Spring Fever

Written By: LJ


Skyy silently slipped out of bed as the LCD on the clock changed over to six am. As quietly as possible he gathered up clean clothing and headed for their en suite. Following his morning routine, he was soon dressed and on his way downstairs. He started to assemble the various items he would need that day only to discover his cell phone was missing from its’ usual place in the recharger.

In many ways, Sky was a creature of habit and knew exactly where the phone was supposed to be. He was still searching for it twenty minutes later when Dennis appeared.

“Good morning, love,” the bigger man greeted, pulling Skyy into his arms for a kiss.

“Den, I can’t find my cell phone!” Skyy informed his partner after returning the loving embrace. “I’ve looked everywhere I could think of, but no luck, man.”

“Where did you leave it, Sport?” Dennis asked as he led the way into the kitchen.

“In its’ cradle, just like I always do.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah!”

“Okay, let’s see if this will help.” Dennis picked up the cordless phone on the counter and began to dial.

A very faint ringing was heard, enabling Skyy to track it to the vegetable crisper in the refrigerator. Stuck on the cell phone was a yellow, post-it note that read, “It’s April Fools’ Day! Gotcha!”

“Hey, look at this, Den!” Skyy smiled and handed the piece of paper to the other man.

“Looks like our partner pulled one over on you, Sport,” Dennis laughed.

“Hmmm, so April Fools’ jokes are fair game, right?”

“Why not?” Dennis teased, turning on the radio as Skyy left the room. He missed the thoughtful expression on the younger man’s face and the mischievous gleam in his violet-blue eyes.

Skyy returned moments later and dropped his book bag next to the back door. “Can you make breakfast while I pack Dusty’s lunch? I kinda got behind because I had to search for my phone.”

“No problem, honey. How do scrambled eggs and toast sound?” Dennis asked as he plugged in the coffee maker.

“Yummy! I’m hungry and lazy-bones will be down soon and I bet he’ll be looking for something to eat.”

The men worked in companionable silence while listening to the morning news. Just as Skyy closed Dusty’s lunchbox and Dennis set hot food on the table, Dusty sauntered into the room. He yawned and stretched before reaching for his partners.

“Morning, guys. Something smells good!” Sitting down at the table, Dusty grinned and asked, “Anything out of the ordinary happen this morning?” He laughed when the other two men pretended not to know what he was referring to.

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

“You’re really cute, Skyy!” Dusty groused as he threw his empty lunchbox onto the kitchen counter. He glared over at this younger partner of his who was placing the last of the cutlery on the table. All he got in return was a crooked smirk.

“We’re even, D!” Skyy giggled as he embraced his fellow-Brat.

“Think so, huh?” Dusty teased, returning the welcoming hug.

“Well, boys, how did everyone’s day go?” Dennis asked, walking into the room and hugging the other men before lifting the cover off the pot on the stove. “This chili smells delicious, Skyy!” he commented after taking in the aroma of the pot’s contents.

“You’ll never guess what stunt this kid pulled on me today, Den,” Dusty said as he pulled out his chair to take his place at the table. “He buttered the outside of my sandwiches,” he complained and wasn’t at all impressed when Dennis burst out laughing.

“Now that you’ve both pulled a joke on each other, how about calling it quits?” the older man suggested.

The two Brats looked at him as if he had lost his mind. Didn’t he realize they were just warming up?

Changing the subject, Skyy inquired, “Who was on the phone earlier, Den?”

“It was Dominic. They’re still coming over this evening as planned but are running a little late. They should be here in another hour or so.”

“Man, I sure hope things go better than the last time we were all together,” Dusty grumbled as he shoveled a spoonful of chili into his mouth. Swallowing, he added, “Seems like Slade and Jayden bickered non-stop and ruined the evening for everyone.”

“Do you suppose they’re still mad at you for telling Dennis about everything that happened the night you guys got stopped by the police?” Skyy wondered out loud as he buttered his roll. “I mean, it was two weeks ago so you’d think they’d be over it by now.”

“I don’t care if they’re still pissed-off at me or not. But I do know that they hate not being able to go out unless Dominic is with them. They figure the paddling they got was punishment enough and they always have a hard time whenever they’re on restriction,” Dusty explained. “I bet they’re late because they’ve been giving Dominic grief over one thing or another.”

“It’s not your place to comment on what someone else has or has not been doing, young man!” Dennis admonished. “Besides, if I remember correctly, you weren’t exactly happy about your own grounding or writing assignment, were you?”

“I guess not,” Dusty admitted in a small voice, knowing he still had two weeks of his grounding left and was only half way through the five copies he had to write of his License Renewal Laws essay.

“Their court date is coming up soon, eh?” Skyy asked.

“I think it’s next week,” Dennis answered.

“Maybe they’re just getting uptight over that. I sure would be if I got in trouble with the law. Man, better them than us!” Skyy uttered with a relieved sigh.

“It better never be either of you and please, boys, don’t mention it while they’re here tonight,” Dennis strongly suggested as he stood up to begin clearing away the supper dishes.

“Right! As if we were planning to bring it up,” Dusty mumbled. “Talk about sticking your neck out.”

“Or about looking for a way to ruin a fun evening,” Skyy agreed, carrying his plate and cutlery to the sink.

It was well after seven o’clock by the time their guests arrived. Dominic and Dennis were preparing drinks while the younger men got out the games they wanted to play in the family room.

“Do we have to play that one?” Jayden gripped as he picked up the Canadian Trivial Pursuit Skyy has place on the table. He tossed it back down, causing the contents of the box to spill out.

“Yeah, we don’t like it!” Slade complained. “The questions are really dumb.”

“You’re the ones who are dumb!” Dusty pointed out. He was fed up with their friends’ attitudes. Slade and Jayden had a habit of finding fault with everything when they were in a bad mood. This evening certainly wasn’t getting off to a good start. “You two are so grouchy! Maybe Dominic should just take you home and put you to bed.”

To say Dusty’s suggestion wasn’t well received would be an understatement as the three older Brats got into a shouting-match. Skyy sat on the back of the couch and leaned against the wall to watch the action going on in front of him.

“You should have been in as much shit as we were!” Slade yelled in Dusty’s face.

“That’s right! Jayden agreed. “You were the one we were sticking up for, jerk!”

“I never asked you to shoot your mouths off to a cop, you dimwits!” Dusty argued back.

Skyy glanced up from his perch as two angry Tops came storming down the stairs. ‘Oh, oh; this doesn’t look good!’ he thought, cringing in sympathy for his fellow Brat.

“What’s going on down here?” Dominic loudly demanded as he pulled his lovers away from their friend.

“He said we should be put to bed,” Slade informed his partner.

“The way you two have been behaving this evening, that might not be a bad idea,” the older man concurred. “Now, are you ready to settle down or would you prefer to go home?”

“We’ll stay if we can play any other game but that one,” Jayden answered, pointing to the game pieces scattered over the floor.

“I believe there are plenty of other games to choose from, right guys?” Dennis took Skyy’s arm and hauled him off the back of the sofa as he calmly made his inquiry. He expected an affirmative answer and got one. “Okay, then let’s try a little harder to get along and enjoy ourselves this evening.”

Settling for Monopoly, the four Brats warily took their places around the table, chose playing pieces and began to distribute the play money. Knowing things were peaceful for the time being, Dennis and Dominic headed back upstairs to get the drinks for everyone. The young men slowly relaxed and were soon enjoying themselves.
Sometime later Dusty indicted that he wanted Skyy to follow him upstairs.

“It’s still April Fools’ Day, Buddy,” Dusty whispered. “Wanna play a trick on Slade or Jayden?”

“Sure! Watcha got in mind, D?”

“Both of them have had several glasses of pop and I bet their bladders are about ready to burst. I’m going to stretch some Saran wrap over the toilet in the guest bathroom upstairs and I want you to keep them from using the one downstairs while I’m doing it, okay? Then I’m going to hide in the shower to see what happens.”

Realizing what would result in Slade or Jayden’s failure to notice the invisible covering, Skyy willingly conspired with his partner.

Unfortunately not everything goes according to plan. Several minutes had passed when Dominic entered the downstairs washroom to find Skyy already occupying it.

“Sorry, kiddo. We’ll go upstairs,” Dominic offered and turned towards Jayden.

“Aah…it’s okay, Dominic, cause I’m finished in here,” Skyy stuttered, uncertain of how to handle this turn of events.

Much to Skyy’s chagrin, Dominic pushed Jayden into the washroom Skyy had just vacated and headed upstairs. Unable to warn his fellow-Brat of the impending catastrophe, Skyy slumped down on the bottom step to await the outcome.

“What the hell!” Dominic’s roar was heard throughout the house. Moments later an enraged Top turned at the sound of a low groan coming from the enclosed shower and pulled back the curtain to yank out an astonished Brat.

Dominic, with a very nervous Dusty in tow, made it to the bottom of the stairs just as Dennis put in an appearance. Skyy was trying to make himself invisible by scrunching against the banister while Slade and Jayden stood in the background waiting to hear what had transpired.

Learning about his Brats antics, Dennis angrily questioned. “What is your explanation for this?”

“It-it was a joke, Den; an April’s Fools’ joke, that’s all,” Dusty stammered. “We didn’t mean to get Dominic; it was supposed to be Slade or Jayden.”

“Is that anyway to treat a guest in our home? Is it anyway to treat a friend?” Not getting a response, Dennis firmly demanded. “Answer me!”

“No, it’s not,” Dusty and Skyy softly replied and knowing what was expected, quickly apologized. “We’re sorry, Dominic.”

“Say goodnight, boys, and then wait for me in my study,” Dennis ordered, not unkindly.

Obeying their partner’s directive, Dusty and Skyy went to their respective corners. They were only too relieved to be out from under the glares of their affronted guests but not too happy about having to contemplate on what would likely take place once their friends had gone home.

Dennis locked up after Dominic and his partners had left. He calmed himself by slowly cleaning up the family room before heading to his study. He wasn’t looking forward to the next part of this evening’s unanticipated activity.

“It was all my idea, Den,” Dusty explained, once he and Skyy were seated on the couch face-to-face with one more than slightly aggravated Top.

“But you both took part in this mischief, right?”

Half an hour later, two still-sniffling young men were being put to bed.

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

By Tuesday afternoon Dennis was ready to pull his hair out. He was fast losing track of the continuing number of tricks his Brats had played on one another and whom had done what to whom.

Dusty’s antics had involved sneaking up on Skyy and bursting a balloon; letting the air out of the tires on Skyy’s bicycle; cutting the heads off the crocuses that had barely started to make an appearance in Skyy’s flower garden; putting makeup on Skyy’s face while the younger man was sleeping; and freeing Skyy’s pet rodent from it’s cage.

Skyy’s, on the other hand, consisted of putting Vaseline on the door handles of Dusty's truck; substituting deodorant with floral spray; lacing the chewing gum he had given their partner with black ink; and sprinkling parmesan cheese in Dusty’s work boots.

Dennis had come home early today in hopes of having a nap to rejuvenate his ability to deal with these two precious but very mischievous Brats of his. He smiled down at the young man sleeping in his arms and wondered what Skyy’s latest response had been to the still-missing hamster.

Dennis’ sleep was rudely interrupted an hour later, by the slamming of the back door followed by the thump of Dusty’s lunchbox landing on the counter. Skyy stirred as his nap was also brought to an abrupt end. The two men begrudgingly got out of bed and made their way downstairs to investigate.

“You’ll never believe what that little shit did to me today!” Dusty shouted as soon as his partners entered the kitchen. “Look at my jacket! He’s got tiny bits of paper stuck all over it. There’s even one saying how to microwave me; as if someone would be inclined to do so.” He glared at the culprit responsible for making him an object of ridicule at the shop today.

“What is Dusty referring to, Skyy?” Dennis bewilderedly asked, checking over the numerous stickers on their partner’s windbreaker, which had obviously come from a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables.

“He means the one I got off the baking potato with instructions that read ‘Do not poke holes in plastic wrap’,” Skyy explained with a self-satisfied grin on his face which only further antagonized his fellow-Brat.

Dennis closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. He took a moment to silently pray for patience as well as the strength to overcome the almost impossible urge to laugh. He didn’t want to encourage Skyy’s pranks or add to Dusty’s frustration over Skyy’s aptitude for getting the better of him.

“You know, Dusty,” Dennis patiently pointed out. “You have no one to blame but yourself. You started this last Friday when you hid Skyy’s cell phone.”

“But it was only supposed to be an April Fools’ joke,” Dusty reminded the other man.

“I realize that. But I’m afraid it’s developed from a one-day occurrence to a full-blown case of Spring Fever. I strongly recommend you both agree to put an end to it and consider yourselves well-matched,” Dennis kindly but firmly suggested.

“Okay!” Skyy immediately voiced his agreement while Dusty silently plotted his next move.

Later that night as Dusty was preparing for bed an idea came to mind and not thinking twice, he put it in motion. Taking the can of shaving cream from the medicine cabinet, he quietly made his way to the side of the bed where Skyy was already sleeping. He squirted a small pile of cream onto his fellow Brat’s opened hand, gently tickled Skyy’s nose and waited for the younger man to bat away the offending nuisance.

Skyy woke to a face full of shaving cream and the sound of Dusty’s laughter.

“Gotcha, kid!” Dusty sang out. He sat back to watch Skyy get up and go into their en suite to wash up. He was a little disappointed that Skyy had been too sleepy to get really worked up over this latest caper.

The next morning Skyy took advantage of Dusty’s habit of sleeping later than his partners did.

Dennis and Skyy had barely finished breakfast preparations when one furious man stormed into the kitchen. “Look what that fucking little shit did to my leg!” Dusty screeched. He was still in his nightwear which consisted of T-shirt and boxers so it was easy to see what he was so upset about. His left leg was hairless and as smooth as a baby’s bottom.

Dennis couldn’t help himself. He burst out laughing as Skyy gleefully bounced around beside him. Dusty couldn’t help himself either. He was so incensed, he tackled Skyy and both Brats ended up scrapping at the older man’s feet.

“That does it!” Dennis’ humour quickly evaporated as he pulled his partners up from the floor. “Why did you shave Dusty’s leg, Skyy?” he sharply demanded.

“Because he tricked me last night, remember?” Skyy was not aware that Dennis had no knowledge of Dusty’s latest stunt.

“I told both you boys to stop tormenting each other and you both chose to not only disobey me but to fight over it!” Dennis stated before bending Skyy over one hip and landing several hard, rapid spanks to the seat of his Brat’s jeans. Setting the chastened, young man on his feet, he reached for his other partner. He pulled down Dusty’s boxers to just below his bottom and wasted no time in warming his backside. Standing his older Brat upright, he sternly said. “I’ve had all the swearing I’m going to take from you, young man. You are going to have a mouthful of soap for breakfast.” Dragging his partner over to the sink and picking up the hand soap dispenser, he ordered. “Open your mouth, Dustin!”

For several minutes, Dennis lovingly held his two teary-eyed young partners in his arms as he consoled them with gentle words and soothing back rubs. Both Brats were gingerly rubbing at tender bottoms and one was pouting over the lingering taste of soap in his mouth.

“Pay attention, boys!” Dennis gently ordered when he felt they were calm enough to listen. “No more tricks! I mean it! One more prank and, Dusty, you will be spending an entire Saturday afternoon working in the gardens. Got it?” He knew Dusty hated any yard work other that mowing the lawn or raking leaves because it got his hands dirty.

“Yes, Den, I got it!” was Dusty’s murmured response. He was becoming convinced that there was no way he could match Skyy’s inventiveness.

“Skyy, you will find yourself completely cleaning Dusty’s truck. That means washing and waxing, as well as vacuuming the interior. Understand?” Dennis was fully aware of how much Skyy enjoyed cleaning the vehicles with Dusty but disliked doing it on his own.

“I understand, Den. No more, honest!” Skyy promised with every intention of obeying the older man.

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

Dennis came downstairs Thursday morning to discover his youngest lover curled up in the corner of the large sofa in the living room.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” he asked when he realized Skyy had been crying.

Skyy glanced up with tear-swollen eyes and without saying a word, slowly turned around.

Dennis groaned at the sight that greeted him. A large chunk of golden curls was missing from the back of Skyy’s head. He instinctively knew Dusty was responsible for this unexpected act of mischief. He sat down and drew his precious young partner onto his lap.

“It will grow back, little one. But for now, we’ll just have to fix it up the best we can, okay?” Getting a slight nod of agreement, he gently pressed on. “Let’s go upstairs to the bathroom and I’ll trim the rest to make it even, baby.”

Skyy silently got off Dennis’ lap and waited for the other man to stand up, take his hand and escort him up the stairs.

Dusty entered their en suite just as Dennis finished trimming Skyy’s hair. Dusty watched as Dennis held up a mirror, enabling Skyy to see the results and his heart broke when he saw the tears slowly trickle down his fellow-Brat’s cheeks. He suddenly realized that in order to prove his one-up-man-ship, he had stepped over an unforeseen, invisible line.

“I-I’m so sorry, Skyy,” Dusty haltingly apologized around the lump in his throat. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just wanted to show that I could be as creative as you.” Dusty knew his reasoning sounded as unfounded to his partners as it did to him.

“Are we even now?” Skyy whispered hopefully as he solemnly gazed up at one of his best friends.

Dusty slowly shook his head and knelt down to take Skyy into his arms. He couldn’t remember a time when he had felt so ashamed of himself. “I hope you can forgive me, little buddy. I never thought for a moment that cutting your hair would bother you so much.”

“It will grow back, D.” Skyy pushed away from the other man to give him a weak grin and teased. “Hey, we can see which grows faster; your hair or mine.” He looked at his partner’s hairless legs. Dusty, at Dennis’ prompting, had shaved his right leg to match the job Skyy had done on his left one.

“I guess, but I think you should pull one more trick on me to even things up some,” Dusty suggested as he stood and helped Skyy up.

“No way, man! I’m not washing your truck by myself!” Skyy stated and headed for the bedroom.

“Skyy’s right! It’s over!” Dennis admonished. “I want you showered, dressed and downstairs for breakfast in fifteen minutes, Dusty.” He turned to follow Skyy but was waylaid by a hand landing on his forearm.

“What about my punishment, Den?” Dusty tentatively asked, wanting to address the issue and get it behind him.

“Saturday afternoon…garden work. That’s what I said it would be the next time you pulled a prank on him.”

“But I went too far, Den, so that’s not enough!” Dusty murmured and looked down at the floor.

“It’s my decision to make, Dusty. Not yours!” Dennis gently but firmly reminded him.

Dusty felt strong hands turning him towards the shower and then a hard one landing on his boxer-clad butt. He knew there would be no further discussion on the subject and it left him without the usual feeling of closure.

Dennis tried to encourage a conversation during breakfast but eventually gave up in the face of his Brats’ silence. Both boys needed time to resign themselves to what had happened. Skyy had to get used to having a different hairstyle for a few weeks, although Dennis personally thought the short blond curls made his youngest partner even more attractive than when his hair was long. Dusty had to forgive himself for committing such an uncalled-for act of reciprocation. Dennis’ heart went out to both of them.

Skyy adapted quickly. He accepted the unplanned haircut with no hard feelings and moved on. Unfortunately Dusty was burdened by the stress of dealing with his own self-perceived failure as a loving partner and as a result had been acting out more and more with every passing day. His inappropriate behaviour escalated from small acts of defiance to out and out disobedience.

“No, Dusty, you are not going out with your fellow-employees anytime today because you still have a week left of your month’s grounding. And being that it’s Saturday, you have gardening to do.” Dennis looked into the beautiful smoky-gray eyes pleading for a reprieve as he patiently listed his reasons for refusing his partner’s request. He leaned over and kissed the pouting lips before adding, “I’m off to run errands now and I expect a good portion of the vegetable garden to be turned over by the time I return.”

“Where is Dusty, Skyy?” Dennis asked as they put away the groceries. Not having parked his car in the garage, he failed to notice Dusty’s truck wasn’t in its’ usual spot.

“I don’t know, Den. We…I mean, he worked in the yard most the afternoon and then he came in to have a shower.”

“We, he…..you’re not trying to hide something from me, are you, Skyy?” Dennis asked and waited for Skyy to come out of the pantry. “Omission of facts is the same as lying, young man, and you know what that will get you. Were you helping Dusty with a chore that he was to do on his own?”

“Just a little. You know, to keep him company, is all.”

“When you boys are assigned punishment chores, you are expected to get them done on your own, without company or assistance of any kind. There will be no TV or video games for you this evening, young man, and hopefully that will help you to remember not to help out next time,” Dennis scolded as he closed the refrigerator door.

“Okay, but just so you know, I think it’s mean that we can’t help each other. Hey, where are you going?” Skyy called out as he walked down the hallway and headed up the stairs in pursuit of the older man.

“I’m checking to see if Dusty plans to join us anytime soon.” Unable to find their partner in the master suite, Dennis systematically searched the other rooms. “Skyy, are you sure you don’t know where he is?”

“I’m positive, Den. He was talking about it being Marcie’s birthday and that a few of the people he works with were planning to celebrate at some club tonight. That’s all I know.” Skyy sensed that his fellow-Brat had dug himself in deep and pulled the hole in on top of himself.

“Looks like there will be just the two of us this evening, Sport. Let’s go see what we can throw together for supper.”

“How about making that meat and noodle dish, the one with the peas in it? You can even add onions.” Skyy didn’t mention it was okay to put in this extra ingredient because Dusty, who didn’t like onions, wasn’t home to complain about it.

“Okay, Sport, I’ll start frying the meat and cutting up the onions while you get water on to boil for the noodles.”

The men soon had the meal preparations well underway. “Would you please get me a can of peas from the pantry, Skyy?”

“Sure!”

“What’s taking you so long?” Dennis asked after several minutes had gone by and Skyy could still be heard rooting around in the cupboard. “The canned vegetables are on the third shelf along the back wall.”

“I found Nugget. He was behind the mop bucket in the corner. I bet he’s starving!” Skyy excitedly reappeared with his missing hamster cradled in his hands.

“Skyy, that hamster is over-sized enough to live off his own body fat for a month,” Dennis laughed and watched the pet being safely return to its’ cage. “I wish you hadn’t accepted that creature from Aaron after Stephen said he couldn’t keep it. What do you plan to do with it if we go away this summer?”

“Niko offered to take care of him for me. I’ll go back for the peas now.”

“Wash your hands first, Sport!”

“Den, I’m only getting a can. It’s not like I’m touching any food,” Skyy started to argue but changed his mind when he saw the warning rise of his Top’s eyebrow. “Okay, okay…hands first.” He gave in and grinned when he saw Dennis shaking his head in loving exasperation.

It was close to midnight and long after Skyy was asleep when Dennis received an unexpected phone call from the police, requesting he come down to the station to pick up a young man who claimed to be his partner.

“What were you thinking of, Dustin, or were you even thinking at all?” Dennis asked as he paced the floor in his study forty-five minutes later. “Do you have any idea of how worried Skyy and I were when we realized you weren’t home and had no way of tracking you down?” He stopped his pacing and glared at the young man sitting on the couch with his head bowed in remorse.

“I’m sorry, Den,” Dusty whispered after several moments of silence. “I-I don’t even know why I went out, especially after you told me not to. It wasn’t that special an occasion and I certainly didn’t enjoy myself. I-I can’t think of anything else to say except that I wasn’t running away,” he stammered, finally looking up at the other man with eyes pleading for him to make everything all right.

Dennis took a deep breath, sat down and put his arm around his distraught lover. “Dusty love, I know you weren’t running away. Even though the thought crosses your mind now and again, it is something you stopped doing a couple of years ago. I realize when you left here earlier; you had no knowledge of the plans to go to that particular bar. Like a lot of the people caught up in the raid, you were unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But that would not have happened if you had stayed home like you were supposed to. Although I do want you to know how pleased I am that you had the sense to ask the police to call me.”

“At that point in time, there was no one I wanted to see or needed more, Den,” Dusty explained, leaning towards the bigger man in hopes of finding the comfort he was so desperately in need of.

“I believe tonight’s total disregard to the rules is a direct result of the pranks you boys have been pulling off on each other, and of one prank in particular. Do you know which one I’m referring to?” Dennis spoke in a soft tone, wrapping his arms around Dusty’s shoulders and securely holding him against his chest.

“I shouldn’t have cut Skyy’s hair. I shouldn’t have hurt him like that. And you should have punished me for doing it,” Dusty vehemently accused, lifting his head up to look accusingly at his Top.

“Dusty, I did punish you! And you’ve been punishing yourself unnecessarily ever since. Do you know why?”

“Because I did something really mean to someone I love with all my heart. I can’t just forget about it,” he wailed.

“Listen to me, Grease-monkey. You don’t have to forget but you do have to forgive yourself. Skyy and I have both forgiven you because we love you and because we know what you did was done in a moment of thoughtlessness, not spitefulness. There’s a big difference between the two, sweetheart; and forgiveness is what it’s all about, baby.”

“I get it, Den. I should have talk to you about how I was feeling instead of trying to deal with it on my own and acting out. I’m so sorry. Please don’t be angry.”

“I not angry, little one,” Dennis quietly assured him. “But your disobedience comes with consequences, doesn’t it?”

“Yes,” Dusty sighed and fought back tears as he stood up to unzip his fly and remove his pants. He willingly allowed himself to be pulled over his partner’s thighs, wiggling to get as comfortable as possible in anticipation of the coming punishment that was both accepted and agreed upon.

Dennis tugged down Dusty’s boxers and after locking his squirming partner firmly in place, began to deliver a hard, rapid, thorough spanking to the bare bottom in front of him. Landing the last six heavy swats to Dusty’s scalding backside, Dennis ended the spanking and tenderly caressed the flesh he had just punished. He listened for the younger man’s wails of pain to gradually subside before as gently as possible lifting him onto his lap to offer reassurances that it was over. He brushed his lips against Dusty’s sweaty hair and kissed his forehead.

Dusty slowly calmed down as his crying changed to intermitted whimpers and sniffles. One of his hands crept around to his sore bottom and rubbed carefully while the other wiped across his tearstained face. He relaxed into the arms that held him, finding the peace and contentment he sought in the knowledge that even though they still had the rest of his punishment to talk about, tomorrow he’d start again with a clean slate.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Dennis kept his partners closer than usual over the next several days, enabling the bond between them to heal and strengthen. Much of their free time was spent in making plans for the upcoming celebration of Dennis’ twenty-ninth birthday. But first, there was another special event to take place.

“Dusty, is there any chance of you getting off work early this afternoon?” Dennis asked. “It’s Friday and I have my end of the week departmental meeting at three-thirty. Skyy’s appointment at the license bureau is for the same time.”

“I don’t think it will be a problem, Den,” Dusty answered as he spread jam on his toast. “I’ll drop off my truck, pick up Den’s car and meet you at the school’s main entrance at three o’clock, Buddy. Don’t keep me waiting.”

“I’ll be there, D. I won’t be late, man, ‘cause I can hardly wait to get my driver’s license and see how good a job you guys did teaching me to drive.”

“Don’t forget, Skyy….” Dennis started to say.

“No, no, no, Den. No more instructions, please,” Skyy begged, covering his ears with his hands. “I’ve got too much to remember already, my head’s gonna burst!”

“Okay, Sport!” Dennis and Dusty both laughed at Skyy’s comments.

Dusty put his breakfast dishes in the sink, grabbed his lunchbox, kissed his partners goodbye and headed out the door. “Have a good day, guys! See you at three, little buddy!” he called out as he left for work.

“We better get a move on, Skyy, if we don’t want to be late for our first classes this morning,” Dennis prodded his youngest Brat into getting ready.

Arriving at the university, Dennis pulled into the staff parking lot and stopped the car. Turing to the young man beside him, he hugged Skyy close and softly said, “Good luck today, honey. I’m sure you’ll do just fine on the test and I’m looking forward to seeing your license. Maybe we can go out for supper to celebrate.”

“I’d like that, Den. I’m having lunch with Aaron in the cafeteria so I won’t see you until we get home,” Skyy reminded the other man, reaching up to wrap his arms around Dennis’ neck and kissing him goodbye. He got out of the car and raced towards the building where his first class would be held and called out. “Later, man!”

Dennis smiled at his Brat’s enthusiasm and after locking up the car, headed into the administration building.

Shortly after five o’clock Dennis arrived home to an empty house. He quickly changed out of his suit and ten minutes later was reading his newspaper at the kitchen table when two excited Brats burst through the back door.

“I got it, Den!” Skyy merrily shouted as he dropped a plastic card on the table and started down the hall. “I only had one little mishap and got a small scratch on your front bumper. You can check it out if you want; it’s in the back seat.”

Dennis got to his feet with every intention of checking out the car when he noticed Dusty smiling and shaking his head.

“He’s pulling your leg, Den. He sailed through everything and passed with flying colours. He didn’t make one mistake,” Dusty informed the older man.

“What do you think, Den?” Skyy asked when he returned from his trip to the washroom and found his partners looking over the new driver’s license.

“It’s a fairly decent picture, Sport. They don’t usually turn out this good,” Dennis commented.

“Yeah, I actually look human even though my hair is too short,” Skyy smirked as he gazed at the card Dennis had passed back to him. “Humph, maybe their machine malfunctioned.”

“Come on, Buddy!” Dusty ordered when he had stopped laughing at his younger partner. “Den says we’re going out for Chinese food and then to get the supplies we need for tomorrow night’s birthday bash.”

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

“I think we have everything ready, D. People should be here in about half an hour. Wish Den would hurry up and get changed,” Skyy grumbled.

“He’ll be ready on time, no fear. After all it’s his party, right? Let’s check the list one final time to be sure we got it all taken care of,” Dusty suggested in order for them to have something to do while they waited impatiently for their guests to arrive. “There’s more than enough disposable glasses, dishes and cutlery for the twenty-five or thirty family members and friends we’ve invited. The ice cream cake from Dairy Queen is on the top shelf of the freezer and we did a bang-up job of decorating the family room. How about the games?”

“Aaron and I got them all planned out at lunch yesterday. He’s bringing the rest of the prizes, extra pencils and the sheets that had to be photocopied.” Skyy slowly looked around the large family room. “Guess we’ve got everything under control, D.”

“Yep, and just in time ‘cause someone here already!” Dusty cried as he took the stairs two at a time in his hurry to answer the doorbell. Skyy was right on his heels.

“Hi, guys!” Dusty exclaimed, greeting the first of their guests.

“Hi, yourself, Dusty,” Dominic answered. “I’m just going through to put this in the fridge. I hope there is room for it.”

“What did ya bring?” Skyy asked, following Dominic into the kitchen.

“My special seafood dip for the nachos,” the other man responded. After closing the refrigerator door, he turned to hug the bouncing young man behind him. “Congrats, kiddo; Dennis told me you got your driver’s license. Hey, and I like the new haircut,” he teased, ruffling the short curls on Skyy’s head.

“Yeah; well don’t get use to it because once it grows back in, it won’t be cut again for a looong, looong time!” Skyy informed him with a feigned pout, before breaking out in an ear-to-ear grin at the older man’s roar of laughter.

Dusty took advantage of the short time alone with his friends to find out how their week had gone. “What happened at court, Slade?”

“Not too much; we each got forty hours of community service to do,” Slade replied with a deep sigh, enabling Dusty to pick up on the sense of relief his friend was enjoying.

“Thank God it’s behind us now,” Jayden added. “I guess your grounding is over by now, right?”

“Yeah, but I got in trouble last Saturday, so I’m on restriction for another two weeks. Has Dominic removed the shortened leash he’s had you guys on for the last month?”

“No! And he won’t until we’ve completed our sentence. Man, the judge went easier on us that Dom did,” Jayden complained.

“You got that right, Jay, but at least the worst is over now,” Slade reminded his partner as the three young men went in search of their other partners.

Dennis’ coming down the stairs coincided with the arrival of Stephen and Aaron. Entering the kitchen, they were enthusiastically greeted by Skyy.

“Den, you got dressed just in time, man. People have started to arrive and the birthday boy wasn’t even down here,” Skyy enlightened his Top before turning his attention to the other new arrivals. “Hello, Steve, and you too, Aaron. Glad you could make it!”

Soon all the guests had arrived and the party was in full-swing down in the family room. Topics of interest were discussed; various games played and prizes handed out; gifts opened amidst a friendly exchange of jokes and laughter; refreshments enough to suit everyone’s taste and large amounts of fruit punch were served up. It was well after ten o’clock when the last of the invitees put in an appearance.

“Curtis and Bernice are here!” Skyy announced, shutting the front door behind the late arrivals. He had loudly called out the information so that it could be heard over the music blasting from downstairs where the party was being held.

“Do you have to be so uncouth, young man?” Bernice demanded with her nose in the air as she handed Skyy her cloak. “Be careful with this. I don’t want it ruined.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Skyy answered, taking the garment and putting it with the other coats in the study. “Umm, everyone’s in the family room,” he quietly informed them. His discomfort around Dusty’s older brother and sister-in-law was very noticeable. “J-just follow me, please.”

“We’re quite capable of finding our own way and don’t require any assistance from the likes of you!” Bernice nastily stated and with that, she and Curtis walked off leaving behind a bewildered young man.

“They didn’t even bring anything,” Skyy was telling Aaron fifteen minutes later as they mixed up another bowl of punch. “Dusty didn’t want to invite them but Dennis said we had to because they’re family.”

“They don’t seem exactly thrilled to be here, do they?” Aaron asked, pouring a large bottle on Sprite into the bowl.

“It’s kinda fun to just sit back and watch them though.” Skyy gave his friend a conspiratorial grin. “They were at Dennis’ birthday last year and I thought they were really funny. It was the first time I’d met them but I don’t think we hit it off too good.”

“Do you need any more pop in this, Skyy?”

“Nay, it’s fine. Can you grab that tray of veggies and dip, Aaron, and bring it down while I take the punch?” Skyy requested.

Skyy was totally unaware that Curtis had entered the kitchen and was standing right behind him. He turned and try as he might, he was unable to prevent the collision. Red punch sloshed over the sides of the bowl and down the front of Curtis’ light gray suit.

“You clumsy oaf!” the enraged man bellowed and pulling his arm back, Curtis took a full swing and slapped Skyy hard across the face causing him to drop the punch bowl. Before the slap registered another blow landed on the other side of Skyy’s face, bringing tears to the young man’s eyes and knocking him to the floor.

“Stop that, you big slob!” Aaron hollered before calling for help. “Stephen! Dennis!”

Footsteps could be heard running up the stairs as Dennis and Dusty were the first to appear on the scene. Dennis came to a dead halt, unable to believe the sight in front of him. His youngest partner was sitting in a puddle of sticky liquid with the shattered remains of the large punch bowl around him. Dennis saw red…literally. His Brat looked terrified and was bleeding from his nose and mouth. There was opened wound on Skyy’s right cheek and a bruise was beginning to appear on his left cheek.

Dennis couldn’t move. He couldn’t remember ever feeling such an all-consuming rage. He was having a hard time to breathe properly as his blood pressure spiked and the pounding in his head increased. It was the knowledge of his two partners’ need for him, as well as his own desperate need to care for them both, which caused Dennis to fight for control and not follow his first instinct which was to punch Curtis’ lights out. It was the soothing hand on his back that grounded him enough to win his fight, as Dennis became aware of his father’s presence.

“What the hell happened here?” Dennis demanded through gritted teeth, his eyes glaring accusingly at Curtis.

“He-he hit Skyy!” Aaron cried, hopping up and down. “He-he hit him twice!” The young man was understandably angry and upset over the harm done to his friend.

Stephen stepped in to calm his agitated partner before Aaron worked himself up any further. “Sssh, sssh, babe; Dennis will take care of it,” Stephen crooned, tightly embracing his young lover.

By this time, Dusty had made his way over to Skyy’s side and after helping his fellow-Brat up, held him close to offer comfort and support. “Dennis,” Dusty quietly attracted his Top’s attention. “Do whatever you have to. I’ll back you up one hundred percent.”

It was seeing the hurt on Dusty’s face and hearing his heartfelt declaration that helped Dennis decide what to do. He picked up the phone and called the police. “I’d like to report a crime of assault. Would you please send a patrol car?” He proceeded to fill the dispatcher in on what had taken place and provided his address.

“If you think I am staying here to await the police, you have another thought coming!” Curtis belligerently informed his host.

“Here is exactly where you are going to remain!” Leonard adamantly declared. He fully intended to stay and see to it that his oldest son faced the consequences for his reprehensible actions tonight.

“Well, I certainly have no intentions of waiting around to see what happens!” Bernice insisted, thinking only of herself as usual. “You are on your own, Curtis. I’ll see you later.” With that, she abandoned her husband and left for home.

Several things started happening simultaneously, as various family members did what they could to show their love and support. Dusty’s mother, Millicent, and Dennis’ mother, Janet, efficiently cleared away the broken glass and mopped the floor. Dennis’ siblings were straightening up downstairs while his father, Phillip, politely saw to it that the other guests left as unobtrusively as possible. Phillip, Janet, Rodney, Sara, Laura and Jacob left as soon as the family room had been restored to its’ usual pre-party state of orderliness and they had said their good-byes. The only remaining guests were Dusty’s parents, Dominic and his partners, Stephen and Aaron, and Curtis.

“Let me see Skyy’s face, Dusty,” Dominic patiently requested as he tried to pry the two Brats apart. He succeeded in separating them and immediately stripped them of their bloodstained shirts. “Jayden, love, go upstairs and get some clean clothes for Dusty and Skyy,” he asked as he lifted a still shell-shocked Skyy onto a barstool. “Okay, kiddo, let’s see what we’ve got here.” Seeing the abrasion on Skyy’s face, Dominic sent Slade out to the car to get his medical bag.

Meanwhile, satisfied that his Brats were in good hands, Dennis focused his efforts on keeping Curtis from leaving. Pulling a chair away from the kitchen table, he demanded. “Sit!”

Curtis hesitantly sat down on the edge of the chair. Never having been in a similar situation, he was somewhat grateful when his parents sat down on either side of him.

“Why, Curtis?” Leonard sternly inquired.

“I’m fed up with Bernice and I being verbally, and now physically, accosted by that young hoodlum!” Curtis hatefully replied.

“That’s ridiculous!” Leonard was astonished at his son’s misconstrued perception of things. “Skyy has never intentionally treated you or your wife disrespectfully and he has apologized for the one and only time he was a little out of line. For god’s sake, Curtis, you’re forty-two years old. The boy is less than half your age. You’re six inches taller and outweigh him by almost a hundred pounds. Skyy isn’t your intended target here. It’s Dusty. For some reason, you are jealous of your brother. After all you’ve accomplished, your success and wealth, the social position you and Bernice hold so dear, yet you still have not found the peace and contentment or the happiness you see these three men enjoying in abundance. There is no one to blame for that, young man, but yourself.”

“I never wanted a sibling and certainly not a disgusting deviant like him!” Curtis spat out, indicting the object of his scorn.

Leonard was so appalled at his son’s attitude that he was momentarily left speechless in the face of Curtis’ announcement. “There is absolutely nothing unacceptable in your brother’s lifestyle!” was Leonard’s frowning rebuttal. He folded his arms and sat back, using his seniority and patriarchal authority to keep his son firmly in his place.

Accepting that Leonard had his elder son under control, Dennis finally felt free to follow his basic instincts and care for his badly traumatized, young partners. As he crossed the room, he noticed Stephen had his hands full with the self-assumed responsibility of maintaining a nuance of calm and reasoning for his own distressed Brat and Dominic’s.

Dennis helped Dusty slip on a clean T-shirt and lovingly washed the last of the blood from Dusty’s hands and forearms, speaking soothing words of comfort while keeping an eye on Dominic who was doing the same for Skyy.

“Skyy’s going to need a couple of stitches, Dennis,” Dominic quietly informed him. “His attacker’s ring left a deep cut on the lower right cheek.”

Fearing this would only add to his Brat’s anxiety, Dennis asked, “Can’t anything else be done?”

“It will heal better if I suture it,” Dominic answered, shaking his head. “It will only take a few minutes and once the freezing is in, it will be completely painless.”

“Where is the best place for you to work?”

“Right here is fine but I think it would be best if Stephen took Aaron, Slade and Jayden down to the family room. I know it would be pointless to suggest that Dusty accompany them so we’ll put him to work comforting Skyy if he can.”

“I can do that!” Dusty said and sat down beside his fellow-Brat to take Skyy’s hand in his.

Neither young man paid attention as the doctor prepared the equipment he was about to use. Dusty was too squeamish and Skyy was still rather dazed. He also appeared to be absorbed in his own thoughts and unaware of what was going on around him.

“It was an accident, D,” Skyy whispered as he looked up at his partner, his eyes tearing up and pleading for forgiveness. “I didn’t know he was behind me. I’m really sorry.”

“Hey, it’s all right, little buddy. You didn’t do anything wrong, baby. Just lean back against Den and let Dominic fix you up, okay?”

Dennis moved in to stand behind Skyy. He gently pulled the young man to his chest, tenderly kissed his hair, and held his head steady. He pressed his lips together and shook his head as he watched Dominic administer the injection. He felt Skyy stiffen in response to the slight discomfort of the needle, heard him suck in his breath and hold it, and saw him squeeze his eyes shut. He tenderly wiped away the tear that managed to escape from under his Brat’s tightly closed eyelid.

The doctor worked fast. Ten minutes later it was all done. Skyy’s face had been stitched, cleaned up and a small bandage was in place.

“You can open your eyes now, kiddo,” Dominic smiled down as the young man expelled a huge sigh of relief. He had just finished putting away his instruments when the doorbell rang.

It took over an hour before all the details were given, questions asked and answered, assault charges pressed, pictures taken, papers signed and an arrest made. Curtis remained tight-lipped the entire time. He had been read his rights and intended to make his statement only in the presence of his lawyer. Skyy had haltingly told the police what had happened and Aaron had given his eye-witnessed account of the events surrounding the incident.

“Millicent and I are going to accompany Curtis to the police station. Will you three boys be all right, Dennis?” Leonard inquired, helping his wife on with her coat. “We feel you have plenty of support here from your good friends and Curtis needs someone with him at this time.”

“I’m sure he’s rather overwhelmed,” Millicent offered. “He just won’t let it show.”

“We’ll be fine and thank you so much for your assistance and understanding. I’m so sorry things ended the way they did,” Dennis sincerely apologized.

“It is certainly not your fault! Nor is it Skyy’s! Curtis was completely in the wrong,” Millicent assured him.

“He didn’t just overstep the bounds of acceptable behaviour; he broke the law and must now face the judicial system and whatever penalty is imposed. We’ll keep each other informed, shall we? Good night for now,” Leonard sadly smiled and extended his hand to shake Dennis’ while Millicent kissed Dusty and Skyy.

“Well no one can ever accuse you of throwing a boring, run-of-the-mill party, Den! I mean, talk about excitement!” Dominic laughed in hopes of lightening the atmosphere in the wake of the last guests’ departure.

“I’m sorry, Den!” Skyy murmured from where he was curled up on Dennis’ lap. “I didn’t mean to ruin your birthday.”

“You didn’t ruin anything, sweetheart. We all know who is to blame for tonight’s unpleasantness. So set your mind at ease, little one,” Dennis softly encouraged as he pulled both his Brats into his arms to cuddle.

The three Tops were sitting around the living room, holding their Brats close while discussing the evening’s activities. Everyone was slowly coming down from the adrenaline rush they had been experiencing since the attack on Skyy.

“I think you should have punched that son-of-a-bitch out cold, Dennis!” Aaron piped up.

“Aaron!” Stephen admonished, landing a warning swat on his Brat’s hip.

“But he should of, Steve. I wanted to but you wouldn’t let me,” Aaron complained, rubbing at his partner’s stinging handprint.

“I thought for a moment there that I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from doing just that,” Dennis remarked. “Thank God my father can still reach me through the turmoil of my emotions like he did when I was a kid. We’d be a lot worse off if I had also been arrested and carted off to jail.”

“I don’t know what that bastard was thinking,” Slade grumbled and was quickly made aware of his Top’s displeasure at the language used.

“Well he shouldn’t have hurt the kid like that!” Jayden pointed out, coming to his fellow-Brat’s defense.

“He was wrong!” Dominic stated. “We all agree with that. But we have to get over it and move on. The court will handle it in due time and hopefully, it will never happen again.”

“Maybe Curtis is suffering from Spring Fever, too.” Skyy’s gave a small giggle as his suggestion produced a groan of dismay from Dusty.

“Whatever his problem is, I’m sure that’s not it, Buddy. He just a big, rotten, snobbish bully! And, Den, I’m telling you right now, he’s not coming here again!” Dusty adamantly informed his older partner, forgetting for a moment who was in charge here.

Dennis let the comment pass and bent his head to kiss each of the young men’s foreheads. He wasn’t surprised to see Skyy fall asleep a few minutes later but he was saddened when he saw two fingers going into his Brat’s mouth. It had been a long time since Skyy had unconsciously sought that form of comfort. He reached to lovingly remove the fingers then changed his mind and as his eyes misted, he gently caressed the bandage on his beloved’s face. He knew this young man whom he loved with all his heart and soul, had been badly frightened; that tonight’s assault must have re-awaken disturbing memories from the past and if this soothed him, then so be it.

“Is he going to be all right, Den?” Dusty softly asked. He was nestling against his bigger partner’s side on their large, double recliner.

“He’s going to be fine, my little grease-monkey. In fact, he’ll probably bounce back faster than you or I will. He’s a lot more resilient than we are,” Dennis emotionally acknowledged and silently thanked the powers that be for that particular blessing.

The End