A firm hand Walter unlocked the door to their apartment and let himself in. He was sure Fox was already home as he was late, but there was no sound of the TV, or the usual crashes and curses from the kitchen if Mulder was preparing the evening meal. ‘Fox?’ No answer. Mentally shrugging, Walter dropped his overnight bag onto the floor, pulled off his coat, hung it up and walked into the kitchen. Taking a beer from the fridge, he went back into the living room, dropping tiredly onto the couch. Then he saw it. The tube of after-sun lotion and the can of soda. Pulling himself up, Walter carried both items into the bedroom. Fox was standing in the corner, his naked back to Walter. ‘What did you do?’ Fox’s voice was muffled both by his proximity to the wall and his nervousness. ‘I got them to empty the garbage.’ The overflowing bins outside the back of the apartment building were, everyone agreed, a health hazard. But the vans hadn’t visited in two weeks, and the residents were fed up. Fighting to remain calm, Walter said evenly: ‘How, exactly?’ ‘I…kinda…hijacked one of the garbage trucks.’ Sighing, Walter dropped onto the bed. ‘Come here and tell me exactly what you did.’ Walter listened with mounting disbelief as Fox explained how he had stopped one of the trucks in a neighbouring road by standing in front of it and waving his badge, climbed into the cab and handcuffed himself to the door, insisting the men drive to his building and clear the backlog of uncollected garbage. ‘You got them to empty the garbage.’ Walter said calmly. ‘Yeah.’ Fox nodded. Contrary to his fear, Walter didn’t seem at all angry. ‘By hijacking a garbage truck.’ Walter’s voice took on a slight edge. Fox’s confidence fell a few notches. ‘Yeah.’ He said, slightly less assertively. ‘By standing in front of the truck as it came towards you.’ This time there was no mistaking the tone. ‘Uh huh.’ ‘And threatening to remain in their cab if they didn’t empty our garbage.’ ‘Yes.’ Fox’s voice was barely a whisper now. Walter sighed heavily. ‘That would be why this letter was in our mailbox.’ He handed the sheet of paper to Fox. It was a letter from the local garbage collection company threatening legal action against Fox for his behaviour. Fox read the paragraphs with an increasing feeling of nausea in the pit of his stomach. ‘They can’t…’ He said eventually. Walter nodded. ‘They can. They won’t, because I’ve just spent the last hour smoothing things over with the shift leader. But, yes, Fox, they could have done.’ ‘How was the conference?’ Fox asked, desperate to distract Walter. ‘Nice try Fox. Let’s get it over with.’ Fox’s eyes were drawn to Walter’s hands as he folded back his shirt cuffs. Big hands, perfectly manicured short nails on the ends of long fingers. He swallowed hard and tried to think of something else. But his eyes were drawn back to Walter’s hands. Walter’s big, strong hands. His knees buckled and he half-leant, half-fell across Walter’s lap. He felt the rough fabric of Walter’s pants under his bare skin, and he squirmed as Walter’s leg moved to trap Fox’s legs between his thighs. He felt the muscles of Walter’s legs moving against his own, and he felt the softness of the well-worn couch under his arms as he pillowed his head. He relaxed in the familiar position, his breathing evening out as he waited for the first impact. Walter’s arm rested across his waist, the fingers of his hand splaying out across Fox’s hip, holding him tightly. ‘What is this spanking for Fox?’ ‘Hijacking a garbage truck.’ Walter’s hand landed on Fox’s left buttock with a loud ‘crack’. Fox’s howl of pain followed a microsecond later. Twelve smacks later, Fox’s face was wet with tears, his voice hoarse from yelling, and he was squirming under the onslaught, trying, unsuccessfully, to direct Walter’s hand. All that happened was that Walter tightened his grip on both Fox’s trapped legs and his waist. Suddenly it was over. Fox lay, breathless and boneless, over Walter’s lap. Walter reached across and opened the tube of lotion. Fox’s strangled yelp as the cooling gel was rubbed across his flaming buttocks made Walter smile slightly. After a few minutes lying over Walter’s lap, Fox had recovered sufficiently to roll onto his side, held safely by Walter’s arm around his waist. He managed: ‘I’m sorry.’ ‘I know Fox. I was away and you did a stupid thing. But I’m back now and you’ve been punished and you’re forgiven.’ Fox slid off Walter’s lap and onto the bed. Walter waited until Fox was settled then pulled the tab on the can of soda. ‘You’re really lucky it’s frat week. Apparently the drivers have had all kinds of stupid pranks pulled on them. Yours was a little more inventive than some, but they’ll settle for a personal apology. And…’ Fox looked up at Walter. ‘And?’ ‘I told them you’d help collect the garbage from our building next week.’ Fox’s expression was wide-eyed with horror at the thought. ‘I can’t collect…garbage.’ Walter got up. ‘The men and women who collect the garbage are no different from you and me. We just have different jobs. Next Friday you’ll be at the depot at 4.30 am. They’ll get you set up with overalls and gloves. You should be done by mid-afternoon.’ Fox groaned, burying his head in the pillow. Walter only just heard his pained comment. ‘Couldn’t you just spank me again?’ End Home Send me feedback on this fic Return to the X-Files Fic Index Return to the West Wing Fic Index