Devils or Angels?

Written By: LJ


Dusty slowly trudged his way through the back door and into the kitchen. After removing his boots, he tossed his keys, cell phone, lunch box and thermos onto the counter. Walking down the hall, he spotted his younger partner working at the coffee table in the living room. Skyy was partially hidden by stacks of books and papers. Picking up the mail from the floor by the front door, Dusty made his way over to the sofa behind Skyy and threw himself down.

“What are you working on, Skyy?”

“A history assignment that’s due on Monday.”

“Why don’t you use the Internet?”

“Because all the info I need is right here,” Skyy answered, pointing to the publications spread out around him. “And anyway, I just like books better.”

Nodding his head in a distracted manner as he sorted through the stack of letters, Dusty expelled a deep sigh as he spied the return address on one of the long, white envelopes. Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes and tried to swallow the lump growing in his throat.

“Want to share what’s bothering you, D?” Skyy asked in a soft voice.

Looking down into the young face before him, Dusty saw loving concern in the big violet-blue eyes. “I’ve really made a mess of something, Skyy,” he murmured despairingly.

“Would talking about it help any?” Skyy offered, getting up off the floor and joining his fellow-Brat on the sofa.

“I don’t know, little buddy,” Dusty sadly murmured. Looking around, he asked, “Where’s Den?”

“He’s running a bit late because of a last-minute meeting with his publisher. I don’t mind listening if you want to talk, D.”

“All right! You remember that night a few weeks ago when I was out with Dom’s partners and got home late?”

“Yeah, it was the week before we got sick.”

“I wasn’t exactly up-front with Dennis at the time. I told him we’d had a problem with the truck and that my cell phone wasn’t working properly.”

“That’s right; you had to get a new one.”

“Well unfortunately, that was the only thing I was completely honest about.”

“Are you saying there wasn’t anything wrong with Slade’s truck?”

“No! I may as well tell you what happened because you’re going to find out sooner or later. The three of us spent the evening playing pool and drinking; that is Slade and Jayden drank as I was the designated driver. Anyway, on the way home that new rookie cop in town stopped us because the taillight was busted. I don’t even know how things got so out of control. It’s not as if the other two guys were that drunk.” Dusty grimaced as the memories of that night came rushing back.

“Did you get arrested or something?” Skyy’s eyes couldn’t have gotten any bigger.

“Not exactly!”

“Exactly what then?”

“I’ll tell you everything if you’ll be quiet for a couple of minutes and let me get on with it,” Dusty gripped. Taking another deep sigh, he grumbled. “When I gave the officer my driver’s license, he noticed it had expired on my last birthday.”

“Wait a minute! That means you’ve been driving with it for almost five months!” Skyy animatedly stated after counting with his fingers.

“You think I don’t already know that, kid?” Dusty said a little too loudly as the feelings of frustration mounted. “I thought it would expire this fall, not the last one. I must have had it in my mind from the last time I renewed it that it was good for three years,” he said in a lower voice. “And before you say anything, I know I was also late that time. Dennis wasn’t very happy about it back then so I can’t imagine him being too thrilled this time.”

After a few minutes of silence, Skyy tentatively asked, “Is that all?” He had a gut feeling that the worse was yet to come.

“Man, don’t I wish!” Dusty leaned forward to drop his head into his hands. “The officer was just going to tell me what was to happen next, when Slade and Jayden started mouthing off, saying the cop shouldn’t be making such a big deal over something so minor. I couldn’t understand why they were getting so riled up. Later, I found out they were worrying about Dominic’s reaction because he had been after them for days to get the light repaired. Anyway, I only got fined and given twenty-four hours to renew my license but Slade and Jayden were charged with disturbing the peace and hauled to the cop shop. I had to bail them out and pay their fines. It was just an overnight loan. I used our debit card and Den is going to start asking question as soon as he gets a look at this bank statement that arrived today. There’s a withdrawal in our joint savings account with a matching deposit made eighteen hours later. We’re never to touch this account without first talking it over with each other,” he explained as he waved the envelope in the air.

“So you ‘fess up and take the consequences,” Skyy stated, wondering what Dusty was making such a fuss about.

“You don’t get it, kid. I’ve been keeping something from Den for almost a month now and he’ll consider that the same as lying,” Dusty pointed out. He softly begged the question, “How the hell do I always manage to get myself into this kind of shit? First I let my license expire and get a fine. Next I borrow a large amount of money from our joint account just to help a couple of friends hide something they’ve done wrong. And as if all that isn’t bad enough, I deliberately keep it from my partner. How’s that for stupid?” he cried as he pushed himself up off the sofa and ran up the stairs.

Skyy quickly followed and entered their bedroom just as Dusty flung himself across the bed. Not knowing what to say to help his fellow-Brat, Skyy settled for quietly lying down next to the other man and gently wrapping his arms around him.

“Den deserves better, little buddy,” Dusty whispered with a sob in his voice.

“What are you talking about, D?”

“Maybe it’s time for me to think about moving on,” Dusty stated as bravely as he could, rolling over on his side to face Skyy. “Our relationship is built on being honest with each other and I’ve blown it again.”

“Just because you were dumb enough to go along with those two characters? How do you figure that would solve the problem when Den is always telling us that running away never helps?”

“I know! I walked out a few times when we first got together. It was before we decided to change things and include discipline in our partnership.”

“Why would you leave and how come you don’t do it anymore?”

“We’d get into arguments sometimes. I’d say things I didn’t mean and wouldn’t know how to take them back. Then I’d start feeling guilty and get even meaner. It would become a vicious circle and I’d take off when it became too much to handle. But Den sure knew how to handle it the last time I did something like that,” Dusty finished in a low voice.

“If it was after you made changes in your lifestyle then I bet I can figure out how Den took care of things,” Skyy muttered.

“Yeah! He came and dragged me home from my parent’s place. Then he walloped the daylights out of me. I haven’t run away since then even though it’s crossed my mind a couple of times.”

“So why now, D?”

“Because it’s not as if this is the first time, I’ve pulled a stunt like this, Skyy,” Dusty admitted.

“Oh, so now there’s a limit on how many times we can screw up in a certain area? Let me see if I can guess how it works. Hmmm, for instance, how many times can I think I have a good reason to play hooky before Den kicks me out? How many times can we break a rule before Den says we have to leave? How many times can you stay out late and forget to call before Den decides he’s had enough? Maybe I should be writing down the answers, ‘cause I don’t think I’ll be able to remember all of them.”

“You know it doesn’t work that way, Skyy.”

“And you know it, too! You’ve got to talk it over with Den. Just tell him what you did and together you can take care of it.”

“I’ll have to break a promise,” Dusty murmured. “I should never have made it in the first place, but Slade and Jayden said we had to keep it quiet about it or they’d be in a lot of trouble.”

“I don’t get it, D. Why would they get so uptight and feel they needed to keep secrets from their partner? Don’t things work for them the same way as they do for us?”

“Most the time it’s more or less the same. But Slade and Jayden were together a long time before they met Dominic. They were used to doing things the way they wanted no matter how much of a mess they got into. Besides, even though they’ve been a threesome longer than we have, they’re still working on a lot of issues that don’t even come up for us. Besides, like Dennis keeps reminding us, everyone handles things differently.” Dusty spent several minutes silently thinking about his situation before softly saying, “I’m really in a deep hole this time, little buddy.”

“Then maybe it’s time you stopped digging, D!” Skyy strongly recommended.

“Hey, since when did you become so smart?” Dusty cried, pulling the younger man towards him.

“I’ve always been this smart! You were just too dumb to know it,” Skyy laughed and hugged his fellow-Brat. “So now are you going to stop talking crazy and own up to everything?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Dusty gave his young partner a shy grin. “And thanks, kid!”

“No prob, man!” Skyy leaned in and gently kissed Dusty’s lips. The kiss grew more demanding when Dusty grabbed Skyy’s neck and drew him closer to kiss him back. Skyy parted his lips to allow their tongues to explore each other’s mouths. Coming up for breathe, Skyy gleefully announced, “We’ve got company!” as he felt between them to rub his hand over the growing hardness in the other man’s jeans.

It didn’t take long for the young lovers to strip. Their excitement built as they continued kissing and petting each other. Dusty reached for the lube and squeezed a generous amount on his hand. He slowly penetrated his smaller lover with one finger and then two, taking his time in the same manner he had often watched Dennis using.

Skyy was panting heavily. “Too slow! Go inside now! I need more; I want…..” he breathed in deeply, unable to finish the sentence.

“No, little buddy. I have to go nice and easy. Dennis will be really pissed off if I hurt you,” Dusty explained even as Skyy’s pleading was getting to him. When he was sure Skyy was ready, Dusty slowly pressed into him and got into a steady rhythm that soon had both their heads spinning. Dusty silenced Skyy’s whimpers of delight with another passionate kiss and embracing the younger man’s erection with his hand, stroked him to a sweet climax. He reached his own fulfillment just as Skyy’s tense body arched against his and creamy liquid spilled between them.

“That was sooo good, D!” Skyy softly moaned.

“Yeah, for me, too!” the other man sighed contentedly.

It took several minutes for their heart rates to return to normal and for Dusty to find the strength to get up and fetch a warm, wet washcloth from their en suite. He had just finished cleaning off his young lover when the slamming of a car door was heard.

“Den’s home, little buddy. We better get up and dressed,” Dusty said as he pulled his fellow-Brat up off the bed. “It’s time for me to face the music,” he grimaced.

Dennis entered the front hallway as his partners were on their way down the stairs. Sliding down the banister enabled Skyy to reach the older man first. Hugging Skyy and returning the young man’s warm welcome, Dennis looked up to see Dusty slowly coming towards him. Something about the other man’s body language warned Dennis that Dusty was upset and worried. Embracing his second partner, Dennis kindly inquired, “What’s wrong, love?”

“We’ve got to talk, Den,” Dusty reluctantly murmured and pressed his head into the bigger man’s shoulder.

“Ahh, I’ll go get supper started,” Skyy tentatively volunteered as he back out from under Dennis’ arm.

“Good plan, Sport!” Dennis agreed before proposing. “Dusty, why don’t you wait for me in the study while I go upstairs to change out of this suit?”

Five minutes later, Dennis quietly shut the office door to block out the music resonating from the kitchen. He sadly shook his head when he spied his oldest Brat curled up on one end of the leather sofa. He had suspected Dusty was trying to deal with some sort of problem for a couple of weeks now and accurately surmised that he was about to find out what was bothering the younger man.

It took ten minutes for Dusty to haltingly, miserably stumble through his confess of all that had happened that fateful Sunday evening almost a month ago. “I’m so sorry for not telling you sooner, Den. It’s not like it’s a habit I want to get into. I know it’s not only dishonest but it can damage our relationship and you deserve better. Will you still be able to trust me?” Dusty whispered tearfully. He could understand if the answer was not what he wanted to hear but wondered if he would have the ability to live with it.

“Dusty, you made a mistake; well actually more than one. But I will always love you and you haven’t done anything to irreparably damage either my trust in you or our relationship. However, we have two completely different issues to deal with here, don’t we?” Dennis asked patiently as he lovingly ran his hand through the younger man’s hair.

Dusty nodded and let out a long sigh of resignation. He knew he deserved whatever punishment his partner decided was needed to set things straight and although he wasn’t looking forward to it, he hoped it was severe enough to take the guilt away.

“All right, then. Since this is the second time during our partnership that you have neglected to renew your driver’s license in a timely fashion, I think it’s become necessary to take stronger measures to insure it not happening a third time. Do you still have the two-thousand word essay I had you do on License Renewal Laws three years ago?”

“Yes, it’s in my Project binder,” Dusty answered, gazing into his lover’s eyes and wondering where this was leading.

“Good! I want you to write it out five times word for word so you will remember what I had hoped you’d have learned in the first place. You can take as long as you want over the next month, which just happens to be the same length of time you will be on driving restrictions. You only use your truck for work-related travel, no other driving, no other vehicles. You got that, Dusty?” Dennis waited for his orders to sink in.

Dusty acceded to his Top’s authority and once again nodded his understanding and agreement. He hung his head in anticipation of the remaining topic to be discussed.

“Next, is the more serious matter of lying by omission and digging yourself in much further than you had to by prolonging the inevitable for several weeks. What do you think you deserve for that error in judgement, young man?”

Dusty looked up in surprise. He couldn’t remember Dennis ever asking him what he thought his punishment should be. He trusted his partner and knew Dennis would always take care of this aspect of their lives fairly and lovingly.

After thinking it over, Dusty answered in a small voice. “I think I deserve a paddling.”

Now it was Dennis’ turn to be surprised. The paddle was very rarely used and was usually reserved for misbehaviour that could be health or life threatening. It was not what Dennis would have thought to use in this circumstance but he had asked for Dusty’s input and felt it important to honour his partner’s need to feel he had paid for his transgressions.

“If that’s what you think it should be, go get the paddle out of the drawer. Then you can remove your jeans and sneakers. I’ll just be a couple of minutes,” Dennis said as he left the room. He returned as promised, carrying a bottle of water. Dusty, he noticed, had followed his instructions and was standing beside the sofa in his underwear, the paddle in his hand.

Sitting down on the couch, Dennis took the paddle and placed it along with the water on the coffee table in front of him. He reached for his partner, gently taking Dusty’s hand and settling the younger man face down across his thighs.

“Why are we doing this, Dustin?” Dennis asked as he tugged down the boxers and shifted his right leg to bring the now bare-bottom into position.

“I didn’t tell you the truth about my license and-and the broken tail-light and-and the fines…..Owww!” Dusty wailed, as Dennis wasted no time in landing the first of many swats to ignite the soon-to-be fire on his Brat’s backside. Spank after spank thundered down, covering both cheeks thoroughly until Dusty’s bottom was a uniform shade of crimson and the young man was crying hard and kicking wildly.

Finally the punishing hand stopped falling and Dennis sat back to give Dusty time to realize this part of the punishment was done with. Thinking it was over; Dusty struggled to get off the older man’s lap until Dennis’ arm tightening around his waist reminded him that the paddle hadn’t been used yet. He began to cry harder when Dennis reached for the small, smooth piece of wood and two rapid-fired swats landed on his already very sore bottom.

Dennis tossed the paddle onto the table and proceeded to sooth, stroke and comfort the man still lying over his lap. Gradually the heartbreaking sobs and shuddered gasps that filled the room quieted somewhat and Dusty lay limp. Dennis lifted and turned his partner, carefully positioning him so that his backside wasn’t touching anything. He wiped away his Brat’s tears and caressed his face, cuddling him until he calmed down. It took awhile before the crying diminished to the occasional whimper and sniffle.

Dusty glanced up with a questioning look in his red and swollen eyes. “How come you only…two…” he couldn’t finish as he blinked back the fresh flow of tears that threatened.

“Who is in charge here?” Dennis simply asked and offered Dusty a drink of water.

“You are,” Dusty replied, drying his eyes on his shirtsleeve before drinking thirstily.

“I allowed you to chose the implement, but the severity of the punishment was my choice,” Dennis explained when the bottle had been handed back to him. “It’s been taken care of, love!” The older man brushed his lips against his partner’s hair and kissed his forehead, his tone and actions clearly radiated reassurance that he understood what the younger man was asking.

“Are you going…ummm…to tell Dom about….you know…?” Dusty hesitantly asked.

“Yes, I am and I think you’ve already guessed I would, even if you don’t want me to.”

“But why do you have to?” Dusty whined, burying his face in the bigger man’s neck.

“Because I don’t like his Brats involving you in their schemes to get away with unacceptable behaviour. Dom and I will have to come up with a way to prevent this kind of thing being repeated. It may involve the shortening of leashes and the supervising of activities.”

“That’s not fair!” Dusty’s voice rose in frustration, but he quickly backed down when Dennis cleared his throat meaningfully to warn his Brat that he was stepping over the line.

“Dusty, I want you to know how pleased I am that you finally decided to own up to what you had done. I know it was not an easy thing to do, particularly when you had to break a promise to a couple of friends. But it was a promise that should not have been made to begin with and those two young men should never have put you in that no-win situation. In the end you did the right thing and that is what really counts. I’m just so proud of you and I love you very, very much, my little grease monkey.”

“I love you, too. I kinda had a little help in getting up the nerve to tell you though. It was advice from my little guardian angel-in-training,” Dusty admitted with a crooked grin, knowing he had been forgiven and they were back on track.

“And what does this guardian angel look like?”

“He not very big, only five foot-four, violet-blue eyes, long, blonde curls, really cute face…” Dusty glanced up to see the smile on Dennis’ face.

“He wouldn’t by any chance be in need of a haircut, would he?”

“Hmmm, could be.”

“That’s quite a coincidence because one of my little devils is remarkably similar in appearance,” Dennis laughed.

“And just what does your other devil look like?”

“Well, let’s see. He’s slightly larger and older. He has the most beautiful, sexy, smoke-gray eyes; streaked, spiked, light-brown hair; an adorably gorgeous face and an infectious smile. At the moment though, his eyes are a bit teary and his lips are pouty and ohh, so kissable.” Dennis took advantage of those lips before gently asking, “How are you feeling now, little one?”

“My butt really, really hurts but I feel real good inside. How’s your hand?”

“Red, sore, but I too feel good inside,” he answered with a loving smile and a squeeze. “I’m also getting hungry. How about it; feel like facing the world yet?”

“Yeah, I guess we’ve kept Skyy waiting long enough,” Dusty commented, gingerly pushing himself off Dennis’ lap.

Dennis was returning the paddle to its’ hiding place in the desk when he heard the hissing sounds Dusty made as he pulled up his boxers.

“It’s probably warm enough to leave your jeans off if you want, babe.” He received a sigh of relief in response to his suggestion.

Dennis and Dusty walked hand-in-hand into the kitchen to find Skyy slowly dancing to the Oldies station blaring from the radio. The table was set and going by the delicious aroma in the air, the young man had prepared one of Dusty’s favourite meals of spaghetti, homemade meat sauce and fresh-baked garlic bread.

Skyy wasn’t aware of his partners’ presence until he felt Dusty’s arms close around his waist to continue the dance.

Dennis turned the volume down to a tolerable level then embraced both his Brats and together they gently swayed back and forth in time to the music. When Dennis recognized the song playing was Bobby Vee’s ‘Devil or Angel’, he laughed and sang along with only a slight changing of the lyrics.

Devils or Angels, I can’t make up my mind,
Which ones you are, but I’m so glad you’re both mine,
Devils or Angels, my dears, whichever you are,
I love you, I love you, I love you.

The End