Part Five

Pairing: Reed/William Jason/Chase
Category: Hurt/comfort
Implements: still none
Type: slash
Series: Navigating the World and Relationships
Warnings: some naughty language

Part 5

"God! You guys are making a mess of this," Chase finally exploded.

Reed knew they had been making a hash of the conversation.
Reed had made a simple dinner of steak, potatoes and salad for this
conversation. Reed had been nervous, not of the conversation but of how William
would react. The dinner was just fine. The whole discipline conversation was
not. William was just as nervous as he had been, and both of them were
reluctant to bring up the white elephant in the room.

Once it was brought up, Jason sounded exactly like what he was: a professor. 
Reed listened as he told William the basics of human psychology and how tops and
brats were a function of that psychology, or so he believed. Reed had all his
attention on his own brat, so he didn't see the signs of Chase's imminent
explosion.

"Chase," Jason started.

"No seriously, this isn't rocket science. William, it's real simple. Let me
break it down for you," Chase said sarcastically. "You're a brat. Reed's a Top.
Tops make rules. You break those rules, and he punishes you."

"So, he can just make rules and expect me to follow them? Well, fuck that! I'm
not a child! I don't need a daddy to spank my ass," William yelled.

"Screw you! I'm not a child either! And Jason isn't my daddy," Chase sneered
back.

"Stop, both of you," Jason said firmly.

Reed watched as both brats subsided in their chairs. He needed to take control
of the situation. Jason was in teaching mode, and Chase was defensive, so it
was up to him to steer this conversation.

"William, I won't just make up arbitrary rules. It'll be a joint effort. Isn't
that how you guys did it?" Reed turned to Chase.

"Well, yeah, I guess." Chase said.

"So tell us how it started? Did you know about brats and tops?" Reed
encouraged.

"Well, I didn't know those words, but I knew I liked my men dominate," Chase
said. "We'd been dating a few weeks, and man, Jason really turned me on! All
dominate and shit. Oops, sorry, watching my language. William, you're blind,
but man, if you could see Jason, you'd know what I mean."

"Chase, I may be blind, but I can tell that he's big," Reed could tell that
William was really starting to listen to Chase.

"No, no, it's more than that. He, like, carries himself all powerful. I'm not
saying this right, but anyway, he'd get in my personal space and kind of tower
over me. Intimidating but not scary, know what I mean?" He asked and then
continued when William nodded. "So, we'd been dating a couple of months, the sex
was great, and everything was going fine. Then I got fired. My mouth has always
gotten me into trouble, even as a kid. Well, I'd been waiting tables and this
guy kept complaining about his order. I finally told him to shut the fuck up,
and the manager ran over and fired me in front of the guy. It pissed me off,
still does! He could've taken me to the back or something. The man just
smirked, I could've…"

"Chase, we've discussed that. It's irrelevant to the topic at hand," Jason
said, interrupting his brat's ramblings.

"See, see, that's what I mean," Chase said to William. "Jason's body just got
all powerful, and did you hear his voice? It has a tone to it. Anyway, so I
was pissed that I got fired in front of this jerk
and I was telling Jason about it."

"No, you were screaming at me," Jason interrupted again.

"Yeah, well, I was a little upset. So, there I was telling Jason about it and
maybe cussing some and then smack right on the butt," Chase said.

"He hit you?" William asked astonished.

"He swatted me. You'll learn the difference. But his hand just smacked down on
my ass, and he told me to stop; he had heard enough. Then he said that I'd
never hold a job if I didn't learn to control my mouth. I told him that I'd
been working on it, and it was part of my personality; I couldn't do anything
about it."

"I told him, I could do something about it if he really wanted to curb his
tongue," Jason took up the story.

This was just what Reed wanted. He wanted William to see that it was a joint
decision.

"At this point, I told Chase that I was a top. Of course, like you, he didn't
know what that meant. We discussed it, and I directed him to some websites that
he could read. We read some of them together and talked. A lot," Jason told
William.

"There're websites about this?" William asked.

"There are some. You should google discipline partnerships or domestic
discipline. As always on the internet, some of the information is of
questionable accuracy. I believe Reed has enough actual experience that he
should be able to judge the merit of the sites. I suggest you and Reed look at
them, together and separately. Write down your thoughts and questions then talk
to each other. Reed, I know you've looked them up," Jason said turning to Reed.

"Yeah, I have. Damn, William, it never even occurred to me to tell you to look
on the internet," Reed half apologized to William.

"Are you going to smack Reed since he cussed?" William asked Jason.

"No, William I'm not. The cussing issue is between Chase and me. Language, or
should I say, vulgar language, is one of the areas that Chase and I decided
needed boundaries. You and Reed will need to come up with your own."

"I don't think that is one we need, do you?" Reed asked William. "Chase had a
problem with his language that was affecting his job, his ability to earn a
living, so that's how they came up with that rule."

"And swatting is an attention getter," Jason said.

"Man, does it get your attention," Chase told William. "It just stops you, and
all of a sudden you think, man, I've got to get it together. Or at least that's
what it does to me."

"And that's why I utilize it. To enable you to stop and think," Jason told
Chase then turned to William. "You and Reed need to figure out together what you
need as a brat. What will help you grow and feel safe? Then, you talk about
how you will handle those things. How and what kind of discipline will work
best for both of you."

"Like what?" William asked.

"William, there are many different types of discipline. Chase, are you ok with
telling William some of the more intimate details of what we do?" Jason asked
Chase.

"The first smart remark or laugh, I'm out of here," Chase declared.
"No one is going to laugh or make any remarks," Reed said decisively. "We really
appreciate you talking to us about such a private matter."

"Chase and I sat down and decided together what Chase needed from me. That's
the most important part, doing this together," Jason said. "We decided that
Chase needed clear cut rules and consequences. And those consequences needed to
be immediate. So, we have a long list of rules. You and Reed may not need
that. I know some couples have areas of concern like, attitude, respect,
responsibility, and common sense."

"Yeah, I think that would work well for us, don't you?" Reed asked William.

"Yeah, I don't want to have a long list of rules."

"And you probably don't need them, like Chase does," Jason said. "Now,
consequences. Well, we talked about them, but I made the decision concerning
which discipline would be administered. I prefer to make the consequences
relevant to the rule broken."

"Like how?" William asked.

"Like, I get my mouth washed out with soap when I cuss," Chase told William. 
"See, if I'm using dirty words, Jason cleans my mouth out. It has made me stop,
and think quite a few times."

"You told him, to wash your mouth out?" William asked, stunned.

"No, I didn't tell him to do it. When we were coming up with the rules Jason
would say this is how I would handle that if you did this. See, so when we
talked about cussing, Jason said every time you cuss, I'll clean out your mouth
with soap," Chase explained.

"And you like this?" William again was stunned.

"Hell, no! Oops, sorry," Chase grinned sheepishly. "But that's why it works. I
don't like it, so I try not to cuss, and I don't get my mouth cleaned with
Ivory. I have to tell you, William, I've never felt so happy."

"Happy? You're happy with getting soap stuck in your mouth?"

"No, you're not listening," Chase said, getting upset.

"Chase, let me try and explain to William if I get it wrong, say something, ok?"
Reed said, trying to calm the two men down.

When Chase agreed, Reed continued. "I think what Chase is trying to say is that
he feels safe. He knows that Jason is there for him, always. That the things he
says and does aren't going to drive him away. "

"Yes, exactly," Jason joined in. "And he doesn't have to deal with all the
guilt. He feels he has paid the price for his actions. Which leaves him free
to move on. He doesn't have to obsess over anything. He knows that once it's
over, it's over."
Reed saw that William had leaned forward and tilted his head just slightly in
that endearing way he had when he was really listening to someone. Obsessing
over small problems and mistakes was a problem that Reed knew William contended
with.

"Ok, I guess that makes sense." William said. "So you wash out his mouth with
soap, what are some other things that you do?"

"Well, I may ground him or take away something. Let's say he stayed up too late
playing on the computer and was grumpy the next morning. I would take away his
computer for a week. Or if it was his turn to do the dishes, I would ground him
to the house until he could remember to do his share of the household chores,"
Jason explained.

"But, you spank him too, right?" William asked. Throughout the conversation
William kept bringing spanking up. Reed wondered if William was frightened or
fascinated by the thought.

"Man, you're obsessed with spanking, is that your thing, your kink?" Chase
asked.

"No, it's yours apparently," William snapped back.

"And that's the fucking remark! I'm outta here, I told you I wouldn't take any
shit," Chase shoved his chair back and started to stand.

"Sit, Chase," Jason barked as he grabbed his brat by the arm. "You invited the
remark with your own about kinks. Now sit down. Yes, William, I spank him."

"What would you spank him for? I mean why would you spank him?" William asked.

"I think you are asking if I would spank you and what would make me. Am I
right?" Reed asked.

"Yes, but I don't think I want to be spanked," William said.

"I don't like getting spanked," Chase told William. "But it works for me. And
to answer your question, Jason spanks me for different reasons; if I throw
something when I'm angry or if I keep doing the same thing. You know, like keep
coming home late and not calling him. He will send me to the corner, make me
write lines, but if I keep doing it then he spanks me."

"Has any of this helped you?" Jason asked William.

"Yeah, I guess, but I'm still not sure."

"William, you and Reed have just started. Chase and I have been engaged in this
lifestyle for years. It required a lot of open and honest communication to get
to this point of our relationship. Rules and boundaries have been adjusted over
the years. You are just getting started."

They talked a bit more, but Reed knew that Jason was ready to take Chase home. 
This had been hard on his brat to talk to openly about his relationship. Reed
knew too that it had been hard on William. William had learned a lot tonight,
and he needed time to digest it. The next step would be between William and
him, talking, looking things up on the internet, and deciding what they wanted
from a discipline partnership.

William and Reed were quiet as they cleaned up the kitchen both lost in their
own thoughts. When the kitchen was spotless, Reed took William in his arms.

"You ok?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's a lot to think about, huh?"

"Yes, it is, but nothing has to be decided tonight," Reed told him. "Let's just
go to bed and start fresh in the morning."

"That sounds good."

Reed agreed and as they went into his bedroom where he hoped to show his brat
all the love he felt for him. Tomorrow they would look at the internet and
start to figure out how their relationship would grow.

TBC