The Gathering

Written By: LJ

(A crossover with Rowan, Darby and friends)

The plane slowly taxied to a full stop.

“Come on, Buddy!” Dusty jumped up excitedly.

“Wait a minute, Dusty!” Dennis ordered. “Let those ahead of us get out first.”

“Bet you’re gonna love this airport, Den,” Skyy commented, looking out the window.

“Why’s that, Skyy?”

“It’s your favourite kind ‘cause it isn’t big enough for me to go missing on ya,” Skyy laughed. “It’s much smaller than the other two we’ve been in.”

“You might have something there, Sport,” Dennis chuckled.

“Is Rowan picking us up, Den?” Dusty asked.

“I don’t know who will be meeting us but I’m sure it’s been it taken care of,” Dennis answered and got to his feet. “Okay, let’s go, boys!”

A short time later the three men were the only passengers left waiting with their luggage at their feet. They watched with interest, as a tall dark-haired man walked in and over to the arrivals’ section of the airport.

“Sorry I’m a bit late! It’s so good to see you again, my friend!” Rowan greeted Dennis enthusiastically and threw his arms around him. “I’m glad you and your partners could make the trip.”

“We wouldn’t have missed it for the world, Rowan!” Dennis assured him and returned the hug. Pulling two young men out from behind him, Dennis proudly stated. “You remember Dusty and this is Skyy.”

“Nice seeing you again, Dusty. Please to meet you, Skyy” After shaking hands with the two younger men and picking up one of the bags, Rowan suggested. “Just follow me. I’ve got the car parked right in front of the building.”

It wasn’t long before introductions were being made as Dennis, Dusty and Skyy met Darby for the first time. The next half-hour passed with them unpacking their luggage and settling into the guest suite that had been prepared for them.

“Hey, Dusty; a bunch of my friends and I are going out to play pool later,” Darby informed the other man when Dusty came downstairs to see what was next on the agenda. “Would you and Skyy like to join us?”

“You bet! I could sure do with a little activity after being stuck on planes and in airports all day,” Dusty laughed. “I’ll ask Skyy if he ever gets down here.”

“Rowan and Dennis are bar-b-cueing out on the deck. I think they’re planning to spend the evening here visiting with a couple of Rowan’s old friends. That’ll be way too boring for us to want to hang around.” Darby grimaced at the thought.

“You got that right! I’ll see what’s holding up Skyy.” Dusty stood at the foot of the stairs and hollered. “Get a move on, Skyy!” After waiting a minute or two, Dusty heaved an exaggerated sigh and trudged upstairs to search for his younger partner. “What’s the hold up, Buddy?”

“Come see this, D!” Skyy exclaimed from where he was standing by the window. “Look over there in that big oak tree. Do ya see it?”

“Looks like a tree house,” Dusty commented when he finally located through the branches what Skyy was pointing to.

“Yeah! Do ya think we’d be allowed in it?”

“We won’t know until we ask, little buddy.” Seeing the hesitant expression on Skyy’s face, Dusty sat down on the windowsill and hauled Skyy around to stand in front of him. “We’re going to be meeting lots of new people over the next few of days, Skyy, and the only way you’re going to get comfortable is by being with them, but you don’t have to spend a lot of time talking or anything. Just do what you like best, sit back and watch. Okay?”

“I guess!”

“You’ll soon see how easy it is to fit in,” Dusty assured him and pulled his lover closer. He felt Skyy’s arms enfold him as his hug was returned. He allowed several more moments to pass before quietly asking, “Ready?”

“Ready!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So how were the flights, Dennis?” asked Jayson, accepting a cold beer from Rowan and taking a seat on the sofa with Glen.

“Long and made even longer by two sometimes very restless traveling companions. Actually though, everything went rather smoothly. There were no delays, no lost luggage, and as far as air travel goes, both of those are pluses,” Dennis laughed.

The four men were sitting in Rowan’s living room, making small talk. Dennis and his partners had been introduced to Rowan’s old college buddies: Jayson, Glen and TJ. They had also met Jayson’s partner, Riley. Dusty had gone out for a few hours with Darby, Riley, and TJ along with several other young men while Skyy quietly entertained himself with crossword puzzles upstairs.

It was a little later in the evening when Rowan was handing another beer to Dennis, that he noticed his friend motioning for someone behind him. Turning, Rowan saw Skyy sitting at the foot of the stairs. The young man immediately got up and answered his partner’s unspoken summons by walking over to Dennis and letting the older man pull him down onto his lap.

“You’re still wet from your shower and so is your clothing, Skyy!” Dennis softly admonished. “Go back upstairs and dry off properly, please.”

“Aaah, Den, it’s warm enough for me to air-dry,” Skyy muttered, leaning his head against Dennis’ shoulder.

“Come on, Sport,” Dennis said, patting Skyy’s butt before putting him back on his feet and standing up. “We’ll be right down,” he informed the others as he led his partner out of the room.

Once in their bedroom, Dennis waited patiently as Skyy followed orders to towel off and put on dry sleep pants and a T-shirt. He knew the younger man was over-tired and should really be sleeping.

“I think you better call it a day, Sport, and get into bed. What do you say?”

“How much longer are you going to be staying up?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. Probably only until Dusty gets back.”

“Can’t I stay downstairs with you?”

“I didn’t think you’d like spending time with a bunch of old men,” Dennis teased.

“Well, I can think of one old man in particular that I don’t mind being with,” Skyy responded as he gave the older man a leering grin.

“Okay, let’s go, scamp,” Dennis laughingly invited.

At the top of the stairs, Skyy put his leg over the railing.

“No, you don’t, Skyy!”

“But I do it all the time at home.”

“You’re not at home now and there will be no sliding down the banister while you’re a guest in someone else’s home. Got it?”

“Yeah, but I don’t like it!” Skyy grumbled.

Rejoining the other men in the living room, Dennis sat in the large armchair and pulled Skyy down beside him.

“Would you like a beer, Skyy, or anything else to drink?” Rowan offered.

“No, thank you.” Skyy contentedly cuddled against Dennis’ side and tried to pay attention to the conversation going on around him but the drone of the men’s voices soon lulled him to sleep.

Glen smiled and nodded at the young man sleeping next to Dennis. “Rather quiet, isn’t he?”

“Not usually but he’s tired and hasn’t adjusted to the time change. It’s well after midnight back home and Skyy is habitually asleep by eleven every night. I hope he sleeps in late tomorrow morning or I’m going to have one cranky partner on my hands.” Dennis bent his head enough to plant a loving kiss on Skyy’s still slightly damp curls.

“It must be quite a challenge caring for two Brats,” Jayson commented. “But I have the distinct feeling you find it very rewarding on many levels.”

“Any extra responsibility is well worth it!” Dennis agreed wholeheartedly.

“I think I can safely say that our three partners would probably have our heads on a platter before considering the introduction of another member into the family. What do you say, Rowan, Glen?” Jayson asked his long-time friends, chuckling at the idea.

“You’re right on there, Jay!” and “You got that right!” were the resounding but amused responses.

“For us, it just seemed as if it was meant to be and I’m confident that none of us would change a thing,” Dennis sincerely assured them while unconsciously pulling Skyy closer.

“Well it’s certainly not hard to see how happy you are together and how close the three of you are,” Rowan added.

“We’re home!” Darby shouted as he noisily came through the front door with Dusty, Riley and TJ following closely behind.

The slamming of the door startled Skyy. He sat up and groggily rubbed his eyes as he looked around and tried to get his bearings. Realizing he was still safely encircled in Dennis’ strong arms, the young man fell back to sleep.

“Sssh, boys. Not so much noise, please!” Jayson ordered, motioning towards Skyy. “Someone’s sleeping.”

“It’s getting late and we have a busy day planned for tomorrow so I think it would be a good idea to bring this evening to a close,” Glen suggested.

After farewells were exchanged, Jayson and Riley along with their houseguests, Glen and TJ, left with plans to meet up first thing in the morning.

Lifting Skyy onto his lap Dennis was then able to shift over enough to allow Dusty to squeeze in beside him on the big chair.

“Have a good time tonight, love?”

“You bet! We’ll have to go back there before we leave, Den.”

“Where exactly did you go, Sweets?” Rowan asked Darby, who was sitting next to him of the arm of their recliner.

“O’Finnigan’s!”

“It’s a good establishment, Den. Pleasant atmosphere, excellent food…” said Rowan, pulling Darby down to hold him in his arms.

“And good pool tables!” Dusty added around a yawn. “Man, I’m beat!” He dropped his head onto Dennis’ shoulder and slowly closed his eyes.

“Hey, hey, hey, Grease-monkey. I can’t carry both of you up to bed. Stay awake long enough to get upstairs on your own, please,” Dennis quietly admonished as he prodded Dusty to his feet and gently woke Skyy. “I’ll come back down and help you straighten up, Rowan, when I have these two settled.”

“No need, Dennis. The little bit left to do can wait until the morning because Darby and I are also ready to hit the hay,” Rowan said as he lifted his lover off his lap and sent him to lock up for the night while he turned off the lights.

“All right then, we’ll say goodnight and see you in the morning!” Dennis called to his hosts as he and his partners slowly made their way up the stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“But, Den, I still want to talk about it ‘cause I shouldn’t have to go if I don’t want to,” Skyy complained to the man hiding behind the morning newspaper.

“I have a feeling he’s not listening to you, Skyy,” Darby informed him.

“Yes, he is! I can tell ‘cause his knuckles are turning white!”

Dusty and Darby smirked at Skyy’s statement while Rowan turned away from the table in an attempt to hide the smile on his face.

Dennis lowered the paper to glare at the annoying young man sitting across from him. He was certain his Brat had gotten the silent message of disapproval even though Skyy chose to ignore it and continue his badgering. Dennis slowly folded the newspaper and laid it on the table. He calmly stood up, walked around to Skyy’s chair, hauled him up and over his shoulder in one smooth motion, and headed up to their room.

“Is he going to……you know?” Darby asked Dusty in a concerned voice.

“Huh? No, sometimes they just need to talk things over in greater detail,” Dusty explained.

“You do mean talk, not discuss, right?”

“Right!”

“Okay, young man, I thought we had this settled!” Dennis said, setting Skyy on his feet and taking a seat on the side of the bed. He tried not to sound too exasperated.

“Not exactly. I don’t see why I should have to go when I don’t want to,” Skyy tried to get his point across one more time.

“Skyy, is it because you don’t know the others very well?” Dennis asked patiently.

“Not at all, Den. It’s just that I don’t want to play golf. I mean, how much more boring can it get than to chase around after a little white ball just to hit it with a stick?”

“It’s a golf club.”

“Whatever, it’s still boring!”

“Skyy, you’ve never really given the game a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised and discover you actually enjoy it. Lots of people do, you know. Beside it will give you the opportunity to spent time with the guys and get to know them better.” Seeing that the younger man was still not convinced, Dennis continued to try and persuade Skyy to go along with the morning’s planned activity. “It’s kind of a Bachelor party for Darby, Sport, and it would only be good manners for you to take part in it.”

“What are you going to be doing?”

“Rowan and I would like to spend the morning together catching up on what’s been happening in our lives since we last saw each other. Jayson and Glen will be dropping the bunch of you off at the country club and we’ll all meet up there for lunch.” Dennis tugged gently on Skyy’s hand and smiled when his Brat straddled his legs.

Skyy looked intently into Dennis’ warm brown eyes and realized that the other man needed personal time with his old friend. “All right, I’ll go,” Skyy relented with an exaggerated sigh of resignation. “But I reserve the right to gripe about it later if I have a miserable time.” He gave his partner a cheeky grin.

“Fair enough!” Dennis returned the smile. “I want you to stay close to Dusty. After all, someone has to watch out for him and I won’t be there.”

“That’s a joke, isn’t it? ‘Cause if it’s not, then it’s a load of crap,” Skyy laughed at the light-hearted glint in his partner’s eyes.

“You’re such a Brat!” Dennis teased and planted a quick kiss on Skyy’s lips.

Skyy reached up to tenderly caress Dennis’ cheek. His beautiful violet-blue eyes turned warm as the love and admiration he had for his partner shone out from them. “Yeah,” he whispered, “and I’m so glad that you’re my Top!” He wrapped his arms around the bigger man to give back a sensual kiss of his own and gently sought entrance into his lover’s mouth.

“Wish we could continue this, baby,” Dennis murmured, once he was able to break away and catch his breath. “But I’m afraid our timing’s a little off.”

“So much for spontaneity,” Skyy pouted. “It’s ‘cause we’re not at home, right?”

“There’s that, plus the fact that others are waiting for us. We’ll pick this up later, sweetheart. Promise!” Dennis said, getting them both up off the bed and onto their feet. “Ready to get on with our day, Sport?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”

“Good! Get caps for Dusty and yourself while I get the sunscreen.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Do you get to play much golf, Dusty?” Riley asked. They were following behind the several other friends who made up their party.

“Dennis and I get out now and again but this is only Skyy’s second time,” Dusty answered as he wrapped one arm around Skyy’s neck and rubbed his knuckles across his fellow-Brat’s head to torture him. “He didn’t really enjoy it the first time, did ya, Buddy?” He got poked in the ribs and shoved away by the smaller man, who pretended to be annoyed while secretly enjoying the camaraderie.

“Bet you’re going to love this course! Being Thursday, it shouldn’t be too crowded but we still only have time to play the first nine holes,” Darby told Dusty as they walked out to the first green. “We play the first one on this side of the river channel; walk over a bridge to play the second, third and fourth before returning to finish the course back on this side.”

“Is that the same river we’ll be tubing down this afternoon?” Dusty asked to no one in particular.

“You got it!” TJ responded. “Man, we’ve got a great day planned and it’s going to be a blast!”

By the time the fourth hole was played, Skyy was bored out of his mind.

“Quit dawdling, Skyy!” Dusty griped for the umpteenth time. “I’m sorry the Pro-shop was out of suitable clubs for you, buddy, and it sucks that we weren’t early enough to rent a cart but try to keep up with the rest of us. Dennis said we were to stay together and I’m getting tired of coming back for you.”

“I don’t mind the walking, D. I’m just taking it slow ‘cause it’s getting so hot. Man, it’s only May! I can’t imagine what their summers are like.”

“Yeah, it is overly warm compared to our weather. It sure is a beautiful day though,” Dusty commented wistfully. “Oh, I better catch up. It’s my turn next.”

Skyy hurried along with his partner until they were halfway across the bridge. He stopped to enjoy the slightly cooler air coming from the river and to wave at a couple of boys floating by on large rubber tubes. He was looking forward to this afternoon when they were all planning to make a similar trip down the channel. He turned and rushed after Dusty before the other man had to retrace his steps once again.

Somewhere along the fairway to the seventh hole, Skyy decided he’d had enough. Sitting down next to a small man-made lake, he removed his sneakers and socks. He was relaxing with his feet in the water when a splash disturbed his day-dreaming. He barely managed to locate the ball in the water but figured he shouldn’t have any trouble fetching it. Wading into the lake, he discovered a lot of the small, white objects and started gathering them up, using the front of his T-shirt to carry them in.

“Dammit! That’s the third ball I’ve lost today!” a stranger’s voice cut across the morning calm as a group of men appeared over a small hill.

“Your swing is really off today, Albert!” another stranger stated. “At this rate, the game’s going to cost you a small fortune.”

“Maybe you should quit while you’re ahead,” laughed a third man.

“You’ll have to consider buying cheaper golf balls if you keep this up,” joked yet a fourth man.

By the time four golfers made it to the side of the lake, Skyy was climbing onto the bank and struggling to keep from losing his treasure.

“What are you doing, young fella?”

“It looks like he might have rescued your golf ball, Albert.”

“Let’s see what you’ve got there, kid,” Albert requested. Recognizing his property, Albert offered to buy back his ball for five dollars.

Skyy dried off the golf ball as best he could on his wet shirt, handed it to Albert and gladly pocketed the money. When another member of the group decided to purchase a ball, Skyy thought to himself. ‘Hmmm, looks like things are about to improve!’ As the men walked off to resume their game, he stepped into the water to collect more golf balls.

At exactly twelve noon, four hungry Tops arrived at the country club expecting to find five equally-hungry Brats. Three of the young men in question were coming out of the men’s locker room just as the older men were considering the idea to split up and start a search for their partners.

“Darby, where are the others?” Rowan asked.

“Freddie, Pete, Toby and Corby already left,” Darby hoped his stalling tactic would work and that Rowan wouldn’t pursue the issue. No such luck!

“And Dusty and Skyy are……?” Rowan prodded for additional information.

“Well, aah, we kinda lost Skyy. Dusty went looking for him while we had our showers,” Darby hesitantly answered. He didn’t want to get his new friends in any trouble.

“Hi, Den!” Dusty greeted, coming up to the group. Darby breathed a sigh of relief.

“Where’s Skyy, Dusty?” Dennis questioned, frowning slightly at the state of Dusty’s clothing.

“He’s in the Pro-shop but will be right out,” Dusty informed the older man.

Rowan’s jaw dropped when he saw Dennis’ youngest Brat walk over to them. He glanced over to see an equally shocked expression on Glen’s face. He felt a hand on his chin gently closing his mouth before noticing an amused grin on Jayson’s face and a look of mild exasperation on Dennis’.

“What have you been up to, Skyy?” Dennis reprovingly demanded. “You’re absolutely filthy, young man.”

Skyy looked down at his dirty, damp clothing before turning a charming smile up to his partner. “I’ve been having a great time, Den! Just like you said I would.” He proceeded to tell them about his lucrative but very brief career as a used golf ball salesman. “See here! I’ve got fifty-eight dollars and sixty cents. Now I can buy a round of drinks for everyone and do my part for Darby’s Bachelor party.”

Dennis closed his eyes for a moment and prayed for patience. “And how did you get dirty, Dusty?”

“I helped Skyy carry some of the golf balls back to the club house.”

“Rowan, would you mind if I took these two back to your place to get cleaned up? In the meantime, why don’t you and the others go ahead and order lunch. We’ll return as soon as my guys have showers and are more presentable,” Dennis suggested, pushing his partners towards the exit leading to the parking lot.

“Here are my keys. We’ll locate our reserved table but won’t order until you’re able to join us,” Rowan offered and smiled as Dennis steered his two Brats out of the building.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Thanks for helping me get all those balls to the Pro-shop, D,” Skyy said as they stood under the running water to rinse the last of the shampoo out of their hair.

“No prob, Buddy! I don’t know how you would have managed to carry forty-two golf balls in the front of your shirt anyway. It was good of the manager at the Pro-shop to buy them from you, wasn’t it?”

“Hah! He only did it ‘cause he couldn’t handle the competition!” Skyy’s declaration had both of them laughing.

Dusty turned off the taps and opened the glass door before demanding. “Better hurry up there, kid, folks are waiting on us.” He was still drying off when Skyy started searching through their bureau dresser for clean clothing.

“What are you doing, Skyy?’ Dennis asked. He had come looking for his partners to find out what was taking them so long and walked into the bedroom room just in time to catch his youngest partner in the act. “Skyylar, where is your towel?” Following the direction of Skyy’s pointing finger, Dennis located the item and proceeded to dry the younger man off properly. “Now you can get dressed!” he ordered with a sharp smack on Skyy’s bare butt.

Ten minutes later they were on their way back to the country club to rejoin their hosts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Over a dozen men and almost half as many women met up at the start of the channel run. The next two hours were spent cooling off and enjoying each other’s company as they floated down the river on large rubber tubes. At one point they were treated to some additional entertainment when they witnessed a couple of people being dragged to the river’s edge and carted off in a patrol car. The two had been arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct in a public place; having amused numerous passer-bys by hurling insults and verbal abuse at each other. Watching the police officers trying to stuff two rather large adults along with two fully-inflated tubes into the back of a cruiser was just too much.

Riley, Pete and Freddie started horsing around and stood up on their tubes in an attempt to get a better view of the action taking place by the riverbank. Despite having been told several times by Jayson to cool it, they carried on and as a result were laughing so hard they failed so see where they were going. They ended up colliding with Skyy and Darby, causing all five tubes to overturn. Darby was the first to surface, quickly followed by Riley and his friends. Waiting all of ten seconds and not seeing his Brat come up for air, Dennis dove into the water and discovered Skyy’s T-shirt had snagged on the air valve of one of the other tubes. Quickly freeing the young man, Dennis reappeared with Skyy in his arms.

“Is he all right, Den?” Dusty asked anxiously, his heart in his throat. He was also in the water holding on to both his and Dennis’ tubes. Skyy’s had already made its’ way down stream.

“He’ll be fine,” Dennis assured him as he pounded Skyy’s back to help dislodge any water his partner may have swallowed.

Skyy coughed and sucked in a deep breath of air, then burst out laughing. “That was so funny!” he exclaimed while trying to squirm out of Dennis’ arms.

Neither Dennis nor Dusty saw the humour in something that could have ended tragically with the loss of their beloved young partner.

“You’re riding with me for the rest of the trip, Sport!” Dennis insisted, much to Skyy’s chagrin. Knowing the younger man would have put up an argument had his own flotation device still been available, Dennis considered its’ disappearance a bonus. He climbed back on his tube and hauled Skyy up with him.

“Here’s his hat, Den.” Dusty threw the sopping wet article at his older partner before jumping aboard his own tube.

“It’s your fault for making me wear a T-shirt, Dennis!” Skyy complained, straddling the bigger man’s hips.

“It was to keep you from getting sun-burnt, Skyy, so stop gripping!” Dennis demanded as he took a bottle of sunscreen from the mesh bag hanging over the side. “Here, put some more of this on your face and arms, Sport.”

The incident was soon put behind them as the group continued floating down the channel with everyone arriving safe and sound at the end where a bus was waiting to take them back to the starting point and their parked vehicles.

“Gee, I think I’ve spent as much time in water today as out of it,” Skyy remarked, walking into their bedroom after having showered for the second time since noon. “I don’t see why we had to clean up again. I mean, the river can’t be that dirty!” he groused as he threw himself across the bed.

“You better have dried off properly, Skyy,” Dennis called out from the bathroom where he was drying his hair.

The young man groaned, got up and after retrieving the towel from where he had dropped it on the floor, began to half-heartedly rub himself down.

“It’s only four o’clock, Sport. You have time to have a nap before supper if you want,” Dennis suggested, having picked up on his partner’s fatigue. It had been a very active day and Skyy was still adjusting to the time change. “Come on, sweetheart, I’ll lay down with you until you fall asleep.” Dennis considered Skyy’s not uttering a word of complaint as ample proof of how tired the young man was.

“What are the other guys doin’?” Skyy murmured as he crawled under the cotton sheet Dennis was holding up.

“Rowan and Glen are planning a light meal for when Jayson and Riley get back from their place. Dusty, Darby and TJ are relaxing with a cold beer. Would you rather join them instead of napping, Sport?” Smiling down at one of the loves of his life, Dennis realized an answer would not be forthcoming. Skyy was already sleeping. ‘Guess I’m available to help prepare supper after all,’ he mused.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“We’ve arrived!” Jayson announced as he walked out onto the deck towing a subdued-looking Brat behind him. “Did we miss anything?” After giving Riley a reassuring hug and encouraging him with a gentle push in Darby’s direction, Jayson sat down in the empty lawn chair between Glen and Dennis.

“If you don’t count us getting a couple of beers ahead of you, then no you haven’t missed a thing,” Glen laughed and digging into the cooler next to his seat, pulled out a cold drink and past it to Jayson.

“We’re just about to dig into this spread the big guys threw together for us.” Darby flashed a brief glance of understanding Riley’s way. He correctly assumed his friend had gotten in trouble over the earlier incident during the channel ride.

“Where’s Skyy, Darb?” Riley asked, coming over to Darby. “I have to apologize for almost drowning him this afternoon; and you too. I’m sorry for putting a damper on the day when we were having such a good time.”

“Hey, it’s okay, Riley. No one got injured or anything, so forget about it,” Darby quietly accepted the apology.

“That’s going to be hard to do for awhile,” Riley grimaced and rolled his eyes in an attempt to cover up his embarrassment as he gingerly rubbed the seat of his pants.

“Skyy is in the tree house with Dusty if you want to speak to him,” Darby informed the other Brat.

“Thanks! I’ll be right back.”

Several minutes later Dennis watched his partners climb down from the tree house and walk back to the deck with Riley.

“Any bets those two Brats of yours will be bugging the hell out of you for one of those?” Rowan teased, softly chuckling at the probability of friend’s future predicament.

“I’m sure Skyy will want one but he won’t ask. Dusty, on the other hand, will do enough begging for both of them,” Dennis’ smile indicated he wasn’t the least bit bothered by the idea. Looking over at Rowan, he laughed and commented. “If they want a tree house bad enough to pay for it and build it themselves, they can have one.”

“Was that your door bell, Rowan?” Jayson asked.

“I believe so. Prepare yourselves everyone! I think my family has arrived.” Laughing at the facial expressions of the other eight men, Rowan headed for the front of the house to welcome his and Darby’s latest guests.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Darby was in his studio getting some private downtime. Their home had been steadily filling up with Rowan’s family for the past two hours and he was beginning to feel inundated as personal space became harder and harder to find. He was playing the piano and allowing the music he loved to gradually sooth him. He was also thinking about Dennis and his two partners. From the moment Rowan had told him about the three men, Darby had been curious about how such a relationship would work.

‘I wouldn’t have believed it could if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes,’ he thought. ‘But it does. Those guys are great together. They really love each other and put a lot of work into their partnership.’

Darby was also trying to figure out what he found so appealing about Skyy. He felt himself gravitating towards the little blond guy with the unusual violet-blue eyes. They were alike in many ways. Both of them were cautious when it came to making new friends, both had a tendency to sit on the sidelines and watch what was going on about them and both were slowly, steadily, confidently coming into their own with the help and guidance of loving partners.

Sensing someone behind him, Darby turned around to see the object of his thoughts standing quietly in the doorway. He slid across the piano bench and patted the empty space beside him.

“Come on in and join me, little brother.” For some unknown reason the terminology didn’t surprise Darby but it did cause Skyy to raise a questioning eyebrow. Only Rowan knew of Darby’s childhood wish for a brother. No one else was aware of the young man’s long-time dream, not even Shelley. As one relative after another disappeared from his life, Darby’s desire to have just one family member of his own, had increased. Could Skyy be the one he had been waiting for?

Skyy shyly smiled and after noiselessly shutting the door, he walked over and sat down beside Darby.

“Lots of people around, isn’t there? It’s a little bit overwhelming, right?” Darby asked understandingly.

“Yeah! Plus I heard you playing and just wanted to watch,” the younger man explained.

“Have you ever played, Skyy?”

“Not exactly. There was a small keyboard where I once lived and I kinda fooled around with it. That was until it got busted when a drunk guy fell on it.” Skyy shuddered as a long-forgotten memory surfaced. “But I’d sure like to learn how,” he whispered and lightly ran his fingertips over the smooth white keys.

“You’re studying for a Bachelor of Education, aren’t you?”

“Uh-huh. I’m a freshman.”

“I’ve got mine and I am presently working on my Masters. Have you ever considered taking music for some of your electives?”

“I was thinking of doing that this fall. Maybe I could take piano lessons even though it will be hard to find enough practice time as Den doesn’t have a piano.”

“Why don’t you just ask him if you can buy one? You know, second-hand or something.”

“I’ll think about it,” Skyy shrugged his shoulders and changed the subject. “It sure is hot here in BC!”

“That’s because we live in Canada’s only desert or at least that’s what we like to think.”

“You must have a really long summer. How do you cool off when you don’t even have a pool?”

“Our city is in between two lakes that provide plenty of swimming and boating activities. Plus I have the use of the neighbour’s goldfish pond. Want to see it?” Darby was glad he had issued the invitation when he saw those beautiful violet-blue eyes light up.

“Yabetcha!” Skyy exclaimed and jumped up off the piano bench almost knocking it over in his hurry to leave.

“Come on! We’ll leave by the studio door and sneak around the side of the house so no one will see and follow us. There is only enough room for two or three people in the pond at a time.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Dusty, have you seen Skyy?” Dennis asked; coming to stand next to the kitchen counter that Dusty was leaning against.

“Not recently.” He glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it was after ten p.m. “I haven’t seen him since we said goodnight to Riley and TJ. That was an hour and a half ago, Den.”

“Skyy could be with Darby,” Rowan offered. “My guy disappeared around the time Jayson and Glen left with their partners. I’m sure the boys haven’t gone far.”

“I just like to know what he’s up to,” Dennis commented and tried to downplay his concern over his youngest Brat’s whereabouts.

Fifteen minutes of searching the property yielded no new clues about the missing men.

“Did you look in the tree house, Dusty?”

“First thing, Den. Aiden and Alexander are up there on their own and sound asleep. I’m going to check out our room again.”

All family members, with the exception of Rowan’s parents and nephews, had left for the night. The twins were having a sleepover. Rowan’s mother and father, Mira and Kalev, had already gone to bed for the night. It suddenly occurred to Rowan where his and Dennis’ partners might be.

“I have an idea, Dennis. Follow me!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Man, this is a neat way to cool off, Darby,” Skyy sighed contentedly, sliding further under the water.

“Yeah, I know. The first time we did this was Mira’s idea. Our neighbour, Maggie, not only gave us permission to use it; she actually got in with us. I think Rowan was kinda shocked by the whole thing,” Darby laughed, remembering the look on his partner’s face when discovering what his partner and mother had been up to.

“Not having to keep our boxers on would have made it perfect,” Skyy said. “If there’s nobody else around I’m allowed to swim naked in our pool.”

“No kidding?”

“Dennis and Dusty’s big pie-shaped property is at the end of a cul-du-sac with only an alley behind a high fence. The yard is narrow in front and real wide in the back. No one can see into the backyard so it’s very private. There are also a lot of trees around, just like your place.”

“Isn’t it your house too, Skyy?’

“No. I’m not a part owner or anything but it’s my home ‘cause that’s where we live together.”

The two young men spent the greater part of the next hour relaxing and getting to know each other better. Neither of them foresaw the depth of the bond that was steadily developing between them.

“Do you have any siblings, Skyy?” After sharing most of his life story but only hearing about the younger man’s recent past, Darby realized if he hoped to learn more he would have to ask outright, the questions on his mind.

“Nope! I once had a mother but that was a long time ago. But there was Nonna and Nonno, Meme and Pepe, Niko, Kenji and Max.”

“Are they your grandparents and uncles?”

“No, they’re the people who live in the same apartment building I grew up in. We kinda adopted each other after my mom went away and I had to stay with him.” Skyy quietly finished answering the other man’s question.

‘Him?’ Darby thought and instinctively knew from Skyy’s softly spoken words, he was treading into a dark and painful place. But he couldn’t help himself. He had to know more. “Who was he, Skyy?” Darby whispered.

“He was the mean old drunk who busted the keyboard. He was the one who married my mother even though he secretly loved someone else. He wasn’t very nice, probably because he wasn’t very happy. And he sure did a good job of making everyone around him miserable, even those that were closest to him. Dusty calls him the fat, old bastard; but don’t tell Den, okay?” Skyy snickered.

“Did he hurt you, Skyy?” Darby gently prodded. Although he was afraid of the answer, he still wanted to find out if his suspicions were true.

“He eventually hurt anyone who came in contact with him,” Skyy answered solemnly. “But that’s all in the past and I’ve moved on now, thanks to Dennis and Dusty.”

“Have you ever dreamed of having a brother?” Darby asked tentatively.

“I never thought about it,” Skyy said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“I’ve wanted one ever since I can remember,” Darby murmured wistfully. “What do you think about us being brothers, Skyy?” he ventured hopefully.

“You mean…like adopt each other?”

“Yeah, sorta!”

“Not blood brothers though. I don’t think Den would be too impressed if I deliberately cut my finger or something. I’m not exactly thrilled with the idea myself,” Skyy laughed.

“No, I don’t think we have to go that far. I know that Rowan wouldn’t go for the self-inflicted injury bit either.” Darby joked and laughed along with the other young man.

“Yeah, I can already hear Dennis yammering on about infections and the like.” Skyy screwed up his face, making Darby giggle.

“I realize we won’t be able to see each other very much because of living so far apart and all, but there’s always the phone and Internet, right.”

“Those will have to do ‘cause I can’t see Dennis allowing me to travel out here on my own.” Skyy rolled his eyes and thought about all the times, Dennis had to backtrack and drag him along in the large airports.

“He sure keeps a close eye on you, doesn’t he?”

“You can say that again. He’s really keeping the string a lot too short lately!” Skyy mumbled his complaint.

“String?”

“Yeah,” Skyy nodded. “Den says I’m kinda like a kite. I get to fly as much as I want ‘cause when things go wrong, he’s there to pull the string and bring me safely back. Only recently he hasn’t been letting me fly at all,” he gripped.

“There you are!”

Two startled Brats turned to see two Tops standing with their hands on their hips and staring down at them. One Top seemed very much more perturbed than the other.

“Skyylar, we’ve been looking all over for you. Get out of there right now!” Dennis demanded.

“Come on, Darby; you, too.” Rowan’s voice was less demanding.

The younger men scrambled out of the pool as quickly as possible and stood nervously facing their older partners.

“We just came out to cool off, Row,” Darby explained, wondering what they’d done wrong.

“Skyy, how often do you have to be told to keep me informed of your whereabouts?” Getting a shrug of uncertainty from the man he was talking to, Dennis instructed. “Pick up your clothes, get into the house and go straight up to our room.”

“But…but, Den…” Skyy stammered while gathering up his shorts and T-shirt.

“Don’t ‘but Den’ me! Just do what you’re told.” Dennis grabbed Skyy’s arm, turned him towards the house and sent the young man on his way with a resounding swat on the seat of his wet boxers. A frustrated glare from over Skyy’s shoulder was shot at Dennis as his wayward Brat moved quickly to obey the directive.

“Thanks for your help, Rowan,” Dennis said quietly, his own frustration apparent as he ran his hand through his hair. “I’ll go get him settled and join you later.”

“No problem, Dennis,” Rowan assured his friend as he watched the bigger man trail after the smaller one. Rowan wrapped his arm around Darby’s shoulders and gave him a gently squeeze. “It’s okay, Sweets, you’re not in any trouble. Let’s go in and see if Dusty can use some company.”

They found Dusty sitting at the kitchen table. He was relieved to see them as he needed something to take his mind off his fellow Brat’s present predicament.

“Could I interest either of you guys in a bedtime snack?” Rowan offered, having correctly interpreted Dusty’s anxiety.

“Sure, I’ll get the cookies!” Darby answered with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. He also felt a slight tension in the room and hoped Rowan’s suggestion would alleviate it.

They were seated at the table enjoying a relaxing conversation when Darby’s curiosity once again got the better of him. “Ahh, how come Dennis is so strict with Skyy, Dusty? It strikes me that the little guy is more independent than he’s given credit for.”

“It isn’t any of your business, Darby,” Rowan admonished, sending his partner a warning look.

“It’s okay, Rowan,” Dusty smiled at his hosts. “Something happened a while back that resulted in Dennis becoming a little too protective. Skyy hasn’t been doing anything wrong, but I don’t know how much longer he’s going to put up with Dennis over-reacting the way he has.” Dusty sadly shook his head and wondered for the umpteenth time what was happening upstairs. “I know the kid’s shown a lot more patience than I would have.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dennis leaned against the door-frame of the bathroom, waiting patiently as Skyy stepped out of his wet boxers and hung them on the towel rack to dry.

“I want you to get in bed, Skyy, as that seems to be the only way for me to be certain of your whereabouts,” Dennis informed his partner. He followed Skyy into the bedroom and watched him slip on an over-sized T-shirt. Apart from a few side-glances, the younger man had not acknowledged the other man until now, when he raised soulful eyes to look directly into Dennis’ face.

“Are you going back downstairs?” he asked quietly, chewing on his bottom lip.

“I was planning to, Sport. Why?”

“Hum, ‘cause we…we gotta talk, Den.” Skyy hesitantly mumbled out the words.

“All right.”

“Come and sit down here,” Skyy said, taking Dennis’ hand and leading him over to the bed. Dragging a heavy, padded chair across the room, he sat down to face his oldest partner.

“What would you like to talk about, love,” Dennis gently encouraged, wondering just what his Brat had in mind.

“You remember the incident with Curtis, right?”

Dennis nodded. This was the last subject he would ever have expected the young man to bring up.

“You said none of us had done anything wrong; we were not to blame and that Curtis was completely responsible for what happened.” Skyy paused and after receiving a sign of agreement, gave a deep sigh. “So how come you’re carrying around a load of guilt and I’m being punished?”

Dennis couldn’t hide the surprise he felt at Skyy’s heartfelt question. “How are you being punished, Skyy?”

“Ever since that happened you’ve been watching over me. You always want to know where I am and if I’m not with either you or Dusty, you’re checking up on me. It seems like every time I turn around, you’re nearby. Like when I was working for Slade and Jayden…..and….and in the airport. Okay, I understand about the airports, but still….I-I wasn’t doing anything wrong tonight. I was with Darby in his own back yard. Well almost…I mean, we were just next door.”

Dennis drew in a deep breath and attempted to explain himself. “Skyy, I was partially at fault in that Curtis incident because I had insisted he be invited, even against the strongly expressed opposition from our other partner. I was wrong in not considering Dusty’s point of view and it resulted in you being hurt. It’s my responsibility to keep you safe and I failed to do so.”

“Come on, Den! Get a grip, man!” Skyy admonished and ignoring the older man’s raised eyebrow, determinedly plunged ahead. “You can’t control everything. Sometimes bad things just happen and there is nothing we can do except make the best of it and move on. But good things happen too, and not always because of something we’ve done. You gotta let go!” Skyy continued to chew on his lip as his eyes filled. He didn’t want to hurt this big man whom he loved with all his heart but he had to let him know. “You’re smothering me, Den,” he whispered as a tear escaped and slowly rolled down his cheek.

Looking at the proof that good things happen, drove home what Skyy had been trying to say and almost broke Dennis’ heart. “Oh, baby!” he murmured, using his thumb to wipe away the tear before gathering Skyy into his arms. “I’m so sorry. You’ve been hurt so often and I wanted to prevent you from being hurt again. But you’re right! I’ve over-done it, keeping the string too short and preventing you from being who you are; a free-spirited, fun-loving, mischievous, sometimes careless, always adorable, young man. You want to fly again, don’t you, little one?” he asked softly. Feeling a nod against his shoulder and the tightening of the arms around his neck, Dennis hugged his precious Brat. “Am I forgiven, sweetheart?” he softly asked several moments later.

“Yeah, but I better not have to have this kind of conversation with you again!” The pretended sternness behind Skyy’s frown was somewhat lost by the happiness sparkling in his eyes. “You know, you’re supposed to be the figure-outer in this family, not me.”

“Yes, sir!” Dennis returned the bantering, lying back on the bed to pull Skyy closer and give him a kiss. A kiss that quickly turned to desire as their lips parted and their tongues met. Dennis felt Skyy’s small hands fumbling at the button on his shorts. He gently ended the kiss and reached for Skyy’s roving hands.

“Uh-uh,” Skyy whimpered before huskily whispering out a reminder. “You have a promise to keep from this morning.”

Dennis shifted slightly to make the removal of his clothing easier. They quickly undressed each other and Dennis reached into the night table drawer for a small plastic bottle of lube. Their passion was fueled by tongues continuing to duel while hands wandered over smooth, heated skin. When Dennis was satisfied his lover was ready, he slowly pushed into Skyy’s luscious body and both men sharply inhaled at the sensation. Dennis gently wrapped his hand around Skyy’s erection as he began to move in a steady rhythm, gradually picking up speed. He covered Skyy’s mouth with his own to swallow his young lover’s shout of ecstasy as they climaxed together. Giving his heartbeat time to return to normal, Dennis lovingly watched over his Brat until Skyy had fallen asleep. Then he stood up, gently cleaned both of them, got dressed and quietly left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Well that was a mighty long day!” Kalev exclaimed Friday evening. “By the looks of things a lot got done.” He was sitting on the deck enjoying the refreshing breeze with his wife, son, soon-to-be son-in-law and their three houseguests.

“The setting up of that large tent was more complicated than I had been led to believe,” Rowan muttered. “Thank God, I had so many helping hands or I’d still be trying to put it together.”

“Just about everything’s done though,” Darby breathed a sigh of relief as he gazed out at the neat rows of chairs, the two piles of ready-to-rearrange tables, and the strategically placed baskets of flowers. There were also two curtained-off waiting areas, one on each side of the arbor with a small alter standing in the middle of it. He was holding Rowan’s hand as they leisurely swung back and forth on the porch swing.

“All the food has been prepared with the exception of a few last minute things to finish off in the morning,” Mira added. “Phoebe said Skyy did a marvelous job helping her decorate the wedding cake. Darby, both you boys were a terrific help in the kitchen today.”

Rowan looked at Darby in surprise. His Brat hated cooking and only did so under duress and Rowan’s watchful eye. He smiled when he realized it was spending the day with his new friend that had held his partner’s attraction.

Rowan hadn’t been the only one noticing the closeness developing between these two young men. Dennis had also been paying attention. He hadn’t been surprised at Skyy’s choice to stay and help the older women. He could only imagine the fond memories such an activity would hold for his youngest Brat. However, he was surprised at how easily Skyy had made friends with Darby. It was Skyy’s nature to take a long time carefully observing people before venturing into a friendship with them. As a result, he rarely got close to anyone and never this quickly.

Rowan’s voice pulled Dennis from his private musing. “You know, Dusty, it was very thoughtful of you, Riley and TJ to wash all the cars today. You do realize that none of them will be used tomorrow being as the wedding is taking place right here in our own back yard,” Rowan teased, knowing full well the job had been taken on as an excuse to get soaking wet and cool off.

“Hey, it was no trouble, man!” Dusty laughingly assured his host.

“Someone’s sure played out,” Kalev commented and nodded his head in Skyy’s direction. The young man was sitting in the floor with his head resting against Dennis’ leg and sound asleep.

“He’s been going non-stop since early morning,” Dennis informed the older man.

“Tell me about it,” Kalev laughed. “Earlier I found him in the back porch polishing the life out of five pairs of shoes. He offered to do mine. He told me Pepe says you’re never properly dressed if your shoes aren’t polished. Who is Pepe, by the way?”

“He’s one of Skyy’s adopted grandfathers. Skyy actually has a large extended family, none of whom are blood relatives,” Dusty answered.

“And he doesn’t mind adding to it, does he?” Darby grinned.

“I think he believes you can never have too many loved ones,” Dennis warmly glanced down at his sleeping Brat.

“Well I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m tired,” Mira said, getting to her feet.

“I need to get some shut-eye myself.” Kalev yawned and stood up. “Goodnight, boys!”

“See you in the morning, my dears,” Mira promised as she kissed Rowan and Darby, smiled softly at Dennis and Darby and caressed the top of Skyy’s head as she passed by on her way indoors with Kalev following her.

Dennis gently lifted Skyy onto his lap, disturbing the young man’s sleep in the process. Skyy’s eyelids fluttered sleepily before his head dropped down on the big man’s shoulder and he dozed off once again. Dennis moved over to make room for Dusty to nestle in beside him.

The evening drew to a close as Rowan rhythmically moved the swing he was sharing with Darby while Dennis contentedly rocked the glider he and Dusty were sitting on while enjoying a well-earned time-out with friends and lovers.

“Our last night as single men, my love,” Rowan murmured, kissing the auburn curls on his lover’s head.

“Can’t wait, Row!” was Darby’s whispered response.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Come in!” Rowan called out at the knock on his bedroom door.

“Aah, may I speak to Darby for a few minutes, please?” Skyy asked tentatively, sticking his head into the room.

“Of course you may,” Rowan gently smiled at Skyy’s still noticeable shyness when around him. “He’s in our en suite.”

“Thanks,” Skyy managed to murmur as he made his way across the floor.

“Hey, little brother; what brings you here?” Darby asked when he saw the younger man’s reflection in the bathroom mirror. He was standing in front of it, straightening his tie.

“I wanted to say goodbye. Once the wedding starts, we won’t have time to see each other before you guys sneak off on your honeymoon,” Skyy explained, admiring the man in the white dinner jacket with an emerald green cummerbund and matching bow tie.

Darby turned around and opened his arms to enfold this young man who had become so important to him. As he held him, Darby again felt a sense of anger on Skyy’s behalf. Anger was a foreign emotion for him and its’ intensity surprised him. He had felt it for the first time two evenings ago when Dusty had explained Dennis’ over-protectiveness and had shared with his hosts, the event that had precipitated it. Later that night while preparing for bed, he had talked to Rowan about how he felt and his partner had summed things up for him in one sentence. “You’re a big brother now, Sweets, and those feelings just come with the territory.”

“Yeah, and you’ll be gone by the time we get back from our honeymoon,” Darby sadly reminded him.

“But we’ll be in touch, right?”

“Count on it, Blue. I’ll be IM’ing you as soon as we return to make sure you arrived home safely.” Darby’s adamant promise assured Skyy their newly found relationship would continue despite the miles between them.

“Be happy, man!” Skyy whispered and hugged the latest addition to his ever-growing number of family members.

“You, too! Have you told Dennis and Dusty about us adopting each other?” Darby asked.

“It’s been so hectic around here I haven’t had a chance to but I plan to talk to them as soon as things settle down a bit.”

“Wish I could see the looks on their faces when you do,” Darby smirked.

“Think they’ll be surprised, huh?” Skyy grinned, his eyes lighting up as the humour of such an idea hit him.

“I’m not sure about Dennis ‘cause Rowan wasn’t.” Both young men burst out laughing. “Tops, go figure!” they agreed in unison.

“I’ve gotta get out of here and let you finish getting ready for the big event,” Skyy said. “Besides, Dennis is probably wondering where I’ve disappeared to and any minute now will be organizing a two-man search party consisting him and Dusty.” The younger man giggled mischievously.

Skyy tried to leave the bedroom as inconspicuously as possible only to have his plan thwarted by meeting up with his partners in the hallway.

“There you are!” Dennis greeted his youngest Brat with a feigned air of admonishment. “Here, Sport, put this on.” He held out a black string tie and then stood patiently watching his youngest partner tying it around his neck. They were wearing only dress pants, shirts and ties, as it was too hot for their suit jackets. Looking down, Dennis smiled at their reflections shining in three pairs of shoes that had been polished to within an inch of their lives.

“We better go find our seats before the ceremony starts, guys.” Dennis said, offering an arm to each of his partners.

Arms entwined, the three of them slowly descended the staircase and walked out into the yard where family and friends were gathering to celebrate the marriage of two very special, well-loved, young men.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Dusty was right to insist we all come back here to O’Finnigan’s. It does have a great atmosphere and good pool tables,” Dennis remarked as he sat back in his chair to watch the four younger men playing pool nearby. “It’s a nice ending to a hectic weekend and after all, Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest.”

“Well, we all deserved a little relaxation,” Jayson adamantly declared. “The tent was as hard to dismantle as it had been to assemble. The bunch of us made a great team getting everything cleared up from the wedding. It sure made me thankful that Riley and I had decided on a much smaller affair when we got married three month ago.”

“You’re going to find it rather quite around Rowan and Darby’s place now that everyone has left,” Glen commented to Dennis. “TJ and I drive back to Calgary tomorrow but you and your boys won’t be leaving for another day or two, right?”

“That’s right! Our first of two flights takes off bright and early Wednesday morning. Taking into account the time change, we should be home by late afternoon. It’s going to be another very long day!” Dennis’ smile indicated that he didn’t really anticipate the trip being too trying.

“Those two guys have some weird rules for playing!” TJ grumbled, taking a seat beside his partner.

“Maybe it’s because they’re from another part of the country,” Riley suggested with spurt of laughter, dropping into an empty chair between Jayson and Dennis.

“That’s not it!” Dennis chuckled. “When Dusty started to teach Skyy how to play, they sort of bent the rules a little so Skyy wouldn’t get too frustrated. For instance, Skyy was allowed to hit any ball he wanted instead of either the solid or stripped ones. He also got away with not calling his shots and if he got a ball within one inch of the pocket, it was permissible for him to knock it the rest of the way in with his hand. Now and again they both play that way just for a lark.”

“That’s nuts!” TJ express his thoughts verbally while Riley merely nodded his agreement before all five men burst out laughing.

Dusty and Skyy glanced over at the group and shrugged their shoulders before turning their attention back to the game in progress.

“Good idea to play this way, D, ‘cause now we have the table to ourselves.” Skyy giggled as he gently cuffed Dusty’s solid blue ball into the corner pocket.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Boy, it’s sure been a neat holiday, hasn’t it Den?” Skyy asked as they prepared for bed on Tuesday evening.

“Yes, Sport, I think it’s safe to say we’ve all had a wonderful time,” Dennis answered. “But I’m looking forward to getting home.” He once again went over his mental notes: the bags were packed and sitting next to the front door; arrangements had been made for a taxi to pick them up first thing in the morning; clean clothes were laid out for tomorrow; everything was going according to plan. Now if he could get his Brats to bed with a minimum of delay tactics, he’d have it made.

“You know, kid, Den and I are real happy for you having Darby for a big brother and all,” Dusty mumbled around the toothbrush in his mouth. “But had you told me you wanted one, I would have given you Curtis,” he teased.

“Why would I want an old, used, second-hand brother? Darby’s never been one before so he’s brand new!” Skyy bantered back from behind the other man where he was attempting for the second time to dry himself off enough to meet Dennis’ expectations.

“Hmmm, gotcha!” Pulling out his shaving kit, Dusty muttered. “I probably wouldn’t even be able to pay someone to take him off my hands.”

“You wouldn’t really want to, D. Even if he’s not the nicest one around, he’s still your only one,” Skyy quietly reminded his partner.

“Yeah, you’re right. Hey, who knows, maybe he’ll change someday. I mean, miracles do happen, right?” Dusty questioned dubiously, screwing up his face in response to Skyy soft laughter.

“Anyway, we don’t have to think about him right now,” Skyy assured his fellow-Brat before excitedly dancing around. “This time tomorrow night we’ll be home and I can hardly wait.”

“Why’s that, Sport?” Dennis asked as he passed Skyy a fresh nightshirt.

“I bet it’s because we can do things at home that we’re not allowed to do elsewhere,” Dusty piped up and smiled at Skyy’s muffled sound of acquiesce from beneath the large T-shirt the younger man was tugging over his head.

“And just what things are you referring to?” Dennis was positive the forthcoming explanations would prove very entertaining as well as enlightening. He gently but firmly steered his Brats in the direction of their bed.

“For one thing, we can eat off each other’s plates,” Dusty grumbled, remembering his Top’s warning look to eat all the carrots Mira had given him. He looked back with amusement at how Skyy had gotten out of eating the hated Brussels sprouts by wrapping them in a napkin and relegating the entire mess to the pocket of his shorts.

“Yep, and I can go back to sliding down the banister,” Skyy enthusiastically reminded the older man.

“Best of all, my little buddy here can go around with little or no clothing on.” Dusty eyes lit up at the picture in his mind of a naked fellow-Brat running through the house. ‘Man, that little guy can turn me on!’ he thought.

“Oh, yeah! And then there’s nothin’ better than spontaneity!” Skyy suggestively intoned, crawling onto the bed with his partners.

“I guess I have to go along with you boys. As terrific as it’s been to gather with old friends and make new ones including the acquisition of a new brother, it is going to be so good to be home again,” Dennis murmured his wholehearted sentiments while drawing his young lovers into his arms.

The End