"So who is this guy, anyway?"

Skeevo hustled to button up his shirt as he came down the stairs. Xander was already in the foyer, looking over the letter they'd just received.

"I have no clue.". Scanning the letter, Xander added, "According to this, it's some kid who's caused trouble a'plenty at every place he's ever been sent for school. Private, public, you name, he's fucked it up. Apparently, he doesn't play well with others."

"So how is it we get stuck with him?" Skeevo tucked in his shirt, gave his underarms a quick sniff. All clear.

"Wellll...", Xander traced a finger down the page to the last paragraph. "It seems our boy comes from money. Enough so that they can do whatever they like with him."

"Does it say whose?"

"Just that it's somebody who's been very supportive of the frat. Formerly a member here. Still considers himself a brother, to boot."

"That narrows the list considerably", Skeevo decided. "Gimme." Xander handed him the letter. Skeevo searched for the new guy's name, found it. "Bryan Finch. Finch, Finch...you remember any of our former boys who made good named Finch?"

"Not a one."

Skeevo turned the letter over, saw that the back was blank. No clues there. He looked at the front again. "Damn, this is really nice paper. Thick, stiff."

"Not unlike it's owners, no doubt", Xander mused.

Skeevo held the stationery up to the light. "Standard watermark. No special printing house or family crest or anything. No help there."

Xander took the letter back. "You were hoping for an embossed graphic of two rubber boyfriends?"

"It would've allayed a few concerns, yeah."

Xander looked at the letter again. "No such luck. Well, he's legacy, anyway. Hopefully that's a good sign." The doorbell rang, and the two boys opened up the passageway for their newest member. The man who stood there was dressed nattily in a chauffeur's uniform, complete with tall boots, gloves, and the little hat. Skeevo mumbled out of the side of his mouth to Xander, "Well of course, he's related to Liberace. Class of '69, wasn't it?"

"Masters--" he referred to a little card. "--Xander and Skeevo?" He said the latter name as if it were an exotic tropical disease.

"That's us."

"May I present Master Finch." In walked a scrawny kid of maybe 19 or 20. He didn't meet the boys' gaze, but instead looked around the room as if he were checking for stray cobwebs. The chauffeur deposited his bags inside the foyer and beat feet out of there quickly. He gave the impression that he was eager to put some distance between himself and his young charge.

"So. Welcome to Rho Upsilon Beta Rho", Xander said. "I'm one of the guys in charge around here. I'm Xander, and this is my right-hand man and best friend Skeev--"

"Man, your hair is all fucked up", Bryan said flatly, looking at Skeevo's spiky mass.

"Excuse us a minute, won't you?", Xander said, turning his back to the newcomer. He then whispered conspiratorially to Skeevo. "Looks like a serious social quadriplegic. Quick tour and fag test?"

"Indubitably."

Xander turned around with arms wide. "Bryyyyann! Howzabout a quick tour of the house, pal? If you'd be so good as to come with us." He gestured for Bryan to follow them.

Bryan grunted. "Whatever."

"So you think he is or not?"

Skeevo frowned. "I dunno, hard to tell. There are some telltale indicators, but the ol' gaydar isn't going off yet. Rec room."

Xander nodded. "Rec room." He guided Bryan into a cluttered but cozy room with a foosball table, pool table, ping-pong setup, a big screen TV, dartboard, and various other diversions. As Xander pointed out the painfully obvious attractions ("This is our PING- pong TAY-bull."), he made a point to wander by the various posters. Muscular and gorgeous men were plastered all over the walls, from the standard $4.95 beefcake shots of the big guy in his jockeys with the slogan "All men Are NOT Created Equal" to a very tasteful Bruce Weber print. Xander ran through the highlights of the video library while leaning against the wall next to a stunning full color photo of two shirtless college boys kissing.

Bryan tried desperately to avert his gaze from the posters, but he kept right on staring, his mouth slightly open, his eyes wide. He didn't seem offended, just surprised. he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Xander and Skeevo exchanged knowing glances, and raised their eyebrows, sending the message, "Ohhhhhh, yeah. He's one of us."

As they left the rec room for other portions of the house to continue their test, Bryan's eyes still shot back to the flattering posters even as he walked out the door.

Rounding the corner, the touring trio were very nearly bowled over. Jonathan and Jason came bounding down the stairs, laughing. Both boys were attired in royal blue rubber bodysuits and surfer boots with white and blue jerseys bearing the frat's Greek letters thrown over the top of them. The boys were clearly in a race, and as such they nearly knocked Xander and Skeevo--and their new charge--down as they raced past.

"Whoa, whoa!", Xander yelled as they passed.

"Hold it!", Skeevo ordered, raising his voice only slightly. It was enough to halt the young rubber pledges in their tracks. They turned around, still laughing.

Bryan stared at the pledges even harder than he had at the posters. He whispered to Skeevo, "Wh-what are they wearing? Is, is, is that--?"

"Rubber", Skeevo said matter-of-factly.

Bryan slowly rubbed his arms as if he felt a sudden chill, his eyes taking in Jonathan and Jason's rubber uniforms. "...wow...", was all he could get out.

Xander pointed an accusing finger at the two pledges. "Rudeness! A scandalous display of rudeness, boys. Can you not see we are showing our newest pledge around the house?"

"You're giving him the terribly wrong impression about the place", Skeevo added. "Do you want him to think we're a bunch of hooligans or something?"

Jason and Jonathan burst into new peals of laughter, leaning against one another for support. Jason made a gesture towards the upstairs, trying to indicate whatever nonsense it was they'd been up to, but lost his voice to another burst of laughter. Jonathan was similarly afflicted.

"Attention!", Xander snapped. Instantly, the laughing boys stood side-by-side like military recruits at inspection. Backs straight, hands at their sides, feet close together, eyes straight ahead. Xander paced back and forth before them. "Dis-GRACE-ful. Running around this respected house like a couple of hyperactive two-year-olds. Are you not ashamed of yourselves for this rueful behavior?"

The boys tried their best to stifle their snickers as they responded, "Yes, sir! We are very ashamed, Master Xander, sir!" Jason snorted half a laugh out his nose, garnering a stern look from Xander.

Skeevo stepped up. "I think punishment is in order."

"Punishment, definitely", Xander agreed.

"Rubberboys, face each other", Skeevo ordered. The two boys turned on their heels and spun to face each other. Skeevo glanced at Xander. "Nook?"

"Nook nookie", Xander nodded. "Boys, start scooching towards the wall. Remain facing each other." Jonathan and Jason did their best to keep straight faces, but had little success. They side-stepped, keeping eye contact with one another, all the way across the living room until their shoulders bumped against the wall. Upon impact, they both lost it and started laughing again.

Throughout the display, Bryan Finch stood by with his mouth hanging open, astounded by what was going on before him.

Xander strode over to the boys. "Please note that you are now in The Nook." Jason and Jonathan peered above and behind themselves, seeing that they had been positioned into a snug, arched alcove on one side of the main living room.

"And you will remain there", Skeevo added, "under our orders, until further notice." The two boys snickered, staring into each other's eyes. Skeevo rolled his eyes, and gestured to Xander.

Xander lightly bapped Jason in the back of the head. Jason realized what this meant. "Oh! Right Sorry."

The two boys responded in unison, "What are your orders, O Masters?"

Xander crossed his arms. "Let's see. Disruptive, rambunctious behavior. Potentially embarrassing us in front of a new charge."

"And excessive laughter and mirth", Skeevo interjected.

"That too", Xander agreed. "Boys, initiate Punishment F: Emm-Oh." He paused, then added, "W/T." Jason and Jonathan looked at each other with bright eyes, smiling broadly, their stoic faces lost. "Annnndd begin!"

With that, the two young rubberboys put their arms around each other and began kissing. Passionately. They showed no sign whatever that this was a genuine punishment for either of them. In fact, they looked to be loving every second of it.

Xander and Skeevo turned their attention back to Bryan. Xander tossed one more comment over his shoulder in a mock threatening tone, "And you just keep that up until we tell you otherwise." The two frat masters led Bryan back to the stairs.

As they ascended, Bryan said, "What-what was all that about? You force all your pledges to be gay?"

Xander waved away the comment. "Nah. All these guys were beyond help before we got to them."

"Terminal Homosexualitis", Skeevo said.

"Tragic", Xander added.

About halfway up the stairs, Skeevo signalled for the trio to stop. Leaning over the railing, Skeevo called to the punished boys, "An amendment to your punishment, fellas. F/eo/U. Random intervals. Proceed." As they continued their climb up the stairs, they could hear Jason suddenly let out an excited yelp, muffled by the boys' liplock.

"What was all that about??", Bryan asked. "You told them, what was it--F: Emm-Oh. What--?"

Xander responded without breaking stride. "Forced make-out session. W/T, with tongues."

Bryan looked at Skeevo. "And the F/eo/U thing?"

"Feel each other up." Then, to Xander, Skeevo said, "Whattaya think, leave 'em there for an hour or so?"

"With those two? At least a couple hours."

At the top of the stairs, Xander and Skeevo started down the hallway and noticed Bryan lingering on the landing, looking down the way they came.

"Bryan?" The masters walked back to see what was the matter.

"Wow. This is incredible. So you--you completely control them?"

The two fratboys grinned. "Pretty much", Xander said.

"It's kind of a mutually accepted control relationship. Master-Initiate deal."

Bryan kept staring down towards the alcove, where Jonathan and Jason were dutifully going at it. Still locked in an embrace, Jason had just placed his palm firmly over Jonathan's crotch. Jonathan responded by grabbing Jason's ass. "It must be fun, having that kind of control.", Bryan wondered aloud.

"It's a blast", Skeevo said, reaching to take Bryan's shoulder and guide him down the hall.

Neither boy caught the hard edge that had entered Bryan's voice when he whispered in reply, "I can imagine..."

Now that the cat was out of the bag, Skeevo and Xander rattled off the various rules of the frat as they made their way along the tour upstairs. "I get to--er, I have to wear rubber all the time? What, seriously?"

"Seriously", Xander said forcefully.

"B-but why? I mean, it seems pretty cool and all, but--"

"Because we said so, and what we say goes.", Xander's aid with finality.

"I'm not that crazy about the whole authority thing", Bryan grumbled.

"Well, I'll guarantee you've never had authorities as crazy as us", Skeevo remarked.

As the masters led Bryan down a back hallway to suit him up in rubber pledge wear, they happened upon Thomas and Jesse. The two boys were bound to the wall, via old metal drapery rings. Or rather, Jesse was bound to the wall and Thomas was bound to him. Jess was dressed in a loose-fitting olive drab rubber jumpsuit coveralls, with similarly colored galoshes buckled onto his feet. Strapped around his thighs were snug, wide restraints, with matching bonds binding his wrists. Jesse's wrist manacles were fastened to those on his thighs, making it impossible for him to lift his arms away from his body. The thigh manacles, in turn, were secured to the rings mounted in the walls.

Around Jesse's neck was a sturdy rubber collar. Thomas stood facing him, with his own wrist restraints attached to the sides of Jesse's collar, leaving Thomas with little choice than to cradle Jesse's head in his hands. Thomas was in a standard Rho-Upsilon-Beta- Rho bodysuit and knee boots. As Xander, Skeevo, and Bryan approached, Thomas was kissing Jesse eagerly.

"What's all this, then?", Xander asked.

"Um, uh, masters", Thomas fumbled, "this--it was a demonstration--! To teach me the house rules!"

Skeevo crossed his arms. "Oh, this should be good."

Xander arched one eyebrow. "A demonstration?"

Jesse began to splutter. "Guys! You gotta get me out of this! It wasn't my idea! Jason and Jonathan--!"

Xander put a hand behind his ear. "Excuse me? Homo say what? 'Guys'?"

Jesse caught himself. "Sir! Masters! Sorry! It's just that I've been stuck here and--!"

Xander placed a hand over Jesse's mouth. "Pause for station identification. Thomas, what's the deal here?"

Thomas grinned. "I was talking with Jason and Jonathan. They were filling me in on the rules. What to wear, how to act, how we should address you, like that."

"Annnd--?", Skeevo prompted.

"And I asked what would happen if I broke the rules", Thomas continued. "And they said I would have to be punished, and I asked what a standard punishment was, and Jesse was coming down the hall just then, and Jesse and Jonathan called him over and were all, 'C'mere, we need you for a demonstration', and well--"

"We can figure out the rest", Xander said, releasing Jesse's mouth.

"Masters, please! This was so not my idea! Ya gotta get him off me! Where are Jason and Jonathan, anyway? They should get theirs for--"

"The duo in question are downstairs undergoing their own punishment", Skeevo was quick to point out.

"So you caught 'em for this? That's why they're being punished?"

Xander and Skeevo exchanged a knowing look. "Oh, yeah", Xander said. "That's why they're being punished. Now, as to your punishment..."

"MY punishment?!", Jesse exploded, incredulous.

"Failing to address your masters with the proper reverence", Skeevo interjected. "Serious infraction."

"No, no, no", Jesse said quickly. "I was caught off-guard! I didn't mean to call you guys 'guys'! I didn't--!"

Xander pursed his lips as he mused aloud. "I'd say a forced make-out session will serve this time. Sayyyy, with Thomas?"

"Yes, sir!", Thomas said with vigor.

"Master Xander, please! I'm not really into him. Can you get Chris? Or maybe Seann, even?"

"Too late", Xander said. "I have spoken. Carry on, Thomas."

Jesse tried to protest under Thomas' affectionate assault. "Mm-mhhmff!"

Skeevo patted Jesse on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Jess. We'll send Jason and Jonathan up here to set you two loose asap. They should be done with their punishment in about an hour."

"MMMPHHFF!!"

Bryan was led down the hall by the two rubber masters. "So, what do you think of our little frat so far?", Xander asked him.

"I think I'm going to like it here", Bryan said. "I think I'm going to like it here a lot." Xander and Skeevo shared a nod and a smile, unaware that the wheels inside Bryan's head were already turning.