Mulder hadn't gotten that far yet. This entire weekend was an exercise in how not to think about what came next. Part of him knew good and well that if he let himself think about exactly how this might play out—all the complications and next steps and what ifs—he'd never let himself do it. And he'd needed to do it. Needed to let himself. Just once he didn't feel like being the responsible one. The dependable one. Doing the right thing. Just once he wanted to do something for himself.

Realizing he and Mulder had both fallen silent, Walter shook himself out of his thoughts and glanced over at his erstwhile collaborator. The pensive look on Mulder's face as he watched Alex told Walter he wasn't alone in his meandering thoughts. He wondered if Alex's words had gotten Mulder thinking too.

As if sensing his attention Mulder suddenly looked up from Alex, meeting Walter's eyes. A long, speaking look passed between them, but exactly what they were trying to say to each other Walter couldn't determine. He knew what he wanted to say. He wanted to tell Mulder he was in it for the long haul and not to expect him to just disappear to make things more convenient. No noble stepping out of the way for him. He'd gotten a taste of Alex again... he wasn't about to let it slip away like he'd done with so much in his life.

Unfortunately he suspected Mulder might be thinking along very similar lines.

As if simultaneously realizing they'd lost their appetites both men moved at once to put their plates on the cart. "Leave it in the hall for the staff?" Walter asked. Their dinner cart had disappeared from outside their door sometime before Mulder had exited the room this morning.

Mulder nodded. "Leave the syrup though." He pointed to the large glass jug of maple syrup glistening in the morning light that spilled in their deck doors. He grinned suddenly, an entirely evil expression. "I paid for all of it. It's ours."

Walter coughed to cover his laugh and looked down to the floor where Alex chased a final piece of sausage around his plate with his tongue. Bending down, he picked up the tidbit and held it up in the air. Alex looked up at him warily then rose up on his knees and captured the piece of meat between his lips. Walter nodded and patted him on the head. "Good boy." Picking up Alex's plate he put it on the cart and wheeled everything out into the hall. Picking up the heavy jug of syrup he returned to his chair, setting the syrup down in front of the fire.

Alex knelt in place, noticeably not quite resting his ass on his lower legs. His eyes moved back and forth nervously between his two captors. Mulder looked him over unabashedly, eyes lingering on the bared groin. Walter couldn't help staring too... it was almost an odd sight and at the same time unbearably erotic.

"Now that he's all done eating, I think he's ready," Mulder drawled as Walter resettled himself.

Reaching over the side of the chair Walter caught up one of the burgundy bags and pulled out a leather collar. He handed the bag over to Mulder and crooked his finger at Alex, beckoning him closer. Alex stayed where he was, head starting to shake.

Walter raised his eyebrows again. "Attitude, puppy?" Alex froze, then with an audible swallow he knee-walked to Walter's chair. Walter smiled and nodded at him. "Good boy." Reaching out, he wrapped the collar around Alex's throat and buckled it snugly. He watched in anticipation as Alex's eyelids sank as if pulled down by the weight of his lashes. The color in Alex's cheeks rose again, after dying down while he ate. Slowly, the green eyes opened again and Walter caught his breath.

Such a simple thing... a collar. A small thing. And yet, there it was again in Alex's eyes, all over his face—the pure yielding. His eyes were suddenly soft, his whole face pliant. All brought about by a leather strap with holes and a silver buckle. Walter felt a rush of sensation in his own groin that made him want to flip Alex around, jerk his hips into the air, spread those long legs and plow into him. Alex swallowed hard again and his throat worked visibly against the leather strip binding him as surely as the cuffs had to the bed. Yes, a small thing, but so powerful. Alex gave it the power. Walter heard a voice from the past, breathy with arousal. 'Collars just make me feel so... owned. Maybe because it's around the throat, which is so vulnerable, or maybe it's the pet association. I don't know... but collar me and I'm yours. I mean really yours.'

"Are you mine, Alex?" Walter murmured, voice vibrating with passion. He let his eyes wander down over Alex's body to the straining cock rising from the bare crotch. When he raised his eyes Alex still stared directly at his face, eyes huge and liquid.

"Yours," croaked Alex immediately, low and desperate.

Walter nodded, accepting it as his due. "Go to Mulder," he ordered simply.

Alex turned on his knees and made his way to Mulder's chair. Walter tried to remember when he'd last seen something so beautiful. Alex moved awkwardly but the inherent submission imbued each movement with an appealing charm. Walter licked his lips, his mouth suddenly dry. Alex knelt up before Mulder in utter stillness while Mulder rustled in the bag at length. Finally he produced a medium length leather leash, clipping it into the D ring on the collar.

"There," Mulder said in a voice full of satisfaction. "Now lean back a little." As Alex balanced carefully Mulder ran a hand over his chest, tweaking both nipples. Reaching back into the bag he drew out another set of clamps, still rubber tipped but separated, and each hung with a dangling weight. He attached them to Alex's distended nipples and tapped the weights absently, setting them swinging. Alex made a soft moan. Mulder wrapped his hand through the loop end of the leash and pointed to Walter. "Back to Walter, puppy."

On Alex's return trip Walter's view was even better. The weights bounced on his nipples. The black leather at his throat and the leash running to Mulder's hand made Walter's already well-satisfied cock twitch in his jeans. Alex under control—collared and shaved and clamped—was just too good an image. Too hot an image.

"I think it's the second bag on the right," Mulder said, breaking into Walter's visual feast.

Reaching for the bag in question Walter inspected the contents and nodded. With the same deliberate slowness Mulder had employed he removed a small collection of butt plugs... one by one. Alex's eyes widened. Walter lined them up on his thigh, from slim to obscenely fat, all with the narrowed neck and molded flared base that would hold them in place. "What do you think?" he asked Mulder, holding up a medium-sized smooth plug. Alex's eyes tracked it.

Mulder nodded readily. "My thoughts exactly. We gave him enough of a workout last night. For today, just a little something to keep his attention."

Walter dropped the rest of the plugs back into the bag, then rose and tracked down the lube. Coming back to his chair he squirted lube onto the plug and coated it thoroughly. Alex shifted slightly from knee to knee as he watched. Walter finally finished to his own satisfaction and made a circular motion with his finger. "Turn around, puppy. Ass up." Flushing darkly Alex turned his back to Walter and bent forward, raising his ass up into the air. Walter stroked the heated cheeks then carefully fingered the slightly puffy asshole. He'd chosen well on plug size, he reflected. Alex's ass really had seen enough use last night. But they couldn't very well deprive their puppy of assplay today, so gentle would be the watchword.

Loosening Alex's ass with his finger, Walter played for long moments then slipped the plug home and seated it securely. As Alex's ass closed around the bulbous middle and snugged the base, Walter heard a soft groan. He stroked Alex's ass again. "Like that, puppy? Feel good?"

"Yes," came the whispered response. At Mulder's brief tug on the leash Alex amended immediately, "Yes sir, it feels good, sir." Mulder winked at Walter and Walter grinned. Teamwork did have its advantages.

Patting Alex's ass lightly, Walter snapped his fingers. "Up, puppy. Kneel." Alex struggled up again and Walter unclipped the clasp holding his leather wrist cuffs together behind his back. As Alex's hands fell away from each other to rest at his sides Walter massaged his shoulders and upper arms. Alex jerked in surprise and looked over his shoulder at Walter.

Walter smiled widely and felt Alex tense under his hands. "That's right, puppy. We're up to the next stage of your training. We need to know you can obey. We want to make sure that we're making some progress. Your hands will be free today. But no touching yourself without express permission. And you can rest assured that we won't be giving permission except in very particular circumstances. Now, crawl over there in front of the fire. Position yourself on your knees between our chairs, facing us, your back to the fire. Hands on your thighs. Spread your thighs nice and wide. We want to be able to look at all of you whenever we feel the inclination, and get a good eyeful."

Alex sat perfectly still, directing an odd pleading look over his shoulder at Walter, confusion written clear on his face. Walter just smiled. "Do it," he ordered calmly. Alex's breath came faster and the internal struggle showed in his tensing muscles, his clenching teeth. Walter sat perfectly still, waiting. Mulder held the leash firmly looped over his hand but they both knew that if Alex at full strength chose to make a break, they'd have their hands more than full with not much help from the leash.

Tension sang in the air but Walter concentrated on looking calm and unconcerned. He'd meant what he said to Mulder early in Alex's captivity yesterday. Attitude went a long way with Alex... he'd always known that. Taking control did bring about amazing responses from their little firecracker. He met Alex's confused look head on, his face bland, eyes stern but serene. Radiating the unquestioned expectation that Alex would comply.

And at the same time forcing Alex's hand.

For in a way, Walter knew Alex found it so much easier to be tied down. Restrained and 'forced'. He could blame his cooperation on his captors that way. Shuffle his internal responsibility around. Walter smiled darkly at the man kneeling before him, dying to submit but now having to admit it. That's right, Alex. You're going to own how much you want this.

Clearing his throat, holding Alex's eyes with his own, he felt the relaxation of total control wash through him. His voice didn't rise at all. If anything it came quieter, but deeper. More solid and unyielding, with careful emphasis. "I said do it... and I mean do it now."

FUCK. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. Alex stared at the implacable face, the dark grin, and felt pure panic pouring through his veins. The last thing he'd expected Walter to do was free his hands. The leash in Mulder's grip was tantalizingly thin. One hard jerk...

Accomplished at the same time as a spring to the feet...

He swallowed. The tightness of the leather around his throat sent a wave of voluptuous heat through him. His cock pulsed agonizingly. Every move he made shifted his silky balls against his thighs, his shaven groin supersensitive to even the lightest eddies of air... the solid plug in his ass another mark of their ownership. He wanted nothing more than to crawl to Skinner's designated spot. To sit before their greedy eyes, exposed and displayed. Aroused and unfulfilled. Theirs to play with, if they should deign to do so.

Obedient.

Ah god, this was so fucking unfair. They knew him... they knew what he was capable of. Walter more than Mulder, even. Knew that by giving him back his hands while his feet were also unshackled they were in essence freeing him. Freeing him to make good his threats to take them apart piece by piece should they drop their guard for even an instant.

They'd dropped their guard all right. Dropped it consciously, purposely, knowing full well what it would do to him. Looked him in the eye and gave him his opening. Dared him to take it.

Take it... or do what he really wanted.

He's telling you to make your choice. Absolute fucking bastard. Alex swallowed again and the collar felt like it tightened. He could try to fool himself. Tell himself that if they'd removed the cuffs it was because they had a backup plan lying in wait. That he wouldn't get five paces.

And that line of thinking held some logic. He was naked, for fuck's sake. With three feet of snow outside. He couldn't exactly just break through the glass deck doors and take off at a run.

So if he tried hard enough he could probably convince himself he still didn't have a choice. Not really. His nudity, the elements... they were restraints too. Right? Given those stumbling blocks, they'd just capture him again and slap the leather restraints—the tangible restraints—back on him.

Wouldn't they?

His heart skipped a beat. Awful thought... what if they let him go?

The overwhelming sense of loss at the thought of escaping the room scared him. They hadn't even let him come yet today! And there was obviously more to be explored in those bags...

He groaned internally. Fuck. Why bother even trying to lie to himself that he had no choice? Obviously he had a choice, obviously he knew full well he could pull it off, if he could be more concerned that they might not attempt to recapture him.

Give it up. You are so doomed.

Alex blinked his eyes shut, trying to still his swirling mind. And realized instantly that he didn't have the luxury of time to weigh out his options. Given the way his day had started, he'd be damn lucky if his current delaying didn't get him bent over the bed for another strapping any minute now.

He didn't think his ass could take it again so soon. His cock had a somewhat different opinion, desperately trying to arch higher and bob against his stomach.

And wasn't that an answer in and of itself.

His knees started carrying him forward before he realized he'd decided. Was there ever any question? hissed a taunting voice in his head. He felt another internal wall tumble in the wake of his movement. His... decision.

His acquiescence. His willing submission to their dominance.

The internal voice snorted derisively. Has it ever been anything but 'willing'?

Fine. His publicly declared willing submission.

"Crawl," came a level voice behind him.

Awful heat bloomed in his chest but without pause he dropped forward onto his hands. The weighted clamps swung on his nipples and he bit back a hiss at the jouncing tugs. He crawled on hands and knees to the spot Walter had described, feeling Walter's eyes on his ass, knowing the plug's base was visible between his red cheeks. Walter had used more than enough lube... the slick plug shifted easily inside of him as his legs moved. It was long enough to brush his prostate occasionally but slim enough to not put continual pressure on it. He could feel the lube squelching wetly around the base.

He raised up on his knees and turned around, facing the two chairs. The black leash stretched from his throat to Mulder's hand, a constant visible reminder of his place. A reminder that made his cock ache. His chest felt tight as he stared at some middle distance, carefully not meeting either gaze, and spread his thighs as wide as he comfortably could. His balls hung down between his legs as he settled himself. His hands fell to his thighs, resting palm down, fingers spread. The worst insult. The clearest indication that he was exactly where he wanted to be... that even given the option, he'd stay here and bend himself to their will, give himself up to their torturous... delicious... humiliations.

His chest rose and fell unevenly, the weighted clamps heavy on his nipples. He felt light-headed, overwhelmed. What the hell was he doing? How could he just slide back into this, after everything that had happened... how could they?

But if they would, if they were willing... he was helpless to turn it down. As his freed hands, quiescent on his thighs, attested.

"Very good."

And there it was. The approval heavy and warm in Walter's voice. Heat spread through Alex's belly and his thighs shifted further apart, his body loosening, his back arching unconsciously... thrusting his chest out a little further, presenting a more aesthetic picture for his owners.

"Now, that's where you'll sit. Since Mulder and I don't have any work to do up here, given your unexpected—and still unexplained—intervention, we're going to have a nice relaxing day. A little mini-vacation. And you are going to sit there and get yourself under control."

Under control? Alex blushed hotly, his eyes skating to Skinner's face uncontrollably. Walter met his gaze levelly, and cast a speaking look down to Alex's bursting cock. Alex felt the blush travel up his throat over his face to the roots of his hair, his ears burning.

"You have permission to tell us if you need something to drink, or if you need to use the bathroom. You'll even have permission to do so alone. You may shift through a limited range of movements to keep your muscles from stiffening up. However, you must ask us for permission to do so. You're there for our convenience... so we can look at you whenever we want, enjoy you. Touch you if we feel like it. You will present yourself for use immediately anytime either of us requests it, no hesitation and no attitude. The belt still stands as the response to disrespectful attitude. Understood, puppy?"

Alex had to clear his throat before he could make his voice work. It still came in an aroused rasp. "Understood, sir."

"Good boy."

"I think he still needs something else, Walter." Mulder tilted his head to one side and studied Alex thoughtfully. "He looks lovely, but something's missing..." He played with the leash, rubbing his fingers over the smooth leather. "Ah ha! I know." Standing, Mulder handed the leash over to Walter and bent over the bags, rustling and murmuring to himself. He finally plucked out something with a happy exclamation and turned back to Alex, dropping down to kneel in front of him.

Alex stared at Mulder's happy, relaxed face and decided this was by far the scariest Mulder he'd ever encountered. Mulder in Hong Kong had nothing on this good-natured, cheerful, evil-genius Dom. Hell, Mulder in Tunguska had nothing on this one. Alex felt a light sweat spring up on his skin but Mulder's gaze held his and he couldn't look away even to see what Mulder held.

One warm hand slid deftly between his legs and started massaging his smooth, tightened ball sac, touch so gentle and sure he wanted to scream. Arousal coursed through him as his shaved skin was stimulated and stroked. Mulder's fingers felt heavenly and hellish at the same time... the touch so good, but the knowledge that no satisfaction would be forthcoming absolute torture. Mulder made a soft crooning noise as he worked Alex's balls, manipulating the testicles to the bottom of their sac, tugging and rubbing at the skin until Alex's balls hung lower than they had moments before. Alex gasped at the expert handling, his mouth opening and his own hands clenching on his spread thighs. His hips started shifting forward against his will, rocking into Mulder's touch.

Mulder tut-tutted and shook his head. "Hold still, puppy," he warned.

Alex stilled his hips with a superhuman effort, trying to keep from groaning out loud. A choked moan escaped, then another gasp as Mulder's other hand joined the first and something warm and heavy wrapped around the top of Alex's scrotum. Head jerked down by the odd sensation, Alex tried to see past his rampant cock to what Mulder was doing. A thick, weighted leather strap tightened around the top of his sac, forcing his balls down. Mulder adjusted the strap with the familiar ripping sound of velcro and suddenly it was even tighter. The width of the strap stretched his ball sac and put pressure on his testicles, keeping them bulging out below the bite of the leather. Then Alex felt Mulder's hands leave him completely and sucked in a rough breath as he felt the full weight on his balls. He stared down at the fiendish strap but could see no weights. It was the strap itself... something inside the leather, something heavy and distributed evenly all the way throughout.

"Lead shot," Mulder murmured as if reading his mind. "Feels good, does it?" He flicked Alex's balls with his fingers, setting them swinging.

Alex gave a choked whimper and tried—unsuccessfully—not to squirm. The pressure and weight did feel good, in an ominous way. He knew it wouldn't be long before it was damned uncomfortable. He could only hope Mulder wouldn't leave it on too long...

He felt a sinking sensation in his chest as Mulder rose and settled back in his chair, lifting a book. Walter, now in control of the leash, already had a magazine open on his lap. Turning a page, Walter looked up as Mulder sat, perusing Alex with his eyes and smiling slowly. "Nice touch," he approved.

"Thanks," Mulder answered conversationally.

Walter went back to his magazine.

Mulder opened his book.

Alex sat... or rather knelt... and steamed. His entire body felt hyper-alive. Everything felt enhanced, everything made him shiver, tremble. And every tremble made something on him or in him move, causing more sensation, making disturbing liquid sensations boil low in his belly. Not at all conducive to getting himself 'under control'.

What the fuck was that supposed to mean, anyway? They'd done this to him. Gotten him worked up into a frenzy. Left him hanging. Literally. Again. Now they wanted him to get himself under control? He bit back a moan as he shifted his weight and the plug squelched in his ass. His balls swung gently. He bit his lip.

Meditation. Zen. That was the ticket. He tried to slow his breathing, relax... tried to will his cock to calm. He stared into the middle of the room, concentrated on his breathing and let his eyes lose focus. As the room blurred, sensations rose to higher prominence.

The heat of the fire on his back. On his already roasted ass. The burn in his butt was a constant warm stinging tingle and the fire emphasized it.

The constant pull on his nipples. The little movements the weights made with each measured breath. Every 'in/out' rhythm brought a slight jounce. The pinch of the clamps reawakened with every minute movement. His stretched nipples throbbed.

The presence in his ass. The fullness, so omnipresent in his naked state. The sloppy feel of lube in his plugged ass, heated by his body, dripping against shaved skin.

...shaved skin...

He swallowed hard and squirmed without meaning to. A low moan escaped his lips at the flurry of sensation and he squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to see if they looked at him, amused. Entertained. The blush flared anew in his cheeks and he kept his eyes firmly shut, reaching for a blank state of mind with something like panic.

He tried to push away the sensory input as he focused on his breathing again. Zen... zen... zen... His fingers tightened on his thighs in frustration. He never was any good at this zen shit. He could quiet himself to the stillness of the assassin in the right circumstances but those circumstances were driven by need. Absolute need. Not something he could pull out of his proverbial bag of tricks on a whim.

Besides, it wasn't really a place he liked to go if he didn't absolutely have to. He hadn't been there in a while. He'd appreciated the vacation.

Breathe. Focus on the breathing. And as his mind stilled...

Sensation rose again.

The collar at his throat. The bands at his wrists and ankles. Tight.

The weight on his balls. Growing heavier with every... passing... second. Steady pressure, tugging them down. A slow dull ache growing and flaring. Pulsing with his heartbeat. His balls felt like they were swelling under the constriction. The band felt tighter. Heavier.

And oh, his cock loved it.

He heard his own choked whimper and wanted to scream. This was not working. He opened his eyes and blinked back angry tears of frustration. Hanging his head forward he stared down at the traitorous organ, happily staring back at up him. Flared head swollen and purple, with the gleam of spilled precum.

He couldn't help noticing he looked longer without any pubic hair. He appreciated the illusion. Especially naked with these two. He couldn't say offhand who was bigger... they both stretched his ass deliciously. At the thought, his ass clenched on the plug and it moved inside of him. He caught his breath and his hips moved, setting his aching balls swinging between his legs. He bit his lip to keep back the yelp as the pressure increased.

Occupy mind. Think. Where was he? Size. Size. His previous engagements with them hadn't lent themselves to measuring tape. If he had to choose... he guessed Mulder probably had the most length. Mulder always looked big. Just the sight of that long, thick cock never failed to make Alex yearn to drop to his knees, whether he saw it naked or just admired the substantial package in Mulder's jeans or suit pants. Walter picked up more size in arousal though, swelling up to mouthwatering proportions with that distended head and-

And this was so not helping.

Alex stared at his cock and wondered how long he could possibly stay this aroused without their attention on him. He lifted his head and surreptitiously eyed both of them.

They were actually reading. Reading.

Mulder had that soft, faraway look he got when he was immersed. He'd put his glasses on. Alex ground his teeth. That didn't exactly help either. Walter turned the magazine pages with a regularity that bespoke casual attention but his eyes didn't lift, didn't seek out the suffering man on the end of the leash wrapped firmly in one hand.

Bastards. Absolute fucking bastards. Anger sizzled through his ravaged nervous system. His fingers twitched against his thighs, reminding him of how close his hands were to his hungry cock. Just a few pulls...

Right. He almost snorted aloud. Another session with the strap? His ass already felt like it was blistering in the heat of the fire. And they wouldn't hesitate. He'd seen that in Walter's willingness to strap him again so soon after his morning session.

So much worse with his hands unbound. He could touch himself. Could if he dared. Could stroke himself to completion and end this attenuated torment. Could rip off the ball strap, free his aching, tender sac. Unclamp his nipples, soothe the swollen nubs.

Why stop there? the little voice whispered evilly. You could take hold of that leash and yank it right out of his hands. Or unbuckle the collar. But you won't, will you?

Alex drew in a harsh breath and stomped on the mental voice. Don't start that again! He closed his eyes then snapped them open again as the loss of sight amplified sensation once more. He had to stop doing that.

Okay, no closing eyes or otherwise interfering with visual stimulus. No moving at all. No thinking about Walter or Mulder's cock size. No thinking about his own free hands. Alex huffed out a breath in frustration.

Maybe the assassin stillness wasn't such a bad idea.

Finally, as a partial compromise, Alex amused himself counting up how many items in the room could be used as lethal weapons. Against Mulder and Skinner. If he ever got the balls to get up off his knees and make a break.

No, dammit, don't think about balls.

Slowly... slowly... his body started to calm down. His respiration slowed. His blood flow eased and with it, his cock began to finally flag. As unfulfilled arousal ebbed, his balls felt more swollen and sore than ever, the aches and throbbing settling squarely in his bound testicles. The weighted strap got more uncomfortable minute by minute.

The rug under his knees protected them somewhat but kneeling in the same position for any length of time made the joints ache and muscles stiff. He didn't want to do it. Didn't want to open his mouth and ask them for permission to shift positions. He held off as long as he could. Alas, he wasn't as young as he used to be and his knees had been through a lot. When his knees surpassed his balls in discomfort, he knew he had to break.

Screwing up his nerve, he cleared his throat. "Uh... sirs?" The honorific wanted to stick in his throat. The heat in his ass prevented any unwise smart remarks. "Please may I have permission to change positions."

Mulder and Walter both looked up with the same blinking expression. Mulder smiled and nodded. "Certainly. You may..." He paused and studied Alex for a long moment. "You may lie down on your back between our chairs. Head toward the fireplace. Put your arms up over your head and spread your thighs."

Alex caught his breath. Fuck. He hadn't counted on that. He should have known. Should have known they wouldn't just let him move, they'd tell him how to move. He clenched his teeth and eased himself forward onto his hands, his knees creaking. He'd pushed his limits. He settled down onto one hip then stretched his legs out in front of him. The plug made its presence felt, pushing up into his ass as he moved. The rug set fire to his ass as he rubbed against it lying down. He caught his breath and couldn't stop a moan. Settling onto his back and extending his legs immediately eased his lower back, knees and his thigh muscles, but he realized in the same instant the new position would be hell on his ass. There was simply no comfortable way to reduce the pressure on his strapped flesh.

He stretched his arms up over his head and felt the weights on his nipple clamps roll outward to either side, pulling his nipples in a new direction. The weight pressure eased, but the clamps still stung and kept too much of his attention on his nipples. Remembering Mulder's directives and not wanting to risk an accusation of attitude, he spread his thighs, trying hard not to shift his ass against the abrading rug. His weighted balls drooped down between his spreading legs and pressed flush against his ass.

Swallowing hard he stared up at the ceiling and worked to ignore the feel of their eyes devouring him. They apparently liked the new position, as neither went right back to their reading. Walter tugged gently on the leash. "Tilt your head back more, puppy. Display your throat to us," came the low order. Alex arched his throat, cheeks burning.

He lay still, enjoying the relief the new position brought even as he steeled himself to endure the downside of it. He was completely unprepared for the stocking foot that began to stroke over his thigh. He jumped and his gaze dropped from the ceiling to Mulder. Mulder had gone back to reading and his foot moved absently against Alex, petting the long thigh before settling warmly at the crease of his shaven groin. Alex sucked in a breath as Mulder's foot rocked gently, toes wiggling as they pressed closer and closer to his relaxing cock.

Alex closed his eyes and tried to ignore the foot. Tried to ignore the sensations surging to his crotch again. He tilted his head to the side, looking in the opposite direction from Mulder, trying to block the man out completely.

Mistake.

His eyes caught on Walter's hot gaze and held. Walter's eyes pinned him, holding him down and stripping his soul as bare as his body. Watching with evident pleasure as Mulder's foot shifted that last little bit forward and began to tease his cock. Alex's lips parted on a breathy sound. The warm toes deviled his swelling cock, rubbing back and forth, back and forth, as it filled once more. The socks were the same rough woolens Mulder had worn the night before. The tickling scratch added the perfect torturous edge to the gentle play.

Alex could only stare up at Walter, unable to look away as Walter's eyes moved from his swelling sex to his desperate eyes and back again. Within moments, Mulder had him squirming on the rug and Walter watched in lazy enjoyment. Arousal spread rapidly all through him again, his palms tingling, a frustrated itching riding up his spine. He bit his lip and Walter's eyes dropped to drink in that as well.

Mulder played mercilessly until Alex was fully aroused once more, panting and trying not to writhe against the rug. Then he drew back his foot and curled in his chair, never once lifting his eyes from his book.

Walter watched as Alex struggled against the mindless, eager response of his body. Watched as he ground his sore ass against the rug with every involuntary movement. Smiling in satisfaction at Alex's helpless humiliation in his own uncontrollable reactions, Walter studied the twisting hips, nodded once, then deliberately returned to his magazine.

Abandoned once more, Alex closed his eyes in despair. His body sang all over again, right back where he started. Opening his eyes to focus on the ceiling, he began again... slowly tugging himself back from the brink.

Time... ticked... by.

With the exception of the pressure on his ass, Alex found the new position to be easier on his body overall. Warmth surrounded him even naked on the floor and he realized they must have the room's ambient temperature quite high just for his comfort. His muscles relaxed in stages as he slowly calmed and he lay in a kind of daze, listening to the fire crackle and the occasional rasp of a turning page, the regular cadence of their breathing. He couldn't call it restful, exactly, given the circumstances, but there was something incredibly... right about it. Something that spread through his chest and made him feel languorous and easy. Something he wanted to hold onto, worried about losing.

His mind drifted along that line of thought reluctantly. Because it would end. Obviously. The weekend would draw to a close and Mulder and Skinner would have to return to DC and they'd have to release him. There was nothing left to hold him on, nothing left with which to charge him. A cold fist settled in the pit of his stomach.

Released.

Turned back out into his life as he'd been living it. Alone. Without either of them. Keeping a casual eye on them both from a safe distance, intervening behind the scenes when necessary to keep them shielded.

He'd thought it was enough. It felt like enough before... before he'd woken up on an inn floor with the two of them hovering over him. Before he'd been tucked into bed and force-fed hot chocolate. Before...

He swallowed hard, flexing his throat to feel the collar snug around it.

Bastards. They'd had to go and remind him so thoroughly. Make him so totally theirs all over again. Together... in a way he'd only ever dreamed about. And then he was supposed to just... what? Go back to his life?

What a fucking joke.

He'd walked away from both of them once... by choice. As much choice as he'd been able to exercise, anyway, but still... by choice. He'd survived it because he knew he was doing what he had to do. Knew there was no other way, whatever they might like to think. Maybe for men like them there would have been another way, but he wasn't a man like them. Never had been, never would be. The ultimate practicality ruled his choices, his actions. Now... this time... they would walk away from him.

They'd strip him bare, tear down all his defenses, expose every last secret place... leave him raw and throbbing and completely owned. And then walk away, back to their lives, back to their real world.

What else could they do?

And he'd take it, because what else could he do.

You're not listening to them, hissed the traitorous voice in the back of his brain. That's not what they're saying, is it?

All their talk of teaching him a lesson... collecting on his debt. What they kept coming back to was 'not disappearing'. Exacting his obedience on not running out on them. Would they harp on that so much if they were really just going to cut him loose and walk away?

But what else could they do?

They could keep you.

He closed his eyes. Tried not to acknowledge the burst of hot hope in his chest. It was impossible. Wasn't it?

They argued over who got to sleep with you. This morning they said 'daily' spanking.

And every time they came back to chastising him for talking about leaving, for disappearing without telling them. Could it be? Did they really want to... would they really want to keep in touch with him? See him... more regularly? Could they forgive him his past...

For all their dedication to punishing him, they were being incredibly good-natured. Giving him everything they knew he most liked, if he would only admit it. Granted, they might be just doing it to ensure he couldn't resist them. So they could claim him completely then abandon him.

But would they keep on him about teaching him to respect them, teaching him not to leave them, if that was their intent?

Would they argue over who got to keep him in their bed?

He shifted on the floor, arching his back just enough to give his muscles a stretch while simultaneously keeping the movement small enough to hopefully not draw their attention. When both of them lowered their reading materials he almost groaned aloud. He stared up at them, eyes wide, as they both leisurely looked him over, taking in his now-calmed cock lying against his bare groin.

Walter tugged on the leash. "Up, puppy. Come here," he ordered in a lazy drawl, setting his magazine aside. He patted his free hand on his thighs. "Up."

Alex rolled slowly to his side, then gathered himself up onto his knees, looking to Walter's face, unsure what he wanted.

"Come," Walter repeated, voice more stern. "Up on my lap."

Alex cringed. It was a humiliating position. He forced himself forward on hands and knees, then crawled awkwardly up onto Walter's lap. Walter guided him with a firm hand once he was close enough and soon he sat sideways across Walter's lap, his ass hot against Walter's jeans-clad left thigh, his legs draped over Walter's right thigh. The plug pressed up into his ass. In this position Walter had to tilt his head back against the chair-back to look into Alex's face, and he did.

"Good boy," Walter crooned, stroking Alex's head as he would an obedient dog's. He took up the slack in the leash until Alex could feel a steady pressure pulling on the collar from behind him where Walter's left arm rested on the chair arm. "Put your hands behind your back."

Alex complied, linking his hands behind him. He bit back a moan as Walter's right hand descended between his thighs, pushing his legs apart. Walter handled his weighted balls familiarly, cradling them in a warm palm, easing the pressure off. Alex tried to keep himself still for the examination.

"How are these feeling, puppy? Is this strap a good reminder that your balls belong to us?"

"Yes, sir," Alex answered immediately, conscious of how quickly the pleasant pulsing relief in his balls could change if Walter released them to let the weight drag them down again. He licked his lips, suddenly realizing how dry his mouth was.

"Mm. It looks like it. Does it keep your attention right down here where we want it?" Walter gave the heavy scrotum a jiggle.

"Yes, sir," Alex whispered, his face flushing. "It's getting very heavy, sir."

"It's supposed to," Walter reasoned, massaging the swollen testicles. "It's supposed to be a good... heavy... lesson. Like our hands, squeezing your balls even when we're not touching you. Keeping your mind on your condition. Making you constantly aware of your arousal. That you belong to us and only we can touch you," his hand followed his words, "excite you... give you relief. Does it do a good job at all that?"

"Yes, sir," Alex winced at the breathy quality of his own voice as Walter's hand continued to stroke his smooth balls, teasing the tight skin.

"Good." Walter hefted the balls once more then released them to fall against his leg, smiling at Alex's whimper. Without further comment he moved his hand to Alex's stirring cock and began to fondle and pump it.

Alex sat as still as he could, hands clutched behind his back. He knew without looking over that Mulder watched, entranced. He sat straight on Walter's lap, feeling awkward... undignified and too large and completely at their mercy. He bit his lip as Walter's hand continued its slow rousing, bringing his cock back to aching fullness.

Walter leaned his head forward just enough to nose the weight hanging from Alex's right nipple. Alex grunted as it swung. "Think it's time for these to come off?" Walter asked.

Alex blinked in surprise at the casual question then realized Walter addressed Mulder, not him.

"Probably a good idea," Mulder answered.

Walter's hand left off its ministrations and removed the clamp, then the matching one. Alex sucked in a breath as his nipples were freed, sensation rushing back into them where the clamps had bitten. Raw pain lit his chest as blood returned to the pinched nipples. He gasped and moaned as Walter's mouth fastened over one, sucking and laving it with his tongue. The sensation was almost too much and his back arched, but then the mouth was gone... only to return to his other nipple, to tease that one in the same way. Walter's hand fell back to Alex's cock as his mouth worked and Alex's head lolled back under the onslaught.

His body roused quickly, returning to a frenzied peak with little effort from Walter. When his breath sobbed in his chest and his hips squirmed despite all his efforts, Walter sat back, satisfied. "That's better. You can get down now, puppy."

Alex could barely control the sudden overwhelming urge to simply break down and cry. To be brought to the edge and left unfulfilled again... he wanted to scream. He knew the suffering waiting for him back on the rug at their feet. He couldn't help it. The gasping words tumbled out before he could stop them. "Please, sir, please. Please won't you let me finish? Please may I be allowed?"

Walter smiled, his eyes warming. His hand lifted to cradle Alex's cheek as Alex stared down at him, begging with his eyes and face as well as his voice. "Oh, that's sweet, puppy," he rumbled, obviously truly pleased. "You do that so well." He tilted Alex's head down and pressed a kiss to Alex's forehead.

Alex felt a swell of gratitude. Submission was the key, he'd always known that, and he wanted to give it... he wriggled happily on Walter's lap. Then shattered at the next words.

"Very sweet indeed. No. You are not allowed. I do not give my permission for you to finish. In fact I strictly forbid it. Get down now, puppy."

Alex stared at him, aghast. No? His bursting cock blazed between his legs, a mute protest. The plug in his ass bumped his prostate with tantalizing regularity. And Walter smiled at him so kindly, so approving... and yet tugged the leash and snapped his fingers and pointed to the floor.

Embarrassed beyond all control, Alex scrambled to obey, not sure what else to do. He got off Walter's lap with no grace whatsoever, then paused quivering between the chairs, unsure what position to take. Head down, he stared at the floor and panted, waiting for orders. Walter's hand caressed his head and he leaned into it helplessly.

"Lie down on your side, puppy. Face Mulder. I'd like a good view of your ass now," Walter ordered calmly.

Alex responded automatically, devastated at the warm refusal and grateful for the orders to direct his movements. He stretched out on his side, pillowing his head on his left arm. His bruised nipples ached but the relief of the removed weights made it feel like heaven. His balls sagged down toward the floor, the shaven skin rubbing against the hair on his leg. The new position relaxed his ass on the plug and didn't give any additional pressure to push it against his prostate. He felt caught between thankfulness that maybe it would speed his body's retreat from arousal, and the urge to clench his ass and move his hips in an effort to capture more stimulation.

Mulder's steady gaze stopped him flat. Glancing up, he caught his breath at the heat in Mulder's expression, then steeled himself as Mulder's leg extended slowly, his toes dragging lightly down over Alex's soft stomach to his rampant erection. Alex swallowed the whimpers trying to emerge and forced himself not to move away from Mulder's questing foot at it brushed torturously against the head of his cock. Then the foot pulled back, resting against the floor, but Mulder didn't lift his book. Instead he simply curled in the chair and watched Alex.

Finally forcing his own eyes from Mulder's, Alex went back to cataloging potential weapons in the room from this new angle. Because if anybody deserved an armed rebellion, it was these two sadistic assholes.

Mulder let his foot fall back to the floor, not wanting to push Alex over into the orgasm Walter had expressly forbidden. Instead he enjoyed the view, drinking in the long body stretched between them like a mostly-tame panther. And as unpredictable too, Mulder reflected with a grin as Alex looked away deliberately, face hardening.

Watching him squirm on Walter's lap had been... wow. Mulder released a soft sigh and wet his lips. It added a whole new dimension to his enjoyment to be able to sit and watch Alex submit to Walter. He'd never quite completely deconstructed Alex's desire—no, need—to be so thoroughly debased, but he'd always been more than happy to supply the chastisement. It was incredibly hot and a hell of a power ride and Alex suffered beautifully. But watching him with someone else entirely... Mulder caught his breath on a groan. The experience was deeper somehow, more intense. He could enjoy it more fully as a watcher, without the considerable distraction of close involvement and attention to Alex's needs required by the Dom role.

He could just revel in Alex's surrender, sip at it like a particularly heady wine. Oh yes.

Made all the sweeter by the bite that surfaced now and again. Mulder studied Alex's face, drinking in the internal struggle it displayed. Such a complicated psyche, ripe for just the kind of analysis in which Mulder loved to indulge. Watching Alex pull away from his own inclinations, only to crack and shatter and yield so sweetly, never got boring.

Returning to his book, he sank back into the story line while never fully losing his awareness of the quivering presence on the floor at his feet. Alex glowed just at the edge of his consciousness like an extension of the fire, sprawling across the rug. He counted off a full twenty minutes while he read, then lowered his book again, checking Alex's arousal status.

Alex's eyes were closed but Mulder doubted he slept. He watched the carefully paced breathing and decided instead that Alex was likely attempting some form of meditation. He eyed Alex's now-dormant cock and smiled to himself. Time for his small experiment.

Shutting the book with enough force to produce an audible 'thunk', Mulder noted the immediate tension in the long body with satisfaction. Not asleep. He set his book aside but kept his glasses on, remembering Alex's odd appreciation for the look. Snapping his fingers once, he smiled in approval when Alex's eyes sprang open, focusing on him as if drawn magnetically. Crooking his finger, he gestured Alex over then pointed to the floor between his feet.

The pretty face went instantly wary, but Alex gathered himself and came to Mulder without delay, the leash trailing out behind him to Walter's chair. Mulder petted him gently in reward, then let his fingers trail down Alex's face and throat, pausing at the leather collar, then over his chest and down his stomach to be joined by Mulder's other hand. He grinned as Alex steeled himself when the hands went lower, then laughed aloud at Alex's startled expression when he skipped over Alex's cock completely. With careful fingers he felt out the closure on the ball strap, still holding Alex's gaze with his own. He tugged and the loud rip of velcro opening filled the room.

Alex's suspicious face melted into relief as the strap slipped away. Mulder massaged the turgid testicles for a moment, then lifted his hands to Alex's face again, cradling his chin and feathering touches on his cheekbones. Alex blinked up at him in confusion and Mulder let him wonder for a few more seconds, before finally leaning in and brushing his lips against Alex's.

Immediately Alex's mouth parted, softened, and Mulder deepened the kiss. Stroking his thumbs along Alex's jaw, he pressed the lips beneath his further apart and began thrusting with his tongue, filling Alex's mouth then retreating only to delve again.

The kneeling body before him arched. He felt a touch brush either shoulder and broke the kiss. Dazed green eyes stared back at him as he shook his head. "Arms at your sides," he ordered roughly. Immediately the hands dropped away from his shoulders and Alex blinked in surprise, as if he hadn't even realized his arms had moved. "Good boy," Mulder purred, then returned to plundering the still-open mouth, nibbling at the lower lip before sucking it in.

On and on he went, playing with Alex's lips and tongue, drawing the kisses out long and slow and deep. Alex panted under his incessant feeding, when he gave the man a chance to breathe. From gentle to rough and back again with every variation in between, he claimed Alex's mouth over and over, holding the dark head immobile between his hands.

It was an old game, one Mulder had loved... before. He remembered a younger Alex tied to his bed, arms and legs outstretched and taut, unable to move while Mulder sprawled on top of him and simply fed. Fed from that plump, succulent mouth. Chewed on those lips until they were swollen and wet. Tongue-fucked him until he was cross-eyed and breathless and begging for more. And only giving him more of the same... nothing but lips and tongue and teeth... until Alex writhed, crazed with the need for touch.

The response came as strong as he remembered, and Mulder found he rather liked making Alex hold himself still for it, no restraints to help him out. The lazy arousal firing up in his own groin finally drew him to a close and he pulled away reluctantly, still nuzzling. He let one hand drop from Alex's face to coast down his chest again, this time zeroing in on the cock he'd ignored before. Checking the erection status, he smiled widely to find Alex fully engorged again, hard and leaking. He ran his thumb over the wet head of Alex's cock then lifted it to the ravaged mouth, rubbing the slick fluid on the puffy lower lip. Alex moaned helplessly as Mulder smeared his mouth with the telltale evidence of his own need.

"Alright, I'm through with you. Go kneel again," Mulder murmured, slumping back in his chair. He lifted his eyes to find Walter staring, magazine forgotten on his lap. He guessed he wasn't the only one finding watching to be a successful addition to sex with Alex. He smiled and jerked his head at the panting, disheveled man kneeling between them again. "I really like our new toy, Walter. He's very entertaining."

"I'd have to agree with you there," Walter managed in a thick voice.

And so the day unfolded in lazy, warm interludes. Mulder found himself more relaxed than he could remember being anytime recently. Though as they took turns keeping Alex on the knife-edge of arousal, Mulder found his relaxation becoming more edged with rising libido. He and Walter swapped off keeping hold of the leash as one or the other rose to fetch a drink, use the bathroom, or put music on the room's CD player. Walter took his turn at the food run for lunch, bringing back clam chowder that Alex wrinkled his nose at and refused, only nibbling at the common crackers though he sucked down as much hot chocolate as they offered. Mulder stood at the closed bathroom door when, true to their word, they allowed Alex his privacy when he tentatively asked for it.

When Alex opened the door he handed Mulder the leash end, then the freshly cleaned butt plug, averting his eyes as he did. Knowing the step outside of complete control jarred Alex, Mulder took hold of his arm and jerked him through the door, turning him to face the wall and pushing him up against it roughly.

"Hey!" Alex started to struggle only to still with a grunt when Mulder slapped his ass, hard.

"Attitude," Mulder warned simply, then quickly pulled Alex's arms behind his back and refastened the leather wrist cuffs to each other. Tugging on the leash, he then led Alex back to the rug at a brisk walk, snapping his fingers and pointing at the floor to send him back to his knees. Instead of replacing the plug though, he went to the bag Walter had gotten it from and rifled through it again, emerging with a larger model.

"Go to my chair and lean over the arm of it," Mulder instructed, handing the leash off to Walter and searching out the lube. Finding it, he coated the plug liberally while watching Alex position himself over the chair arm with mostly concealed ill grace. He gave Alex a few minutes in position before stepping up behind the raised ass. The bright red patches still stood out from the morning strappings, but they were more muted now. Mulder found the rounded flesh irresistible as ever and spent long minutes stroking the upturned ass with his knuckles.

Head down in the seat of the chair, Alex's soft sounds were almost inaudible. His hips shifted against the chair arm as Mulder caressed his ass, then rubbed slick fingers against his asshole. Without warning, Mulder lined up the plug and slid it home with one sharp push. Alex's head lifted with a moan and his hips arched back at the sudden invasion.

Mulder smiled in pleasure and rocked the plug back and forth until Alex's hips rode against it in a regular rhythm. "Feel good, puppy?" he crooned, finally releasing it to slip his hand between Alex's legs and gauge his erection.

"Ye-ees," Alex managed roughly. When Mulder's free hand impacted his ass, he jumped with a short cry and corrected himself immediately. "Yes sir! It feels good, sir."

Mulder went back to massaging Alex's hard-on. "Excellent. Because we've got something special coming up. What do you say, Walter? Is it time for our afternoon treat?"

Walter nodded from where he stood by the chair, watching Mulder play with Alex's ass and keeping hold of the leash. "I think it's good timing." He tugged the leash and guided Alex up out of his bent position.

Alex looked back and forth between the two of them warily. "Special treat?" he finally said.

"Mm," Mulder grinned. "You're going to love it. Especially since you didn't really have any lunch." Alex's eyebrows went up but Mulder just laughed. "Sugar on snow, Alex. Real Vermont tradition. We have to have it while we're here."

Leaving Walter in charge of their confused and suspicious captive Mulder went about setting up, moving the room's hotplate down off the sideboard to the floor before the fireplace and plugging it in. He arranged the pan Walter had brought back with their lunch on top of it, hauling out the syrup he'd bought with breakfast and pouring that into it.

"Sugar on snow?" Alex asked as Walter led him to the rug beside Mulder and pushed him back to his knees. "What the hell is that? You put sugar on snow? What's the point?"

Mulder laughed as he turned on the burner. "Not white sugar. Maple sugar. Well, actually maple syrup. Hot syrup. You drip a thin line of syrup on packed snow in a pan. The syrup hits the snow and hardens instantly. Then you pick it out with a fork and eat it. It's great."

Alex stared at him as if this proclamation was on a par with one of his less-orthodox theories of paranormal activity. "You've had it?" he finally asked doubtfully.

Mulder gave him an exasperated look. "I grew up in New England, remember?"

Alex shrugged as much as he could with his arms cuffed behind his back. "It just sounds... a little odd," he grumbled.

"Don't worry, we're positive you'll enjoy what we have in store for you," Walter murmured as he settled on Alex's other side, stretching out on the rug.

Mulder chuckled again. "There's a candy thermometer in one of those bags, Walt. Would you?"

"Oh sure." Walter rolled onto his back, sat up and started going through the bags behind his chair again.

Mulder divided his attention between watching the pan and watching Alex's skin glimmer in the firelight. As the syrup heated, he put the candy thermometer in the pan and checked the temperature. "Mm, I'd say this is fine for the first stage. Want to get a towel, Walter?" Mulder stirred the slightly thicker syrup while Walter rose and returned with a clean towel, laying it out on the rug beside Alex. Mulder glanced over and smiled widely. "Okay puppy, lie down. On your stomach."

Alex stiffened from where he'd been zoning out in front of the fire, watching the flames dance and trying to ignore Mulder's ogling. He looked down at the towel, over to Mulder, then up to Walter. The suspicion reappeared on his face full force. "What?"

Walter picked up the dangling leash end and tugged sharply. "Lie down. On your stomach, on the towel. Now."

Alex leaned to the side as the leash pulled him off balance. "Why?" His eyes darted from the pan Mulder attended, to the large man holding his leash firmly. "What the hell—"

Without preamble Walter stepped closer, shortening the play in the leash and grabbing hold of Alex's upper arm at the same time. With a yank and a push, he had Alex flat on his face on the floor. Alex's legs started to curl up and under, readying himself for a spring to his feet, but Walter had a firm hold. He dropped the leash and straddled Alex's lower back facing his feet, lowering his weight and holding Alex in place easily. "Mulder, I think we're going to need the bars."

Mulder sighed and checked the temperature again, turning the burner down before getting to his feet. "This is very irritating, puppy," he said crossly to the cursing man on the rug. He stood and went to rummage the bags again and in minutes he returned with two spreader bars, one substantially shorter than the other with wide black leather straps dangling from either end. As Walter leaned forward and put a firm hand on the back of Alex's calves, Mulder attached the longer bar to first one ankle cuff then the other. Walter sat back up and helped Mulder position the shorter bar between Alex's knees, wrapping the straps around his thighs just above the knee joint. Mulder went back to checking the heating syrup and Walter got up off of Alex. Giving Alex a quick once over, Mulder gestured to the beds. "Probably be better with a pillow, Walter."

"What the fuck—"

"Don't make us gag you," Walter cut in casually as he plucked a pillow off of his bed and brought it to the rug. Mulder watched as Walter knelt by Alex and spanked his ass once, lightly. "Ass up, puppy." With a muffled growl Alex lifted his hips and Walter stuffed the pillow under him, arranging the towel on top of it.

Mulder nodded in satisfaction. "That should do. Now, puppy, we thought we'd test out 'sugar on Alex' before we do sugar on snow." Mulder drew a finger lightly, deliberately, across one raised ass cheek. "So hold still."

Alex's entire body stiffened and jerked. "Whoa! Wait a minute! You can't!"

"Can't?" Mulder and Walter chorused together, grinning at each other.

"Well, no, wait, what I mean," Alex backtracked hastily, "is it's syrup for fuck's sake! It'll burn!"

"Of course it will burn, puppy," Mulder said patiently, tugging the hotplate closer and settling cross-legged next to Alex's tensely-stretched form. "That's sort of the point."

"Are you fucking CRAZY?! It's candy! It'll stick!"

"Mm," Mulder said dreamily, lifting the spoon and watching the thick amber liquid slide off the end. "That too."

Alex whipped his head to the other side, where Walter sat. "Walter!"

"Relax," Walter admonished, reaching out and plumping up Alex's left ass cheek. "It's not like you've never played with hot wax before, now is it? We all know that." He met Mulder's eyes across Alex's back and winked. Mulder laughed.

"This isn't WAX!" Alex hollered.

"Don't worry so much. Mulder's in charge of the temperature... he knows what he's doing."

"Yeah, I'm a genius, remember? This isn't even close to ready to go on snow." Mulder stroked his hand over the raised ass. "Which isn't to say it won't be nice and hot on your ass, but it's nowhere near dangerous. At least we don't have to worry about melting temperatures, since this is already liquid. Now hold still." Lifting the spoon, he dipped out just a little and held it over the twin mounds of Alex's buttocks. Tilting the spoon, he let a thin drizzle of warmed syrup drip off of it and fall to the smooth skin below.

Alex yelped on impact and bucked, but Walter's hand settled in the small of his back, holding him down. "That wasn't holding still, puppy," he warned.

Mulder grinned at Alex's agonized groan and put the spoon back in the pan. Bending down he licked the line of sticky syrup off Alex's ass. "Mm. Delicious. And it didn't even leave a red mark, puppy. Although your ass is red enough I guess I might not see if it did. But anyway, I think you can take hotter." Dipping up another shallow spoonful he held the spoon out to Walter. "Give it a try? I was thinking it might be fun to scorch our initials into his butt..."

Walter laughed as he trailed the spoon just above the propped-up ass poised between them, leaving a glistening trail in a zigzag across Alex's cheek. "Juvenile, Mulder."

"Oh, so that's not a 'W' you just made?"

"Maybe it's an upside down 'M'."

"Yeah right."

As the syrup continued to heat, they took turns with the spoon, tracing patterns of hot liquid gold across Alex's trembling ass. His cries got more breathless as the syrup got hotter and they took to blowing on it lightly before licking it off to save their tongues. Eventually they gave in to impulse and soon 'W' and 'M' decorated Alex's ass.

Alex's howls were as beautiful as his squirms and Mulder felt his own hunger climbing apace with Alex's desperation. Every time his eyes fell to the flat base of the butt plug protruding between the generous cheeks, he felt the overwhelming urge to yank it out and replace it with his cock. To straddle Alex's hips and push right into him... to fuck him long and hard as he lay there on the rug, legs held apart by the spreader bars, ass propped up and sizzling under the hot syrup.

When Alex fell into a babbling begging, the urge only got worse.

Despite his growing preoccupation, Mulder kept a close eye on the thermometer and they reluctantly stopped playing as soon as the degrees edged upward into the danger zone. Alex lay panting between them and they both enjoyed the sight for a few minutes until Mulder suggested Walter go get the snow. "It's heating up good now, it won't be much longer."

Walter went to the porch door and swung it open, letting in a blast of chill air as he slipped outside. Returning with two pans packed with snow he lined them up on the rug next to Mulder, then scooped a bit of the snow out of the closest pan and rubbed it over Alex's ass.

Alex's yowl had to be audible over in the main inn building. When Mulder and Walter finally stopped laughing Alex was still swearing a blue streak. "Come on, Alex," Mulder cajoled. "I bet it actually felt good... it was just the shock of it."

Alex glared at him over his shoulder, a murderous glint in the green eyes. After a long, silent minute, his gaze shifted to Walter. "Do it again... carefully."

"Say please..."

"I'm going to fucking kill you both."

"That wasn't a 'please' was it, Mulder?"

"I don't think so."

"PLEASE do it again, CAREFULLY..."

Walter and Mulder each lifted a handful of snow and held it against Alex's ass while they waited for the syrup to finish boiling. Mulder watched in delight as the snow melted against Alex's hot flesh and dripped down onto his thighs and hips and into the crack of his ass. Alex hissed and continued to squirm as if he couldn't quite hold still and Mulder felt his own cock swell at the involuntary movements. He glanced over at the pan to see the roiling syrup rising quickly.

Jerking back he wiped his wet hand on the towel and went back to the syrup, pouring out thin lines and swirly designs into the packed snow in the pans. Turning off the burner he handed off one pan to Walter and started in on his own, setting the tines of his fork just down into the syrup and lifting, grinning when the entire line of candy picked right up out of the snow.

"Here puppy, try this and tell us if you like it better on snow or on your ass." He held out his fork to Alex and laughed at the irate look he got before Alex opened up and sucked the maple into his mouth. His face twisted in surprise.

"That's... neat." Alex watched as Mulder tined out another strip, and opened his mouth readily this time. "It's different," he mumbled around the mouthful. "And really sticks to your teeth..."

"The downside," Mulder agreed as he finished off his plate, resettled his snow, and drizzled more syrup onto it. "It also can get to be too much pretty quickly."

"Mm, not yet," Alex murmured, opening his mouth again as Walter fed him from his fork.

Mulder watched Walter's eyes tracking the way Alex slurped down the fork and decided he was probably not the only one feeling the effects of their afternoon entertainment. "I don't know, somehow hot chocolate and sugar on snow just doesn't seem like the healthiest lunch to me," he drawled. When Walter looked up he arched his brows significantly. "Don't you think our puppy needs a more balanced diet?"

Part Four
Walter smiled as he read Mulder's meaning in his face. "I think that's a very responsible suggestion," he intoned.

Alex shook his head from his position on the floor. "Nah, 'mph fine. Gimme more." He tilted his chin at Walter's plate of snow.

Walter picked him out another line of sugar, winding it around the fork and offering it to the waiting mouth. Alex closed his mouth over the fork blissfully, eyes closing as he scraped the sticky gob off with his teeth and sucked it. Walter felt his cock pressing against the teeth of his zipper.

He wondered briefly if Mulder would want to flip for who got first rights to Alex's mouth, but then thought better of it and decided to just let Mulder go first. The only drawback there had been to watching Mulder fuck Alex last night had been that Walter had already come. Even this morning in the shower, he'd come first. And watching Alex suck Mulder under the water had been... interesting. He was surprised to discover he actually wanted to watch Alex service Mulder, and use it to stoke on his own arousal. There was an incredible charge to being able to watch the boy on his knees, giving it all up. Walter would never have guessed he'd be able to watch his lover have sex with another man but the circumstances had opened the door and once opened it wasn't exactly a bad experience.

It was actually rather hot...

Okay, extremely hot.

He fed another forkful into Alex's eager mouth then gestured with the fork to Alex's other side. "We'll give you more alright. Mulder's got your next course." He glanced over at Mulder and nodded. Mulder immediately started opening his jeans.

Alex twisted slightly on the floor, turning his head and opening his mouth then freezing as he saw Mulder with his jeans undone, pulling his cock from his underwear. Alex groaned and rested his forehead against the floor.

"Ahem, I seem to recall something about presenting yourself for use when requested, no hesitation," Mulder drawled. "I bet a strap on that ass would make a definite impression about now..."

Alex's reaction was immediate. His head came up and he struggled to get his knees under him with the limited mobility afforded him by the spreader bars. Walter took hold of his arm and levered him up, helping him balance and turning him toward Mulder. "He's going to have a hard time balancing," Walter realized, studying Alex's body.

Mulder nodded and pushed himself back and up into his chair, pushing his jeans and his shorts down out of the way. "Here, he can lean on the front of the chair."

Walter helped position Alex between Mulder's spread thighs then stepped back to watch the bound body kneeling before Mulder's chair, face already buried in Mulder's crotch. Even as he watched, Mulder's fingers fisted Alex's short dark hair and lifted his head, his other hand guiding his sizeable erection to the still-puffy lips. Alex opened enthusiastically and Mulder thrust his cock inside.

Alex's eyes slid closed immediately, his jaw going lax as Mulder fucked his mouth up and down on his cock. Walter watched the lips spread wide around Mulder's hard-on and felt his own cock kick in his jeans. Alex's hands cuffed at his lower back made a striking counterpoint to the black collar and the leash dangling down his back. Walter moved around the chair slowly, taking in the delicious sight of the long, strong legs held in place by the spreader bars, keeping the thighs from closing.

And that ass. Lifted and displayed, the plug base sticking out between hot, red cheeks. Walter lowered himself to his knees behind Alex and slipped one hand up between the spread thighs. Alex's hips arched back and he made a strangled noise as Walter found his hard cock. Walter pumped it a few times then decided that while he liked the way Alex squirmed with the increased stimulation, he didn't want to risk getting him off just yet.

Rocking back and getting to his feet, he returned to the bags and fished out another of the butt plug selections. A little longer and slightly slimmer than the one Alex currently wore, it also had a panel in the base that opened to fit batteries. Knowing Mulder wouldn't have bought it without buying batteries, Walter rummaged until he found the package, then tore it open and loaded the vibrating butt plug. Crossing to the stand between the beds, he found the buckling cock ring they'd used the previous day and then returned to kneel down behind Alex again.

Sliding his left hand between Alex's thighs from behind, he listened for the muffled noises Alex made around Mulder's dick stuffing his throat. Walter smiled at the change in tone as his fingers circled Alex's cock. Moving closer and wrapping his right arm around Alex from the side, he toyed with the hard cock until it strained against his hand. Mulder must have noticed something in Alex's reactions, because his eyes suddenly opened and he peered down to see what Walter was doing. Walter merely winked and continued fisting Alex's cock, then stopped suddenly and wrapped the cock strap tightly around the base, buckling it closed.

Alex jerked and moaned, his hips pumping the air as Walter's hands left him and Walter sat back. Mulder grinned blissfully and his head lolled back against the chair, obviously appreciative of Alex's increased fervor. Walter smiled to himself as he reflected Mulder would likely notice another shift in a few minutes.

Finding the lube where Mulder had left it when he'd inserted the larger plug before the sugar-on-Alex, Walter lubed the vibrating plug then set about removing the plug in Alex's ass. At his first touch, Alex's ass clenched and his hips twitched spasmodically again. Mulder watched, mouth open and panting, as Walter took a firm hold on the base and worked the plug back and forth gently, waiting for Alex to relax around it before easing it out and dropping it on the towel. He pressed the tip of the vibrating plug against the loosened asshole and pushed, grinning as the sweet pucker bloomed against the intrusion readily. He pushed the plug home with a steady thrust. Alex arched into it, groaning around Mulder's cock. Mulder petted his head and stared back and forth between Walter and Alex's ass, waiting for what he knew was coming next.

Walter wiggled the plug just enough to make sure it was well-seated and wouldn't slip out. Satisfied, he left it alone for a few moments, letting Alex settle again. He wondered if Alex could even tell it was a different plug. He smiled again. Alex was about to find out.

Reaching out, he barely twisted the circular control in the plug's base. The vibrator buzzed to life instantly. The response was pure poetry. Alex released a wild cry, muffled by his mouthful. His whole body reacted... every muscle went tight, his arms yanked automatically against the restraints, his ass pushed up into the air and twitched madly from side to side, as if trying to dislodge the new torment or trying to rub against it more fully. Nothing he could do had any effect though, as the vibrator was firmly lodged and happily whirring away. Mulder yowled and tugged on Alex's hair suddenly.

"No teeth!" he gasped, glaring at Walter when Walter convulsed with laughter.

Alex made an unintelligible sound and Mulder relaxed, his hands going back to the chair arms, so Walter assumed Alex must have gotten his concentration back. Time to toy with it again then. He reached out and bumped Alex up from 'low' to 'medium'. And poetry went into motion.

Alex's body writhed uncontrollably and he moaned nonstop as the little device up his ass drove him crazy, maddening and inescapable. Walter sat back to enjoy the sight, leaning up against his own chair and massaging his cock through his jeans. He wondered if the constant moaning affected the blow job, guessing from Mulder's vocal reaction that it did. Alex's head bobbed on Mulder's dick while the rest of his body quivered and jerked with the relentless vibrations. Mulder's fingers tightened, digging into the chair, and his head rocked back as his hips bucked up. Walter could just imagine what he was feeling as Mulder climaxed in Alex's mouth, thrusting down that hot, wet throat.

Alex lifted away from Mulder's lap, still making soft whimpering noises. "Please," he begged immediately when he'd caught his breath. "God, I can't stand it! It's too much... Walter, please...please."

Walter got up on his knees again and helped the begging man turn to face him. Semen dripped down the side of Alex's swollen mouth, together with his crazed eyes and flushed skin giving him a totally debauched look. Walter's cock throbbed in his pants at the picture Alex made. Shaking his head, he reached out and stroked Alex's cheek. "Unfortunately for you, puppy, you're too beautiful like this. All out of control and wanting it so bad. You can keep that little toy up your ass while you do me. I want to feel how crazy it makes you, too."

Alex's anguished wail of protest just made Walter hotter. He got to his feet and unzipped, opening jeans and pushing briefs down out of the way. Alex moaned, hips making small involuntary movements, his eyes fixed on Walter's crotch, tongue flickering out to wet his lips. Walter took his cock in hand and guided it to Alex's mouth, rubbing the head all around Alex's lips, leaving glistening smears of precum, pulling back whenever Alex tried to suck him in. Lowering himself down to his knees he reached between Alex's legs deliberately and turned the vibrator up another notch, watching the green eyes widen impossibly, loving the helpless noises Alex started making. Grinning, he stood again and slid his hand through Alex's hair, pulling his head in.

"Take it nice and slow and make it last," Walter instructed as Alex's lips opened for him. "And look up here and meet my eyes while you're doing it. I want to see your eyes while you suck my cock and ride your little toy." Alex rolled his eyes upward to stare up at Walter as he worked his mouth down over Walter's bulk. Walter sighed happily at the sight of his dick entering the stretched lips, at the wide eyes blinking up at him in mute appeal. "That's it. Take it all." He shifted his weight, moving his legs a bit further apart to make the stance more comfortable, letting his hips cant forward, then holding the position easily.

Despite the comfort of sitting he found he liked looking down on Alex on his knees, the dark head moving with the rhythm of his frantic sucking. He liked having just his jeans opened, staying fully clothed to Alex's nudity. Looking past the beautiful, desperate face he could see Alex's bound body twitching, hips moving constantly as if he had an itch he couldn't quite scratch. Which, Walter reflected with dark humor, was a fairly accurate description of his current predicament.

Stroking the soft hair under his fingertips up into spikes, Walter kept as still as he could and watched the delightful vision until pure sensation began to overwhelm him. The hot, wet suction on his cock pulled him under wave after wave of rippling pleasure. He found his eyelids dragging down against his will as his body longed to just tumble into the oblivion of orgasm. The throaty noises Alex made sent delicious vibrations through his pulsing cock even as the plaintive sounds brought shivers up his spine. And every sight of Alex, wild and wriggling at the buzzing stimulation prodding his prostate, sent Walter closer to hurtling over the edge.

Between one instant and the next Alex's tongue worked just right against the underside of Walter's cock, hitting the nerves just under the head with extra pressure, and Walter felt the spasms begin. His head fell back and his hands clenched in Alex's hair... he knew he made noises but he couldn't have said afterward if they were words or just jumbled shouts of sound. His hips thrust forward at last, jerked from their locked position by the orgasm boiling through him.

In seconds it was over and he bent forward gasping as his muscles relaxed all at once, threatening to drop him on his ass right where he stood. His hands loosened on Alex's head and slipped to rest on his shoulders instead, giving himself just enough of a prop to keep his feet as his body shuddered in reaction to the intense release. When he felt he could stand freely again he straightened and staggered the few steps to his chair, sinking into it with a sigh.

"Wow..." he managed.

"Enthusiastic when he has a little incentive up his ass, isn't he?" Mulder inquired lazily from his chair.

Walter grinned, knowing he undoubtedly looked as pleasure-drugged as Mulder had earlier. "We have got to try that again sometime."

Alex felt his heart drop to his feet—or at the very least to his bound knees—when Walter stumbled to his chair and fell into it, chest heaving and eyes half-closing. Clearly not a man giving the least thought to relief for his puppy anytime soon.

He heard his own unrestrained whimpers with something like shock, but couldn't get them under control. The constant vibrations titillating his prostate had him beyond coherence. His ass had been pleasantly sore all day, well-fucked... a delicious counterpoint to everything they did to him, a reminder of his thorough use. But now the relentless pulsating in his tender asshole, in his sensitized rectum, drove him hurtling toward climax without any direct stimulation on his cock. The leather strap biting into the base of his aching erection delayed things, but there was only so much he could take.

And yet... it wasn't... quite... enough...

But it could be. It could be if...

Maybe Walter was dazed enough to just not notice how close he was until too late. Maybe he would just kneel here in his bonds and come all over the floor, driven past any self-control or dignity by their relentless teasing. By the excruciating toy buzzing away in his ass.

Alex bit his lip hard and tried to swallow the embarrassing sounds he made. He couldn't still his hips no matter how hard he tried. He squirmed helplessly, legs firmly locked apart by the spreader bars, arms held fast at his back. Only his hips could move freely and move they did, rocking forward and back, side to side, all to no avail. The quivering toy didn't go any faster or slower, didn't move... he couldn't rub up against anything, couldn't dislodge it or make it move within him. It just went on and on and on...

The collar hugged his throat with every rising whine, every harsh breath. The leash hung down his back, brushing his arms and ass whenever he moved. Sweat dripped down his throat and shoulders, his back. Ran down over his ass cheeks and stung as it hit the tender patches where hot maple syrup had scorched.

He choked in humiliation as frustrated sobs rose in his chest. Willing them back, he tried desperately to keep something, some level of control, some restraint... some piece of himself. He could hear their low, amused voices but his mind was past the point of making sense of anything they said. He registered a body sinking to the floor next to his and felt a hand on his ass, parting his flaming cheeks-

-and it stopped. All at once. Between one second and the next the vibrations stopped and in the following breath the evil toy shifted in his ass and left him, pulled out by a firm hand and tossed to the towel. An inarticulate wail welled up and escaped. As intolerable, as horridly tantalizing and destroying as the toy had been, to have it gone... his ass clenched, aching and empty. He felt so opened, so totally plundered. He needed something inside him, something... anything. He needed to be mounted and filled and fucked...

And the peaking, swelling climax, so sought after, so longed for, ebbed away. The stimulation gone, his poor abused cock strapped and left bereft, his limbs locked into restraints allowing him no way to satisfy himself, keeping him completely under their control...

The sobs overtook him all at once, bursting the dam of his threadbare will, ripping out of his chest with the force of his denied orgasm. His chin dropped to his chest, his shoulders hunched, his torso bent forward... the only movements he was allowed. Shaking and gasping and heaving, he knelt there on the rug and felt every last shred of self-control wash away in the flood of tears, in the cries wracking his body.

Theirs. So theirs. Completely and irrevocably, no matter what they did at the end of this time... he would belong to them always. Shattered, stripped bare and laid naked before them and his soul ached.

Through a haze of sensory and emotional overload he came aware of a hand stroking his back, rubbing rhythmically between his shoulder blades, helping him catch his breath. Another, in his hair, petting and soothing him. Pulling him to lean against a warm chest, soft flannel under his cheek.

Tenderness. Care. Possession. Complete and utter possession.

Nothing brushed against his bursting cock, nothing provoked further agonizing arousal. Only comfort, only gentle calming touch communicating a warm, steady presence. Alex cried out his frustration, his total surrender, into the shirt, the chest, Mulder's chest. Into the cozy fabric and the heated strength beneath it. Into the muscle and bone and heart of the man who held him, and stroked him, and owned him.

He felt his arms released, his cuffs unclipped from each other. Without thought or intent, both arms wrapped tight around Mulder's body, hugging himself to the slender form, twisting awkwardly at the hips to press as close as he could. The beloved monotone finally penetrated, whispering soft sounds of comfort directly into his ear. Words still didn't resolve but the sound was enough. The sobs slowed and died, the intense pinnacle of frustration dissolving, leaving a bone-deep release in its place.

He almost felt as if he had come.

With a panicked start, he pulled away from Mulder's chest and looked down. Maybe he had and been too overwrought to realize... they would not be pleased... but no. His cock flagged, relaxing with the rest of his body but still mostly hard, arching over the black strap that slowed its retreat from erection to a crawl.

But every muscle, ever nerve, felt pushed over the edge, past the limit. Dazed lassitude flowed through him as he looked up, realizing belatedly that Mulder had a hand under his chin, was tilting his face upward.

Hazel eyes, beautiful and big and so warm and Alex could almost cry all over again. Looking at him with such... feeling. Feeling. Alex's chest expanded painfully. Staring into those eyes, that face, in this state... too much. Too open and too owned.

"Are you mine?"

And words were making sense again and Alex had only one answer, only one word in the entire universe of language. One word that rang through every cell of his body like a bell struck with its one perfect stroke.

"Yours."

His own voice sounded unrecognizable to his ears, like crushed velvet. But he knew he spoke because the word, the meaning, thrummed through him, reverberating.

"We own you."

He didn't need to be told to repeat; he knew what to do. "You own me." Delicious joy burst in his chest at the words, so true, finally true again.

"You understand. You belong to us. You are completely ours with no volition of your own. You're suffering. We know you are. But your orgasm is ours to allow, ours to deny, ours to control. Not just to punish you, though we may punish you that way, but simply because. You. Belong. To us. Body, mind, heart and soul."

Alex couldn't breathe, felt dizzy all over again. The words he'd never dared hope to hear... "I understand. I belong to you." His voice rasped and his blood throbbed in his veins. "Body, mind, heart... and soul."

"You will obey us."

"I will obey you."

"You will do exactly as we command."

"I will do exactly as you command."

"You will not disappear."

"I will not disappear." And he knew it for fact, from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. He had no idea what he would do when they finished with him, released him to go his own way. His brain wondered distantly if he would be functionally able to do anything at all... but he would not—could not—leave them. The idea was ludicrous to him.

Mulder must have seen the knowledge, the truth of it, in his eyes, because the smile that graced his face lit him up from the inside, beamed bright enough to scorch burn marks into Alex's cheeks to match those on his ass. Instead of wincing away, Alex bloomed into the pure joy, pressing closer by instinct to the center of his world made happy with him. He felt a stab of physical pain when the happiness on Mulder's face dimmed.

"Why did you leave us at all?"

Raw tears stung his eyes, closed his throat again, but nothing short of death could keep his tongue from answering that direct question, from that mouth, even as his heart ached with the knowledge. "I didn't deserve you. I was never good enough for you. Never." Alex swallowed hard, eyes clouding, words ripped from deep inside. "I thought you... could never want me... after..."

Mulder's hands on him tightened and the brilliant eyes glittered with intensity. "You are ours. We. Own. You." The words entered the room undisputed, irrevocable, resolving any question of want, forgiveness. "You deserve us now, don't you." It wasn't a question.

Alex caught his breath. "I... deserve you now," he repeated faintly.

"In fact, we're exactly what you deserve," Mulder growled, a throaty edge making innuendo of the simple statement.

Alex's voice shook. "You're exactly what I deserve," he breathed dutifully, suddenly entirely certain that he'd never uttered a truer statement in his life. Gentle, heavy hands settled on his shoulders from behind, sealing the sentiment.

Mulder nodded decisively then grinned up at Walter over Alex's head. "I think we've done it, Walter."

"I think we have," came Walter's voice, thick with emotion, from behind Alex. Then two sets of careful hands lifted him, setting him to his feet and supporting him. Alex leaned woozily into a broad, hairy chest. Muscular arms wrapped around him, held him close. He tilted his head back to stare up into Walter's face, so soft and expressive all of a sudden. Falling into the rare, enthralled expression, Alex felt his chest seize anew. "You've done so well, my puppy," Walter murmured and Alex swelled under the praise, the approval, the delight in that adored voice.

Distantly he felt the spreader bar removed from his thighs, then his ankles. Walter supported him as Mulder unbuckled the wrist cuffs and unclipped the leash. Mulder ran one finger over the front of the collar, then against the smooth leather of the strap buckled around his cock. "These will stay on," Mulder stated calmly and Alex stared at him in complete rapture. Of course they would stay on. Of course he would wear the signs of their ownership.

Between the two of them they walked him to Walter's bed and laid him under the covers, settling him on his side so neither his tenderized ass nor his unruly cock would be rubbed against the sheet. "And of course we don't have to tell you not to touch yourself," Walter said matter of factly as he tucked the blankets up around Alex's neck. Head cradled in Walter's pillow, smelling his cologne and sweat, Alex's eyes were already closing. He smiled blissfully at Walter's confidence in him. Of course they didn't have to tell him. The command went without saying. Just as it was only fitting he was being put to bed with lingering arousal still making his strapped cock pulse.

Darkness rolled up and over him from behind his closing lids. For once no shadows loomed. Safety surrounded him. For the first time ever he felt like he knew his place, knew exactly where he belonged, and was exactly who he wanted to be. Not even concerns about how long it would last could make it through before sleep stole him under.

Alex woke to brisk knocking at the door. He blinked open his eyes but stayed still, warm and comfortable under the blankets. He watched lazily from his vantage point in the bed as a fully-dressed Walter went to the door and opened it to admit someone from the inn wheeling a dinner cart.

Alex didn't miss the significance. They'd obviously determined he was "safe" for room service now. Molten sensation flooded through him. He let his eyes drift closed again as Walter quietly ushered the woman into the room.

"—is he doing?"

"—well. Really not much wrong... rest—"

Alex listened to as much as he could hear, smiling when Mulder joined the conversation and demurred along with Walter the need for a larger room or a rolling cot. Finally the solicitous inn employee left and Alex stirred, stretching.

Immediately Mulder and Walter noticed and moved to the bed. "He's awake," Mulder pronounced.

Alex stared worshipfully up at him, feeling the unfamiliar smile tugging his mouth up at the corners. "Please sir, may I get out of bed?" he rasped.

"You may," Mulder granted, returning the smile.

Alex shifted up onto his arm, trying to swing his legs out of bed without sitting fully on his throbbing ass. Next to impossible, he winced and hissed as his butt came in contact with the sheet. Getting up out of bed, he immediately sank to his knees, hands folded behind his back. Mulder petted his head with long, sensuous strokes, tousling his hair. Alex leaned into it shamelessly, pressing his head into Mulder's hand and making a low rumbling hum deep in his throat.

"Interesting. A puppy that purrs," Walter teased.

Alex opened his eyes and transferred his heated gaze to Walter, knee-walking two steps to his right to nuzzle Walter's thigh. Tilting his head back he looked straight up into liquid brown eyes and murmured, "Woof."

Walter tipped back his head and laughed, then leaned down and caught Alex's head between his hands, rubbing his fingers up into Alex's hair and massaging roughly, for all the world as if he were coddling a dog. Alex preened under the sensation and easy affection, shaking his head and pushing into Walter's touch as he had Mulder's.

"Dinner time, puppy," Walter announced. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes sir," Alex responded immediately. The sugar on snow, delightful as it was, hadn't done much to fill him up, but nothing short of a direct order would have made him stomach Mulder's damn clam chowder. Some regional specialties simply didn't need to be indulged, and chopped up seafood in milk was one of them. Lobster bisque, he'd consider. Clam chowder could go hang. He was used to missing meals. He just hoped like hell they'd ordered something a little more palatable for dinner.

Immediately he felt a stab of guilt for the decidedly willful thought but figured if they were going to insist on keeping him in subspace for an entire weekend, they were going to have to put up with occasional lapses.

Boy, you are totally fucking Stockholmed, sniggered the little voice in head.

With his newfound peace of mind Alex calmly picked up the snarky little voice and drop-kicked it into next week, when it might actually do him some good, when he was back out on his own on the road.

Crawling across the floor behind them he noted they'd cleaned up the room before calling room service. No toys lay about and all the burgundy bags were carefully restacked on the far side of Mulder's bed.

Despite the lunch disaster the inn redeemed itself with a wild Vermont turkey with cranberry chutney dinner. Alex ate from his plate on the floor between Mulder and Walter's chairs, finding balance much easier with his arms unbound. The occasional choice bits fed to him by hand sent a sizzle through his groin, underlining his position and his willing submission. No overt teasing interrupted dinner though, and he ate his fill with only a gentle pulsing in his cock.

Part of his mind started to get rather concerned about that, about what might be coming.

The rest of him just anticipated... eagerly.

As Mulder wheeled the cart to the door and out into the hall, Walter slid down out of his seat until he sat on the floor, back against the chair. When Walter patted his leg Alex immediately curled up on the floor next to him, pressed close to his side. Walter's hand played with his hair, stroked over his shoulders, teased at the back of his neck. Alex sighed in pleasure and just luxuriated in the warm solid body and heady touching.

He felt a tingle in the pit of his stomach when he heard Mulder's footsteps coming back across the room. What would be next... Mulder arrived and plunked down cross-legged on the floor in front of Walter. Alex looked to him curiously and saw that on his return trip he'd brought with him a pack of playing cards. Watching the long fingers shuffle the cards became quickly hypnotic and Alex jerked when Mulder's voice broke the easy silence.

"Stud?" Mulder inquired casually.

Walter guffawed. "Give me a break."

Mulder grinned, then started dealing two hands. "Rummy? First to 250?"

"That'll work," Walter agreed, and Alex sat blinking as they set about playing cards.

Playing. Cards.

If he'd been a cartoon, steam would have started to curl from his ears. These two were seriously courting a header into that snow bank.

Trying to return to his lazy, content mood, Alex stayed leaned up against Walter's side, even though it hindered Walter's ability to reach the cards. In slow stages, he sank back into his mental release, letting go of his tension and curiosity about what was to come as best he could. He belonged to them. They would do exactly as they pleased with him, exactly when they pleased.

The bastards.

Inhaling Walter's scent wasn't helping. His cock perked up bit by bit, reminding him that it had seen a lot of action today, with no satisfaction. As if he could forget. He began to shift restlessly as the Rummy game dragged on, earning him shrewd, knowing glances from Mulder.

Finally Mulder crooked a finger at him. Alex didn't bother to get his hopes up as the score stood at 135 to 87. He did slink over to Mulder on his hands and knees, though, putting an extra sway into his movements, channeling the thought of a big cat. He hoped it looked sexy rather than just stupid. Mulder leaned in and kissed him slow and deep and he moaned. Not this again... Mulder's kisses drove him wild. But thankfully Mulder didn't tease him into a frenzy as he had earlier, just kissed him breathless then arranged him in a sprawl half on and half off Mulder's lap. Mulder petted and played with his body as he went back to the card game.

Alex tried to just go with it, enjoy the sensations, but he'd had a long day of teasing. After the breakthrough earlier, he just wanted to stretch out on the floor and beg them to fuck him, claim him, own him with their cocks as they had the night before.

Mulder's fingers merely teased over a tightening nipple and moved on.

And the score crept up to 192 to 146.

Walter called him back a few hands later and had him stretch out on his stomach next to him. Whenever his hand was free Walter stroked and fondled Alex's ass. His fingers delved lightly into the crevice between the cheeks. Alex tried not to hump the floor.

And the score hit 230 to 197.

Alex desperately wanted to scream at them, but knew without question it would earn him punishment. And given his mood, they'd undoubtedly select sending him to bed without orgasm for punishment tonight. Besides, he didn't want to be disobedient or difficult right know. He knew what this was... knew they were driving home the ownership they'd established so completely earlier. Making him really feel it, and not just in the throes of intense arousal.

Just the thought made him itch with desire.

And the score finally topped 250 with Mulder triumphant, Walter never recovering from two bad hands in a row early on. Alex went on alert all over again as Mulder crowed with victory, shuffling the cards back together and setting them aside. Sure enough, this time when he turned back he focused his attention on Alex. "I won," he drawled, holding open his arms to Alex.

Alex immediately crawled into them and knelt within the circle of Mulder's embrace. "Yes sir," he breathed.

"That means I get to decide what to do to you next, and I get the first orgasm tonight," Mulder added.

Alex blinked. They'd played Rummy for him? For fuck's sake, that was almost worse than flipping a goddamned coin! He halted the line of thinking immediately as he realized Mulder watched him carefully, a small smile playing on his lips. Alex swallowed hard, let his eyelashes fall to veil his eyes, and parted his lips. "So what are you going to do to me," he murmured, pausing then finally adding, "...sir?"

Mulder's eyes lit with the fire Alex wanted to see and one finger suddenly thrust under the edge of his collar, drawing him up as Mulder stood. "Get on the bed. On your back, legs spread, knees to your chest. Now."

Alex found himself in position almost before his brain processed the order, helped along by a firm shove from Mulder. His ass protested as he landed on the bed but as he pulled his knees up to his chest, most of his weight rested on his upper back. He sucked in a breath, cock already filling in automatic reaction to the exposed position. His mind flew back to the shaving of the morning and his cheeks felt suddenly hot. Mulder stood at the end of the bed, arms crossed, staring down at his displayed crotch, smooth and bare. He felt his cock twitch and rise under the clinical assessment.

Mulder's hand reached out and stroked all over his shaven groin, fingers touching everywhere the hair had grown, emphasizing its absence. Alex shivered at the touch and clutched his knees tighter, holding his legs apart in spite of the urge to close them or thrust into the touch.

"Need a little reminder of who's in charge?" Mulder asked, voice soft.

Alex thought quickly, knowing the question for the trap it was. Either a yes or a no could be misconstrued as attitude and the threat of correction still hung over his head. His ass wasn't any readier for the strap. "If you see fit, sir," he temporized, losing the breathy tease that had gotten him into this position.

Mulder smirked. "Ah, a suddenly careful obedient little puppy. Think better of getting unruly, did you?"

Alex winced, then decided to go with the truth. "Yes sir," he mumbled. Mulder's hand continued stroking a little too gently, fingertips tickling over sensitive flesh.

"Good," Mulder mused, then suddenly turned away, tossing over his shoulder, "We'll give you a reminder anyway. Don't move."

Eyes closing on a silent groan, Alex held the position and tried to relax. He was too keyed up though; his muscles tensed again when Mulder returned. His eyes immediately dropped to Mulder's hand and widened at the sight of the small flogger resting casually in his grip. Even as his cock swelled, his legs instinctively drew together.

Mulder laughed, a low evil chuckle that sent shivers up Alex's spine. He'd forgotten—forced himself to forget—exactly how damn good at this sort of thing Mulder was. Mulder reached between Alex's legs and laid the little flogger down on his quivering stomach, letting the soft suede falls drag over his balls, cock and groin.

"That's not going to do at all," Mulder admonished. "If you can't keep yourself all spread open and displayed for me, I'll have to make arrangements." Leaving the flogger nestled on Alex's stomach, rising and falling with his uneven breaths, Mulder turned away again only to return with ankle cuffs and leather ties.

As his left ankle was cuffed and his leg stretched out and upward, Alex released his hold on his knees. Mulder's firm grip stretched his leg out until he could strap the ankle to the top of the left bedpost. He did the same with the right ankle to the right bedpost, until Alex lay on his back with his legs tied spread open in a wide V.

"Do I need to restrain your hands, puppy?" Mulder inquired in a silky voice.

"No sir," Alex managed, the breathiness back in his voice despite all efforts to the contrary. He winced, and tried again. "I mean, not unless you see fit, sir."

Mulder nodded. "That's better. As it happens, I have reason to prefer to leave your hands free for the moment." Reaching out once again, Mulder's fingers trailed up and down the inside of Alex's thighs, stopping on each down stroke just before they brushed the heavy balls. Alex wriggled, the position increasing his feeling of defenselessness. Finally Mulder stopped sensitizing the skin and picked up the little flogger. Holding it directly over Alex's cock and balls, Mulder twisted it back and forth, the long strips of soft soft suede dancing over his genitals in a tormenting rain.

Alex gasped and stiffened, his leg muscles contracting and his hips lifting into the velvety touch all over his aching groin. His hands pulled into fists at his side and he had to concentrate on keeping his arms still.

"Breathe, puppy." Mulder sounded amused.

Alex released the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding in a rush and felt lightheaded. Apparently concentrating too hard on not letting his freed hands move made him forget other things...

"I seemed to recall you liked floggers," Mulder murmured casually, keeping the handle twisting in his long fingers. "A lot. So I bought a couple. But this one was my favorite. Given the size, I think we all know where it's meant to be used, hmmm?"

Alex's breath stuttered in his throat. His mouth hung open and panting, and Mulder had barely started. Mulder always did have a strong hand at using anticipation well. Alex couldn't tear his eyes away from the long black strands shimmying all over his strapped cock, kissing and teasing his balls at the same time. Sensation flooded his genitals. His cock throbbed and swelled.

"Don't we, puppy?" Mulder's voice came sharper and Alex's eyes jerked from the hypnotic sight of the flogger draping his groin to stare up at Mulder's face.

Don't we? A question... obviously requiring an answer. What the fuck had he asked? Alex felt panic crack open in his chest. Ah god, he wanted the flogger to never stop purring against his crotch... he didn't want any stops for punishment of attitude now. He honestly couldn't remember the question! "I... ye-es?" he tried desperately, embarrassed at the crack in his voice.

Mulder raised his eyebrows, his face knowing. "You know better than that," he admonished. "Yes what, puppy?"

Alex moaned and realized he was well and truly caught. Even as he tried to marshal his brain he remembered that Mulder always did especially enjoy his power at making Alex totally sex-stupid. He got an obvious charge from being fully in control of his own staggering intellect while Alex stuttered and stammered and wallowed in animal sensation. So give in to it... give in... give him what he wants... Alex relaxed into the thought and felt the tightness in his chest unravel. "I'm sorry sir," he rasped, real apology shading his tone, "could you repeat the question? I... lost it. When you touch me..." He felt terrible heat fill his cheeks at the admission and choked to a stop.

Mulder's eyes went incandescent. He beamed at Alex in approval. "Ah yes," he murmured, "That's right. Your brain doesn't work too well when your slutpuppy instincts take over, does it? When you get all hot and horny and you just have to be fucked. Your brain melts right out your pretty little ears when somebody spanks your ass and straps your cock and puts you in restraints, doesn't it?"

That one, Alex knew the answer to. "No sir," he panted immediately. "Only when you do."

Mulder eyes widened in surprise and he burst out laughing. "Verrrry good," he purred. "You're being such a good puppy. The question that dribbled out your ears along with the rest of your self-control was, given the size of this lovely little flogger, I think we all know where it's meant to be used, yes?"

Alex wanted to kick himself. Of course, how the hell could he have forgotten that? It was the very idea embodied by that question that had gotten him all flustered and rapt on the flogger tantalizing his cock and balls. Blushing deeply, he cleared his throat, not that it helped. His voice still came thick when he managed, "Yes sir. We know where it's meant to be used."

"Mm," Mulder made a creamy sound as if he'd just eaten something beyond delicious. "And where would that be, puppy?"

Alex felt dizzy. He knew cognitively that he wasn't going to faint laying on his back with his legs in the air, but the sensations were intense. The lightheadedness, the slight swirl to the room as he forced his mouth open and managed in a small voice, "On my cock, sir. On my cock and on my balls."

Mulder's face reflected his pleasure at both the words and the tone. "Yes, that's right. And would you like that?"

Alex moaned helplessly and bit his lip. What to say? How to respond... why did he keep giving these impossible questions with no right answer? Squirming in his bonds, Alex clenched his fists in the blankets under him and tried to reach for the truth. That had worked last time. "I like whatever you do to me, sir," he finally gasped, "but I don't know how much more I can take."

Mulder raised those brows again and smiled sweetly. "You'll take everything I want you to take, of course," he said in a warm, sure voice.

Alex felt that knot in his chest shatter all over again, and liquid heat burst through him. His body went pliant on the bed, his legs sagging in the ties, his fingers releasing the bedspread from a suddenly weak grasp. His hips stopped bucking into the falls of the flogger and his whole torso arched, his spine stretching, undulating, his body trying to say without words how completely Mulder owned him, how much that one sweet sentence affected him. "Yes... yes, sir... please," he gasped, and all he could do was stare at that beloved face in abject worship, completely enthralled.

Whatever Mulder saw in his face, it pleased him beyond measure. "Alright then, now we're ready to begin," he said quietly, still smiling with a possessive gleam that thrilled Alex. He dragged the flogger gently over Alex's cock and balls one last time, then lifted his arm back and shifted his stance.

Alex knew better than to tense and his body was beyond that point anyway. Yet instinct tried to intervene and Mulder must have seen some muscle movement because he paused.

"Do you want a blindfold?" he asked kindly.

"No sir, please sir," Alex gasped. "But may I close my eyes, sir?"

"You may."

Alex closed his eyes and tumbled into sheer sensation, letting loose a wild cry when the flogger thudded not against his cock, not against his balls, but against his left inner thigh. Then his right inner thigh, then left... right... left...

Mulder knew exactly what he was doing and warm, tingling sensation started to build immediately in Alex's lower body, the blood rushing to his groin and thighs. The patterned blows brought his nerve endings alive and every stroke over flesh that wasn't his bared and aching genitals seemed to just emphasize their vulnerability, emphasize what was coming... building...

Alex tilted his head back and lost total control of his vocalizations, groaning with abandon and writhing under the flying flogger. His hands fisted in the blankets again as the light blows increased in speed, then slowed again and became heavier. Mulder kept the rhythm beautifully even and Alex watched the strange, disjointed thought float across his own brain... 'I wonder if he's been practicing'. It was lost immediately in the growing haze and didn't have time to grow to 'practicing on someone else'. Jealousy had no place here, no place and no hold as Mulder expertly applied the flogger up and down the inside of his thighs and then the backs.

Seamlessly, from one blow to the next, the sting began, suffusing the hot, tingling flesh and bumping Alex's responses up to the next level as well. Arching into the flogging Alex yowled in delight, stretching his thighs apart as much as he could, trying to convey with his body "I'm yours I'm yours I'm yours". Just as the sting started to crest, the steady fall of sound and sensation stopped and something wonderfully, impossibly, agonizingly soft stroked over his inner left thigh, skipped over his cock and balls, and stroked back up his inner right thigh. The sensation was almost too much on the awakened nerves and Alex broke into delighted squirms, panting moans breaking from his lips as he forced his eyes partway open, lifting dazed lids with an effort.

Mulder stood, still fully clothed of course and looking so perfectly poised—so perfect—between the V of Alex's own legs. The flogger hung in Mulder's right hand while his left hand ran up and down and all over Alex's thighs. Something... a glove of some sort... covered Mulder's hand and Alex let his head fall back to the bed with a moan of pure ecstasy as the gloved hand finally descended into his crotch and caressed his swollen balls, traveled once up his turgid cock. Fur... it was fur... had to be.

The glove left him in torment and he knew instinctively what was coming. The kiss of the flogger on his thighs transported him, and something snapped... he floated... surrounded by sensation. It felt so natural when the heavier blows eased again and began to center on the very upper crease on the inside of his thigh... the most natural thing in the world when finally, finally, they crossed over into light, teasing strokes on his balls... his balls... his cock...

And oh... heaven... Mulder... perfect touch. Soft suede and steady gentle fall and tingling tingling tingling heat and itching slapping... over and over and over... and over and... over...

Alex lost time, lost meaning, lost himself. Lost the rest of his body, lost his mind. Only the steady rain of so careful strokes between his legs registered, and the climbing climbing climbing boiling in his cock, his balls, coming alive like never before under the kiss of the flogger. Swelling, swelling... bursting with heat and sensations...

And fur. Fuuuurrrr. Stroking. Soothing and teasing at the same time. Running all over his burning genitals, individual fingers petting and playing, nerve endings sizzling and...

Nothing. Silence and something soft floating down over his chest and belly and tucking around his throat. Legs untied and lowered, still spread. Knees bending over the end of the bed and feet coming to rest on the floor, something soft settling over them as well.

Blinking his eyes open Alex stared up at Mulder, sitting on the bed next to him. He hadn't even felt the mattress dip. Something... he tilted his head and Walter sat on his other side and for the first time since he'd landed on his back on the bed Alex realized he'd completely lost track of where Walter had been during the flogging. He knew he must have watched but...

Walter grinned at him, eyes sparkling. "You... look amazing."

"Unh?" Alex replied intelligently.

Walter's fingers coasted lightly over one cheek. "You look so blissed out. Like you're flying. Are you flying, Alex?"

"Fly...ing," Alex sighed.

Mulder chuckled from his other side and Alex rolled his head in that direction. Mulder looked unaccountably smug. So very pleased with himself. Alex knew he should have a reaction to that but wasn't sure what it should be. Mulder drew one finger between Alex's brows, down over his nose and pressed in on the very tip. "You should see the grin on your face," Mulder murmured in a lascivious voice that stroked over Alex's cock like the fur glove. "I wish I had a camera."

Even in his state, Alex knew enough to know Mulder not having a camera was a good thing. He settled for tilting his head back just enough so Mulder's finger fell off his nose and onto his lips. He opened his mouth and sucked it in, finding it immensely satisfying to suck on Mulder's finger as his body s-l-o-w-l-y descended from the heights.

"And if that isn't one of the sexiest things I've ever seen," rumbled softly behind him, and Alex knew Walter spoke but wasn't sure what to make of the comment. He stared up at Mulder's less-smug expression and swirled his tongue around a knobby knuckle.

"Which reminds me," Mulder murmured, "I get first orgasm tonight."

Pulling his finger gently from Alex's drawing lips, Mulder rubbed a hand over the blanket they'd draped over Alex's chest while he recovered. "What do you say, puppy? You back with us?"

"Did I leave?" Alex slurred in the sex-roughened voice that Mulder felt straight through to his balls.

Mulder grinned down at him. "Not exactly, but I didn't want to take advantage while you were... on another plane."

Alex's grin widened if possible. "Take advantage," he sighed.

Mulder laughed. "Well, if you insist..."

"Oh, I insist." Alex rolled up onto his side and drew his legs up onto the bed, half-crawling toward Mulder with a hungry expression. "Fuck me now?"

Mulder caught his breath and tried to maintain the solid control he'd been so proud of. "Whoa, slow down."

"Mm, sorry," Alex purred as he climbed onto Mulder, arms twining around his chest and neck. "Fuck me now, sir?" He humped against Mulder's leg and hissed as his spanked cock and balls came in contact with the denim, leaning his forehead against Mulder's chin.

Mulder tried to untangle himself, to the immense amusement of Walter on the other side of the bed, watching with a wide grin. Mulder sent him a glare and caught Alex's arms. "Wait, wait... no, I'm not going to fuck you, I—"

Immediately Alex gave a whine and drew away enough to give Mulder a piteous look. "Please, sir. Do you want me to beg? I will." Sliding up and over Mulder, Alex lowered himself off the side of the bed onto his knees, running his hand over Mulder's thigh. "Please, give me your cock up my ass, sir, I want it so badly. I'll be good, I swear I will, just please don't make me wait. Haven't I been good today? You said I've been good today. Please, please—"

"Wait!" Mulder caught Alex's wandering hand, putting his free hand over Alex's mouth, stopping the torrent of hot, husky words that swept over his skin like individual tongue licks. "Just wait. I... aren't you sore?"

Alex looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "Yes sir," he finally said, kindly leaving off the 'well duh' that hung in the air.

Mulder sighed and chose not to comment on the tone. "I mean, your ass has had quite a workout so far this weekend. We thought you might be a little too sore to get fucked again by both of us tonight."

Alex tilted his head to the side and stared up at Mulder for a moment, then transferred his gaze to the silent Walter sitting behind him. A slow smile dragged up the corner of his mouth. "Thanks for the thought, sirs," he murmured, "but I can take it."

Mulder didn't need to be told twice. Alex on his knees, begging to be fucked, pretty much tore it for him. Swinging his legs off the bed he pointed across the floor to the rug between their chairs. "Over in front of the fireplace. Now."

Alex crawled on hands and knees across the floor, his body beautiful in the low light. Mulder caught his breath and shot a glance at Walter. Walter's continued grin said he knew exactly how close Mulder had come to falling out of the careful balance of power when Alex went all aggressive-slut on him. Mulder gave him a dirty look and stalked over to the rug where Alex was arching his back and stretching like a cat. He chose to ignore the soft chortle he heard behind him as Walter got up off the bed and followed him across the room.

When he reached the rug Mulder was almost knocked off his feet by Alex rubbing up against his legs. Realizing he had to take control back and do it fast, he caught Alex's collar and gave one brief tug. Alex froze. "Take it down a notch, puppy," he ordered. "I'll set the pace here, not you."

"Yes sir," Alex panted, holding perfectly still except for the quivers running through his body.

Mulder firmly ordered his own cock to behave and stood with hands on hips, looking Alex over. Alex stared up at him from under thick lashes, hand resting on his thighs, his blood-flushed genitals hanging heavy between his parted legs. Hearing a large body settle close at hand, Mulder knew Walter had dropped into his chair to watch the proceedings. The audience helped him to order his thoughts; he walked a slow circle around Alex, noting the way their puppy's breathing picked up. After a moment of silent study he walked to the burgundy bags.

When he returned, he squatted beside Alex and held out the nipple clamps connected with the silver chain. He pinched Alex's nipples up into tight buds then attached the clamps quickly. Alex's soft sighs and moans goaded him on but he didn't want to extend the play right now. They'd toyed with Alex all day, it was time to let him come.

Mulder couldn't help but smile at the thought. Yes, time to let him come. Eventually.

Reaching down between Alex's legs he unbuckled the leather cock strap and removed it, tossing it to Walter. Without touching Alex's genitals further, he stood again and retrieved the lube. Opening his pants, he came back to Alex and knelt behind him. Alex shifted restlessly, head turning and trying to see over his shoulder. "Eyes front," Mulder commanded. Alex stilled with a groan, looking forward. Mulder lowered his pants and shorts down over his hips and bunched them at his knees, giving the joints extra cushioning.

Lubing his fingers, he caressed his cock and sighed deeply. Running still-slick fingers between Alex's cheeks, he felt out the puckered asshole and probed. Alex sucked in a breath and rose a bit on his knees, ass pushing back against Mulder's fingers.

"Eager, puppy?" Mulder whispered, low and harsh.

Alex whined. "Ye-es, sir."

"Eager for what? Look at Walter and tell him what you're eager for."

Alex's breath caught, then restarted. He turned his head just enough to look Walter in the face. Mulder could see the deepening blush staining his cheeks as his face came into profile. "I'm... eager for your... hard cock up my ass, sir," Alex managed to force out haltingly. "Please, fuck me ha-rd." His voice cracked on hard as Mulder's finger found his prostate.

"Mm, can't get enough, can you," Mulder breathed against Alex's shoulder as he moved into position, kneeling between Alex's spread legs, pressing his groin in against Alex's ass. He took his cock in hand and lined up with Alex's hole, the pushed forward, easing the head inside while Alex groaned. Shifting his hands to rest on Alex's hips, he worked himself forward, thrusting gently until his cock rode up and into Alex's ass. Alex wiggled against him, moving his hips to take more in, spreading his legs further, leaning forward and pushing his ass back. His hands opened and closed on his thighs.

Mulder groaned as Alex's ass came to rest on his lap. Settling himself on his heels, he gripped Alex's hips and urged him to lift a bit, then sit back down. Alex gave a yelp and a buck, and immediately started riding Mulder's cock, leaning back against Mulder's upper body and spreading his knees to either side of Mulder's. Up and down he moved. Mulder pressed his face into Alex's neck and felt wave after wave of pleasure pour through him. In no time he felt his orgasm gathering, the hot slick flesh gripping him and moving, moving, moving. Alex rocked and twisted, moaning freely and begging for more, harder. Mulder kept his movements small and gentle though and Alex wailed as rode Mulder's lap.

Mulder slid his hands from Alex's hips down to his thighs, holding them further apart. Alex moved faster, more frenzied, but still Mulder wouldn't thrust. He knew Alex had limited movement this way but he himself was getting off just fine, and despite Alex's assurances, he didn't want to fuck him roughly. When Alex's hands moved restlessly, Mulder caught them with his own and linked their fingers tightly. Alex's rising noises, pleas and protests both, made him hotter, made his cock swell in Alex's ass, made him sink his teeth into Alex's shoulder and bite hard, suck harder.

With a grunt, he felt the undulating body take him over the edge. He squeezed Alex's fingers and arched up. Alex felt his thrust and climax and wailed again, still unfulfilled and nothing touching his cock.

Mulder relaxed and leaned his head against Alex's, breathing slow and steady. He felt Alex continue to make small movements against him, whimpering desperately, but he didn't release Alex's hands. He waited until his cock slowly retreated, finally slipping from Alex's ass. Then he relaxed his grip and stroked gentle hands over Alex's thighs and stomach, up his chest to toy at the chain linking the nipple clamps. Alex sighed and wriggled. Mulder lifted his head and met Walter's heated gaze over Alex's shoulder. He let his mouth stretch in a lazy, satisfied grin.

"Your turn."

Walter stifled the moan that wanted to rise, wondering if Mulder had said the words for his benefit or for Alex's. He watched Alex's eyes slide shut, cheeks flushing darkly again at the blatant inference that he was about to be handed off like the toy he was for further use. Walter found it impossibly hot.

"Get up here now," Walter ordered, surprising himself at the sandpaper harshness of his throaty growl. "I want that ass while it's still good and relaxed." He undid his jeans and pushed them down off his hips and thighs to rest around his knees while Alex struggled up and off Mulder's lap and limped toward the chair.

Watching Mulder's fuck had given Walter an unshakeable image. He held out his hand and drew Alex down onto his lap, catching his face for a quick kiss before shifting the large body to face front. "Back to my chest. Spread your legs. Put them to either side of mine... for the time being. That's it." Catching Alex's hips as Mulder had done, he positioned Alex's round ass over his cock and guided himself up and in. He groaned with delight as his cock sank in easily. Alex's ass was slippery and loose, and so hot. Alex made helpless little noises of pleasure as he was settled firmly onto Walter's cock.

"Alright then," Walter sighed as they sat that way for a moment. "Now lean back and lift your arms over your head. Drape them over the back of the chair. And don't you dare move them down while I'm fucking you. Understood?"

"Understood, sir," Alex gasped, his voice already strained with passion.

"Good," Walter murmured, kissing the back of Alex's neck and licking up to his ear. "Now... just... relax..." As he spoke he worked his hands down the outside of Alex's thighs, then slipped them under the thighs right behind the knee, getting a good grip. Looking over Alex's shoulder he tracked Mulder to the rug before the fireplace, watching with lazy but rapt attention. He noted with pleasure that as long as Alex's eyes were open, he couldn't help but know that Mulder watched every movement, every expression. "Are your eyes open, puppy?" he asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Keep them that way. Mulder will let me know if you don't." Tightening his grip under Alex's thighs, he exerted his muscles and lifted, raising Alex's knees and pulling his legs further apart. Alex gasped and stiffened, made a sound of panic. Walter tightened his hold. "Relax. You're mine to use however I want. I want your legs over the arms of this chair. It'll hold you open nice and wide for me." Stretching Alex's thighs open just that much further, he draped Alex's left leg over the left chair arm, then the right leg over the right. Alex mewled and tried to shift, but the position kept him completely at Walter's mercy, his ass totally opened and defenseless, held spread and skewered on Walter's cock, all without one restraint. Shifting his hands to Alex's inner thighs, he began stroking the taut muscles as he moved his hips. Alex's head rolled back and gasping groans filled the air as Walter made slow, shallow movements, just enough to move his cock.

Movement caught Walter's eye and he realized an entranced Mulder was crawling across the floor, watching the fuck with the kind of attention usually reserved for X-Files involving aliens. Walter grinned... he'd thought this might make a nice thank you for that incredible show Mulder had put on with the flogger. He knew Mulder must have quite the view of Alex's ass being stretched by his cock, and the beautiful body spread out over his own heaved and quivered in a delicious manner. "Are you looking at Mulder, puppy?" Walter asked. "Look him in the eye and let him see how much you enjoy this... being our toy. Our plaything. Our slutpuppy."

Alex's cries took on a new tone and Walter felt his body start to twist and clench. Smiling, he let his hands slide down Alex's inner thighs and cupped the straining genitals. Cradling the tight balls gently, he circled the fat cock with his other hand and started to stroke, so lightly, so carefully. Alex wailed and stiffened, quivering madly in his helpless position. Walter continued to pump him leisurely and in no time Alex went rigid, cock twitching in Walter's grasp, then hot fluid splashed over Walter's hand and Alex spasmed and thrashed, head rocking back, spine arching.

Walter gentled his hands still further as Alex went totally limp. Walter helped him slide his legs down off the chair arms, Alex's body slumping against his own. Soft moans came from Alex's lips as Walter's hands stroked and soothed him. The involuntary sounds were just what Walter needed, and he rocked his hips just enough... there... there... and tipped himself over the edge. His own orgasm was less earth-shattering, being his third of the day, and he was able to keep from bellowing in Alex's ear without too much trouble. He felt the delicious release wash through him and moaned contentedly, loving the feel of coming in that ass.

He opened his eyes and nudged Alex carefully. "Puppy? You can get up now," he murmured, kissing along Alex's throat. Alex made a guttural noise but didn't move.

Mulder leaned in from his position on the floor. "Uh... I think we've done it to him again, Walter. He looks like he needs to be put back to bed. I don't think he's getting there on his own."

Walter laughed. "Help me lift him, will you? Lifting this much weight from a sitting position can't be a good idea." Mulder helped him by taking most of Alex's weight until Walter could get his own feet under him, kicking his jeans down his legs and stepping out of them. He bent at the knee and accepted Alex's weight back, giving Mulder a look. "I get him in my bed tonight."

"I know I know," Mulder said, holding up his hands palms out. "I wasn't going to argue."

"Hmph." Walter straightened and carried Alex to his bed, settling him on his side long enough to unclip the nipple clamps, then rolling him carefully onto his stomach. Alex nuzzled into the pillow sleepily, turning away from the light and murmuring low and unintelligible. "Just rest, puppy," Walter soothed, running a hand over his head. "Didn't you buy some aloe cream, Mulder?" Walter blinked as Mulder stepped up beside him and handed him the tube, obviously having already been getting it out before he even asked. "So why can't you anticipate my needs like that in a work capacity?" he asked mildly over his shoulder as he flipped up the cap.

Mulder snorted as he flung himself down on his own bed. "Maybe because it's not your needs I'm anticipating."

Walter rolled his eyes and laughed as he squirted the cream onto Alex's ass. "Now why didn't I think of that," he said dryly. Alex's ass moved under his hand as Alex pressed up into the gentle caress and cooling cream. Satisfied sounds came from the direction of the pillow. Walter worked the cream into each rounded buttock then down onto the backs of his thighs. He settled the sheet over Alex lightly, then pulled up the covers.

Looking down at the already snoring lump in his bed he grinned, considering how many times they'd manage to overload their puppy today. Again, double-teaming definitely had its advantages. It would certainly be easier to keep their puppy in line with both of them on the job. Recapping the cream he stretched and felt his spine crackle. He turned to Mulder's bed. "That was an... interesting position."

Mulder snorted again. "You mean that was a fucking incredible position. That was so hot I thought I might actually get hard again."

Walter grinned and jerked a thumb at Alex. "I think he's had enough for one day."

"Well, lucky for him, I couldn't quite manage it."

"Lucky for me, too. I don't think my ego could take it," Walter deadpanned. Mulder chuckled. Eyes drawn inexorably back to his bedmate, Walter finally shrugged and gave in. "Okay, I'm not going to bother pretending to be stoic. I'm going to bed. Now." Mulder gave him a knowing smile and nodded.

Rushing through his nightly routine, Walter turned the bathroom over to Mulder and hurried to his bed. He breathed in deeply as he slipped between the covers and pressed up next to the slumbering body, still smelling of sweat and sex and... just Alex. He leaned over Alex and set his glasses on the table between the beds then settled one arm over the broad back under the covers. Studying the pretty face from the next pillow over, he gave in to impulse and snuggled in close enough to press a goodnight kiss to the slightly parted lips.

"Goodnight, Alex. Sweet dreams," he whispered. As he closed his eyes, he could hear a little voice from somewhere deep in his brain. And please don't wake up, realize we haven't restrained you, and strangle me in my sleep.

Alex woke up slowly, too hot and very stiff. And someone was snoring way too close to his head. He moved his arms peevishly, trying to force back the covers without waking up too much. A heavy, hot weight sat square on his back and he finally rolled in irritation, pushing it off. Opening his eyes against his better judgement, he found himself staring into the sleeping face of Walter Skinner.

Stilling, he suddenly didn't care that he was awake. Falling asleep with Mulder the night before... waking up to Walter this morning... he sighed. What in hell had he done in his life to deserve this? Because whatever it was, he wanted to do it again, quick, before someone realized the mistake and snatched both men away from him again.

Still too hot by far, Alex eased the covers down to his waist without removing them from Walter. More comfortable, he moved his face to a cooler spot on the pillow and resumed Walter-watching.

And in that moment, realized he wasn't restrained. No cuffs attached his wrists or ankles to the bed. His collar hugged his throat, but was hooked to nothing.

And Walter was asleep. Deeply asleep from the tone of his snoring.

Holding his breath, Alex rolled carefully to his back and slipped out from under the covers. Wincing as he moved, he got to his feet with minimal swaying and looked over to the second bed. Mulder sprawled on his stomach fast asleep, laying half on and half off a bunched pillow, his glasses still on and a book folded closed on his hand. Blinking at the two sleeping men, Alex wondered at their thinking in leaving him untied. He couldn't remember much after they'd finally let him come last night. He remembered someone rubbing his ass but that was about it. Certainly they'd been more with it than he had been. They would have remembered to restrain him if they'd wanted to do so.

So they chose to leave him untied. Free to wake up at any time during the night. And they went to sleep, perfectly content. Scratching his head Alex finally gave in to his persistent bladder and went to the bathroom. He pondered while he pissed, while he rinsed his hands, while he splashed cool water on his face and throat. Padding back out into the main room he found his captors in the exact same positions, still blissfully sleeping.

He stood in the middle of the room. The fire was dead and cold behind him but the room remained warm, the real source of heat the baseboards ringing the room. The heavy curtains hung partially open over the porch door, letting in enough sun for Alex to guess it was early morning. He stepped closer to the porch door and peered out. Another beautiful day in Vermont. Sunny. Snowy. Cold.

He moved back to the middle of the room, restless. An uneasy feeling stirred in the pit of his stomach. His palms tingled and itched. His toes curled against the rug. He tilted his head from side to side until his neck cracked but still the unsettling sensation rose. His fingers stretched and retracted, absently counting out old limbering exercises for safe-crackers.

The bed invited him back. He was actually getting cool now, standing naked without the extra heat of the fire they'd kept carefully stoked. Crawling under the blankets sounded tempting.

Chances don't come much better than this.

But which chances? The chance to slip away and disappear or the chance to try again. The chance to take his own second chance, that he'd just assumed they'd never want to offer him.

If I'm going I have to go. Now.

They could keep you.

It's impossible. What are they going to do? Share me? It's ludicrous.

They'd like to keep you.

I know it's impossible. They sure as hell know it's impossible. This was some kind of temporary insanity.

Then leave now. Make it your choice. Don't wait for them to cut you loose before they head to the airport. Go.

Now.

He stood unmoving.

What does Alex Krycek want?

He sucked in a slow breath. Life was always a series of choices. Life had presented him with a number of stacked decks but the cards he played were still choices. Curtailed, circumstantial, but choices. He'd always been all too aware of his own agency in his life. He knew he'd made some good moves, and some very bad moves, but he'd done what he thought needed to be done with the cards he'd been dealt. And he was still playing.

No choice he'd ever looked at had been clearer than this one.

Releasing the air in his lungs he walked between the beds and crawled beneath the covers of Walter's bed, curling down into the welcoming heat. He turned on his side, pressing back against Walter's broad furry body, feeling the solid weight snoring away behind him. Looking across the short expanse, he had a perfect view of Mulder sleeping face down, glasses askew across his nose, mouth open and drooling just a bit onto his pillow.

The uneasiness vanished between one breath and the next, replaced by a warm flow of calm blossoming in his chest and spreading through his body to the very tips of his toes and fingers. He relaxed all at once, content in his choice. He'd see it through, as he'd seen through all the other choices in his life. No matter what they decided came next, for once he was choosing based on exactly what he wanted to do.

For once, he deserved that.

Mulder snorted awake and groaned as he felt his glasses pressing into the side of his face. He hated falling asleep with his glasses on but insomnia meant it happened more often than not. Pushing himself up away from his soggy pillow he took off the glasses and inspected the frames for unnatural bends. They'd survived yet again so he leaned over to put them on the table between the beds-

-and realized Alex was watching him from the next bed. A smile spread across his face. "Morning," he murmured in a sleep-husky voice.

"Morning," Alex whispered back.

Mulder sat up in bed and looked over Alex's body. Walter slept on, snoring contentedly. A flash of jealousy seared Mulder's stomach as he took in the cuddled position the two men slept in, Alex backed right up to Walter's front. Then his brain clicked over and he realized Alex looked a lot more awake than he felt. And seemed to be quite happily snuggled down in the bed, even without being locked there.

Mulder smiled wider. Walter had resisted the idea of not using any restraints Saturday night when they'd discussed it earlier in the day. But Mulder had pushed him to trust the old profiling instinct. Given he hadn't been absolutely positive himself that the two of them wouldn't wake up dead, he was inordinately pleased to see his instinct had been right.

Again.

As usual.

Sometimes he could really understand how Scully found him so hard to live with.

Curtailing the smug expression that really wanted to settle over his features he inquired instead, "How long have you been awake?"

"Awhile," Alex murmured back.

Mulder toyed for a moment with wondering if it would be fair to do what he wanted to do, then decided he didn't care about fair. Letting his smile stretch into a leer he lifted the edge of his blankets invitingly. "Want to come over here where the company is more... alert?"

Alex's eyebrows lifted. "I thought I was supposed to be in Walter's bed."

There was something in his voice that said it was more than a casual question but it was too early for Mulder to go sifting multiple Krycekian meanings. He shrugged. "He's asleep, I'm awake. Get your hot little ass over here."

Alex still hesitated though Mulder could see a wicked gleam in his eyes now. "You... could come over here," Alex offered carefully.

Mulder wrinkled his nose and sighed, shaking his head. "I'm drawing the line at getting into his bed with you, Alex." Alex nodded against the pillow, his face still thoughtful. It occurred to Mulder that this might be the exact information Alex was after. Well, no reason not to make it clear right now. "You can stay there or you can come over here, but I'm not coming over there," he elucidated further.

Alex twisted his head just a bit and smiled warmly at the man at his back then looked to Mulder. "And you're sure I won't get in trouble for coming over there?" he whispered, giving Mulder a suspicious look.

Mulder grinned and something in his chest relaxed. "No, puppy. I can guarantee you that you won't get punished for that," he said carefully, smiling innocently.

Alex cast one more look over his shoulder at Walter's sleeping face, kissed his cheek and rose from the bed. Padding over to the other bed, he slipped under Mulder's covers. Mulder immediately reached out and pulled him close, twining his legs around Alex's and nuzzling into his hair. Alex sighed and went into the embrace willing and wanton, rubbing his naked hips up against Mulder's long underwear.

"That's better," Mulder murmured, kissing down to Alex's ear and playing with the earlobe. His hands stroked the warm body under the covers. Moving down Alex's jaw line to his throat he began kissing and licking along the line of the collar. "God, you look good in this."

"Feels good," Alex sighed, shifting languidly in his arms.

Mulder settled Alex on his back and sprawled over him, holding him down with his weight while he began fingering Alex's nipples. He burrowed his lips just below the collar, into the hollow of Alex's throat, kissing and teasing as Alex's breath got harsher. He felt the heat of a hardening cock press up against his hip through the cotton of his long underwear but he ignored it, content to just play with the body in his bed. He moved on to suck and bite at Alex's puffy nipples, catching both hands and holding them over Alex's head while he indulged himself.

Long quiet moments passed with Alex writhing under him, the wet sounds of his kissing and sucking rivaling only Alex's harsh breaths. Then a rough voice broke the spell. "Hey. I seem to recall putting that puppy to bed over here last night."

Alex froze, his eyes widening and looking from Mulder to Walter, sitting up in the other bed with a stern look on his face. Mulder just propped himself on his arms and grinned over at Walter. "Sorry, old man, but you were still asleep and the puppy was awake and wanted to plaaaay," Mulder teased.

"Well, I'm awake now," Walter said, ignoring the jibe and focusing on Alex. He snapped his fingers and pointed to the mattress beside him. "Over here, now."

Mulder sighed and rolled sideways enough to release Alex. "Go ahead, we did agree you'd sleep there, so I guess he sort of has first claim."

Alex slipped out of Mulder's bed and crossed again to Walter's, his cock bobbing before him in unmistakable excitement. Walter raised his eyebrows as Alex crawled under the blankets, covering his erection. "I see you are ready to play, puppy." Alex flushed but said nothing, settling onto his back and looking up at Walter innocently.

As Mulder watched Walter reached out and caught the blankets, whipping them down off of Alex's body and his own. He turned sideways and pulled Alex back to a sitting position then tugged him off balance and across his lap. "I think you should be spanked for getting out of my bed without my permission," he said calmly, pushing Alex face down and positioning that beautiful ass across his thighs.

Alex yelped and twisted wildly. "Hey, no! Mulder! You said... I..."

"Wait!" Mulder sat up and shook his head as Alex beseeched him. "I promised him he wouldn't get in trouble," he said grudgingly, and Alex relaxed over Walter's lap. "I told him to come over to my bed, and told him he wouldn't get punished for it."

Walter grinned at Mulder over Alex's back, one large hand resting on Alex's ass. "Well, I can't very well spank him as punishment for getting out of my bed then, can I," he murmured.

"No, can't spank him for that," Mulder agreed, returning the grin.

Walter's hand lifted and came down on Alex's completely relaxed ass with a resounding smack. Alex howled beautifully and arched, head whipping around. "HEY! What are you doing?! You just said—"

Walter spanked him again, hard, cutting off the words, then started raining light spanks down on the ass resting over his thighs. "I said I wouldn't spank you as punishment for getting out of my bed," he agreed. "I'm not. This isn't for that. I'm spanking you... oh, let's see... because it's Sunday morning? Because your ass is too damn gorgeous and I can't keep my hands off it? Because I want to?" He laughed as Alex wriggled madly.

Mulder climbed off his bed and knelt by Walter's, grabbing hold of Alex's hands and holding them firm. "I did only say you wouldn't be punished for that, Alex," Mulder grinned. "But we told you yesterday we can do whatever we want with you, and we did warn you that you'd be getting a daily morning spanking. That's just the way things are."

Alex gasped as Walter's hand paused in the slaps and started rubbing his ass cheeks. "But I was good yesterday," he groaned. "You both said so."

"You can be as good as you want," Mulder murmured, leaning forward and kissing Alex's open mouth wetly. He fed at the small moans Alex made with each spank. "There will always be a reason to spank you. Mostly because your ass just begs for it." Mulder pulled away just enough to watch in pleasure as Walter lightly toasted Alex's ass to a uniform glowing pink, then released him. Mulder kept hold of his hands and tugged him to his feet, grinning at the way Alex tried to pull back, a pouty look on his face. "Oh, don't try to tell us you didn't enjoy it," Mulder teased, glancing down at Alex's throbbing erection. Alex flushed and averted his eyes but gasped readily when Walter reached out and cupped his balls in a hand hot from spanking him.

"Shall we shower?" Mulder asked lazily as they stepped in on either side of Alex, hands stroking and playing up and down his body.

"Better," Walter agreed with a yawn. "We have to be checking out by noon."

They both felt Alex stiffen. Mulder could see the knowledge in Walter's eyes when they glanced at each other. Dragging him into the bathroom they paused only long enough to unbuckle the leather collar, then hauled him straight into the shower and set about soaping, rubbing, kissing, licking, and massaging every last bit of stiffness out of him except for his cock. Finally, when he writhed between their slick bodies helplessly, they turned him from one to the other and each spent themselves between his soapy buttocks, taking turns thrusting up and down his shaved crack one after another while the other kissed him breathless. Pinning him against the wall with his arms up over his head they played with his nipples and balls until he begged, then finally Mulder pumped his cock while Walter fingered his asshole until he climaxed. They took turns helping him stand while they both rinsed off, then left the shower and the bathroom to him, loaning him a razor and heading back out into the main room to order breakfast.

Mulder packed while Walter ordered room service then sat in his chair pensively for the whole five minutes it took Walter to pack. Walter retrieved Alex's clothing from the cupboard they'd hidden it in and Mulder shook himself out of his thoughts to help select what they would give back to him—his socks, his boots, his turtleneck and his chamois shirt. His leather jacket. His collar. Mulder selected a pair of loose sweat pants from his own bag and added them to the pile.

Finally, he couldn't bite back his thoughts any longer. "What if—" he started only to have Walter break in.

"Don't." Walter gave him a level look. "He's coming with us, Mulder. End of story."

"Walter," Mulder cleared his throat and glanced at the bathroom then looked back to Walter and lowered his voice. "We can't force him."

"If he wanted to leave he'd have left last night," Walter hissed back. "He's made his choice now he has to live with it. I'm not letting him just walk out of here."

"We can't just assume he's okay with coming back to DC. Even with us," Mulder growled back. "We just spent hours on end telling him not to disappear on us again. Maybe he just didn't want to disappear without telling us where he was going."

"I don't care," Walter insisted stubbornly. "He's coming with us if I have to hog-tie and drag him, Mulder. I mean it. He's not getting away from me again. You do stupid things all the time. Let this be my stupid thing!"

Mulder shook his head and barked out a short laugh. "How can we just tell him he's coming back with us... with us... when we're not even positive we'll be able to make this happen? Really make it work? This was a weekend, Walter. Barely two and a half days. And hate to break it to you but I had some hard moments with even that. Sharing isn't my strong suit."

Walter threw down Alex's gloves on top of his jacket and leaned into Mulder's space snarling. "You think I didn't? For fuck's sake, you think this was easy for me? But the bottom line is I want it, Mulder. I want it bad enough. Do you?"

Mulder stared at the livid face inches from his own. His boss. He was entering into some twisted three-way relationship with his boss and the man that made said boss crazy enough to actually be considering blatant kidnapping. He drew a deep breath and sighed it out, the ferocity in Skinner's face killing his own budding anger. Scully always told me I got one too many holes drilled in the old head. "Yes. Walter. I do. I want it badly enough, I want him badly enough, to try to deal with this, work it out. I don't know if we have a hope in hell and I think we're fucking nuts for even trying but I will try."

He met Walter's gaze unflinching, not letting the other man look away either. "But I don't want it badly enough to force it down his throat. We're not even sure about making it fly and you're going to drag him into it without a real choice? No. Not happening." Mulder let his face soften. "We've spent 48 hours telling him he's ours. I think we did a good job of making him hear it. And if he didn't we can keep trying. And I think we should. I agree we lay this out like a fait acompli, like we just assume he's coming. But if it starts to go wrong, and you have to accept that it might, we cannot just handcuff him and drag him back to DC."

Can't we? whispered a little voice in the back of Mulder's head.

SHUT UP, he hollered back at it. Don't fucking tempt me. I'm trying to do the right thing.

Once the inner voices quieted he pulled out his last ditch effort. "I'd wager he's had too many situations that looked just like that all his life, Walter. Too many people who never really cared one way or the other what he really wanted. You don't want to be just another one of those people. You don't want him like that. Do you?"

Walter glared murderously at the oh-so-calm face of his most disreputable and least-controlled agent. Sure, when it was something of life or death importance to Mulder, he could go off the deep end no questions asked. But let Walter try to do something the least bit crazy or illegal and Mulder was right there to wag the finger in his face.

Spinning around to stare at the wall Walter heaved out a disgusted breath and rubbed his face. No, for fuck's sake, of course he didn't want to disregard what Alex wanted. But dammit it was so damn clear what he wanted, what he needed. And if they didn't make him see that then he'd undoubtedly do something stupid like convince himself he didn't deserve it or wasn't good enough for them or that they couldn't forgive him or any number of damn dumb things. Wasn't it their responsibility, if it looked like he was playing those kinds of mind games with himself, to truss him up, toss him on the plane and drag him to DC where they could convince him otherwise?

What if a weekend just wasn't enough?

I'm not giving him up again. That's just all there is to it.

Turning back slowly, Walter nodded. "You're right." His voice scraped in his throat but he forced himself to go on, reaching for a calm he didn't feel. "We can't just knock him out or arrest him and haul him back with us. I won't do anything whacked." Walter met Mulder's relieved look and held it. They both nodded in agreement.

I'll just put a tracking device on him before he leaves and then ditch Mulder at the airport and go after him.

Comfortably decided, Walter settled into his chair with his cell phone and called the airport, pulling strings to secure a third seat on their plane. They'd agreed he'd probably have better pull than Mulder with those arrangements.

Alex emerged from the bathroom feeling wonderful and sick to his stomach all at the same time.

They'd worked him over expertly and let him get off in the shower, and given the amount of tease-and-denial he'd put up with over the last two days, that had been like heaven. Then they'd left him to clean up and shave and have a leisurely morning all to himself in the palatial bathroom, further evidence that he wasn't exactly under lock and key any longer.

Truthfully though, he hadn't really been under lock and key since early yesterday, and he knew it.

And suddenly the fact that they'd allowed him to orgasm in the shower took on a foreboding note. Something like... a goodbye present.

But they'd spanked him, and said the same damn thing about morning spankings... he felt his face color and his cock heat at the remembered words. God, they knew how to push his buttons. Laying across Walter's lap with them telling him they'd spank his ass every morning... he cut the thought off short before he undid the relief of the shower.

Either way, it argued against just kicking him out the door with a casual 'thanks for a nice weekend'.

But what was the other option? Taking him back to DC and trying to make a three-way work? Alex laughed humorlessly at the thought. Although... Mulder had seemed pretty clear. He'd be okay with Alex being in Walter's bed but he'd draw the line at getting into that bed with them. Perhaps Walter felt the same and they could... work it out.

Although, they'd taken his collar off.

Granted, he'd been about to shower...

It hadn't been in the bathroom when he'd finished.

But it wasn't for him to put back on himself anyway...

The confusion swirled in his mind and twisted his stomach until by the time he walked out into the main room, he had a full out internal war going between the languid feelings of sensual pleasure and the emotional prickling of nerves.

He walked out to find Mulder accepting breakfast from room service while Walter spoke cryptically into his cell and made notes on an inn pad. Wheeling the cart to its now usual place between the two chairs, Mulder sat down and started serving.

"Have a nice shower?"

"Mm. What's on the menu," Alex forced himself to ask lightly, walking over to kneel on the rug, peering at the cart.

Walter closed his phone and glanced at Alex. "What do you think you're doing wearing a towel?" he reproved immediately.

Alex jerked and blinked up at him, hope starting in his chest. "Uh... I heard room service, and I thought—"

"Well, they're gone," Walter said firmly. "Towel off. Naked, puppy."

Alex complied immediately, warmth building in his groin again just at the tone. Mulder handed him a plate but not before Alex caught the odd look he shot at Walter. Alex took the plate in hand and stared at it, wondering for a moment if he was going to be given silverware and what he would do if he was. Before he could out-think himself he put the plate on the floor, put his hands behind his back, and bent over it to start eating.

He heard a gentle sigh behind him and glanced up to see Mulder watching him with a soft, hopeful expression. He looked from him to Walter, who sat smiling down at him in approval. They both immediately turned back to their breakfasts and Alex started in again on his own. The meal passed in silence and by the time he'd finished his stomach was knotted again.

He sat up and back, resting on his heels and looking expectantly at them. This would be the hardest part he knew. He'd made his commitment. He'd see it through. Even though every bone in his body, every fiber, every cell, was yelling at him to get out now, get off his goddamned knees and make the first move. Walk away. Leave. Beat them to the discard. Tell them he'd had fun but it was over now, so catch you later. Of course I don't care if you're through with me. I'm through with you.

He swallowed hard and stayed still. They would have to tell him to go. This time... this time he'd listened. If they'd meant what they said, over and over, they didn't want him disappearing. He took a deep steadying breath and let it out. He'd see it through.

Walter finished his breakfast and dumped his plate on the cart, then stood and stretched. "Alright. This place has been incredible but time to return to the real world and hope no one from accounting ever stayed here on a ski trip. Up, puppy. Come here. As much as I'd love to walk you through the airport just like you are, I think security might have a problem with it. We need to get you dressed for the flight."

Alex's heart gave a leap in his chest.

Mulder stood, his own plate clattering down on Walter's. "Oh, I don't know, Walter," he drawled, "airport security might prefer it. He'd certainly be easier to search."

Walter laughed as the two of them headed for the bed. Alex pushed himself up off the floor, heart beating double-time. He saw his clothes lying on the bed. They'd said flight. Airport. Of course he couldn't just give in without any fight...

"What do you two think you're doing," he rasped softly, his voice hesitant. He cleared his throat and went for cocky as two concerned faces swung toward him. "I'm supposed to just... what... go with you? Back to DC. And be your sex-pet?" He tossed off a harsh laugh even as he looked from one to the other, his face pleading.

Walter stared right back at him, a look of intense need clear in his own expression. "Yes," he said fiercely. "You know you want to."

Mulder took in Alex's face and smiled, eyes warm. "Yes," he repeated, keeping his voice gentle. "If you want to."

Walter sucked in a slow breath, looked ready to say something then appeared to change his mind. "Got something better to do?" he finally asked diffidently.

This time Alex's laugh came more genuine. God no. But... "This is big. This... just isn't the kind of thing you decide in a weekend. After 48 hours of really hot sex."

"I didn't decide it in a weekend," Walter returned immediately, voice low and forceful. "I knew I wanted you back months ago. This is just the first chance you've given me to see you."

Alex's eyes widened. The surety in Walter's voice struck him straight to his gut. He felt a fine tremble start up in his muscles as he walked forward another couple steps, his breathing unsteady. "Still," he managed faintly, "these kinds of relationships... you just don't make snap decisions about this sort of stuff."

Mulder tilted his head to one side and studied Alex carefully. Alex could see the Mulderbrain clicking away behind those eyes. "We're not asking you to sign on to a life of never putting clothes on again, Alex," he finally offered, still smiling. "And I assure you, we don't just want you for the sex. The details can come later. We're just telling you we want you with us, working on those details. We don't want to lose you again."

Alex felt his heart squeeze at the words. His voice shook as he spoke again, trying to keep from just flinging himself at them. "I-I can't... can't just drop everything and—" He stopped. Tried again. "I've got places I'm supposed to be. I'm expected. Responsibilities."

Walter gave him a bored look and dug his cell phone out of his pocket. He waggled it at Alex. "They're called telephones, Alex. You can use them to cancel plans. Which you will. You have the whole drive to the airport and then the wait there while we see if they've managed to get us a third seat on our scheduled flight or if we'll be taking a later one."

Alex blinked, his feet carrying him closer of their own accord. When he stood right in front of them he tried one last stab at common sense. "What if it doesn't work," he looked from one to the other. "I mean... all three..."

Walter and Mulder looked at each other and held a long, speaking look that Alex couldn't decipher. When they turned back to him, sardonic smiles spread on two separate faces.

"We're not going to lie to you," Walter said with a sigh. "It's not necessarily going to be as easy as this weekend was. But, we're willing to try."

"And we really want to try," Mulder added. "For what it's worth, who better to give it a shot? It won't even be the weirdest thing any of us have ever done in our lives."

Alex choked on a spiraling laugh and took the final step that brought him between them. As two bodies closed in on either side of him he closed his eyes, breathed in the dual scent, and just let himself be held. "Just like that?" he whispered.

"Just like that," Walter confirmed.

"Or, more accurately, just like this," Mulder corrected, and Alex felt leather wrap around his throat and buckle tight. He opened his eyes as Mulder straightened the collar, and felt the final shreds of tension and worry fade away.

"On the plane?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"You're wearing a turtleneck," Mulder said with a smile, handing the shirt to him. "You'll be fine."

"What about security?" Alex asked as he pulled on the shirt, then the chamois, then his socks.

"We'll either get you past them with our ids, or you'll be explaining to them that it's all the fashion rage in Amsterdam, where you just got back from," Walter said, casually handing him the sweatpants.

Alex looked at the pants, his brows drawing in. "Hey, where are my jeans?"

"In my bag," Mulder said calmly.

Alex looked from him to Walter and back again. "And my underwear?"

"You don't own underwear anymore, puppy," Walter said firmly, arms crossing over his chest and giving Alex a steady glare. "You wouldn't be questioning us, would you? Because if I were you, I wouldn't exactly want to be looking for punishment before a plane ride. This is still technically 'the weekend'." He let his hand slip down to hook one thumb under the edge of his belt.

Alex's eyes widened and he backed up a step. "No! Sir. No. I was just..." He looked at the sweatpants then back to Mulder and Walter. "Are you... sure?" He let a beseeching note creep into his voice.

Mulder grinned evilly. "Oh, we're positive, puppy. What's wrong? They'll be really comfortable to travel in. And they're even your color." He fingered the black cotton.

"We're very sure," Walter agreed, stepping closer and wrapping his hand around Alex's balls. "Remember, we really like the idea of... easy access. And that nice elastic waist will provide plenty of that."

"And you'll thank us later," Mulder added. "See, we have a little something for you to wear on the plane but we won't make you put it on until you're already into the airport. And we think you'll find it's more comfortable to wear it with the sweatpants." He lowered one eyelid in a salacious wink.

Alex swallowed hard, his cock twitching at both the caress and their words. "Fuck," he muttered under his breath as he bent and pulled the sweat pants on. His genitals hung loose in the baggy pants, the soft cotton rubbing against them as they swayed. His shaven groin felt doubly noticeable under the moving fabric. He shivered at the sensations, already knowing today was going to make yesterday look like a picnic.

And oh god... in public...

How the hell was he supposed to hide an erection in sweatpants?

Five hours later on a plane to DC the 'fasten seat belt' light blinked off. Alex shifted in the small seat, undid his seat belt, then resettled his chamois shirt loosely in his lap. A long fingered hand settled on his thigh from the left and he batted it off with a sharp thwap.

"Cut it out," he hissed.

Walter glanced over at him from his right. "Something wrong?" he inquired innocently.

Alex tilted his head and gave Walter a look. "Oh no. What could possibly be wrong?"

Walter grinned and allowed his arm to slip just a little further off the armrest, his hand landing heavily on Alex's other thigh. The sharp rap on his knuckles just made him move his hand higher.

Alex squirmed in the seat as the hand from the right burrowed under the chamois shirt and the hand from the left resumed its questing. "Guys," he pleaded under his breath. "Come on. Give me a break." Every time he moved in the seat, the straps of the pelvic harness felt more... prominent somehow, the smallest butt plug held securely in his ass by the back strap.

Just wearing the harness had his cock more than interested. He sure as hell didn't need additional encouragement from the men squeezed in on either side of him. It was all he could do not to keep replaying in his head the memory of the two of them dragging him into the first airport bathroom after security, yanking down his sweatpants and buckling him into the harness despite his pleading protests.

At least he'd had some time to sit in the waiting area and calm down before he'd had to walk onto the plane.

Mulder's hand slid upward and brushed against Alex's cock through the thin sweatpants. He tilted his head in just enough so only Alex and Walter could hear his low words. "Not protesting are you? Because we could always send you to the bathroom to exchange the accessory you're wearing for one with a little more... buzz to it." At Alex's aghast look Mulder winked and nudged the bag beneath the seat in front of him with his foot. "It's in my carry on," he confirmed.

Walter leaned in from the other side. "And it's certainly quiet enough, given the noise of the plane..."

Alex slumped back in his seat and gave up, letting both hands have their way with him. "Not protesting," he squeaked. "Really. Not."

"Well, in that case..." Mulder leaned down and pulled his bag out, unzipping it.

Alex stiffened, panic racing up his spine. "Mulder!"

Mulder reached into the bag and pulled out a flat box of molded maple sugar candy. "In that case, you get a treat." He gave Alex an innocent look. Opening the box he plucked out a sugar acorn and held it to Alex's lips.

Once his heart started beating again and he'd resumed breathing, Alex caught the candy with his tongue and pulled it in, where it melted in his mouth while he glared at Mulder. The glare melted almost as fast as the candy. "Mm. Oh. Oh god. That's... incredible."

"Brought a little of Vermont home with us," Mulder grinned, offering the box to Walter. Walter selected a couple pieces and fed the first to Alex. Alex sucked it in greedily, rolling his head on the seatback in ecstasy. "Something to remind us of our Vermont weekend."

They both looked at the blissfully moaning man between them and then flashed each other an amused look.

"Not that we're likely to forget it any time soon..."

~end~

snakedoctor13@yahoo.com

TITLE: Those Hot Winter Nights
AUTHOR: Ratadder
PAIRING: M/K & K/Sk all mixed up together. Bring to a rolling boil and spice to taste.
SUMMARY: Mulder and Skinner go looking for aliens and find Alex instead. Food homework assignment for AlexK-H-C-or-D.
WARNINGS: KINKY PWP. Huge heaping gobs of kinky D/s discipline ahead, of a decidedly erotic nature. Could also be construed as noncon, though that is not the intent. Oh, and unnatural things are done with maple.
SPOILERS: General Krycek eps and general XF up through final season, with some... bending. The only thing I know about Existence is "I think, therefore I am." Clearly CC does not think, therefore he isn't. And neither is that horrible episode.
DISCLAIMER: The author warrants that no maple products were harmed in the writing of this story. Alex Krycek, Fox Mulder and Walter Skinner are trained professional fictional characters. Do not try this at home.
FEEDBACK: snakedoctor13@yahoo.com
WEBSITE: www.strangeplaces.net/ratadder/
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