Heroes

Written by: LJ

“Den,” Dusty whispered, after making sure Skyy was sleeping soundly.

“Hmm?” Dennis mumbled, just about to doze off.

“Bet you’ll never guess what Skyy found today.”

“Bet I will,” Dennis’ eyes were still closed, but there was a smile on his lips.

“Ya think, huh?”

“Yes, because the evidence was left in plain view on the kitchen table.” Dennis tried to stifle a yawn. “I take it you’re referring to your ‘visual aid’ from days gone by.”

“Yeah,” Dusty grumbled, a little put out at not being able to surprise his older partner. “Of course, he wanted to know all the gory details.”

“How did you feel about sharing them?” Dennis took it for granted that Dusty would have answered Skyy’s questions.

“Okay, I guess,” Dusty shrugged his shoulders.

Feeling the motion next to him, Dennis gently pushed Skyy off his chest and covered the younger man’s nakedness with a light blanket. “Let’s take this out to the pool. If we’re going to be up for a while, we may as well be cooling off,” he suggested. “You get up first and I'll follow shortly. We’ll have to be careful not to make the hammock swing too much in order to avoid disturbing Skyy.”

Dusty had already completed a lap by the time Dennis slid into the refreshing water. He chuckled softly when Dusty shook his head and sent water spraying in every direction before hoisting himself up to sit on the side of the pool.

Dennis moved to stand in front of his partner, pulling him closer and wrapping his arms around his waist. “Talk to me, Sweetheart. What bothered you about unexpectedly seeing that long-lost photo?” Knowing his lover as well as he did, it hadn’t been at all difficult to recognize signs of Dusty fretting over something.

Frowning slightly, Dusty nevertheless put his legs around Dennis and crossed his feet behind the bigger man’s back. Leaning in, he rested his head against Dennis’ forehead and sadly murmured, “It made me remember how shabbily I had treated you at times.” 

“That was long ago, babe, and we took care of it. The most unpleasant incidents only arose a few times and we’ve moved past them.” Dennis compliantly waited in the silence that followed.

“A ‘few’ is a bit of an understatement, Den,” Dusty eventually responded in a low voice. “How did we ever survive those first months after deciding to give discipline a trial run?”

“Dusty, my love, I didn’t go into our relationship wearing rose coloured glasses. Your behavior didn’t actually blind-side me. I strongly suspected when first setting eyes on you that I’d have a hellion on my hands. And it only took a month or so for my hunch to be substantiated.”

“How did you know so soon?” Dusty straightened up with a look of surprise on his face.

“I think it had something to do with you swearing like a trooper and trying to kick the crap out of the tires on that old truck. Or it might have been your obvious struggle to curtail the mega tantrum you wanted to throw at the time. I got the impression it was an inner battle you’d fought many times before.”

“Yeah, it was,” Dusty shamefully admitted. “And then I totally lost it after we got together.”

“As hard as it was, babe, you managed to control yourself in front of certain people. Your parents, teachers and immediate supervisors come to mind. I am sure your parents were well aware of the anger often simmering just under the surface, but had been incapable of taking any corrective measures when it erupted. Their age may have had a lot to do with that.”

“I never understood why I was so angry so much of the time,” Dusty murmured, his head now resting on Dennis’ shoulder. “I mean, I had it good growing up. I always knew my parents loved me and would do anything they could to make me happy.”

“In a word, or should I say name; Curtis! For some reason, you grew up idolizing your brother despite his detestable treatment of you. When it finally hit you that he was totally unwilling to establish any type of brotherly relationship with you, it understandably infuriated you and incited negative emotions you lacked the ability to properly handle on your own.”

“Oh yeah, that was Curtis all right. A shit head of a brother to the core! The man hated me so much he wouldn’t have pissed on me if I was on fire. And while we can never change the past, at least Curtis and I are on good terms now. His dumping that bitch, Bernice, made all the difference in the world. I don’t know why he didn’t do it sooner. Guess he just needed someone who wasn’t the least bit impressed with him to tell him a few home truths about himself and his very poor choices. That someone was Skyy’s Uncle Earl.”

Dennis patiently let his partner talk on; instinctively knowing Dusty had to do so in order to get passed the uncertainty left from the earlier visit to the past. Regardless how brief it had been, it has raised memories he momentarily found challenging to cope with.

“So tell me again why all hell broke loose after we made discipline part of our lifestyle, Den.”

 “You were just letting go, babe. Testing me; hoping I’d prove strong enough to help you do whatever had to be done for you to become the man you wanted, and were meant to be. I have to admit, my love, that I felt a secret thrill when you threw your first major tantrum. It proved to me just how much you trusted me; how much you unquestioningly left up to my discretion. I found it humbling indeed, while at the same time feeling extremely privileged and strangely exhilarated. It was in that moment I realized you preferred me taking care of things until you ultimately reached the conclusion you were capable of doing it yourself.”

“That’s about it in a nutshell all right.” Dusty sighed out his relief at being able to once again forgive himself for past improprieties. He was also able to concede how forgiving himself became easier each time he did so. “If I was a hellion, what was Skyy?”

“He was an imp and still is; probably always will be. Like you, he has entrusted me to handle the major decision-making in our household. Unlike you, who are an open book, Skyy is a much harder read. You wait expectantly for explanations and most often accept resolutions at face value, while he only wants answers to the questions he asks and then the time to sort things out in his own mind before making a choice.”

“It’s kind of neat how he will straddle your lap, gently rub your face and gaze into your eyes when he is mulling over an important ruling you’ve just made.”

“Neat, huh? I find it unnerving at times. I often feel like he is looking into my very soul and I wonder what he sees there.”

“Whatever it is, he’s fine with it,” Dusty pointed out in an effort to eliminate any self-doubts his Top might be concealing.

“I like to believe you’re right, love. Your fellow-Brat lives life with a kind of abandonment I sometimes envy, fully trusting in us to keep him safe.”

“He’s making up for a lot of lost time and catching up on things he missed while growing up,” Dusty perceptively commented. “And yet he doesn’t expect either of us to be perfect.”

“No, he doesn’t. His love is absolute. And amazingly enough, his final observations appear so simple. He seems to compartmentalize people and situations in a manner that wouldn’t work for anyone else. For instance, he deems me his senior partner, his lover and his Top. As badly as he may have needed a father figure, he has never cast me in that light. He considers you his fellow-Brat, his lover, his best friend and his hero.”

“But not a brother, and damn good thing too or it would feel like we were taking part in an incest-type activity.” Dusty softly whistled at that repulsive idea.

“Quite so,” Dennis muttered and shook his head. He glanced over to where they had left Skyy sleeping, hoping the younger man had not wakened and overheard their conversation. They’d deliberately kept their voices as low as possible. Thankfully, he remained undisturbed.  

“Do you still have any underlining concerns regarding your ‘visual aid’ or any of the circumstances surrounding it?” Dennis inquired, returning to the original topic that had precipitated this tête-à-tête.

“No. Why would I when I was the one who suggested you take the picture? Of course it never crossed my mind you’d take me seriously. But it didn’t only remind me to behave; it also reminded me that someone loved me enough to make sure I did. That someone is you. You’re my hero, Den.”

“Thank you very much for the endorsement, sweetheart; I only hope it’s deserved.” Dennis chuckled, secretly pleased with the adoration he saw on his partner’s handsome face. “You’ve matured so much since then, babe, and no longer need the tight boundaries we once had in place. I think your wanting to set a better example for Skyy may have hastened the process.”

“Possibly,” Dusty half-heartedly agreed. “But you’ll always be here in case I slip up, right?”

“Count on it, Brat!” Dennis adamantly assured his partner with a light spurt of laughter.

“You ever wonder what would have happen to us had you not brought up discipline and had I not decided to take a chance on it, Den?”

“I hate to speculate, love. But had we not jointly chosen this lifestyle, then I fear we’d be living lives of turmoil with peace and contentment being nothing more than a pipedream.”

“Assuming we were still even together,” Dusty mumbled. He was still feeling somewhat keyed up and couldn’t figure out why.

“Well we don’t have to think of that unpleasant outcome as we are in a very solid, committed, three-way relationship.” Dennis soothingly rubbed his hands over Dusty’s back, firmly kneading away knots of tension with his fingers. He tenderly kissed the younger man’s lips, soon turning his attention to other areas of his lover’s body. He slowly moved down the well-defined chest and abdomen, nibbling and licking along the way until he reached Dusty’s pulsating erection. Taking the hardening shaft into his mouth, he gently sucked for several moments before changing tempo and pressure until the end result was achieved and Dusty was moaning out his climax.

Dennis found it amusing that Dusty who was usually very vocal when climaxing, seemed to have kept his snoozing fellow-Brat in mind.

“Think you’re relaxed enough to sleep, Grease-monkey?” Dennis heaved himself out of the water and smiled down at the man lying prostrate and completely drained before him with his legs still dangling over the side of the pool.

“Hmm.” Dusty barely managed to acknowledge the question in his post orgasmic haze. He dreamily went along with Dennis getting him on his feet and steering him towards the cabana.

They spent a few moments gazing down at the man slumbering on the hammock. Their hearts swelled with love and admiration for him.

“You know, Den, when you compare his background with ours, it isn’t a big leap to realize that of the three of us, he’s the real hero.” Dusty softly voiced an opinion they both shared.

The End