EASY PREY III: A MOUTHFUL OF SOCKS (M/m) *UPDATE MAR 03*

[bondagefreak]

A special thanks to those of you still taking the time to signal your presence in the comments!
Things have been quiet around here lately.

Since I have reason to believe that many are not caught fully caught up yet (hence the dwindling participation), I'll slow the rate of production down a little.

It's like Andrew's feet have a will of their own, homing in on Ethan without Andrew really thinking about it.

Exactly. I'm glad I've been able to successfully conjured up that mental image.
And even more satisfied to know that you're enjoying it


[mention]GoBucks[/mention] [mention]OrdinaryWorld[/mention] [mention]Jason07[/mention]
Aw, stop complaining, boyz. We all know the three of you would kill to have a big brother like Andrew to keep you bound, gagged & "entertained" all of the time. No point in tryin' to deny it

[Gagfan]

Finally got around to catching up to the latest part (just haven’t been around as much), that medical gurney sure sounds appealing. Can only imagine how delightful it would be to be restrained and gagged, shoved in a fat sleeping bag, then strapped onto that bad boy nice and tight.

Also enjoy the character development, watching the tow brothers change is interesting. Ethan going from the tormentor, to offering himself up, to coming to realize he enjoys it, to becoming slightly overwhelmed with HOW MUCH of it he is getting and Andrew going from victim, to disinterested revenge, to full fledged dom is interesting too. Look forward to see what dear Ethan has to look forward to next

[The slave]

me anyway he can come absolutely anytime he wants to shut my huge mouth absolutely no problems lol and even Ethan

[bondagefreak]

Just a short trivia announcement before we get to the next chapter.
Most of you are already no doubt aware of this, but for those of you who aren't, there's a reader poll featuring Andrew & Ethan currently airing on my main story thread. I'm going to post a screenshot of the poll question for those of you who may not want to visit the thread.

Suffice to say there are 116 votes cast so far, and Andrew is proving to be quite the popular option.
Our jumbo-footed college gamer is currently tied in a dead heat with two other guys for the much sought after 4th place.

Here's the poll link: EASY PREY/B&G CHARACTER POLL

[mention]LockedCheeseBird[/mention] [mention]Finnan[/mention] [mention]Jb99[/mention] [mention]Pup[/mention] [mention]Volobond[/mention] [mention]BlueZephyr[/mention] [mention]Red86[/mention] [mention]Socksbound[/mention] [mention]gaggedfeety[/mention] [mention]OrdinaryWorld[/mention] [mention]gag1195[/mention] [mention]Wedgieboy69[/mention] [mention]Msueta@2[/mention] [mention]4toes[/mention] [mention]harveygasson[/mention] [mention]Sockgaggedman[/mention] [mention]squirrel[/mention] [mention]GoBucks[/mention] [mention]Sockbound1234[/mention] [mention]Ossassin[/mention] [mention]Pup Wingletang[/mention] [mention]Mummybag[/mention] [mention]KidnappedCowboy[/mention] [mention]Footsub[/mention] [mention]Gagfan[/mention] [mention]Kratos[/mention] [mention]The slave[/mention] [mention]blackbound[/mention] [mention]ShadowHusky[/mention] [mention]cj2125[/mention] [mention]socjuc[/mention] [mention]DeanSummer24[/mention] [mention]wataru14[/mention] [mention]CrownedLoy76[/mention] [mention]sami200456boyfriend[/mention] [mention]Batsox[/mention] [mention]JDT544[/mention] [mention]N9292[/mention] [mention]Mitchelaiden[/mention] [mention]Jason07[/mention] [mention]tugfan[/mention] [mention]CrownedLoy76[/mention] [mention]Whitestorm[/mention] [mention]EJTied22[/mention] [mention]Batsox[/mention] [mention]Boston2265[/mention] [mention]Jason07[/mention] [mention]Gaybondage[/mention]

[Kratos]

Amazing New chapter as always. Love a good teasing with a well triste boy

[bondagefreak]

THANKS FOR ALL THE GREAT COMMENTS, GUYS!
HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER. ENJOY!

[mention]LockedCheeseBird[/mention] [mention]Finnan[/mention] [mention]Killua[/mention] [mention]Jb99[/mention] [mention]Pup[/mention] [mention]Volobond[/mention] [mention]BlueZephyr[/mention] [mention]Red86[/mention] [mention]Socksbound[/mention] [mention]gaggedfeety[/mention] [mention]OrdinaryWorld[/mention] [mention]gag1195[/mention] [mention]Wedgieboy69[/mention] [mention]Msueta@2[/mention] [mention]4toes[/mention] [mention]harveygasson[/mention] [mention]Sockgaggedman[/mention] [mention]squirrel[/mention] [mention]GoBucks[/mention] [mention]Sockbound1234[/mention] [mention]Ossassin[/mention] [mention]Pup Wingletang[/mention] [mention]Mummybag[/mention] [mention]KidnappedCowboy[/mention] [mention]Footsub[/mention] [mention]Gagfan[/mention] [mention]Kratos[/mention] [mention]The slave[/mention] [mention]blackbound[/mention] [mention]ShadowHusky[/mention] [mention]cj2125[/mention] [mention]socjuc[/mention] [mention]DeanSummer24[/mention] [mention]wataru14[/mention] [mention]CrownedLoy76[/mention] [mention]sami200456boyfriend[/mention] [mention]Batsox[/mention] [mention]JDT544[/mention] [mention]N9292[/mention] [mention]Mitchelaiden[/mention] [mention]Jason07[/mention] [mention]tugfan[/mention] [mention]CrownedLoy76[/mention] [mention]Whitestorm[/mention] [mention]EJTied22[/mention] [mention]Batsox[/mention] [mention]Boston2265[/mention] [mention]Jason07[/mention] [mention]Gaybondage[/mention]

[bondagefreak]

CHAPTER III

EASY PREY III

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

With my body strapped down, my mouth taped shut and my head kept immobile, I was utterly defenceless against the giant socked toes now looming excitedly over my nostrils.

I was terrified, angry and revolted. The fact that I was lying helplessly at the foot of the couch and that I couldn't see my captor's face at all made the entire affair seem somewhat impersonal and more fearsome.

Andrew never once bothered to check up on me, nor did he even bother to acknowledge my presence. He was lazily slumped across much of the leather couch, but from the sounds of the video game volume and the number of buttons being pressed on his controller, he appeared to be gaming quite intensely.

The gamer-jock's huge hairy legs jutted out from the leathery canopy; each of them armed with a freakishly oversized foot and a sock that looked like it hadn't been washed in at least several weeks.

No care was given to the fact that the living room air reeked of the same fumes now spilling out of his recently discarded running shoes. In fact, my brief attempt at protesting their removal had promptly been remedied with the silencing grip of tape across my mouth.

The stench of my nerdy captor's downright colossal Nike shoes and the stench of his mind-bogglingly putrescent socks was strong enough to make me sick and make my eyes water over. Still, no care was given to the fact that my tape-imposed silence left my nasal cavities as the sole means of getting air into my lungs. In fact, the giant lout was counting on it.


When his socked toes finally came down over my nose, I fought against the unassailable gurney restraints as though my very life depended on it. I held my breath for as long as I could and contorted my body as much as the medical straps would allow. But when the need for air finally caught up to me and the burning of my lungs became nothing short of unbearable, I acquiesced; taking in a massive whiff of air from beneath my brother's enormous socked toes.


The pungent reek of smelly cheese, harsh vinegar and rotten eggs that came rushing in to greet me had me practically puking my guts out.

"Mggghh gghmm phhmmmgh!" I screamed, convulsing against the gurney straps and struggling like mad in an attempt to defeat the unreasonably wide and maddeningly sticky duct tape muzzle.

I did everything I could to try and spread my lips apart, but in the end, even my most valiant efforts failed to yield any positive results.


No sound of laughter filled the living room. No humiliating taunts or embarrassing jabs came my way either.
Hairy-legged Andrew was perfectly content just sitting on the couch, gaming in near-perfect silence.
I, on the other hand, spent the next two hours vacuum-sniffing his eye-wateringly pungent socks and struggling to retain my sanity.





I say vacuum-sniffing, 'cause that's what Andrew called it.

Time and time again, he'd use the rush of air entering my nasal passageways as a means to rid his socks of the innumerable bits of crap that lined the underside of them.

The insanely acrid stench of his reeking stinkers was powerful enough to make even the most delusional of smelly foot fetishists gag, but what made the vacuum-sniffing process even worse - if that was even possible - was the fact that my nostrils were constantly sucking in pieces of lint, crumbs, debris and leg hairs; all of which wound up entering my airways and landing in my throat before being forcibly ingested.

It was torturous, to say the least. Even more so because I spent those two hours quite literally being smothered and suffocated beneath his huge toes.


Only when the very hairy-legged nerd paused his video game and got up to go take a piss did I finally understand why he'd been gaming in a half-lying, half-sitting position, strewn lazily across the couch in a way that afforded me little view of his face or body.

The source of his discomfort and the reasoning behind his seemingly impersonal approach to the whole vacuum-sniffing process was laid bare before me.

There's no easy way for me to put this. You know those loose-fitting basketball shorts he'd previously changed into? Well, the front of them was now tenting up a good seven or eight inches in front of him.

Even as he made his way over to the washroom, the gargantuan tent in his shiny blue gym shorts bobbed left and right like some medieval spear being used to disperse a crowd. It would've been plainly obvious even from a mile away that the guy was suffering from a rather massive and very painfully erect woody.

We both got something out of these games of course, but considering that my captor and I were biological brothers, it always went unspoken.

Andrew obviously had issues accepting his strange likes and yearnings. He had a thing for getting his feet sniffed and a thing for getting his toes sucked, but never in a million years would he actually come out and say it. At least, not to me he wouldn't.

The fact that his dark blue satin gym shorts and the loose-fitting paper-thin boxers beneath them did little to hide his excitement left little doubt as to the source of his unease though. He got a big rush from these sessions of ours but was understandably weirded out because I was his brother. I couldn't blame him for that. The effect it had on the two of us was a little strange, to say the least.

Had I been one of his college buddies or some other like-minded guy he'd met online, things might've been different. But from the start of these little games right up to the point of his moving out a short while ago, that slight malaise and the unspoken unease between us always lingered. He'd gotten much ballsier and more confident over the months, but his desire to keep me from knowing just how much he enjoyed these little games never once slipped up or momentarily subsided.

In short, I'd just witnessed his excitement, but I was more than happy to pretend that I hadn't.
That was our unspoken mutual agreement, and the two of us were quite satisfied to leave it at that.





Confident that he still had a handful of hours left before dad got home, the goliath gamer promptly returned from his toilet break and went right back to plopping himself down on the leathery couch and resting his giant feet atop my miserable face.

I sniffed, sniffed and sniffed some more.
The urge to spill my guts out was borderline untenable by that point.

Another hour passed before Andrew eventually tired of getting his reeking socked soles vacuum-sniffed.
He spent a good minute or two trying to find the end of my tape muzzle before finally getting a hold of it and brutishly ripping the silencing adhesive off my face.

"You know the drill. Get to work." was the only thing he told me before tearing his dreadfully shitty socks off and regaining his former position on the couch. I knew what he wanted me to do. He wanted me to eat the crap out from between his toes and lick his huge feet clean.

"Ugh! Fuck. Noommmph." I immediately cried out, desperately attempting to escape the inevitable, but finding myself smothered into silence once more.

The giant nerd's toes stank of cheese, but it was definitely the amount of toe jam-infested filth stuck in between them that sent me into a frenzied panic.


Andrew tried getting me to suck on his sickening digits and lick the vinegary-scented skin that lined the bottom of his tremendously oversized soles, but I would have none of it. The fact that, like on most of his days off, he chose to shower in the evening rather than doing so in the morning, had me particularly revolted. Not only was I sniffing stench-ridden feet that hadn't been washed in twenty-four hours, but I was dealing with a guy who suffered from terrible foot odour and who wanted me to suck his toes clean.

Had he actually showered that morning, I would've most likely complied with his demands. But given the sheer amount of cheesy day-old crap currently stuck between his fat digits, I wanted absolutely no part of the endeavour.


Fortunately, or perhaps, unfortunately, the issue was dropped when Andrew's somewhat forceful demands failed to make me obey.

My lack of compliance pissed him off and the frustration at being snubbed in this fashion was instantly felt in his tone of voice.

"Alright fucker, if you don't wanna cooperate then your mouth is of no further use to me." he angrily muttered, frowning down at me from his high perch and snatching up one of the sweltering socks he'd torn off his feet a few minutes ago.


I watched as the putrid wadding was crumpled up into a big fat ball and let out a very loud and very genuine scream for help when the attempt to impose it on my mouth finally came.

The goliath gamer-nerd wasn't playing around though.
Strong fingers aggressively squeezed my nostrils shut while his other hand somewhat brutishly forced the putrid stuffing in.

I tried rejecting his sock and tried getting another call for help out, but the puke-inducing ball of crap-infested fabric rapidly filled my gob up and turned my attempts to scream into muffled choking noises and heavily garbled whimpers.

That super-wide and uber sticky industrial grade duct tape of his was plastered atop my face again. This time, however, no less than six revolutions of the stuff were spun around my head.





"Shut up, punk!" the angry gamer-jock growled, bringing the jumbo roll around for a final pass before tossing the heavy thing down to the floor and ordering me to be quiet and launder his sock.


Much to my continued dismay, my head was secured down to the padded gurney via that headrest contraption I previously told you about. Basically, the back of my neck and the back of my skull were forced into these U-shaped supports that prevented my head from turning around.

Face-conforming security straps were added to the head support; a thick one going over my forehead and two other thick ones going over and under my chin.

By the time my brother was done with me, I couldn't move a micron in any direction and was strapped down from my ankles all the way up to the top of my forehead!


I cried out and went cross-eyed, straining against the undefeatable gurney restraints, while at the same time trying to survive the reek, taste and texture of my captor's positively rotten, crap-ridden sockgag!


Lint-filled toe cracks and huge sweaty soles soon made their return over my nostrils.
The jumbo college-nerd was back to his video games, and neither he nor I had any idea that dad's big black pickup truck was just around the corner and about to pull up in the driveway.

Only when the sound of the front door being unlocked reached our ears did Andrew and I suddenly freeze into a panic.
Dad was home...a full three hours earlier than expected!

[Volobond]

Interesting examination of the strange unspoken awkwardness between the brothers due to their feelings towards these games.

And also "goliath gamer" is a wonderful title! I want that, haha!

[GoBucks]

Andrew sure has come a long way from the guy who used to be so embarrassed by his foot odor. Now it turns him on to use it!

Loved your description of Ethan basically becoming a vacuum for all the crap that gets stuck to the socks. Very nasty!

Can't wait to see what dad thinks of all this!

[Pup Wingletang]

Interesting examination of the strange unspoken awkwardness between the brothers due to their feelings towards these games.

Well you took the words right out of my mouth there Mr V.

I think Andrew's feet are well beyond my comfort zone but I'm sure some of the guys on here will lap them up!

But loving how Ethan is completely immobilised by that stretcher and the way Andrew completely ignores his brother once he's strapped down. (Apart from the feet which have a mind of their own!)

And now the Dad returns. I really have no idea how this is going to play out but can't wait to find out.

[Jason07]

Oh no. . . . . . . . . I cannot imagine this ending well for Andrew. And hopefully Ethan gets that sock removed from his oral cavity posthaste! Andrews odor levels are also hellishly beyond my comfort level as well, but I can appreciate the situation Ethan finds himself in. I'd just prefer less, you know, literal filth. XDDD

I am by no means the cleanest person on earth, but if I had the kind of gunk described here in Andrews toes, I'd be literally smashing my phone buttons to reach my doctor because eww. Gross.

Everything else sounds amazing. Fiendish sock gag with tape? Yes. Complete inability to move? Yes. Inescapable torture? Absolutely.

[harveygasson]

Been away for a while but good to see the story is still going strong

[gag1195]

It will certainly interesting to see Dad's response to Andrew's and Ethan's games. And my goodness, I feel so bad for our little strapped in gurney victim. I think he could definitely petition to get Andrew's foot odor added to the list of "cruel and unusual" punishments.

[squirrel]

Can;t wait to see the father's reaction when he sees his son all strapped down and gagged

Fantastic chapter, as ususal

[socjuc]

Great continuation as always! As mentioned, the morphing of the brothers and how they are evolving into their roles within this 'unique' power struggle is hugely entertaining....

Now I wonder, will their Dad be angry with Andrew, or will he be mildly amused, and join in with Andrew?

[bondagefreak]

Thanks for the great comments, guys.

Considering that less than 10% of the story's 84 registered readers have bothered commenting on the last few chapters, I'm going to assume that the vast majority of those following this tale aren't caught up or that their interest in the storyline waned. Definitely seems a shame considering the rate of production I maintain when many readers signal their presence.

I'll try to find the necessary motivation to continue.
Until then, most of my attention will be on projects that continue to garner large levels of interest (aka: BOUND & GAGGED).

[frankburns]

bondagefreak

I think your right about that. That's why I never finished my multi-chapter stories.

But then maybe My work just isn't up to standard.

I now understand how you guys feel with all your hard work.. I'll try to comment more often when I can,
but as you know I'm not into the 'For adults' area.

[Ossassin]

I have enjoyed the last few, I’m just not looking forward to when the dad comes onto the scene. I’ll be honest that one never quite clicks with me at all, that is usually about the point I wander off. Having said that this is an anthology of sorts and thus once that bit is over or the next comes out I’ll be suitably delighted.

[wataru14]

I know firsthand how the lack of feedback can be frustrating. And since your work is so high-quality, it's doubly so. I would love to see this continue, but completely understand how your motivation can drain. When you feel the Muse again, I'll be eagerly waiting!

[vincenzotognolo22]

Thanks for the great comments, guys.

Considering that less than 10% of the story's 84 registered readers have bothered commenting on the last few chapters, I'm going to assume that the vast majority of those following this tale aren't caught up or that their interest in the storyline waned. Definitely seems a shame considering the rate of production I maintain when many readers signal their presence.

I'll try to find the necessary motivation to continue.
Until then, most of my attention will be on projects that continue to garner large levels of interest (aka: BOUND & GAGGED).

Hey, this is my first comment ever here. So far I’ve always been a silent reader because I’m really shy and English is not my first language.
I think this story is really one of the best you have ever made, I really like the bound between the two brothers and I can’t wait to find out what their father will do once he finds out their TUGs.
I’d really like to read the end of this story, and I can imagine how frustrating it can be the lack of comments, so I decide to write this.
I hope you are doing well and you’ll find motivation once again.
Good job buddy

[bondagefreak]

[mention]myusername12344[/mention]
Hello and welcome to the forum, buddy.
It's always a thrill seeing a new face around here. And you don't have to worry about English not being your first language. It's not mine either! In fact, a very large portion of this forum has English as their 2nd or 3rd language. From the message you wrote, you appear to have an excellent grasp of it. Here's to hoping you'll decide to join in regularly now that you've broken the ice


I promise you this saga will not be left incomplete. I've every intention of bringing it to completion. Just that my motivation for doing so has dwindled along with the dwindling participation rate.

Your comment leads to me believe you've been following some of my other works.
Looking forward to seeing your name pop up on those other tales you've also been enjoying

Not to spill too many beans, but if you like what Andrew & Ethan have got going, be sure to keep your eyes on BOUND & GAGGED as well.

I've already dropped a few hints here and there, but those of you following both the EASY PREY and BOUND & GAGGED series are going to be in for a special treat when this little saga comes to an end.

[Red86]

[mention]bondagefreak[/mention] I guess you could say I am slightly guilty on the lack of comments across the whole board. My work schedule shifted over the past few weeks and while I've been keeping up with this story, B&G and a few others, my time limited me enough that I was quick reading and not even logging in to leave any comments.

This actually can happen quite frequently with me, which is when you may notice I'll drop 5+ comments on the board in less then an hour.

I can promise you my interest has not lessened on this story. In fact, I'm getting a real kick out of Andrew's more recent restraining method!!

Not to spill too many beans, but if you like what Andrew & Ethan have got going, be sure to keep your eyes on BOUND & GAGGED as well.

I've already dropped a few hints here and there, but those of you following both the EASY PREY and BOUND & GAGGED series are going to be in for a special treat when this little saga comes to an end.

Yes, I've noticed the hints you've been throwing out here and there. I am definitely curious to see what you have in store for us!!

[bondagefreak]

@bondagefreak I guess you could say I am slightly guilty on the lack of comments across the whole board. My work schedule shifted over the past few weeks and while I've been keeping up with this story, B&G and a few others, my time limited me enough that I was quick reading and not even logging in to leave any comments.

No, my friend. My plea for participation wasn't addressed to you or any of my regular/semi-regular reviewers.
I do which I'd hear from some of you guys more often, but my plea was very much addressed to those 60+ registered users who voted on the thread poll but never once commented. Out of the now 85 poll respondents, only 25 have ever bothered leaving a comment on this thread. Those numbers are a little mind-boggling.

So far, only one silent reader decided to break the ice and show enough courage to answer my plea.
I'm hoping others follow his example and step up their game a bit.

[bondagefreak]

AND A MUCH-ANTICIPATED CHARACTER FINALLY MAKES HIS APPEARANCE!

HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER, GUYS. ENJOY!

[mention]LockedCheeseBird[/mention] [mention]Finnan[/mention] [mention]Killua[/mention] [mention]Jb99[/mention] [mention]Pup[/mention] [mention]Volobond[/mention] [mention]BlueZephyr[/mention] [mention]Red86[/mention] [mention]Socksbound[/mention] [mention]gaggedfeety[/mention] [mention]OrdinaryWorld[/mention] [mention]gag1195[/mention] [mention]Wedgieboy69[/mention] [mention]Msueta@2[/mention] [mention]4toes[/mention] [mention]harveygasson[/mention] [mention]Sockgaggedman[/mention] [mention]squirrel[/mention] [mention]GoBucks[/mention] [mention]Sockbound1234[/mention] [mention]Ossassin[/mention] [mention]Pup Wingletang[/mention] [mention]Mummybag[/mention] [mention]KidnappedCowboy[/mention] [mention]Footsub[/mention] [mention]Gagfan[/mention] [mention]Kratos[/mention] [mention]The slave[/mention] [mention]blackbound[/mention] [mention]ShadowHusky[/mention] [mention]cj2125[/mention] [mention]socjuc[/mention] [mention]DeanSummer24[/mention] [mention]wataru14[/mention] [mention]CrownedLoy76[/mention] [mention]sami200456boyfriend[/mention] [mention]Batsox[/mention] [mention]JDT544[/mention] [mention]N9292[/mention] [mention]Mitchelaiden[/mention] [mention]Jason07[/mention] [mention]tugfan[/mention] [mention]Whitestorm[/mention] [mention]EJTied22[/mention] [mention]Batsox[/mention] [mention]Boston2265[/mention] [mention]Jason07[/mention] [mention]Gaybondage[/mention] [mention]frankburns[/mention] [mention]Kratos[/mention] [mention]vincenzotognolo22[/mention] [mention]that1kid13[/mention] [mention]Socksniffer[/mention] [mention]Sockboy84GER[/mention]

[bondagefreak]

CHAPTER IV

EASY PREY III

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

Andrew and I practically shat our pants when we heard the familiar clicking sound of the front door's locking mechanism being keyed in. In those final fleeting milliseconds of privacy, my panicked brother froze and his mind instantaneously buzzed to life in an attempt to find a way out of the impending doom we'd soon find ourselves in.

Had our moderately large suburban home been configured a little differently, the hairy-legged gamer might've actually had enough time to drag his gurney over to his bedroom, and myself along with it. Alas, with the front entryway affording an unobstructed view of the open hallway and the not-so-distant living room, there was simply no way for him to drag me out of the living room in time.

Dad would see us the instant he'd step in, and my brother and I would somehow have to contend with that.


Speaking of dad, a brief introduction seems to be in order.

First off, I should point out that as far as dads went, Mitch was definitely one of the cooler ones. By any standards, he was quite tall and very solidly built. A tad bit shorter than Andrew, but substantially heavier, not to mention a lot stronger as well.

Here's a recent photo I have of him.





Dad was pretty damn buff and was particularly broad-shouldered. He was in excellent shape for his age and was also remarkably strong. He had to be! His profession demanded it. All that to say that while Mitch was a handsome guy with a strong body and a good physique, he was mostly known for his cheerful demeanour and laid back attitude. Our dad took his job very seriously and was super professional and dutiful about it. But when he wasn't at work, he was an all-around easy-going guy who enjoyed kicking his feet up and savouring the simple pleasures of life. He loved his truck, he loved his BBQ, he loved campfires, hunting and mountaineering, and he loved his family.

Come to think of it, my brother and I both took after our dad in a variety of ways.
Andrew was a spitting image of dad's professionalism and no-nonsense attitude. I, on the other hand, shared my old man's appreciation for humour and social interactions. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that my dad was cool.

That by no means meant I was looking forward to him finding out about these games my brother and I played together though! On the contrary, I had no reason to believe he would take kindly to them, nor did I ever hope to find out. Much to our imminent chagrin though, Lady Luck had other plans for us that day.



Dad walked in dressed in his usual workwear, and the first thing he saw upon opening the front door was Andrew sitting on the living room couch and me strapped down to the padded gurney at his feet.


You know, upon rereading some of the stuff I've been telling you guys these past couple of weeks, it's come to my attention that I probably made my older brother sound more like a dim-wit than he actually is. I mean yes, he could be somewhat oblivious to those around him, and yes, he wasn't exactly gifted when it came to things like deduction or the art of the social graces. But underestimating his intelligence was probably one of my more regular failings.

Andrew managed to save face for us that day. Had he acted all stressed out and nervous, dad would've no doubt been weirded out and become suspicious of us. Surprisingly enough though, the hairy-legged goliath-gamer played things real cool and acted as though nothing was out of the ordinary. I was taken aback by his control and I'm pretty sure that he was taken aback by it as well.

"Oh hey, dad." he casually spoke, pretending to be fully entranced by his video game and sounding not at all surprised by our 43-year-old father's unexpected arrival.


Considering the fact that I was strapped down from my ankles to my forehead, and that the lower half of my face was sealed shut beneath the widest and stickiest of duct tapes, my role from that point on was unsurprisingly minimal.

I could only watch in gag-imposed silence as Andrew stealthily peeled his remaining sock off using the toes of his opposing foot, before discreetly kicking it beneath the couch, away from dad's immediate view. At first, I wondered why he'd done that, but then it suddenly dawned upon me that my brother didn't want dad putting two and two together and realising that my mouth was currently hosting a very smelly and very much unlaundered sock.


"Hey, son." dad spoke, dropping his heavy lunchbox down to the wooden floor and plopping his hefty frame down on the couch, right next to my brother's.

"How was your day?" Andrew asked, still keeping his gaze locked on the 65-inch TV screen and pretending as though nothing was amiss. Dad's face betrayed a look of surprise and curiosity as he allowed his eyes to roam across my heavily strapped-down and equally well-gagged form.

"Meh, I guess it was okay. Had a big staff meeting, cleaned two of the firetrucks out, gave Bill his retirement party. Nothing too strenuous." he answered.

"No big fires or emergencies today?" my still-gaming brother pressed.

"Nope! And best of all, I got the long weekend off." dad replied, obviously very pleased at the prospect of spending the next three days at home with his sons.



A moment of silence ensued, during which Andrew forced himself to stay focused on his game. And then dad's questions came.


"So. What's going on here? This part of your paramedic training or something?" he asked, keeping his gaze on me but clearly directing the question towards his eldest son.

"Haha! Yeah." the barefooted gamer somewhat nervously laughed. "Nah, actually he just lost a bet we had going on a bit earlier."

"I see. And uh, how long is this...predicament of his supposed to last?"

"Well, he's supposed to stay like that for a total of five hours. So I guess until nine PM or something." Andrew replied, doing a rather admirable job at making this seem as normal and as benign as possible.

"Five hours?!" dad protested, his question sounding more like an objection than anything else.

"Don't look at me, dad. He's the one who insisted on putting the stakes so high!" my brother was quick to respond, doing his best to dress things up as though I was fully deserving of the predicament I was in.

"So why's his mouth taped shut?" came the mature man's somewhat justified question.

"Dad...come on. You know the kid doesn't shut up for two seconds." Andrew spoke, answering the man-of-the-house as though the answer should've been obvious.


Dad just looked at me and smirked, no doubt taking in his eldest son's words and agreeing with the unmistakable truth behind them.

"Yeah, can't argue with that. The little bugger does run his mouth a lot, doesn't he?" he finally chuckled, gently pressing his still-booted right foot down on my restrained abdomen and giving my body a light jostle.

I gave my 43-year-old father a vengeful look and growled in simulated defiance, something which immediately lightened the mood up and caused him to extend a hand down to ruffle my hair up.



"So I guess it's just you and me tonight, eh big guy?" the cheerful fireman spoke, taking his eyes off me and wrestling poor Andrew into a tight headlock.

"Daaaad. Cut it out!" the goliath-gamer hissed, sounding a little irritated at the fact that he could so easily be taken down and physically bested by a man over twice his age. I watched in silent glee as dad rubbed his knuckles into my protesting brother's dishevelled brown mop and took heartfelt satisfaction in seeing my captor humiliated.

The large leather couch creaked noisily as dad finally stood up and marched over towards the well-furnished kitchen.
He would've normally taken his battered boots off at the front door, but with mum gone for the weekend, he was pretty much free to reign supreme and do as he pleased. As far as dad was concerned, that meant burps, farts, booze and wearing his boots in the house.



The familiar sound of a beer bottle being popped open soon echoed from the kitchen, and then the news that we'd be ordering pizza and watching the two hockey games playing tonight followed suit.

Andrew cheered at the idea of having a lazy evening with his old man, and I somewhat foolishly cheered as well.

Only when our hunky fire-marshal-dad returned to the living room and plopped himself back down on the couch did my quiet cheering suddenly cease. He told my brother to shut his gaming console off and ordered him to put the sports channel on. That's when I realised I'd be spending all evening strapped down to Andrew's gurney, staring up at dad's enormous feet and praying to whatever gods may be listening for him not to take his boots off.

I don't care who you are or what you're into, you do NOT want to be in the same room as my dad when he pulls his giant boots off. You just don't!


Unfortunately for me, the sports channel came roaring to life, beers were being sipped and I quickly found myself being forgotten and having absolutely no say in anything. My jumbo-footed captors were going to be sitting in front of the TV all night, and I was simply going to lie there, chewing on one of Andrew's rotten socks and serving as my own father's helpless footstool.

This was going to be a long evening, I knew.
A very long evening.