In the holiday stories, Autumn and Lana are roommates in a domestic discipline situation. Lana is the top, Autumn is the bottom. They’re not dating — Lana is straight, and anyway Autumn likes spanking for more than just punishment and discipline — but they care deeply for each other, even if they don’t always agree.

Lately, my back has been hurting terribly. I think it’s because of the chairs at the office. When I woke up a few days ago, it hurt so much that it was all I could think about. But I also knew I needed to get some writing done, so I turned it into inspiration and turned the tables on Lana.

“I didn’t think I’d ever say this, but you need to be spanked, Lana.”

Oh, hell. This was awkward. “Autumn–“

“Don’t argue with me. You know I’m right. You’re not taking care of yourself, and you’re not letting me help. If our positions were reversed, you would spank me until I couldn’t sit down.”

“Autumn, I’m not a bottom.”

“I never said you were. But I need you to understand how worried I am about you, and if words aren’t working, then I’ll have to do something else.” She patted her lap once more. “Don’t make me say it again.”

“But my back–“

“Why do you think I gave you the ibuprofen?” Autumn looked right into Lana’s eyes. “Get your pants off and get over here. Last warning.”

Lana felt a twist in her stomach. She’d never expected Autumn to use that tone of voice, or those words. It didn’t help that, in that moment, Autumn sounded just like one of Lana’s aunts, who’d been the last person to spank her, and that had been twenty-five years ago.

Lana sighed. Better to just get it over with, if Autumn was going to insist. She unbuttoned her shorts and let them drop to her ankles. “Panties too,” Autumn said.

“Oh, come on–“

“Panties. Too.”

Lana bit her lip and did as she was told, stepping out of her clothes, leaving her completely bare from the waist down.

“Come here, Lana.”

Lana shuffled over, acutely aware of just how much like her roommate she was behaving in that moment. Usually it was Autumn who needed to be told to get over Lana’s lap, but before many more seconds had passed, Lana was over Autumn’s, her bare bottom vulnerable.

“I sincerely hope,” Autumn said, her left hand gently touching Lana’s lower back, “that this is the last time I have to do this.”

Will it be? I don’t know. Probably, though — the reason nuclear options work is because they are the last straw. If you had to drop nuclear bombs constantly, eventually there wouldn’t be anything left to rebuild.

Oh, and to anyone reading this: spanking me will not get me to take better care of my back. I’ve tried being spanked for real offenses before and I just could not get into the right headspace. But I’m working on the problem — I’ve messaged my doctor and I’m waiting to hear what she says I should do. Probably stretches. I hate stretches. But I hate back pain more, so I guess we’ll see if I do them.