~FAILING IN REVERSE~ (spanking story)

Chapter 12: Recovery Part 1

So—it sounds like today's gonna suck. Not as bad as yesterday or last night, but it's still gonna. The last thing you want to do is be social, and you've had way less sleep than you usually do. However, you know that pushing them about family day is only gonna mean a worse spanking tonight. At the very least, you can be thankful that Ben and Kamilla do value family, which means you can still have your family. Although it doesn't matter how many family days you go to at the Lanceworth's—the Lanceworth's are never gonna substitute your blood family. And you guess that Ben and Kamilla would understand that.

There's a quick knock, and Ben's head pokes past the door, making you holler again for privacy, rather rudely, despite your being fully dressed. It's the principle of the thing. Knocking and waiting is the right way. He sends a finger at you. "Just remember, young man, you have me to contend with before bed tonight." Then his wide and challenging eyes soften into brown saucers as he firmly says, "Come on out. I need you to help me with a few things."

Seeing you hesitate, he takes your hands, remarking how cold they are still and rubbing them together, then leads you out to the kitchen, where Kamilla is just as chipper as ever, despite only having two hours of sleep herself. She must be a vampire, with the exception of enjoying the sun and being British.

Before you can say how nice the kitchen smells, Kamilla shoves a danish in your mouth. You hum your thankfulness, realizing you had been literally starving. And Ben has you sit on the stool at the island, this causing a grunted complaint.

"Well, then next time, maybe rebel in less painful ways," Ben suggests.

"Or—not at all," Kamilla emphasizes, plopping a plate of sunny-side-up eggs and bacon in front of you, complete with a side of—prune juice? She sees your look of disdain, in which she adds, "I noticed how long it took you in the bathroom at the hospital, dear. We don't need you getting hemorrhoids on top of everything else."

Ben sits next to you with his own plate he had dished himself, knowing full well how Kamilla feels about serving the man as a subservient housewife. It was the one time she had ever used "ain't" in a sentence, ever. "I ain't no slave to you." And since then, Ben has behaved—mostly.

An eye roll is heard in Ben's voice, loud and clear, in direct response to her hemorrhoid comment. "Kam, I think he gets the picture." Then he leans in to whisper something to you. "I don't mind prune juice. Switch with me when she isn't looking." You can hear there is now a wink of mischief in his voice, and you decide to take him up on that offer. You respect that he's living dangerously.

"Every secret is essentially a lie," Kamilla insists, getting threateningly close to each of your faces with her spatula. You both nod in fervent agreement until she flits back to whatever the hell a Kamilla does. She can never sit still, at least not if there is food involved.

And when Kamilla goes to check something in the freezer, you and him do the switcharoo. You snicker to yourself, and Ben shushes you, instructing you to slug down his orange juice while he slugs the prune. Immediately after, you switch back, and when Kamilla comes back in with tonight's choice meats to thaw (ground beef for meatloaf), she is none the wiser.

However, she does glare suspiciously at the two of you, picking up that dreaded spatula and wagging it. "I know those looks. And those looks tell me someone did something extremely naughty. Ben knows full well that while still being my husband, his bottom is not safe from my weapon." And she proceeds to swing the weapon near Ben's ear with a whipping sound and an ever so slight smirk.

Ben smiles and blushes at that, and you turtle up, really not wanting to know any of those details. Changing the subject is a good fit, and both of you realize it. You and Ben each cough out something, anything to make this go away, and you stumble over each other's words. Eventually, you just let Ben take the show while you act like the food in front of you is a pot of gold. Which, after having very little the past couple days, it nearly is.