Insecurities

Written By: LJ

(Introducing Dominic, Slade and Jayden)


Skyy could hardly wait for his shift to end. Only five more minutes and he could go home.

“Skyy,” his boss, Mr. Mulligan called out, “your friend is looking for you.”

“How come you’re here, Dusty?” Skyy practically bounced out to his partner’s truck. “I rode my bike to work.”

“Yeah, I know. But I thought coming to get you would save a little time. We’ll just put your bike in the back of the pick-up.”

“We’ll be leaving as soon as we finish packing, right?” Skyy asked, tossing his helmet into the back seat.

“Dennis already has everything packed, Buddy; boating gear, tents, sleeping bags, the works. We only need to meet up with the other guys, pick up some KFC and hit the road.”

Dusty had told Skyy about the camping trips he and Dennis had gone on in the past. At least twice a year they tried to get away with their friends: Dom, Slade, and Jayden. They had permission to use a private lakeside area that was known by only a handful of people. This was the first time Skyy would be joining them and he was looking forward to it.

Dennis cringed at the slamming of the front door announcing Skyy’s arrival. He should be used to it by now as both his Brats were in the habit of making noise whenever they were excited and door slamming was acceptable as long as it wasn’t done during a temper tantrum. Moments later he had his arms filled with an enthusiastic lover.

“Whoa there, Sport,” he laughed as he hugged the smaller man. “Are you ready to go or do you want to change your clothes first.”

“Nope! I’m ready, but are you sure you got everything?”

“Don’t worry, kid. I checked to make sure nothing got left behind, including your school books,” Dusty teased, coming down the hall just in time to hear the question.

“Ha-ha. Very funny! I’m talking about our Gameboys.”

“All right, you two; don’t start!” Dennis admonished, determined to avoid a quarrel. “I’d never forget either Gameboy, Sport, and I even remembered to pack the extra games.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Skyy left the same way he had come in with the door slamming behind him.

It didn’t take long to get to Dom’s house and tie down the rest of the equipment and supplies to the rack on top of the Hummer.

Jayden slyly informed Skyy of the seating arrangements. “Slade and I are sitting in the backseat with Dusty. You’re in the extra, single, pop-up seat in the rear. We don’t really consider you one of us anyway.” Only Slade heard what had been said and nodded his agreement in support of the directive issued by his partner.

Accepting his place as the newest member of the group, Skyy didn’t mind sitting by himself. ‘What makes them think I wanted to sit with them to begin with?’ he thought to himself. Even though he had spent time with the two young men, he wasn’t all that comfortable around them especially since they had been positively unfriendly the last couple of occasions that the threesomes had been together. Slade and Jayden were a year or so older than Dusty and they were several years older than Skyy.

“Will we be stopping to eat at a restaurant?” Slade asked once everyone was settled and they were on their way.

“Not this time, Sugar. We’ll get some KFC to eat during the trip. As it is, by the time we get to the campsite we’ll have very little daylight left in which to set up the tents,” Dom answered.

Both Dennis and Dominic were pleased that the drive had been peaceful and uneventful. There hadn’t been one argument and that was a first. The three older boys talked quietly among themselves and Skyy seemed perfectly content to read or to watch the scenery as it passed by. They had only made one stop to stretch their legs, fuel up and clean the windshield.

“Dusty, what’s the last thing to go through a bug’s mind as he hits the windshield?” Skyy asked his partner from where he was sitting on the hood of the vehicle. He was trying to scrape bug-guts off the front window on the driver’s side.

Dusty was near the back of the Hummer, refueling. “What’s the last thing, buddy?”

“His butt.”

The other four men returned just in time to hear Dusty burst out laughing.

“Are you two having fun?” Dennis inquired, helping Skyy off the front of the vehicle. “The windshield is clean enough, sweetheart! We’ve got to get going.”

When his partners were back in their seats, Dennis handed a bottle of Dr. Pepper to Dusty. He also had a pint of chocolate milk for Skyy. “We’ll be at the campsite in about half an hour. Please, settle down and don’t spill anything.”

“That goes for you too, Slade and Jayden,” Dominic admonished the young men who had brought back bottles of Coke.

“What else is in the bag, Den?” Skyy asked as the older man waited for him to buckle up.

“A couple of kites. There is a stretch of sand next to our camping ground so we have plenty of room to run with them,” he explained, handing his youngest partner his favourite drink.

As Dennis pulled out onto the highway, Slade turned around to ridicule Skyy. “Aren’t you allowed pop? Only babies have to drink milk.”

“Leave him alone, Slade,” Dusty ordered his friend. “He prefers chocolate milk so that’s what Dennis gets him. What’s it to you, anyway?”

Skyy wanted to add his say but knew he would likely draw retribution for any sarcastic remarks he made. Fortunately, there were no further comments from either Slade or his partner.

Arriving at their destination, they all worked together to quickly unload the vehicle, set up the tents and put the supplies away. Then Dusty and Skyy gathered firewood while Slade and Jayden dug a fire-pit.

“Can we go in the water now, Den?” Skyy asked, dropping his armful of kindling.

“Not tonight, Sport. It’s almost nine-thirty and we’ll be going to bed soon,” Dennis answered before adding, “I left our pajamas on top of the sleeping bags. You might as well get changed for the night.”

“I want something to eat,” Dusty said, looking through the boxes of groceries.

“Let’s roast marshmallows,” Jayden suggested.

“Never mind, as roasting to you usually means setting them on fire,” Dominic said. “Make PB&J sandwiches if you’re hungry.”

“But, Dom….” Jayden stopped complaining when he saw the expression on his partner’s face.

When Skyy returned dressed in flannel pants and a T-shirt, he followed his usual evening habit and curled up on Dennis’ lap.

“Here, Buddy.” Dusty handed Skyy a sandwich.

“Thanks, D,” Skyy murmured, taking a bite and sitting back to listen to the conversation going on around him.

“Can I have the rest of Skyy’s sandwich?” Dusty asked several minutes later.

Looking down at the young man on his lap, Dennis realized that Skyy had fallen asleep before he’d finished eating.

“It’s a good thing I got him to change into his pajamas earlier,” Dennis chuckled. “He is rarely able to stay awake after ten o’clock and he has had a busy day.” He stood up and carried the younger man into their tent.

“He is such a little kid,” Jayden gripped under his breath.

“At least he’s in bed now,” Slade grumbled, thinking only Jayden heard him.

“Did you boys have something to say?” Dominic asked them, only to receive negative responses.

Dennis return to the group a few minutes later and holding out his arms, invited Dusty to cuddle up with him until it was time for them all to turn in.

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

“Skyy, where are you going?” Dennis whispered, looking at his watch in the early morning light. “Six o’clock is too soon to get up, Sport. The others are still sleeping.”

“I’m not tired, Den. I’ve been lying here for almost half an hour and I want to go look around.”

“Later, Sport. Please stay in the tent. You can read if you want to.” Dennis waited to see if his young partner would comply before falling back to sleep.

“I want to get up now, Den,” Skyy said as he poked the older man in the ribs.

Checking the time once again, Dennis softly answered, “Skyy. It’s only been an hour since the last time you asked me and everyone is still asleep.”

“But I have to go to the bathroom.”

Dennis shook his head and smiled up at the younger man. He took a few moments to appreciate the beautiful violet-blue eyes staring down at him.

“Okay, Sport. We’ll go for a walk when you’re done and maybe by the time we return it will be late enough for us to start breakfast. How does that sound?”

“Great! Let’s hope the smell of coffee will get the lazy ones out of bed.”

Looking pointedly at their other partner, Dennis fondly intoned, “Not a chance.”

Breakfast was almost over by the time Dusty crawled out of the tent. “Where are Jayden and Slade?” he asked, rubbing at his eyes.

“Good morning, yourself,” Dennis laughed at him and pulled the not-quite-awake man into his arms for a kiss. “They’ve gone down to the lake with Dom. Skyy is collecting more firewood and when he gets back and after you’ve eaten, we’ll join them.”

Skyy returned a few minutes later and dropped the firewood on the ground. “Morning, Dusty, it’s about time you were up. It’s almost ten o’clock. We thought you might be planning to stay in bed all day.”

“Yeah, right!” Dusty ruffled the smaller man’s hair and kissed him. “Good morning to you too, little buddy.”

“You should see all the berries. The bushes are loaded with them.”

“Good! We can pick some this afternoon and have them for supper. But first, let’s go swimming. I’m only having a light meal.”

Skyy was in his element. He loved the outdoors and anything to do with nature. Being in the water only heightened his pleasure. Dennis enjoyed watching him and tried to remember what it had been like, doing all this for the first time. He was enjoying it even more now that he had finally admitted defeat in the pointless task of trying to make Skyy wear a bathing suit.

Dennis noticed that Dominic’s partners seemed to go out of their way to exclude Skyy whenever they got involved in activities with Dusty, leaving the youngest of the group to find his own fun.

“Dom, has Skyy done something to annoy Jayden or Slade?”

“No, he hasn’t. I know why you’re asking but I have no idea what the problem is. If it continues much longer, I’m going to have a long talk with my Brats. In the meantime, why don’t you and I have some fun in the water with the little guy.”

Skyy didn’t mind in the least being used as a ‘beach ball’. The two older men spent the next half-hour chasing Skyy and throwing him back and forth between them. He tried to get away from them but was laughing too hard to swim far enough out of their reach.

Dusty swam over to join them while Slade and Jayden just watched the antics from the sidelines. They were really starting to get fed up with all the attention they perceived the younger man was getting.

A short time later Skyy was looking for his Gameboy when he heard Jayden calling Slade over to the side of the tent.

“Hey, Slade, remember that old cave we used to explore.”

“You mean the one with the bear skeleton in it.”

“That’s the one! I found it again. It’s just up past the big berry patch. I marked the trail so we can easily find it again. Want to go back after lunch? Maybe we can find some more artifacts this time.”

“You bet! I hope there isn’t too much overgrowth. It’s hard enough with that huge boulder blocking the entrance.”

“Yeah, we had a hard time squeezing past it the last time.” Their voices faded as they walked away, laughing at some private joke.

“That was a delicious meal, Dom. You should have been a chef instead of a doctor. Of course it’s hard to run a restaurant in the wild and I don’t think the city by-laws allow cooking for the public on an open fire,” Dennis teased his friend as he started cleaning up.

“Yeah, Dom, that was great! Skyy likes to cook so maybe you could show him how to do it over an open flame,” Dusty suggested.

“Don’t you get any bright ideas, young man,” Dennis said firmly. “Skyy already burned his hand on the bar-be-cue last month so he certainly doesn’t need to be encouraged to cook with fire.”

The older men had decided to set aside a couple of hours after the noon meal for winding down and resting during the heat of the day. That so-called rest period found Dusty and Skyy lying in front of their tent working on their writing assignments while Dennis sat nearby grading papers.

“What are you writing?” Slade asked Dusty, squatting down beside him.

“Lines; two hundred of them if you must know.”

“Why? What did you do?”

“I tormented Skyy about his dentist appointment. He got nervous and ran away.”

“He really scares easily, doesn’t he?” Jayden chimed in.

“It wasn’t his fault!” Dusty jumped in to protect his fellow-Brat’s honour. “I told him a bunch of lies as a joke and he believed me. He went back to the dentist the next day and everything turned out fine.”

Dennis looked up. He didn’t appreciate the direction this conversation was taking. On one hand, he almost wished Skyy would speak up as he knew his Brat could be very sarcastic when he felt like it and although the smaller man wasn’t able to fight back physically, he was more than capable of verbally holding his own. But on the other hand, resorting to that type of behaviour could result in Skyy talking himself into trouble and Dennis wanted to avoid that at all costs so he decided to let Dusty handle it.

“Yeah, but you still got punished because he’s such a wimp.” Slade stood up and sneered at the target of his nasty comment.

Dusty saw a blush of embarrassment colour Skyy’s cheeks. “Shut up, Slade. As usual you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Slade’s right! The kid is a chicken,” Jayden stuck up for his partner.

Slade and Jayden were getting so caught up in the moment they failed to notice their older partner had come up behind them.

“That’s enough, boys. Apologize, both of you!” Dominic ordered in a loud voice.

Skyy and Dusty cringed but Slade and Jayden just stood there glaring at them.

“You heard me!” Dominic said, raising his voice even further.

“All right; we’re sorry,” was the twin response. It was as sarcastic as it was insincere.

“Care to try that again?” Dominic asked, warningly. Not receiving an answer he landed two painful swats on each of his Brats’ backsides. “You boys can apologize properly or we can finish this discussion in our tent.”

“Owww! Okay! I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I did,” Slade hurriedly obeyed his older partner.

“I’m sorry, too,” Jayden also complied with the order to apologize as he rubbed the seat of his pants.

“I can only assume that all this ill-mannered behaviour is due to being over-tired so you can both go to our tent and take a nap,” Dominic instructed his young lovers.

“Are you done with your lines yet, Dusty?” Skyy asked several minutes later. “I’ve got one hundred done,” he said, handing the sheets of paper to Dennis.

“Yeah, I’ve done that amount too. What did you want to do?”

“Let’s go berry-picking.”

“Good idea! I’m pretty sure Den packed a couple of empty ice cream buckets with just this purpose in mind, didn’t you, Den?”

“Yes, I did. Please stay together and don’t wander too far.”

“My bucket is full, Skyy,” Dusty informed his partner some time later. “We’ve been here for over an hour and I’m ready to head back to camp.”

“But I’ve hardly got half a pail.”

Dusty looked closely at his fellow-Brat. “No wonder. From the amount of red stains on your face, I’d say you’ve eaten more berries than you’ve put in the container.”

“Ha! If we had a mirror, you would see that your face is probably just as dirty,” Skyy laughed, returning the light-hearted teasing. “You go ahead and I’ll follow as soon as I’ve filled this bucket.” Skyy wanted time to himself so he could locate and explore the cave Slade and Jayden had been talking about.

Half an hour passed before Skyy returned to the campsite, left his almost-full bucket of berries on the table and went into their tent to emerge a minute later with a flashlight in his hand.

“What do you need that for, Skyy?” Dennis asked.

“Because it’s too dark to see in the cave without it,” was the only explanation Skyy offered.

“What cave are you talking about?”

“The one with the bones in it; a big rock is preventing enough light from getting into the cave and it’s really hard to see anything.”

“Put the flashlight back where you found it, please.”

“But, Dennis…”

“Skyy, do what you’re told and come back here, please; ASAP, young man.” Dennis waited for Skyy to return and sit down beside him. “That cave is off-limits, Sport. Dom and I pushed that boulder in front of the opening to keep you boys out of there.”

“Why? It looks like a neat place to explore.”

“It may look neat but it is very dangerous. There are sudden drop-offs in several places. I don’t want you to go back there again. Do you understand me, Skyy?”

“Yeah, but I don’t like it.”

“There are plenty of other things to do here, Sport,” Dennis assured him, pulling the younger man into a warm embrace. “How about we get Dusty and see how good we are at flying those kites? After that do you want to help me get supper started?”

“Okay and I’ll use the berries to make dessert.”

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

As usual, the next morning found Skyy awake well before anyone else. He decided this would be a good time to check out the cave, figuring he’d be back long before the others woke up. He had been told that the cave was dangerous and he was not to go in it, but he just had to see for himself what secrets were hidden there.

Dennis lay in his sleeping bag wondering what had woken him up. The empty spot beside him was evidence that Skyy was already awake and no longer in their tent. Then he noticed the flashlight missing; the same flashlight that Skyy had wanted to use yesterday.

‘Damn it!’ he thought. ‘Any bets that Brat of mine has gone back to the cave!’ He got up and dressed as quickly as possible without disturbing Dusty. He didn’t want to worry his other partner needlessly. He went to Dominic’s tent and asked for his friend’s help to find Skyy.

“I don’t know how long ago he left but I’m sure he’s right where he was told not to go,” Dennis said as the two men hurried along the trail leading to the cave.

“I don’t understand some Brats’ uncontrollable urge to do exactly what they have been forbidden to do. Slade, Jayden, and Dusty returned to that cave several times before they finally learned to stay away from it or suffer the consequences,” Dominic commented.

“Have you noticed the markings along the trail, Dom?”

“Yes, but who would have put them there?”

“I have no idea but I’m too worried about Skyy at the moment to bother trying to figure it out.”

Dennis and Dominic arrived at the cave just as Skyy was squeezing his way out past the boulder.

“Skyy, are you all right?” Dennis grabbed the younger man and held unto him.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

Dominic decided to make himself scarce, so he confiscated the flashlight and told Dennis he was returning to the campsite. His presence, besides being unnecessary, would definitely not be appreciated. This situation was now up to Dennis and Skyy to resolve.

Dennis pushed his partner to arms’ length, enabling them to look each other in the face. “What do you think you were doing?”

“I-I…” Skyy thought it was obvious and, in the face of the big man’s wrath, he was finding it hard to answer the question. “I-I just wanted to find some artifacts.”

“Well, little boy, all you’ve succeeded in finding is a load of trouble.” Dennis walked over to a large rock, pulling Skyy along with him. His anxiety over the young man’s safety had now been replaced with anger. He sat down, tugged Skyy’s shorts and boxers down to his knees, and pulled him across his lap.

“You were told not to go into the cave. You were told of the dangers in there. You could have been badly injured.” Dennis accompanied about every second or third word with a heavy, painful swat. It took very little time for the bare-bottom in front of him to turn a bright, searing red and Dennis was still far from finished.

Skyy was crying freely from the intense pain. He was having difficulty breathing before the spanking was half over and his body was convulsing with every methodical ssmack.

The strikes slowed and finally stopped. There was almost complete silence for a minute or two as Dennis rubbed calming circles across Sky’s back to help the young man catch his breath. A strangled sob escaped Skyy’s throat as Dennis raised him up to hold him on his lap, wrapping strong arms around him and encircling him in a tight hug. Skyy’s tears continued to fall and his nose was running. He tried to draw hitching breaths threw his mouth while croaking out, “Y-you really, really h-hurt me.” Try as he might, Skyy couldn’t stop sobbing.

When the crying had diminished a little Dennis gently rearranged Skyy’s underwear and shorts. This resulted in a fresh bout of tears. Picking up his young partner, he headed back to their tent.

Stripping off Skyy’s clothing, Dennis looked into the violet-blue eyes. Behind the tears he saw confusion and what he interpreted as accusation. He pulled one of Dusty’s T-shirts over Skyy’s head, wiped off his face, and tucked him gently onto his stomach in the sleeping bag beside their still-sleeping partner. He then rhythmically rubbed Skyy’s back until the young man fell into a light sleep.

“What’s up, Den?” Dusty asked sleepily, rolling over and yawning. “You look like hell! What happened?”

“I just caught Skyy in the cave. Can you stay with him for a little while?”

“Sure but are you all right?” Dusty was concerned at the paleness of his lover’s face.

“Yes, babe, I’ll be fine. Go back to sleep.”

Pouring himself a strong, black coffee, Dennis sat down and stared into his cup. He was appalled at what he had done. He had never before punished one of his Brats in anger. He was at a loss to explain how he could have lost control like that.

“Care to talk about it, Den?” Dominic offered his friend the opportunity to unburden himself.

“I blew it, Dom. I was so frightened, then so relieved and it made me so very angry,” Den shook his head in self-disgust.

“He was told not to go there. He did something that could have had catastrophic results and it was crucial that you impress upon him that this disobedience is not to be repeated.”

“I should have waited until I calmed down. I feel as if I’ve beaten him and I’m sure I left bruises. Thank God, I never use anything but my hand when I spank him.”

“You didn’t beat him. You spanked him. You hurt him, but you didn’t harm him. And he deserved a sound spanking.”

Shaking his head once again, Den sighed, “Not administered in anger.” He finished his coffee, got up and walked away. He needed time alone to wrestle with his thoughts.

Neither Dennis nor Dominic noticed the smirks of satisfaction Slade and Jayden exchanged with each other.

Dusty wasn’t able to go back to sleep. He lay there for almost half an hour with his arms tightly wrapped around his younger partner and listened to the small hitching breaths and whimpers.

Skyy didn’t sleep very long. He stirred briefly before lifting his head to look around the tent. “Where’s Den?” he croaked in a still-hoarse voice.

“I think he’s gone for a walk. You must have scared him real bad ‘cause he certainly didn’t look too good.”

“I went back to the cave because I wanted to see the old bones and find out if there were really any artifacts. I’ve never seen him so mad, D,” Skyy said in a low voice. “How bad did he look?”

“He looked like ten pounds of shit in a five-pound bag.”

“Watch your language, young man!” Dennis ordered, having overheard his Brat’s comments as he entered the tent. “Are you boys ready to get up for breakfast? It’s after eight o’clock.” He pulled back the covers and lifted Skyy’s T-shirt to check out the damage. It was slightly worse than he had feared it would be. He didn’t want his Brat to be in so much pain he’d lose out on the enjoyment of the trip that he had so eagerly looked forward to, so he reached for the Solarcaine gel and applied a liberal portion to Skyy’s sore bottom. It was something he planned to do several times throughout the day.

Dusty got to his feet and then turned to help Skyy up. “I’ll be right back. I have to go to the bathroom before I get dressed.”

Skyy shuffled his feet, glancing anywhere but at the big man’s face and murmured, “I’m not hungry.” Now that he was alone with Dennis, feelings of uncertainty overwhelmed him. He looked up in bewilderment when he heard his partner’s request.

“Come here, baby….please,” Dennis tenderly pleaded, holding out his arms to enfold the smaller man. “We need to talk, little one.” At Skyy’s nod, he suggested, “Let’s go outside where it’s cooler.” He took Skyy’s hand and led him over to sit down on a blanket spread under a tree.

The large T-shirt hung down to just above the smaller man’s knees and the neck opening was sliding off one shoulder, making him appear even younger that his eighteen years. Skyy waited until Dennis was seated to straddle his partner’s lap, making sure to keep his backside free of any contact.

“Are you still mad at me?” Skyy asked hesitantly.

“Not at all, sweetie,” Dennis assured his partner, kissing him.

“And you still love me, don’t you?” he whispered, leaning his head against the other man’s shoulder.

“I will always love you. There is nothing in the world you can do to make me stop loving you.” Dennis ran caressing hands down Skyy’s back.

Skyy nodded his understanding before quietly saying, “Yeah, I know what you mean ‘cause that’s how feel about you and Dusty. I’m sorry for disobeying you, Den, but I just wanted to see if there was a bear skeleton in the cave. Only there wasn’t one and I bet there isn’t anything else either. I promise never to go in there again.”

“Thank you, sweetie; you’ve been forgiven and it’s behind us now.” Dennis hugged his young partner before apologizing. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart, for spanking you when I was angry. I should have waited until I was in control of my emotions. You know I would never intentionally frighten or harm you, don’t you?” At Skyy’s nod, Dennis asked, “Do you think you can ever forgive me for punishing you the way I did?”

“I know I deserved that spanking, Den. I disobeyed you and broke one of the big rules. The one about endangering myself, remember?”

“Yes, but I still should have handled it differently. I felt as if I had abused you.”

“You didn’t abuse me, Den. I know the difference.” Looking in Dennis’ eyes and gently rubbing his fingertips down the bigger man’s face, Skyy softly asked, “Have you ever been abused?”

“No; I was spanked as a kid but never abused.”

Skyy spent a few moments in deep thought before speaking so softly Dennis almost missed it. “Maybe that explains our different perceptions.” Then he shyly smiled and added in a clearer voice, “You know, you don’t have to be perfect. I mean you’re only human and I love you just the way you are.” Skyy gently patted the other man’s cheek and hesitantly asked, “No one’s mad anymore, right? We’re okay, eh?”

“We’re fine, sweetheart,” Dennis assured his young partner, “but, I still feel guilty about it.”

“Hmmm, maybe you need a spanking,” Skyy suggested, laughing at the idea.

“I don’t think that will work, Sport.”

“Then I guess you’re just going to have to suck it up and get over it on your own.” Skyy threw his arms around the big man’s neck, knocking him unto his back and covering his face with kisses.

Returning the kisses, Dennis started tickling the younger man. They were both laughing and wrestling when Dusty decided to join in on the fun.

“Are you guys planning to eat anytime soon or are you leaving to get yourselves a hotel room?” Dominic teased to get their attention so he could get breakfast over with.

“What do you say, boys?” Dennis asked once he was able to find his way out from under his two Brats.

“I’m hungry! What’s for breakfast?” Skyy’s appetite had returned with a vengeance. “Are we still going for a boat ride this morning?”

“You bet we are, Buddy!”

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

Early afternoon found Dusty and Skyy finishing off on their writing assignments while Jayden and Slade played cards with Dominic and Dennis.

“I’m kind of curious about something, Buddy,” Dusty said, looking up from his lines. “What made you think there were artifacts hidden in the cave?”

“I overheard Jayden and Slade talking about it. They even marked the trail so the cave would be easy to find.”

“When?”

“Yesterday! I was in the tent looking for my Gameboy and they were just outside.” Skyy glanced around when the information he had divulged caused everyone to go silent. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on them.”

Slade and Jayden waited nervously for a reaction as the significance of Skyy’s innocent statement hit home. It didn’t take long.

“You bastards!” Dusty was quickly on his feet and striding towards them, looking for a fight. “You set him up!” He came to a full stop when Dennis stepped into his path.

“That language is totally unacceptable, Dustin. One more swear word from you today, and you are going to get a mouth full of soap,” Dennis admonished him. “Go and sit down, please. Dominic will take care of it.”

“But Dennis, they….they…..”

“Was there anything I said that you did not understand, young man?” Dennis did not expect an answer to his rhetorical question. He merely turned Dusty around and sent him on his way with a sharp smack on the seat of his jeans.

Dominic stood up and snapping his fingers, indicated that his two partners were to go into their tent.

Realizing it would be better to move his Brats out of hearing range, Dennis gathered up towels and sunscreen. “Let’s go down to the lake, boys.” Dusty and Skyy didn’t need any persuading to follow him.

“What is the problem that has caused you two guys to behave so badly this weekend? Not only have you made no effort to include Skyy in your activities, you have now actually gone so far as to get him in trouble. Do either of you have an explanation for this?” Dominic sternly addressed his two partners.

Jayden and Slade both pretended to be confused by the questions. They shrugged their shoulders and mumbled incoherently.

“I didn’t hear you. Repeat yourselves; one at a time, please.” Dominic was far from pleased and let his annoyance show by raising the volume of his voice.

“We….I don’t know,” Jayden answered, hoping his other partner would be able to offer an explanation.

“Slade?” Dominic encouraged.

Shaking his head, Slade quietly said, “I don’t know either.”

“You have no idea why you would entice Skyy into doing something that got him punished. Something, I might add, that was also very dangerous.”

“It was kind of a joke.”

“A joke? That’s the best you can come up with?”

“Well, it’s not like we forced him to go there after he was told not to.” Slade thought that absolved them from all blame.

Knowing from past experience that it was unlikely he’d be able to obtain any addition information, Dominic decided to stop talking and proceed to the next part of the discussion. “I’m not punishing you for what Skyy did but he never would have known anything about the cave had you two not played your little game.”

Pointing to a specific spot, he said, “Jayden, go sit in that corner, facing the wall. Slade, get over here and drop your pants.” Both young men complied with their older partner’s orders as slowly as they could get away with.

Sitting on the floor of the tent and pulling Slade face down over his outstretched legs, Dominic lower the young man’s boxers. “Your treatment of Skyy will no longer be tolerated. Is that understood, young man? This behaviour is going to change immediately.” Dominic punctuation his words with one stinging swat after another until his Brat’s bottom felt like it was on fire.

“I’m sorry, Dom. I’ll behave…..p-promise…..p-please stop.” Slade wailed and squirmed throughout the spanking. It didn’t make any difference. He was still going to learn this lesson the hard way.

Dominic held the sobbing young man, murmuring soft words of comfort until the crying had all but stopped. He then had his partners change places and made sure that Jayden received the same lesson in appropriate behaviour, followed by the reassurance that all was forgiven.

Dennis and Dominic were in the middle of preparing dinner when Skyy came bursting out of the trees. “Dominic, Jayden needs you. Come on!”

The older men immediately stopped what they were doing and followed Skyy into the woods to see what the problem was. As they neared a small glen, they witness Jayden hopping up and down while yelling for someone to ‘get it off me!’ but the other two Brats, who were trying to get him to settle down, were unable to get close enough to render assistance. Every time they came within arms reach, Jayden would screech even louder. They ended up scaring each other.

“Jayden!” Dominic’s voice practically boomed across the clearing. Both he and Dennis pulled up short when Jayden turned to face them and they saw what was hanging on the front of his shorts.

“I still don’t understand how you got a mouse trap suspended from the zipper of your pants, Jay!” Dominic exclaimed, once he had removed the trap and his Brat had calmed down.

“I was just trying to set it.” Jayson was sitting on his partner’s lap and still red-faced with embarrassment. “It was Skyy’s fault. We told him not to follow us, but he came any way. It startled me when he popped up out of nowhere and made me lose my hold on the trap.”

“And just what were you hoping to trap?” Dominic asked, looking from one of his partners to the other.

“We’d rather not tell you,” Slade spoke on behalf of his fellow-Brat and himself.

“Dusty, do you or Skyy have any idea about the plans involving a mouse trap?” Dennis asked, fully suspecting that his Brats were in on it.

Dusty and Skyy looked at each other for a moment before turning innocent faces back to Dennis and chiming in unison, “Nooo?”

Dennis looked skyward, praying for patience, while Dominic rubbed his fingers against his forehead.

“I’m only going to ask one last time; what were you going to do with this trap?” Dominic sternly demanded an answer.

“We were trying to catch a chipmunk.” Jayden burrowed his head into Dominic’s shoulder as he murmured his confession.

“Then I think you all deserved the fright you gave each other. You’re lucky you weren’t hurt. You have no business trying to injure small animals.” Dominic was appalled at the young men’s behaviour. “You’re both confined to the campsite until tomorrow morning.”

“The same goes for the two of you,” Dennis informed his two partners as they walked back towards their camping area.

“Man, we had a great day! We got in some more swimming and the boat trip was awesome. Did you have fun today, little buddy?” Dusty asked, slipping on a pair of flannel pants and T-shirt.

“Yeah, I did but when are we going fishing?”

“In the morning; not too early though, so don’t wake me up before nine o’clock. Got it?”

“But half the day’s gone by then,” Skyy complained as he pulled a nightshirt over his head.

“There’ll be plenty of time to walk to the stream and get in some fishing,” Dusty assured the other man. “Lay down on your stomach, Buddy,” he instructed, “so I can apply some more cream to that butt of yours.”

“Okay, but Dennis already did it a few times,” Skyy informed the other man while still complying with his fellow-Brat’s wishes.

“I know, but once more won’t hurt. When we’re finished maybe we can sit around the fire and tell ghost stories,” Dusty said conspiratorially. “Wait ‘til you see how freaked out Jayden gets.”

“No ghost stories!” Dennis decreed once he was informed of their plans. “We’ll probably be having an early night.”

“I’ll allow you to roast marshmallows until the first time you turn one into a torch.” Dominic laughed at his partners’ facial expressions.

Skyy was slowly turning a marshmallow over the coals when he glanced up at Jayden with a mischievous glint in his eye. “You know you got off pretty lightly today, Jay.”

“How do you figure that, squirt?” Jayden snidely questioned the one he still held responsible for today’s ‘near-miss’.

“Well think about it. If you would’ve had one inch more, you’d now have one inch less,” was Skyy’s laughing response as he scurried backwards to the safety of Dennis’ lap in case Jayden retaliated.

Unable to help himself, Dennis laughed along with Dusty and Dominic. Wrapping his arms around his youngest partner, he warned, “You’re cruisin’, Sport.”

Ten o’clock found everyone in beds. “It is okay, my loves,” Dennis whispered to his lovers. “You needn’t worry about the others hearing us. I’m sure they’re as busy with their own activities.”

Long before midnight, the only sounds to be heard around the campsite were the gentle snores of six, well-sated men coming from two darken tents.

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

“This is usually a good spot but the fish don’t seem to be biting today,” Dusty complained as he threw his line into the stream. “I don’t want to go back to Dennis empty-handed.”

“How about I take Skyy around that bend over there and see if we have better luck?” Slade suggested.

Yesterday Slade and Jayden had apologized and promised to treat Skyy better than they had been, so taking for granted that his friend would watch out for the younger man, Dusty agreed. “If we don’t catch anything soon, Jayden and I will join you.”

“Good idea! Come on, Skyy.”

Both Skyy and Dusty were oblivious to the silent messages being exchanged between the other two men.

Slade and Skyy had just gotten out of sight when Slade seemed to come up with another idea. “I seem to remember an even better place than this one. The river sorta forms a loop and on the other side of the rapids is the best fishing hole of all. We’d get a real mess of trout there. Wanta go?”

“Sure, how far is it?”

“Well, it’s a fairly long walk if we go by the river but I know a way that’s a little shorter. Hey, how about a race? I’ll take the river route and give you directions for going through the woods. What do you think?”

“Okay, sounds like fun but I should ask Dusty first.”

“Tell you what; I’ll let Dusty in on our plans while you take a head start. He can catch up to you while Jayden and I go the other way.”

“Can you draw me a map?”

“Sure, squirt.” Taking a scrap of paper and a small pencil out of his shirt pocket, Slade pretended he was drawing a route for Skyy to follow. “Cut through the woods here until you come to a small shack. It’s abandoned so you don’t have to worry about anyone seeing you. You turn left at the shack and walk until you come to a wooden bridge. Don’t cross the bridge. Just turn right to go past it and in a few minutes you should come out at the river again. Got it?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Take a few minutes to memorize the map and then chuck it. See ya later, shorty.”

Skyy gathered up his fishing gear and headed off in the direction Slade pointed him in.

Slade waited about ten minutes before returning to the place where Dusty and Jayden were impatiently hoping for a bite.

“Where the hell is Skyy?” Dusty inquired when he discovered that Slade was alone.

“The stupid kid took off into the woods.”

“Why would he do that?” Dusty asked suspicious.

“How the hell should I know; he’s your partner, not mine,” Slade belligerently defended himself.

After looking for his partner for almost twenty minutes, Dusty declared, “I’ve got to get back to camp and tell Dennis.” He didn’t even wait to see if his companions were following him.

Meanwhile, Skyy had been walking a long time but still hadn’t come upon a shack or a bridge. Thinking he must have made a wrong turn, he retraced his steps and soon realized he was hopelessly lost.

Back at the campsite Dusty was pacing in circles around the fire pit. “It’s been over an hour since he disappeared, Den.” He was blaming himself for his younger partner’s disappearance. “I never should have let him go off with Slade. I would have followed them sooner but Jayden kept asking me to wait just a few minutes longer.”

“Okay, sweetheart, try to stay calm,” Dennis said and strapped on his backpack. “We’re all going back to where he was last seen and start the search from there.”

“Maybe someone should stay here in case he finds his way back,” Jayden suggested. “Slade and I could do that.”

“The chances of him finding his way back are slim at best. We’ll leave a note telling him to stay put in the event that something unlikely occurs. You guys are coming with us and that’s all there is to it.” Dominic was adamant and his partners knew there would be no further need in trying to discuss it.

“Besides, we need Slade to show us exactly where Skyy entered the forest,” Dennis pointed out, taking Dusty’s hand and heading into the woods.

“We’ve been searching for over two hours, Den. We are never going to find him. Isn’t there someone we can call for help?” Dusty was nearly in tears and starting to panic.

“We’ve been able to follow his tracks as far as this dirt road and then we lose them. I think our next move is to return to camp and notify the authorities,” Dominic suggested.

“God, I can’t imagine how Skyy is feeling. He must be very frightened. Aside from that trip last week with Dusty, this is the first time he’s been so far from the city.” Dennis wasn’t ready to give up the search yet. “Dom, why don’t you and your partners take this road back to the campsite? Dusty and I will walk in the other direction for a while and then retrace our steps. He couldn’t have gone much further.” Dennis knew he was grasping at straws but needed to feel he was doing something constructive to locate his missing Brat.

Ninety minutes later, Dennis and Dusty returned to camp still minus one partner. Dennis dropped his backpack on the ground just as an old beater pulled into the site. The two men couldn’t get to the truck fast enough when they realized that Skyy was in the front seat.

“Me and the missus picked up this young fella down the road a piece,” the elderly gentleman explained. “He’s hurt his ankle real bad. Took him to our house, we did. But he’s just too antsy; didn’t want to stay with us at all. So the missus told me to take him and look for this here camp setup he kept yammerin’ about. Right mouthy little guy, ya got here.”

Dusty lifted Skyy out of the truck and carried him over to their tent while Dennis thanked the man for all he had done for his youngest partner and collected the fishing gear from the back of the truck. As soon as Skyy’s rescuer had driven away, Dennis headed for the tent to check on Skyy and spend badly needed time with his young lovers.

Checking out the injured ankle, Dennis said, “We better get Dom to look at this, sweetie. We also need to put some Solarcaine gel on your face as you’ve got quite a bit of sunburn there.”

“Does that mean Dom’s going to get into his doctor mode?”

“I guess he’ll have to.” Dennis laughed at the pained look on his Brat’s face.

After determining that Skyy’s ankle was only sprained, Dominic taped it and instructed, “It’s a mild sprain but you will need to stay off it for a couple of days. We’ll ice it for twenty minutes at a time every three to four hours and keep it elevated.”

“Whatever possessed you to wonder off into the woods, Skyy?” Dennis asked.

“I was trying to find the good fishing spot on the river. You know; the one where it loops back after the rapids.”

“Skyy, there are no rapids near where you were and although the river has some bends, it doesn’t turn back.”

“It does according to the map that Slade drew for me.” Skyy reached for his dirty jeans and pulled the scrap of paper from the back pocket. “See here? This is where we were and this is where I was trying to go. I must have strayed from the path because I never did see the shack or the bridge. Mr. Jenkins and his wife picked me up on a dirt road somewhere, just after I fell and hurt my ankle. They took me to their home, let me clean up a bit and fed me a really nice meal. I kept telling them I had to get back here because my partners would be worried.” Skyy started snickering. “By the way, they think we’re business partners.”

“Is that what you told them?” Dusty found Skyy’s remark amusing.

“No! They sort of assumed it and I didn’t bother to change their minds. They’re kinda old, ya know.” The three older men laughed at Skyy’s declaration.

“May I have that map, please?” Dominic held out his hand to take the paper from Skyy before leaving the tent to search for his two partners.

“Den, I don’t want to just lie around. How am I going to get to the lake if I can’t walk?”

“Guess I’ll have to piggy-back you everywhere, Buddy,” Dusty offered, laughing at his younger partner’s groan of indignation.

“Auuugh!” Skyy threw himself back on the sleeping bag, curled up, and pulled a pillow over his head.

“Come on, Sport. It won’t be so bad.” Dennis waited a few moments and when he didn’t get a response he landed a playful swat on Skyy’s hip and reached for the pillow. Under it, he discovered his Brat was soundly sleeping.

“He certainly is resilient,” he commented, shaking his head in wonder. “I’ve yet to see anyone else who falls asleep as fast as he does.”

“Yeah, I’d bet money he could fall asleep on a clothesline,” Dusty joked.

The two men quietly left the tent to start supper preparations, knowing everyone would soon be hungry.

After locating his Brats, Dominic led them along the trail until they arrived at a small clearing. He had them sit together on a fallen log, facing him. “Which one of you wants to tell me about this latest adventure you orchestrated for Skyy?” He waited for them to get over their surprise at the question. “I’m expecting an answer, boys, and if you are thinking of denying it….don’t bother. I have all the evidence I need with this scrap of paper.”

Both young men knew they were busted.

“It was sort of a game, Dom. You said we were to stop excluding him.”

“And you thought you’d accomplish that by helping him get lost in the woods.” Dominic worked hard at keeping his temper under control. “If you think for one minute that I’m buying into that, you better think again. This is without a doubt, one of the worst stunts you two have ever pulled and I want an explanation, right now!” He shouted the last two words causing the men in front of him to wince.

“We didn’t mean for him to be gone so long. We thought he’d find his way back to either the river or the campsite.”

“How would that be possible when he has never been here before?”

“I don’t know,” were the twin replies. The young men were nervously waiting for Dominic to pronounce sentence.

“I’ve only had to take my belt to you on two previous occasions. Do you remember what they were?”

Both of his partners nodded. “The time we played chicken and smashed up the car,” Jayden muttered. “And the time we tried Ecstasy at a party,” Slade added.

“Both those times were for endangering yourselves, but this third time is for endangering someone else; a close friend’s beloved partner and a young man several years your junior.” Dominic unbuckled his belt and pulled it through the loops of his pants. “Both of you remove your jeans. Jayden, go and wait over there facing that tree.”

Sitting on the fallen log, Dominic pulled Slade over his lap and pushed down the young man’s boxers. He folded his belt, raised his arm and the first painful strike landed on Slade’s bare-bottom. Dominic continued raising the belt and bringing it down across both cheeks until the backside in front of him was uniformly patterned with a dozen hot, red stripes. He took care to ensure that the message got across without leaving any long-lasting marks or bruises. He stood the young man on his feet, told him to pull up his underwear and sent him to face the tree Jayden had been leaning against. Having summoned his second Brat, he meted out the same punishment. He put his belt back on and helped his partners rearrange their clothing. Then, sitting down on the ground and using the trunk of the tree for support, he gathered his two sobbing lovers into his arms. A litany of soothing sounds could be heard as the crying gradually diminished.

“We still have to discuss the way you have been acting towards Skyy. I regret not having pushed you into discussing this yesterday. What are you having a problem with?” Dominic knew his Brats would have an easier time talking now that the punishment was over. He had to find out the reasons behind this mean-spirited behaviour so it would end once and for all.

“For the last four years there’s only been the five of us.” Jayden sniffled and rubbed the back of his hand across his face. “Now he’s here and it seems like he gets all the attention.”

“Why would you think that?” Dominic asked gently, wanting to get as much information as possible before deciding how to handle the situation.

“Well, you always hug him and you’re forever asking Dennis about him,” Slade complained.

Dominic hugged both his partners and lovingly kissed their heads. “You’re right. There were five of us and now we are a group of six. That’s not going to change. I do hug Skyy but I also hug Dusty just like Dennis hugs both of you. I ask about Skyy’s well-being because not only is he our friend’s partner, he is also one of my patients.”

“Yeah, but then there was Saturday when you fooled around in the water with him and the others.” Jayden looked up into Dominic’s face and tried to stop the tears from starting again.

“Dennis and I were playing in the water with Skyy because you two had deliberately ostracized him. He spent the drive up here and most of the first day quietly entertaining himself. Besides, you could have joined in like Dusty did.”

“He just so spoiled!” Slade grumbled. He was trying to put his thoughts into words but having a hard time explaining what he was feeling.

‘They’re jealous,’ Dominic thought to himself, coming to a better understanding of the problem.

“Jayden, you lost your parent when you were ten years old and, Slade, you lost yours shortly before you turned thirteen. You both ended up in the same foster home where you became more than just close friends or brothers; you eventually became lovers. And although they were not your real mom and dad, your foster parents loved you. They worked hard to care for you and provide you with a good home. You never got shuffled from one place to another as so many children in the system do. Skyy wasn’t as fortunate. He lost his mother at the age of seven and for the next ten years lived with a sadistic drunk. The one person, who should have loved and cared for him, abused him. I am not at liberty to tell you much more about Skyy’s life but trust me when I say it was very ugly. Skyy requires a lot of physical contact. He loves to touch his partners and be touched by them and he is extremely affectionate.”

“He spends almost every evening on Dennis’ lap but we hardly ever sit on yours,” Jayden mumbled. “It’s because he’s such a little squirt, isn’t it?”

“Jay, baby, I may be slightly taller than either of you but each of you weigh as much or more than I do. If you spent any length of time on my lap, especially together, you would be able to amputate both my legs without an anesthetic because they’d be completely numb. Skyy is almost eight years younger than you, weighs at least fifty pounds less and is several inches shorter. Although he’s small, he is comfortable with his body which just happens to be a perfect fit for Dennis’ lap.”

“Do you love him?” Slade whispered.

‘Ahhh, now we’re getting to the heart of the problems.’ Dominic finally realized the depth of their uncertainty and answered sincerely, hoping to instill a sense of security in his young lovers. “I love him the same way I love Dennis and Dusty. As a friend, a very good friend, but I am not in love with any of them. Their friendship is important to me but not as important as you are. You are both my life-partners. I not only love you with all my heart; I am also in love with you. No one could ever take either of your places.”

“We’ve been pretty mean to the kid, haven’t we?” Slade admitted shamefully. “I mean, we put him in what could have been a very dangerous situation and he ended up getting hurt.”

“I bet Dennis is really mad at us,” Jayden whispered. “He’ll probably never trust us around his partners again, especially Skyy.”

“You both will be apologizing and you better mean it. Dennis will know that you have been thoroughly punished and forgiven but you may have to prove yourselves to regain Dusty’s and Skyy’s trust.”

Both Brats sighed and nodded their unhappy acceptance.

“Is it over now?” Dominic softly directed the question to both his partners.

“Yes!” Slade answered while Jayden nodded in agreement.

“Are we going to be okay?” the young men asked simultaneously.

“We’re fine.” After cuddling for a few more minutes, Dominic suggested, “Let’s go rejoin the others and you can apologize, sincerely this time,” he softly admonished.

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

“Man, we had a great weekend but it’s good to be home,” Dusty said as he walked into their living room on Tuesday afternoon.

“It would be really neat if we could live outside like that all the time,” Skyy mused mostly to himself.

“Don’t worry, Sport. This was only the first camping trip for you but there will be many more in the future,” Dennis assured his youngest partner as he gently settled him on the sofa and raised his injured ankle. “And next time will be much better.”

The End