Text: It's getting better! I'm keeping bandages on so that I don't break the wounds open again, but the bleeding has completely stopped - so I think that's a good sign that I'm on my way to recovery.
Text: Hey, Eric invited you to come to our suite after the punishment, right? I'm doing some prep today, while we've got time, and I wanted to check in on what kinds of things you'd want to have around. Favorite comfort foods? Tea or coffee? We have analgesic creams and all the basic aftercare supplies, I just want to make sure we've got whatever you'll need to rest and recover. It's likely to be physically taxing, whatever it is.
Text: He did! I sent you a text to thank you, as well - but I’m looking now and it totally didn’t go through. Ugh. I feel like I look like a jerk now.
Text: In any case, thank you Caleb. I honestly had no idea what I was gonna do, so the fact that you and Eric are having me over means so much. It’s really taken a lot of stress off me. Also - while I wish it was under way better circumstances - I’m looking forward to getting to know you better. 💖
Text: As for food, I’m really not picky! I guess apple pie is a big comfort food for me, but you don’t need to go through all the trouble to make something like that. Just being with people will be comforting enough. I do like french vanilla coffee though - so if you have that, that’d be nice!
FTF: One look at Owen told Caleb the sub had been crying, a lot. Caleb had, too, and knew he probably looked it, covered in grass and dirt and scrapes, bruises on his throat and face. Owen had bruises too, though Caleb didn't see the worst of it until he caught a glimpse of his back. He'd been whipped something fierce. Caleb grimaced in sympathy as he moved over to Owen. "Here, take this. Ibuprofen and tylonel. Back home, my coach called it a swimmer's cocktail."
F2F: Perking up at the sound of a familiar voice, Owen wiped at his eyes and tried to put on the bravest face he could manage, smiling weakly at Caleb as he offered him the medication. “Thanks, Caleb.” After swallowing the pills down with water, he quirked an inquisitive brow at the other boy. “Why did your coach call it that? Does it help you swim faster or something?”
Owen stood just outside the submissive dorm building for a moment; light pink duffle bag on one shoulder, strawberry protein shake in the opposite hand, and stared out at the grounds. It really was a beautiful campus. For a moment the excitement and pride he felt for being a student at Lima Heights returned. The looming punishment had clouded his head since it had been announced, just as it undoubtedly had for everyone else - but it was in that brief moment of quiet solitude that he was reminded of the fact that this was the place he was meant to be. Punishments and all, earned or not - everything happened for a reason. There was always a diamond in the rough to be found, as far as Owen was concerned. In this instance, that diamond was notably Eric Anderson - someone he had grown rather close to already in his short time at the institute. As he began to walk towards the Dominant dorm building he counted his blessings and thought about how grateful he was to have found someone so knowledgeable and kind. Coming into Lima, Owen was clueless - and now, thanks to Eric, he felt like he had the beginnings of a grasp on being a good submissive. The aftercare that was to follow this punishment would give him time to connect more with Eric and thus learn and grow as a submissive in the process. By extension, though - he was also grateful for Eric’s claim, Caleb whom he truly didn’t know very well at all. Still, though - if it weren’t for Caleb being so open to Owen spending time with Eric he’d surely be much worse off than he already was. Eventually he found his way to Eric’s suite, finished the last of his shake and knocked on the door. He could only hope that Caleb would be as receptive to him as Eric was. The blonde knew he was a tough pill to swallow for some - so soon enough he’d know if Caleb had the tolerance for his particular brand of personality.
When: April 23rd, 2020 - early morning, after midnight but before 3 AM.
Where: Eric’s suite.
Notes: After the punishment has ended. Sleeping arrangements get worked out. @ericxanders @calebswitching
Caleb had wanted to shower when they got back to the suite, and when he got out, Eric was making the pull out sofa in the study into a proper bed for Owen. Caleb joined and helped him get the sheets on it, but then Eric ordered him to bed, so he went to get into bed while Eric made sure Owen was comfortable. A few minutes, Eric joined him, and Caleb felt himself finally let go of the tension that had been keeping him going through the exhaustion. He curled into Eric and fell asleep. Well, almost. He was just about asleep when he felt Eric pull away from him. He blinked up at him, but Eric murmured to him to go to sleep, and Caleb did. He didn't stir when Eric came back to bed, but he did when Eric got up for the second time. This time, Caleb asked if he was okay, and Eric shushed him gently and said he was just checking on Owen, and Caleb should go back to sleep. He was still just drifting off when Eric came back to bed. But he could tell Eric was restless, and wasn't going to fall asleep. Sure enough, twenty minutes later, he pulled away from Caleb again and climbed out of bed. Caleb watched him leave the room, then sighed and heaved himself out of bed. He padded quietly into the study, and sure enough, Eric was checking on Owen, who was shifting uncomfortably on his stomach. "Okay, this isn't working," he said, moving over to the sofa bed. He looked at Eric. "May I just bring blankets in here, please, Sir? I can sleep on the floor, so you can be closer to both of us."
Owen was extremely grateful that Eric and Caleb had opened up their home to him. He had only been at the institute for two weeks, so the last thing he expected was for anyone, let alone a claimed couple, to extend themselves out to him. Granted, he also hadn’t expected to connect with a Dominant so quickly. His scene with Eric from earlier that week would doubtlessly prove to be a moment in his life that truly set him on a path to being a good submissive, and he would always remain grateful for that. Still, there was a part of him that couldn’t help feeling as if he was imposing on a situation that should be private between a Dominant and his submissive. After such a massive, unwarranted punishment there was bound to be significant mental and physical healing to be done that - despite it being under terrible circumstances - would only strengthen a claimed couple’s bond. Owen felt guilty for interfering in that process, no matter how many times Eric and Caleb assured him that he wasn’t any trouble. So, upon returning to Eric’s suite, Owen insisted on taking the sofa-bed in the couple’s study to sleep; claiming that it would be more comfortable to have his own space, but really wanting only to provide the couple with space of their own: space he was positive they should have. Finally, he tucked himself into his sleeping arrangements, laying uncomfortably on his stomach. He was exhausted from the night’s events but as he tried to drift off to sleep a replay of everything he had heard that guard yell at him began to loop over and over in his mind. He cried silently into his pillow and only stopped each time he heard Eric coming in to check on him. Each time Owen insisted that he was fine, although the streams of fresh tears and puffiness of his eyes probably told a different story; a story Eric no-doubt understood considering the fact that he frequently returned to check on him. Owen was touched by how much he cared about him, but felt terrible for posing such a distraction when Eric needed rest just as badly as anyone else. When Caleb entered the study, Owen looked away shamefully, feeling even worse for keeping both of them awake. Lip quivering, he lifted his head when Caleb began to suggest sleeping on the floor of all places. “Absolutely not.” He stubbornly insisted. “You both need to rest. Please… Don’t worry about me, I’ll be okay. Honest.”
Eric looked between the two boys, eyes holding Caleb’s gaze for a fraction longer as though he was reading his mind. As much as he didn’t want to force Owen into anything, he wasn’t now convinced his reasoning behind staying in the spare room were because he needed his own space. ‘No-one is sleeping on the floor beautiful, especially not you. If anyone — it’d be me. But no, we’re not doing that.’ He let out a strange exhausted mix between a yawn and a sigh. ‘Owen, the last thing I want to do is force you to move when I know how much your back hurts but I’m gonna ask you to move one more time. Caleb’s right — this isn’t working pretty boy,’ he remarked, crouching down at his bedside. ‘You’re not comfortable, Caleb needs to sleep and I’m not going to rest properly unless I have both of you nearby so I can watch over you.’
Caleb was already trying to come up with a way to argue that Eric needed to sleep and Caleb and Owen needed to be in the same room, but then Eric agreed with him. No need to be convincing, then. He nodded and moved towards Owen, intending to help bring his things into the master bedroom. "The bed is plenty big enough for three," he assured the sub. "Come on. It's the only way anyone is going to get any sleep, and we're all exhausted. Eric needs to be able to see us both. It's a Dom thing, you just have to roll with it."
Looking from Eric to Caleb, Owen heaved a defeated sigh. His eyes wavered at being referred to by his usual nickname. It was a bit too soon, for sure - but the last thing Eric or Caleb needed was to sit through another pathetic sob session. "Okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make things difficult... I really thought this was the right thing. You two should be together after this." The blonde winced as he pulled himself to his knees and hugged the borrowed blanked around his shoulders. "If sleeping in there with y'all will make things better for everyone, though - I'm more than happy to do it." Nodding at Caleb and giving Eric a smile, he struggled to his feet with a sigh. "Let's go." He trudged to the doorway and looked back at the other two apologetically.
Eric: 'Owen, we want to make things easier for you too. Let me be really clear, I would not have asked you to come back here and stay with us if I did not want you to be here. I don't feel any obligation or responsibility to take care of you; it's entirely a want. I want you here. I want to know you're safe, and I want to do everything I can to help you feel well again.' he said firmly, clearly. He thought it was as close to his 'Dom voice', as Caleb had called it, that he'd be able to get. He flashed Caleb a smile; grateful, tired and aware of just how special his boy was. He took Caleb's hand, and slid his arm around Owen's waist, low to avoid any pressure on his back. 'Lean against me if you need some help walking. Take your time.'
Caleb picked up Owen's pillow and tucked it under his arm before Eric took his hand. He sent his Dom a smile. Honestly, he should have anticipated this and put a stop to it as soon as he'd seen Eric setting up the sofa bed. After something this stressful, Eric needed to take care of the people in his charge. It was like a physical need for him. He couldn't relax unless he knew everyone was okay, and he could see them with his own eyes. "Don't feel guilty, Owen," he tried to reassure the other sub. "This is just who Eric is. Just roll with it. Resistance is futile."
At Eric's suggestion, Owen allowed himself to lean into the Dominant's shoulder. He still walked on his own accord but it certainly helped to be supported, both physically and emotionally. He had severely underestimated how badly he would need other people around him after the punishment. While he wanted to do what he felt in his mind was moral and right, the other two had it made it all too easy for him to give in and accept the closeness and intimacy he needed with other people. That need easily surmounted the need to have physical space due to his wounds. Quirking an inquisitive brow at the sub, Owen spoke up in a confused tone. "Futile means like...impossible, right?"
Eric let out a strange chuckle; strange because he was genuinely amused by Caleb's remarks, strange because it sounded hollow and strange to laugh after the night they'd had. 'Futile means Caleb knows his Dominant knows best and that everyone should just do as I say.' He squeezed his boy's hand and shook his head. Their bed was huge; and he was glad for it. There was more than enough room to sleep three people comfortably as they had so often done. He watched Caleb place the pillow and he did his best to help Owen get onto bed, to find a way to get comfortable. 'I turned the heat up so you shouldn't need a blanket. I figured the less pressure on your back the better.' he explained. He moved around to the other side and positioned himself in the middle of the bed, before holding out his hand to Caleb to draw him close.
Caleb found himself smiling despite himself at Eric's chuckle. "Futile means pointless," he told Owen. "As in, it's pointless to resist because Eric will win sooner or later anyway." He shot his Dom a look, a hint of a wry smile in his eyes. "Because his knows best and everyone should do as he says," he parroted. When they got to the bedroom, Caleb tried to help get Owen situated, pulling a sheet over his legs but stopping before it touched the whip marks. He was grateful his own injuries hadn't left him as raw as Owen's. Just some bruising and soreness and a massive headache. Exhausted as he was, though, he was happy to crawl into the other side of the bed and into Eric's extended arm. He curled into Eric, laying on his side so his stomach could be against Eric and he could lay his arm over his Dom's stomach.
The blonde nodded blankly, still not entirely sure that he had gathered the correct meaning of the word but figured now was hardly the time to request a vocabulary lesson. Owen giggled lightly at Caleb mimicking Eric. It was heartwarming to see, really. They truly were the picture of happiness that he'd always envisioned for himself. He had no doubt that there were serious Dominant-submissive dynamics to their relationship, considering how thoroughly dominant Eric was when the time called for it, but it was also obvious that it went much deeper than that. Through their natural playfulness, Owen could see a solid, lovely relationship. One that somehow struck the balance between one being dominant over the other in certain respects while still being equal partners in other, non-related things. It resembled the happiness that he had grown up seeing in his own parents' claim. While his pride in his school had been significantly dashed, his hope for something akin to what they had was rekindled a little bit in that moment. Upon entering Eric's room, Owen gingerly got into bed, laying on his stomach and allowed the other two to help get him situated. "Thanks." He said softly as Caleb handed him his pillow. After getting as comfortable as he could, he turned his head away from the other two, doing all he could in that moment to give them the privacy he still asserted they should have as a couple. "Goodnight." He murmured out, his blue eyes fluttering to a close and quickly enough he drifted off to sleep.
