Andrew sat in class staring at his best friend Nathan, and not for the first time, wondered what he'd look like suspended by strings.

Andrew was slender but tightly muscled. He was 19, 5'10", with puppy dog eyes and an unruly mop of brown hair that often hung down over his eyes. His best friend in the world was Nathan. The same age as Andrew, Nathan was taller by nearly two inches, thinner, and less muscular. His dark hair was usually kept short. He had a look of innocence about him, accentuated by two ever-so-slightly oversized front teeth that stood out when he laughed.

Andrew and Nathan had had a thing going for some time now. Officially, it had been since the eleventh grade. Technically, it had been nearly since they had been old enough to crawl. The two buddies grew up together, their houses only one door down from each other's. They did everything together; little league, their first trip to the movies, camping, fishing, their first smuggled cigarette (although that escapade served only to assure them both that they'd live out the remainder of their lives as non-smokers, lest they choose to carry around a backpack at all times with a bedpan in it). And of course, the two friends served one another as confidant and supporter when they both realized they were gay.

The now-infamous secret operation to pilfer Playboy magazines from Nathan's dad had proven less than successful. They were twelve, and they were smart enough to know where the magazines were stashed. Via an intricately-planned scheme, the duo liberated the bunny-laden contraband and escaped to the confines of the basement. To no result. After safely returning the Playboys without being discovered, the two young friends moped around Nathan's bedroom, too embarrassed to talk about it. That is, until a recently-arrived copy from Nathan's Muscle & Fitness subscription arrived that afternoon and had the desired effect they sought earlier. With a chair propped against the door, they were occupied in Nathan's bedroom for the next three hours. The sore arms were attributed to a marathon set of video games.

That they were both gay was quietly understood but never vocalized. Andrew and Nathan maintained what they referred to as their "secret identities" with great care, reserved solely for covert masturbation sessions. Words were never spoken in regard to their feelings until the ninth grade, when Andrew offered the words that would define their relationship, "You know, if you liked girls I'd still be your friend."

That was also the year that the two discovered they had two more mutual interests; theater and woodworking. It was then that their English teacher took them to their first stage play as part of a study unit on drama. The two boys delighted in the experience so much that they immediately signed up for the drama club. The Introductory Woods class was originally taken for the credit alone (and because they thought it would be a cinch, since Andrew's father was a contractor and the rudimentary woodwork assigned in class was something Andrew had been doing since he was in grade school). But contractors are rarely called upon to make toys and knickknacks, and Andrew and Nathan often collaborated their efforts to create detailed and unusual novelties. It was during Woods class that they made their first marionette. Something about being in complete control of the little wooden man's (whom they had modeled after one of the hunks in Nathan's workout magazines) every movement fascinated the boys.

It was while the two were working on their fifth puppet at home, that Nathan looked at Andrew and said quite unexpectedly, "Y'know, you'd make a great puppet, man." The words stopped them both cold. Neither had anticipated the comment, nor did they fully understand it. After a moment's pause, they went back to their sanding and varnishing in silence, uncomfortably aware that they were both sporting sudden erections.

It was a year later, in tenth grade, that the two shared their first kiss. It was backstage after the final curtain of the spring play, "Our Hearts Were Young and Gay"--a title which both boys found hilariously appropriate. They simply looked at each other, concealed between the heavy curtains in the wings, high from the excitement of finishing a successful performance, and with one look into each other's eyes, they knew what the other was thinking. Without a word, they shared a loving embrace, a passionate kiss. When they separated, their eyes were wide, their breath uneven, neither quite sure why they had done what they had done, nor how they should feel about it. Then they both laughed, and the laughter made it alright. They hugged then, and turning to leave found that they had an uninvited audience in one of the younger girls from the show. She gave them a long, blank look, then stepped aside for them to pass. How much the girl saw, the boys never learned. As far as they knew, she never mentioned it to anyone.

Nathan and Andrew decided they were officially a couple by their junior year of high school. They also decided it was nobody's business, and were very careful not to give anything away while in public, especially where school was concerned. They enjoyed long walks in the woods or on the beach during the summers, where they could hold hands with impunity and nestle beneath a tree thick with overhanging branches or in a secluded cove to kiss as long as they wanted. Occasionally they experimented with masturbating one another, but that was as far as they dared to go.

The fascination with puppetry continued. Both Nathan and Andrew delved further into exactly how marionettes were built, manipulated, and made to perform. Their favorite movie became "Being John Malkovich" for its extensive puppet sequences. The boys blew away the parent-teacher groups when they did a flawless rendition of "The Lonely Goatherd" in their senior year talent show. And of course, there was the unfortunate experimental incident with...oversized puppeteering last summer.

Now the boys were in their first year at the Community College. Both had wanted badly to be accepted into Langston Theatrical Academy, but neither had the grades for it, due most likely to the hours lost to their studies that were spent with their puppets.

They shared most of their classes, due to careful schedule synchronizing. One was rarely seen without the other, as was usually the case since they were little. At this moment, Andrew stared at Nathan, a dopey grin on his face, as he imagined his slender friend sitting just as he was, staring blankly at his lecturing professor, but doing so stark naked. Once, Nathan caught on that his friend was staring at him, and silently mouthed, "What?!" Andrew simply gestured that Nathan should redirect his attention back to their teacher. When Nathan did, Andrew went back to imagining his best friend sitting naked in the row beside his, but with important changes. Slim lines, strong as piano wire, black as night, dangled from various points on Nathan's body. The imaginary puppet strings connected to points on his body vital to his movement; the wrists, the elbows, the shoulders, atop his head. Each time Nathan moved in reality, Andrew saw his unclothed companion being moved by his all-controlling unbreakable puppet strings that stretched upward to some indeterminate point beyond the ceiling. The mere idea of having his young and inexperienced boyfriend under his complete control was intoxicating.

Then, Andrew thought of additional strings that could perhaps control parts of Nathan that were less than vital to his body's motion. Andrew saw another string, smaller than those on Nathan's limbs, tracing down from above to attach between Nathan's legs, just below the waist. An imaginary yank on the new line brought Puppet Nathan instantly to erection, without his control or consent. Andrew smiled, envisioning Nathan's arms held in place by the taut strings, while the thin one between his legs slowly tugged, up and down, up and down. Getting faster and faster, Nathan's restrained, marionette arms unable to reach over and stop it...

"Mister Tather!"

The strident voice of his teacher yanked Andrew out of his reverie. "Is there any chance that you'd care to join the rest of us in our studies?" Andrew blinked, and saw immediately how he'd been caught. The teacher, pointer in hand, had directed every student's eyes to a pull-down chart on the far side of the blackboard. All heads were turned towards it, except for Andrew's, which was still focused on Nathan.

Andrew had no idea what had been going on in class, but he was instantly aware that he was in the soup. This didn't happen very often, but it happened enough that Andrew knew trying to cover his tracks was pointless. "Sorry", he said. "I was just thinking."

"I hardly thought that you were somehow fascinated with Mr. Woden's head", the teacher sneered, bringing a chorus of snickers from the rest of the class. The rest, that is, save Nathan, who had found a sudden interest in his shoes. "If you could trouble yourself to actually concentrate on the knowledge I've been charged to convey to you, if it's not too much inconvenience?"

Andrew shifted in his seat, looking in the direction he'd been told to, eyes forward, his mind still back with his best friend.

Psychology was one of Andrew and Nathan's favorite classes. Not for the subject matter, but because, like the class preceding it, they had it together. The duo left their last class and walked the halls together on the way to Psych. "So what was all that staring about last hour?", Nathan asked his friend.

Andrew pretended not to know what he meant. "Hmm? Oh, I dunno, just thinking, I guess."

Nathan smiled, sidling up close to his best friend. "Really? Or you just...stringing me along?" Andrew laughed, elbowing Nathan playfully in the ribs. The duo entered Psych class to find much excitement among the students already there. Nathan looked across the room and saw a stout, mustached man in a tweed jacket standing by their teacher's desk. "We got a sub today?", Nate wondered aloud.

Andrew spotted their regular teacher handing a paper back to a girl in the back row. "Guess not", Andrew noted. The two took their seats beside each other and leaned over to the cluster of jocks who perpetually occupied the front row of every class they attended. "What's up with the guy at the front of the room?", Andrew asked.

One jock in a red letterman's jacket, turned around in disbelief. "What, are you serious? Don't you know anything about Funkenwagner's Psych class??"

One of his buddies leaned forward. "Yeah, man, it's legendary. Every term he has his buddy come in and put on a demonstration using kids from his class."

Nathan and Andrew exchanged puzzled looks. "What kind of demonstration?", Nathan asked. The jocks just looked at the boys, then looked at each other. Their faces lit up, and they high-fived each other as if some success had been achieved. Andrew and Nathan simply sat back in their desks, shaking their heads.

Their teacher, a balding, squat blimp of a man paced in front of the rows of desks. "Okay, settle down. As some of you already know, I take one day out of every term during this course to have a friend of mine pay us a visit and share a unique demonstration--yes, what is it, Derek?"

One of the jocks had been waving his hand frantically. "Mr. Funkenwagner, we were talking about the demonstration before class, and Woden and Tather said they really wanted to volunteer for it!" The other members of the athletic peanut gallery chimed in their agreement. Nathan began to speak, clearly to dispute the comment, but Andrew made a dismissive gesture telling him to let it go.

"Well, if we're already so excited about it, I think we can skip further introductions and simply begin", their teacher decided. "Clifford, if you'd care to take over?"

The man in tweed stepped up and greeted the class. Then, "I understand we already have a couple of volunteers?" The jocks grabbed Andrew and Nathan and pushed them to the front of the room while the guest speaker set up a pair of chairs. As the duo took their seats, he asked their names.

"Uh, Andrew and Nathan", Andrew said.

Nathan pointed to his friend. "He's Andrew."

Andrew jabbed an indicating thumb in the other direction. "He's Nathan."

The man smiled. "Well, Andrew and Nathan, did you really volunteer or were you more or less drafted?"

"We didn't really volunteer--", Nathan began.

"But it's okay", Andrew said. "We'll help out."

"Glad to hear it!" The man turned his back on the two boys to again address the class. "Your teacher Mr. Funkenwagner may have already told you that I am a licensed psychiatrist and that I specialize in hypnotherapy. Yes, I am a hypnotist and it's that particular skill he's asked me to demonstrate for you." He made brief mention of some of the misconceptions about hypnosis and clarified some of the facts, but Andrew and Nathan didn't hear any of that, frozen as they were in place as they stared at one another in dread of what they'd gotten themselves into.

"So! bearing all of that in mind", the hypnotist said, "if you two gentlemen could focus your attention on this." He held up a simple yellow No. 2 pencil. "It's merely an ordinary pencil, there's nothing special about it, I only just borrowed it from Mr. Funkenwagner's desk. But if you, Andrew, and you, Nathan, could concentrate on it for just a moment, I'd like to point out something fascinating about it."

And that is all that Andrew and Nathan remembered about the hypnotist's ordinary yet fascinating pencil. The next thing they knew they were sound asleep.

"Open your eyes."

Nathan and Andrew did so, without ever actually being aware that they had heard the command. One moment, their eyes were closed and they were sound asleep. The next, they felt wide awake and were looking at the hypnotist. If he was expecting some response from the two boys, his expression betrayed nothing.

The rest of the classroom, however, seemed on pins and needles. They watched the two hypnosis subjects practically from the edge of their seats. One or two other boys exchanged knowing glances. A girl in the back tried to suppress a giggle, with only marginal success.

Nathan looked at Andrew, seated close beside him. Neither knew quite what to expect, and felt as if they had come in late on a joke. Nathan said under his breath, "I thought we were supposed to feel refreshed or something."

Andrew scrunched his brow. "Did he even do anything?", he whispered.

"Gentlemen", the hypnotist said, "how do you feel?"

The boys shrugged in unison. The girl in the back snickered at that. Trying to ignore her, they answered. "Okay, I guess." "No different, really."

The hypnotist stroked his chin and looked a little puzzled. "Hnh", he intoned. Then, with a wave of his hand, commented, "You boys kind of slumped close together while you were under. Why don't you separate a bit and sit up straight."

Andrew and Nathan looked at each other and realized that their bodies were touching. They sat snugly shoulder-to-shoulder and had not even realized it. They shot each other quick glances, silently conveying that they both agreed with the hypnotist's suggestion. There was also some small concern that their secret could leak out if they had become so comfortable with each other that they could be pressed together and not even notice. The boys sat up straighter and moved to readjust themselves on their chairs.

And they didn't budge.

They looked at each other, alarmed that they were still up against each other. The air in the room had changed. The other students were watching them with intense interest. Everyone was smiling. Including the hypnotist.

Nathan looked nervous. "Dude, get off'a me." He jerked to one side.

And Andrew came with him. "Me? Man, it's you. Get over onto your own chair!" Andrew tugged the other way, only to find that he also pulled his friend back with him. The two rocked back and forth like this, and within moments, the students could contain themselves no longer and began to laugh. To his credit, the hypnotist contained himself and merely grinned. Their instructor, who'd been sitting quietly behind his desk, stifled a guffaw.

Nathan and Andrew were not as amused. The two were beginning to panic a bit, and cluelessly tried to pull each other apart. They placed bracing palms against the side of their companion and pushed hard, to no avail. It was as if they had been super-glued together from just above the waist down to almost the knee. When all their pushing and pulling served only to rock them back and forth, Andrew actually attempted to pry their legs apart with his fingers. Three guys in the front row jock cluster roared with laughter.

Nathan, still looking at his best friend--perhaps because he lacked the courage to face the derisive classroom--spluttered, "Dude, what did he do to us??"

Derek, the letterman-jacketed lead jock taunted, "Nothin' that you didn't do on your own already!" He and a buddy exchanged a high-five. Then, upon seeing the boys' still puzzled looks, the third jock said, "You're attached at the hip, dufus!"

Andrew tried to rise to his feet to respond, yanking the unprepared Nathan halfway out of his seat. Unable to get his footing in time, Nathan's dead weight pulled Andrew right back down to his chair in an embarrassing tumble. The two boys attempted to regain some of their dignity by straightening themselves out, only to find that the glue-effect was spreading. In the tangle of arms when they had fallen back into their chairs, they had made firm contact against each others' sides and were now equally bonded from the waist up to their armpits.

Nathan tugged instinctively to separate them, which only telegraphed their predicament to the rest of the class. At this point the entire room was caught in helpless laughter. Andrew looked mortified. By reflex, Nathan draped a comforting arm around his friend's shoulder, and as soon as his reassuring hand touched Andrew's shoulder, he realized his mistake. Andrew's eyes shot daggers at Nathan and he swatted at his friend's hand for him to remove it. Which he couldn't.

Nathan tried to yank his hand away from Andrew's shoulder, only to find that it, too, was stuck fast. "oh no...", Nathan gasped, his eyes wide. Andrew saw the look in his friend's eyes and knew what it meant. Nathan kept pulling to free himself, which only served to fasten his outstretched palm even tighter to Andrew's shoulder. The physical contact, the close bond (literally) to his friend, the obvious lack of control over their own bodies was starting to arouse the both of them. They blushed both in embarrassment and from horror at the thought that their ever-hardening erections would be seen by the rest of the class. The continued to struggle, if half-heartedly, in order to hide the bulges in their pants.

Andrew and Nathan locked eyes. Despite the laughter of ridicule all around them, they both felt the unmistakable connection to one another that was only accentuated by their ridiculous situation. Their jaws fell somewhat slack, and they could feel the electricity between them. Glued together by some unseen force, helpless, their bodies controlled by someone else. They were so aroused that it was all they could do not to kiss each other right there in front of everyone.

Nathan suddenly jerked his head to the side in reaction to something. A hand had been placed on his shoulder. It was Andrew's. Andrew looked just as shocked, as he had not meant to place it there. Then they saw that the hypnotist had sauntered around behind the boys and deftly took Andrew's arm by the wrist and placed his hand upon Nathan's shoulder. The two were so caught up in one another that neither had noticed until contact. And contact was all it took. Now Andrew was also stuck fast to his friend's shoulder. He knew without a doubt that he wouldn't be able to remove his hand, but he couldn't help trying. He tugged to pull his arm back. And his palm stayed firm and fast to Nathan's shoulder. Both boys grew harder beneath their jeans.

"You boys seem to look like you're a bit on the spot here in front of the class with everyone watching", the hypnotist said. His tone was as drab as if he were giving a lecture on the history of the steam engine. "Why don't you just take your seats if you'd prefer to end this demonstration?"

That was all the prompting the boys needed. Assuming that this man had just released them from whatever hold he had over them, both Nathan and Andrew attempted to rise from their seats and return to their desks. It was a mistake. As soon as the boys tried to stand this time, their attachment to one another was increased tenfold. Their hands clutched more tightly at each other's shoulders, and it was if some irresistible magnetic force secured them together from their armpits all the way down to their knees. The result was that the now-conjoined Andrew and Nathan flopped clumsily back into their chairs, legs flailing before them.

The second their butts hit their seats, each boy's free hand snapped around to hug his partner, arms clamping tightly in place like steel girders. Now the duo struggled furiously to get loose, only to find that they were securely fastened together. The harder they struggled, the firmer their connection seemed. The entire classroom roared with laughter.

"Now just as a reminder for my sake", the hypnotist said, turning to the cemented boys, "could you tell me your names again, please?"

In response to that cue, the boys answered in unison, "We're Nathandrew." No sooner had the words left their mouths than their heads turned to look at each other in sheer horror.

The other students, especially the jocks in the front row, were convulsed with laughter. The hypnotist, showing more consideration, walked over to the newly-christened Nathandrew, and placing an index finger on each boy's forehead, said simply, "Sleep." Both Nathan and Andrew's heads nodded forward, and the two were instantly deep asleep. Both boys drifted in the most blissful and intoxicating slumber either had ever experienced. Unnoticed by either the hypnotist guest speaker or the class, both boys sprouted incredibly hard erections while under. And while both boys had some dim awareness that they were being watched, neither of them cared.

The next thing they heard was the sound of snapping fingers. Andrew and Nathan blinked their eyes open, and found themselves standing up now, though still with arms around each other's shoulders and feeling attached at the hip. Thankfully, they had stopped hugging each other. "Nathandrew", the hypnotist addressed them.

Together, the boys answered, "Yes, sir?" More laughter from the classroom. The boys looked at him as if they couldn't figure out what was so funny. All they did was answer in response to their name.

"Boys, here is a message from your teacher. If you could bring it to the front office, please." He handed them a blank piece of notebook paper, which seemed perfectly normal to Nathandrew.

"Okay", they said together. At that, they turned to walk out the door, both holding the notebook paper, Andrew with the left hand, Nathan with his right. The boys turned slightly to the side as they exited, stepping out of the door as smoothly as if they'd been attached to each other all their lives. No sooner had they taken half a dozen steps beyond the door than the hypnotist called them back.

"Forgive me, gentlemen, I think I gave you the wrong note. Could you come back here and let me have a look at it, please?"

Without missing a beat, the boys turned around smoothly and reentered the class. The precise moment they stepped through the door, however, the boys separated. Andrew took a step one way, Nathan the other. Not far, mind you, but enough to show them both that they were now two people again instead of one. They each glanced at their hands with some confusion, as if surprised to find the other's shoulder was not underneath it. A few giggles came from the class.

"And who are you, again?", the hypnotist asked, without specifying who he was addressing.

Again, the boys answered in unison. "Um, I'm Andrew." "Nathan Woden."

The hypnotist turned to face the class, one hand outstretched to indicate his unwilling performers. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Andrew and Nathan--Nathandrew." The students applauded, and a few (the jocks) whistled and spun their fists in the air with accompanying whoops. Andrew patted his thighs nervously and Nathan stuffed his hands into his pockets. The two boys shared a long look, both knowing they had the same feelings about what they'd just been made to experience, but knowing this was not the place to say anything about it.

It was during the next period that each of the boys took a bathroom break and met up in the boys' room in the North hall. "Man, were you as turned on by all that as I was?", Andrew asked his friend.

"At least, if not more so", Nathan agreed. "I felt so calm, so relaxed, so--so--"

"At peace", Andrew offered.

"Yeah! That's a good way to put it. But all at the same time, I had this rush, this fear--"

"That you were being controlled?" Andrew's voice rose slightly with his excitement. "That you had no idea what you'd do next, what you'd be forced to do, but had no way to stop it--"

"Like I was a puppet", Nathan smiled.

"You realize we may have found the way to make that particular little fantasy of ours a reality, Nate?", Andrew said, nearly giggling.

Nathan pulled off his wristwatch and began to wave it back and forth in front of his best friend's eyes. "Gaze into the mystic timepiece. You are getting sleeeeepy, so verrrry sleeeeepy, my little puppetboy!"

Andrew took Nathan by the shoulders and begin to waltz him around as he sang an old Irving Berlin ditty he'd learned in a summer theater workshop.

"No strings, no connections.

No ties to my affections.

I'm fancy free--and free for anything fa-ancy!"

Andrew and Nathan quickly became masters at tackling all homework assignments, papers, and projects immediately and completing them efficiently at top speed. Far from being academically motivated, the boys simply wanted to have more free time to dedicate to their new studies of hypnosis.

They'd research online, check books out of the library (occasionally stealing a kiss or two among the back stacks), rent hypnosis videos oriented to both instruction and entertainment. Soon, thanks to their diligence, they successfully separated fact from myth and began to experiment using each other as subjects. It was rough going at first, for with the end result in mind, each boy found it difficult to relax sufficiently to enter a trance. Minds awhirl and hearts racing, relaxing at all was a challenge, much less to the point of achieving a hypnotic sleep. The most they ever achieved was helping the other to relax slightly, or experience a small visualization exercise. There were no successfully implanted suggestions, no taking control. But practice makes perfect, as they discovered one afternoon in May as their high school graduation approached.

The duo had just returned from assisting Andrew's dad in his latest contracting job. They had done everything from hauling lumber to pounding nails, helping excavate countless shovelsful of dirt in preparation for creating a new basement, and transporting several truckloads of decorative blocks to enhance the look of the garden areas in the backyard. By dusk, the boys were physically exhausted. They were primed for their first step toward puppetdom.

Nathan collapsed on the couch when they got back to Andrew's house. "God, I'm beat."

Andrew flopped into a nearby easy chair. "You and me both. I'm so whipped I can barely move." He looked at Nathan, his lanky form draped over the couch, legs splayed, arms limp, energy spent. Andrew propped himself up a bit in his chair. "Hey."

Nathan grunted. "Huh."

"Begin to take deep, steady breaths."

Nate groaned. "Ohhhhhh, not now, Andrew. I can barely think, much less try to focus on a trance state. I'm too damn tired."

"That's the whole point", Andrew said. "You're too tired to be excited about it. You willing to give in to being tired? To surrender to everything I tell you?"

With some effort, Nathan lifted his head a bit from the couch, and looked at Andrew. "Dad's overseeing the last of the basement work", Andrew reminded him. "Won't be back for at least a couple hours. We've got a quiet house to work in."

Nathan saw the determination, the hope, in his eyes. This could work. Nathan laid his head back down upon a throw pillow, and stuck his legs straight out before him, arms at his side. He took a deep breath and let it out. "My will is your will, master."

Andrew leaned forward in his chair, arms resting on his thighs, and rubbed his palms together. "Okay, start with your breathing..." In short order, Andrew had Nathan breathing deeply, steadily, in through the nose, out the mouth. Sometimes holding it for a moment, sometimes forcing it all out. Soon Nate was breathing deeply, fully, his body working automatically, his chest rising and falling as if he had been napping for hours.

Andrew used his favorite of the techniques they'd researched, the knotted body technique. "Listen to my voice, Nathan", he said, repeating his friend's name as often as possible to reinforce his attention. "Only my voice, nothing else. No other sound interest you. Any background noise fades away, is dismissed or unheard." Nate appeared for all the world to be sound asleep, oblivious to Andrew's near-mechanical ramblings. "Imagine that your body is made up entirely of a long length of tightly knotted rope. Every joint, every limb, composed of stout, braided rope, tied up tight in repeated knots. Picture your feet, both made of large, constricting knots. Picture it. Do you see it?"

Almost imperceptibly, Nathan's chin dipped by a fraction of an inch. Twice. He was nodding. Andrew's heart sped up a bit, and he consciously had to force himself to stay clam and focused. Licking his lips, he continued. "Look at those knots, Nathan. Now watch them as they slowly untie themselves. Slowly, but steadily, inevitably, they come untied and the rope that makes up your feet unwinds and straightens. As it does, you can feel all the tension leaving your feet, feel them relax, and relax totally."

Nathan's toes twitched ever-so-slightly. Andrew's eyes flashed as he caught it. He swallowed. "It feels so wonderful, Nathan. So good to be relaxed, to be free of the tension, to be rid of the knots. God, it feels soooo good to be relaxed. Now picture the knots that make up your ankles..."

Systematically, Andrew made his way up Nathan's body, untying knots and releasing tension along the way. Nathan's calves, knees, thighs, rear, abdomen, chest, back, shoulders, biceps, forearms, fingers, and neck all unwound themselves, knots straightening and tension banished. Nathan's breathing grew even deeper, if such a thing were possible, and his body looked as heavy as an iron beam, sunk into the cushions on the couch. Andrew took a deep breath, flexed and unflexed his fingers, swallowed, then took the final step.

"Nathan, I want you now to picture your head. Your head is the last remaining portion of the long rope that is your body. It is the only knot left. A large, tense mass of knotted rope. Picture it. When it unwinds, you will feel the last of the tension within you unravel and leave you completely. You will be a fully relaxed being. You will be completely and utterly hypnotized, unable to come out of your trance, unable to even move without my say-so. Do you understand?" Nate's chin dipped an eighth of an inch. "Now. The knot that is your head unties." Nathan's mouth fell open and his head sank just a bit deeper into the throw pillow behind his head. He reverted to mouth breathing.

Andrew held his breath. Gingerly, silently, he stood up and padded the few feet across the carpet to Nathan's prostrate form upon the couch. Hesitantly, Andrew held Nathan by the wrist. Carefully, he lifted the limp limb that was Nathan's arm and raised it into the air. He held it there for perhaps twenty seconds, gathering his courage. Then he let it go.

It fell like a brick back onto the couch, plopping against the cushions like a lifeless plank. Andrew gasped in joy and surprise. "Oh my God", he whispered. "I did it!" Then, looking at Nathan's face, so peaceful so helpless, Andrew leaned down and kissed his beloved friend upon the forehead. "No", he said softly. "We did it."

With considerable effort, Andrew resisted the overwhelming urge to have Nathan start quacking like a duck or believe his name was Jack Meoff. He instead returned to his chair and, as he research suggested, tested Nathan's trance state. He had Nate sit up, and seeing that he was still under while he did this was a success in itself. Andrew narrated Nathan's arm into a lighter-than-air state and watched it float gently toward the ceiling. he increased its weight and brought it back down. He had Nathan extend his arm before him and feel it stiffen to immobility.

In Nathan's mind, he saw his arm take on the aspect of an steel I-beam, frozen in place, not so much connected to his body as welded there. Andrew informed Nathan he could not bend, lift, or lower his arm. Nathan's imagination created two steel braces with massive bolts secured to either side of the beam that was formerly his arm. It wasn't going anywhere. Now came the big test. "Attempt to move your arm", Andrew commanded. "You'll find it impossible, but try anyway."

Andrew knew that most fakers would huff and puff and clench their teeth as they pretended to fight with their frozen arms, a sure sign that they were not under. Nathan just sat there, unmoving. Arm stretched out before him, his face utterly placid, eyes closed, breathing deep and steady, his mouth slightly open. Inside, Nathan thought for certain he was pushing with all his might to budge his cast-iron arm. And yet he felt as if he were just sitting there all at the same time. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before.

Outside of Nathan's awareness, Andrew smiled. Mission accomplished. Andrew returned Nathan's arm to normal and allowed him to lower it to his side. Then he had Nathan fall even deeper into a trance, and as he did so, had his body rise to a standing position. "You will still be deeply under, in this very relaxed state", Andrew assured him, and reinforced it several times. "Until such a time as I release you, you will remain completely and totally relaxed and entirely susceptible to everything I say."

Nathan stood before Andrew, body straight, shoulders relaxed, eyes closed, looking as if he had fallen asleep standing up. "Now open your eyes", Andrew ordered. Nathan's eyes fluttered open. He appeared a bit groggy. "Can you hear me, Nathan?", Andrew asked.

Nathan blinked. "Yeah, I can hear you fine."

"How do you feel?"

"Pretty good. Relaxed."

"Lift your arms out to your sides, like you're a crossing guard at elementary school." Nathan did as bidden. "Now your arms are frozen in that position, Nathan. They're stuck there and they're going to stay there until I say otherwise. They won't get tired, you won't feel muscle strain. They're as stiff as concrete posts and you can't move 'em." Nathan's eyes widened a little. "But try anyway", Andrew said. Nathan just stood there, staring at Andrew. He repeated, "Go ahead, try."

"I AM trying", Nathan said, slightly annoyed. He turned his head, looking at his right arm, then his left, both of which jutted out at his sides like a scarecrow's. Nathan's body showed no signs of strain, but his eyes did. "Dude, what did you do to me?? I really can't move my arms at all!"

Andrew's eyes twinkled. "You serious?"

"Swear to God! It's like they're resting on top of something. Something solid, like an oak table. It feels like I'm not even the one holding them up! I-I've never felt anything like this!" Andrew grinned, and began to walk in a tight circle around his best friend. "Andrew, how long are you gonna leave me like this??"

"Take a step forward", Andrew said. Nathan complied. "Take a step back." He did. "Hop on one foot." Nathan did, but looked annoyed.

"Andrew, c'mon, enough's enough. You have me under. It works. Just let me put my arms dow--"

"Both feet flat on the floor", Andrew said. Instantly, they were. Andrew looked at Nathan's shoes, then back up at Nathan's face. With great confidence in his voice, Andrew announced, "Your feet are glue to the floor. You can't lift them, you can't budge them." Andrew took a step back to get a better view. "But you're welcome to try."

Nathan's knees bent a little, his twisted a bit at the waist, but his feet weren't going anywhere. His soles may as well have been epoxyed to the rug. As far as Nathan was concerned, they were. "What the hell--", Nate began.

"And your legs are now as stiff as your arms, Nate, frozen where they are." And like that, Nathan was a veritable statue. He looked down at himself, then up at Andrew. twice he did this. Inside, he was fighting to move, on the outside, he was the Rock of Gibraltar. Andrew moved right up to Nathan's face, draping his arms around his friend's shoulders.

"Wh-what are you doing?", Nathan asked.

"What's it look like I'm doing?" Andrew began to nuzzle his nose against Nathan's, to kiss the nape of his neck. Andrew leaned forward and nibbled the lobes of Nathan's ears, to kiss the side of his head.

"A-A-ndrew, wait---I-I can't do anything--!"

"That's the idea", Andrew smirked. Andrew kissed his best friend on the lips, once, twice, three times, four. Then he held Nathan's shoulders, saying only, "Let me in." Nathan opened his mouth and let Andrew kiss him more deeply, his tongue probing, massaging his friend's. Slowly, Andrew pulled away, lingering a while on Nathan's lower lip. Andrew took half a step back and looked downward. Smiling, he reached down with one hand to the front of Nathan's jeans.

"Whuh-what--what are you doing??", Nathan gasped. Though his body still felt strangely relaxed, his heart was racing, his blood pumping through frozen limbs.

"I'm looking for something", Andrew answered. There was the quiet noise of Nathan's fly being unzipped. Then the light rustle of fabric as Andrew slipped his fingers into the opening. "Ahh. Therrrre it is." Carefully, Andrew pulled out Nathan's very erect penis.

The frozen, or at least partly-frozen, Nathan looked down with wide eyes as Andrew stroked him. "What are you doing?"

"I was thinking", Andrew said, his fingers running gently up and down his best buddy's shaft, "that we've whacked off in front of each other, beside each other, we hug, we kiss like all the time, but one thing we haven't ever done..."

"Dude, I'm serious, knock it off." Nathan's voice was growing tense.

Andrew began to pump his friend's member slowly, up and down. "We've never actually...helped each other at this."

"A-Andrew, I am so not kidding here..." Nathan's breath became more ragged.

"Why don't you just grab my hand and pull me off you?", Andrew teased. Nathan focused his eyes on the ceiling, concentrating with all his might to move his arms down form their petrified, outstretched position. Nothing doing.

"Andrew, you know I can't! You totally hypnotized me, I'm still under now, aren't I??" Andrew nodded, giving his friend an affectionate squeeze. "Okay, that's it! Experiment's over! We know I can be hypnotized, we know you know how it works, we also know that you have to stop--"

Andrew snapped his fingers as something occurred to him. "You can't talk!", he said suddenly. Nathan went silent and looked at him as if trying to figure out what that remark meant. Then Andrew put his face right up to Nathan's nose and said in a voice that was almost a hiss, "Until I tell you otherwise, Nathan, you can't talk. Your voice is gone. I just took it away." Nathan looked at him, tight-lipped and stunned. "Oh, you can try to talk--in fact, I wish you would, it'd be funny--but no sound's gonna come out."

Nathan's mouth moved a bit. He had just tried to say a word. Silence. His mouth moved again, an attempted sentence this time. Nada. Then his mouth was moving furiously, silently screaming at Andrew. His buddy the budding hypnotist cooed. "Ooooh, hypnotism is so fucking cool when it works right!" Andrew went down on his haunches and began to pump Nathan's penis feverishly. Shivers of pleasure rippled through Nathan as he stood there like a T-pole, unable to do anything but experience the sensations Andrew was causing. Andrew's pumping reached considerable speed, and he glanced up to look at Nathan's expression. Nate's head rolled on his shoulders, his eyes closed and his mouth muttering unheard obscenities.

"Gee, good thing there was no soundtrack with some of those words", Andrew mumbled. Then, he pounded at Nathan with all he was worth. Nathan gasped, his head bobbing, his eyelids fluttering, his shoulders moving up and down as best they could, his arms still pointing straight out, his legs still as rails.

Finally, his entire body went as stiff as his extremities, and Nathan shot a tremendous load in one of the biggest orgasms of his young life. Andrew just barely ducked out of the way before the massive stream rocketed past him, just over his shoulder. A few more pumps led to a few more streams, Nathan's head now rocking up and down like a bobble-head doll, and a few more strokes and he was dry. Andrew bounced up to his feet. "Damn! That was one hell of a burst, Nathan! You never shoot that big a load when you do it yourself." He looked down at the puddles scattered around his feet that he'd need to clean up and said, "Thank goodness for hardwood floors, though, huh?"

Andrew looked at Nathan, standing helplessly in his frozen pose, his head now lolling to one side, his breath coming in snatches and wheezes. Fun time was over, his friend was exhausted. Andrew zipped his friend up and drew close to him. "Nathan, you have your voice back. You can say anything you want at any time, just like before. Just like always."

Nathan, eyes still closed, head still nodding to one side, muttered, "...tired...so tired..."

Andrew set his hands upon Nathan's arms. "I am in control of your body, Nathan. I can move it even if you can't. I can lower your arms." With that, Andrew gently brought Nathan's arms back down to his sides. "I can dissolve the glue holding your feet to the floor, and command your legs to take a few steps backward." Easily, with great care, Andrew backed his friend up and then lowered him down to the couch. He rested his palm upon Nathan's forehead and told him, "You'll fall back asleep now. Deep, deep asleep, drifting on a sea of relaxation and pleasure. Just sleep now, Nathan."

And with that, Nathan was sound asleep. He slept like a rock for about five minutes. Then he heard the sound of snapping fingers.

Nathan opened his eyes. He was laying on the couch, but now he was wide awake. He was wide awake and feeling absolutely fantastic. His eyes darted about the room. He saw Andrew slumped in the easy chair. "How long was I out?"

Andrew ran a hand through his hair. "I let you snooze for about another five minutes after you shot your load."

Nathan fairly sprang up to a sitting position. "No way! I feel like I just got in a good eight hours! I feel fantastic!"

Andrew twirled his fingers like a magician. "I gave you the standard deal. You'd wake up feeling very rested, very relaxed and refreshed and yadda, yadda, yadda. You really feel okay?"

Nathan beamed. "Man, I feel like I could take on the world!"

Andrew rested his chin in his palm. "How much of it do you remember?"

"All of it."

"Have fun?"

"You know it."

"Good." Andrew let his body collapse within the chair, his arms flopping over the sides, his head falling back onto the cushions.

Nathan got up. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong is I'm fucking beat! We just did all that work with my dad's construction stuff and then I did all that focusing and concentration hypnotizing you. I need a nap is what's wrong."

"Fine", Nathan said. "Now it's your turn. You take the couch."

Andrew smiled bemusedly, then dragged his limp body over to the couch to meet his fate.

Andrew awoke in a sitting position with his arms resting limply at his sides. He felt remarkably relaxed, as if all the muscles in his body had been transformed into some kind of gelatin. It was then he realized he wasn't awake at all. His eyes were merely open.

"Can you hear me?", Nathan asked.

Andrew blinked lazily. "Yep."

"How do you feel?"

"Relaaaaaaxed." He smiled brightly.

"That's good, Andrew", Nathan said, using the stolen technique of repeating his friend's name. "I'd like to try a simple test. Please touch your finger to your nose."

"Which finger?"

"Doesn't matter."

Andrew simply sat there. His eyes glanced to the left, then to the right. Then he looked back at Nathan. "I can't lift my arms."

Nathan just stared at him. "Really? Try again."

"I am trying. I can't lift my arms at all!"

"Well, if that's too hard, then just cross your legs at the ankles", Nathan suggested. Andrew sat there, unable to budge. His feet remained flat on the floor. "Okay, try just nodding your head then", Nathan said. And Andrew continued to sit there, locked in freeze frame, only the movement of his eyes and the steady rising and falling of his chest giving any indication that he was alive. Until he spoke, anyway.

"Okay, you got me. Now what?"

"Now we have some fun", Nathan declared. He hopped over to the couch and sat beside Andrew, resting his arms upon his friend's shoulder. "So, you feel really relaxed and comfy?"

Andrew did his best to look at Nathan, which wasn't the easiest since he couldn't turn his head. "Um...yes, and I guess."

Nathan continued, "Does knowing that you can't move unless I let you--does being helpless like this make you feel, well, you know..." Nathan rested his hand upon Andrew's crotch and felt the stiff bulge beneath his zipper. "Hey, looks like it does."

Andrew squinted his eyes shut. "Ohh, I know where this is going..."

"I doubt it", Nathan grinned. With that, he freed Andrew's penis from his pants. And then, much to Andrew's surprise, he reached over, took Andrew's right hand, and firmly wrapped his fingers around his own erection. Nathan then hopped back over to his chair and put his feet up on the coffee table.

"So what's this", Andrew asked, "you torture me by putting me in this position and I can't do anything about it?"

"You can't", Nathan said, "but I can. Pump." At that trigger word, Andrew's hand started to pump his own cock.

"Holy shit!" Andrew looked down at his hand which was quickly masturbating himself. "I-I'm not doing this! I swear I am not trying to make my hand do this--this is incredible, Nathan!"

"It gets better. Speed up." And Andrew's hand pumped faster. In a matter of moments, Andrew was groaning with pleasure as his remote-controlled hand masturbated him at high speed, rapidly bringing him to the edge of orgasm.

"Nath-Nathan--", Andrew panted, "I-I'm gonna shoot...gonna shoot--!"

Nathan grinned. "No you're not. But you can pump faster than that."

And sure enough, Andrew did. His hand was pounding away at his meat rapidly, ruthlessly, making his groan become a whine. "N-n-n-no, I m-mean it, man--I'm gonna blow--c'n feel iiittt--!"

"No you're not", Nathan reiterated. Andrew's eyes looked like they were going to roll back into his head. He bit his lip, squinting his eyes tight. "Y'know, all the time that we were working together researching hypnosis", Nathan explained, "I looked at a lot of the same stuff you did. But whenever we were researching separately, while you looked up hypnotherapy and stuff, I found these really cool hypnosis story sites online. I picked up a thing or two from those."

"Wh-wh-what's h-h-happening?!", Andrew said, baffled, overcome by overwhelming erotic sensation, yet without achieving any climactic gratification.

"When you were under, I gave you a little command that I guess you accepted pretty well", Nathan said. Andrew looked at him, his filled with an aching look. Nathan smiled. "You can't cum until I tell you to. You can go faster than that, though."

Remarkably, Andrew sped up. His hand was almost a blur, his inevitable teenage orgasm brought right to the brink yet held in check. "Y-y-y-youuu BAStard! You c-can't do this to me! Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh shshshshshiiitt--!"

"Had enough?"

"Yes! Let me fire already!!"

"Call me puppet master?"

"Yes! Puppet Master Nathan, that's you! Now let me shoot, you little fucker!"

Nathan got up and walked over to his friend, placing hands upon his vibrating shoulders. "When I next say the word 'release', you'll respond as I told you to while you were under." Andrew's eyes widened. So that was it. That was the word that would let him loose his load. Nate went back to his chair and sat down. "Ready?" Andrew actually nodded his head (which wasn't that difficult, as his whole body was shaking at that point, due to the fury of his hand pumping). Nathan smiled, and said, "Cum one, cum all."

And the torrent of semen that had been held in check by hypnotic suggestion burst from Andrew's member. At the second it did, Nathan yelled out, "Release!" And unconsciously, Andrew responded to that command, which was implanted to release his body from it's frozen position. Andrew lurched forward, spent, and caught the force of his orgasm full in the face.

Stream upon stream blasted into Andrew's face, ricocheting against his forehead, nose, and mouth. His spasming hips made matters worse, prompting repeated bursts, catching him in the neck and the chest. Gobbets of his boy juices spattered his shoulders and arms, before cascading down onto the hardwood.

"You fucker!!", Andrew cried. Nathan laughed convulsively. Finally, after the better part of a minute of repeated orgasm, Andrew slumped forward, arms thudding upon his thighs, his right hand coated in a thick glaze of cum, but finally able to release his hold on himself. Semen still oozed steadily from Andrew's dick, even as it grew soft. As the cream puddled on the floor, Andrew lifted his head to look at Nathan with half-lidded eyes.

"Y'know, this isn't exactly what I had in mind when I suggested we try hypnotizing each other."

"Really?", Nathan beamed. "Cause it's exactly what I had in mind."

"All over my shirt, in my hair, God, didn't think I HAD that much in me..." Andrew paused. "Hey, don't you have to put me back into a deep sleep and then wake me up completely?"

"Nah, I suggested that you come to full wakefulness when you, well, cum. You feel awake?"

Andrew spit a drop of cum off his lower lip. "Phtt! Yeah", he said with disdain. "Wide awake."

"Hey, I wanna see you lick the cum off your face", Nathan smiled.

"What? No fucking way, asshole!"

"Ohh, come on! Do it for me--at least just lick your lips and chin, it'd look so hot!"

"Screw you, puppetboy! If you wanted to see that, you should've programmed it in!"

Nate flashed an evil grin. "Maybe next time I will." Then he sat forward. "You know what this means, don't you?"

Andrew met his gaze, a glint of understanding in his eyes. "We hypnotized each other. We really, really, hypnotized each other."

"This is gonna be the best summer of our fucking lives", Nathan said.

"As soon as I get cleaned off, it is." Andrew leapt over to Nathan, shaking his head and spattering Nathan with the semen caught in his hair. Nathan wailed in protest, but Andrew grabbed him in a headlock, running his sticky-coated hand through his best friend's hair. The two beautiful boys grappled, tumbling to the floor where they laughed, wrestled, and kissed, sliding here and there on the wet streaks of their own making.