BOUND & GAGGED IN A SLEEPING BAG (M+/M+) *CHAPTERS 1-333*

[blackbound]

On the one hand, I almost feel bad for Steven. On the other hand, that was clearly not a load and so the "or" clause of Nick's threat should apply.

[GoBucks]

Poor Steven. If they weren't satisfied with the last load, they definitely won't be happy with this one! Such a shame that the combined stink of Nick and Zack could only produce a couple small drops! The poor guy is in trouble unless they finally let him explain. And when he does, that'll probably get him into more trouble anyway

[Volobond]

Perhaps this second, er, lackluster load will clue Nick and Zack in to what's REALLY going on...

[Pup]

Poor Steven
Get the feeling they will figure it out eventually
Still, he kinda deserves it...
Kinda

[gaggedfeety]

Just saw the latest poll!

If I could alter my age, then it'd be Joshua, with Chris as a runner-up. I feel like we got to see more positive aspects of their personalities, especially Joshua, which adds to the physical attraction. Whereas we either didn't get much or there are very little redeeming qualities (i.e. Brad and Shawn). If I can't change my age, then I can't choose: Brad is closer to my age but I'd never want to be in a room with him, let alone date him.

[Bradstick]

New chapter was great! I loved how you combined the tube sock and Nick’s sneaker. Poor Steven is having a rough go but he kinda deserves it. I wonder how many time they make him cum before they figure it out, and then what they do to him after they find out. I don’t think Nick is gonna be to pleased with Steven when he finds out. Can’t wait to see where you take the next chapter.

Also I loved the pictures you used! Really adds a lot to the story in my opinion! Great job as always!

[blackbound]

If he can't control his urges then maybe a cage needs to control them for him...

[Wedgieboy69]

If he can't control his urges then maybe a cage needs to control them for him...

I agree. A cage is in order. He also needs a stern punishment, but I hope they try a few more times before coming to that conclusion.

[CrownedLoy76]

The tube sock in the sneaker was DEVILISH, but damn I'm jealous of steven right now

[bondagefreak]

[mention]Wedgieboy69[/mention] [mention]Bradstick[/mention] Welcome to the adventure, guys!
I'm thrilled to see both of you following this and enjoying the latest developments!

Also a special thanks to those who voted & commented on the poll.
We still got a ton of readers who have yet to share their answers though.
Get your votes in, guys!

POLL UPDATE & PRELIMINARY ANSWERS

IF YOU COULD TRY DATING ANY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING GUYS, WHO WOULD BE YOUR FIRST PICK?
VOTE IN THE THREAD POLL & EXPLAIN YOUR ANSWER IN THE COMMENTS!

BRAD, SHAWN, CHRIS, JOEY
JOSHUA, PHIL, BIG MIKE, KYLE


[mention]KidnappedCowboy[/mention]: BRAD
[mention]Msueta@2[/mention]: KYLE
[mention]wataru14[/mention]: BIG MIKE
[mention]sami200456boyfriend[/mention]: JOSHUA
[mention]Volobond[/mention]: BIG MIKE
[mention]Pantyhose971[/mention]: JOSHUA
[mention]ShadowHusky[/mention]: CHRIS
[mention]GoBucks[/mention]: SHAWN
[mention]Pup[/mention]: JOSHUA
[mention]Ossassin[/mention]: BIG MIKE
[mention]Socksbound[/mention]: CHRIS
[mention]Straitjacketed[/mention]: BIG MIKE
[mention]Bradstick[/mention]: CHRIS
[mention]CrownedLoy76[/mention]: SHAWN
[mention]Hornysub[/mention]: JOEY
[mention]Sockgaggedman[/mention]: SHAWN
[mention]OrdinaryWorld[/mention]: SHAWN
[mention]The slave[/mention]: JOSHUA
[mention]Mummybag[/mention]: JOSHUA
[mention]gaggedfeety[/mention]: JOSHUA
[mention]that1kid13[/mention]: BRAD
[mention]Wedgieboy69[/mention]: ?
[mention]Footsub[/mention]: ?
[mention]Tsuhaya[/mention]: ?
[mention]LockedCheeseBird[/mention]: ?
[mention]squirrel[/mention]: ?
[mention]Pup Wingletang[/mention]: ?
[mention]socjuc[/mention]: ?
[mention]jammer212[/mention]: ?
[mention]smushboy[/mention]: ?
[mention]luiggi87[/mention]: ?
[mention]blackbound[/mention]: ?
[mention]Ropelover98[/mention]: ?
[mention]sws91[/mention]: ?
[mention]Mitchelaiden[/mention]: ?
[mention]zzzz12333211[/mention]: ?
[mention]user3434658[/mention]: ?
[mention]Whitestorm[/mention]: ?
[mention]EJTied22[/mention]: ?
[mention]4toes[/mention]: ?
[mention]vincenzotognolo22[/mention]: ?
[mention]subguybr[/mention]: ?
[mention]Gaybondage[/mention]: ?
[mention]Boston2265[/mention]: ?
[mention]Ballgagger[/mention]: ?





BRAD
THE WEDGE



From the very start of the saga, Brad tries his best - and even succeeds at times - at driving a divide between Nick and the common subject of their fancy. Steven finds himself caught up in Brad's power-hungry schemes and winds up being briefly separated from his friend-turned-kidnapper following the skilful manipulations of his most hated rival. Whilst Brad's motivations remain shady at best, his six-month-long tenure over Jeremy proved a leaky stopgap measure for his unquenchable thirst to establish dominance over Steven. Skilled in the art of manipulation and possessed with both eloquence and charisma, Brad proves himself to be a dangerous foe and acts as a WEDGE between Nick and Steven. Though his relationship with Nick has suffered greatly following the unfortunate events leading to Jeremy's removal, Brad's future role in Steven's affairs remains veiled in mystery.



SHAWN
THE HAMMER



Showing predisposition for neither good nor evil, Shawn presents the protagonist with a truly puzzling dilemma. Shawn proves himself a force to be reckoned with when Nick needs his help in carrying out Brad's forceful arrest. On the flip side, the overly buff muscle oaf also shows himself capable of far less noble pursuits when he blackmails Steven into performing sexual favours and attempts to force the issue. Although a formal apology has yet to be given, our protagonist does take note of the fact that Shawn treated him with fairness during most of his three-day stay at the college apartment. Though not particularly wordy nor outwardly intelligent, Shawn has several pertinent and positive exchanges with Steven over the course of the sixth book, resulting in the two of them sleeping in the same bed for the final night of the babysitting episode. Keeping in mind Shawn's blunt edges, his ham-fisted nature and his tendency to swing either for good or for evil depending on who is "wielding" him, our blond and blue-eyed beefcake takes on the nickname of THE HAMMER; a powerful if somewhat cumbersome tool used either to build up or to demolish.



CHRIS
THE JOCK



Shawn's best friend and close associate to Joey, Kyle and Big Mike, Chris easily cements himself as one of the more benevolent and surprisingly gentle jocks during Steven's brief stay at the college apartment. Being possessed of no outwardly remarkable attributes beyond physical prowess and an affinity for sports and weightlifting, Chris presents the protagonist with the spitting image of a stereotypical college jock. Though no clear indication was ever given to that effect, Steven does suspect Chris to be a little bi-curious, perhaps due to the allusions THE JOCK made regarding his passing fuckability. Of note is the fact that our protagonist has taken a slight fancy to Chris, something which has not escaped the notice of Shawn.



JOEY
THE LADIES' MAN



Suave, cocky, and brash, cologne-wearing Joey stands out as being exceedingly popular and smooth with the ladies. Little is known about him other than the fact that he is very much "in charge" and possesses sizeable influence among the college cabal. Aside from acting as one of Shawn's defacto lieutenants, Joey is mostly known for being a top Alpha and a LADIES' MAN.



JOSHUA
THE SUPERSTAR



Neither jock nor twink, Joshua stands out as some sort of weird hybrid mix. More jockish than Steven, but far twinkier than Chris or Joey, the popular blondie-boy takes on the role of the cheerful beta-jock and quite literally borders on the edge of hyperactivity and brattiness. Joshua rapidly forms a connection to Steven and plays a pivotal role in sharing the secrets of self-acceptance with Nick's ward. Having many friends and being known for his availability as well as his willingness to bed any hunk that meets his fancy, Joshua is very much THE SUPERSTAR of the college campus.



PHIL
THE SKATERBOY



Joshua's best friend and Steven's unexpected nightmare. Phil combines deviousness, cunning and craftiness in one foul-mouthed and poorly-mannered package. Opportunistic and quite sadistic, this relatively scrawny menace manages to pull several stunts from beneath the noses of his older peers and provides Steven with quite a challenge during the eventful three-day college saga. Having an affinity for skateboarding and possessing few outwardly redeeming qualities beyond those of intellect and guile, Phil takes on the benign yet somewhat fitting nickname of SKATERBOY. Albeit a very smelly-footed one.



BIG MIKE
THE GENTLE GIANT



Being blessed - or possibly cursed - with an astounding size, Big Mike maintains a friendly relationship with all of Shawn's hunky associates even though he isn't exactly one of them. Preferring sports and video games to social interactions, Mike spends much of his time gaming on the living room console and hanging out with Andrew, Matt some of his semi-jockish gamer friends. While not exactly the brightest of the bunch, his positive nature and cheerful predisposition easily compensate for his slight malaise in the way of social graces. Big Mike quickly establishes himself as the most sympathetic of Shawn's roommates and stands out for being both kind and gentle. Though possessing a concealed dominant streak, he remains somewhat bashful when placed in a position of power, something which his more jockish counterparts aren't afraid to tease him about. Big Mike is known to almost everyone as the GENTLE GIANT. A nickname that does his large size and passive demeanour justice.



KYLE
THE INSTAGRAM GOD

Outwardly vain and cold, little is known about the young bodybuilder other than the fact that he has a smoking hot body and a massive following of fans on social media platforms. Kyle strikes the protagonist as a little standoffish and comes off as mildly uncaring of the various plights suffered by those around him. Serving as a practice dummy for Steven's rimjob initiation, Kyle rapidly establishes himself as one of the resident Alphas and appears to have a somewhat mutually beneficial relationship with college-star Josh. Having the respect of his older peers, Steven is left wondering if there is perhaps more to THE INSTAGRAM GOD than what initially meets the eye.

[cowboygf]

CHAPTER 18 - SLAVE TO TWO MASTERS

The jocks ended up paddling to a new spot and trying their luck again, quietly getting their fishing rods ready and casting out into the shallow bay.

Nick kept frowning down at me every now and then, keeping me in line and making sure I kept lapping up his big, old Reeboks. I thought he was being a real jerk again, up until the point where he started chatting with Brad.

"Dude. What you did last night really wasn't cool." He suddenly voiced out, breaking the silence that had been reigning for the past several minutes.


"What the fuck are you talking about, bro?" Brad laughed, keeping watch over his floating fishing lure as he slowly reeled it in, anticipating a bite that never came.

"You know what I'm talking about." Nick answered, frowning at his friend's feigned ignorance.
"Stuffing your fuckin' boxers in his mouth was not cool, man."

I wanted to correct him and tell him it was worse than that, and that the boxers weren't even Brad's!
But I knew better than to open my mouth and interrupt their conversation.
I'd tell Nick the truth later on. For now, it could wait.

"What? C'mon, you gagged him with your smelly stuff loads of times!" Brad replied, calling Nick out on his apparently unjust accusation.

I pretended not to pay attention to what was going on and kept licking the muscular blond hunk's big sneakers.
Nick was horny and harsh with me right now, but I couldn't help but feel a small tingling sensation as I heard him aggressively lash out at his friend, on my behalf.
It didn't matter if it was just his territorial instinct kicking in, he was defending me, and that was sweet.

"You could've fuckin' choked him to death!" Nick growled, obviously frustrated that Brad wasn't taking him seriously.


"Calm down, bro. Jeez!" Brad suddenly voiced out, sighing deeply.
"Look. I didn't stick a sock in his mouth 'cause I didn't want him getting it stuck in his throat while we were asleep." he explained. "I chose the biggest possible stuffing 'cause I knew he wouldn't be able to swallow it by accident. Besides...I don't know why you're so pissed off about this. He's the one who kept screaming and waking me up last night."


"What!?" I suddenly cried out, more than a little upset about Brad's lie. "That's not true! I didn't..."

"Shhh. Hey!" Nick barked, using his right shoe to roughly nudge the side of my face. "Quiet!"

I allowed my face to display a saddened expression before falling back into silence.
I wasn't allowed to defend myself, not even against Brad's gross lies.

Nick looked down at me frowned. I allowed my saddened eyes to temporarily meet his, and even though our eye contact was brief, I could tell he wasn't really angry with me.
He probably knew better than to believe Brad's false accusation about me throwing a tantrum last night.
Either way, he didn't want me talking.

"Then you should've woken me up and asked me to deal with him!" Nick shot, visibly upset.


"Ok, wait. Lemme get this straight." Brad chuckled, putting his line down and turning around to face his buddy. "Are you saying that I have to fuckin' ask for your permission to play with this fucker?"


Even though Brad's question was expertly dressed in a way to make Nick sound unreasonable, the blond hunk didn't flinch or hesitate.
"Yes!" he barked, 'causing my face to tingle in excitement. I couldn't help but feel all strange and tingly now that he was being so territorial and protective of me.


Brad hesitated for a minute, probably not expecting such a clear and unflinching response to his question.

"Well...I gotta say, that's not really fair, bro." He complained, suddenly trying to turn things around by acting as though he was the one being mistreated. "I'm the one who made this whole trip work out and I still don't get any thanks from you. That's not exactly what we agreed upon...but what do I know..." he muttered, turning around to cast his lure back into the shallow bay, acting as though he was hurt by his friend's ungratefulness.

What a hypocrite!

One thing did worry me though. Brad was smart. Real smart!
Nick wasn't dumb or anything, but he wasn't the most subtle guy either.
Like most guys, he was pretty oblivious to mind games, facial expressions and suggestive comments.

Brad was smart, possibly smarter than Nick, or at least, better versed in the art of subtle persuasion.
Nick wasn't very hard to manipulate.
Sure, he had size and muscle on his side, but in a battle of wits between him and Brad, I wouldn't be so quick to bet my money on him.


"He's mine. He owes me big time for all the years I stood up for him." Nick explained, obviously on the defensive.
He was falling right into Brad's game, believing he'd hurt his friend by claiming full ownership of me. The simple fact that he felt he had to justify his ownership over me, didn't bode too well.
Brad was playing his cards expertly.

I'm not sure I liked the concept of being owned, but I'm pretty sure Nick would have thrown me overboard, had I objected at this point.

"No need to explain, bro. I'll just let you guys use my tent, my lake and my cottage. I'll stay out of your way...just think of me as your host. I'm sure..." Brad mumbled, doing his best to sound discouraged.

"Okay, okay! Calm down..." Nick sighed, rubbing his forehead and rolling his eyes, apparently not having much tolerance for his friend's sulking. "Look, if it means that much to you, I'm sure we can come to an agreement."


Brad was quick to jump on the opportunity.
Nick had opened the door and wouldn't be able to close it shut again, not without coming off as unreasonable.

Brad was in full control right now, and Nick wasn't interested in hearing my opinion.
This was definitely a battle of wits, and Nick was losing big time!

"I get that he's yours and I respect that, bro. I really do." Brad stated, doing a good job at sucking up to his muscular friend. "I just feel like you're hoarding all the action and keeping the fun for yourself. I drove us here and got everything ready for you guys. I just feel like I'm being taken advantage of."

Nick still didn't say anything, though I could feel his feet and legs stiffening up. He was cornered and he knew it.
It was too little too late though.

"Look. I have an idea. We can each take a day with him." Brad explained. "You get him one day, I get him on the next, then you get him back again. And as soon as we get back to your place, he's all yours." he offered, driving the final nail in the coffin, so-to-speak.


Nick didn't say anything at first.
He just looked down at my frightened expression, frowned, then looked away towards the shoreline, no doubt feeling the weight of my pleading gaze.


Then he spoke the unthinkable.
"Fine." he said, speaking loudly to make us both believe that this wasn't an unwilling compromise on his part.

Brad and I were WAY ahead of him though, and part of me knew that Nick knew that as well.


I raised my head up to look at him, a confused and scared expression on my face.
He couldn't be serious! He couldn't possibly allow Brad to take shared control over me!

Nick wasn't paying me any attention, but I knew he could see me.
He was purposefully keeping from looking down at me, obviously unwilling to expose himself to my frightened, accusatory gaze.


"You keep him today." Brad suggested, "I'll take care of him tomorrow." he added, making it sound as though he and Nick would simply be exchanging the role of caretaker.

"Fine. But I'll be watching you closely." Nick warned. "Don't cross the line."
At this point, his threats didn't mean much, but Brad kept his façade up, allowing Nick to believe he was still very much in control of the situation, even though he wasn't.

"No worries, bro. He'll be returned to you intact every time." Brad promised. "I can be nice and caring too you know." he added, right before flashing me one of his cocky, signature winks.


I shivered at the prospect of being shared with Brad.
Nick had just lost the battle of wits, and I was gonna be the one paying for it.


Today and tonight, Nick would be watching over me.
Tomorrow though, it would be an entirely different matter.

I really like brad!!

[socjuc]

Am back briefly so had to update my list....

Hot scene! Nick adding to the already torture chamber of his sneaker...with the added Zack scent is top... I think Zack is seriously influencing Nick over time...


I am keeping track and compiling all instances where a character uses another character's stuff to gag/torment his victim. This can occur even when the character whose stuff is being used to dom, may or may not be present. Hotter of course when they are present

Ex: Big Mike rubbing his socked soles on Joshua's face and forcing him to sniff his socks doesn't make the list. However, Shawn and his crew manhandling Joshua down and forcing Mike's jockstrap into his mouth does. Zack forcing Steven to sniff his socks doesn't make the list. But Nick forcing Steven to sniff Zack's socks would.

Running List
Brad gagging Steven with an old, anonymously-worn jockstrap he'd found at his local gym.
Nick unknowingly gagging Steven with the fat sponge Brad would use to clean out his cottage washroom *gross* (CH 46)
Steven getting Jeremy to take a whiff of Nick's nausea-inducing work boots. (CH 57)
Nick gagging Steven with Shawn's big, musky briefs. (CH 65)
Steven & Brad forcing Jeremy to sniff Shawn's nasty socks during the spin the bottle game (CH 85)
Shawn gagging Steven with Brad's sock, back during the cottage-mummification episode. (CH 89)
Steven forcing Jeremy to sniff Nick's worn-out boxers. (CH 143)
Jeremy gagging Steven with those same boxers. (CH 144)
Nick forcing Steven to sniff the inside of Zack's putrid hockey glove. (CH 134)
Nick hand gagging Steven and forcing him to sniff Zack's Nike tube socks. (CH 133)
Zack forcing Steven to chew and gag on Nick's stinking boxers. (CH 164)
Shawn gagging Steven with that musty old sock from the hamper (either Joey's or Chris') (CH 202)
Josh forcing Steven to sniff the inside of Shawn's shoe. (CH 207)
Josh forcing Steven to sniff Shawn's enormous, fart-infused Diesel briefs. (CH 203)
Josh forcing Steven to sniff Kyle's big, smelly Calvins. (CH 214)
Josh forcing Steven to suck and chew on Nate's filthy boxers. (CH 217)
Josh forcing Steven to sniff Kyle's basketball shoe. (CH 220)
Shawn gagging Josh with Big Mike's oversized pungent hockey jock strap. (CH 225)
Shawn gagging Steven with Joey's stank sweaty sock as Mike declined the sock wash (CH 229)
Phil knowingly tormenting cocooned Josh (fake Steven) by forcing him to sniff Chris' Air Jordans (CH 237)
Unknowing Big Mike's sole reeking over cocooned Steven (fake Josh) (CH 237 & 238)
Unknowing Joey forcing cocooned Steven (fake Josh) to sniff Big Mike's Osiris (CH 238)
Nick forcing Steven to sniff Mr Hoffman's boot (CH 243)
Nick forcing Steven to sniff Zack's sneaker and boxers (CH 258)
Zack gagging Jeremy with Nick's jock pouch in his presence! (CH 274)
Zack and Nick forcing their subs to endure each other's sock odour (CH 279)
Nick gagging Steven with Zack's toxic Wigwam to stifle his moans (CH 283)
Zack's gloved hand with Nick's black ankle sock smothering Steven during tickle torture, followed by the same treatment for Jeremy...in Nick's presence (CH 291)
Nick forcing Steven to sniff his dad's odorous police boots (CH 298)
Nick(masked) forcing Steven to take an initial whiff of Zack's(also masked) cheesy sock (CH 304)
Zack gave Steven a brief sniff of Nick's basketball shoe (CH 309)
Zack forcing Stevie-boi to sample Nick's boxing glove scent versus Nick's sneaker, in a playful game of "which do you prefer?" Followed by Nick further seasoning his sneaker with Zack's cheesy sock for Steven to endure (CH 310)

[that1kid13]

Brad… because look at him

[cowboygf]

Personally I would see brad severely tied up steven while reading him sniffing his cowboy boots, and spending a night gagged with brad briefs filled with sperm and a tight bandana on his mouth, and for exited brad (and thanked him), a steven who whining like a kid

[Footsub]

Chris ticks all the right boxes

[bondagefreak]

THANKS TO ALL THOSE OF YOU WHO TOOK A MOMENT TO VOTE ON THE PREVIOUS POLL!

JOSHUA TAKES 1ST PLACE
SHAWN TAKES 2ND PLACE
CHRIS TAKES 3RD PLACE

THE NEW POLL

IN THIS NEWEST POLL, ALL OF YOU ARE ASKED TO COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE
"NICK SHOULD _______________" WITH ONE OF THE FIVE (5) ANSWERS LISTED ABOVE.



THOUGHTS & OPINIONS ARE HIGHLY WELCOME






YOU MAY SELECT ONE (1) CHOICE.
YOU MAY CHANGE YOUR VOTE AT ANY TIME.


SCROLL UP TO THE TOP OF THE THREAD AND VOTE!

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED! SHARE YOUR ANSWERS WITH US!
SILENT READERS AND FIRST TIME POSTERS ARE WELCOME!

[mention]squirrel[/mention] [mention]OrdinaryWorld[/mention] [mention]Msueta@2[/mention] [mention]GoBucks[/mention] [mention]Socksbound[/mention] [mention]The slave[/mention] [mention]gaggedfeety[/mention] [mention]Pup Wingletang[/mention] [mention]Sockgaggedman[/mention] [mention]socjuc[/mention] [mention]jammer212[/mention] [mention]smushboy[/mention] [mention]luiggi87[/mention] [mention]Ossassin[/mention] [mention]blackbound[/mention] [mention]sws91[/mention] [mention]CorbD91[/mention] [mention]Mummybag[/mention] [mention]Mitchelaiden[/mention] [mention]zzzz12333211[/mention] [mention]ShadowHusky[/mention] [mention]user3434658[/mention] [mention]jammer212[/mention] [mention]Whitestorm[/mention] [mention]KidnappedCowboy[/mention] [mention]EJTied22[/mention] [mention]Volobond[/mention] [mention]LockedCheeseBird[/mention] [mention]Footsub[/mention] [mention]Red86[/mention] [mention]Pup[/mention] [mention]4toes[/mention] [mention]The slave[/mention] [mention]subguybr[/mention] [mention]Trainedsub[/mention] [mention]SquashMeDown[/mention] [mention]cherryboy[/mention] [mention]sami200456boyfriend[/mention] [mention]smushboy[/mention] [mention]wataru14[/mention] [mention]CrownedLoy76[/mention] [mention]Gaybondage[/mention] [mention]Boston2265[/mention] [mention]Hornysub[/mention] [mention]vincenzotognolo22[/mention] [mention]Pantyhose971[/mention] [mention]Jason07[/mention] [mention]that1kid13[/mention] [mention]Ropelover98[/mention] [mention]Bradstick[/mention] [mention]Tsuhaya[/mention] [mention]Wedgieboy69[/mention]

[Footsub]

If a change is to be made, I think Nick needs to be a tiny bit less controlling outside of the bedroom - if only to ensure the longevity of their relationship

[sami200456boyfriend]

NICK SHOULD: BE A LOT STRICTER AND FAR LESS PERMISSIVE WITH STEVEN. THE STRICTER THE BETTER.

[Pup Wingletang]

Sorry I've not commented for a while - just been enjoying some downtime at the end of the year.

Enjoyed the last chapter. Every time gloves are mentioned I have flashbacks to my brother's ski gloves - you did not want to be trapped in a gondola with them - so I feel Steven's fear. Love Nick combining the worst of him and Zach in a perfect torture device and the ultimatum he gives to Steven. Also Nick and Zach laughing as they tickle Steven. He really has been milked dry now - surely Nick and Zach must be close to uncovering the truth now. I got a belt for Christmas they could borrow to help with that!

I missed the dating poll but I think it would have been a toss up between Brad, Joshua and Phil. They've all got devious minds and attractive bodies so life would definitely not be boring around them! Brad and Phil both have negative history around them though so I think it will have to be mischievous Joshua.

For the latest poll I went for the middle of the road - keeping doing what you're doing Nick. It works for me!

[GoBucks]

After reading through the poll options, the one I had a reaction too involved Nick having Steven on a tighter leash! I know you don't mean it quite so literally, but that imagery got me

I feel like Nick has been a lot more lax with Steven than he was earlier in the story. Likely because Steven wasn't firmly his boi back then, but still.

[Msueta@2]

I picked the last answer

[Ossassin]

I’m voting a little more permissive but more in the sense of occasionally talk out rules with Steven.

[Bradstick]

I said Nick needs to be more strict. I honestly see steven as a a very self destructive person, not on purpose, he just doesn’t make the right choices. Like at the very beginning when he stopped paying rent and I couldn’t find a job. He needs someone to tell him what to do so he stops making the bad choices.

I do however think Nick should also explain himself a little more rather than leaving steven in the dark as much as he does.

[wataru14]

For the most part, Nick is doing a-ok in my book. The only thing is I wish he would let Steven talk a little more. Gags are great, but Steven seems to be in a constant state of it and a lot of the issues that arise happen because Steven is not physically able to verbalize important information. Whether Nick will heed him or not is another matter.

[Volobond]

I chose the option that Nick should be a little more permissive and less authoritarian. Steven and Nick's relationship did not evolve out of a healthy place, and although Nick is becoming better than expected, I do think they'd be served well by communicating a little more about their wants and needs, like [mention]Ossassin[/mention] and [mention]wataru14[/mention] are alluding to. I'm not saying that they shouldn't have their 24/7 Dom/sub lifestyle, but every relationship hinges upon communication, and often Steven is kept quiet by a gag or Nick's rules, and Nick is too closed off to share.

Still, I think Nick is on that gradual path to becoming at least a little bit more open.

Also, to [mention]Bradstick[/mention], I'd like to point out that Steven's downward spiral was at least in large part due to the trauma of being literally kidnapped, physically and mentally abused, and being forced to confront issues of sexuality and kink, which is a mountain of hardship I think anyone would struggle with, and doesn't necessarily make him self-destructive.