Author's Note: This twisted story is a tag to the episode of Days of Our Lives that aired on 5/30/12. This is my take on what Will should have done instead of getting a gun. I'd like to blame the show's writers and the actors who play Will and EJ for putting this fic into my head, but that probably wouldn't be entirely fair, since my head is prone to these ideas in the first place. Though it certainly didn't STOP these ideas from going through my head when EJ actually hit Will onscreen, especially since Will just stood there and took it. I see hints of a D/s relationship in every scene EJ and Will have together, though that's probably not what the writers and actors are going for. Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, and I'm not making any money from this story. Warning: M/M spanking of a young adult by a manipulative authority figure. Dubious consent. Abuse of power. Strong D/s (Dominance/submission) overtones. Slash overtones.
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Unmasked Submission
Will wandered through Horton Square, trying to figure out what the hell he was going to do. He couldn't move back in with his mother. That simply wasn't an option. He wondered if maybe Chad or Sonny would let him crash with them for a few days until he figured out his next move. Though both options could be potentially awkward. Chad and Melanie were in the early stages of a relationship, and Will didn't want to be the third wheel. He'd probably feel comfortable at Sonny's place, but if his parents found out, he knew they'd have more awkward questions about them being a couple.
Will sat down on a bench, and stared at the bricks around his feet. He didn't want to live anywhere else, and he didn't want to live with anyone else either. Living alone for the first time in his life had been an amazing experience so far, and he wasn't ready to give that up. He wanted his apartment back, and in some inexplicable way, he wanted EJ back as his boss.
He'd thought EJ would cool down after having a day to think things over. He'd thought a sincere apology would be good enough for EJ to forgive him. Obviously that wasn't the case. But Will still held out hope that the older man would eventually forgive him. EJ had forgiven Will for shooting him with the intent to kill, and in Will's mind that was much worse than telling Rafe about Sami and EJ's indiscretion.
Wanting to salvage his job, and all the perks that went with it, Will got up, and started walking towards EJ's apartment. He knew his boss often had lunch at his apartment, claiming to get more done at home than at his busy office. But even if EJ wasn't home, now that Will was out of a job, he had nothing better to do than wait for the older man. Within minutes of arriving outside EJ's door, the man in question came walking down the hall.
EJ scowled at Will as he got closer and said, "I have nothing further to discuss with you William." He'd had a long and tiring day already, and it wasn't even noon. Visiting with his dying sister, arguing with his ex-wife at the doctors office, and finding out that his father had caused his sister's tumor would have been enough to drain even the strongest of men. Will's insistent badgering, and apologizing was getting harder and harder to deal with. He kept waffling between wanting to smack the boy upside the head, and wanting to forgive him.
"Please, please just hear me out for five minutes."
"Why should I?" EJ unlocked the door, but didn't open it. "Give me one good reason, for me to open this door and let you inside."
Pleased that EJ hadn't flat out said no, Will said, "I know how badly I've screwed things up, and I want to try and set things right. I want to earn back your trust. Working for you… It's the first time I've actually felt like my own man. Which is kind of ironic when you think about how often I took care of things for Mom."
EJ caved as soon as Will mentioned his family. No matter what, they would be forever linked through Johnny and Sydney. His children loved their big brother, and Will was always kind and gentle with them. EJ opened the door, and gestured for Will to go inside.
"Thanks." Will smiled as he walked past the older man.
The wheels were turning in EJ's head, as he shut the door behind them. He knew he had a tendency to intimidate the younger man, he did it on purpose. He used their difference in age, size, and life experience to his advantage. As soon as he'd found out the boy was possibly gay, he'd used that to his advantage as well, touching him often for both positive and negative reinforcement. But this situation called for something more than just intimidation. If he was going to forgive the boy, he'd need some kind of assurance that Will's loyalty was with him, and him alone. He needed the young man to endure some kind of trial to prove himself worthy of coming back into the fold.
Full of nervous energy, Will couldn't stand still. "What can I do to earn back your trust? How can I prove myself to you? I'll do anything."
"Anything?" EJ asked.
"Yes." Will swallowed hard when he saw the calculating glare on EJ's face.
"I'm very angry with you William. You broke my trust."
"I know." Will kept his eyes focused on EJ's, even though he felt like looking at the floor. "I'm truly, truly sorry, and I want to make it up to you."
"Your apologies aren't going to cut it this time." EJ crossed his arms. "I'm going to need something more concrete. Concrete proof that you're willing to do whatever it takes to get back in my good graces."
"Okay. What can I do?"
EJ walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of scotch while he thought that over. If Will were a little older, he'd have punched him out cold when the younger man confessed. If he were a little younger… well if Will were a little younger, he'd still be in high school, and EJ would have had the urge to drag the child over his knee. An urge he'd had more than once when Will actually was younger and prone to talking back, but an urge that he'd never allowed himself to follow through on. EJ sipped his drink and mulled that idea over in his head.
Because Will had Sami for a mother, and a revolving door on father figures, it didn't surprise EJ at all that the young man tried to emulate him. EJ worked hard to exude confidence, determination, and power. For a child like Will who had grown up feeling powerless most of the time, that small taste of power he'd recently had would be too enticing to give up. He'd be desperate to keep it. Coming to a decision, EJ set his glass down and walked out to confront the fidgeting teen.
"I believe a physical chastisement is in order."
Will took a step back, and shook his head. A nervous laugh bubbled up out of his mouth, and he shook his head again. "W… what are you… what do you…"
"I'll have a way to express my extreme displeasure with your behavior, and you'll prove that you're willing to put yourself on the line for the job… literally."
Will laughed again, but his eyes showed his shock. "You… You can't mean…"
EJ ignored the babbling. "A thrashing is what I mean, William." He walked back to his sturdy wooden desk chair, and turned it around so it was facing the room. He sat down, put his hands on his knees and looked at the boy. "Punishment for making the wrong choice."
Will shook his head some more, and whispered, "But… You can't..."
"Come now, I was your step-father for some time, and I've known you since you actually were a child. Not that you're much of an adult at eighteen. All the more reason to use this method of punishment. You asked what you could do to prove yourself to me, and this is it."
"No!" Will found his voice. Anger surged through him, and all traces of his nervous laughter disappeared. "You're insane if you think I'm going to let you hit me again!"
EJ held up his index finger and said, "Ah, but there's the beauty of it, William. In this moment you get a choice. Just like you had a choice when my father asked you to do his dirty work. You chose to do as my father asked, instead of confiding in me. Now you can choose to come lay across my lap and get your job, your car, your apartment, and your autonomy back, or you can choose to walk out the door and never come back."
Will stood there staring at the older man for several seconds trying to wrap his head around what he'd said. There was no way in hell he could let EJ spank him. If EJ had wanted to punch him, he could have agreed to that, but a spanking? Something dark and veiled stirred in his guts, and he found himself unable to say yes or no.
Seeing the indecision on the younger man's face, EJ knew he'd already won. He said quietly, "If I didn't have a fondness for you, William, I would have beaten you bloody the day you confessed, and I wouldn't even consider giving you this generous offer of redemption." He hardened his voice, and ordered, "So come here." He pointed to a spot on the floor next to his right leg.
Will shook his head no and stepped towards EJ at the same moment. He stopped just outside of the older man's reach, and shook his head again. EJ pursed his lips, snapped his fingers, and pointed again. "Right here. Now."
The boy's stomach lurched, and he immediately stepped to the indicated spot with a shaky breath. Before the frightened boy could reconsider, EJ grabbed his wrist, and yanked him down across his lap. A small noise of distress came out of Will's throat as he landed. His arms shot out to catch his fall. EJ put a finger in the back belt loop of Will's jeans, and hauled him even further across his lap, until only the tips of Will's boots were touching the floor.
Without preamble, EJ landed a harsh slap on the right side of Will's ass, causing the boy to suck in a gasp of air. The older man waited a second before slapping the left side just as hard. He didn't want Will to be overwhelmed or lost in the pain, he wanted the boy to be focused on his humiliating position, and why he was in it.
The air rushed out of Will in a stifled grunt with the second swat. The pain… wasn't so bad. It hurt for an instant, and then faded to something Will wouldn't even describe as unpleasant. The feel of the older man's thighs under him, the feel of EJ's hand holding him in place by the loop in his jeans, and the feel of the man's hand slapping on his ass caused an unfamiliar stir of something to circle in his belly.
After the fifth swat, Will felt an unexpected, but urgent swell of arousal, and before he could even comprehend it, his body betrayed him. "Oh God," he whispered. He tried thinking of something awful, but couldn't come up with anything worse than what was already happening to him.
EJ felt a suspicious lump digging into his thigh with the sixth strike, and his eyes opened wide with surprise. Suddenly the whole dynamic of the situation changed in the older man's eyes.
When the slow rhythm of the swats was halted, Will held himself perfectly still. He didn't even dare to breathe.
"Are you enjoying this William?" EJ asked.
Mortified, Will shouted out, "No!"
EJ smacked him again. He felt the same unmistakable bulge hit his thigh, and the groan that came out of Will's throat wasn't the groan of someone in pain. "Is that a lie? Or are you in denial about this, too?"
"It's not a lie!" Will shouted.
The older man raised an eyebrow, and found that he believed the boy. He realized in that moment, that Will didn't want to emulate him. He didn't want a father figure, or a mentor, he wanted a dominant lover, even if the boy didn't realize it yet. Will probably enjoyed following EJ's orders simply to be following orders. He probably even enjoyed it more when the orders were difficult or unpleasant, and EJ forced him into doing it. The older man sighed, and took his hand off Will's jeans. "Get up."
Unsure, Will stayed where he was, and twisted his head back to see the older man's face.
"Get up," EJ said more forcefully.
Will awkwardly pushed himself up, thankful that his shirt wasn't tucked in, and covered the evidence of his arousal. He used both hands to fiddle with the hem of his shirt to help cover his body's inexplicable and unfortunate reaction, and glared at the floor.
EJ watched the fidgeting boy for a few seconds, and decided that he would use this new knowledge to his advantage. He'd have a loyal little submissive in no time at all. "Go fetch me something to beat you with."
Will's eyes opened wide, and they snapped up to make eye contact. "What?" he whispered.
"My hand obviously isn't having the desired effect." He gestured towards Will's groin.
"It is!" the boy insisted.
"William!" EJ's harsh tone made Will wince. EJ stood to tower over the boy. "You are being punished for following someone else's orders. You work for me and me alone. You follow my orders and my orders only. You will do as I say." He enunciated each of his next words slowly and carefully. "Now go fetch me something to beat you with."
Instead of making his embarrassing problem go away, those words spoken in that tone, only served to make his hard on twitch with excitement. Will mumbled to the floor, "Wh… What d… do you want me to bring you?"
"You're a smart boy. Find something." EJ sat back down. "Quickly."
Will's eyes scanned the living room, but saw nothing usable. There was no ruler on the desk, and no slippers on the floor. He walked towards the kitchen, thoughts of a spatula in his head, but before he could rifle through any drawers, his eyes zeroed in on a small cutting board with a handle. It was lying harmlessly on the counter with the remnants of a lemon on it. He stood staring at it for several seconds, unable to actually touch it.
"William."
EJ's impatient tone spurred the boy into action. With shaking hands, he picked up the cutting board, and wiped the bits of lemon into the trash. Touching the item that was going to be used to punish him only increased his arousal, which in turn made him flush with shame. Confused tears spilled down his face as he walked back to EJ, and handed the cutting board over.
EJ took it in his left hand, and grabbed Will's wrist with his right. He could feel the boy's racing pulse. He kept the grip firm, but ran a gentle thumb over the captive wrist. He said softly, "Good boy. Obeying me is always the correct choice." He let go of the wrist and said in a firmer tone. "Over my lap again."
Will carefully lowered himself, making sure to keep his groin well away from EJ's thigh. Having none of that, EJ grabbed Will by his belt loop again, and yanked him forward, until he could feel the bulge again. It wasn't because he wanted to feel the kid's junk against him. It was because he wanted to know when and if the hard on went away for future reference. The increase in pain could make it go away all by itself, but if that didn't work, EJ was planning to do some serious scolding that would make any submissive cringe.
EJ raised the makeshift paddle up high, and smacked it down hard. The loud thwap reverberated against the walls.
Will's entire body bucked. "Aaahh!" His hands automatically flew to the seat of the chair, and he tried to push himself away. "Oh my God! Ow!"
EJ had to wrap an arm around the boy to keep him in place. Too hard, he thought to himself, and waited for the kid to stop struggling
When he realized he couldn't get away, Will burst into tears, and begged through them, "Please don't. Please, EJ. Please. I'm sorry."
The bulge that had been pressed into his thigh withered, and Will's pleading became muffled, as the boy covered his face with his hands. EJ wanted him sorry, not broken. He said softly, "I'm not done, but that was the worst of it, I promise. Now that you're in the correct frame of mind, let's discuss what you did."
Using much less force, EJ swatted the cutting board down again. It made a muffled popping sound this time, and Will's only visible reaction was the twitch of his right leg. EJ nodded, and started rhythmically swatting the boy with that same force. He said, "Deep in your heart you know that telling Rafe was the wrong thing to do. If telling him had been the right thing to do, you would have done it the instant you found out. If telling him had been the right thing to do, you would have done it to his face. I can understand you wanting to hurt your mother, and I can understand you wanting to hurt me. I can not understand you wanting to hurt Rafe, Nicole, Allie, Johnny, or Sydney. And yet you didn't seem to consider them at all when you followed my father's orders."
Will squirmed in pain as the spanking continued, but the physical pain paled in comparison to the shame he felt while listening to the lecture. He kept his face hidden in his hands as if he could physically cover up his culpability. Tears kept slipping down his face while EJ spoke.
"I know that what I did was wrong, and your mother knows that what she did was wrong. We didn't need you to tell us again and again, and we certainly didn't need you to punish us by hurting the people we love. We needed you to be an adult about it since it honestly had nothing to do with you. I am thoroughly ashamed of you for letting my father talk you into doing something that hurt your family. I know I ask you to do things that aren't legal, but I would never ask you to hurt the people we both love."
EJ stopped swatting, and listened carefully to Will's crying. It sounded extremely repentant, and EJ decided it was enough. He said, "I never want to see a repeat of anything like this from you again. Have I made myself perfectly clear, William?"
Unable to speak, Will nodded his head a couple of times.
EJ took the restraining arm off Will's waist, and rubbed his hand gently between the boy's shaking shoulder blades. "Then I suppose I can forgive you." The boy sagged down over his lap, and kept crying. EJ continued rubbing his back, and waited him out.
Several minutes later, Will's crying turned to sniffles, and he started to wipe his face with the backs of his hands and his sleeves. EJ patted his back and said, "Okay William, I want you to stand up."
Will slowly pushed himself up. He continued wiping at his face, and kept his eyes glued to the ground. He had no idea how to explain it, but he felt better than he had in months. For the first time in a long time he felt relaxed and at peace instead of dirty and mean. He wasn't fidgety, or jumpy, and he wasn't trying to hold in any nervous laughter. He simply felt tired, sore, and… happy.
"Look at me," EJ said. The boy's eyes snapped to his. The expression on the younger man's face was one he hadn't seen often. The naked gratitude he saw made EJ reconsider his actions. Yes he'd wanted Will's loyalty, but he could never be everything the boy wanted. He could never be the boy's lover. He didn't like other men in that way. But he promised himself that when the boy was ready to accept what he was, he would help him find a good man who could be that for him. For now, a platonic dominant would have to be enough.
EJ picked up the cutting board and held it out to Will. "I'm going to hang this on the kitchen wall, so that you'll be able to see it every time you come over. It will be a reminder of what happens when you obey someone other than me. For now put it back on the counter."
Will took it, and walked with a stiff gait to the kitchen. He placed it gently on the counter where he'd found it, and ran his fingers over it once before returning to EJ's side.
The older man stood, put a hand on Will's shoulder, and asked, "What are you going to do the next time my father asks you to do something?"
"I'll come straight to you, and tell you about it." There was no hesitation in the young man's response.
"Good boy." EJ squeezed his shoulder gently. "What are you going to do the next time your mother makes you angry?"
Confusion settled on Will's face. "What do you want me to do?"
"Come directly to me, and tell me about it, so I can help you deal with it."
Will smiled. "Okay. I will."
"What are you going to do the next time I tell you to do something?"
"Obey you."
EJ squeezed his shoulder again. "See that you do," he said, and then let him go. He dug Will's keys out of his own pocket, and handed them back to the boy. "I believe these belong to you."
Will took the keys, looked up at EJ and said sincerely, "Thank you."
EJ wrapped an arm around Will's shoulders, and started moving them towards the apartment door. "I want you to go straight to your apartment, and stay there the rest of the day. Report back to me here at seven AM tomorrow morning and we'll discuss plans for getting even with my father. Understood?"
"Yes."
EJ dug his fingers painfully into Will's collarbone. He heard the younger man gasp, but he didn't try to move away from the hand. EJ said with a glare. "Yes what?"
"Yes I understand?" Will asked.
EJ shook his head, and dug the fingers in harder. "Try Sir. When we're alone, you call me Sir."
"Yes Sir, I will Sir." Will quickly amended.
EJ relaxed his grip, and rubbed the area he'd just hurt. "Good boy." He opened his apartment door, patted the boy on the back and said, "Off you go."
Will walked out, and headed to his apartment, trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened.
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