Title: Unspoken need   Leo nodded at the door. The lights and cameras turned off and people began to pack up their equipment as the senior staff and their aides returned to their desks and the ringing phones sitting on them.   Jed looked up, finally unable to avoid Leo’s gaze, got up, and followed Leo out. No-one except Jed noticed or understood the significance of Leo walking out without waiting for the President, leaving Jed to open the door himself.   Despite listening to Jed’s continuous flow of nervous conversation as they walked from the West Wing to the Residence, Leo said nothing. Upstairs, he opened the door to the Lincoln bedroom, nodding at Ron Butterfield. Leo let the President walk past him into the room then closed the door on Ron who took up his familiar position outside the door, feet apart, hands crossed in front of him.   While Jed stared out of the window Leo removed his jacket, folding it neatly over the back of an ornate chair, unbuttoned his cuffs and carefully rolled his sleeves up, each fold of the creased fabric matching the last.    Finally, Leo tuned into Jed’s mutterings, half to himself, half intended for Leo’s ears.   ‘I don’t need this Leo. I don’t deserve this. I did the right thing.’   Leo nodded as Jed turned. ‘Okay.’   Jed looked up, needing to check. ‘I can go?’   Leo shrugged. ‘Sure. Go.’ He saw the warring emotions in Jed’s eyes and waited.   ‘Leo...’   ‘Jed.’ Leo said warningly.   Jed sighed, slumping down onto the bed, head in hands. ‘I yelled at Abbey.’   Leo nodded. He had heard.   ‘And Fitz. And Cashman. And Berryhill. And the Secretary.’   Leo leaned against the wall, waiting silently, his face expressionless.   ‘I had a cigarette in the middle of the day.’   Leo permitted himself a slight smile at that one. He hadn’t even remembered that, but clearly Jed had. And it had evidently been on his conscience.   ‘I yelled at Charlie. Does he still want the job?’   Leo gave a slight nod as Jed looked up momentarily. ‘What else?’   Leo heard the weariness in Jed’s voice and relented a little. Thoughtfully, he said: ‘Last time we were in here, you broke my bike.’   Jed’s head snapped up and he looked at Leo, wide-eyed. He was surprised that his last visit to this room had been that long ago. ‘Leo! Do you know what happened tonight?’   Leo nodded, his face calm. ‘Yeah. You were a brat.’   Jed huffed, very brat-like, Leo thought.   Softly, staring at the floor, Jed said: ‘I killed people tonight.’   Leo knew that was possible but unlikely and said nothing.   ‘I’d resign but I’d sooner go on feeling like this than let Hoynes take over.’   Leo shared the same thought and nodded. ‘Yeah. Ready?’   Jed got up slowly and looked at Leo. ‘Your hand Leo.’   Leo nodded. He hadn’t been intending to use his belt but, on occasion, he allowed Jed to decide this one, fairly important, point. He felt the symbolism of the punishment was always much more important than the actual punishment and he rarely denied Jed’s occasional requests.   ‘A proportional response, Jed?’   Jed nodded unsmilingly as he shed his jacket and unbelted his pants. He handed both to Leo, who folded them with the same care he had shown on his own clothes. Leo waited while Jed dropped his pants, stepped out of them and picked  them up, handing them to Leo without meeting his eyes. Finally, taking a deep breath, Jed looked into Leo’s calm eyes. ‘I’m ready.’   Leo sat on the bed and Jed lay across his lap, head and thighs supported by pillows. Jed squirmed for a few seconds, flinching as Leo’s fingers reached into the waistband of his boxers, pulling the silk fabric down to Jed’s thighs. Rarely, when Leo felt it was warranted, he spanked Jed on the bare flesh. He stroked Jed’s back from neck to waist. ‘Why are we doing this?’   Crossly Jed snapped: ‘Cos you need to work off some pent-up emotion?’   Leo waited, stroking Jed’s pale flesh. ‘Jed?’   ‘Cos I’m the most powerful man in the world and you’re jealous?’   Not wanting Jed to waste any more time, Leo nodded. ‘Yuh. That’s it exactly.’   *****************   Outside the door, Ron’s mind wandered back to the first time Leo had asked him to stand outside the room. His brain had flitted through a hundred reasons for the two men’s need for such privacy, but memories of his own father spanking him had enabled him to identify both the sharp sound of a hand hitting flesh, and the muffled sounds of someone trying to hide their reaction to the pain he knew had to follow.   It had been a while before he had realized the rumors were true. Standing outside the door, it had been impossible to miss the clues. The most powerful man in the world was topped by the recovering alcoholic and drug addict Chief of Staff. Ron had shaken his head, wiped the small smile from his face and continued to stand, impassive and immovable, outside the door as and when Leo asked.   *********************   Jed let out a deep breath. Above him, Leo smiled. The actual spanking itself wasn’t really necessary. But it was the way he and Jed had decided to punish Jed when he overstepped the mark. And he had done that. By some distance. Jed hugged the pillow, pressed his face to it and Leo raised his hand.   Outside the door, Ron flinched slightly as the first sharp sound carried through the door but he simply squared his shoulders, clasped his hands tightly together and breathed slowly.   ********************* Twelve spanks later…   Jed turned slowly in Leo’s firm grip until he was lying on his side. Lifting himself up, resting his head on his elbow, he looked up at Leo. He knew that Leo would never ever admit how emotionally draining he found their sessions. He could feel the warmth of Leo’s palm in the small of his back and he found it somehow reassuring. Leo would feel also the spanking for some hours ‘Are you okay?’.   Leo chuckled, straightening Jed’s hair. ‘Yeah. We’ve gotta get back down to the Sit Room.’   Jed groaned, eyes wide, making Leo smile. ‘I’m not sitting in there.’   Leo laughed. ‘You won’t be sitting anywhere for a few hours, right?’   Jed eased himself off Leo’s lap and began to dress. ‘Yeah, my back’s playing up.’ He hissed as he slid his underwear back up.   Leo got up and pulled on his jacket, helping Jed on with his. ‘Ready?’   Jed nodded. ‘Leo. I’m sorry.’   Leo smiled, nodding. ‘Yeah. Let’s go.’   Jed smiled inwardly. He knew of the two of them he was the more outwardly emotional but Leo wouldn’t be…well, Leo…for a short time. Their route to the Sit Room, a phrase that made Jed smile in his current state, would be circuitous and take in Abbey, Charlie and the refrigerator in Toby’s office. They both needed a soda. And to reassure the senior staff that the President had made a proportional response. As had Leo. But neither of them would share that particular fact with the staff.   End Send me feedback on this fic Return to the X-Files Fic Index Return to the West Wing Fic Index Return to the BDSM FIC Index