Written By: LJ
“What’s taking so long? Can’t you do it any faster?” Dusty was getting frustrated.
“No! If I do it too fast, you say it’s not done right and put things back in the sink to be washed over again,” Skyy answered with an equal amount of frustration.
“Well, at this rate we’re going to be here all night and we still have our lines to write.”
“So! You’re in a hurry to do that?” Skyy smirked at the other man.
“This is the last night and I just want to get it over with,” Dusty explained. “Now hurry up and finish washing those dishes.”
“Leave me alone!” Skyy tried to push his bigger companion away.
Dusty backed up while twisting the dish-towel in his hands. Taking aim, he snapped his weapon at Skyy’s unsuspecting backside. He was right on target.
“Oww!” Skyy yelped and turned to face his attacker. “What’d ya do that for?” He scooped up the sopping-wet dishcloth and threw it at Dusty’s head and made a direct hit.
“You’ve asked for it, kid!” Dusty grabbed the younger man, pulled him to the floor and the free-for-all was underway.
Hearing the noise coming from the kitchen, Dennis groaned. “Here we go again.” He got up from his desk and hurriedly left his study to put an end to the commotion.
“Stop this right now!” Dennis ordered, hauling both his Brats to their feet. “What’s going on in here?”
“He started it,” the two younger men answered simultaneously, pointing accusing fingers at each other.
“One at a time, please.”
“He’s taking too long to wash the dishes and I’m tired of waiting around,” Dusty complained, strongly feeling he was in the right.
“Well, he keeps putting the dishes back in the sink and saying they’re not clean enough.” Skyy grumbled and frowned at the younger of his two partners.
Dennis closed his eyes and prayed for patience. “Skyy, you go finish the washing up….properly please,” he instructed as he firmly directed his other partner towards the kitchen table. “Dusty, you sit here until Skyy is done.”
“But…”
“Not another word!” Dennis sternly admonished. “I’m going to get some paperwork from my office and I’ll be right back.”
“See what you started, you dumb kid.” Dusty waited for Dennis to leave then spoke only loud enough for Skyy to hear, or so he thought.
“I didn’t start it, you jerk!” Skyy shouted as he headed over to the table to tackle his fellow Brat.
Dennis re-entered the kitchen to find his partners once again rolling on the floor. He pulled them to their feet for the second time in as many minutes and standing with his hands on his hips, glared at the two of them. “I leave the room for less than thirty seconds and all hell breaks loose. What IS the problem?”
The younger men shrugged their shoulders and looked up at him with expressions of dazed confusion. “HUH?”
“Go to my study right now.” Dennis grabbed Dusty’s arm, turned him slightly and sent him on his way with a resounding swat on his rear-end. He did the same to Skyy and followed the boys down the hall with additional instructions. “Get in your corners and settle down. You’re both in enough trouble as it is, so I better not hear another sound from either of you.”
After waiting ten minutes, Dennis returned to discover the young men standing obediently in their respective corners. Dusty was quietly leaning with his head against the wall while Skyy was shifting from one foot to the other. Dennis had used the time to calm down and think as he finished cleaning up the kitchen.
“All right, come here please,” Dennis requested and held out his arms to enfold both of them in a comforting hug. “I know this evening’s arguing has nothing to do with your supper chores. It’s really a result of your punishment for making that mess in the family room. I can’t believe you found doing fifty lines each, every night for a week, all that difficult. What I think; is you’ve missed being allowed in that room for the past seven days. Am I right?”
Dusty and Skyy looked at each other and nodded their heads in agreement, then waited for the big guy to decide what the consequences for their misbehaviour would be.
“You are going to sit down now and write out your last fifty lines and then you are both going to be spanked for fighting and name-calling and put to bed.”
“But Dennis……” The voices stilled as the Brats responded to the look on the older man’s face.
An hour later the two young men were showered and in bed for the night. Both of them were nursing sore bottoms, still sniffling, and lying on their stomachs as near as possible to the edge of their own sides of the big king-size bed. Dusty was perilously close to falling off the bed and the only reason Skyy was still in the bed at all, was because he had one foot on the floor to prop himself up. Dennis had deliberately left them together hoping they would be able to end their differences.
After kissing them both goodnight and leaving the door ajar, Dennis left the room and walked across the hall to the small den so they would know he was staying within hearing distance. Sitting down in the large rocking chair in what had once been Skyy’s room and lulled by the peace and quiet of their home, he let his mind wander back in time to what had started out as an unremarkable day four months ago.
~~~~~~~~~~
Dennis arrived home after what Dusty would refer to as another day in paradise, to find his partner had unexpectedly returned from work earlier than usual.
“Dusty!” Dennis called out as he placed his briefcase and overcoat on the kitchen table. He heard Dusty on the stairs only seconds before he was greeted with an enthusiastic hug. “How come you’re here so early?” he asked, kissing his young lover.
“I’ve got a surprise for you and wanted to get home as soon as possible,” Dusty explained after returning the kiss.
“Have you rescued another stray?”
“Sorta,” Dusty answered uncertainly, chewing at his lower lip. “But this one’s different.”
“Dusty, they’re all different.” Dennis sighed before sternly asking, “What did I say the last time you did this, young man?”
“No dogs, cats, birds, or any other animals are to be brought into the house,” Dusty recited dutifully. “But, Dennis, this time it really is different. He’s really small and very sick. I don’t know how to take care of him.”
“All right, just where are you harbouring this little creature?”
“He’s upstairs in our bed.”
“In our bed?” Dennis hoped he had heard wrong.
“Yeah, come see. Maybe you can figure out what’s the matter with him ‘cause I can’t even get him to wake up.”
Dennis resigned himself to the inevitable and followed his partner up to the master bedroom. There, curled up in the middle of their bed, was the scruffiest-looking stray he had ever laid eyes on. He reached over and gently touched the dirty face of Dusty’s small foundling and felt a disquieting warmth radiating from it.
“As soon as I change into something more comfortable, I’m going to call Dominic to see if he’ll be able to make a house-call.” Dennis realized he was going to need a doctor’s advice on how to care for their new houseguest.
“Can we keep him? Please?” Dusty begged, looking down at the pint-sized body on the bed. “You have never let me keep any of the strays I’ve brought home in the past. You always say if you let me keep one that we’d end up with dozens of them but I only want one…..this one. Please, Den!”
“What do you mean by keep him, Dusty?” Dennis asked, wanting to understand his partner’s intentions.
“We can just let him stay here so he won’t have to go back on the streets,” Dusty suggested quietly. “I’ll take good care of him.”
“Sweetheart, you can’t keep another human being and besides, we don’t know anything about him,” Dennis answered as he started to remove his suit and tie. While changing into clean jeans and denim shirt he continued his quest for information. “Where did you find him, love?”
“He was digging in the dumpster out behind the work shop. I’ve seen him hanging around several times over the past couple of weeks but every time I tried to get near him, he’d run away. I think he might have been looking for something to eat. Anyway, today when he tried to get away he fell into the dumpster and must have bumped his head.”
“I want you to make up the bed in one of the spare bedrooms while I call the doctor’s office.” Dennis set out a plan of action to get medical help as soon as possible. When that was done, he carried their guest across the hall and into the other room and laid him on the newly made-up bed. Then he repeated the doctor’s instructions. “Dominic said we need to start cooling this little fellow down. If you run a bath of lukewarm water, I’ll get him stripped.”
As Dennis removed the last piece of filthy clothing, he looked up into the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. ‘What an unusual colour,’ he thought and shook his head to dispel the lure of the violet-blue orbs. “Don’t be frightened, little one. We’re not going to hurt you,” Dennis assured the young man after seeing a look of fear flash across the small face. He wrapped the boy in a large bath sheet, picked him up and took him into the bathroom.
Dominic arrived as Dennis finished drying off the young man and was slipping one of Dusty’s T-shirts over the still-damp curls.
“Hope you don’t mind if I let myself in,” Dominic said as he entered the bedroom. “No one answered the doorbell”
“Not at all! Thanks for coming over so quickly.” Dennis was relieved to see his friend. “Here’s your patient, Doc. He is still rather warm and very weak. He’s also having a hard time with his breathing.”
After examining the boy, Dominic stood up and shook his head. “This is one seriously sick young man you have here. He has bronchial-pneumonia, is running a fever of 103 and is very undernourished. What was he wearing when you found him?”
“This,” Dusty answered, hold up the dirty, torn jeans and sweatshirt, “and those.” He pointed to the badly worn sneakers lying on the floor next to a ragged, denim jacket.
“Certainly not anywhere near adequate for the beginning of March,” Dominic stated quietly when he realized his patient had fallen asleep. “Do you have any idea who he is or how old he may be?”
“He hasn’t spoken a word, but I found this wallet-size birth certificate in his jacket pocket. His name is Skyylar Blue McKay and he’ll be eighteen in May.” Dennis gave the other man all the information he had.
“He’s small for his age. I don’t think he’s much over a hundred pounds and if such is the case, he’s at least twenty-five pounds underweight. I wonder if he has ever been properly cared for,” Dominic murmured before directing his concerns to Dennis. “You realize he’s going to require a lot of care and attention. I hope you have time for him because I believe his recovery will come along smoother in a home environment.”
“I hadn’t planned on keeping him here but if you feel he will be better with us, then he can stay. I’m off work for the next ten or twelve days due to the mid-term break at the university.” Dennis turned to his partner. “What do you think, Dusty?”
“I want to keep him,” the younger man answered excitedly. “I already told you that. Wow, it would kinda be like having a kid brother.”
“I guess we can take him in and care for him, if no other arrangements can be made,” Dennis agreed much to Dusty’s delight. “But I think we should report him to the Social Services. After all, he is underage.”
“That’s a good idea. However I wouldn’t be surprised if they left him with you due to foster homes being so hard to find. He will need a couple of prescriptions filled but we’ll use these samples until we know whether or not he is allergic to them.” Dominic handed Dennis the handful of individually wrapped pills he had taken from his bag. “He will also need inhalation treatments four times daily. You should be able to obtain the use of a nebulizer from the pharmacy. A very light diet for the next two or three days and lots of fluids. Keep him cool if you can until the medication kicks in and the fever breaks. I’ll be back in two days but you can call me if his condition worsens.”
“I hope I haven’t taken on more than I can handle,” Dennis whispered as he reached down and gently pulled two fingers out of the young man’s mouth.
“You will do fine, my friend,” Dominic encouraged. He had every confidence in Dennis’ ability to care for this little stray who had somehow made his way into their midst. Dennis was an excellent Top in Dominic’s opinion.
The next week passed in a blur. For the first two days, Dennis and Dusty took turns sponge-bathing Skyy until his temperature dropped to near normal and Dennis had spent the better part of each following day persuading the cranky young man to eat and take his medication.
“He’s showing steady improvement,” Dominic said, when he stopped by for his third visit. “You’re taking excellent care of him. Of course, he still has a long way to go before his health is 100% and the medi-mist treatments will have to be continued.” Smiling down at his patient, he asked. “Are you talking yet, son?”
The young man wouldn’t answer. Looking for comfort, he simply squirmed his way over to Dennis who was sitting on the side of the bed.
“He does actually talk,” Dennis chuckled. “He just says as little as possible. Isn’t that right, Sport?” He gently touched Skyy’s face and was pleased when the boy looked up and gave him a shy smile.
“Dusty, would you mind staying with Skyy while Dennis and I go downstairs to talk?” Dominic requested as he picked up his medical bag.
Dennis closed the door to the study so they could have some privacy and looked questioningly at his friend, “Is there something else wrong?”
“Not really! I was just wondering how things were going. I imagine you must have had your hands full.”
“Dusty has been a tremendous help when he’s not at work. He spends as much time as possible with Skyy.” Dennis invited his friend to sit down on the sofa. “A worker from the Social Services dropped by and you were right. She was more than happy to leave the boy with us while she tracks down his parents. Although that may prove difficult, if not impossible, as Skyy refused to talk to her. I certainly didn’t appreciate Mrs. Johnston saying her agency would be dropping him in two months time when he turns eighteen. Even though it’s true, there was no need for the woman to say so in front of the kid. I easily picked up his feeling of rejection but unfortunately she missed it. Dusty, on the other hand, still wants to keep him as a member of the family.”
“Your partner is rather taken with the little mite, isn’t he?” Dominic asked, getting comfortable.
Dennis nodded. “He sure is. But I think it’s partly due to Skyy being so vulnerable. I believe the boy has been abused and I’m sure he’s been neglected. I haven’t asked him too much about his past because I don’t want him feeling threatened in anyway.”
“Has he talked at all about his family or why he was living on the streets?”
“Very little. He doesn’t know where his mother is and he told us his father had kicked him out almost a year ago because he couldn’t handle having a gay son. He also mentioned an uncle but didn’t provide any information about him. I don’t think he has a great deal of education even though he claims to have completed most of his high school.”
“Would your keeping him as a family member present much of a problem? After all, the kid is responding well and looks to you for comfort.”
“Dusty is suggesting we become a threesome but I’m not sure how I feel about that.” Dennis shook his head. “We’ve had a great relationship for almost four years now. I don’t know if an additional Brat would enhance it or destroy it. Hell, I don’t even know if I could handle two Brats. Furthermore, Skyy may be a bit too young to be making a commitment of this magnitude.”
“It can be difficult and you could be right, but I’m confident you’re up to it. I think you should at least give it some serious consideration,” Dominic encouraged.
“Just because you’ve been able to care for two Brats doesn’t mean I can do it. Besides, Jayden and Slade came as a package, didn’t they?”
“Yes! They’d been together since they were children growing up in the same foster home. I can see where bringing a second Brat into an established relationship could prove more challenging but I still feel if anyone can do it, it’s you.” Dominic could tell his friend was giving it some careful thought but needed reassurance to follow through. “He’s kind of found a soft spot in your heart too, hasn’t he?” Dominic smiled at his own observation. “Skyy needs someone, Dennis, and I think you and Dusty would be good for him. Why don’t the two of you talk about it more before making any final decisions?”
“That’s probably the best thing to do at the moment.” Dennis relaxed back in his chair. “Thanks, Dom. I really needed someone else’s point of view.”
“I better get home to my own Brats and see what they’ve been up to today. I’d like to see Skyy at my office in about a week’s time, all right?” Dominic made his request while getting up to leave.
“I’ll bring him in next Friday.” Dennis walked his friend to the door. “Thanks again for all your help.”
Later that evening, after seeing Skyy settled for the night, Dennis entered the master bedroom and started to undress.
“Can we talk about Skyy and us?” Dusty asked from where he was sitting up against the headboard of their bed. “I really, really want to keep him with us, Dennis.”
“Do you think you will be able to share everything with him, love?” Dennis gently questioned his partner as he climbed into bed and reached over to pull Dusty closer. “Are you sure you want to share our home, our bed…..and me?”
“I love our relationship, Den. I don’t even understand why I want Skyy to be a part of it, but I do. It’s not as if I have ever felt anything was missing.”
“I know, baby. I also feel a need to have Skyy with us, but we have to be sure. It would be very unfair to ask him to become a part of our family and then change our minds.” The last thing Dennis wanted to happen was for the young man in their spare room to be hurt. “You will always be the most important person in my life, but if we decide to be a family of three then Skyy will be equally as important. Can you understand and accept that, sweetheart?”
“Yes!” Dusty’s answer was gentle but heartfelt. “We’ll share everything; our lives, our love and our home, right?”
“Right! We won’t discuss this with Skyy just yet. We’ll have to take things one day at a time. There’s going to be a lot of adjustments to make and remember, Skyy is still a minor for several more weeks and regardless of how we feel, the final decision will have to be his.”
“Do you think he will have a problem with the discipline part of our relationship?” Dusty wondered as he cuddled against his partner’s side.
“We’ll find out soon enough, love. Right now, let’s get some sleep. It’s late and we’re both tired.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“Come on, Skyy. Please finish your breakfast. You have a doctor’s appointment at ten o’clock and you still have to get showered and dressed. You also have to do your medication routine,” Dennis said as he finished straightening up the kitchen. He was trying to be as patient as he could with the boy’s uncooperative mood.
“I don’t want to go. I don’t need to see the doctor. I’m feeling much better now.” Skyy slowly stirred the cooling scrambled eggs around on his plate.
Pulling out a chair and sitting down to face his petulant young charge; Dennis sternly informed him, “You are going to finish eating that. Then you are going to get ready to leave because you are going to see Dominic this morning whether you want to or not and there’s no room for discussion. Do you understand me, Skyy?”
“Yes, but I don’t want to go to the doctor.” Looking around, Skyy hopefully asked, “Where’s Dusty?”
“He’s already gone to work. He wouldn’t be of help to you anyway as this is between you and me, Skyy.” Dennis got up and pushed the chair back in place. “To save time, I am going upstairs to lay out clean clothes for you and set up your nebulizer. If you are not up there in ten minutes, you are going to be very unhappy with the consequences and, Skyy, don’t you dare even consider throwing that food in the garbage or down the toilet.”
“But I don’t like eggs,” Skyy whined.
“You can’t live on chocolate milk and peanut butter sandwiches. Now, do what you are told or else…..” Dennis’ final words hung in the air as he left the kitchen and headed up to Skyy’s room.
Skyy appeared in his bedroom just under the time limit. Twenty minutes later, he was dressed and waiting for the medicated mist to finish. “Are you going to come into the doctor’s office with me?” he asked through the mask on his face. He was sitting on the end of Dennis’ bed and watching the big man buttoning up his shirt.
“I will if you want me to,” Dennis promised.
“Yeah, I really don’t want to go in by myself.”
“If you behave yourself this morning, I’ll treat you to lunch at a restaurant of your choice. Is it a deal?”
“McDonald’s?” Skyy asked while nodding his head in agreement to their deal.
“All right!” Dennis smiled down at the young man bouncing on the foot of his bed. “What do you think about getting a haircut while we’re out?”
“Okay; but just a trim, right?” Skyy looked up at his caregiver and removed the mask before softly adding, “Thanks for taking care of me and buying me these new clothes. I really appreciate it. No one’s ever given me such neat stuff before and I’ve never lived in a place this nice.”
“Glad we were able to do it, Sport.” Dennis pulled Skyy up off the bed and propelled him out of the door with a gentle swat on the seat of his pants.
By ten-thirty, Dennis and Skyy were sitting in front of Dominic’s desk.
“So, Doc, how is he doing?” Dennis asked his friend.
“He’s doing well! Skyy, you are almost eighteen, right?” At the young man’s nod, Dominic continued. “You are still underweight for your age and height. At 5’4”, you should weight approximately 125-135 pounds. I’d like to see you gain another twenty pounds. There is a little remaining congestion in your lungs so you need to continue using the nebulizer, but only twice a day instead of four. Other than that, how are you feeling?”
“Okay, I guess.”
“Then I want to see you again in two weeks.” Dominic got up and walked over to open his office door. “Would you mind sitting in the waiting room for a few minutes while I talk to Dennis?”
“Sure!” Skyy was more than happy to leave, as doctors were not his favourite kind of people.
“How are things going on the home front, Dennis?” Dominic asked, once the two men were alone.
“As smoothly as can be expected, all things considered. But those medi-mist treatments are going to kill one of us. He isn’t very cooperative and he doesn’t have much of an appetite so getting him to eat all his meals can be difficult. Trying to introduce anything new is almost impossible. He’d be quite happy surviving on PB&J sandwiches, chocolate milk, bananas, and Captain Crunch cereal. Fortunately, not all mixed together,” Dennis laughed. “Still, I like to believe I’m slowly gaining ground. Do you think he’s going to grow any taller?”
“Probably not. But once he puts on a few more pounds, he’ll be as close to being perfectly proportioned as possible. He’s one gorgeous little mite, isn’t he?” Dominic smiled at his friend. “Have you given anymore thought to keeping him permanently?”
“Yes, a lot actually. Dusty and I have thoroughly discussed it and I’m sure we’ve covered everything. We’ve decided to wait until after his birthday before talking to him about becoming part of the family. Social Services hasn’t had any luck finding his parents but they did offer to cover any medical expenses incurred until his eighteenth birthday. He will be of age six weeks from now and hopefully, completely recovered from this recent illness.”
“I’m confident things will work out fine for all of you.” Dominic stood and shook hands with his best friend. “I’ll see you here in two weeks.”
~~~~~~~~~~
‘Where is that Brat?’ Dennis wondered for the umpteenth time as he paced the floor. ‘It is after midnight! He is almost six hours late!’ Dennis had held supper for over an hour before finally sitting down with Skyy to eat their evening meal. The younger man had been asleep since ten o’clock.
Dusty quietly shut the porch door, tiptoed across the kitchen and down the hall. He was hoping Dennis had gone to bed for the night. He jumped when the hall light was turned on, enabling him to see his very irate partner standing in the doorway of the study.
“Do you have any idea what time it is, young man?” Dennis sounded far from happy.
“Just after midnight?” Dusty was biting his lip and trying to look anywhere but at his partner’s face.
“After midnight is correct. Where have you been and what have you been doing?”
“It was Marcie’s birthday. The girls in the office and all us guys in the shop decided to go out for wings and beer to celebrate with her. I didn’t think we were going to be so late.”
“You obviously didn’t think to call and let me know either. Why is your cell-phone turned off?”
“I’m sorry, Den. I didn’t want to call because I thought you’d tell me to come straight home. I really wanted to go with the others and have a little fun. You and I haven’t been out for over a month.” Dusty knew that Dennis would not accept any of this as a reason for breaking one of their rules. ‘Make that three broken rules,’ he groaned to himself. ‘Man, I’m really in deep shit this time.’
“Dusty, had you phoned and explained all this to me, chances are I would have told you to enjoy yourself. I am well aware of how busy we’ve been with Skyy during the past four weeks and I realize you need to spend some time with your friends, but to keep me worrying about you is a no-go, young man.” Dennis reached for Dusty’s hand and led him into the study, closing the door behind them.
“You have deliberately broken more than one rule this evening, Dustin. You are grounded for the next two weeks and we’ll be discussing your extra chore assignments in the morning. Right now we’re going to deal with the rest of your punishment.” Dennis set a chair in the center of the room and pulling Dusty over to his right side, proceeded to undo his partner’s belt and zipper. After lowering the younger man’s pants and boxers, Dennis arranged his Brat over his thighs. “Why are you going to be spanked, Dustin?”
“Because I came home late and didn’t call to let you know where I was going or what I was doing and I turned my cell phone off,” Dusty answered tearfully. “I’m really sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“Not for awhile, anyway,” Dennis remarked as he brought his hand down with a hard smack across Dusty’s bare bottom. He continued the spanking until he was sure his Brat understood the lesson being taught. For several moments after the spanking ended, Dennis gently rubbed circles on his sobbing partner’s back and then lifted him up to sit on his lap. “All right, baby. It’s over now.” Dennis softly repeated words of comfort as his young lover gradually calmed down.
“I am sorry, Den. Honest! I didn’t mean for you to be so worried,” Dusty sniffled as he clung to the big man’s neck.
“I know, my little grease-monkey. It’s an occupational hazard when living with you,” Dennis teased as he stood the younger man on his feet, pulling up his boxers and helping him step out of the jeans that had fallen to his ankles. “It’s late, sweetheart; time for bed.”
After settling Dusty in their bed, Dennis went across the hall to check on Skyy. He was surprised to see the boy sitting up in his bed. Skyy looked frightened and had his blanket clutched tightly to his chest. Dennis suddenly realized the young man must have heard what had taken place in the study. He slowly approached the bed to offer an explanation and calm the boy’s fears.
“It’s all right, Skyy. Don’t be afraid, little one.” Dennis lowered his voice almost to a whisper when he saw Skyy backing away from him. He sat down on the side of the bed and softly coaxed Skyy to come to him. “Come here, honey, I’m not going to hurt you. I think we need to talk about the things you heard.”
“You were hurting Dusty. I heard you beating on him.”
“I wasn’t beating on him. I spanked him.” Dennis reached for the younger man and was pleased when Skyy came to him, even if it was hesitantly. Picking Skyy up, he sat down in the rocking chair in the corner of the room. “I think the time has come to explain this aspect of Dusty’s and my relationship.”
Half an hour later, Dennis tucked a sleeping Skyy back in bed and gently pulled two fingers out of the young man’s mouth. Dennis had told Skyy about their rules and the consequences for breaking any of them. He’d also told the young man that he would be expected to follow the same rules while he was living in their home. They had come to an understanding and Dennis felt it would work well for the future if and when they became a family of three.
~~~~~~~~~~
Dennis stood watching as Skyy removed his shoes and hung up his jacket. “I’d like to know where you’ve been, young man. I was worried when I got home and discovered you missing.”
“I left a note. Just last week you told me it was one of the rules.”
“Are you referring to this scrap of paper that reads ‘Gone out’?” Dennis asked, holding up the brief message.
“Uh-huh,” Skyy nodded.
“Skyylar, this doesn’t give any information concerning your whereabouts nor does it tell me when you were planning to return.” Dennis glared down at the boy in front of him.
“So how was I supposed to know you expected me to write a whole letter?” was the youth’s belligerent rejoinder.
“Are you smart-mouthing me?” Dennis was becoming rather annoyed. “Because if you are; you’re going to find yourself in a lot of trouble, little boy.”
Quickly losing the attitude, Skyy turned beseeching eyes up to the older man. “I’m sorry. I just went out for a walk. I wanted to go to the park we drove by a couple of weeks ago when you took me to the doctor. I’m bored with staying in the house every day while you and Dusty go to work.”
“All right, come and sit down at the kitchen counter please.”
Doing what he was told, Skyy climbed up on a barstool and watched as Dennis took a large note pad and a couple of pencils out of a drawer. “What are those for and what are you writing?” Skyy wondered what the big guy was up to.
“You are going to learn what information is to be supplied on the notes you leave whenever you go out. I want you to copy out these lines fifty times,” Dennis explained as he placed the pad and pencils in front of the young man.
“Notes must contain the following: Where I am going, whom I will be with, and when I will be returning.” Skyy read the words out loud before pushing the notepad away. “I don’t want to write all this. It will take forever.”
“You are going to do as you are told, but I’ll give you a choice. You can write the fifty lines now or you can stand in the corner until you are ready to obey me. How’s that?” Dennis had a hard time not to laugh at the parade of expressions crossing the boy’s face.
Looking down at the paper in front of him, Skyy asked, “Do you have any coloured paper instead of just white?”
“No, I don’t.”
“How about coloured pencils?” At the negative shake of Dennis’ head, Skyy ventured, “Markers maybe, or crayons?”
“No, sorry.” Dennis didn’t really look too heartbroken.
“Hmmm, then can I write it in some other language?” Skyy thought there must be some way to make the activity less oppressive.
“How many languages can you actually write, Skyy?” Dennis was curious to learn more about this young man’s abilities.
“Besides English, I can speak, read and write French, Italian and German. I can also speak Japanese and Greek, but I can’t read or write them,” Skyy answered the question very matter-of-factly while doodling on the paper. “I learned from some of the neighbours in the tenement where I grew up.”
“That is all very interesting, Skyy, but you are still going to have to write these lines in the language they are presently in.”
“What: on boring white paper, with boring black pencils, AND in boring English?” After swiping his arm across the counter and sending the supplies flying, Skyy jumped down from the stool, stamped his foot and yelled, “This sucks, man!”
Skyy couldn’t figure out how things changed so fast. One second he was standing by the counter and the next second he found himself facing the corner with two of Dennis’ handprints branded on his backside.
“You can stand here until you get your temper under control and decide to follow my instructions,” Dennis directed as he gently rubbed his hands over the boy’s shoulders.
“Are you going to leave me here by myself?” Skyy wanted to know.
“No, Sport. I’m going to be right here making supper.”
“‘Kay!” Skyy sniffled as he tentatively massaged the seat of his pants.
Dennis waited ten minutes before asking, “Are you ready to behave now, Skyy?” Seeing the young man’s nod, he added, “Then pick up the items you threw down and get to work on your lines.”
Skyy settled himself once again at the counter. He looked up in surprise when Dennis set a glass of chocolate milk down in front of him. “Thanks,” he softly acknowledged the unexpected treat with a shy smile of gratitude.
An hour later, supper was almost ready and Skyy had finished his assignment. He let out a deep sigh and handed the papers to Dennis who looked them over, tore them in half and dropped them in the wastebasket.
“Whatd’ya do that for?”
“Do you remember what you were writing and why?”
“Yes!”
“Then they have served their purpose.” Dennis reached over and ruffled the young man’s curls. “Will you set the table, please? Dusty should be home any minute now and he’ll be hungry.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“Good afternoon, Professor Taylor speaking.” Dennis balanced the phone on his shoulder as he gathered the papers into a pile on his desk.
“This is Sgt. Baker calling from the police station,” the caller introduced himself. “I am sorry to bother you at the university.”
“Is there something I can do for you, Officer?” Dennis couldn’t come up with a single reason as to why the police would be calling him.
“Does a Skyylar MacKay reside with you?”
“Yes, he does. Has there been an accident or something? Is he all right?” Dennis questioned anxiously, sitting up straight and gripping the phone tighter.
“Skyylar is fine, but he has gotten involved in a bit of mischief. If you would please come down to the station, I will explain everything.”
“I’ll be there as quickly as I can.”
Fifteen minutes later, Dennis walked up to Sgt. Baker’s desk. “I’m Dennis Taylor. You called me in regards to some trouble concerning Skyylar MacKay.”
“Yes, I did. Thank you for getting here so promptly, Mr. Taylor. I’m afraid young Mr. MacKay and an accomplice …..” the officer thumbed through the papers on his desk, “a Mr. Jack Ross, were apprehended while trespassing on private property belonging to the electric company. They were also involved in a very dangerous activity.”
“I’m sorry, Sgt. Baker. I wasn’t aware Skyy even knew anyone in our area. May I see him, please?”
“He will be out shortly.”
The police officer then spent several minutes explaining all that the young men had been up to before Skyy was brought into the room. As soon as Skyy saw Dennis, he ran over and threw himself at his caregiver. Dennis felt the shaking of the small body in his arms and saw the look of fear on the young face.
“Is there any reason why I can’t take him home now, Sargent?”
“None at all! There are no charges so I’ll leave it up to you to impress upon him that no future occurrence of this nature will be tolerated.”
“Thank you! I can assure you this will never happen again,” Dennis replied as he bundled his young charge out of the station.
When they walked into the house almost an hour after Dennis receiving the fated phone call, the older man directed, “All right, young man, into my study.”
Dennis sat on the corner of his desk to take the time to think things through. Skyy had been with them for over two months and was aware of the expectations placed on members of their household. Today’s activities could have resulted in life-threatening injuries and Dennis shuddered to think of how he and Dusty would deal with losing this precious young man.
“Just what did you think you were doing?” Dennis quietly inquired, looking at the jittery figure in front of him.
Skyy was shifting from one foot to the other while trying unsuccessfully to think of a good reason for having climbed the electrical tower. “It was a dare. Dan and Phil said they could climb higher than Jackie and me. We got about half way up the tower and Jackie got scared. The other two guys climbed down and took off. I couldn’t talk Jackie down, so I went for help and that’s how we got caught.”
“Who were these boys and where did you meet them?”
“I’ve kinda been hanging around with them at the park almost every afternoon. They’re about my age, maybe a little older.”
“Don’t they go to school or work?”
“Jackie is still in school, but he skips so he can hang out with Dan and Phil. I don’t know too much about any of them. I don’t even know their last names or where they live.”
“So you just went along with them to pull a stunt that was not only illegal, but also very dangerous. That wasn’t very smart now, was it?”
“Noooo, but I don’t know anyone else to have fun with.”
“Those boys don’t sound like the kind of friends you need. The only reason you are not in trouble with the police is because you have never been involved with the law and don’t have a past record. You are also very fortunate that none of you were badly injured.” Dennis continued to watch the fidgeting young man in front of him. “You are not to see those boys again and I am going to make sure this is the last time something like this happens.” He got up, moved a chair into the center of the room, took Skyy’s hand and sat down to pull the younger man over his knee. “Do you know how you’ve earned yourself a spanking, Skyylar?”
“No, Dennis! Please, don’t beat me!” Skyy wailed, trying to squirm away from the bigger man.
Dennis drew Skyy down onto his lap. “Skyy, I would never beat you. I am, however, going to give you a sound spanking. Do you know why?”
“‘Cause I’m bad,” Skyy whimpered, hanging his head.
“You are not bad, little one! But in this house unacceptable behaviour is punished so it will not be repeated. Now tell me what you did wrong.” Dennis spoke kindly but firmly to encourage the boy to own up to his mistakes as part of the learning experience.
“I shouldn’t have gone along with the dare to climb the tower because it was dangerous and against the law,” Skyy acknowledged in a small tearful voice.
“That’s right.” Dennis rearranged his young charge face down over his lap and raised his right arm. He brought it down with a forceful spank on the jean-covered bottom. “You will never climb another electrical tower. You will never put yourself in that kind of danger again.” Dennis landed another two dozen smacks before he stopped the spanking.
Picking up the sobbing young man, Dennis carried him over to the leather couch to sit down and begin comforting the traumatized youth. “All right, little one, it’s over. Just breathe.”
Skyy clutched the big man’s shirt and tried to talk through his gasping sobs, “I’m s-sorry. I w-won’t do it again. P-promise.”
“Ssssh. I know, honey, I know.” Dennis pulled the young man close and settled in to take all the time needed to comfort him. He murmured words of love and understanding until the crying had diminished to hiccups and sniffles. “Skyy,” Dennis spoke softly, getting the boy’s attention, “you know had Dusty pulled a similar stunt, he too would have been spanked.”
“But it’s not the same,” came the whispered reply followed by a long, deep sigh. “‘Cause Dusty belongs to you but I don’t belong to anyone.”
“What do you mean by that, Skyy?” Not getting an answer, Dennis glanced at the young man on his lap and saw Skyy had fallen asleep. He gently laid Skyy stomach down on the couch, brushed the sweaty curls off his forehead, wiped away the few remaining tears and covered him with a blanket.
Dennis entered the living room to find Dusty curled up on one end of the sofa. “I didn’t realize you were home, love.” He noticed the tears on his lover’s face when Dusty raised his head off his folded arms. “What’s wrong, baby?”
“Why were you spanking Skyy?” Dusty asked as he crawled onto Dennis’ lap as soon as the big man was seated on the sofa beside him.
After hearing of the events of the afternoon, Dusty asked if it was okay to go see for himself that Skyy was all right. Several minutes later he found Dennis preparing supper in the kitchen and sadly informed him, “Skyy is still asleep. I can’t get his fingers out of his mouth.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I think that’s a self-comfort mechanism Skyy developed as a small child. I don’t believe he is even aware of doing it.” Dennis wrapped his arms around his partner and offered the comfort his Brat was in need of.
“Yeah, and he only does it in his sleep after he’s been upset or frightened,” Dusty spoke thoughtfully, leaning his head against the bigger man’s shoulder. “I wonder if he’ll ever stop doing it.”
“It may take some time as he has probably been doing it for years,” Dennis answered softly and then repeated Skyy’s last remark of not belonging to anyone. “I think it’s time to discuss becoming a permanent family member with Skyy. His birthday was three days ago. What do you say to us planning a special activity for this Saturday evening?” he suggested, hoping to lift the younger man’s spirits.
“You betcha!” Dusty agreed excitedly and started to dance around the room. “Let’s party.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Skyy had turned eighteen and part of the celebration included his becoming the third member of the family. Dennis smiled at the memories of that memorable day.
The three men had been sitting comfortably in the family room, discussing the upcoming party being held that evening when Dennis extended a unique invitation to Skyy.
“Skyy, you have been living in our home for over two months now. I think you are aware of most aspects of Dusty’s and my relationship, right?” Dennis waited for a response before continuing.
“Yeah! I know you’ve been together for going on four years and I understand about the rules and stuff.”
“Dusty and I were wondering if you would like to become a permanent member of our family. We care very deeply for you and would like you to remain with us. How do you feel about that?”
“You mean forever?” Skyy asked hopefully.
“Yes, we mean forever.” Dennis assured him.
“I like it here and I really like you two guys!” Skyy gave the matter a few minuets of serious thought while Dusty sat anxiously waiting for an answer. “Hmmm, what place would I have here?”
“That would be for you to decide, Skyy. We’d certainly welcome you as a partner or as kid brother. Whichever you feel most comfortable with.”
“Can I stay in the small bedroom?”
“It’s yours for along as you want,” Dennis answered gently.
“But there is plenty of room for you in the master bedroom and ….” Dusty started to say before receiving a look of warning from Dennis to remind him not to put undue pressure on Skyy to make a quick decision.
“You don’t know very much about me. You might change your minds if you ever find out some of the things I’ve done.”
Dennis chuckled softly. “You don’t know a great deal about us either. Dusty and I have done a lot of talking about this and we are not going to change our minds. Think of all the new things we have to discover about each other.” Dennis saw the indecision on the young man’s face. “Skyy, you don’t have to make a decision right now. Take all the time you need to think about it. We just wanted you to know that you are more than welcome to consider our home permanently yours if that is what you’d like.”
“I want to stay here and be part of the family. I’m safe here and for the first time since I was a little kid, I’m not afraid.”
“Then it’s settled!” Dusty threw his arms around the younger man and hugged him.
~~~~~~~~~~
Dennis aroused himself from his musings, got up and headed into the master bedroom where his two Brats were sleeping. The gulf that had existed between the young men when he had left the room was gone. They were cuddled together like a couple of puppies in the middle of the big bed. He quietly undressed and after gently separating them, he crawled in between his two partners and wrapped his arms around them. He smiled contentedly as he tenderly removed two fingers from his youngest Brat’s mouth before falling asleep with a contented smile on his handsome face.
The End
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