Levi shifted where he sat, the thin paper beneath him crinkling with his every subtle movement. The texture was slightly rough against the backs of his bare thighs, as the thin hospital gown did little to nothing to cover them. While the gown itself was very large on his small frame and draped nicely over the front of his body, it still insisted on riding up just right underneath him so that parts of his legs and back were uncovered. He had taken time to try and lace up all the little ties just right but still they seemed to loosen and let the infernal material part in the back. Levi was not one to ask for help, even if this situation was one in which he could forsake the dignity and pride that so dominated every other aspect of his life. Still, he did not press the small button by the door that served as a com to the customer services office. He never had, nor would he ever, use that button. It had been hard enough for Levi to adjust to even being in a place like this, let alone actually mumbling a few necessary words to the people at the front desk and in the preparation areas. It was still so awkward for him, knowing that they all knew why he was there. He realized that discretion was their job, and yet there was always that small fear in the back of his mind that he was being judged.

Pushing that fear aside was all too easy once Levi was actually settled in to whatever room they showed him to of a day. This was partially because every room was always so clinical and clean; nearly to the point of sterile. Levi valued cleanliness, and the sanitary atmosphere in this particular room was more than to his liking. While many people became nervous sitting in an exam room, waiting for the doctor's arrival, Levi was the exact opposite. The solitude in those long moments calmed him. The pristine medical equipment on the simple counter and walls, the faint scent of disinfectant, and the plastic privacy curtain hiding him from the door all soothed him with their authenticity.

A gentle knock sent a small thrill up Levi's spine. He had never met this doctor before, and even a stoic man like Levi could not suppress some anxiety about seeing him for the first time. The ambiance of the place promised that he would be cared for well, and he hoped the doctor would live up to that promise. The heavy door was pushed open, then swung back into place with a loud click from the metal handle. A soft shuffle of footsteps and then the plastic curtain was gently pulled back with a swish. Levi's heart thudded upon seeing the doctor; here was a man who could potentially intimidate his patients with his appearance alone. He was over six foot with broad shoulders, professionally combed blond hair, and large matching blond eyebrows over bright blue eyes. The rest of his facial features were obscured by a blue medical mask, and while his white lab coat concealed the fine lines of his body it was obvious that he was a large, muscular man.

"Mr. Scout?" A deep voice rumbled at him, while a huge hand was presented for Levi to shake. "Good to meet you, I'm Dr. Smith."

"Hello, Doctor." Levi responded, shaking the man's hand. He never spoke much if he could help it, knowing he need only answer questions and give explanations when asked. Dr. Smith casually sat down on the rolling stool beside the counter and flipped open a manila file. As his bright eyes scanned it, he said,

"I've been looking over your file, and it seems it's been a while since you've updated your information. We'll just begin there, and after that you can tell me what brought you here today, alright?" The doctor clicked the end of a pen and placed it, ready to write, on the paper. "Full name?"

"Robert Scout." Levi said, without missing a beat. Like hell he was ever going to give his real name. Part of the policy was absolute secrecy. Even Dr. Smith knew that 'Robert Scout' was an alias. He wrote it down regardless, however, in what looked like flawless cursive before continuing with the normal list of biographical questions,

"Age?"

"I'm 32." No need to lie about that, Levi thought, he was still too young to do so.

"Height?"

Levi hesitated, but the eyes that glanced over at him were not harsh or judgmental. They coaxed him to answer, which he did a second later;

"5'2 exactly."

He was relieved when Dr. Smith moved on to the next question without lingering on the subject of his height.

"Weight?"

"I'm not sure..."

The doctor stood up and pointed to the scale in the corner with his pen.

"Hop up on the scale and we'll check it."

Levi lowered himself from the exam table, the floor cold to his bare feet. He was immediately aware that the back of his gown had opened just enough to show part of his backside. He fought the urge to reach behind him and hold the fabric closed, but decided against it. 'Why not give him a peek', he thought wickedly to himself, 'give him some incentive perhaps?' . So he padded over to the scale with a fine breeze of his movements tickling his ass, and stepped up onto it. Dr. Smith was standing beside him, sliding the heavy metal markers on the bar a split second later, and Levi felt as though he shrank even smaller; the man towered over him. He had to lean over Levi slightly as he adjusted the scale to balance, and Levi realized that the top of his own raven head barely reached the man's shoulder. While most people were taller than him in his day-to-day life, Dr. Smith automatically made him feel incredibly small. Unlike anywhere else Levi went, however, that was ok here. In this place not only could he accept his small frame, he could be grateful for it. Only here.

"155." Dr. Smith read, sliding the markers back to the side and writing in the chart. "I hope you don't mind my saying that you appear at least 10 pounds lighter...do you exercise by any chance? Weight lifting?"

As he spoke the doctor turned his back to Levi and returned to sit on his stool, crossing one long leg over the other. Levi also resumed his seat, pulling himself up onto the hard padding of the table and feeling the odd crunch of paper.

"Several times a week." He answered.

"Your muscle mass must account for the discrepancy."

"Probably." Levi muttered, feeling his cheeks flush slightly as he decided to take that medical statement as a roundabout compliment. He then began eyeing the man as he made notes in the chart, again with a perfect script. Everything down to his shiny leather shoes and black dress pants was professional. There was an air about him that Levi picked up on immediately, an air that he instantly liked. With Dr. Smith it was right to the point, no informalities or small talk. He was all business, and Levi appreciated that greatly. Too many people tried to befriend Levi rather than play their roles in his own workplace, and sadly enough even here, but this man was turning out to be a pleasant surprise. Levi hoped he would not disappoint him.

When asked about his address and phone number Levi rambled off the first jumble of street name and numbers that came into his mind, aware that everything he said was indeed written down neatly in his file. He was less careful about his medical history when asked. There was nothing specific enough in that information to reveal his true identity. So when asked he responded honestly: no, he was not a smoker, only drank occasionally, and there was no history of major disease in his immediate family. After that Dr. Smith made a small humming sound and finally looked up from his writing. He had been entirely focused on recording Levi's answers, and now he turned that attention to Levi himself.

"So, Mr. Scout-."

"Robert's fine." Levi said, to which Dr. Smith nodded before continuing,

"Robert, what seems to be the problem?"

Levi took a small, cleansing breath. Here was where he had to speak. He hated this part, but communication was absolutely essential, and he disliked playing guessing games. So he spoke, low and quiet,

"I've been having odd spells where my heart starts to race far to quickly. I begin to feel hot like I have a fever, and I become out of breath. My limbs shake too, and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

Dr. Smith was listening to him intently, his blue eyes demanding that Levi look directly into them while he was talking. Levi had always advocated eye contact in the professional world. It was a sign of confidence and said a lot about a person if they could manage it for any length of time. This was the first time anyone here had held his gaze so continuously.

"Before you have these spells," Dr. Smith asked, "have you drunk any caffeine? Soda or coffee perhaps?"

"I practically run on caffeine during large projects," Levi admitted, though leaving his actual line of work out of his explanation, "I pull all-nighters at least once every month or two, and I practically drink my own weight in coffee, energy drinks, and even sugary coffee drinks to keep myself going. I have had occasional caffeine-shakes, so I'm familiar with those kinds of symptoms and that's what makes me sure this is something different. Besides, even when work is calm and I haven't had a single coffee this can hit me."

"What are you typically doing when these fits come on?" Dr. Smith asked. Levi shrugged.

"I can be anywhere doing anything."

The taller man stood up and walked toward him, almost frowning as he thought over Levi's words. The smaller man suppressed a gasp at his approach; the blond man really was quite a force when he moved, especially to someone Levi's size.

"You can't think of any common factor at all?" Dr. Smith asked, reaching the side of the exam table and placing his hands on the stethoscope around his neck, waiting. Levi shook his head.

"I've been advised to change my diet before; less caffeine and cafeteria food, more vegetables and protein. But isn't that what all doctors say to everyone?"

Dr. Smith made a noncommittal sound before sliding the earpieces of the instrument into place.

"Let me listen to your chest a moment."

Without preamble a huge hand was placed gently on Levi's back, and the flat, round end of the stethoscope was pressing into the middle of his chest. Even through the gown Levi could feel how cold it was. He shivered slightly.

"Take a deep breath."

He did so. The stethoscope moved to a different area.

"Again."

He obeyed.

"Once more."

Another breath. Then the hand moved to his shoulder and the instrument was laid on his back. Three more times he was asked to breathe, and he did. The action nearly caused him to run out of air for the number of times he had to do it, not to mention Dr. Smith's proximity and his warm hand.

"Just breathe normally now."

Levi was wondering how to follow that instruction. His breathing had already increased. The utter professionalism being shown to him was nothing short of miraculous to someone like Levi who desperately needed it to feel safe in a place like this. It was putting him at ease and making him actually want to try and make small talk, which Levi never had before.

"So do you always wear a surgical mask for such basic exams?" Levi questioned, curious about that fact.

"I feel it necessary to protect against infection; germs are everywhere, but as a doctor I'm exposed to higher concentrations of them while dealing with illness. I tend to feel more secure knowing germs are being filtered out of the air I'm breathing in."

Levi gave a small smile, admiring that. He was nearly OCD when it came to cleaning and germs, and found Dr. Smith's words….well, quite frankly a turn-on.

"Can't argue with that." He answered softly. The doctor pulled back after a few seconds.

"Your heart is beating unusually fast; let's check on your blood pressure."

The cuff was slipped onto Levi's upper arm easily, and he was hyper-aware of Dr. Smith's hand resting on his forearm while he squeezed the pump, cinching the cuff tighter. Levi winced briefly as the tightness reached a peak of slight pain. A short pause ensued while the cuff incrementally loosened and the doctor's bright eyes watched the gauge intently.

"Your blood pressure is elevated." Dr. Smith said when the cuff released and he hung it back on its designated hook on the wall. "Not surprising; many patients' blood pressure spikes when they have to visit a clinic. However, 135/80 is never a good sign."

As he spoke, the larger man took Levi's wrist and turned it upward in his palm. He placed two fingers against the pulse point and stared at the clock on the wall, another few seconds passing in silence.

Levi's blood was indeed racing, his heart was indeed thumping fast, and his pulse was damn near fated to be speedy. There was no avoiding any of it. Not with this man as his doctor. Not when Levi had a clandestine weakness for men twice his own size and strength, and thick blond hair to boot. There was no possible way for Dr. Smith to know this, as he furrowed his heavy blond brows and released Levi's wrist. Although in Levi's opinion he was no sort of doctor if he couldn't see exactly how he was effecting Levi.

"How long do these spells last?" Dr. Smith asked, pinning Levi with a look that was both puzzled and a little suspicious. The smaller man had to look away nervously as he tried to pull up the answer.

"Um...it depends..." He floundered. While he hated making a doctor guess, he also didn't have a solid answer for that question to begin with. Dr. Smith seemed to suspect this, as he leaned in a bit closer and asked,

"Is there anything else, any other detail that you can tell me that might help? Perhaps something you may have left out."

This was where Levi became shy. A 32-year-old man in authority over many people in his own profession, becoming shy in front of a doctor...it would be disgraceful anywhere else but here. Levi worried his bottom lip with his teeth, and tried to act like he was thinking hard. Dr. Smith was not buying it.

"There is no need to be embarrassed," he said, not gently or quietly like he was talking to a child, but light and straightforward, "regardless of what the symptoms are if they can help us figure out the root cause you really ought to tell me."

Levi sighed, and nodded resignedly. He leaned onto his arms, gripping the edge of the exam table, looking like an awkward teenager for more reasons than just his size. His voice came out bashful and quiet,

"I um...get swelling and...um...tend-tenderness..."

"Where?" The doctor calmly inquired. Levi lifted his hand to rub at the short black hair of his undercut nervously before answering,

"My...my genitals..."

And there it was. The precursor to the inevitable. The cards were dealt and the strategy could begin. This was where Levi's other doctors had always failed him. Levi had developed a reputation around this building for cutting exams short due to 'the incompetence' of the doctors he had been assigned. Time for Dr. Smith to prove that he did not belong with the rest of them.

"Alright, that's useful to know." The larger man said, his expression and tone not changing in the slightest. Levi risked a peek at him, and was surprised to discover this. Other times there had been eyebrows raised, a smart remark, or even a sleazy grin or two. Not with Dr. Smith. He blazed right along like Levi had been hoping all his other doctors would. "When you say swelling, do you mean in certain areas of your genitals or that entire region?"

"Everywhere." Levi let out in a huff, the word serving as a sigh of relief to be past the first stage of his approval. "From my...ahem...from my testicles all the way up my penis...it just...all swells up."

He realized how lame that sounded, a grown man speaking as though he had no idea what was happening to his own body when he was aroused, but that was the dance, the test, the game...

"Do you experience any pain with the swelling? You had mentioned tenderness." Dr. Smith was once more reaching for Levi's chart, and jotting down notes with his pen.

"It doesn't usually hurt." Levi replied. "But it can become uncomfortable waiting for the swelling to go down...I've just gotten fed up with it."

"I'll do my best to determine the cause of your affliction." The larger man promised him, still writing away almost maddeningly. "Now, tell me, are there any other details? Any at all? I only ask to be thorough, as we skipped over some information last time I asked."

More information? Levi had to legitimately think about that. This doctor was certainly more committed than the others had been; they had all tried to cop a feel by this point and here Dr. Smith was trying to squeeze more details out of him? What more could he say that wouldn't sound ridiculous?

"Well...I suppose..." He rubbed at one of his bare arms, feeling the chilled flesh with a bit of a shiver. "There is a bit of...um...fluid that leaks out..."

"From where, exactly?"

"My...the tip of my penis..."

"Clear or colored?"

"Mostly clear, but sometimes it's a bit...whitish..." For good measure Levi let his eyes grow concerned as he added, "is that bad?"

His heart soared at the tiniest hint of a smile around the corners of those eyes. Levi wished he could see the rest of that face, see what his lips were like...

"White and clear liquids are perfectly natural. If they were any other color then I would be more concerned. For now, we need to focus on what could cause these symptoms. Now, have you been medicating or treating yourself in any way for this condition? Creams, lotions, over the counter ointments, anything?"

The smaller man felt himself shaking where he sat, all too aware that the paper beneath him was giving him away by making small crinkling sounds. He couldn't help it; how did the man keep such a straight face when asking about lotion and...Levi found his control over his arousal difficult to harness and the doctor hadn't even done anything but ask him questions.

"I've tried to apply some antibiotic ointment, you know, just to see if it would help."

"And?" Dr. Smith urged, his bright blue eyes flicking up from the chart inquisitively. 'Damn him', Levi thought, 'he's so calm and composed when he has to know what this is...he does know...and yet he...damn him! He's perfect...'

"And..." Levi answered, rubbing his thighs through the gown nervously. "I just...it's just so sensitive that I can't...well..I..."

He couldn't believe how quickly he had turned into a blubbering mess. One of Levi's frequent complaints was how the doctors' always lost their composure during the exam, became nervous or uncomfortable. And here he was himself, stuttering and shaking from arousal and nerves, while Dr. Smith sat a few feet away, perfectly calm and patiently listening. God, but he was perfect.

"It may be uncomfortable," Dr. Smith offered in the silence that followed Levi's trailing off, "however, I would recommend some form of topical treatment applied to the genitals daily, just to be on the safe side."

Levi gulped, feeling the throb of arousal deeply in his loins. Topical treatment. Lotion. Ointment. He didn't care what excuse was needed, he wanted one of them on his cock and now...He realized that his mouth was slightly ajar, and that he had been gripping his own knees tightly enough to wrinkle his gown. He snapped his jaw shut, immediately wishing he had made the move more subtle when he saw Dr. Smith's eyes crinkle to indicate a smile. Levi knew what was going to happen next. Dr. Smith would surely want to carry out a basic examination of Levi's genitals, at which time he'd see that they were experiencing the swelling right that moment and he'd have no choice but to apply-

"Well, Robert, I believe this entire issue is related to stress. I suggest attempting basic stress-reducing exercises, breathing techniques, and perhaps head home an hour early from the office every now and again. Also, use that antibiotic ointment when you need to. Try to bear with it and apply a good thick coat when you experience the swelling. I'd like to see you back in a few days for a follow-up so you can let me know how you're doing."

Levi blinked, then stared at the larger man stupidly, eyes wide before he found his voice.

"That's...that's it, doctor?" He asked idiotically. Dr. Smith rose from his chair, closing Levi's chart and tucking the pen into the breast pocket on his coat. He stood directly in front of Levi and held out his hand for another shake.

"For now, yes. Like I said, try what I suggested and then come back for a follow-up. You can schedule it out front. And don't worry about the charge; I'll take care of it."

Levi stared at the hand that was offered him for a second longer before taking it. The fingers were tauntingly huge around his own hand, and so very warm and soft...

"Thank you, doctor..." He said, his tone making it abundantly clear that he didn't know if he really was thankful or not.

Dr. Smith headed for the door and said over his shoulder,

"It will all be fine, Robert. Don't look so worried; I'll get you through this." One final smile around the corners of those eyes. "Have a good day, now."

And the door was shut, leaving Levi alone.

He sat there, literally frozen. He was so utterly perplexed that he didn't know if he was upset or impressed. Dr. Smith had certainly not done what Levi had expected, needed, desperately ached for him to do. They had both known what this was. This game had been established from the start, and it was never a question of who won or lost, but of the rush of the play, the back-and-forth, and the ultimate conclusion. That conclusion had been a given, or so Levi had thought. He had counted on it, let himself be worked up for the promise of that sweet end that he had been trying to obtain the last few times he had been seen here by other doctors. It had never taken that long for him to realize that the others could not give him what he desired. Once Dr. Smith showed his competence Levi had been more excited than he had since he began coming here, ready to taste that sweet end...but then...he had been left hanging. It was infuriating, maddening, making Levi so angry that he was having a hard time breathing. Had it been something wrong with him? Was he perhaps...not the Dr.'s type? No, if that had been the case all it would've taken was one word, one single predetermined utterance and Levi would know that the other man wanted out. Instead, this Dr. Smith must truly want to play...making Levi hang on like this...daring him to continue.

Levi felt the anger melt away into an excited determination. A smile spread on his lips, and he slipped from the exam table. His clothes were folded neatly and placed in the chair that stood beside the counter. Levi put them back on, ignoring his raging erection and willing it to go down. Or at least stop throbbing long enough for him to get back to his apartment.

"Apply a thick coat indeed..." Levi muttered to himself, grinning again at the man's cheek. If Dr. Smith was going to play like this, 'Robert Scout' was more than willing to play along.

TBC