Chapter 1

Summary: Robby knows what he is doing and Miguel can either help him or get out of the way.

This was hell.

People said hell was fire and brimstone, but Miguel knew the truth now. This was hell – hot, humid, sweaty, itchy, sticky as hell, hell. He could literally feel his pit-stains growing in size. He could feel big fat drops of sweat roll down his face, down the back of his neck, down his body and they felt like ants crawling over him. He had been smart enough to carry a handkerchief, but that was already sopping wet. His socks were wet too and he knew that the moment he pulled off his shoes, the stink would be bad enough to knock out a Rhino. He could feel the itching in his underwear, but he couldn't even reach down to scratch himself – not with all the people around.

And the people – so many of them. How could a place this small produce this kind of crowd? All of them milling in the narrow street, pushing, jostling, throwing looks at the foreigner walking among them. Miguel hated that. Hated it when they kept talking in their native language. He just knew they were making fun of him, passing mean comments that he just couldn't understand. That's what his yaya did with Sensei Lawrence and now he was getting a taste of it.

Miguel huffed his way back to the hotel. It had all been for nothing. He never should've left his air-conditioned room. In fact, he never should've left the good old US of A. He never thought he'd miss California's dry heat this much.

He took a breath of relief as he entered the hotel lobby and felt the cool air hit his face. Okay, better. He still felt completely wet though. Like he'd been out in the rain and that it was somehow raining pungent, sticky sweat. He'd have to shower again, which was annoying because he'd just showered a couple of hours ago. But Robby should be back and maybe he can join me. That thought made him feel better. Almost excited as he fumbled with the key-card and opened the door to his room. Maybe they could do that thing where…

Miguel stopped short. What the hell?

Robby was there in the room, standing in front of the full-length mirror, twisting his body around and trying to take a look at his bakside. He was naked – no, almost naked. He was wearing nothing but… what was that thing? It looked like…

It wasn't like any underwear Miguel had ever seen before. A flat, triangular patch covered his crotch, but his ass was almost completely naked. If you looked from the sides, it seemed like he was wearing nothing at all, but a patch covered about half of his ass when you saw it from behind. It looked like it was trying to be one of those bikini bottoms girls wore to beaches, but it failed miserably. The waist was too high and it looked like it was held together by a rope instead of a string. It looked like white cotton and it was ill-fitting and misshapen. It looked like… like…

"What the fuck is that?" Miguel said in shock. "Are you wearing a diaper?"

Robby jumped and turned around, just noticing him.

"No!" He replied indignantly. "And close the door before someone sees me like this."

The LaRussos did this every few years, apparently. Packed up the whole family and went to Japan for a week. To Okinawa. To a small fishing village Mr. LaRusso's sensei had been from. Yes, that Sensei – that Mr. Miyagi who'd come from a long line of Miyagi-Do practitioners. This was the time of the year when the Japanese held the summer festival of Obon to honor the spirits of their ancestors (like Dia de los Muertos?) and Mr. LaRusso did not want to miss that. It'd be a three-day festival with rituals and ceremonies and it was going to be beautiful. Even Anthony seemed interested and the kid was never interested in anything that didn't have a screen.

And this time, Robby was going with them.

He couldn't stop talking about it. Mr. LaRusso wanted to show him all of it, apparently. To show him where Miyagi-Do had started, the history behind it, the legacy. Robby had already read all about Okinawa – about the culture, the traditions, the language, the people – but to actually be there in person? Experience everything for himself? He'd never been so excited about anything in his life. And that excitement was contagious – Miguel actually felt jealous. Almost wished he could go too.

"Why don't you?" Mr. LaRusso said. "You should come with us. It's just a week and it'd be a great experience. Japan is where karate originated, you know. So maybe you'll learn something new."

Miguel laughed. As if.

"There is no way Mom can afford to send me halfway around the world, Mr, LaRusso." He said.

"Don't even worry about it." Amanda told him casually. "We've got so many miles saved up that you'll practically fly for free. And you are going to share a room with Robby anyway. It'd be fun and Robby would love having you there. And so would Sam."

Miguel was speechless at the offer for a moment and Robby was looking at him eagerly. "Well?"

Well? Do I want to fly off on a week-long vacation to an exotic place with my boyfriend? Hell yes, I do. And I don't even have to pay for it.

"That sounds pretty awesome."

"Oh, you'll love it there." Mr LaRusso grinned. "Both of you. I was about your age when I went there for the first time. And the first time…"

Mr. LaRusso did genuinely seem happy at the prospect of having him there. It didn't feel like he'd just made the offer out of generosity and then regretted it a moment later. In fact, all of them seemed like they wanted him there. Daniel just loved introducing this stuff to people. Amanda smiled and made plans. Sam made a joke about inviting her boyfriend – if only she hadn't dumped him because they were headed to different colleges. Robby was over the moon. And Anthony – well he just shrugged and went back to his iPad, but he didn't make any comment, so Miguel guessed he was cool with it. And for one afternoon, Miguel let himself have this pipe-dream. Just let himself get caught up in the excitement of the moment.

But just for one afternoon.

This was never actually going to happen. He realized that as he headed back home. And he didn't really want it. It felt like charity, like he was taking advantage of someone's generosity. And like he was intruding on some special, private family time. Besides, he had his own crap to deal with. He was heading off to college soon and he had to pack and get ready and fill out like a hundred forms and applications. He also had to figure out how to make things work with Robby when they were apart. And as much as he wanted to spend more time with his boyfriend, he could survive a week without him. He wasn't actually addicted to Robby's cock, no matter what Hawk said.

He knew the LaRussos would never rescind the offer, so he'd have to be the bigger man. Make some excuse like Mom wouldn't let him. Which was true ofcourse – Carmen would never let him fly off to another country on a whim like that. He wouldn't even have to tell her to make her the bad cop. He could just call the LaRussos in the evening and tell them his mom said no.

Amanda called first.

"Really? Oh no, we possible couldn't…." Carmen was saying into the phone. When the hell did she become friends with Amanda? "That's so nice, but… Sure… Yes, yes it would… Are you absolutely sure?... Um-hmm… Um-hmm…"

Miguel listened to the one-sided conversation in growing dread.

"Amanda tells me you are going to Japan with them?" Carmen said, smiling wide after she was done. "That's so wonderful, honey. You'll have a great time."

Miguel shrugged. Did she have to make plans for me without asking me first? Well, sure, I was pretty excited too, but still…

"I'm not sure. Feels wrong." He said, putting some deliberate doubt in his voice. "It feels like taking charity. Like taking advantage of someone."

"Don't be silly. They offered." Carmen casually dismissed him. "Besides, Amanda crunched some numbers and turns out the more people that go, the more discounts they get and the less they have to pay per head. With all the offers they have already, if we book your ticket with them, it'd be pretty cheap. I could easily pay for that much. In fact, I'm going to pay for it."

Ofcourse, rich people got discounts and poor people had to pay full price. Where was the logic in that?

"But… it still feels like I'm butting in where I'm not wanted." He tried a different approach.

"Honey, they wouldn't be making all these plans in one afternoon if they actually didn't want you there." Carmen's logic was impeccable.

I'm being cornered. Trapped. What did Sensei teach me about that? Lash out from an unexpected angle – something they can't defend.

"You just want me out of the way so you can spend time with your new boyfriend." Miguel said, trying to sound as childish as possible.

Carmen laughed out loud. And then she got serious. "Yes, that's exactly right."

"Huh?"

"Look, honey, I love you, but sometimes I need some time for myself too, okay?"

"You don't have to worry about that." Miguel said bitterly. "I'll be off to college soon and then you'll have all the time with your boyfriend."

Carmen was trying very hard not to laugh, but the way her lips curled and uncurled gave her amusement away. "Johnny has been asking me to go on a trip for a while now and I've been putting it off because of you, but the timing here is perfect."

"Yeah, you don't have to do that for me." Miguel sounded like a sulking teenager, even to himself. "You and Sensei can go on your special trip and I'll stay here with yaya."

"Mom's not here that week either." Carmen reminded him. "She's off visiting Tia Maria."

Shit. One after the other, all the roads were closing.

"It's fine then. I'm old enough. I can stay home alone." He could, he really could. Even if it pissed him off that everyone was leaving him.

"So…" Carmen said thinking. "You'd rather sulk at home, alone, all week, instead of flying off to some other country on a vacation with your boyfriend because… pride?" She cocked her head at him. "Does it seem worth it to you?"

Okay, when you put it like that.

"Miguel, something good is happening here. Don't fight it." Carmen explained. "It'd be a great cultural experience – something you'll talk about for years to come. And yes, it doesn't hurt that I get some alone time with Johnny."

Okay, he was completely trapped. No way out. Except… Johnny. Yes, Sensei would know what to do. He'd understand where I'm coming from and he'd help me figure a way out.

"One whole week, huh?" Johnny said thoughtfully. "They are taking you for one whole week?"

"Yes." Miguel said cautiously. He is focusing on the wrong thing. "But that's not the point here. The thing is - "

"And… it's the same week Rosa isn't here?" Johnny asked casually. Too casually. He glanced at Miguel and then looked up and then glanced again. He might as well be whistling to appear nonchalant.

"Yeah…" Miguel answered dreading where this was going.

"Sounds like a good idea to me." He said, nodding. "You should go."

Dammit. They are like children, both of them. Horny, dumb teenagers who can't wait for the parents to get out of the door so they can throw a party. And I'm the adult here somehow? How did that happen?

"But you always told us to have pride. Self-respect." Miguel said desperately. "You said there were always strings attached and that we shouldn't take handouts. That we should stand on our own and we should earn…"

Sensei wasn't listening. He was nodding, but his eyes were blank and his head was clearly somewhere else. "One week…" he muttered.

Johnny cleared his throat. "Listen, Miguel. I've learned in life that pride isn't always worth the price. When a door opens for you, the one you wanted, you go through and don't ask why it has opened. Otherwise it could close. And then there won't be another door. You following me here?"

Bullshit. Utter, total, complete bullshit. Miguel kept his face blank. Yeah, I'm following you. You wanna do my mom and you want me out of the way and you'll say anything to make that happen.

"Anyway… So… Go… And get out of here." Johnny could hardly keep his face serious. "I-I have some work to do. Some plans I need to handle."

Dammit. No way out left now.

Okay, so maybe he was just being a dumb teenager. Japan did sound fascinating, especially the way Robby described it. And it was going to be an experience he could talk about – use to make new friends. "Back when I visited Japan that one time" or "You know, the real Japanese thing isn't quite like that." or stuff like that. So maybe it would be really awesome. Miguel could feel his hangups slipping away as the day of departure approached.

And then he started regretting it immediately. As soon as they got to the airport.

He should've seen this coming. He felt like a… one, two, three, four, five… sixth wheel here. As soon as the bags were checked in, everybody paired off. Mr. LaRusso talked to Robby about Okinawa, about his visits there and Robby listened eagerly, hanging on to every word. And every now and then, he told Mr. LaRusso about what he'd read, which made Daniel smile with pride.

Amanda and Sam made another team, casually engaged on their phones with matching bored expressions and an occasional comment between them.

Which left Miguel with… Anthony. And that was not the team he'd wanted to be on.

Well, if this was how it was going to be for the rest of the trip, he might as well make the best of it and learn how to get along with the kid. So he gave it his best shot – he really did.

"So, how's it going?" Miguel asked, sitting down beside him.

"Hmm." Anthony grunted in response, never looking up from his tablet.

"Something interesting on there?" Miguel tried again, taking a peek. It looked like some fighting game.

Anthony didn't even deign to respond this time, giving Miguel a shrug instead.

And then after a few seconds: "Could you get me a soda?"

It was phrased as a request, but Miguel knew an order when he heard one. If I do this, I'll be waiting on him hand and foot for the rest of the week.

"And some chips?" This kid was unbelievable.

"Get them yourself." Miguel snapped and that was the end of their long and beautiful friendship.

Miguel decided he was going to hate this place the moment he stepped out of the plane and felt the hot, humid wind blowing in his face. Immediately, he wished he was back home with the merciless sun beating down on him. They do have air-conditioning here, right? He wondered in horror. He'd never thought to ask.

He found more and more reasons to hate the place the following days.

The first was Robby's no-PDA rule. He found out about that when they were waiting for their bags and Miguel wrapped his arms around him.

"Dude, not here!" Robby hissed, pulling himself loose.

Miguel hadn't understood at first.

"We are in a different country, alright?" Robby explained. "It's just not appropriate here. Let's not create any unnecessary problems, okay? Let's just cool it for a bit."

Miguel got the logic – things were still a little awkward with Johnny too and they did avoid kissing in front of him. But…

"So I can't hold you in public?" Miguel asked incredulously.

"No, you can't hold me. You can't hold my hand. You can't put your arm around my waist. You can't grab my ass. And you definitely can't kiss me." Robby ran through the list, trying to see if he missed something. "You can put your arm around my shoulder though. That should be okay. And we can shake hands."

Shake hands? Is he serious. In that moment, Miguel hated the people there for being backward and homophobic. And even when he found out that it wasn't about that, he was still annoyed because they kept him from touching his boyfriend as much as he wanted to.

The people were nice, though. In fact, too nice and too polite. That just felt weird after the casual indifference he was used to back home. Back in LA, no one even gave him a second look – but here? They were always nodding and bowing and smiling – even to strangers. NO-ONE had the right to be this happy all the time – especially not in this humidity and especially not if they couldn't show affection to their boyfriends in public. They were making Miguel feel bad for being cranky and that just wasn't fair.

But as nice as they were, Miguel still wasn't supposed to trust them. There were scam artists here too and clueless, gullible tourists looking for something "exotic" and "cultural" were their favorite prey. And apparently, Miguel had the face of a dope.

"No, I don't." Miguel said indignantly. "I don't get scammed."

"Sure you do." Robby smirked at him. "I scammed you into dating me."

Miguel pouted at that and let Robby kiss him.

And the food – somehow too bland and too spicy at the same time. And the raw fish was everywhere. These people knew that humans had discovered fire thousands of years ago, right?

The weather kept changing on a dime. Damp and hot and airless one moment, making it hard to breathe. And then a sudden tropical storm out of nowhere that sent people running indoors. And then back to being hot and humid. Like, make up your mind already.

And the earthquakes… Okay, that just happened once, but that was enough. He felt a slight tremor when they were at the lunch buffet and panicked, all the rules he'd read over the years about correctly responding to earthquakes came rushing back to him. Drop, cover, hold on! He dropped his plate and dove under the nearest table for cover, holding on to the leg for dear life. Waiting for the shaking to get worse. He ignored it when the people sitting there yelled and jumped out of the chairs. Ofcourse, they needed to run for their lives too.

"Miguel, you okay?"

He saw Robby and Mr. LaRusso peeking under the table with matching amused expressions. There were no more tremors coming and Miguel had freaked out over nothing. The whole room was silent for a while. Then someone giggled, someone else sniggered a little louder and then laughter filled the place. Strangers, all of them and they were all laughing together. At me.

This wasn't fair. This was Robby's first time here too – why hadn't he freaked out?

Apparently, Robby had read all about it and was expecting it. It was pretty common all over Japan – didn't Miguel remember reading about it in Geography? Okay, but that was years ago… And Miguel had a sneaking suspicion that Robby had deliberately kept it from him just to see how he'd react.

So all in all, Miguel had plenty of reasons to hate this place – to hate the foreigners, to hate leaving US, to hate… Oh my god! I'm turning into Sensei.

Okay, it wasn't all bad.

He did find some food that he liked. And even the stuff he didn't like was a new experience and that was fun.

And apparently, Mr. LaRusso was bit of a celebrity over here. That had surprised Miguel – he hadn't seen any auto-shops or billboards with his face on it. But everyone still seemed to know him and by extension, know them."Daniel-san's boys, hai?" They kept saying. It annoyed Miguel at first – he wasn't Daniel's son, he wasn't even his student. But the familiarity grew on him and he stopped correcting them after a while.

Apparently, Mr. LaRusso was bit of a local hero. Like the rest of the LaRussos – and unlike Robby, who soaked up every word – Miguel had learned to tune out Daniel's ramblings about all his previous visits. But this was a story he was sorry to have missed.

He got the gist of it though, of Mr. LaRusso's teenage heroics. He'd saved a little girl from a bell-tower during a storm. He'd fought a local thug in a single combat to death (but he hadn't killed him). He'd convinced the local business tycoon to invest in the village – saving it from ruin and making it flourish. No wonder he loved coming back here.

And the village was beautiful. And fascinating. A curious mix of modernity and antiquity. Miguel was left breathless when he first saw it – the green mountains jutting sharply into the sky in the distance, disappearing into the clouds. The paddy fields that surrounded the place. The calm blue sea that almost looked like a lake. The houses that looked like they were made of paper. The more they discovered, the more amazing things they found. Like the ruins of the castle where the festival was going to take place. That narrow, twisting cobblestone road lined with cherry blossom, trees. The wooden bridge arching over a stony stream…

… All of which ended abruptly at the market row, crowded and bustling and lined with small shops and restaurants. There was even what looked like a small mall there and that is where their (surprisingly modern) hotel was. The Miyagi house was too small for all of them.

Miguel saw that for himself when they visited the place. "Quaint" was the only word that came to his mind. The charming little rock-and-bonsai garden, the wooden floorboards, the sliding paper doors – they all made Miguel feel like he'd stepped into a different century. An old woman still lived there – one who greeted them and took them to Mr. Miyagi's shrine. She looked like she must be about a hundred, but she still had all her wits about her.

They saw the old dojo next – nothing at all like the Cobra Kai dojo. Not even like the Miyagi-Do dojo back home. The very feel was different and Miguel could sense that somehow. There was history etched deep within the bones of this place, wooden floorboards worn out and rubbed smooth by a hundreds of years of feet practicing on them.

It made Miguel a little jealous that Robby got to be part of something going back hundreds of years. It made him wonder if Cobra-Kai had a similar history, similar legacy. But no – the Cobra Kai today was what Johnny had made it and if there was a legacy from before, it'd Kreese's. And that was better off dead and buried.

And it wasn't just the dojo. Once the three-day festival started, Miguel could feel the culture and tradition rooted deep in this place. It made him wonder about his own culture. Yaya always said that he was too "Americanized", too distant from the history of his own people and he decided to find out more about it when he got back. Who knew? Maybe next time, he'd be the one introducing Robby to something new.

The morning of the Obon dance, everyone was headed their own way. Mr. LaRusso wanted to go visit some guy named Sato. Anthony decided he wanted to hang out by (not in, by) the pool that day. (Poor kid didn't realize that the hotel didn't have a pool, but everyone decided to let him find that out on his own). The girls were going kimono shopping for the festival and to get their hair done. They invited Miguel to come with them, but going out in that sweltering heat? No thanks – Miguel would rather hang out in his cold, comfortable room with his boyfriend.

" , don't you need to go shopping too?" Robby asked casually, but Miguel could see the nervousness in his eyes. "Don't guys dress up for these things?"

"No – I already have something. But you boys don't have to worry about that. Just wear your normal clothes. But something formal, right? It'll be fine." Daniel replied, seeing right through him.

Miguel knew where this was headed and sure enough, five minutes later, Robby casually mentioned that he might just tag along with the girls after all. Miguel sighed and resigned himself to a day spent alone in the room.

He lasted about an hour before he got too bored. There were only so many times you could check your phone for updates. And maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He really should buy some souvenirs for his family. And maybe something karate related for Sensei. He'd grumble about Cobra-Kai being "All-American", but he'd appreciate it anyway. It wouldn't matter that Robby would say that he got ripped-off, it'd be worth it. And he really did want to spend time with his boyfriend, even if it was in this hundred percent humidity and even if they couldn't even hold hands.

Miguel headed out of the hotel, braving the heat with determined enthusiasm.

And he almost gave up fifteen minutes later with no sign of them anywhere. It was impossible to find anyone in this crowd, even though a foreigner like Robby should've stood out like a beacon. Finally, he spotted Amanda in a clothing store, a whole bunch of fabric spread before her.

"Huh? Robby? Oh, he left already." She told Miguel distractedly. "Said he bought some stuff and wanted to try it on. He should be at the hotel."

Cursing and fuming, Miguel made his way back to their room. It barely took five minutes, but they felt like an hour.

And when he finally came in, he found his boyfriend there, almost naked in front of the mirror, wearing a… it was a diaper, wasn't it?

"It's a Fundoshi." Robby said with a huff after Miguel closed the door. "And it's a traditional Japanese thing."

"That doesn't look like it's much fun." Miguel said, taking a closer look. "Looks pretty ugly, actually."

"A Fun-do-shi." Robby corrected, still trying to twist and turn and look at himself from all angles. "And it's not supposed to look like that. I didn't put it on right."

Miguel somehow suppressed his laugh into a smile. "Wait, is this for tonight? Are you wearing that to the dance?"

Robby nodded, still distracted.

"Dude – NO! I don't think you are allowed out in public like that." Miguel was too horrified to laugh. "Can't you just wear a kimono or something? Because if you go out like that, I'm breaking up with you."

Robby looked at him angrily. "It's an underwear, asshat. I am wearing a Yukata over it. Kimonos are for girls, guys wear Yukatas. Up to speed now?"

Miguel couldn't stop smiling. "Did Mr. LaRusso put you up to this? Tell you all that stuff?"

"No, I had to ask the shopkeeper." Robby gave up and undid the knots on his side. "He told me all about traditional Japanese clothing for ceremonies, but I didn't think to ask him how to put this on. I got you a Yukata too, if you wanna wear it tonight."

Okay, that was sweet of him and Miguel couldn't help but genuinely smile at that. Robby was always like that, going the extra mile for the people he loved. Doing things without being asked. Like when he looked up how far Miguel would be at college and made a plans on how they could visit each-other. Or when he asked his mother about his favorite food. Or when he automatically started ordering from Miguel's favorite take-out places without even asking. Or when he stayed up all night helping Miguel with college applications even though he wouldn't be going. (Not yet, that was). Small gestures that didn't mean much in the larger scheme of things, but which always showed Miguel how much Robby cared and made something swell up inside him.

"Never gonna get this." Robby murmured as the cloth fell off.

Oh, so it's a loincloth? Miguel couldn't tell before, but that made sense. And he had to admit, Robby looked pretty hot like that – the length of cloth hiding his junk, but everything else on display. Miguel couldn't help but admire him – those deceptively soft muscles, those smooth curves all over. The six-pack and the Adonis belt leading downwards. And that round bubble butt that he just loved spanking and spreading and licking open.

"Would you stop gawking and help me?" Robby asked.

Help you make yourself miserable? No thanks. "Why don't you just wear your normal undies?" He asked falling back on the bed and lifting himself on his elbows. "Mr. LaRusso is not gonna check under the hood. He'll never know."

"I'll know." Robby replied. "And I want to do this right."

"But he said we didn't have to wear anything special." Miguel tried again. "So wearing a simple Kimo – Yukata should be good enough. You don't need to do this."

"But I want to do this, okay? This stuff is important to him." Robby insisted. "And it's not just about him. I want to do the whole cultural experience right."

Miguel wasn't fooled for a moment. Sure Robby might want to do the "cultural experience" right, but he'd never make himself miserable for it. This was about Mr. LaRusso, about making him proud and doing something he'd want Robby to do, even though he'd never know Robby had done it. That was just like Robby to go this far without even looking for credit.

Miguel got up and went over to him, with a smile on his face. Robby was still annoyed and was looking skeptically at him, but Miguel didn't care. He wrapped his arms around his naked boyfriend and pulled him against his chest.

"What?" Robby asked, still eyeing him suspiciously.

"I just love you when you get like this." Miguel said. "You are such a try-hard."

"I'm not a – mmmph…" Robby's denial got swallowed by Miguel's mouth as he went in for the kiss.

It took a moment, but Robby gave into it, melting in his arms as Miguel's hands moved southwards to fondle that ass. He could feel Robby growing hard between them when Robby pushed him away.

"You are sweaty and you stink." He said, faking annoyance this time."If you are not going to help me, then just get out of the way!"

"Alright." Miguel relented, still squeezing his butt. "How do we do this."

Robby smiled and disentangled himself, handing Miguel his phone. "I found a video tutorial online."

Okay, so the concept was pretty straightforward and the guy demonstrating it did have a pretty cute butt. Not as cute as Robby's though. His ass was flatter, with more of a gap between the cheeks, whereas Robby was rounder, firmer, bouncier. And Miguel just loved how it jiggled when he spanked – focus. Pay attention.

Right – the steps were straightforward. One end rested over the shoulder, the cloth coming down the chest flat and wide. It covered your junk and went between your legs. That's when you started twisting and coiling it around like a rope, pulling it up along the buttcrack until it was at the small of your back. One finger to hold it there while you wrap it around the waist – twist, twist, twist – until it was back at the starting point and then you looped it under like you do with shoelaces. Then you turned it backwards, coiling it around the "rope-waistband" until just a bit of a tuft stood out at the side of your hip. And that was stage one.

Stage two involved pulling down the flap over your shoulder, covering your junk with another layer and repeating the process. Between your legs, up the crack, twisting along the way, knot at the small of the back, coil around in the opposite direction and a tuft on the other side. Miguel could see the steps were easy, but he could also see why Robby messed it up. All that twisting and coiling required a practiced hand and it would not be easy getting it right the first time. Or the fiftieth.

"So it should look like a thong…" Miguel exclaimed after he was done. "Except made of rope?"

"I guess." Robby replied, looking again and trying to see what Miguel saw.

"Okay, so how am I supposed to help you with this?"

"There is another tutorial about how to put it on with two guys."

What the - ? "You couldn't have shown that to me first?" Miguel said, annoyed, snatching the phone from Robby's hand.

Robby just smirked. "Wanted you to know what I was dealing with here."

The two-guy thing did look simpler. The wearer kept things in place – whatever needed to be held in place, that was. And the helper handled all the twisting and wrapping and coiling. What surprised Miguel though was that straight guys actually helped each-other with this stuff. Back home, they wouldn't even touch each-other's underwear with bare hands, let alone help each-other put it on. Maybe they were more open-minded here than he'd assumed.

"Okay, let's do this." Miguel said. Robby smiled and turned around, getting in position with his legs apart. It took all of Miguel's will-power not to just throw the thing away and go down on his boyfriend instead. Focus on the task.

The first attempt ended up almost as bad as Robby's solo trial. Miguel thought he'd twisted things tightly enough, but when he let it go, things went all loose and shapeless again.

"You are not pulling it tight enough." Robby said, looking into the mirror critically. "You need to make the whole thing tighter."

"This is too complicated." Miguel replied. "Isn't there an easier way to do this?"

"Maybe – but that won't be the right way." Robby insisted. "The hard way is the right way. And it'll be worth it in the end."

Worth what? Nobody is even going to see this.

The second attempt was even more disastrous. Robby held on to the flap on his shoulder to prevent it from being pulled downwards and when Miguel pulled it between his cheeks, he gave it a firm yank to pull it taut.

"What?" Miguel asked in concerned as Robby groaned and doubled over.

"You just got my balls." Robby told him through gritted teeth.

Miguel cringed. And then laughed. And then wrapped his hands around Robby, massaging his sore balls until the pain went away.

The third attempt was almost perfect. Everything looked right and stayed that way. But almost wasn't good enough for Robby.

"It's not tight enough." He said, squatting and moving around to get a feel for it. "It looked tighter on the video."

"Dude, any tighter and it'll cut off circulation somewhere." Miguel argued. "It's not worth losing your dick over."

"It's fine." Robby reassured him. "You like my ass better anyway."

They finally got it right in the fourth attempt. Or maybe not right – it still looked uncomfortably tight to Miguel – but Robby seemed satisfied.

"Okay – I think we are good now." Robby said, doing squats and lunges just to make sure. "Everything is staying in place. Nothing is hanging loose or falling down. I think we did it."

"Thank God." Miguel said. Since when had putting on underwear become such hard work?

"Good." Robby said, nodding to himself. "We'll do it just like this the next time."

Miguel stared at him. Next time? "Next time?"

"I'm not wearing this thing all day." Robby looked confused at Miguel's confusion. "This was just practice to figure out how to do it. We'll put it on again when we get dressed for the evening."

Miguel fell back on the bed with a groan.

A/N: Smut in Chapter 2