Hey Den,

 

It's Matt. I don't usually come on here too much. I know my brothers (especially Danny and Ryan) spend a lot of time here and I kind of view it as their sanctuary and outlet. I'm afraid if I look too deeply into the posts that I might discover they've been doing a lot of venting about me LOL

 

I saw your answer to this question though and I just had to reply and let you know the impact it had on me. You certainly do have yourself a very loving family and Skyy's determination to protect Dusty made me recall one of Ryan's more endearing moments as well.

 

It was just after he found out about the DP which Steve and I had managed to keep from him for a fairly impressive period of time all things considered LOL It was Ryan's freshman year and Steve and I were still going rounds about his smoking habit on a fairly regular basis.

 

It was midterm week and Steve had a bunch of really stressful classes. He was especially worried about Professor Merrick's World History exam, which he was taking that afternoon, so I thought I'd surprise him by popping by and taking him to lunch afterwards. He was standing with Ryan in front of the classroom when I arrived. He looked extremely tense and of course he was smoking a cigarette. He had his back towards me, though Ryan saw me coming and the look on my, then, youngest brother's face was priceless LOL He did his very best to warn Steve of course and I could see Steve's back stiffen in that. 'Oh fuck! I'm so dead' kind of way. I know you know what I mean, but my Steve is an ornery one and he did not put the cigarette out. Well at least not right away LOL

 

Instead, he turned very slowly and deliberately around, still holding the foul thing between his fingers and looking me straight in the eye as he finally threw it on the ground and crushed it out with an extremely dramatic and overdone stomp of his heel. LOL He was daring me to say something, just dying for me to say something. So I did.

 

“How was your exam, Bro?” I asked as I came up beside them. I really thought he might punch me in that moment LOL His glower was so fierce. Ryan on the other hand was white as a sheet.

 

“Great! It was fucking great!” Steve answered. “It’ll be a freaking miracle if I even pass.”

 

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad,” I tried to reassure, but he just continued to scowl at me and I knew his mind was already on the consequences of the cigarette. I really felt bad. I had meant to be taking stress off of him, not adding it. I really wished we were alone so we could just go and deal with it and have it done with but we all know the saying about wishes and horses; it just simply wasn’t going to be that easy. Ryan was on edge too of course and Steve had another exam in a little over an hour, so I decided that my original plan would be the best way to diffuse the situation. “Come on guys, I’ll take you to lunch,” I proposed. Ryan looked surprised, but I really felt there was nothing else I could do. It was awkward enough having our little brother know about the DP at all. Anything I did at that point to get Steve alone was only going to raise anxiety and speculation on Ryan’s part and place Steve in the uncomfortable position of wondering what our little brother was thinking, so I decided we would just handle it later.

 

I don’t know if it was the right decision or not. Steve did not seem surprised LOL But he did not seem particularly happy either. Lunch was an extremely awkward affair. Nobody said much and because Steve and I had to be so careful, have to be so careful even now for his sake, there was very little I could do to reassure him. I did manage to steal a few moments with him just before his next class. I pulled him into the most remote corner of the hallway that I could find and since there was no one around but Ryan I risked a quick kiss to his forehead. I wished him luck, assured him things would be ok, and that he should try to focus solely on his exam; that we would talk later that night. I could feel Ryan’s eyes burning my back the whole time LOL I don’t know what he thought I was going to do. Steve, however, seemed to relax at least a little, and I felt pretty much ok about the mindset he was in by the time we parted.

 

It wasn’t until later that night that I discovered what Ryan had done with the rest of his afternoon, which had as it happened been totally free of classes or exams, lucky devil. Steve and I had already taken care of what we needed to take care of for the most part. I had explained my position once again about the smoking and he had reluctantly agreed that he had broken one of our rules and had a punishment coming. I informed him that, as he had gone to great lengths this time to obtain cigarettes and keep them hidden from me that the hand spanking would be followed with four solid whacks of the paddle. He was miserable of course about this, but he offered no verbal objections. At my request he just lowered his pants and underwear and laid himself over my knees. I spanked him hard that night, I’ll admit. The smoking thing is something I just feel so strongly about. He was crying pretty hard by the end, and I actually had some second thoughts about the paddling. I’d already said I was going to give him one, though. It was too late to change my mind, and anyway, I did feel he needed it. My hand was just not being a great enough deterrent.

 

I opened the drawer of my nightstand, determined to see the hard business through but it was gone LOL . My paddle that I had discretely stolen long ago from the pool tables downstairs was missing. Shit! Where could it be? I rummaged through everything to be sure even though it was clearly not there, and all this time poor Steve was just lying there over my lap, naked pink bottom up, waiting for me to finish things off. I thought for a moment about what could possibly have happened to it and finally it hit me.

 

“I think our little brother confiscated the paddle,” I informed my partner.

 

“What?” he demanded huskily. He turned to look at me and as he met my eyes we both started to laugh.

 

“Ryan stole the paddle,” I repeated and we started laughing harder. We laughed and laughed until our sides hurt. It was a long time before we could even get ourselves under enough control to finish the punishment. Oh yes, we finished it. I am pretty keen on follow through, as all my brothers will tell you. If I say something I mean it and will see it through to the end. Turns out rulers work just as well as paddles for spanking though I don’t know how convincing those four swats really were. Their effectiveness was somewhat diffused obviously by the over all ridiculousness of the situation.

 

Later that night I was down in the common room, hanging out with my friend Brad and a couple other guys I’m not sure you all would be familiar with. Ryan was there too, playing pool with his friend, Sean. Steve was upstairs taking a shower.

 

“Has anyone seen the freaking ping pong paddles?” Rick Thompson had been searching frantically all night for something, crawling under furniture, moving tables and chairs, lifting rugs, running upstairs, coming back down. When he finally came out with his exasperated question I had quite a time trying to keep a straight face as I looked across the room at my mortified little brother who was now looking right at me.

 

“I bet Ryan knows where they are, don’t you, Bro?” I finally managed and I never saw a deeper shade of red than the one that colored my brother’s face in that moment.

 

“I guess maybe I moved them when I was cleaning,” he mumbled.

 

“Well that’s great!” Rick groused. “I’ve been looking for the freaking things all day!”

 

“All right, Rick,” my big brother Jason who was president at the time came to Ryan’s rescue. “Well, now you’ve found them, so relax.”

 

I watched in amusement as my now thoroughly embarrassed little brother retrieved the paddles from upstairs. I suppose he had stashed them in his room somewhere. When he reappeared, and once he had handed over the pilfered items to the one who had so eagerly sought them, I approached him and, taking him by the arm, proposed that we go for a little walk. We didn’t go far, actually, just to the steps outside the front of the house.

 

“Are you mad?” he asked as soon as I let him go.

 

“No, Bro, I’m not mad,” I promised, “but we do have to talk.”

 

“Are you still going to . . . I mean . . . you know . . .are you going to . . .?” His cheeks colored again as he struggled for the words.

 

“No,” I assured softly, “it’s over. It’s all good, Bro. How did you get into my room anyway?” I asked as I saw his shoulders relax slightly. He looked down and shuffled his feet.

 

“I kind of told Jason I forgot something in there and asked him to let me in.” He spoke so quietly that I could barely hear him and I didn’t know whether to be amused or irritated by the answer. Jay was a sucker when it came to Ryan, but I knew he wouldn’t like being lied to, and I didn’t like the idea that my little brother was so easy about going through stuff that wasn’t his own, even if it was for what he considered good reasons. I frowned and sat down on the steps. “Are you going to tell him?” Ryan sat down beside me and I looked at him. He looked absolutely miserable and I couldn’t help the sudden wave of affection I felt for him. Ok LOL He had my number too, I guess.

 

“Naw, Bro,” I put my arm around him and he snuggled against me. “Not this time, I guess. I know you meant well.” He relaxed and I squeezed his shoulder. “What you have to understand, Ry, is that you and I are both looking out for Steve. We’re just doing it in different ways. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to respect it. All right?” He nodded. “No more hiding paddles,” I tried not to laugh as I said it, “or going through my stuff when I’m not around, and if I catch you lying to Jason again, I will tell him. Understand?” He didn’t look happy about the last part but he nodded once more and we sat there for another moment.

 

“There you guys are!” Steve’s voice caused us both to turn our heads and I could see Ryan sizing him up. He was standing in the door, holding it open and looking at us inquisitively. His head was shiny from the shower and he had put on a fresh pair of shorts and a t-shirt. “Jay said he thought you were out here. We thought maybe you guys might be up for a game of pool. Me and Ry against you and Jay,” his eyes were teasing as he looked at me. “Or maybe,” he grinned cockily at Ryan, “you would prefer to play some ping pong?” He held up the paddle he’d been dangling discretely at his side. I couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped at that moment as my youngest brother colored all over again and looked sheepishly at the ground. Steve grew serious pretty quick though as he saw Ryan’s discomfort, and he stepped out of the house, closing the door behind him.

 

“Hey, Bro,” he spoke softly as he came up beside us, and eased himself down onto the steps next to our little brother. I saw him wince despite his efforts and I bit my lip. “It’s ok,” he whispered. Ryan looked at him and Steve looked back with those warm concerned eyes that had made me fall in love with him. “What you did for me tonight meant a lot, but you don’t need to worry about me ok?” Ryan looked uncomfortably away, not wanting to look at either of us now and I once again cursed the day he had discovered all this to begin with. A fairly long awkward silence followed but finally Steve spoke again. “You certainly don’t need to deprive the whole house of all their ping pong pleasure just for my sake,” he tried a gentle joke and finally Ryan smiled a little, though he still didn’t look at us. “Come on,” Steve coaxed, nudging his shoulder. “Let’s go play some pool. Jason’s driving everybody nuts and you know we’re the only ones who can beat him.”

 

“Is that right?” I scoffed in an effort to help him out. “You think you can beat us? The Dream Team?”

 

“With our eyes closed,” Steve grinned.

 

“Yeah, ok Bro,” I smirked at him. It was working. I could tell as I looked at my youngest brother’s face. Ryan still hadn’t said anything, but Steve was working the right angle. It took some time, but finally we got there. Ryan agreed to help Steve in his quest to kick mine and Jason’s butts at pool. It was none too soon either. It was getting a bit chilly and I was glad to go in. I was even happier to get Steve inside.

 

March in South Carolina is pretty warm during the day, but it can get nippy at night. It is definitely too cold to be going around barefoot in shorts, straight from the shower with wet hair. I didn’t know what Steve had been thinking coming out there like that, and I had half a mind to spank him again. Ok LOL No I didn’t LOL You have to pick your battles I guess and the important thing at the moment was getting him inside where it was warm. I mean it’s not like it was the beginning of February or anything. I did make him go upstairs and put on some longer pants and some socks before we played pool or did anything else though and to his credit he didn’t grumble about it, too much LOL

 

I won’t tell you how the pool game went. Some things are better left unsaid. We let them win of course. So LOL That’s the story. Thought you guys might enjoy it. I know how fond you are of my little brothers. Ryan’s gonna kill me when he finds it, though. I don’t think Danny has ever heard that story before. Oh well LOL. Talk to you all again soon maybe. This was pretty fun. In the mean time take care and best wishes,

 

Matt