Tau Upsilon Gamma [M+/M+] [update - 3/15/24] NEW POLL

[Guardianbound]

Not Wade's items being used against the TUG guys again!!

[DeeperThanRed]

Aside from the great award ceremony, I liked the tonal whiplash of this chapter.

You have Scott supplying a shy young man with bondage supplies... only for them to be unwittingly used on his friend. It's almost hard to blame his captors for the way Cody looks in a harness and jock! I hope he gets rescued... but not too soon.

[KidnappedCowboy]

Apart from the wonderful bondage elements in the story set in such fun settings, what I really liked about the latest chapter is Sam's visit to Wade's shop. You wrote his character so well. Sam reminded me of myself and my first visit to a Leather/Bondage store. I was thrilled, scared, and excited (if you get my drift! ) all at the same time. When the salesclerk came up to me -- as Scott comes up to Sam -- I nearly bolted for the door. Rather than saying I came for a "friend," however, I said I was "just curious." The clerk, like Scott, gave me that "Oh, Yeah! Right!" wink and nod.

Thanks, [mention]wataru14[/mention], for bringing back a happy memory to me!

[_zin_]

This story just gets better with every chapter! Glad to learn Cody hasn't been harmed. At least not yet. And that people are finally realizing something happened. Of course I cannot help but ponder about the upcoming Senior/Freshman retreat in the woods!

[Volobond]

Oh dang! I worry for poor Cody, but also... very good choice of outfit for him. I wonder what his captor's plans are!

Scott and Wade, once again, are adorable, and I hope that Scott can find his meaning in belonging to Wade, perhaps.

With LJ being so close to a certain rope instructor, maybe we can count on a more... heroic rescue than planned?

And congratulations to the winners! (Even poor Cody. At least he's got a prize waiting on the other end of this!)

[wataru14]

Chapter 8 – A Buncha Dang Idjits

But Cody wasn’t scared. Not anymore. He was mad. Very mad. He lurched forward at his captor, but was pulled back when the chain of his cuffs caught against the pole. He continued thrashing and shouting through his gag, letting out all the tension and fear of the last few hours. His captor wasn’t a sex fiend or a serial killer, he was a moron. And someone he knew well. Cody shouted “What the hell do you think you’re doing you dang idjit!?!?” but all Ryan heard was “mmppghghhh mppgghh!!” He chuckled and raised his hand to his ear in mock deafness.

Reaching the end of his mobility, Cody plopped back down on his bare butt onto the floor, but that didn’t stop him from kicking his booted legs wildly and shouting things through his gag that everyone present was better off not hearing. The normally calm and easygoing Cody had reached the end of his seemingly limitless patience. He had been grabbed from the Halloween party by a disturbing figure, stuffed in a garbage can, driven to a secure location, drugged, stripped, and put on display! He was afraid he was going to be raped… or worse. And now he finally gets to see his captor and it’s a doofus from the rodeo? Cody had taken enough.

Cody and Ryan had a long history. Their dads were rivals at the rodeo and that rivalry carried over vicariously into them on the Junior Circuit, as well. Off the saddles, they were good friends, but all bets were off once they got on. They had a pretty even win-loss record against each other, but Cody had managed to best him in the Junior Championships. Their final competition. Was THAT what this was all about? A petty act of revenge for his loss in the finals? It’s definitely something Cody could see Ryan doing. He was always known as a thrill-seeker with more guts than brains. Cody continued to buck and kick for a minute or two, purging everything he had been marinating in since he was stuffed in that garbage can.

Ryan was absolutely shocked. He had seen Cody riled up before. Even seen him get in a fight or two. But never did he see the serene cowboy frothing at the mouth like this. He took another step back. “Damn, boy!” he said. “You’re angrier than a wet cat. Can’t say I blame ya, though. But you’re cuffed to that pole. No matter how hard you buck you ain’t getting up from that. So do us all a favor and calm down, will ya?” With a final muffled expletive, Cody plopped down on the floor, his body still tense and shaking.

“All?” Cody managed to think through his rage. “That’s a funny way to talk about two people.” Ryan wasn’t the smartest fella Cody had ever met, but he could at least count to two. But for the moment, he was right. Even though Cody was furious, he knew that he wasn’t going to get out of this mess by force. Chains and concrete weren’t going to break no matter how much he struggled. So he sat back and allowed himself to calm. Using breathing techniques he had seen Shane using during his morning yoga. His skin was still flushed with rage, but he remained still. For now.

“There,” Ryan said. “That’s better. Now, I bet you’re wondering why you’re here.” Damn right Cody was. It wasn’t an attempt to make him miss a competition. Cody wasn’t currently riding and they had both aged out of the circuit anyway. It wasn’t for ransom, and it wasn’t for any sort of perverse end. Ryan was straight as the path to the gallows. So why would he come all the way out here to kidnap him like this? Some stupid prank?

Ryan got down on one knee to be more even with Cody. “I can see the gears turning in that noggin of yours,” he said, “First off, I’m not doing this for me. I was actually happy to see you go off to college. Less competition for me among the new riders in the adult circuit. Ha ha! Anyway, a few weeks ago a mutual friend of ours contacted me out of the blue with a business proposition. I hung up on him. The plan was crazy. Stupid. Would never work in a million years. But then I got to thinking.” Cody rolled his eyes. “Hardy har,” Ryan said.

Then he continued. “But it ate away at me. Could I actually do it? And get away with it? Could I catch the great Cody Jessup off guard and take him down? Surrounded by his friends and a whole ocean of people who’d kick my sorry ass if they caught me? It was a challenge. And you know me, I could never back away from a challenge.” Cody knew that part was true. Ryan was always a bit of a daredevil. He would do the darndest things if someone dared him to. He got into a lot of trouble that way, but he never seemed to mind. He always did like pushing the envelope. So this wasn’t his idea. Someone put him up to it. But who?

“So I decided to give it a shot,” Ryan continued. “I called our mutual friend back and took the job. Boy, was he happy to hear that. He’s been keeping an eye on you and told me about this fraternity thing and your upcoming schedule. He wanted to try out the auction thing for himself before letting me take a crack at ya, but it went bust. I was there as a spectator, but I didn’t bid. Antway, out friend got made. By two people! Some jock dude who looked like he was gonna crawl out of his own skin and that leather guy. They were both on to him. Still, he almost got away with it. He put aside major bank for this crazy scheme, but I guess he didn’t have enough money to outbid that Wade guy. So then it was my turn. When I heard about the free party invites with the auction tickets, I was like ‘well shit! Ain’t that something?” And, lucky me, it all worked out the way I wanted. Isn’t that funny?”

Cody rolled his eyes again. This situation was many things, but “funny” wasn’t one of them. He had figured out most of that story on his own. But he had thought the man in the Scream mask was the weirdo from the auction in disguise. He didn’t think it would be two different people, though. That was a bit of a shock. Ryan was clearly just bragging at this point, but his story didn’t didn’t answer any real questions. Namely: who was this “mutual friend” and what did he want?

Ryan said “But I bet you already knew that part. Figured most of that out by yourself. But what you don’t know is who hired me. Well, he’s right here. And once you see him, I bet this will make a whole lot more sense.”

Ryan stepped aside and Cody, for the first time, saw that someone else was in the room. He was sitting in a folding chair a slight ways back with his head down. The brim of a beat-up baseball cap covered his face. Cody tried to figure out who it was, but couldn’t. The mysterious figure kept his head down for a moment, like he was thinking about making a major decision. But then he looked up. Cody’s jaw hit the floor.

“Hello, Cody,” Sam said.



---

Back at the TUG House, the meeting room had been converted into a command center. Santucci and LJ were both there, the latter having been flown in on a redeye at Brett’s expense. Mason and Bryan were hard at work on a makeshift computer rig in the corner, pounding away at the keys like madmen. Nate and Hoss were sitting with Brett and the two adults at the table while Ray and Leo were compiling all the information they had on a dry erase board. Off to the side, just out of everyone’s way, was Travis. He had come with Santucci and had already told everyone what he had seen during the party. After giving his account, Travis didn’t know what to do with himself. He was going to leave, but Santucci told him to stay put.

“So what do we know so far?” Santucci asked the group.

“We have a blurry view of the truck leaving campus from the security cameras,” Mason said, not looking up from his computer screen, “but it’s not much to go on. Can’t see the plate. But thanks to Hoss’s auto expertise we have a definitive year, make, and model. I’m checking the State registration records now, but it will take time.”

“Don’t tell anyone I gave you the password for that database,” Santucci said, “or Gonzalez will have my ass on a plate. What about Cody’s phone?”

Bryan said “It’s either off or broken, so it’s very hard to track. I can tell it hasn’t left Metro City, but not much else. I’m trying a few ‘things’ to get a closer fix. It would be best if the good officer doesn’t ask what they are.”

“So we have nothing solid,” LJ said. “When I find this fucker I’m gonna put him in the ground. I don’t care if there is a cop in the room.” Hoss grunted in agreement.

“What’s that?” Santucci said, digging in his ear with his index finger. “I seem to have gone temporarily deaf. Anyway, it’s a start. And we wouldn’t even have this much if it weren’t for Travis.”

There was a leaden silence in the room, broken only when Leo went over to Travis, patted him on the arm and said “Thanks again, buddy. We owe you another one.”

Nate looked down at the floor. His phone was in his hand. He was the one Cody would be most likely to call, so he was assigned to keep watch on that. But he wasn’t watching at this moment. He had a particular contact open, his finger hovering over the call button. “Um…” he said nervously. “It looks like we’re getting nowhere right now. And it’s going to be slow going finding anything else out. I have a… friend who has infinitely more resources than we do. I could give him a call and ask for his help. If it’s a fraternity matter, he’d do it.”

Everyone’s eyes perked up. “Friend?” Danny said. “What kind of ‘friend’ are we talking about?” Hoss narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything.

“Nothing like that!” Nate gasped. “He’s… um… well…”

Brett stood up. “No!” he said, with extreme force. “Absolutely not. I know who you’re talking about, Nate. Believe me, I thought about it, too. But his help always comes with a price. Even for us. If things get truly desperate, we can explore that possibility, but for now, it’s best if we keep him out of it.”

Everyone looked confused, but Nate slowly nodded and closed his address book. He placed the phone back on the table.

Shane looked puzzled. “Something doesn’t add up,” he said. “This can’t be an attempt to hurt LJ. He would have gotten some kind of gloating phone call by now. Same thing if it was a ransom. And it can’t be random. I can’t imagine someone would try snatching someone from the middle of a giant party like that on the fly. It must be premeditated. Someone who knows Cody. But I can’t imagine anyone who could possibly have a grudge against him.” LJ agreed.

“There’s more,” Travis said softly. “At the auction, I… saw someone. Well, I didn’t quite see him because it was dark. But there was someone there that I didn’t recognize. And I got really weird vibes from him. So did Wade. We talked about it outside after…” he trailed off. He still couldn’t look at Ray. “Anyway, that’s why Wade bid the way he did. He felt it, too.”

“The auction?” Mason said. “Yeah, I thought that was weird. But…” He had a sudden thought and opened a new browser window. “That happened inside a University building. Everything on campus is on camera. If I could get access to the security feed, we can scour the crowd and maybe get a face. But we need someone with access. Can we call the advisor?”

“I already tried,” Brett said. “He and JD aren’t answering any calls. He probably won’t even check his phone until he gets back from Bora Bora. We’re on our own on this. Officer Santucci?”

“That’s University property,” Santucci said. “Even though the ex-mayor’s dumb law was repealed, I still can’t just march in and demand the password. I can get a warrant, but it will take time. Who else has access?”

It was Leo who answered. “Not teachers, I’ll tell you that much. Only administrators and University PD would have that code.” There was another heavy silence. Then Leo looked at his wrist, pretending there was a watch on it. “Well, would you look at the time! I hate to skip out on you all, but I have early classes tomorrow and you know how dedicated to education I am. I gotta run. Keep me posted.” He headed for the door, but stopped when Brett grabbed his arm. Brett looked him straight in the eyes and gave a slow nod.

“Sleep well,” was all he said.

---

Cody blinked in disbelief. It was Sam! HE was the mastermind behind this? Shy, quiet Sam? Cody blinked in disbelief as he remembered the last time they saw each other. Two days before the summer started. At that party in the woods he mentioned during Truth or Dare. Cody and LJ were going to spend the summer with some cousins up in the mountains before he headed off to college and his rodeo friends had decided to throw him a goodbye party the night before they left. Sam rarely went to these sorts of gatherings, but he did show up for this one. Cody was glad to see that. And Sam seemed to enjoy himself, too. He and Cody talked for a long time that night. Then came that moment when Sam looked like he wanted to kiss him but didn’t take his shot. SAM was the one behind all this?

Sam stood rather awkwardly just off Ryan’s shoulder. He was taller than Ryan, so he could clearly be seen, even if he looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. But he didn’t. He took a deep breath and stepped in front of Ryan, nervously looking down at the shocked and stunned Cody.

“So how have you been?” Sam said. He must have forgotten momentarily that Cody was gagged because he seemed like he was waiting for an answer. After an awkward, embarrassed chuckle, Sam said “I’ve been thinking about you ever since that party. I’ve been kicking myself for being too shy to tell you how I felt. I just couldn’t get you out of my mind. So I’ve been keeping tabs on you. Following your social media and such to keep up on your activities. I knew you’d hook up with a fraternity when you got to college, but I gotta admit I was a little surprised at the one you chose. Especially after I did some research. I had no idea you were into… all that. I bet you’re really enjoying yourself right now, huh?”

Cody thought that sounded like a bad villain line from a movie, but the more he thought about it, he began to realize that there was no sarcasm or scorn in Sam’s words. He really meant what he was saying. Cody’s eyes got wide. Now this all made sense! Whatever this was, Sam was doing it as a hairbrained attempt to impress him!

“When I saw what your frat is into, I gotta say I was pretty shocked,” Sam said. “And I was even more shocked when you got that job at the… shop. I just couldn’t believe it. They say college changes people. Or it shows them who they really are and gives them a chance to be themselves. I don’t know which is happening with you, but I do know that you’re into this. The leather. The bondage. That whole scene.” Sam paused again. “So I decided to give you what you like. I called up Ryan and got his help because he’s the only one I know who’s brave and crazy enough to do it.”

Cody’s head spun. “Oh, Sam,” he thought. “If you wanted to come up here and reconnect, I’d have been fine with that. If you wanted to hang out alone together and see where things went, I’d be fine with that, too. More than fine, actually. You didn’t have to…” But Cody was unable to verbalize that with his mouth gagged. He could just look up at Sam in confusion. And more than a little pity.

“So we did this for you, don’t you see?” Sam said. Ryan nodded. “I have to admit I don’t get it, but if it’s what you like, I’ll do my best to understand. I want you to enjoy this.”

“Oh, Sam,” Cody thought. “You damned fool.”

Ryan joined in. “I don’t get it, either,” he said. “The leather thing I can see. It’s tough and badass. But liking getting tied up? I dunno. Seems weird to me. But who am I to judge, eh? Look, Cody. We may have been rivals, and things sometimes got heated, but you’re a good soul. I never told you this, but you’re pretty much my best friend. I know, right? And you deserve to be happy. So does Sam. And I think you could be happy together. I saw how you two were looking at each other during that party (wink wink). And your story during Truth or Dare cinched it for me. So call me Mr. Matchmaker! Sam wants to show you a good time and I’m a-gonna help him do it. For you! Now this is just the beginning! Hunker down now, ‘cause we got lots more planned!”

Cody couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Were they really doing this to… impress him? Because he thought being kidnapped would be a turn-on? At first, he was slightly offended by that, but then he got to thinking. “No, I can’t be mad,” he thought. “They don’t know any better. I may have always been bi, but I had no idea about kink culture until I joined TUG. And then it all made sense. If it was four months ago I would probably be thinking the same as them. I can’t blame them for this whole stupid mess. Actually, it’s kind of… sweet? In a weird, misguided way…”

As Cody pondered this, Ryan bent down and threaded a pair of handcuffs between his back and the pole – the opposite pattern of the ones already on his wrists. The two chains surrounded the pole on either side. He took Cody’s already-shackled wrists and locked the bracelets around them, above the ones already there. Then he unlocked the old cuffs. Cody was now able to be removed from the pole, but was still fettered. “Didn’t think he’d be smart enough to do that,” Cody thought glumly. “Thought my hands would be free for a moment and I could try to get away. They’re not giving me a chance to use my hands at all.” He watched as Sam undid the shackles around his ankles. He thought about kicking out and making a run for it, but he might hurt Sam. And mad as he was at this whole situation, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. He offered no resistance as Sam put the shackles down and started to remove Cody’s boots again.

From behind, Ryan lifted Cody up and stood him on his socked feet. Were they going to move him to a different location? He didn’t have to ponder this for very long as Ryan answered Cody’s unasked question on his own. “We got something fun planned for ya,” Ryan chuckled. “And more than a little naughty. But based on what I saw at that party, I think you might get a kick out of it.” Cody was puzzled. True, he was much more relaxed now that he knew who his kidnappers were and that they didn’t have any sinister plans, but he was still a little apprehensive about what they had in store for him. Still, it would be better to just go along with it for now. He raised his left leg as Sam held up a pair of jeans underneath him. They were his size and must have been brought by Sam and Ryan for his purpose. He stepped into the leg, then did the same with his right foot, and let Sam slide the denim up his legs and zip them closed.

Sam’s gaze (and hands) lingered a moment longer than necessary by the leather cup of Cody’s jockstrap. He was tempted to cop a quick feel, but decided not to. “No,” he thought. “Not like this. If I’m going to experience that I want it to be because he wanted to. Not because I took advantage while he was helpless.” Sam grabbed Cody’s boots and helped back him into them. Cody felt good to be dressed in normal clothes again. Even if just partially.

“Now,” Ryan said. “Your friends think you’re visiting your pa, so we have you all weekend! So we’re gonna go out and have a little fun in the big city. See the sites. And you’re coming along!” Cody thought it was an extremely odd thing to do. What was to stop him from running off or just telling someone they met that these two had kidnapped him? What were they planning to do? Walk around with him tied and gagged in front of everybody? When Sam picked up a Carhart jacket that was just a bit too large for Cody and began to bring it over to him, Cody realized that was exactly what they were planning to do!

Ryan chuckled as he saw Cody’s realization. “So you figured it out!” he said. “Yes, bucko, you’re gonna be tied and gagged the whole time. Out there in the city with everyone walking past you having no idea. Doesn’t that sound fun?” Cody scrunched his brow. Were they really planning to do this? Something with such a high risk of discovery? Were they really THAT stupid? As Sam placed the jacket over his torso, Cody thought that the dangling sleeves with no arms would be a dead giveaway. Someone would notice how suspicious that looked. But apparently Sam and Ryan had already thought of that. Sam picked up two mannequin arms, with gloves over the hands, and inserted them into the jacket sleeves. They were fastened to the inside of the jacket’s shoulders and hung down at his sides. Other than the fact that they didn’t move, they looked perfectly natural. No one would notice anything amiss unless they took the time to really study him.

Sam zipped up the jacket, covering the harness. Other than the tape over his mouth, Cody looked completely normal. In a city like New York, the boys’ attire would have stood out and marked them as tourists. People would notice them. But Metro City, being in the Midwest, was full of guys dressed like that. They’d blend in with the crowd perfectly. If not for the tape over his mouth, Cody wouldn’t raise any suspicion at all. Sam knew what Cody was thinking and said “Yeah, the gag is a little obvious. But we can’t take it out. Can’t risk you telling anyone we kidnapped you, right? So we have a solution.” He took a bandana from his pocket and folded it into a triangle. He tied it around Cody’s face like a bandit mask. Everything from his nose down was hidden from view by the dark blue paisley fabric.

“People still wear Covid masks from time to time,” Ryan said “Especially in dense places like cities. So that won’t stand out none.” He and Sam each took surgical masks from their pockets and held them up. “We’re all gonna wear them so no one will question yours.” Cody frowned. It looks like they had their bases covered. No one would think anything was amiss if they walked by him. Ryan took a beat-up ball cap and put it on Cody’s head to cover his gelled and matted hair. “There, pretty as a picture.” He patted Cody’s fake arm, but Cody just rolled his eyes.

It was clear that these two weren’t going to hurt him or anything, so he decided to just go along with their hairbrained scheme and get it overwith. The sooner they got back, the closer they’d be to letting him go. And he could always try to slip away from them in the city somewhere…

“I bet you’re thinking about causing a ruckus when we get out there and trying to get someone to notice you,” Ryan smirked. “Well, I wouldn’t advise it. Suppose someone did say something and called the cops. As soon as they open that jacket and see that harness, no one will believe that you’ve been kidnapped. Sam and I will say that it was consensual. That it’s a kinky exhibitionist sex thing. And people will believe that, don’t kid yourself. And you’re pretty well-known, eh, Mr. Rodeo star? How do you think that will look when people start saying that the Junior National Rodeo champion is a sex pervert, doing kinky things in public? They might even think you’re an escort. I’m sure the papers out West would have a lot of fun with that story. How do you think LJ would react to that, huh?”

This made Cody laugh to himself. The LJ they both knew would be pretty shocked. But LJ wasn’t that man anymore. They had come to an understanding after the barbecue and LJ had become part of this new world with him. He wouldn’t say a thing. And as for the rest of what they said… well, that was true. Based on how he was dressed underneath his clothes, no one would believe him if he said he was being forced. And if Ryan and Sam didn’t say it was a sex thing, they’d say it was some sort of public prank. Like they do on Youtube and Tiktok. People would definitely believe that. Especially since he was part of a fraternity with a reputation for hijinks. He didn’t have a lot of options here.

But then Cody got a strange thought. Why should he be embarrassed? If TUG had taught him nothing in the short months he had been with them it was that you should always be who you are and be proud of it. No one hid anything in that crew. Well, except Hoss, that is. Nate had filled Cody in on the “specifics” of their relationship, but so far no one else but them and Scott knew the full details. But that was understandable. Hoss needed time to adjust. To accept it. But other than that, no one hid who they were or what they liked. So why should he? And besides, even though he hated to admit it, this was kinda fun. And more than a little hot.

Cody looked up to Wade for many reasons, but one of the major ones was that Wade made no excuses and DGAF about anything. He walked around in public looking like he was heading to Kink Night in Castro. He’d wear t-shirts with phrases that would make the people back home clutch their pearls. And Cody respected that. Maybe even envied it a little. And he had to admit, what they were doing was quite a turn-on. Ryan was right. It was kinky and naughty and more than a little dangerous. The thrill of possible discovery was quite hot, he had to admit. So maybe he should just sit back any try to enjoy it? Hmmm.

Sam could see the thoughts whirling through Cody’s head and watched with frightened tension. He didn’t know why he came up with this crazy plan in the first place. He knew Cody had joined a frat with a certain… reputation… and he knew that had to mean Cody was into that sort of thing, himself. He had almost no knowledge of kink and gay culture, so he figured that Cody would have been giddy with excitement at this whole thing. Bound and gagged, leather, exhibitionism. Isn’t that what they liked? But Cody’s reaction to the whole thing was not what he expected. He seemed upset. Even hurt. That wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted to get Cody alone, away from the group, so they could talk and reconnect. Maybe even build something further. Based on what Ryan told him that Cody said at the party, he definitely had a shot. He should have gone to the party himself and just talked to Cody. Why didn’t he do that??? Sam got a hot, nervous feeling and thought that this had gone too far. He looked at Ryan and was about to call the whole thing off, when Cody grunted an affirmative and shrugged his shoulders, signaling acceptance of their plan.

The mannequin arms jostled limply as his shoulders settled, making everyone in the room chuckle. Even Sam. Cody looked over at the “mastermind” behind his “kidnapping.” He was cute, no denying that. But in a sad and shy way. He was clearly out of his element. This whole thing had to be as strange and scary to him as it was to Cody. More so, even. The plan was stupid, but Sam had put himself at great risk to do something like this. But Cody had to admit it was sort of sweet that Sam was doing this just for him. Because he thought that something kinky and naughty would please him. It was a weird and misguided attempt to woo him, but Cody was more than a little touched at the effort. If things fell apart and they got found out, Sam and Ryan would face severe legal penalties if Cody’s story was believed. And he was sure they all knew it. If they were found out, would he say something? Or would he go along with the ruse to protect them? Sam wanted to be near him so much, how could he ruin that?

Seeing Cody’s acquiescence, Sam’s face lit up. Ryan said “OK cowboy, let’s go. There’s a big city out there to experience and we want to see it all. Just us and our prisoner.” Cody smiled under his gag when he saw how happy Sam was. It was more than a little adorable. Were Sam and Ryan right? Was he getting turned on by this? Would it lead to something? Right now, Cody didn’t know, but as the group stepped out the door of the house and into the street, he had the feeling he would find out.

Coming Soon: Part 9 – Leo’s Luck Runs Out

[Bootmark]

What an interesting turn of events! Great addition to the story.

[Guardianbound]

Look at Cody stealing hearts left and right, unfortunately/fortunately for him these suitors take to bundling him up and taking him away Hope LJ and gang finds him soon though, they must be worried sick

[gag1195]

As cute as this ended up being, I still don't see it ending well for the parties involved, especially not with the entirety of TUG hunting them down! I suspect that Sam and Ryan will have a bit of an education in the same way LJ had. Maybe then they'll understand things better! A bit worried for Leo given the upcoming chapter title though!

[KidnappedCowboy]

Wow!

This is an interesting turn of events for Cody. It appears he is going to let Sam and Ryan have their fun with him, thinking that it will be the quickest way to his heart. Will his TUGs' brothers interrupt Cody's plans? And what will Nathan think? And Cody will have to break Sam's heart...

Oh! The chains of love...!

[CowboyStud]

Wow!

This is an interesting turn of events for Cody. It appears he is going to let Sam and Ryan have their fun with him, thinking that it will be the quickest way to his heart. Will his TUGs' brothers interrupt Cody's plans? And what will Nathan think? And Cody will have to break Sam's heart...

Oh! The chains of love...!

I think Nate is with Hoss - they def. have chemistry.
I think Sam is the dominant that dominates Cody. I think Cody needs that.

[KidnappedCowboy]

Wow!

This is an interesting turn of events for Cody. It appears he is going to let Sam and Ryan have their fun with him, thinking that it will be the quickest way to his heart. Will his TUGs' brothers interrupt Cody's plans? And what will Nathan think? And Cody will have to break Sam's heart...

Oh! The chains of love...!

I think Nate is with Hoss - they def. have chemistry.
I think Sam is the dominant that dominates Cody. I think Cody needs that.

Getting mixed up! Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!

[Volobond]

I can sympathize greatly with Sam, but it really doesn't excuse his activities or anything. In a world where he can go get some gear from a leather shop, it's also a world where he can look up basic kink etiquette online from an incognito tab on his browser if need be - he and Ryan need an education, and I hope TUG is soon on the scene to teach. In the meanwhile, I will be enjoy Cody's predicament and growing confidence in himself, and reveling in the idea that I could have a chance with him if I was sensible enough not to immediately launch into kidnapping him without consent

[wataru14]

Chapter 9: Leo’s Luck Runs Out

Time: 1100 Hours
Location: Metro City University Administration Building

The postmodern edifice loomed at the end of the path like the Bastille. Nate was the architecture nerd, but even Leo could tell it was a stark contrast to the rest of the buildings around it. Rather than go for a quaint 19th-Century aesthetic like the other department offices nearby, Administration was a geometric obscenity. Built in the 1920s in the art-deco style, it was a perfect cube with a smaller cube on top of it, perfectly centered. Faux gold piping and embellishments decorated the front, but the main feature was the gaudy mural that took up almost the whole front face of the upper cube. It depicted the triumph of education over darkness. Or at least that’s what the artist said. It was a bunch of incomprehensible angular figures doing vague things. Nate thought it was genius and had sketched it out in his charcoal pencils, but Leo thought it looked like something the Dwarves in Lord of the Rings would build. He did appreciate how the office windows were cleverly hidden inside the decorative work, though.

At this time of night, no one would be in this area of campus. No one but Leo, that is. Even the latest of midnight-oil-burning office workers would have gone home by now. Only the night cleaning crew would be in the building. And Leo had no fear of them. Working people cared little if a student was in the building, and Leo could easily come up with a plausible excuse if he was challenged. He brought along an essay, just in case he needed a prop for his subterfuge. He already had the “This is due tomorrow and I NEED to get it into Professor Blair’s mailbox before morning!” lie prepared. It had never failed him before. He strolled up to the building confidently. He found that any randos that happened to be unexpectedly around would overlook someone who acted like they were supposed to be there. The door was locked, but that wasn’t an obstacle for him.
A quick pin inserted here, a little turn of the wrist there, and voila! The lock popped open cleanly.

Leo slipped in and closed the door behind him. He would lock it when he left. It wouldn’t serve him to have to waste time unlocking it again if he needed to make a quick getaway. The lights were on and he heard the dull hum of a floor buffer going down the hall to his left. “Cleaners are that way,” he thought. “Better avoid that area. Now let’s see. Where are the stairs?”
Leo made his way across the lobby like a shadow and skirted the reception desk, making the faintest of footfalls as he passed into the main hall towards the staircase. He needed to get to the higher-ups’ offices. His target was the office of the Dean of Student Discipline. If anyone would have the access code to the cameras in an easily-findable place, it would be him. All he had to do was avoid the cleaners, get into the office, acquire the code, and get out again. Simple. No sweat. Easy peasy.

---

Other than DIX, TUG had a good working relationship with the other fraternities. They were closest with their two next-door neighbors: Tau Kappa Lambda and Nu Rho Delta, but were on friendly terms with all the others, too. But that didn’t mean things were always rosy. Frat boys were frat boys, after all, and Leo could never resist the urge to pull a good prank when the situation called for it. And even when it didn’t. Why, just a week or two ago he had made a little foray into the student parking lot after hours with a box of saran wrap and enveloped the car of the president of Beta Rho Omicron in clingy green film. He even put a big bow on top! As far as pranks went, it wasn’t his best, but it was an effective classic. And after all, what was life without humor? Unfortunately, the boys of BRO didn’t appreciate the fine art of comedy. Duke, their president, took it on the chin when he found his car in the morning, and laughed along with the crowd, but he was definitely not happy. Payback was planned in whispered conversations later that day, but with everything TUG had been through, it wasn’t good form to retaliate at the time. But now that everything was back in full swing, BRO was not about to let something like that pass.

Duke wasn’t expecting to see anyone out and about this late. He had made a late-night run to the campus convenience store for some snacks and managed to get in and out before closing. Imagine his surprise when he saw one of the TUG Pledges, Leo, sneaking around the admin complex while he was heading back to Fraternity Row! Duke had been at TUG’s Halloween Party, dressed as Luke Skywalker, and had overheard Leo bragging about the saran-wrapped car to some other guests. Duke wasn’t surprised that Leo was behind it, but it was nice to get a full confirmation. Now he knew exactly who to exact his retribution from. There were rules to prank wars and it was considered a big faux pas to target someone who wasn’t involved. Even if they were part of the same team. But now everything was crystal clear. Duke stood in the dark of the footpath and watched as Leo jimmied the door to the admin building.

“Now what’s THAT about?” Duke said to himself. “The little prankster is alone and unguarded and definitely up to no good? I smell an opportunity for some payback.” Duke grabbed his phone and called the BRO House.

“Gabe,” he said in whispered tones. “I need a solid. I need you to meet me at the administration building. Pronto, bruh. Oh, and there’s some things I need you to bring…”



---

Leo nonchalantly strode through the uppermost floor of the building. The cleaners always started on the bottom and worked their way up, so it would be a while before they got up here. He passed the offices of the Department Heads, grabbing a paper pinned to the door from one and switching it with another down the hall. “Just a little controlled chaos,” he chuckled as he swapped the graduate advisement schedules for the Journalism and History majors. One of the last offices before the bigwigs’ was the Chair of the Science Department. TUG’s advisor. Leo salivated with glee.

As he reached for the door, however, he stopped short. Something about the notices on the bulletin board outside the office caught his eye. To anyone else, they would seem to be slaphazardly pinned up, but to a trained eye like Leo’s, there was clearly a message. Between the printed images from the James Webb telescope and the office hours sign-up sheet was a picture. A cartoon. It depicted a lion in a TUG sweatshirt looking out directly at the reader. A word balloon read “Don’t even think about it!”

Leo chuckled to himself. “Message received, prof,” he said, saluting the board. He turned and headed down the hall. The Dean of Student Discipline’s office was two up on the right. Of course he knew where it was! He had been dragged there at least twice already this term!

A quick look over his shoulder and Leo slipped the lockpick from the inner pocket of his leather jacket. He inserted the pins and began turning. “A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants, and bingo!” The lock clicked open with ease. “Sometimes it’s so easy, I’m ashamed of myself.” Leo slipped in and shut the door behind him.

“Now the DoSD is dumb as a proverbial bag of rocks,” Leo said to himself. “So he will definitely have all his passwords written down. And in an easily accessible place…” he began to fiddle around in the drawers of the desk. “Let’s see, I need a notebook or day planner… like this one!” Leo reached in the drawer. His fingers brushed the notebook’s cover but he didn’t pick it up. Instead, he froze like an escaped convict in the spotlight as the fluorescent lights of the room turned on.

“Well, what’ve we got here?” Duke said, standing in the doorway.

Leo weighed his options. There was a window, but being on the fourth floor meant that it was useless as an escape route. He could try to fake out Duke and bolt for the door, but he noticed Gabe was standing just outside the doorway in the hall. He wouldn’t get far trying that with a blocker present. He had one choice: talk it out. “Duuuuuuke, my man!” he said, with all the friendly warmth he could muster. “Buddy! Homie! Bro!” Leo smiled at the pun. Duke didn’t. He took a step into the office.

Leo dropped the saccharine tone. “Look, I bet you’re still pretty mad about the whole saran-wrap-car thing,” he said. “I would be, too. But you have to admit it was pretty funny, right? No? You don’t think it was funny at all? Not even a little? Well, shit.”

“And just what are you doing in here?” Duke asked. “The building is closed. Are you stealing something?”

“What?” Leo said, feigning offense. “Not at all!” That was technically true, but he didn’t have time to explain the nuance to the interloper. So he came up with a quick lie. “I was playing a prank. I thought, who is a tight-assed stuffed shirt that needs a little mischief to shake things up? Why, the Dean of Student Discipline! I was going to rig his drawer to spray shaving cream on him when he opened it. I have all this stuff…” Leo pulled an assortment of wires and rubber bands from his pocket. He always kept such things on hand for just such an emergency.

“Uh huh,” Duke said. “Sure you are. Now I know you aren’t going to tell me why you’re in here, but to tell the truth, I don’t really care. But you know who will? The Dean. He’ll be very interested to know you were snooping around in here. Maybe I should tell him.”

Leo jumped. “No!” he sputtered. That would be a one-way trip to expulsion. And maybe even jail. “Look, Duke, I’ll level with you. There’s something in this office I need. It’s very important. Like, life or death important. I can’t tell you what it is or why I need it, but you have to trust me. I’m not bullshitting you on this.” Leo thought of Cody, somewhere out there in the city, languishing in captivity. At the mercy of an unknown abductor. And how vital this code was to finding him. Everything hinged on the next few minutes.

“Save it,” Gabe said from the doorway. “We owe you one, and we’re going to give it to you. If you weren’t ready for a prank war, then you shouldn’t have fired the first shot.”

“Exactly,” Duke chuckled. “This little… whatever it is… is over. You’re going to take your lumps like a man and that’s that. Or you can run, and then we’ll call the Dean first thing in the morning. The choice is yours.”

Leo gritted his teeth. There was no way to talk himself out of this. Duke and Gabe were determined. But would they really follow through on that threat? He doubted it. They were from BRO, not DIX. They were generally pretty chill guys. And he hated to admit it, but they did have a legit beef. On another day he would be happy to involve himself in the next stage of an ongoing prank war, but their timing sucked donkey balls. Cody was in potential mortal danger. Leo thought for a moment. Whatever he did, this night raid was a bust. No matter what, he wasn’t getting the password right now. The best thing for him to do was go with them, let them do what they wanted, and then try to sneak back in before morning. It was shortly after midnight now and he had until 7 am or so before anyone would be up and around on this side of campus. He slowly shut the drawer.

“OK, guys, you got me,” he said, holding his hands up like an outlaw in front of the sheriff’s posse. “I guess I brought this on myself. I’ll go with you, but you have to promise that if I do, this whole B&E thing stays between us.”

“Scout’s honor,” Duke said. And that meant something. Duke was very proud that he was an Eagle Scout in high school. He talked about it all the time. And he would never EVER go back on a promise made in that name. Leo nodded and Duke stepped aside, letting him walk past out the door. Gabe took the lead, then Leo, then Duke following close behind, as they made their way back out through the building. They avoided the cleaning crew and stepped out into the administration plaza.

Leo thought about bolting again, especially when they were outside. But he decided against it. Sure, he could probably outrun them now that they were in the open, but they’d head right back to the building and stay there. He wouldn’t be able to get back inside. And then they’d be looking for him during the day. Avoiding them would be an unnecessary strain on his freedom of movement, and would hamper him if he was needed for additional covert work. They could end up becoming an unwelcome distraction at a key moment. Kinda like they were right now.

“I gotta say, that was a great party,” Duke said. His usual laid-back friendliness coming back. “We’re throwing one at end of term, right before Christmas Break, and you guys are all welcome to come.”

“Thanks,” Leo said, “I’ll tell the others.” He was trying to be cordial, but all he could think about is how this little excursion was taking time away from his mission: time no one knew if Cody had to spare. The trio chatted about casual things for a bit until they came to the library plaza. At this time of night, it would be deserted, but first thing in the morning it would be buzzing with students and faculty.

“Here we are!” Gabe said, reaching into the satchel he had slung over his shoulder.

“OK,” Duke said. “Time for our revenge! Just stand there with your arms at your sides, if you please.”

As soon as Leo complied and stood at attention, Duke grabbed him in a bearhug from behind. That was quite unexpected. They must really have wanted him to hold still for what was coming. It was then that Leo saw what Gabe had in the satchel: several sealed boxes of saran wrap. “I see irony isn’t dead,” Leo said glumly. Gabe ignored his quip as he opened the first box. “How many boxes did they bring?” Leo thought. “Looks like this isn’t going to be the cursory jaunt I expected.” Leo was trapped, and good. Duke, while certainly no powerhouse, was stronger than Leo was, and with Gabe right there to intervene, he wouldn’t be able to wriggle free. His only hope was that they would do a shoddy job that he could easily escape from. He was optimistic about his chances when he saw how much trouble Gabe was having with the wrap. It kept sticking to itself and making a rather messy clump of the leading edge. But Gabe wasn’t interested in aesthetics. He just clamped the unruly edge over Leo’s shins and started winding the clingy film around like mad.

At first, the wrap was just a loose layer of nothing, but that soon changed. At Duke’s direction, Gabe wound it tighter and tighter with each revolution around Leo’s legs, forcing them together… increasingly firmly. Leo had expected the wrapping to move quickly up the length of his body, but that, also, was not the case. Each revolution of the tacky film was only a hair higher than the one above. The layers were tightly compacted and overlapping. And developing a noticeable thickness. The multiple layers started to become slightly opaque from the greenish tint of the material. “Oh, shit,” Leo thought. “That’s not good.”

The first box was exhausted just past Leo’s knees. He tried to pull his legs apart as Gabe struggled with the second box, but the pressure was too strong. He could feel a slight stretch in the wrappings, but they didn’t give. He sneakily stretched his fingers down towards where the end of the wrapping was. If he could dislodge it from where it was clinging to the layer beneath, it might give him enough slack to work with once his captors left him alone. Just a little bit…

OW! Leo retracted his hand after Gabe gave his knuckles a quick slap. “Ah ah ah!” Gabe taunted. “No fair trying to loosen it. You better take your punishment or we’ll follow through on what we said and tell the Dean you were in his office.” At this point, Leo didn’t care. For all he knew, Cody’s life was on the line. That was far more important than some mystery punishment from the Dean. But no. He wouldn’t be of any help to anyone if the university sent him packing. Gabe managed to make a serviceable edge on the second box of film and applied it right over where the previous one ended. And up and up it slowly inched. After a minute, the clingy plastic had encased Leo’s hands, trapping them beneath a translucent prison flush against his sides. With their captive’s hands now out of commission, Duke released his bearhug and grabbed a third box. With a quick snicker-snack it popped open and Leo looked down to see Duke slap the leading edge of his supply over the epaulet of his leather jacket and start winding the film downwards.

Down over his shoulders. Up over his waist. Down around his biceps. Up over his midsection. Down over his chest. By the time the two lengths of wrap approached meeting, Duke was on his second box and Gabe was on this third. “Damn!” Leo said, squirming awkwardly. “Is your major Egyptology or something?” Duke and Gabe chuckled at that, but kept on applying the saran wrap up and down Leo’s torso, finally meeting in the middle, just above his belly button.

“Jesus!” Leo thought. “Just how many of these did they bring???” Leo’s question was answered as both captors exhausted their supplies and Duke produced box number six.

“Last one,” Duke said with a smirk. “Just to make it pretty.” The last box of film was applied over the top of his plastic cocoon, smoothing out and covering any stray edges. By the time box number six was exhausted, Leo was completely encased from neck to ankles in the tacky film. He looked like a cross between King Tut and a fragile lamp being prepped for shipping. It was wrapped so thickly and tightly it was almost impossible to see through it. The film’s green tinge obscured everything beneath it, making Leo just feet and a head surrounded by a wall of stretchy plastic. The tightly packed layers added at least an inch or two to Leo’s width all around.

Pleased with their handiwork, Duke and Gabe picked Leo up by his arms and legs and laid him gently down on the grass on his back. “Now we’re even,” Duke said, gazing down at his captive triumphantly. “I hope you’ll think twice before trying to prank us again.”

At this point, Leo just wanted the two of them to leave so he could work on freeing himself. “That’s right!” he said. “I sure learned my lesson, ha ha. No more pranks for me! You guys won! Congratulations!” He squirmed a little bit to seem more defeated and pathetic.

“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Duke said. “Well, we did what we came to do. So we’ll leave you to your humiliation. You have a few hours left before the morning joggers come by. If you can get free before then, great. If not… well, even better.” He reached down and pinched Leo’s cheek mockingly. “Oh, there’s just one more thing.”

Before Leo could ask “And what is that?” Gabe stuffed a balled-up washcloth in his mouth. Duke wrapped a knotted cloth over that with lightning speed and tied it off behind Leo’s head. “No fair calling for help,” Duke said. “If you’re going to get loose, you have to do it on your own.” He clapped Leo on the shoulder twice and then got up. “See you around, Leo.” And, after snapping a batch of photos for posterity, the two of them disappeared into the night.

Leo gave it about 30 seconds before he started squirming and stretching like mad. He tried to slip out of the wrappings. No good. He tried to summon up whatever strength he could to burst the wrappings. Still no good. He tried to slip his fingers into his pocket to get his keys to use as a hacksaw. That could work, but it would take time. Time he, and Cody, didn’t have. With a frustrated howl through his gag, Leo kicked his mummified legs in impotent fury. He had failed.

“I’m sorry, Cody,” Leo said. “I tried. I really did.”

---

Shortly after sunrise, the ROTC squad was on their morning run across campus. They jogged in tight formation down the dewy streets of the university, singing a series of cadences at their CO’s prompting. When they got to the library plaza, however, the CO held up his hand in a closed fist, signaling the group to stop.

“Look at this!” he said disgustedly. He pointed down at a massive pile of discarded saran wrap that was strewn about on the grass just off the sidewalk. “People have no respect. Just leaving all this trash around. Squad! I want this garbage disposed of immediately!”

“SIR, YES SIR!!!”

As the group began to descend upon the plastic detritus, Benjamin stopped Victor and said “Saran wrap? And so much of it? That’s weird, don’t you think?”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Victor said. He picked up a large chunk and held it up. It had a very distinctive shape. Like it had been molded to fit the contours of a human body. “Wait. This looks like…”

Benjamin shushed his friend as they carried the discarded wrappings to a nearby garbage pail. “Quiet! Don’t let Sarge hear you. I know exactly what it looks like and who does shit like this. But this isn’t their usual style. Too messy and not public enough. If they were going to wrap someone up outside of their house, they wouldn’t do it at night where no one could see. But it’s still weird. After we’re done with our run, I’m going to call Danny. Something strange is going on and they’re definitely involved somehow.”

“Yeah,” Victor said. “I have a weird feeling, too. Maybe we should go over there instead of calling.”

“Enough jibbajabba!” the CO barked. Seeing the cleanup was complete. “Let’s get moving!” And with one last look at the grass, Benjamin and Victor got back in line and resumed their run. They passed the student union and into the administration plaza, still chanting. But the formation stopped again when a loud popping sound, followed by an angry shout, erupted from one of the upper windows of the administration building.

“WHO THE HELL PUT SHAVING CREAM IN MY DRAWER?!?!?!?”

Coming Soon: Conclusion – Reunion


So it’s time for another poll! The Senior/Freshman retreat is coming up, and it is TUG tradition for the Frosh to spend time with a Senior who isn’t their Big Bro. So post in the thread which pairs you would like to see have some private “bonding” time.

[gag1195]

All things considered, I think Leo got off easy. Though I am looking forward to more of this prank war between him and Duke! Hopefully Leo was still able to complete his mission!

And now we're getting the ROTC guys involved! This entire campus is about to join the manhunt for Cody!

As for the retreat... hmmm... this is an interesting decision!

Leo and Shane: As at the beginning of the story, this reason is completely selfish, but I want my favorite from each group to pair off! For a retreat, I think these two could have some fun, and Leo could potentially coax some more information about Brett out of Shane!

Cody and Hoss: Lots of people wanted these country boys to be a pledge/senior pair, so now's a good chance to see what that might have looked like. Besides, after the ordeal Cody's had, I think he deserves the quiet, calm, and strength that Hoss brings.

Nate and Brett: I think this bonding retreat would be a great time for Brett to have a private conversation with Nate about the freshman's recent relationship with a certain TUG alum...

Mason and Scott: This one is more of a process of elimination pairing, I'll admit. But I like the idea of Mason spending this retreat with Scott and appreciating his Big Brother Danny all the more! Grass is greener and all that.

Ray and Danny: I love the idea of these two jocks paired up and challenging each other and trying to outdo each other. And I also like the idea of Ray getting a firsthand look at how Danny's been coaching Mason, to further help Ray appreciate these changes that Mason has gone through!

[Guardianbound]

All things considered, I think Leo got off easy. Though I am looking forward to more of this prank war between him and Duke! Hopefully Leo was still able to complete his mission!

And now we're getting the ROTC guys involved! This entire campus is about to join the manhunt for Cody!

As for the retreat... hmmm... this is an interesting decision!

Leo and Shane: As at the beginning of the story, this reason is completely selfish, but I want my favorite from each group to pair off! For a retreat, I think these two could have some fun, and Leo could potentially coax some more information about Brett out of Shane!

Cody and Hoss: Lots of people wanted these country boys to be a pledge/senior pair, so now's a good chance to see what that might have looked like. Besides, after the ordeal Cody's had, I think he deserves the quiet, calm, and strength that Hoss brings.

Nate and Brett: I think this bonding retreat would be a great time for Brett to have a private conversation with Nate about the freshman's recent relationship with a certain TUG alum...

Mason and Scott: This one is more of a process of elimination pairing, I'll admit. But I like the idea of Mason spending this retreat with Scott and appreciating his Big Brother Danny all the more! Grass is greener and all that.

Ray and Danny: I love the idea of these two jocks paired up and challenging each other and trying to outdo each other. And I also like the idea of Ray getting a firsthand look at how Danny's been coaching Mason, to further help Ray appreciate these changes that Mason has gone through!

I'm going to second this list of pairings, should give us some interesting scenes. Leo has a special skill in getting himself in some unusual predicaments, hopefully his luck comes back to him soon.

[KidnappedCowboy]

Ugh! Those BRO boys, Duke and Gabe, are rank amateurs!!!!


If you are going to mummify a man, you need duct-tape over the cling wrap!! D'uh!!!

Small wonder Leo freed himself!

[Volobond]

Though I hope to see Leo taken down a peg again in the future, with Cody on the line I can appreciate this once having an inexperienced pair be his captors.

[mention]gag1195[/mention]'s pairing are immaculate, but may I suggest a couple of alternates?

Cody and Brett - With Cody in such danger, I think Brett might wanna ease his mind by hanging out a little with him. They're both sort of the respective hearts of their group, the ones I think are the strongest emotionally, and I'd love to see them get some time. Plus, Brett having some leather cowboy aesthetic rub off on him and Cody having some suave suited spice on him couldn't hurt!

Nate and Scott - I would like to see this. Scott definitely could tease Nate about being with Hoss, but in addition, Scott could open up to the sensitive and quiet Nate about his own relationship with Wade!

Mason and Hoss - David and Goliath, really. I'd love to see some beach wrestling where Mason's spunk and craftiness helps him come out on top. I think it'd be an awesome climax to his growing confidence. Alternatively, getting any developing cockiness nipped in the bud by a rout from the huge Hoss.

[gag1195]

@gag1195's pairing are immaculate, but may I suggest a couple of alternates?

I also like your choices! This is the issue: I want to see all of these possible pairings between the freshmen and seniors! Damn you [mention]wataru14[/mention] for writing such compelling characters and relationships!

[wataru14]

Chapter 10: Reunion

The TUG House resembled a wasp hive. People scurried about, busy with tasks and assignments, planning and strategizing. Ready for battle. No one, not even Jean-Marc or Leo, was idle. People scurried in and out of the council room, which Brett had turned into a makeshift command center. Mason and Bryan’s computer setup took up most of one side, and was connected to the monitor on the wall behind the council table. Flanking the monitor were Brett and Santucci. Displayed on the screen was the image of a young man in cowboy clothes.

“Boys,” Santucci said. “Meet Sam Whittaker. Thanks to Leo’s… recon, we managed to get access to the cameras and got a plate on the truck that Cody was carried off in on video. It’s registered to this asshole out of Claremore, Oklahoma.”

There was a low grumble from the assembled brothers. Hoss, in particular, was eager for action. “So what’s the plan?” he asked. “We find this fucker and break his legs?” The ROTC crew seated to his left all gave murmurs of approval.

“Pretty much,” Santucci said. But he frowned when Wade cleared his throat from the corner. “Dammit. No. Our objective is to find Cody. If he’s OK and this is just a misunderstanding…” He shot a look at Wade and said through gritted teeth “…although I don’t think that is very likely considering how things went down… then we just take him and go home. If Cody is being held against his will, then you boys let me and the established authorities handle it. Last thing I want is for you guys to get an assault charge. Or worse.”

Hoss grumbled and sat back in his seat, grabbing his Styrofoam cup and spitting into it angrily.

Brett took over. “The truck has been seen in Metro City, so we’re dividing up into groups to go search. Maintaining contact at all times so we don’t overlap. Wade will stay here with Mason and Bryan to coordinate and be our eyes in the sky. Mason and I made your group assignments and assigned your coverage areas. There are 21 of us, so there will be seven groups of three. We have a lot of ground to cover, so if anyone happens to spot Cody or Sam…”

Brett stopped as a sheepish knock was heard on the council room door. “Huh?,” Danny asked. “Who the fuck is that?”

Hoss got up and opened the door. He looked down at Travis standing there, awkwardly.

“Yo, not a good time,” Hoss said, and moved to close the door.

“Wait!” Travis said. “I know something happened to Cody and that all of you are going to look for him. Cody was always good to me and I want to help.”

There were rumbles of disapproval from most of the Brothers in attendance, but Brett said “Stand down, Sergeant-at-Arms.” Hoss frowned and stepped aside, letting Travis into the room. “Travis, without your tip to Nate, we wouldn’t have anything to go on in the first place. You’ve already helped us more than we can say. Let us handle this. Clay won’t be happy if you’re seen here.”

Travis’ face turned a slight shade of red. “Fuck Clay!” he said. “He’s my brother, not my keeper. Cody is my friend and if he’s in trouble, I want to help him out. Please!”

There was a stunned silence from the gathered Brothers. Santucci and Brett exchanged small smiles and then Brett said “Well, welcome aboard, then. Ray, Travis will go with you, Pablo, and Tak.”

Travis let out all the air he had been holding in and said “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“Great,” Santucci said. “Now that our little kumbaya love fest is over, let’s get out there and pound some pavement! Cody needs us!” And with that, the assembled teams formed up and everyone headed out.

---
Ryan emerged from the motel room first and stepped out into the Metro City morning. “Let’s go!” he called out, “We’re burning daylight.”

Cody felt a slight nudge on his back from Sam and he stepped out onto the sidewalk. He looked left and right at the people all around, walking past and going about their business. “If they only knew what was going on right in front of their noses,” he thought. Cody was wearing jeans, black cowboy boots, and a leather biker jacket. Hardly out of place for a bustling Midwest metropolis like Metro City. But it was what was underneath the jacket that would have caused people alarm. Cody’s arms were not in the sleeves of his jacket. Instead, they were cuffed behind his back, hidden by his clothing. The actual arms of the jacket housed two mannequin arms, each with a leather glove on the end to disguise the white plastic hands. His upper body was bare except for a leather S&M harness with a large steel ring in the center of his chest. His mouth was stuffed to the brim with cloth and sealed with duct tape that wound around his jaws seven or eight times. But no one could see that, because his entire lower face was hidden by a black bandana, tied like a bandit mask. His trademark black cowboy hat topped off his ensemble.

Even though he was tightly bound and gagged, Cody’s predicament was totally concealed by his zipped-up jacket and mask. To people on the street, he just looked like a cowboy on a day out. Nothing to look twice at.

Sam followed close behind him and closed the door. “Morning in Metro City,” he said, looking up at the high-rise buildings with the Skyline visible beyond the rooftops. “Bit different from the ranch in Wyoming, ain’t it?”

Cody had to agree. He had been sightseeing in Metro City with LJ before he headed to school a few months ago, but other than that he had never been here. Not this far off-campus, at least. The grandeur of the place made him forget his situation. Almost. Just for a second.

Ryan put his foot up on the stoop and said “OK, mastermind, what’s on the agenda? Where are we taking our prisoner today?”

“I have something special planned for tonight,” Sam said, “but you probably won’t be interested in that. In fact, I know you won’t be. So for now, I guess we can just go and see the sights. Just us and our hostage.” He chuckled at the use of the word ‘hostage.’ That’s technically what Cody was, having been snatched from the Halloween party and shuffled off to a musty basement. But Cody wasn’t exactly unwilling. He was a little weirded out by the circumstances, but he couldn’t stop himself from appreciating the lengths and the risks that Sam had taken for him. This was all being done for his benefit, after all. Misguided as he was, Sam thought Cody would be titillated by being kidnapped, bound, and paraded around the city in secret bondage. And Cody couldn’t help but feel a little turned on by the strangeness and naughtiness of it all.

Sam looked at the City Map on his phone and said “We’ll start that way.” He pointed down the street towards a busy intersection. He and Ryan got on either side of Cody and the trio started walking down the sidewalk.

Now, people in Metro City are always in a hurry, and three people walking side-by-side on a sidewalk is blasphemy to them. The three country boys walked at a leisurely pace, one not matched by others on the street. More than once, a rushed passerby would push right through the center of their group to get around.

“Stop blocking the sidewalk, you stupid hicks!”
“If you’re gonna walk so slow, go single-file, assholes!”

One harried businessman in particular pushed right into Cody as he went through. Cody thought for a second that his left mannequin arm was going to get knocked loose and fall from his sleeve. But it held, swinging from the impact in a strange, lifeless, alien way. He was so startled by the man pushing his way through that he bent over. When he did so, his jacket rode up and his cuffed hands were visible for a fleeting moment under the hem of the back.

“Did he see?” Cody thought, holding his breath. If he did see, he would definitely call the police. And he would be rescued! But is that what he really wanted? Cody wasn’t sure anymore. Not fully, at least. A little nagging part of him was enjoying the danger and tension of his situation. And wanted to see it through. But that was crazy talk, right?

The businessman didn’t seem to notice the peek-a-boo of Cody’s cuffed hands, but Ryan definitely did. He quickly stepped behind Cody, covering him up and blocking the view of anyone behind them that happened to be looking in their direction. “Yipes!” he said. “Things almost went to shit already. We gotta do something about that.” He turned Cody to face him and straightened him up. “Your jacket is too loose. Need to fix that.” The belt attached to the waistline of Cody’s biker jacket was only cursorily cinched. So Ryan unbuckled it and tightened it up two notches. Cody felt the slack around his waist disappear as the belt was secured back. Now there wouldn’t be enough space for his hands to slip out again if a similar situation happened later.

“Much better,” Ryan said. “Now we can go.” Not wanting to draw any more attention, the group rearranged themselves single-file, with Cody in the middle, and moved to the far right of the sidewalk. As the locals had so “kindly” suggested. Faster-paced walkers moved past them with no hassles, paying them no heed. After a minute or two, the group reached the corner and saw the entirety of Thompson Square spread out before them.

“OK, cowboy,” Sam said, patting Cody on the shoulder. “Now for the real test. Let’s go!” And they stepped off the sidewalk into the street.

---

Mason set down his headset and gulped down the last of his fifth coffee of the day. He had been watching traffic cameras all morning and felt like he was going crosseyed. Still no sign of the truck. He had been checking public parking lot security feeds to try to find where the truck was. If he could spot it, they could focus the search to that area. Or post a sentry to intercept Sam when he returned to it. But Mason had no idea how many parking garages there were in Metro City and progress was slow. Bryan was scanning the street cams with similar bupkis to show for it. But Wade had the hardest job of all.

Being the nerve center of the search, Wade was responsible for keeping the groups in contact with each other and passing on any possible hits that Mason or Bryan found. And boy, did he have his hands full! The ROTC guys were accosting anyone they could find that looked even remotely “country” and menacing them with “Where did you take our friend?!?!?” So Santucci and his team always had to be nearby to diffuse the situations they created. Brett chose to let money do the talking for him, and had paid several people who swore they “just saw him” to send his team on wild goose chases. Wade also had to fill Sergeant Gonzalez in on their activities (with Santucci vehemently protesting) to head off any Karen calls to the precinct about “a gang of young men wandering through our residential neighborhood and looking around suspiciously.” If he had any hair, he would have been pulling it out.

Mason decided to take a break and check in on Ray. Pablo had been calling in their position diligently, so Mason knew right where they were. He looked through the street cam feed to see what his best friend was up to. Mason felt a pang of guilt as he zoomed in on Ray and Travis asking a trio of businesswomen out on a coffee break if they had seen the boy in the picture. Mason’s social stock had been rising ever since he joined TUG. He was becoming more confident and outgoing, and under Danny’s wing he had become quite popular. And this surprised nobody more than Mason himself. But he thought about Ray and the promise they had made that night in the locker room at the beginning of term. How Ray said he would help train Mason up and be his wingman. And how Mason had jumped ship for Danny the second the opportunity presented itself. Outwardly, Ray was all smiles, saying he was glad that his friend was getting the guidance he needed, regardless of who it was from. But Mason knew him better than that. Internally, he would be stinging from the slight. Ray wasn’t used to taking a backseat to anyone and Mason had solidly put him there to go off training with Danny. He’d have to find some way to make that up to him. Well, if Leo’s hairbrained scheme about Travis played out, Ray would soon have someone else to mentor. But would it be the same? Mason didn’t know.

After filling his sixth cup of coffee, he went back to work at the monitors. He started from the top floor of a garage on 6th Avenue and Hamilton and worked his way down. But after so long, every garage started to look alike to him. He was on the fourth level and about to go down to the third, however, when he saw something that made his heart almost stop. It was the truck! He was sure of it

“Wade!” Mason shouted, “Look at this!” Wade finished his call with Shane’s team and came over.

“What?” he said. “Are Ray and Travis making out in front of Nakamura Fountain? Romantic as that is, we have more important things to do right now.”

“No! I mean, well… maybe,” Mason stuttered. “But forget about that. Look at this!” He pointed at the screen and Wade’s jaw dropped.

“Is that…? You found it??? Boy, I could kiss you!” Wade crowed.

“Who’s in that area?” Mason asked.

Bryan brought up his tracker. He had locks on everyone’s phone and their positions were illuminated on his map like little red bugs. “Leo, Omar, and Danny are a few blocks away.”

“On it!” Wade said, and immediately rung Danny.

---

Cody’s trip through Thompson Square was fairly uneventful. It was awkward jostling around in the crowd, but no one detected the strange lumps under his jacket outlining the telltale position of his cuffed arms underneath. Or the strange way his arms hung limply at his sides as they walked. Cody was sure that they were going to be found out when Ryan stopped to get a group picture with some dude in a Party City Mario costume, and they almost did. When the three lined up with the costumed character he put his arm around Cody’s shoulder. Cody was sure that he would feel something was amiss, but the oversized novelty gloves and padded suit must have muffled his touch. The man indicated for the group to remove their masks, but as he and Ryan shed their surgical coverings, Sam thought quickly.

“He has to keep his on,” Sam said. “Doctor’s orders. He has a compromised immune system and he needs to keep covered.” He elbowed Cody playfully in the ribs. Cody involuntarily let out a muffled “mmppggh” at the impact and he was sure the Mario impersonator would pick up on it, but the character just shrugged and got into position for the photo. A thumbs up from Mario, and big beaming smiles from Sam and Ryan, and then the picture was done. Ryan paid for it and they moved aside.

“That was exciting, wasn’t it?” Ryan said, giving Cody another playful jab. “Almost got found out, didn’t ya? That guy was just a second away from noticing you.” He grinned impishly. Sam was sweating bullets.

“We’re not being careful enough,” he said, taking off his cowboy hat and wiping nervous sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “We can’t be doing stuff like that, Ryan. Do you want to end up in a jail cell for kidnapping?”

Ryan waved Sam off. “Relax!” he said. “We got that covered. And what’s the point of this little hullabaloo if we don’t push the envelope a little? If you’re not gonna take risks, you should have just stayed at home.”

“I guess you’re right,” Sam said, but he didn’t fully agree. He didn’t want things to get mucked up before the big finale.

They spent the next few hours visiting monuments and famous stores. No one bought anything, but window shopping was an Olympic sport in Metro City. Sam watched Cody like a hawk, heading off anyone who veered too close and distracting anyone who tried to look at him more closely. On several occasions, Cody considered grunting like mad to a nosy sales clerk, but something in him just wouldn’t let him. When they left the largest electronics store in the state and crossed over near Birchfield Park, Ryan stopped them.

“I’m hungry,” Ryan said. “You two hungry?” He spied a cart selling dirt water dogs and said “Now THAT’s what I’m talking about. Mystery meat on a bun!” And he took off for the cart like a man possessed. Cody and Sam jogged after him, Cody’s limp mannequin arms flopping around randomly beside him. Mason would have called it “Something Straight Out of the Uncanny Valley.” They caught up to Ryan and joined him in line.

When it was their turn to order, Ryan said “Two dogs, please sir” and tipped his hat. Cody glared at him. He was hungry, too. He squirmed a little, causing the bulge from his cuffed arms to move into an odd position under his jacket and grunted.

“Mmmpgggh mghhooo!” he uttered. Sam went white.

Ryan just calmly said “Mmmmm is right, partner. Those dogs smell just dee-vine.” He whapped Cody in the belly, which caused him to straighten up and bring his bulges back into position. “But none for you. You’re on a diet, fatty. Remember?” Cody rolled his eyes as Ryan whapped him in the belly again. The vendor was not amused.

“You three done?” he barked. “I got a line. I can’t deal with tourist bullshit all day.”

“Yeah, we’re done,” Sam quickly said, still nervous. “Two is fine.” He paid for the dogs and pulled the others away, dragging them to a low section of wall at the edge of the park. Cody glared at both of them.

“Don’t be like that,” Ryan said. “If you were gonna eat, we’d have to take your gag out. And how would that look in front of all these people, huh?” Cody paused and realized Ryan was right. Still, he wasn’t happy about it. “And besides, how you gonna eat with your hands cuffed behind you? I sure as hell ain’t gonna feed ya. This whole thing is weird enough without going there!” He took a big, taunting bite of his hot dog and sat on the wall. Cody let out a sigh and sat down next to him. Sam stood while he ate, facing them both.

---

A short distance away, Scott, Gavin, and Jaquan turned the corner. They stopped at a sporting goods store and looked through the main window. “This is a famous store,” Jaquan said. “Like the FAO Schwartz of sports gear. Sam might have gone inside.”

Scott nodded and said “Let’s check it out.” He turned to look over towards the park one last time. The streetlight changed and a mob of people stepped off the curb and into the intervening crosswalk. Cody, Sam, and Ryan were completely obscured by the crowd. If Scott had looked a second earlier, he would have seen them clearly. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go in.”

---

After they were finished eating, Sam looked at Ryan. “Hey,” he said. “Can you give us some time? I haven’t had Cody to myself since we got here.”

Ryan gave Sam a wry grin and said, “Sure. There’s a whole park over there. Just don’t go too far. I’ll just hang out here. Maybe check out some stores? We’ll meet back at this spot in an hour. OK?”

Sam agreed. He took Cody by the (mannequin) arm and helped him stand. “Damn, that thing feels weird,” Sam said with an awkward chuckle. Cody just shrugged. Not much else he could do. They walked away from Ryan, to a small gate in the wall, and headed into the park, through some trees.

“Now this is nice,” Sam said. “It’s good to see they still have some nature left in all this concrete and steel.” Cody did have to admit, it was pretty beautiful. They walked for a short while, until they came to a rock outcropping by a small pond. No one else around. Sam sat down on the grass and Cody sat on the rock.

“I know you can’t answer me,” Sam said. “On account of the tape over your mouth. So I’m just going to talk, OK?” Cody nodded. “I’m glad to finally get some time alone with you. That was the point of this whole thing. But I couldn’t pull it off without Ryan’s help.” He paused for a moment, then picked up a stone and skipped it across the pond. “The rodeo hasn’t been the same without you,” he said, after taking a deep breath. “It feels like something important is missing without you there. Now I know you have your own life and your own dreams, and college is going to help you reach them. And I’m proud of you for going after what you want. But there’s a big hole for those of us left behind.”

Cody looked sadly at Sam. Being as quiet and shy as he was, Sam wasn’t very popular among the teen riders. And he wasn’t all that good, either. A mid-card rider at best. Ryan was always friendly to him, but it seemed like Cody was the only one who really liked him as a person. It must really be hard for him to be out there on his own. Especially now that he aged out of the teen circuit and was riding against experienced adults. He felt a tinge of pity. Pity for his kidnapper? Was this Stockholm Syndrome? Or was it something else?

“I wanted to visit you,” Sam said. “See how you were doing. But it’s not like we were best friends or anything. I don’t know if you ever talked about me to your new friends. I assume not. They probably wouldn’t have let me come in. But I just had to try. You know… I’m really kicking myself for not taking that chance and kissing you at the goodbye party. Especially after what Ryan says you told everyone. But I guess that’s all ancient history now. Especially after all this. You probably want to get as far away from me as possible and I can’t blame you.” He paused, staring out at the lake. “You know, I did this because I thought you’d like it. Find it exciting… and hot. But I can tell how weirded out you are by all of this. I kinda blew it, didn’t I?”

Cody didn’t respond. His front brain was in total agreement. Sam could have just called. Or emailed. Or even just shown up on the TUG doorstep unannounced, for Pete’s sake. Hoss would have been wary, but he would have let Sam in with Cody’s sayso. This was… a whole other level. But something in Cody’s rear brain said something different.

“He did this for you,” his brain said. “Like when you made that birthday breakfast for LJ when you were eight. And even though he hated runny eggs with a passion, he ate the whole thing with a smile. Because he knew that what you did for him was done out of love. Is this so different?” Cody had to think about that. “Look,” his brain continued. “He doesn’t know anything about this world you’ve entered with TUG. Hell, you didn’t either until you joined up. Are his misconceptions really THAT misplaced? Wouldn’t you think the same in his shoes? And do you know the risk he’s taking doing this? Do you think that the cops will just laugh it off? Will Hoss? Will LJ? Those two would put him in the ground without a second thought for this. And he knows it, too. And he still did all of this. For you.”

Cody blinked a few times. This was crazy… but he couldn’t help but agree. He looked at Sam, who had gone quiet and was starting out absently at the rippling pond water. Cody could see the fear in him. The regret. The “What the hell have I done?” look in his eyes. But he also saw the desire. The honest sweetness that drew him to Sam in the first place at the rodeo. The qualities that made Cody think, “It’s OK if he kissed me” all those months ago. Sam looked like he was about to cry. Or pass out. Or jump in the pond and drown himself. Cody knew what he had to do.

“Mpppggghh!” he grunted, snapping Sam out of his torpor. Cody turned his head and pointed at the rock next to him with his nose. Confused, Sam got up and took a seat. The two were facing the pond with their backs toward the path. Sam leaned in close and asked “Huh? What is it? Do you have something to tell me?” Cody leaned in and pressed his mouth against Sam’s.

Now, it wasn’t a kiss. Not exactly. Cody’s mouth was stuffed, taped, and hidden by a bandana. But he knew he was getting his point across. Sam’s whole body tensed up for a second, and then he started returning the kiss as best he could. Cody could feel Sam’s lips even through the layers covering his mouth. His cowboy hat fell from his head and landed behind the rock.

---

Nate, LJ, and Jean-Marc had been in the park for a while now, after getting Wade’s call and the order to move into the downtown area. But they hadn’t seen anything significant. Scott said he saw a country-looking guy about the right age in the sporting goods store a few minutes ago, but the face didn’t match their target’s. It clearly wasn’t Sam, so they left him alone. The trio was about to head back into Thompson’s Square when LJ said they should split up and take one more loop around the park. Nate chose a path and walked down it, approaching the pond.

When he got there, Nate stopped, feeling a little ashamed at intruding on what he encountered. He saw two men with their backs to him, locked in a kiss. They were both clearly young, but he couldn’t see their faces. One was wearing a leather jacket, but his head was bare. The other gave Nate a weird feeling. He was the right age. The right build. The right hair color. Could it be? And the other guy did sort of look like Cody. As much as Nate could see from behind. Hmmm…

“No,” Nate thought. “It couldn’t be. If this guy kidnapped Cody, there’s no way they’d be out in public together at all. Let alone kissing. It doesn’t make any sense. And this guy isn’t tied up or under guard or anything. Who would take their kidnapping victim for a romantic walk in the park and just let him go around free like that? It can’t be them. Nate took a sheepish step back, hoping to vanish before the kissing couple noticed him gawking. He had just melted back into the trees when he got a text from LJ.

“Anything by you?”

He texted back “Negative. Heading back to the meetup point.”

---

Sam broke away first and gazed deeply into Cody’s eyes. His face was beaming. “I guess that’s my answer,” he said with a small relieved chuckle. “It’s what I was hoping. Man, you don’t know how much this means to me.” Cody smiled. Sam couldn’t see it with the bandana covering his face, but Cody’s eyes said it all. He said “I guess this means you’re OK with… all this.” Cody just nodded and shrugged, still smiling. “Well, I guess I could uncuff and ungag you. No more need for that now, is there?” He reached for Cody’s face, but stopped. “No, not yet. I have to get rid of Ryan first. We agreed that no matter what happened, you’d stay tied until we got back to the motel. But when we meet up with him I’ll tell him that he can go back himself. That you won’t give me any trouble. You won’t, will you?”

There was such an earnestness to Sam’s question that Cody couldn’t help but smile again. He slowly shook his head “no.” Sam grinned and got up, then helped Cody to his feet and retrieved the fallen cowboy hat. “And besides, there’s somewhere I wanted to take you before we go back. I’m not gonna tell you where it is, but if you like what’s happening to you now, I think you’re really gonna love it!”

He placed the hat on Cody’s head and the two of them walked side-by-side back to the gate.

Coming Soon: Halloween Conclusion – The Red Light District

[cj2125]

That was really sweet. What Sam did was really poorly thought, but I'm glad it turned out well (for now). I like him and Ryan! Hope they stick around for a little longer after this arch. Maybe let Cody have a little bit of payback!

[gag1195]

The close-calls! The surprisingly sweet moments! I cannot wait to see how this arc ends!

[KidnappedCowboy]

I'm going to be contrary here!

Sam kidnapped Cody. He's holding him against his will. That's not love. That's obsession. Cody's kiss was Stockholm Syndrome.

[CowboyStud]

I'm going to be contrary here!

Sam kidnapped Cody. He's holding him against his will. That's not love. That's obsession. Cody's kiss was Stockholm Syndrome.

I think you’re reading too much into it.

I think Cody likes him.

[Wedgieboy69]

I'm going to be contrary here!

Sam kidnapped Cody. He's holding him against his will. That's not love. That's obsession. Cody's kiss was Stockholm Syndrome.

I agree. Stop painting Sam as the white knight. He deserves to be caught and punished to the full extent of tug law, just as Travis was on bid night.