Ethan was silent getting into the car, letting his stepdad go to the pharmacy alone. He placed the bag in the back seat and tried to talk about the current NFL leaderboard. Ethan nodded along but looked out the window, not able to meet his stepdads eyes. When he got home, he spent longer in the shower than he usually did, trying to scrub off the feeling of being poked like some experiment.

***

The next morning he jumped out of bed and rushed to school, not wanting anyone to question if he was still sick- that could land him back in some doctors office. The his classes and friends kept him occupied, letting him forget about everything from the previous morning. When he got home, his mom had made his favourite lasagne. As the three of them ate, she reminded Ethan she would leave that evening for a work trip. This wasn’t a big deal, sure he would miss her cooking but he was independent enough to go a few days without his mom washing his clothes. He carried her suitcase to the car and hugged her goodbye, where she reminded him “Be good, and do what you’re told. You know he’s doing his best with the whole parenting stuff.”

Ethan promised he would and started loading the dishwasher as she drove off. “Hey Ethan,” his stepdad called from upstairs. “Come up when you’re done.” Ethan rolled his eyes, just wanting to play video games, but finished loading the last few glasses and went to see what he was being called for this time.

His mom and stepdads bedroom had a towel over one section over the double bed, and the pharmacy bag sitting on the bedside table beside it. Suddenly, Ethan remembered the medication instructions he had been trying so hard to forget. “Ethan,” his stepdad’s tone was firm. “Remember you’re to have a suppository each day this week. Now why don’t you pull down your shorts and lie down there.”

Ethan started to object. “I don’t want you to do it, I don’t need that, I’m fine I swear.” His stepdad seemed to take a moment to think about it. “Well the doctor did say maybe you would need help, but maybe you can do them yourself.” He stipulated, handing the bag to Ethan. It was a large paper bag, more like something you would get at a grocery store than a pharmacy, with a single staple holding the top closed. Ethan gratefully grabbed the bag and disappeared into his room, playing video games for the evening to try and distract himself.

***

The next day he went to school again as normal. When Ethan got home, his stepdad was just finishing up in the home office. Ethan thought everything was fine until he saw the pharmacy bag sitting on the coffee table. His stepdad crossed his arms and immediately started questioning Ethan. “How did taking the medication go last night? You managed ok on your own?”

Ethan just nodded, agreeing. His throat was too dry to lie convincingly. His stepdad picked up the bag, saying “Funny how when I found this this morning, the bag was still sealed. And all your medication is still in here.” Ethan could feel his heart beating out of his chest. “Now I understand this is uncomfortable, and you might want to avoid this kind of thing, but you need to take your health seriously. So from now on I will be helping, like the doctor said in the first place.”

Ethan opened his mouth to argue but was cut off by an irritated huff from his stepdad. “No Ethan, no arguments. You broke my trust yesterday so this is how it is. Upstairs, pants off, and lie like the doctor showed you. I’ll be there in a minute.” Ethan wordlessly went and waited by his stepdads bed, but couldn’t make himself undress. When his stepdad came into the room, he watched as one by one items were removed from the bag. A box of gloves marked LARGE in blue font, a strip of silver packages shaped like bullets, a tub of vaseline, and a thermometer in a plastic case. Ethan clenched his but cheeks looking at each item.

“On your side, pants down knees up.” Ethan knew his stepdad had been in the army, and this sounded like an order from a commanding officer. Not seeing a way out, he started to slowly unlace his shoes and take them off first. He watched as his stepdad pulled on a glove, bright blue latex covering his fingers. Ethan lay on his side and slowly brought his knees up, pulling his underwear and pants to just below his butt cheeks as a second glove made a loud snap.

Ethan felt the mattress go down as his stepdad sat by his feet, hooking a finger into his waistbands and pulling his clothes down to his ankles. He tensed as the foil crinkled, announcing that his medicine was nearly prepared. “Take a deep breath in,” his stepdads instructions echoed the doctors as he lifted his right cheek. “And breathe out.” Ethan felt his anus involuntarily relax a bit on the exhale, as an object pushed against his hole. The pressure grew and grew until it popped inside. “And the one from yesterday, another deep breath.” The second suppository forced its way in as Ethan continued to breathe.

As soon as it went in, Ethan pulled his underwear back to his hips and scurried to his own bedroom, slamming the door behind him. He didn’t know what to think or feel, so played more video games to try and ignore the feeling in his butt.

***

The next morning was a Saturday, and Ethan was running track nearly all day. He had hoped that when he got home his stepdad will have gone out for the evening, but he had no such luck. The fair greeted each other as Ethan disappeared into the shower. When he turned off the water, his stepdad knocked and told him to come straight into the bedroom. Hair still dripping and a towel around his waist, Ethan stood in the door as his stepdad pulled on gloves again. “I don’t want the bed to get too wet, so get on your knees and elbows. Remember like you did for the doctor?”

‘How could I forget?’ Ethan thought to himself. He couldn’t think of a convincing objection, and so obediently crawled into the humiliating position, letting the towel drop to the floor. “Ready?” His stepdad asked. Ethan wondered if he said no would he manage to somehow avoid the suppository, but figured he would just prolong his time in this position. “Yes.” His agreement was barely audible, but his stepdad started applying pressure with the bullet shaped medication until it popped inside. A gloved hand approvingly patted Ethan’s hip as he climbed back down and retrieved his towel.

***

Sunday morning breakfast was a tradition Ethan’s family had started years ago, where his mom would make pancakes from box mix. She was a usually great cook, but anything baked or sweet wasn’t her speciality. When they had moved into his stepdads house, the quality skyrocketed. He was expert in homemade muffins, cinnamon rolls, french toast, or some other sweet treat. He could also make eggs a hundred different ways, and would cut up fruit to have healthier additions to the meal. Since his mom wasn’t here, it was just the two of them, and Ethan only picked at his food before leaving for the library. Really, he just felt too awkward to be around his stepdad after everything that had happened this week.

When he got home, his stepdad was on the couch watching the Patriots, cheerfully updating Ethan on every score he had missed. Ethan sat to watch the highlights, sad he has missed football Sunday. He did like his stepdad, he was a good guy, but the events of the week were still playing in his mind. “So, how was the library?” He asked Ethan, once the recaps were over. “Fine I guess, just somewhere easier to focus on math.” Ethan replied as his stepdad pulled the curtains closed. It was a little early to be getting things ready for the night, but he followed suit and closed the second set.

“Ethan, you barely ate this morning, so I figured tonight we should also check your temperature while giving you your meds.” Ethan’s head snapped around to look at his stepdad, who had retrieved the pharmacy bag from somewhere. Ethan, of course, protested, but the entire contents of the bag were carefully laid out on the coffee table. His stepdad acted like he couldn’t hear the objections, pulling on gloves as he sat on the couch. “Bottoms off. Over my knee.”

Ethan gawked at his stepdads suggestion. But he realised it wasn’t a suggestion as he got a gruff “No more discussion, clothes off, over here. Now.” Ethan went beet red as he pulled his shorts and pants down, stepping out of them and leaving them on the floor. Lowering himself onto his stepdads knee was awkward and uncomfortable, and he was adjusted so his chest and head where resting on the couch. His legs were pinned in place between his stepdads thighs.

He heard the pop of the vaseline opening and felt his stepdad’s gloved fingers gently part his cheeks. The other hand spread lubricant across his anus, making it clench. Despite tensing as much as he could, Ethan felt the cold, long probe slide easily into his rectum. A beep sharp beep came from his behind, and his cheeks were allowed to close around the intruder. Ethan couldn’t barely breathe he was so tense. His stepdad pushed his shirt up and rested a gloved hand on his lower back, giving an occasional pat.

About a minute later, but what felt like an eternity to Ethan, two more beeps announced that the thermometer could be removed. “Looks normal.” His stepdad had no emotion in his tone, just matter of fact. Ethan squirmed as the familiar suppository was pushed inside against his anus. A sharp slap landed on his cheek, making him freeze. “Hold still while I insert this.” In shock, Ethan stopped squirming and felt his anus stretch around the medication and close as it popped inside. “Now, that wasn’t too bad was it?” Ethan didn’t answer, just climbed to his feet and hurried to his bedroom, scooping up his clothes on the way. Inside, he examined a red patch on his cheek where the slap had landed, but quickly got dressed for bed and tried to think of something different before going to sleep.

***

On Monday, he returned from school and didn’t protest when his stepdad lay him on his side for the suppository. He figured it was going to happen one way or another, and this turned out to be the least humiliating position. His stepdad seemed to work more slowly, putting on his gloves and unwrapping the suppository took several minutes. But he used this time to talk to Ethan.

“I got a call from the doctors office today, confirmed your appointment for Wednesday morning.” SNAP. “The receptionist said you can’t eat anything 24 hours before, some blood test they want to do. So only have water at school tomorrow.” SNAP. The second glove was on, and the foil rustling announced the medication was being unwrapped. “Deep breath.”

Pressure followed by insertion, Ethan curled his toes as his anus closed around the suppository. He could never get used to that feeling. His stepdad just continued talking. “Do you understand? No food, just breakfast and water.” Ethan confirmed, “Yes, I understand.” Before he was allowed to climb back up and go to his own bed.

***

The next morning Ethan was barely hungry again, too stressed about the looming doctor’s appointment. As bad as it was having suppositories each day, the examination had been much worse. As the day went on, he tried to convince himself it couldn’t be as bad as last time. He had undergone every examination under then sun, so surely none were left to do. Just a quick blood test and then go home.

Not that anything involving needles was going to be easy, Ethan felt sick at the thought. He went for a run before going home, to clear his head and to help him forget the grumbling his stomach was making. When he got out of the shower, his stepdad had him in the humiliating knees-and-elbows position again, but he was glad when the final suppository was used up.