What a Great Team We Are

Written By: LJ


FRIDAY

Skyy pushed the cart down the aisle as quietly as possible, returning the last of the books to their proper places on the shelves. He loved this new job and was grateful that Dennis had not only allowed him to apply for it, but had even suggested his name to the department head in charge of the library. He turned the corner and collided with a student who was carrying an armful of books.

“I’m so sorry,” Skyy said as he bent over to help pick up the items scattered about the floor.

“Hey, Skyy, is that really you?” a familiar voice from the past was heard and straightening up, Skyy found himself facing a friend he hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Aaron!” Skyy exclaimed, enthusiastically throwing his arms around the other young man. “How are you doing, man?”

“I’m okay!” Aaron returned the hug and declared. “Gheez, Skyy, when you disappeared two years ago, this would have been the last place I’d ever expect to find you again.”

“Yeah, well a lot of things have changed since I saw you last,” Skyy seriously informed his friend.

“For me too, kiddo, for me too. Is your shift just about over? ‘Cause if it is, maybe we can go some place and catch up on what’s been happening,” Aaron suggested.

“I’ll be finished here in fifteen minutes if you don’t mind waiting,” Skyy said excitedly, anxious to spent time with Aaron.

Half an hour later, two old friends were huddled over hot drinks in a quiet corner of the campus coffee shop, exchanging tales of what they had been doing since last seeing each other.

They were still laughing and talking two hours later when Aaron’s cell phone rang.

“Hello. Oh hi, Steve. Sorry, man. I just forgot. Yeah, yeah, I’ll be right home.”

“I got to leave, kiddo. I’m supposed to be getting ready to attend a dinner party tonight with my partner. He sounds kinda pissed off because I’m running late,” Aaron explained, swallowing the last of his coffee and getting up to leave.

“What time is it?”

“Almost six o’clock.”

“Are you kidding?” Skyy exclaimed. “Man, I should have been home over an hour ago. Can you give me a lift if it’s not too far out of your way?” he requested, gathering up his book bag and leaving his unfinished drink on the table.

“Sure; no problem!”

“This is where you live now, Skyy?” Aaron sounded impressed when he pulled up in front of the large Victorian house at the end of a cul-de-sac, twenty minutes later.

“Yep, it’s my home now.” Skyy smiled, thinking about the men he loved waiting inside to welcome him.

“I’ll touch base with you over the weekend, kiddo. Now that we’ve found each other, we’re not going to lose touch again,” Aaron declared, drawing the younger man closer and fondly kissing his cheek.

“Yabetcha!” Skyy agreed as he got out of the car and waved goodbye. He turned and raced up the driveway towards the back door.

After removing his boots and hanging up his jacket, Skyy entered the kitchen to find a slightly worried-looking Top waiting for him. The table was already set and apparently Dennis had been keeping their evening meal warm in anticipation of his youngest Brat’s arrival.

“Hi, Den! Sorry I’m late,” Skyy apologized apprehensively. “I met an old friend and once we got to talking, I guess I kinda forgot about the time.”

“You’re home now, Sport, and that’s all that matters at the moment.” Dennis pulled Skyy into his arms and kissed him. “Go wash up so we can have supper before it gets cold again.”

Dennis and Dusty were already seated when Skyy returned and sat down at the table.

“Care to tell us where you’ve been and why you were so late, Skyy?” Dennis asked conversationally, passing the mashed potatoes to the younger man.

“Do you remember me mentioning a friend I had in high school; a guy I stayed with for a few days after I got kick out of the apartment?” Waiting until he had received signs of confirmation from each of his partners, Skyy continued. “Well I was working in the library this afternoon when I literally bumped into him. We’re both students at the university now. Isn’t that a neat coincidence?”

“Isn’t that the guy you told your father was your boyfriend?” Dusty inquired.

“Yep, that’s the one! Man, we had so much to talk about, and still do for that matter,” Skyy clarified after washing down a mouthful of food with his milk. “And guess what! He’s the guy who was the librarian’s part-time assistant before me. He told me he had to give up the job because a grouchy, old, tight-ass professor wouldn’t give him a break and up his grade a couple of measly little points.” His eyes were sparkling mischievously at some private joke.

“Skyy, just what is your friend’s name?” Dennis was certain he knew the student but wanted Skyy to confirm his suspicions.

“It’s Aaron Dayle Cooper,” Skyy answered, trying to keep a straight face.

“Then I am the grouchy, old, tight-ass professor who refused to up his grade,” Dennis stated indignantly, glaring at his youngest partner through narrowed eyes.

“Yeah, I know!” Skyy burst out laughing. “What ‘til he finds out we’re partners.”

“You haven’t even told him about us, Skyy?” Dusty asked with a slightly putout expression.

“Not yet! We only mentioned we had partners but didn’t talk too much about who you were. I don’t know who Aaron’s partner is either.”

“And just when do you plan to tell him about us?” Dusty demanded.

“Soon! We’re going to try and get together over the weekend,” Skyy said hopefully.

“Not this weekend, Sport!” Dennis informed him and before Skyy could voice an objection, the older man held up his hand and added, “We’ll discuss it in my study later, young man.”

‘Oh, oh; that didn’t sound too good,’ Skyy thought to himself as he mentally checked off the rules he had broken that afternoon. “But I already apologized for being late, Den. It’s not as if I did it on purpose; I just lost track of time and….”
“I said we would discuss it later, Skyy, and I meant it!” Dennis gently but firmly interrupted as he held up his hand once again to signal that his youngest partner was to stop talking. “It’s okay, Sport. We’ll take care of it after supper. Now finished eating what’s on your plate if you want any dessert.”

“What’s for dessert?” Skyy wanted to make sure it would be worth emptying his plate for.

“One of your favourites; blueberry pie,” Dennis smiled as he watched his Brat shovel another broccoli spear into his mouth.

Dennis noticed that Dusty was quieter than usual and wondered if something was bothering him. The other man had seemed fine when he’d arrived home from work. “Anything new happening at the shop, Dusty?” he inquired.

“Not really, except that I’m going to have to do a bit of overtime next week,” Dusty stated, thinking this was as good a time as any to let his partners know about the possible changes to his work schedule. “One of the other mechanics has to have some minor surgery and will be out for a week.”

“I hope the extra work is being equally distributed among all of you and that you’re not assuming responsibility for most of it,” Dennis said firmly. He knew his grease-monkey would overwork himself by doing more than what was expected of him if there were no limits put in place.

“I’ll try not to overdo it, but I not making any promises,” Dusty grumbled. He hated having limitations put on his working habits. “It’s my job we’re talking about, you know!” he pointed out.

“I realize that and I have no intentions of interfering with your job, Dusty. You are a very conscientious worker and a valued employee. You always give more than your one-hundred percent and you should be proud of that. But I’m talking about you pushing well past your limits if boundaries aren’t maintained. You get overtired and can be very hard to live with. That affects all of us, not just you. Besides, you know the rules, why they exist and what happens if they are not adhered to, don’t you, babe?”

“Yeah, I know,” Dusty begrudgingly agreed and stood up to start clearing the table while his older partner set out the pie and ice cream he had purchased for dessert.

Dennis wondered if something else could be bothering his oldest Brat but decided in favour of talking to Dusty in private after he and Skyy had their upcoming discussion.

“Go to your corner in the study, Skyy, and wait for me. I’ll be in as soon as Dusty and I clean up the kitchen,” Dennis instructed a short time later.

“But I’m supposed to do the dishes because you did the cooking,” Skyy argued, hoping to prolong the inevitable.

“Not if I’ve told you to do something else!” Dennis said, turning Skyy towards the hall and ushering him on his way with a hard smack on the seat of his jeans.

Skyy dragged his feet but eventually made his way to the designated corner. This was where Dennis found him after having left Skyy waiting impatiently for fifteen minutes.

Quietly closing the door and going over to sit on the corner of his desk, Dennis watched as the younger man fidgeted for several more moments before gently calling. “Come here, Sport.”

Skyy turned and slowly made his way over to the desk to lean against the bigger man’s chest and murmur. “Are you going to spank me for being late?”

“No, Skyy; I am not going to spank you for being late or for forgetting your cell phone.”

“Oh, I though you would ‘cause you spank Dusty for breaking those rules.”

“That’s because Dusty has broken both those rules more often than I care to remember, whereas I can count on one hand the number of times you have been late and still have a couple of fingers leftover,” Dennis explained before pronouncing sentence. “However, you are grounded for the next week for not getting home when you were expected to and you will write out the rule concerning cell phones, fifty times. You can do your lines tomorrow afternoon since you won’t be going anywhere.”

“But, Den, I’m supposed to visit my family on Saturdays. Pepe and I had made plans to go skating at the park,” Skyy complained while trying not to whine.

“Well, you’ll just have to phone and cancel,” Dennis said firmly enough to end his Brat’s urge to continue arguing. “We still have another act of disobedience to address, young man.” Dennis put his finger under Skyy’s chin and lifted the smaller man’s head until they were looking eye to eye. “Can you think of what that would be?”

“Ahhh, can you give me a hint?” Skyy asked, using another delaying tactic.

“No, but you can have more corner-time if you need it,” Dennis admonished.

“Noooo, I’ve had enough of that.” After a moment or two of silence, Skyy admitted his wrong-doing with a dejected slump of his shoulders. “I-I skipped my last class this afternoon ‘cause I wanted to spend time with Aaron. I didn’t think it would really matter because there was going to be a substitute teacher.”

“Skyy, neither of those are acceptable reasons for you to miss class, are they?”

“No.”

“What happens every single time you do this?”

“I get spanked,” Skyy answered in a small voice.

“Right! Now, do you want to drop your pants or do you want me to do it for you?”

“I’ll do it myself!” Skyy capitulated, knowing it was a lost cause. He kept his eyes that shining with unshed tears, turned up to Dennis’ face and slowly lower his jeans and boxers.

When Dennis casually draped his leg over the corner of the desk, Skyy gave him one last look of appeal before allowing the older man to settle him across the raised thigh. Skyy put his head on the hand that had a death grip on the edge of the desk and instinctively grabbed onto Dennis’ pant leg with the other for balance as his feet left the floor, even though he knew Dennis would never let him fall.

No amount of kicking or crying stopped the barrage of painful smacks. Promises didn’t even slow Dennis’ hand until he felt his Brat was finally getting the message. Only when the bare backside in front of him was hot and evenly covered with large handprints, did Dennis end the spanking with four last smacks to the area where thigh and bottom meet. After letting the younger man sob out his pain for a few minutes, Dennis gently set Skyy on his feet, pulled up his boxers and helped him remove the jeans that were tangled around his ankles.

“Okay, little one, it’s over. You’re going to be all right,” Dennis softly spoke into Skyy’s sweaty curls as his partner clung to him for reassurance. “I hope, baby, this is the last time I have to spank you for playing hooky.” He walked his still crying Brat over to the leather sofa and sat down with him nestled on his lap.

“I won’t do it again, Den. Promise!” Skyy sniffled several moments later as he settled into the big man’s comfortable embrace.

“Glad to hear it, Sport. It’s always your choice. But every time you make the wrong one, you know the result will be the same. A trip over my knee,” Dennis commented without any condemnation. “The truth of the matter is you know the right thing to do, the hard part is to do it.”

“I know!” Skyy agreed. “We’re okay now?”

“You bet we are, sweetheart. Dusty is upstairs having a bath. Do you want to go spend time with him?”

“Yeah,” Skyy sighed.

Dennis waited patiently for the young man to get up, but even though Skyy had indicated he was going, he didn’t make a move to do so.

Dennis smiled down into the beautiful eyes of his young lover. “I love you, baby!” he quietly stated.

“Love you too, Den!” Skyy declared as he wrapped his arms around the bigger man’s neck and pulled Dennis’ head down to kiss his lips.

Dennis responded to Skyy’s unspoken need to be closer and they spent several more minutes cuddling before the younger man felt inclined to join their other partner.

“Thanks, Den. I’m going upstairs now,” Skyy murmured, getting off his partner’s lap.

“Okay, Sport! Don’t leave your jeans here on the floor; take them upstairs with you.”

“Yabetcha!” Skyy cried as he grabbed his pants and ran out of the room.

Pulling off his T-shirt as he walked into their en suite; Skyy finished undressing and dropped his clothing into the hamper before stepping into the whirlpool tub.

“What do you think you’re doing, kid?” Dusty coolly inquired.

“I’ve come up to have a bath with you,” Skyy answered.

“Well, I don’t remember inviting you! Now, bug off!”

“D, I said I was sorry for being late. Den and me already took care of it, so what’s got your balls in a cramp?” Skyy couldn’t understand why his fellow-Brat was being so nasty.

“I was looking out the window when you drove up with your friend,” Dusty sneered. Seeing the younger man’s confused expression, he added to his explanation. “I watched you kissing him.”

Skyy attempted to cover up the pain this accusation caused by shouting. “Well, then you better get your eyes checked, dufus!”

“My eyes are just fine! I know what I saw!” Dusty hollered.

“What you saw was Aaron kissing me on the cheek, not me kissing him!”

Dennis had been climbing the stairs and quickened his pace when he heard the angry voices. “Okay, fellas, what’s all the commotion about?” Not getting an answer, he asked, “Skyy, why aren’t you in the tub?”

Neither of the Brats answered. Dusty hung his head and sat staring at the facecloth he was toying with while Skyy looked uncertain as he backed towards the door.

“You’re not going anywhere, little one,” Dennis softly informed Skyy, wrapping his arm around him. “Care to share what happened here?” He correctly guessed he was about to learn what else had been bothering Dusty and how it involved Skyy.

The young men had stopped yelling at one another and were slowly calming down. They looked into one another’s faces. Dusty saw the hurt in his partner’s eyes while Skyy came to the realization that the other man had felt threatened in some way.

“I’m so sorry, little buddy,” Dusty shamefully apologized. Moving over, he gently invited his fellow-Brat to get in with him. “The water is still nice and warm, Skyy, and there’s always more than enough room for all of us.”

Skyy climbed in and knelt down beside Dusty before offering the clarification he hoped would set his lover’s mind at ease. “It was just a kiss of affection from one friend to another, D. It was the same as when Dom kisses one of us or when Dennis kisses Slade or Jayden.”

“Are you telling me that Aaron is a ‘Top’?”

“No! I’m saying that he’s a friend, is all,” was Skyy’s unshakeable declaration. He waited a few moments before taking a deep sigh and continuing. “I was about fourteen when I came to grips with why I didn’t want a girlfriend, if you know what I mean. I didn’t understand all of it at first and I had no one to talk things over with until I met Aaron. He is almost two years older than me and back then was only one grade ahead of me. We became friends and even though I missed a lot of school, we still managed to spend time together. He lived with his parents and his Aunt Kay. They all worked so we were able to be alone a couple of times a week at his home. We sorta explored a bit and experiment with each other; but only kissy-kissy, touchy-feely stuff. You know; I jerk you off, you jerk me off. Just pals, is all.”

“Yeah I get it, Buddy,” Dusty softly acknowledged. He felt bad for having spoken the way he had to the younger man. “I guess I was worried you might want to be with someone your own age instead of with a couple of guys who are six and ten years older.”

“Hey, I like older guys!” Skyy informed his partner with a crooked grin. Throwing his arms around the other Brat’s neck, he gently kissed him before sitting back on his heels. “D, I do like the idea of having someone my own age to hang around with, but we’re a team now. I only want you and Dennis for my partners. It’s only you guys I’m in love with. You’re going to have to trust me like I trust you.”

“I do, Skyy. Honest! I’m sorry for the things I said to you. I shouldn’t have and I’ll try never to do it again,” was Dusty’s fervent promise.

“Okay, D. Now that we’ve got that settled, what did you do with the soap?” Skyy asked, feeling round the bottom of the tub for the bar. “Yuck, it’s all slimy now!” he gripped as he began washing himself.

Dusty laughed at the look of distaste on his fellow-Brat’s face. “Sorry, Buddy, guess I dropped it.”

Dennis had been listening to all that was being said and he felt proud of the younger men’s efforts to talk things over rather than silently harbouring their hurt or confused feelings. Not communicating with each other was a problem they had dealt with more than once in the past.

Glancing up at their older partner, Dusty inquired. “Are you coming in, Den? There is still room for one more old man, right Skyy?” He winked at his fellow-Brat and received a mischievous grin of understanding in return.

“Old!” Dennis pretended to be insulted. “I’ll show you two cheeky Brats just how old I am later.”

Skyy and Dusty watched appreciatively as the older man got undressed. They never tired of admiring Dennis well-developed and toned body. They both thought their Top was one gorgeous hunk.

“Well, you are older than us, Den,” Dusty reminded him.

“I’ll only be twenty-nine in April, Brat.”

“But twenty-nine is old, Den! It’s almost dead!” Skyy laughed as he teased his oldest partner.

Dennis shook his head and rolled his eyes dramatically as he lowered himself into the tub. He leaned back to relax with a long sigh of contentment. “Old, my foot!” he mockingly grumbled moments before two giggling Brats pounced.

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

SATURDAY

“Den, I’m bored!” Skyy announced. ‘Man, this sucks! Being grounded during the week is bad enough but on the weekend it’s even worst!’ he thought to himself as he stared down at the man sitting behind the big desk in the study.

“Have you got all your chores done?”

“Yes, here’s the list.” Skyy dug in his pocket, pulled out the crumpled piece of paper and handed it to the other man.

Checking it over, Dennis saw that all the items had been marked off. He trusted that his young partner would have done an excellent job on each of the assignments listed there. Looking up, he asked, “Have you finished writing out your lines?”

“Yep!” Skyy placed the sheets of paper in his other hand on top of the desk and waited for the older man’s sign of approval.

“Do you want to start making something for supper?” Dennis suggested as he disposed of the papers in his hand.

“I did that! I’ve got homemade baked beans cooking in the crock pot and I just put a loaf of oatmeal-molasses bread in the oven.”

“What about your homework?”

“Finished!”

“Then why don’t you find a book to read or a puzzle to put together?”

“I don’t feel like doing something by myself but you’re correcting papers and Dusty told me to stop bothering him while he’s busy replacing the faucets in the guest bathroom.” Skyy complained.

“Well, at least one good thing has resulted from our being snowed in. He’s been talking about doing that plumbing job for over a month now,” Dennis commented as he pushed his chair back and held out his arms. “Come here, Sport,” he gently invited.

“You’re sure you can’t think of a single activity you want to do?” Dennis spoke into the soft curls resting against his shoulder, once Skyy was seated comfortable on his lap.

“Can I phone Aaron or IM him,” the young man asked hopefully. “Or maybe go outside for a bit?”

“Sorry, Skyy, you’re grounded! Actually we’re all kind of grounded because of the storm. You’ll have to think of something else,” the older man suggested not unkindly.

“Okay, but I just wanted to go out in the yard and maybe start shoveling now that there’s hardly any snow falling. I already let Pepe know I wouldn’t be able to make it today but I told Aaron I’d be in touch with him over the weekend.”

“That’s unfortunate, because one of our rules when you’re grounded is no phone or Internet assess, right?”

“Yeah, and it sucks!” Skyy pouted. He waited a couple of minutes and when no more suggestions were forthcoming, he pushed himself up and grumbled. “I saw Dusty go down to the basement a little while ago to turn the water back on, so I’m going upstairs to see if he’s finished yet.”

Dennis smiled at the retreating back and turned to the papers he had been working on.

The peacefulness of the study was shattered several minutes later by a bellow from the second floor of their home and the pounding of feet in the upper hallway. Dennis arrived at the foot of the stairs just in time to catch Skyy as he barreled down them with Dusty in hot pursuit.

“Now what’s going on?” Dennis demanded, holding on to one squirming young partner while trying to keep the older one at arm’s length. Looking at Skyy, he sternly inquired. “What did you do?”

“I was just checking to see if the new shower nozzle was working properly,” Skyy answered with a look of wide-eyed innocence.

“But I was kneeling in the tub to tighten the drain when you turned on the water, you little shit,” Dusty yelled as he stood there red-faced with water dripping from his hair and a wet shirt clinging to him.

“Language, Dustin!” Dennis quietly reminded him as he successfully fought the urge to laugh before turning back to the miscreant in question. “Corner, Skyylar; now!” he ordered.

‘Ooooh; one word sentences; not good!’ thought Skyy, grimacing and slowly making his way to his designated place of confinement. Even though he knew he was in trouble, he couldn’t help softly giggling at the picture of Dusty looking like a drown rat.

After getting Dusty calmed down and sending him up to their room to change, Dennis entered the study and walked over to stand next to his young rascal. He frowned in concern when he saw Skyy’s shoulders shaking slightly and wondered if the younger man was already crying in anticipation of additional punishment. Then he heard the snicker and knew Skyy was still finding his antics amusing. ‘So much for feeling sorry,’ Dennis thought, smiling and shaking his head in loving exasperation.

“Are you ready to apologize, young man?” he asked anyway. Getting a small negative shrug, he pulled the chair away from the wall and set it behind Skyy. “Take a seat!” he ordered.

Skyy realized he’d be here for a good length of time when he was made to sit. He felt like kicking the wall but refrained from doing so, remembering in time what would happen next. In this house, Brats got spank for that because throwing things, slamming doors in anger and wall-kicking were consider temper tantrums. Skyy and Dusty had both learned that the hard way.

“Den!” Skyy called out ten minutes later, turning to face the desk.

“Turn around, Skyylar?”

“But the timer just beeped. My bread’s ready to come out of the oven.”

“Okay, I’ll take care of it. You stay where you are,” Dennis admonished as he left the room.

Dennis returned to try for the umpteenth time to get papers graded. Sometime later, he saw the signs of restlessness. Skyy was slouched down with his feet on the wall and looking up at the ceiling. He then sat up straight and started twisting the chair back and forth, which is not an easy feat to accomplish in a straight-backed chair. Dennis had a hard time to stop himself getting up and gathering the antsy young man into his arms in order to put an end to the antics.

“Have you given any thought to the idea of apologizing yet, Skyy?” he gently inquired.

“Yes, Den,” was the soft reply from the corner’s occupant.

“Then come here, Sport,” Dennis invited and in seconds found his arms filled with one repentant Brat.

“I’m sorry, Den, but I couldn’t stop myself,” Skyy explained as he straddled his partner’s lap and gently stroked his cheek.

“Did you try to stop yourself?” Dennis asked, trying to maintain a stern appearance.

“Weeell, not really,” he admitted and gave the bigger man an impish grin. “It was just sooo tempting.”

“Dusty is reading in the living room. Do you think you can go and set things right without causing any more mischief?”

“Yeah, I’ll be good,” the younger man promised before placing a kiss on the other man’s lips. He got up off Dennis’ lap and headed out of the room.

Dennis waited until Skyy had left the room before chuckling away to himself. He wasn’t able to hold back his laughter any longer. Coming up with a plan to take care of his youngest partner’s abundance of unspent energy, he got up and followed Skyy into the other room. He found both his Brats cuddling on the large recliner.

“Skyy, now that the storm has let up, I’ve decided to take you up on your offer to shovel some snow. Go put on your jacket and boots. Don’t forget your ski-pants,” Dennis instructed.

“You better go to the washroom before you get dressed,” Dusty suggested with a smirk.

“But I don’t need to go!”

“You’ll probably have to as soon as you’re ready to step outdoors.” Dennis and Dusty both laughed at the piqued expression on Skyy’s face.

“Well, this should afford us at least half an hour of peace and quiet,” Dusty merrily commented at the slamming of the back door and returned to his reading.

“Something sure smells appetizing out here, Grease-monkey,” Dennis said, walking into the kitchen some time later. He had finally finished his paperwork and he was hungry. Looking around he asked, “Where’s Skyy?”

“He hasn’t come in yet,” Dusty answered as he set the table.

“He’s been outside for over an hour!”

“Guess he’s having too much fun to come in. He loves it out there.”

“I better go find him and drag him in for supper,” the older man said, shrugging into his jacket and slipping on his boots.

Dennis stood on the back deck and looked out at the newly fallen snow. He noticed Skyy had done his usual meticulous job of clearing off the balcony and steps. He had even dug out a path to the garage. Dennis understood why Skyy would love being out here. With dusk approaching, everything was breathtakingly beautiful and fresh smelling. He started walking along their large, wrap-around porch in search for his youngest partner.

“Skyy!” Dennis called and not getting an answer, raised his voice to call again. “Skyy! Skyylar!”

“I’m right here, Den!”

Dennis looked up where the voice was coming from and stopped dead in his tracks. “What are you doing up on the porch roof, young man, and how did you get up there?”

“I didn’t use the ladder!” Skyy thought he should first make that perfectly clear as he was not allowed to use it unless Dusty or Dennis was with him. “I just climbed on the railing over there, then onto the garage and up here. It wasn’t hard at all. I wanted to remove the build-up of snow before the roof caved in,” he explained.

Dennis stepped off the veranda into the deeper snow on the driveway so he could better see the younger man. “There was no danger of that happening, Skyy. I want you to get down immediately, young man!” he demanded.

“I can’t!”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t know how to do it without falling!” Skyy called down.

Realizing his Brat was frightened by the predicament he found himself in, Dennis lowered his voice and calmly instructed, “Okay, honey, just do what I tell you. Sit down as near to the edge as possible and let yourself fall forward.” At Skyy’s look of disbelief, he added, “You’re only a little over six feet above me. I’ll catch you, sweetheart. Promise!” He wanted to get Skyy back on the ground as quickly and safely as possible before the young man slipped and fell.

It was a testimony to the Skyy’s trust in his partner that without another word he sat down, scooted over to the edge of the porch roof and dropped into the waiting arms below him. The fall’s momentum landed Dennis on his back in a soft pile of snow and he looked up into the sparkling violet-blue eyes of his young lover.

“My hero!” Skyy lightly teased, wrapping his arms around the big man’s neck and kissing him.

“You keep on pulling stunts like this and your hero is going to have heart failure,” Dennis laughed and tightly hugged the precious bundle in his arms. “But seriously, young man, if I ever find you up there again, sitting comfortably is going to seem like a long lost art. Got it?”

“Got it, Den!”

“Okay! Dusty is waiting for us, so let’s get inside and have supper.”

“Good idea! I’m starving!” Skyy exclaimed as he rolled off his partner’s chest.

Dennis got to his feet then reached down and with one smooth motion, pulled Skyy up and over his shoulder. As he stepped onto the porch he landed a swat on his laughing Brat’s backside to try and stop the squirming. Skyy retaliated by landing a smack of his own on the seat of big man’s jeans.

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

SUNDAY

“You can finish this snowman on your own, Skyy! I’m going to make something to eat because Dennis will be home soon and he’ll be hungry after running all the errands,” Dusty called over his shoulder as he walked towards the house.

The stillness of the late afternoon was disturbed by the sounds of a ski-doo. People from the nearby neighbourhoods used the alley behind their home as a thoroughfare for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling in the winter, motorbikes and ATV’s in the summer. It was public property so there was nothing they could do about it except put up with the occasional noise.

“Hey there, kiddo! What’cha doing’?”

Skyy’s face lit up when he turned around and saw Aaron coming through the back gate. “Hey, yourself! I’m just enjoying the fresh air and taking advantage of the new snow. It’s perfect for making snowballs,” Skyy answered as he gathered up a handful of snow, formed it into a ball and playfully threw it at his friend, hitting him on the arm. “How did you get here?”

“On my ski-doo!” Aaron jerked his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the alley. “I left it on the other side of the fence.” Looking around, he exclaimed, “Man, you guys have a really big yard! Wow, you even have a swimming pool!”

“Yeah, but it’s not much good in the winter. Dusty wants to get it closed in but our older partner says the cost of keeping it heated would be astronomical.” Skyy screwed up his face, clearly indicating he was on Dusty’s side.

“Sounds like something my partner would say,” Aaron laughed.

“We don’t have a ski-doo, though,” Skyy said wistfully. “Somebody insists we have enough toys as it is.” Skyy rolled his eyes, remembering Dennis’ response to Dusty’s request to get one.

“Come on, then! I’ll take you for a ride on mine.”

Skyy didn’t need any amount of persuading to take up the invitation, nor did he give any thought to the fact that not only was he unsafely attired, he was still grounded. He had never been snowmobiling before and was too excited to think of anything else at the moment.

For the next half-hour, Skyy had the time of his life. He held on to Aaron as they raced over the clean, crisp snow with the wind blowing in his face. Unfortunately, the fun came to an abrupt halt when they returned to find a large angry Top standing by the back gate with his hands on his hips and a stern frown on his face.

“Aaah…hi, Den,” Skyy said tentatively as he climbed off the machine.

“Where have you been, young man, and who is this?” Dennis asked, not being able to see the face behind the helmet visor.

“My friend, Aaron; he dropped by and offered to take me for a ride. I’ve never been on a ski-doo before, Den.” Skyy hoped his partner would understand that the opportunity had been just too good to pass up.

“Hmmm, I better be going, Skyy,” Aaron said quietly. He was shocked at discovering who Skyy’s oldest partner was.

“Not so fast, Aaron; bring your ski-doo into the yard where no one can get at it. Then I want both of you in the house; right now!” Dennis ordered. He knew Aaron’s partner and due to his student’s academic problems, had a pretty good idea of the type of lifestyle the two men lived. If he was not mistaken, it was very similar to his relationship, minus one Brat of course.

After parking two rather nervous young men on the couch in his study, Dennis placed a call and left a recorded message requesting Aaron’s partner to join them as soon as possible. Then he left the room, returning a few minutes later with a plate of sandwiches and a drink for each of them.

“Your partner was not at home, Aaron. When do you expect him back?” Dennis asked.

“Sometime after supper I think,” was Aaron’s dispirited answer.

“Well, I left a message asking him to come over,” Dennis informed him before walking over to take a seat at his desk and turn on the computer. Looking up, he softly admonished. “Eat up, boys.”

“Man, I’m in deep shit now!” Aaron all but groaned as he picked up a sandwich. He checked to see what was in it before taking a bite.

“How come?” asked Skyy around a mouth full of peanut butter, jam and bread.

“Because I’m not supposed to be out. I wanted to call you but we didn’t get home from the dinner party on Friday night until late. Then yesterday my partner, Stephen, was around and I couldn’t use the phone. I called you a few times this morning, but there was no answer. I was fed up with being home on my own so I decided to come by. I was hoping you would be here.”

“The reason you couldn’t reach me this morning is because we were all out on snow removal detail,” Skyy grinned and then asked as an after-thought, “How come you were at home alone?”

“We were both supposed to spend the day and have dinner at Stephen’s parent’s place. He went without me because I’m grounded for not getting home when I was told to on Friday night. Of course, not calling didn’t help my cause,” Aaron smirked.

“You’re grounded, too?” Skyy asked in surprise.

“Yeah! Why? Are you?” Aaron was equally surprised. He looked over at Dennis and then back at Skyy. “Is Professor Taylor, hmmm, sort of your senior partner?” He just had to ask.

“Huh-huh!” Skyy answered, his grin widening from ear to ear and dimples deepening in each cheek.

“Shit, kiddo, why didn’t you tell me he was your partner?” the other young man gripped.

“It was more fun this way. I knew you’d be surprised and I wanted to see your reaction.” Skyy giggled. “By the way, now that you know who my partner is; who’s yours?”

“Dr. Stephen Dundass. You probably don’t know him ‘cause he’s a kid’s dentist.”

“But I do know him.” Skyy bounced in his seat. “He was the one who filled my tooth last summer. It was kind of an emergency and Dr. Walter was too busy.”

“I have one more question, Skyy. Is your other partner also a Top?” Aaron knew he was being nosey but how could a guy find out things if he didn’t ask.

“Nope, he’s a Brat just like me!” Skyy’s statement caused both of them to burst out laughing.

Dennis, although not participating in it, could hear most of the conversation and Skyy glanced up just in time to catch the older man smiling to himself.

“In other words, Skyy, you’re in as much shit as I am, right?” Aaron asked quietly.

“Yeah, only you didn’t have to remind me.” Skyy sighed with resignation and softly added, “but me and Dennis will take care of it after you leave and then it will be over with.”

“I got ya, kiddo,” Aaron whispered, thinking of his own upcoming discussion with his partner.

The young men slowly finished off the snack Dennis had brought them as they silently dwelt on their own thoughts. Skyy looked at Dennis to see his partner’s eyes fondly watching him. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to crawl onto the big man’s lap but didn’t think he should while Aaron was still in the room. Dennis, however, understanding his youngest Brat’s needs, pushed back his chair and walked over to the couch. He sat down beside Skyy and gently gathered the younger man unto his lap and into his arms. Sensing the other Brat was also in need of some comfort; Dennis reached for and pulled Aaron against his side to keep him securely held by an arm around his shoulders.

“Have you boys had enough to eat or would you like something else?” Dennis asked.

Two sets of eyes, one a beloved violet-blue and the other a soft brown, gazed up at him as two heads gave small negative shakes.

The introspective mood was interrupted by Dusty coming into the room, followed by a good-looking, dark-haired man.

Aaron squirmed out from under Dennis’ arm and ran into the arms of his partner. “I’m sorry, Steve, for disobeying and skipping out on my grounding and for making you cut your visit short with your parents and, and…..” Aaron babbled into the chest he had his head nestled against.

“It’s okay, Peanut. We’ll talk when we get home,” Stephen spoke soothingly to calm the younger man.

All too soon, Skyy found himself alone with Dennis. Greetings and introductions had been exchanged, and the afternoon’s acts of impulsive disobedience had been discussed. Stephen had thanked Dennis for detaining his partner; assured him that if it was not in the way, the ski-doo would be picked-up later in the week and after a congenial good-bye, left with Aaron. Even Dusty had deserted them.

“I’m leaving now,” Dusty had informed his partners a few minutes earlier as he shouldered into his jacket before grabbing his cell phone off the table by the front door. “I promised Slade and Jayden that I’d go with them to Dooly’s at seven o’clock. They should be here any minute now to pick me up.”

“I hope you’re not planning to be late, love. It is a work night,” Dennis reminded him.

“I’ll be home by ten-thirty at the latest, Den,” Dusty promised. Hearing Slade’s horn blowing, he kissed his partners goodbye and headed out the door with a ‘See you later, Buddy’.

“Well, Skyy, there are just the two of us and it looks like we have a couple of things to take care of, haven’t we?” Dennis said, leading the younger man over to the big, comfy, double recliner.

“I’m sorry, Den,” Skyy murmured as he settled beside the other man. “I didn’t mean to break the rules. It’s just that when I was given a chance to go snowmobiling, I jumped at it without even thinking about anything else.”

“I can understand that, Sport, but you are going to have to learn to suppress some of these impulses. What is the rule about leaving the property when you are grounded?”

“Not to!” Skyy answered, looking down and playing with the hem of his shirt.

“In other words, it’s the same as saying no, isn’t it?” Dennis asked firmly. “Look up and answer me properly, Skyy!’ he ordered when he received a shrug instead of a verbal response to his last question.

“Yes, it means no,” Skyy admitted and looked into the brown eyes of his partner. He found no anger or disappointment there, only loving concern and a determination to help curb unacceptable behaviour.

“Not only did you break a rule, Skyy, but you also endangered yourself. Do you know how?” Dennis wanted to find out if Skyy even knew the rules for safe ski-dooing.

“No!” Skyy answered with a look of bewilderment on his young face. He waited patiently for an explanation.

“You should have been wearing a helmet like the one Aaron had on. Apparently you didn’t think about that, but Aaron should have! Under no condition are you to get on any type of sporting vehicle without the proper equipment. You’ve always worn a helmet when riding a bike. You’ve also added elbow and knee pads when you’ve used your skateboard or rollerblades, so you do know how to play safe. The same applies when playing with larger toys. Right?”

“Right! I won’t ride again without a helmet…..that is, if I’m ever allowed to ride again. Will I be?” Skyy asked hopefully.

“Yes, if you do it safely. And to help you remember, I expect you to write an essay on the subject. You can keep it in your project binder.” Getting an enthusiastic nod of compliance, Dennis continued. “Now we only have to deal with you leaving the yard when you were grounded.”

“But, Den, I just….” Skyy didn’t get to finish his presentation of feeble excuses before he found himself face down over the bigger man’s thighs and felt a cool draft wave over his bared bottom.

Half an hour later, one red-eyed, still sniffing, well-chastened Brat cuddled on his Top’s lap and drifted into a light sleep.

It was almost midnight when Dusty tried to nonchalantly enter their home, only to find Dennis waiting for him.

“Where have you been, Dusty, and why didn’t you call? You’re over an hour later than you said you’d be. Skyy and I have been worrying about you.” Dennis waited for the younger man to explain.

“I’m sorry, Den. We ran into a bit of trouble with the truck, but it’s okay now. I took care of everything. We couldn’t call because Slade and Jayden forgot their cells and when I tried use mine, it died on me. Nothing bad happened. I mean, no one was hurt or anything. I’m sorry you were so worried,” Dusty apologized and threw his arms around his partner’s neck.

“All right, love. It’s late and tomorrow’s a workday, so let’s just get ready for bed.” Dennis returned the embrace and kissed him. He was too tired to be anything other than relieved to have his Brat was home safe and sound.

Dusty breathed out his own sigh of relief when he understood there would be no further discussion. Little did he realize that tonight’s events would come back to haunt him.

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

MONDAY

“Hello, kiddo!” Aaron greeted as he set his lunch tray on the table, pulled out an empty chair and gingerly sat down. He had spotted his friend sitting in a quiet corner of the cafeteria and decided to join him. “How did things go last night after Steve and I left?”

“I’ve had better evenings,” Skyy grimaced as he squirmed in his chair. “I take it you didn’t fair too well yourself.”

“You got that right! I got paddled because Steve held me accountable for enticing you to go ski-dooing when I didn’t have the extra helmet with me. He said I should have known better because I have the experience and I’m older.”

“Dennis sometimes says things like that to Dusty, but then he tells me I’m responsible for making my own decisions. And he’s right! I mean it’s not as if you were holding a gun to my head or something. I wanted to ride but I should have thought more about my own safety. I probably will in the future though, because I have to do an essay on it.”

“That sucks!”

“I’d rather do that than write boring, repetitive, time-consuming, mind-numbing lines. Man, lines are what really suck!”

“They both suck!” Aaron griped and the two young men started laughing.

“How come I’ve never seen you in here before, Skyy?”

“I usually eat lunch in Dennis’ office with him. That’s when we get to spend some alone time and just talk or listen to our favourite music. I came to the cafeteria today because Dennis had a dentist appointment and he wouldn’t take me with him.”

“I hope he doesn’t run in to Stephen ‘cause we certainly don’t want them comparing anymore notes.”

“Nah, I don’t think they’ll do that. They’ve already hashed over yesterday’s events, so it’s old news by now.” At least that was Skyy’s guess. “Hey, Aaron, are you going to the Valentine Day’s dance this Saturday?”

“I thought of asking Steve if we could but I don’t have to bother now because he extended my grounding another two weeks. He figures I need the practice,” the other young man answered with a smirk. “Are you planning to attend, Skyy?”

“Yeah; the three of us are really looking forward to it! We love dancing and we’re good at it! I think Dennis might have to be sort of a non-official chaperone or something.”

“You know, I’ve been wanting to ask you about this threesome thing. I mean, how does it work? I’d never be able to share Steve and I have a hard time understanding how Dusty could have put up with his partner bringing home someone new.”

“Well to begin with, it was Dusty who brought me home, not Dennis. That was almost a year ago but we only been partners since last June. I don’t exactly know what makes it work except we love and trust each other, are committed to our relationship and none of us wants to be with anyone else.”

“Does Dusty get disciplined?” Aaron asked, keeping his voice low.

“Huh-huh! They’ve lived together for going on five years now. He was the one who asked Dennis for help in the first place and they worked things out together.”

“What if you told Dennis you didn’t want that kind of relationship?”

“But I do like having Dennis in charge. Someone has to make the final decisions about things that concern the three of us. Dennis is real good at that. Dusty and I trust him completely. But I did have a choice of whether or not I wanted to be disciplined. I knew I needed the structure and it makes me feel safe. When D or I get in over our heads or something, Den just helps us take care of it. He says it’s a simple direct solution. There’s no arguing and when it is over, the slate is wiped clean.”

“But what if you didn’t want it? Would they have still let you be a partner?”

“Yes they’d still let me. Dennis said we’d work things out and even though it would be hard, he figured it was doable. He’s very good at this figuring-out thing.”

“I don’t know, man. I just can’t see me ever sharing like that,” Aaron said as he slowly shook his head.

“Hey, we’re not the only threesome in the world. If fact, there’s another partnership of three that we know personally,” Skyy informed his friend.

“I heard of others, too. Steve’s and my doctor has two partners, but I’ve never met them.”

“I bet you go to Dr. Durante, right?” Getting an affirmative nod, Skyy continued, “Well, Dom’s our family doctor too, and he’s a good friend of Dennis’. His partners, Slade and Jayden, are D’s best friends….next to Den and me, of course,” Skyy clarified with a knowing grin.

“No shit! Small world or what, eh?”

“You and Dr. Stephen have been together for over a year and a half but when did you decide on a discipline partnership?” It was Skyy’s turn to be inquisitive.

“I didn’t actually. Steve just told me how it was going to be. The fact that we met while I was trying to break into his car may have been one of the reasons behind his insistence that we have discipline in our relationship. But we talk over things like the rules and stuff before he makes any final decisions.”

“You were trying to break into his car? Are you serious, man?” Skyy’s voice and expression clearly showed how shocked he was by this latest revelation.

“It was shortly after you left our place almost two years ago. I had gotten into an argument with my old man and walked out. I wandered around for a couple of hours and when I was too tired to go any further, I found my way into a underground parking garage and was trying to get in a car to go to sleep. Steve caught me, wormed the story out of me and dragged me home to my parents. He could have turned me in but he didn’t. He even smoothed things over between my dad and me. He’s really one neat dude. I started hanging around his office and apartment until he finally broke down and took me to dinner. By September we were living together and last fall we bought our own home; but I already told you about that.”

“Dusty found me kinda breaking into something too. Only it was a dumpster at his work, not his car!” Skyy laughed. Looking up at the clock on the wall, Skyy got to his feet and announced. “I gotta get going, Aaron. I have ten minutes to get to the library and then I have my final class of the day. Catch ya later, okay?”

“I don’t think so! Not today anyway. I don’t feel very good. I think I might be coming down with a cold or the flu, so I’m going home. See ya tomorrow,” Aaron said as the two young men parted company.

~~~~~~~~~~~

WEDNESDAY

“Skyy, have you seen Aaron lately?” Dennis asked as he set the table for supper.

“Not for the last couple of days. I talked with him for a bit in the cafeteria the day you were at the dentist. Why?” Skyy looked up inquisitively from where he was bent over the oven checking on the baked potatoes and meatloaf.

“He hasn’t attended any of my classes this week and I’m getting concerned. Did he say if there was a problem I should know about?”

“Not about school, Den.” Skyy thought back to the conversation with Aaron and remembered. “He said he wasn’t feeling very good and he was going home. That was about one o’clock on Monday. Maybe he’s really sick or something.”

“I’ll give him a call and see if he needs help with his assignments,” Dennis said, walking out of the kitchen and down the hall to his study.

“Well I hope you’re well enough to return to class before the end of the week, Aaron.” Dennis ended the conversation and hung up the phone just as Skyy’s hollered summons reached him.

“Deeeennis! Supper’s ready! Deeen…” Skyy’s voice cracked as he tried shouting again.

“Skyy, I was just in the other room, not halfway down the block,” Dennis scolded. “You don’t even have everything on the table.”

“Well I wasn’t sure what you’d want me to do ‘cause D’s not home yet,” Skyy explained uncertainly, watching the other man’s reaction.

Dennis shook his head and gave a long sigh of frustration. “I told that man this morning that he was to be home no later then five-thirty. He worked overtime the last two nights and I would not allow him to work a third. How long do you think you can keep things warm without ruining them, Sport?”

“Probably another fifteen or twenty minutes. Bet he’ll be home before then,” Skyy hoped.

Thirty minutes later, Dennis decided to go ahead with their evening meal. “Okay, we’ve waited long enough, Skyy. I’ve tried to call Dusty’s cell but it’s been turned off. We’ll have to eat without him.”

The meal was quieter than usual as was always the case when one of them was missing. Dennis was annoyed about his oldest Brat’s defiance and Skyy was upset by Dennis’ displeasure, even though it was not direct at him. It certainly wasn’t conducive for the making of one of their happier mealtimes.

“Use a tissue, Skyy!” Dennis reminded once again as he caught the younger man wiping his nose on his shirt. “Go get a box from the bathroom and bring it out here, honey,” he requested.

“Sorry, Den. It’s just a bad habit,” Skyy offered as an excuse when he returned to the table.

“Bad habit is right and one that can be broken, young man. Next time I see you doing it, I’ll be the one wiping your nose for you. Maybe that will help you remember not to use your sleeve as a handkerchief,” Dennis admonished in spite of his Brat’s frown.

Barely ten minutes had passed before Dennis had to make good his threat. Skyy had been filling the sink with hot, soapy water for washing the dishes when Dennis reached around from behind him to wipe his nose with a hand full of tissue.

“OW! You don’t have to be so rough!” the younger man wailed.

“Apparently I do if I hope to make an impression. Besides, I wasn’t being rough at all. Your nose is probably sore from you rubbing it so much. Are you coming down with something?” Dennis asked. Putting a hand to Skyy’s forehead, he was relieved to find no sign of a fever.

“I’m okay. My nose is running a bit, is all!” Skyy groused and pushed Dennis’ hand away. His amicable mood was slowly deteriorating.

“Here, Sport, let me do the washing up while you go hit the school books,” the older man suggested in hopes of improving his Brat’s frame of mind. “And keep the box of tissue handy,” he teased.

Dennis was working in his study a few hours later when he heard the back door quietly open and close. ‘So my grease-monkey has finally decided to come home,’ he thought to himself with a feeling of irritation. He waited until his partner made it to the foot of the stairs before getting up from his desk and calling out.

“Dustin! In here, please!”

“Let me explain, Dennis. I know you told me no more overtime this week but I had to work again ‘cause there was no one else to do it. I shouldn’t have to stay late tomorrow though,” Dusty hoped this last bit of information would appease the older man.

“Dusty, you’ve been home late the last three evenings. You worked overtime on two of those evenings and tonight makes it three in a row that you put extra time in at the shop. What was the last thing I said to you this morning before you left for work?” Dennis watched as the other man just shrugged his shoulders and kept his eyes glued to the floor in front of him. He waited several seconds for an answer and not getting one, raised his voice slightly to get his Brat’s attention.

“Dustin! Answer me, young man.”

“You said to be home no later than five-thirty,” a forlorn voice responded.

“And what did I say would happen if you failed to follow that directive?” This time when he didn’t receive a response, Dennis walked over, took his partner by the shoulders and turned him to face the corner. “March!” The one-word order was accompanied by a hard swat on Dusty’s backside.

Dennis sat back down at his desk to finish what he had been working on earlier. He allowed ten minutes to pass before asking, “Are you ready to participate in this discussion, Dustin?” Getting a muffled ‘yes’, he stood up and quietly said, “Come here then.”

Released from his corner, Dusty immediately dove into his partner’s opened arms.

“I’m sorry, Den. I know I should have come home like you said. You’re right! I’ve already done my fair share this week.”

“Yes, and what did I say would happen if you worked late again tonight?” the other man asked patiently.

“That you’d spank me,” was the whispered reply.

“Let’s take care of it then so we can get to bed before midnight,” Dennis calmly instructed, pulling the straight-back chair away from the wall. “Take off your jeans and sneakers, Dusty.”

Shortly before midnight Dusty crawled into bed and snuggled up to his fellow-Brat. It had taken him longer than usual to calm down and be soothed by the comfort his older partner lovingly provided. He was tired, his eyes were sore and swollen, his nose was stuffed up, and his butt felt like he’d been sitting on a hot stove. But tomorrow was a new day and he’d be starting it with a clean slate.

Skyy stirred just enough to wrap his arms around Dusty and fell back into a deep sleep. Soon all three men were sleeping soundly.

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

FRIDAY

“Skyy, I want you to stay home today,” Dennis said as he set out cereal and juice.

“Why?” Skyy almost wailed but ended up coughing instead.

“That cough is why! You woke us several times during the night, Sport. You are definitely coming down with something,” Dennis patiently pointed out.

“I’m sorry, guys. I didn’t meant to disturb you,” Skyy apologized, trying not to cough again.

“Hey, it’s not your fault, honey,” Den assured him, getting up to get the cough syrup out of the refrigerator. Measuring out a spoonful, he instructed. “Open up, Skyy.”

Skyy swallowed the medicine and grimaced. “Yuck! That tasted awful! Whoever says it’s fruit-flavoured is lying.”

Dennis smiled at the complaint as he sat down and took Skyy’s small hand in his larger one. “I want you to stay home today and get some rest. We don’t need whatever your getting to be worse than it has to?”

“But I was hoping to see Aaron today. We haven’t been able to talk since Monday ‘cause he’s grounded,” Skyy whined.

“That’s unfortunate, Skyy, because you’re not leaving the house today.” Dennis maintained eye contact until his Brat’s sigh indicated his acceptance of what was expected of him.

“You better not give any of your germs to me, kid, or else!” Dusty threatened. Buttering his toast and taking a huge bite, he grumbled through his mouthful of food. “It’s bad enough that you disrupted my sleep.”

“HA! More likely it was the spanking you got again last night that kept you from sleeping properly, dufus,” Skyy scoffed at his fellow-Brat.

Dusty reached across the table and grabbed the front of the younger man’s shirt. “You’re asking for trouble, half-pint! But just beware; I’m not putting up with any of your shit today. Got it?”

“Let go of me, you jerk!” Skyy jumped up and wrestled to get Dusty’s hand off him.

“That’s enough! One more word and you’re both going to be spanked. Sit down and finish your breakfast; right now!” Dennis ordered as he stepped in to prevent things from escalating.

The two young men obeyed but spend the rest of the meal silently glaring at each other. Both were out-of-sorts and decidedly cranky. Skyy wasn’t feeling well and Dusty couldn’t remember the last time he had been this tired.

“Another thing, Dusty,” Dennis continued. “I’m not going to keep reminding you about your language. If it continues to be a problem we’ll go back to the old tried and true soap method to take care of it. I also want the name-calling to stop and this applies to both of you. It’s unkind, disrespectful and undermines our relationship. This isn’t something new, guys. We’ve talked about it before. Now I expect you to apologize to each other.” When his order was met with complete silence, Dennis prodded, “Dustin!”

“Sorry,” Dusty mumbled begrudgingly with his head down.

“Whatever,” Skyy groused.

“Skyylar!” Dennis’ voice made the younger man jump.

“All right, I’m s-o-o-orry!” Skyy’s singsong apology held as much sincerity as Dusty’s had, which was absolutely none.

Dennis’ expression made his dissatisfaction clear but he didn’t comment. He thought it better to let them mull it over on their own. There were times when his silent disapproval had more affect on their behaviour than lecturing did. So changing the subject, Dennis firmly reminded his oldest Brat that there wasn’t to be any over-time that night.

“You are to be home no later that five-thirty, Dusty.”

“I know, I know,” the younger man muttered as he got up from the table. He didn’t need it brought to his attention again, especially after the last two nights’ punishments. However, he honestly acknowledged to himself that had Dennis not said anything, he would have used it as an out to work late again. Not that it had made a difference on previous mornings this week. He had worked well past his regular shift four consecutive nights; been soundly spanked twice and told in no uncertain terms that if he stayed late tonight, he’d be paddled. Dusty had no doubts Dennis meant business. The older man rarely resorted to using the paddle but if pushed, would have no qualms about doing so.

Noticing the tears of fatigue in his lover’s eyes, Dennis pushed back his chair and pulled the other man onto his lap. “I have half a mind to make you stay home with Skyy today, baby,” he said quietly against Dusty’s drooping head. “You’re so tired, love.”

“Please, Den, I have to go in. I’ll catch up on my sleep this weekend. Don’t make me stay home, please!” the younger man pleaded. “I won’t work late and I’ll even go to bed early tonight; promise!”

“All right, Grease-monkey!” Dennis relented even though it was against his better judgment and reassuringly hugged his Brat. He felt it was important to give his partner another chance to prove he could and would adhere to the directive to be home when expected.

“Thanks, Den; I love you!” Dusty fervently returned the hug and stood up. He stepped into his boots, put on his jacket and fetched his lunch from the counter. Next he kissed Dennis goodbye and headed towards the back door. His steps slowed and then stopped altogether as he reconsidered what he was doing. He glanced over his shoulder to see the look of sadness caused by his rejection. on Skyy’s young face. He felt the weight of the lunch box and thermos in his hand, knowing full-well who had packed it. He turned back and went to kneel beside his fellow-Brat. Wrapping his arms around the young man’s shoulders, he softly whispered a heartfelt apology.

“I’m so sorry, little buddy. I didn’t mean to take my rotten mood out on you. Thanks for packing my lunch. I love you, Skyy!” Dusty felt the smaller arms embracing him and a slight nod of acknowledgement. He knew he had been forgiven because not only was his love returned, but the younger man never held a grudge. It was just one of the many things Dusty loved and respected about this special partner of his. even though he sometimes took it for granted.

“I’m sorry too, D. I shouldn’t have mentioned you getting into trouble and being punished. I love you, too! We’re still a team, right?” Skyy’s arms tightened around Dusty’s neck as the young lovers kissed away the hurt feelings and murmured words of forgiveness.

“See ya later, Buddy. Get some rest like Den says and hopefully you’ll be feeling better by the time I get home,” Dusty called on his way out the door.

Half an hour later, Dennis bullied Skyy into swallowing two Tylenol and informed the grumpy young man he was leaving for the university. “I only have two lectures this morning, Skyy, so barring any unforeseen problems, I should be home by noon.”

“Can I get up and watch TV, Den?”

“Sorry, sweetie, but I want you to stay here and sleep if you can. You can only get up if you need to go to the bathroom.” Dennis stood by the bed and smiled down at his Brat’s pout. “Very impressive, Sport, but it’s not going to work.” He bent down and tweaked Skyy’s nose before turning towards the dresser to put on his tie. “You don’t want to let this illness get worse or last any longer than it has to, do you, Skyy?” He knew not to expect an answer when he glanced at Skyy’s reflection in the mirror to see that his partner was already asleep.

Sitting on the side of the bed, Dennis leaned over to place a kiss on the sleeping man’s forehead and noticed that although Skyy felt a little warmer than usual, he didn’t seem to be running a fever. Dennis felt a rush of emotion as he watched the young man sleeping. It was almost a year ago that Dusty had brought a very sick stray into their home. They had put a lot of time and effort into caring for him; Dusty, because he really wanted to and Dennis, out of a sense of duty. Things had definitely changed. Dennis loved this young partner of theirs more than he ever imagined possible. Skyy belonged to them now. One of Dennis’ responsibilities was to care for his younger partners. It was a responsibility the older man took very seriously.

“You can be so much work at times, little one,” he lovingly whispered, knowing his words weren’t being heard, “but you are more than worth it, as is Dusty.”

Making sure there was a glass of juice, a box of tissues and a couple of books on the night table, Dennis gently tucked the blankets around his sick Brat and with one final kiss, headed out for the morning.

Skyy was curled up in the fetal position and sleeping soundly when Dennis returned home three hours later. There were signs of him waking up and having gotten out of bed at least once. Most the blankets were rolled up at the foot of the bed, the box of Kleenex had fallen on the floor and was surrounded by several used tissues, the books lay opened on the nightstand and the glass of juice was missing.

Dennis quietly changed out of his suit and was hanging it up in the closet when Skyy began to stir. He listened for a couple of moments to the young man’s coughing before going downstairs and returning with the much hated cough syrup and a spoon. Getting a glass of water from the bathroom, he sat on the side of the bed and cajoled his Brat into sitting up against the headboard.

“Open up, sweetie,” he requested and tipped the medicine between Skyy’s slightly parted lips.

Skyy couldn’t grab the glass of water fast enough to rinse down the disgusting liquid. Too sick to even complain about it, he wormed his way onto his lover’s lap for a much-needed cuddle.

“I slept for most of the morning, Den,” he croaked. “But I hate being in bed during the day, so can I get up now?”

“Tell you what, sweetie,” Dennis said as he settled Skyy back against the headboard with several pillows to prop him up. “I’ll go make us some lunch and we can eat together up here.” Noticing the frown, he gently explained, “It’s warmer and more comfortable for you in bed, and even though you think otherwise, your eyes tell me you’re still tired.” He stood and pulled the blankets up from the foot of the bed to cover the young man.

Five minutes later, Dennis walked into the bedroom carrying a tray. Setting it on the bedside table, he leaned over and gently shook his partner awake. “Chow’s here, Sport.”

Sitting up straight, Skyy glanced at the food that had been placed in front of him. “I just want the chocolate milk, Den,” he said, reaching for the glass.

“It’s only soup and sandwiches, Skyy, and I expect you to eat it.” Dennis held out the plate with a PB&J sandwich on it.

Skyy crossed his arms, blew out a deep breath and glared at the older man. “But I’m not hungry,” he griped.

“You need the nourishment, Skyy, and we’re not arguing about it.”

Skyy knew Dennis wanted him to feel better as quickly as possible, so he chose to cooperate and obey his partner. He picked up the sandwich, bit into it and was surprised to discover how hungry he really was. He shyly smiled up at his caregiver. Then he not only ate his own lunch, he also helped Dennis finish his.

Dennis put the now empty tray on the table at the top of the stairs and took advantage of Skyy’s trip to the bathroom to tidy the room and remake the bed properly. He stood back to watch his sick partner scramble under the blankets and lie down. He frowned when he saw his Brat’s next action.

“Skyy, how many times have I told you not to wipe your nose on your shirt sleeve?”

“At least as many times as you’ve caught me.” The cheeky reply was accompanied with a mischievous grin.

Picking up the box of Kleenex off the floor, Dennis handed it to Skyy. “Use this or I will, Sport!” He got the wastepaper basket and collected up the used tissues from where Skyy had dropped them earlier. “Which of these books are you interested in, honey?” he asked, indicting the opened novels on the nightstand.

“Neither,” the young man mumbled, sniffing in an effort to clear his nose. “My eyes are too itchy to read.”

Taking a closer look at Skyy, Dennis saw slightly red, swollen eyes looking back at him from a small, flushed face.

“I’ll get something to make you feel better, sweetie.”

Returning from the bathroom, Dennis handed his partner a couple of Dristan and a glass of water. “Here, these should help alleviate some of the symptoms.”

Taking back the empty glass, Dennis inquired, “Where is the glass of juice I brought up earlier, Skyy?”

“Huh?” Skyy looked in bewilderment at the bedside table as if expecting the glass to reappear at any moment. “I forget what I did with it.” He watched the older man search around and finally locate the missing article under the bed. “Good thing it’s plastic, eh?”

“Yes, and I’m relieved to see it was also empty,” Dennis laughed.

When he was satisfied that the room was presentable, Dennis suggested much to Skyy’s chagrin that the younger man try to get some more rest.

“You’re going to leave me alone again, aren’t you?” Skyy accused.

“No, baby, I’ll be back as soon as I’ve done up the lunch dishes. I can do with a nap myself.”

Dennis lay still for a moment or two wondering what had disturbed his sleep. He did a double take when he noticed the time on the clock radio showed he had been sleeping for over an hour. Hearing the slam of a car door, he realized it was the sound of a vehicle driving into the yard that had awakened him. He gently slid out from under a softly snoring Skyy and got up to look out the window. Dusty’s truck was parked on the driveway.

Both men arrived in the kitchen at the same time and Dennis knew at a glance, he had another sick Brat on his hands.

“I promised you I wouldn’t be late today, Den,” Dusty reminded his partner, melting into the welcoming arms of the bigger man.

“Hmmm, so you did, love. However you didn’t say you’d be coming home sick,” Dennis teased and kissed Dusty’s head before ushering the other man up the stairs.

Skyy woke to the sounds of his partners’ quiet conversation. Dennis was pulling flannel pajamas out of the dresser drawer while Dusty was stripping out of his work clothes.

“How come you’re home so early, D? It’s only three o’clock,” Skyy croaked out amid bouts of coughing and wheezing. His arm was almost to his face when a handful of tissue appeared out of nowhere. He blushed and peered sheepishly up at his oldest partner to murmur, “Ahh, I still forget sometimes, is all.....sorry, Den.”

“You gave me your germs after all, Skyy,” Dusty groused, climbing in bed beside his fellow-Brat and pulling the blanket up over his shoulders. “Man, I’m freezing! Come here, Buddy, and help me warm up.”

“Well, ya can’t say I’ve never given you anything, D,” Skyy ribbed as he moved over to comply with his partner’s request.

Dennis doled out more cold medication, left his Brats wrestling with each other and went downstairs to prepare supper.

“You know, D, there are rules for being sick,” Skyy warned his partner as he wrapped his arms around him. “First, you have to stay in bed. Of course it sucks more if you’re by yourself.”

“Right now this bed feels kinda good to me, especially since we’re stuck here together and I’m finally starting to get warm,” Dusty sighed contentedly. “What else, Buddy?”

“Try not to cough because that stuff Den will force on you is poison, man. It’s honest to God C.P.P.”

“Canada Pension Plan?” Dusty asked. He was starting to get confused.

“No; concentrated pony-piss!” Skyy screwed up his face in memory of the gross-tasting syrup.

“Any other advice, Skyy?” Dusty asked when he was able to stop laughing long enough to talk.

“Yeah, use these!” Skyy strongly recommended, handing the box of tissues to the other man.

“No sweat! I got that down pat years ago, but between you and me, Buddy, I still like sleeves better.”

The young men continued giggling and joking for several more minutes while waiting for their older partner to reappear.

It was almost nine o’clock when Dennis heaved a sigh of relief and lowered himself onto the couch in the family room.

‘My God,’ he thought. ‘It’s only the first night.’ It had been a busy evening and had gotten more difficult as his Brats’ moods deteriorated. He’d had to coax, bribe and threaten them through supper. The arguments about the medicine not working so why take it, escalated. When one Brat was cold, the other was too warm or vice-versa. Both Brats were exhausted but fought sleep at every turn. Dennis wasn’t sure how many more days of this he could survive, although he was quite confident his partners would in all likelihood, fair better than he would.

Dusty was finding it hard to breathe. His ears felt plugged, his throat was sore, and he was teary-eyed. He had all the classic symptoms of a head cold. Skyy’s cold, on the other hand, was settling in his chest and his temperature was on the rise. Dusty was a demanding patient. He wanted, needed, and expected a lot of one on one attention. With the exception of having a cuddle now and again, Skyy preferred to be left alone to eat and sleep only when he felt like it. He didn’t like being cared for if it involved medication, proper meals, plenty of bed rest and very little activity.

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

SATURDAY

“All right, you guys, here’s the game-plan for the day,” Dennis announced, coming into the bedroom. He smiled when he saw Skyy screw up his face at the sight of the bottle he had in his hand. “Now that we’ve managed to get breakfast behind us with a minimal amount of fuss, I would like both of you to spend the day in bed and get as much rest as possible while I get some chores done. I’ll wait until this afternoon to run some errands.”

“Ahh, come on, Den! We don’t want to stay in bed,” Dusty complained as he reached for some tissue before sneezing several times. He eyes were still red, his nose was still running and his head felt like it was full of cotton balls. “Can’t we go downstairs to watch TV or something?”

“Sorry, love, for the time being we are considering this room our infirmary. It’s easier for me to care for you even if I do have to run up and down stairs,” Dennis explained patiently. His youngest Brat was already shaking his head as Dennis measured out the cough syrup. “Open up, sweetie!” he ordered.

“I don’t want it, Den. I’m hardly coughing anymore and it tastes horrible,” Skyy griped out between clenched teeth. “And I’m not feeling very good.”

“The reason you’re not coughing so much, Sport, is because of the medication. Now open your mouth!” Dennis insisted as he held the spoon closer. He tipped the liquid into the younger man’s parted lips, then watched in consternation as Skyy swallowed, gagged a couple of times and with a look of horror, brought it back up.

Luckily Dennis was not in the line of fire as a mixture of the red medicine, Captain Crunch cereal and chocolate milk spewed from Skyy’s mouth. Dusty, on the other hand, wasn’t as fortunate.

Dusty was speechless for all of two seconds before all hell broke loose. “For shit’s sake; look at this disgusting stuff!” he hollered, jumping out of bed and tearing his pajamas off as fast as he could, popping several buttons in the process.

Skyy looked absolutely petrified as he sat staring down at the mess in front of him. “I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean to do it. It just happened so fast; I-I couldn’t stop it,” he stammered out despairingly. He bit his lip to keep a sob from escaping as he turned big, sorrowful eyes up to his older partner.

“It’s okay, boys! Let’s get you undressed and cleaned up,” Dennis said calmly. He kept murmuring reassurances as he gently removed Skyy’s nightshirt before following Dusty into their en suite, towing their younger partner behind him. After turning on the water and checking to see that it was neither too hot nor too cold, he ushered both his Brats into the tub and left them while he went to strip the bed.

Dennis had barely finished remaking the bed with fresh linen when Dusty walked over to him looking for some TLC.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with Skyy, Den, but he’s really scared about something,” he said in a low voice as he snuggled against Dennis’ broad chest. “He keeps apologizing over and over again.”

Dennis held the other man close, rubbing his bare back and kissing his damp hair for several moments before instructing, “Better get some clothes on, love.”

“Yeah, and I’m getting back in bed ‘cause I’m finding it chilly in here,” the younger man groused as he pulled a pair of sleep-pants out of his dresser drawer and put them on.

“You’ll warm up as soon as I get your very own personal heater in the form of our young partner, in bed with you,” Dennis teased. “Is Skyy still in the bathtub?” he asked and getting an affirmative mumble through the sweatshirt Dusty was pulling on over his head, went into the other room to check on his second patient.

Skyy was sitting in the middle of the over-sized tub with his legs pulled up and his head resting on his knees. He seemed smaller than usual and had an air of uneasiness about him.

“Let’s get you out of there, Sport,” Dennis suggested as he bent over and pulled out the drain plug. He stood back and watched Skyy scramble out of the bathtub. Then he wrapped his pint-sized partner in a large towel and briskly dried him off. Sitting down on the closed toilet seat, he began to blow-dry the long, blond curls as he listened once again to the young man’s numerous expressions of regret.

“I didn’t mean to do it, I couldn’t stop it. I didn’t know it was coming back up. I won’t do it again; promise,” the small voice kept repeating. “I hardly ever get sick. I don’t do it on purpose, honest.”

“Skyy, shhh, little one; it’s okay. Everything’s all right.” Dennis worked on calming him as he gently continued using the blow-dryer. When Skyy’s hair was completely dry, Dennis drew him into his arms to snuggly hold him and rock him. “Skyy, were you ever sick as a child?” he softly inquired.

“Not very often; just a few times, I guess. I don’t remember exactly how many though,” Skyy replied so quietly, Dennis had to strain to hear him. “Please don’t be mad at me.”

“I’m not the least bit angry or upset about what happened, baby. Neither you nor Dusty have ever deliberately made yourselves ill,” Dennis assured him. “Who took care of you when you were sick and your mother was no longer there, sweetheart?”

“Nobody did. I had to stay in my room so no one else would catch whatever I had.” Skyy gazed up at the older man with a look of bewilderment on his face. “Was someone supposed to take care of me?”

Dennis all but cringed as he remembered what had constituted Skyy’s room and a small yelp from the young man on his lap made him realized he was holding Skyy a little too tightly. Taking a deep breath, he willed himself to ask, “Did you ever get sick to your stomach, Skyy?”

A slight nod was followed by a barely audible confession. “I did once when I was about eight or nine years old but that was before I found out it wasn’t allowed. I really got in a lot of trouble so I made sure never to eat or drink if my stomach wasn’t feeling good.”

Preparing for an answer he already knew he wasn’t going to like, Dennis gently prodded, “Will you tell me what happened, sweetie? What did your father do?”

“He made me clean it up. He said I was a filthy, rotten piece of work. Man, he sure got mad. He was cursing and screaming at me.” A deep shudder ran through Skyy body as the memories came flooding back.

“What else, baby?” Dennis encouraged in spite of having detected the spasm that ran over Skyy’s back and shoulders.

“He-he used his belt on me,” the young man answered in a faltering tone.

“Skyy, look at me, please!” Dennis demanded, placing a finger under the quivering chin and lifting his partner’s head. “That will never happen here. You know that, don’t you?”

“I know you’d never use a belt or stick and you’d never punch or kick ‘cause it was part of the agreement, right?” Getting a nod, Skyy plunged on. “But there are other things. Dusty showed me the paddle in the desk drawer in your study and Aaron’s partner sometimes uses a hairbrush or wooden spoon.”

“But I’ve promised to use only my hand, haven’t I? And I’d certainly never punish either of you boys for being sick.”

“So I’m not in trouble? We’re okay?” Skyy asked in astonishment.

“You got it! No one is in trouble and we are all okay, little one. In fact, I’d have to say that we’re more than just okay. The three of us are just about perfect!” Dennis insisted and soundly kissed the younger man.

Skyy threw his arms around the bigger man’s neck and hugged him before optimistically proposing. “Seeing as I’m not in any trouble, how about me going downstairs to watch TV?”

“Not a chance!” the older man replied with suppressed laughter. It never ceased to amaze him the speed at which his youngest Brat could bounce back to his impish, spirited self. He pulled one of Dusty T-shirts over Skyy’s head and set the young man on his feet before strongly recommending. “Let’s get you in bed before you get any sicker.”

Once both his Brats were nestled warmly in their big bed, Dennis straightened up the bathroom, gathered up the wet towels, soiled clothing and dirty bed linen. Then he headed downstairs to start several loads of laundry.

Dennis arrived back upstairs carrying a lunch tray just as his partners were waking up. Dusty was coughing and searching around for the box of Kleenex. Skyy was curled in a tight ball with arms wrapped around his stomach. He was rocking back and forth on his side of the bed.

“Aha, found it!” Dusty croaked with a crooked grin, which quickly disappeared when he saw the bottle of syrup in Dennis’ hand.

“I’m freeeezing!” Skyy whined through chattering teeth and rolled over to snuggle against his fellow-Brat.

“Get off me, kid! How can you possibly be cold when you’re making me so hot?” Dusty complained, pushing the smaller man away. “I hope that junk isn’t for me, Den, ‘cause I don’t want it!” He blew his nose and threw the used tissue down beside the bed, completely missing the wastebasket.

“Drop the attitude, Dusty! You won’t win!” Dennis admonished as he poured red liquid into a spoon before holding it out to his cranky partner. “Dustin!” he said warningly when faced with a stubbornly clenched mouth. “One!” “Two!”

“I have to get a glass of water first!” Dusty cried as he tossed the blankets to the foot of the bed causing Skyy to wail at their loss.

“Make it swift, young man!” Dennis ordered and put the bottle down. He was holding the spoon as steady as possible with one hand in an effort to prevent the sticky substance from landing on the carpet while simultaneously helping Skyy rearrange the bedding with the other.

“Dustin!” Dennis called when his older Brat didn’t return immediately. “If I have to come after you…….” he left the unspoken threat hanging in the air as Dusty prudently decided to put in an appearance, crawl back in bed and co-operatively open his mouth.

“Thank you, Grease-monkey!” Dennis smiled at the grimace on Dusty’s handsome face and leaned over to kiss him. “I’ve brought lunch up. Hope you feel up to eating ham and cheese,” he said, placing the tray containing a plate of sandwiches, chips, two glasses of milk and three bowls of Jello on his partner’s lap. Taking one of the bowls, he walked around to Skyy’s side of the bed and put the bowl on the night table. “Come on, Sport. Let’s see if we can get something light into that queasy stomach of yours.”

“Noooo, I just want to be left alone!” Skyy protested, trying to squeeze into an even tighter ball.

Dennis gently wrestled the blankets away from Skyy and moved him into a sitting position. The young man was extremely warm; his eyes were overly bright and his skin felt dry to the touch. Dennis left him to go into the bathroom and return with a couple of tablets and water.

“I want you to take these, sweetie. The Tylenol will combat the fever as well as ease any aches and pains you may have,” Dennis said, handing the pills and glass to Skyy.

When Dusty saw Skyy swallow the medication, he quickly moved out of range as a precaution and was glad he’d had the foresight to do so. He wasn’t positive, but he was willing to bet money that the pills and water came back up faster then they had gone down.

It took Dennis almost twenty minutes to clean up and resettle his Brats. He left Dusty munching on a sandwich and Skyy buried under a pile of blankets while he went downstairs and placed a call to their family doctor. He was just finishing up the lunch dishes when Dom arrived.

“I can’t guarantee a warm welcome, Dom. The boys don’t even know I sent for you, so brace yourself,” Dennis warned as he led the way up to the master bedroom.

“What’s he doing here?” Dusty belligerently demanded, causing Skyy to come out from his hiding place.

“Dusty, don’t be so rude. I ask Dom to come over because I want to be sure I’m caring for you properly,” Dennis explained.

“Okay, Skyy, you first!” Dom pleasantly announced as he sat on Skyy’s side of the bed. He grabbed hold of his young patient as Skyy tried to scramble out of reach. “No, you don’t, little one.” He looked up at Dennis for assistance when Skyy’s struggles increased. He didn’t want the young man to hurt himself or anyone else.

“It’s going to be all right, Skyy. Calm down!” Dennis said, sitting down at the head of the bed and pulling his partner into his arms. “I’ll give you a choice, Skyy. You can co-operate and let Dom examine you now without fussing or you can let him complete his examination with you nursing a sore backside. What will it be?”

The pleading, violet-blue eyes staring up at him were almost his undoing but Dennis managed to hold onto both his Brat and his resolve to see this through. “We have to find out what we’re dealing with, sweetie. No one is going to hurt you,” he promised in a voice that was slightly exasperated but with an abundance of affection in it.

Leaning against Dennis’ broad chest, Skyy put up with Dom listening to his heart and lungs, checking his ears and throat, and gently pushing on his abdomen. He didn’t utter a sound throughout the examination but the other three men smiled when they heard his premature sigh of relief.

“I just have to take your temperature, kiddo,” Dom informed Skyy, as he dug the thermometer out of his black bag. Skyy’s gag reflexes went into over-drive as soon as the thermometer was put in his mouth. Dom quickly removed it and glanced up at Dennis to send a silent message. He reached into his bag again while Dennis laid Skyy on the bed, turned him on his right side with his leg bent and pulled up the over-sized T-shirt.

“What are you doing?” Skyy wailed as he felt the glass rod enter his body. He tried to fight his way loose but gave up when he realized he didn’t have a change against the two much larger men. He lay there softly crying as Dennis soothingly rubbed his back. He felt Dusty’s arms wrap around his shoulders to offer comfort and support. It seemed like an eternity before the intrusion ended and his shivering form was once more under the blankets.

“Skyy, please look at me,” Dom kindly requested. When the only response he received was a negative shake of the head, Dom directed his comments to Dennis. “His temperature is 101.2. His lungs are clear but his breathing is a bit rapid and his heart rate up slightly. His throat looks a little raw but his ears are fine. His abdomen is soft and pliable but is probably tender due to vomiting and being empty. Best treatment is rest, a light diet, lots of fluids and several large daily doses of TLC, in addition to Gravol for his stomach and Tylenol every four hours until conditions improve. Of course, feel free to call me if things persist or get worse.”

“It’s going to be impossible to administer oral medicine if it won’t stay down,” Dennis reminded his friend.

“That’s why you’ll have to buy it in suppository form. I brought some with me to get the first dose into Skyy’s system ASAP. If you can get him to roll over again, I’ll insert the meds this time,” Dom offered.

Skyy quietly put up with this second assault after resigning himself to the fact that he was helpless to do anything to prevent it.

Standing up, Dom went into the bathroom to wash his hands and returned to walk around the foot of the bed to Dusty’s side. “Your turn now, young fella,” he chuckled.

“No way, man! I’ve only got a cold and I don’t need a doctor to tell me that,” Dusty insisted as he inched away from the edge of the bed.

“I may as well check you over now that I’m here, so suck it up!” Dom scolded with a trace of affection as he took a seat.

Dusty turned to Dennis and seeing a glare of warning on the older man’s face, begrudgingly submitted to the doctor’s administrations.

With two Brats of his own, Dom knew it was best to treat these two patients in as similar a manner as circumstances would allow. His examination of Dusty was very much the same as the one he had given Skyy.

“Looks like you were right on, Dusty. That’s quite a cold you’ve got, but fortunately no fever at the present time,” Dom grinned at the pout on the young man’s face. He turned to Dennis and advised. “You can keep up with the decongestant and antihistamine. I’ll give you a prescription for a stronger cough syrup. He’ll also require plenty of bed rest and his fair share of TLC.”

“I hope the next time I see you boys, you’ll be feeling a lot better,” Dom commented as he closed his black bag in preparation for leaving. “Listen to your older partner and do what he tells you!” were his final instructions.

After thanking his friend and seeing him out, Dennis rejoined his partners. “I’m just going to drive down to the pharmacy to get this filled,” he said, waving the prescription form in his hand. “I shouldn’t be more than an hour. If your stomach has settled, Skyy, you should try and eat the Jello I left on your nightstand. I expect both of you to remain in that bed until I get back. You can only get up to use the bathroom. Got it?”

“Got it!” his Brats answered in stereo, giving him looks that radiated innocence and made him wonder if they were up to something.

Dennis made it to the drugstore and back in just under forty minutes. After removing his boots and hanging up his jacket, he went upstairs to see how his partners were holding out.

Dusty and Sky were lying on their stomachs on the floor and completely engrossed in racing the large, remote control trucks they had received for Christmas, around the bedroom. Laughing with carefree abandonment as the vehicles collided, neither Brat was aware of the displeased Top standing in the doorway.

Skyy learned of Dennis’ presents when his shirttail was raised and a firm hand landed on his bared-bottom. “Oww!” he wailed as he was plucked up off the floor and several more hard swats rained down before he was unceremoniously dumped on the bed.

Dusty quickly scrambled into bed to lie flat on his back with the covers up under his chin in hopes of keeping his butt unscathed. The move did nothing to prevent Dennis walking around to the other side of the bed, pulling down the blankets, flipping his oldest Brat unto his stomach, lowering the flannel pants and applying an equal number of swats to Dusty’s backside.

The older man glared down at his two squirming, sniffling partners and demanded. “Just what part of ‘don’t get out of bed’ did you find so confusing and hard to comprehend?” Getting duplicate shrugs in reply, he warned. “If you disobey me again, I won’t stop at just a few smacks. I’ll give you both proper spankings. Now what rule was decided upon when I gave you these toys? I expect an answer!” he added when one wasn’t immediately forthcoming.

“They were only to be played with in the family room until it gets dry enough to take them outside,” Dusty quietly replied, wiping his eyes.

“We’re just so bored, Den,” Skyy mumbled what sounded like an accusation. He obviously expected Dennis to provide them with some form of entertainment.

“Tell you what, boys. It’s two o’clock, so if you’ll both go to sleep for at least an hour, I’ll bring in some board games when you wake up. How does that sound?”

Dusty and Skyy looked at each other to exchange a silent conversation and came to the joint conclusion that this proposal was the best they could hope for. Letting out deep sighs, they resigned themselves to spending more time in bed.

“Can you stay with us for awhile?” Dusty implored.

Dennis capitulated and lay down to spoon behind Dusty. He reached over to gently run his hand over Skyy’s cheek and was rewarded with a sleepy grin. The older man smiled and began the countdown. ‘Ten..nine..eight..seven..” was as far as he got before his youngest partner fell asleep.

“I was the one who went down to the family room,” Dusty softly admitted, snuggling against the warm body behind him.

“Thank you, Grease-monkey. We’ve already taken care of it, so go to sleep now,” Dennis murmured, as the gentle massage he was giving Dusty slowly lulled the younger man to sleep. He got up, kissed them both, tucked in the blankets, quietly straightened up the room for the third time that day, and gathered up the remotes and trucks to be returned to the family room.

Much later, Dennis contentedly stretched out between his partners, relieved that the long day was over. Dusty and Skyy were steadily improving. They had complied with their caregiver’s instructions concerning mealtime, medications and bed confinement. Several hours of board games had resulted in only a few good-natured squabbles and a liberal distribution of checkers, playing cards and Monopoly money over the bed and surrounding area. Dennis was actually beginning to believe that he might survive after all.

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

SUNDAY

“Ya know there are pros and cons to this sick business, D,” Skyy commented as he walked in from the bathroom and jumped on the bed.

“What ones are you referring to, Buddy?”

“Well one pro is we haven’t had to do any of our chores and the other thing on the plus side is that we didn’t have to go shopping with Den.”

“I thought you didn’t mind going with him once in awhile.”

“Not when he’s running a bunch of errands ‘cause then he’s in a rush and won’t let me do my own thing.”

“Gotcha! What sucks though, is the cons outnumber the pros big time!” Dusty grumbled. “Like missing all that fun last night.”

“Yeah,” Skyy commiserated, thinking of their plans to attend the Valentine’s Day Dance at the university being cancelled and remembering how disappointed all three of them had been about it. “That was a real bummer!”

“SHIT!” Dusty yelled, bolting out of bed.

“What’s wrong?” Skyy asked.

“DAMMIT!” Dusty swore as he paced around the room. “I meant to get cards for you and Den, but with being sick and all, I forgot.”

Skyy sat back and watched the other man beat himself up. His eyes had widened at Dusty’s rampage until he remembered he also hadn’t purchased any cards.

“I didn’t get any either, D. What do you think are the chances of us getting to the store and back before Den gets home?”

“None, as in zilch, nada, zip. Aaaaugh!” Dusty threw himself backward unto the bed, causing Skyy to bounce. “Some partners, we are!” he said in disgust. “Here Den’s been taking care of us and we haven’t even gotten him a lousy card.”

“Hey, maybe we can make our own,” Skyy enthusiastically suggested.

Dusty looked at his fellow-Brat and considered the idea for a few moments before jumping up and exclaiming. “Sounds like a plan, Buddy, and I know just what we can use. Wait here, I’ll be right back,” he called over his shoulder as he ran from the room.

Dusty returned with an armful of supplies. He had a collection of scissors, glue, tape, markers, water paint, coloured paper and a piece of red Bristol board. “Here’s everything we need,” he said as he dumped the items onto the bed.

“We could really use some lace,” Skyy remarked half an hour later. “It would make a neat finishing touch.”

“You’re right! And I’ve got the perfect idea!” Dusty grinned and went to dig through the linen closet in the hall. “Do you think these will do the trick, Skyy?” he asked, dropping the square pieces of material on the floor beside the other young man.

“Man, where did these ugly things come from?” Skyy screwed up his face as he lifted one of the articles and examined it.

“They’re linen napkins and are part of a house-warming gift from Curtis and Bernice. They’ve never been used. We’ll just rip the lace off and throw the rest in the trash.”

Another thirty minutes was spent quietly working away on their project before both boys proudly but tiredly, announced in unison, “Finished!”

Dennis returned home with just enough time to put away the groceries and get supper started. However, the peace and quiet of their home aroused his suspicions, and soon had him silently climbing the stairs to check on his partners.

“My God!” he gasped, barely able to take in the disaster area in front of him. His Brats were sound asleep in the middle of the big, king-size bed; heads side by side, arms and legs intertwined. “How could anyone look so innocent and still be responsible for this horrendous mess?” he whispered in wonder.

Numerous pieces of coloured paper in various sizes; minuscule bits of what looked like lace; two opened and slowly, drying up bottles of glue; small jars of paint; a mixture of markers, pencils, brushes and scissors made up the debris. Dennis felt his blood pressure rise until something out of the corner of his eye attracted his attention. There on top of the dresser was the largest Valentine card he had every seen. He shook his head in loving exasperation and recognizing from the stirrings on the bed that his lovers were about to wake up. He quickly came to a decision and quietly left the room.

“Skyy, Skyy! Wake up, little buddy! We have to get this room cleaned up before Den gets home.” Dusty gently shook his partner.

“Okay, I’m up, D. I’m up! I guess we better get a move on if we don’t want to ruin the surprise,” Skyy said excitedly. “How long did we sleep anyway?”

“Only about thirty or forty minutes. Who would have thought making one measly, little card would wear a guy out like that? Are you sure you want to be a kindergarten teacher, kid? You’ll have to do this sort of thing a lot.”

“That’s all right. I think being sick is what zonked us out, not our artwork,” Skyy grinned up at the other man and continued to collect the garbage and stuff it in the wastepaper basket while his partner gathered up the rest of the articles strewn about the floor.

“Wow, perfect timing!” Dusty breathed a sigh of relief. They heard their partner moving about downstairs just as they finished cleaning up. “We wouldn’t have wanted Dennis to see the mess we made.”

Skyy was down on his hands and knees, scrutinizing the carpet. “Good thing we didn’t get any glue or paint on anything ‘cause our butts would have paid the price,” he muttered as he got up and climbed into bed to nestle against Dusty.

“I’m home, boys!” Dennis announced, walking into the room. “I see you’ve kept the room nice and neat. Hope you haven’t been too bored up here on your own.”

“Not really! We kinda slept some,” Dusty informed him, winking at Skyy. “Did ya buy us something?” he asked expectantly, noticing the big man had his hands behind his back.

“Have you been behaving well enough to deserve anything?” Dennis teased.

“Of course! Right, Skyy?”

“Huh-huh!” Skyy collaborated and nodded his head.

Dennis laughed as he tossed them each a gaily-wrapped package. He sat down on the side of the bed to watch them rip and tear into their gifts.

“Thanks, Den! Another one for my collection,” Dusty exclaimed as he hugged the older man and got a kiss in return. He laughed at the stuffed monkey with a heart clutched in one hand. Then he turned and placed it on the shelf above the headboard along with the others he had been given over the years.

Skyy looked at the stuffed animal in his hand. It was a soft, white bear wearing a baseball cap and a shirt with the word ‘Sport’ embroidered in red across the front. It, too, was holding a red plastic heart. He smiled brightly as he threw his arms around Dennis’ neck. “Thanks, Den,” he murmured.

“You’re welcome, Sport!” Dennis squeezed his young lover and kissed him.

“Aaah, we didn’t only sleep while you were out, Den,” Dusty informed his older partner as he got out of bed and walked towards the dresser. “Skyy and I made you a card for Valentine’s Day. We know it’s not until tomorrow but we want to give it to you now. Right, Buddy?”

“Right!” Skyy wholeheartedly agreed before sitting back to wait for Dennis’ reaction.

Dennis slowly perused the artfully decorated card, appreciating their thoughtfulness and efforts. His eyes misted as he read the beautiful words they had written, words from their hearts to his, words that expressed the love they had for him and their relationship.

“This is without a doubt the nicest card I’ve ever received, my loves, and certainly the biggest,” he declared, his voice thick with emotion. He looked up to see all the love and admiration these two precious young men had for him clearly visible on their handsome faces. “I love you both more than I will ever be able to express with mere words.”

“We already know that, Den, by the way you take care of us,” Skyy softly assured him.

“Skyy’s correct, Den. Your actions speak loud and clear. We know how much you love us.”

Skyy moved onto his oldest partner’s lap, gazed into his warm brown eyes, gently caressed his cheek and solemnly promised. “And if you get sick, Dusty and I will take care of you just as good as you’ve taken care of us.”

“Yabetcha; because we’re a team!” Dusty adamantly proclaimed.

“Thanks, guys! I know I can always count on you to be there for me.” Setting Skyy on his feet, Dennis asked, “Would anyone in here be interested in joining me downstairs? I thought we could put away the groceries while waiting for the pizza to get here. Maybe later we can watch a movie or two.”

“You’re serious? We can leave the infirmary?” Dusty teased with a note of anticipation in his voice.

“I think you’re both over the worst of your illness and can start returning to your normal activities. Depending on how you feel in the morning I might even allow you to return to work, Dusty, and you to school, Skyy. So what do you say, boys?”

“I’m all for it!” and “I’m game!” were the excited responses.

“Well then you better get warmer clothing on.” Dennis remade the bed while the other two hastily slipped into comfortable sweats.

Soon all three men were heading downstairs to enjoy an evening of pizza, movies, and just spending some quality time with each other.

They had survived after all.

The End