In Sickness, In Health, For Better or For Worse, etc.

Skyy walked into the room carefully balancing a tray containing a light lunch. He stood beside the bed and looked down at his ailing partner. 

The other man was bleary-eyed with flushed cheeks and a sore, red nose.

“You look like ten pounds of shit in a five pound bag, D.”

“At least my appearance matches how I feel,” Dusty moaned and spying the food, curled up his lip. “Is that more soup?”

“It’s the easiest thing for you to swallow with your throat hurting like it is. Besides, it’s your favourite Italian Wedding and it’s homemade. And you better eat it ‘cause there’s a lot of prep work involved in making it.”

Dusty squirmed until he was sitting a little straighter in the bed and then accepted the tray. Bending forward, he tolerated the plumping up of the pillows supporting his back.

“Skyy!” he called out as eyes closed and his face contorted. He suddenly had to sneeze and his hands were full.

Snatching up several tissues, Skyy held them to his partner’s nose. “Okay, man, let it blow.”

“Easy does it, Bud!” Dusty pleaded when his fellow-Brat applied too much pressure when wiping his upper lip. “It’s kinda tender there.”

“Sorry.” Skyy mumbled as he dropped the used tissues into the wastepaper basket next to the bed. He picked up the couple of crumpled wads of tissue from the floor and added them to the ones that hadn’t missed the basket. “You got a better aim than I do, D. I usually miss nine times out of ten.”

“Which is why you make use of the front of your t-shirt or your sleeves,” Dusty chuckled. “Sure gets on Den’s nerves.” In a slightly happier frame of mind, he dipped his spoon into the warm soup.

Skyy moved to the far side of the king-size bed, sat down at the foot if it and leaned back against the blanket rail. “This is really turning into a lousy long weekend, isn’t it? Den’s gone on a book signing tour and it’s been pouring rain the whole time. And if that doesn’t suck enough, there was a list of chores to do before Den gets home.”

“My having this rotten cold only adds to the down side, right?” Dusty tried to appear apologetic but didn’t quite pull it off. “I’m trying to decide if I’d rather be sick or doing housework. Not much of a choice, so I may as well go with the flow. Only the flu could possibly make it any worse.”

“Heck, I’d rather have the flu than a head cold. And you better not give me yours,” Skyy instructed and grinned at the expression of chagrin that passed over the other man’s face.

“God,” Dusty moaned, “I shouldn’t have even brought up the subject. I think you’ve had the flu three times and every time I somehow found myself getting thrown up on. Why the hell did that keep happening to me and never Den?”

“Hmm, must be poor timing on your part,” Skyy teased. “Or maybe it’s just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Humph!” Dusty snorted and immediately wished he hadn’t as it hurt his head. Rubbing his forehead he seriously inquired, “How are you doing with all the chores, little buddy?”

“Last load of laundry in the dryer and the entire house cleaned with the exception of the kitchen floor. I’ll get to that this afternoon. But at least by doing it myself it gets done the way I like.” He stared pointedly at the man in front of him.

“Is that a slam on my housekeeping skills, or the lack there of?”

“Hmm, must be.” Skyy grinned mischievously.

“And to think I once thought Den was a fussbudget. Hell, he could take lessons from you.” The comment had them both laughing.

“Anyway, by tomorrow there’ll still be the outside stuff left to do, and you prefer those chores,” Skyy reminded him, turning back to the topic on hand.

“And I just may be well enough to help out with that by the time the rain stops, if it ever does,” Dusty offered. “I really do feel guilty about leaving most of the work on your plate though. It’s a little unbalanced.”

“Well that’s how it is in relationships, D. You know; in sickness and in health, for better or worse. All that kind of stuff.”

“Those are marriage vows, buddy.”

“So! We’re married.”

“Not legally. Polygamy is still frowned upon here in the so-called free world.”

“But we had a commitment ceremony and everything. All our friends and family witnessed it. The three of us wear wedding bands to show everyone we’re spoken for. So as far as I’m concerned, we’re married and the rest of the world can like it or lump it.” Skyy grinned at his partner’s nodding agreement.

“You know, Den really should have stayed home,” Dusty griped as he finished eating and set down his spoon. “He suspected I was coming down with something before I knew myself; he even said as much when he was packing Friday morning before I left for work.”

Skyy’s burst of laughter was proof of how little sympathy he had for that complaint. “His tour was planned months ago. He couldn’t reschedule it if he wanted to. Besides, he figured you were probably getting a head cold, D, not Bubonic plague.”

Dusty merely stuck his tongue out at the teasing and rolled over when Skyy got up and moved the tray away. “I’m going back to sleep. I can’t do anything anyway with my eyes closing all the time.”

“Wait until I get you some meds.” Skyy returned with a glass of water, two Tylenol and some cough syrup. “You’ll have to use your soup spoon ‘cause I forgot to bring up a clean teaspoon.”

“Where’s the Dristan nasal spray? I need a decongestant.” Dusty struggled to sit up again and keep his eyes open.

“You had some this morning, D. It’s a twelve-hour type of med so you can’t have any more until bedtime or you’ll be over medicating. That’s not good.”

“The box may say it’s twelve hour relief, but does the contents know that?” Dusty grumbled. He swallowed the two tablets, but turned his nose up when handed the bottle containing the foul tasting syrup. “Wish Den would buy something other than this god-awful Buckley’s bilge water. I don’t care if it does work.”

Knowing his younger partner was doing his best to take care of him; Dusty reluctantly took a full dose before handing everything back to Skyy, who was smirking at his latest comments. He knew he could often be a difficult patient which was one reason he wished Dennis was home.

“I’ll be up later,” Skyy promised as he watched Dusty snuggle under the blankets. “Maybe more sleep will improve your mood.” He picked up the tray and left the room, but not before pausing in the doorway long enough to smile at the sounds of snoring coming from the big lump on the bed that his ailing partner had transmuted into.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“What the heck happened to you?” Dusty demanded as he glanced up for his laptop when a disgruntled partner stomped into the room. He stared in surprise at the younger man who was stark naked and very wet. “You look like a drown rat,” he teased.

Skyy walked over to the foot of the bed and glared down at the man sitting there. “It’s raining!” he announced.

“That’s not exactly news, little buddy. It’s been raining for three days. I hope you weren’t out there in your present state of undress.”

“It wasn’t raining when I went outside. It had stopped over an hour ago and I’d hoped it was for good.”

Dusty shook his head. “Always the optimist.”

“Anyway,” Skyy gave a feigned growl at the mocking attitude. “I figured I’d take advantage of the dry spell to check the gardens.”

“And…?”

“They’re weed free.”

“Humph, like a weed would stand a chance of growing anywhere near your precious vegetable garden or flower beds,” Dusty muttered behind a smile. “So what happened and just where are your clothes?”

Skyy sighed and his shoulders slumped. “A cloudburst happened and I hung my clothes over the railing on the deck to dry.”

Dusty burst out laughing. “I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon. But right now you should just go blow-dry your hair and then crawl into bed to get warm. Let me take care of you for a while.”

Skyy walked out of their en suite several minutes later wearing Dennis’ bathrobe.

“Better pick up the front of that before you trip and get hurt,” Dusty instructed, putting the laptop on his night table and then holding up the blanket on Skyy’s side of the bed.

Skyy frowned. He was a little skeptical about getting too close to an unwell partner. “How are you feeling, D?”

“Sooo much better thanks to your loving care, my man. I’ve been up and showered. I know you’re worried about getting a cold, buddy, but I really think if you were going to catch something from me, you would have done it by now.”

Skyy looked out the window at the wet dreariness and suddenly felt rather drained. It didn’t take much more persuading on Dusty’s part to get him snuggling under the covers with his fellow-Brat spooned around him.

“You know I’m gonna hold you responsible, D, if I do get sick. Dom says they’ll postpone the surgery if I come down with something.”

“I know, Buddy. None of us want that to happen. We’ve waited over two years for your shoulder to get fixed and you’re scheduled to go into the hospital in less than three weeks.”

“Repair work doesn’t constitute an emergency and that is why I was on a very long waiting list.”

Dusty gently kissed the back of Skyy’s neck. “True enough. Right now though, let’s get some sleep, okay?” he suggested when he heard the younger man yawning.

For several minutes only even breathing from the two men could be heard in the room.

“Den sounded kinda tired when he phoned last night, didn’t he?” Skyy unexpectedly murmured. He’d obviously been thinking about their missing partner.

“He sounded more pissed off to me than tired,” Dusty commented. “This first book signing tour may just be his last. He never had to do one for his first book so he really didn’t know what to expect.”

“How come he didn’t have to do one the last time?”

“It was a specialty topic and somewhat methodical technical; a hard read for anyone not interested in anthropology or the like.”

“But this one is the same subject matter.”

“Yeah, but it’s part fictional…..the characters are anyway. Not everyone is like you, buddy. We don’t all read every book we get our hands on. But this one is selling a lot better because of a wider audience, hence the tour.”

“I wonder which of us is gonna be happier when it’s over?” Skyy asked with a smirk.

“I imagine it will be a three-way tie.” Dusty squeezed the man in his arms when he heard him snickering. “Go to sleep,” he ordered. “I’m tired.” They both chuckled at what was one of Dennis’ lines.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dusty’s exuberant entrance into the kitchen the next morning startled Skyy and almost caused him to drop the four eggs he was balancing in his hands.

“Don’t bother with breakfast, Buddy. The sun is finally shining; my cold has cleared up; and I’m feeling great and raring to raise a little hell!”

Skyy’s eyes popped open and a smile spread across his face. “You got anything particular in mind?”

“Yep! Wheeling! I just got an e-mail from Ryan, the leader of our Jeep owner’s club. The whole gang is meeting up to go trail-riding later this morning. We have time to eat at IHOP….my treat. Are you game?”

“You don’t have to ask me twice, D.” Skyy put the eggs back in the refrigerator along with the bacon he’d taken out minutes earlier.

“We’ll be back in plenty of time for me to cut the grass, Skyy. I promise.”

“I’ll help.” Skyy offered as he scribbled a few words on a post-it note.

“No way, man! You’ve done all the other chores so it’s only fair I do the yard work. I insist.”

“We’ll argue about it later,” Skyy laughed and headed out the door. “Don’t forget to lock up, D.”

The afternoon hours were slipping away by the time Dusty and Skyy headed home.

“I had a blast!” Skyy exclaimed as he bounced in his seat. “Thanks for taking me, D.”

“The fact that if it wasn’t for your seatbelt you’d be ricocheting around the inside of the Jeep is a good indicator of that, little buddy,” Dusty teased and laughed at his partner’s antics.

“Too bad we couldn’t stay with your friends a little longer.” The slight note of disappointment in Skyy’s voice didn’t seem to lessen his keenness for the fun he’d had.

“I still have yard work to do, remember? And I’m running out of time.”

“I can help.”

“Yes, you can by making supper while I start the mowing.”

“Sure thing; steak, baked potatoes and salad are on the menu. How does that sound?” Skyy inquired as he turned towards the man beside him.

“OH SHIT!” Dusty groaned as he drove into their driveway.

“What? You love steak!” Skyy was a bit taken aback until he glanced out the windshield to see what the other man was shaking his head at. “Whoa….Den’s home!” he announced unnecessarily and quickly unclipped his seatbelt. The look on Dusty’s face prevented him from jumping from the Jeep the moment it rolled to a stop.

“Any chance he’s noticed the length of the grass?” Dusty shut down the motor but remained glued to his seat.

“Probably; unless he lost his eyesight recently.” Skyy’s jest wasn’t helping as Dusty hitting his forehead against the steering wheel clearly indicated his frustration. “Hey, D, the weekend isn’t over yet. We can still get it cut.”

“That’s not the point, Skyy. I ignored a rule here…big time. And it was deliberate. I think I’m in a lot of trouble.”

“If you are, then we both are,” Skyy insisted. “After all, you didn’t have to drag me kicking and screaming along for the ride, did you? Like I keep telling you, we’re in this for better or for worse; for good or for bad; for…well, whatever. You get the point. Besides, Den will understand that we deserved to have some fun over the long weekend.”

“Hmm, your optimism is showing again, buddy. I’ve lived with Den longer than you so I kinda know what to expect.”

“I don’t know, man. I think you’re selling him a little short. Let’s go see who’s right.” Skyy hopped out of the Jeep and raced towards the house.

Dusty followed at a notably less energetic pace. He found his partners in the living room enjoying a rather enthusiastic embrace. He smiled when Den’s arms opened in invitation and he gladly stepped into a group hug, leaning his head heavily on his Top’s shoulder.

Dennis closed his eyes and took turns nuzzling his face into two heads of hair, taking in the scent of his lovers. He marvelled at how less than four days absence could have him yearning for them as much as he had. He also wondered, not for the first time, just who needed who most in order to be the men they were each meant to be.

Keeping his arms wrapped tightly around the two shorter men, he moved backwards until the back of his legs hit their recliner and then he dropped all three of them down unto the large chair.

Dusty and Skyy squirmed to get into their favourite positions before bombarding the older man with questions regarding his early return.

“Not that we mind, Den. But how come?” Skyy asked.

“Enquiring minds need to know, big guy,” Dusty added. “What happened with today’s signing gig?”

“The store owner cancelled due to a family crisis. My agent didn’t say what it was and I didn’t ask. But I quickly and firmly put the kibosh to his notion of trying to set up another venue. I wanted to take advantage of the cancellation and get home to surprise you guys.”

“Good for you, Den. Never allow anyone to push you around,” Skyy instructed.

“Like that’s gonna happen,” Dusty decried the idea with a short bark of laughter. “I guess our not being here kinda ruined your surprise, huh?”

“We’re together now and that’s all that matters, Grease-monkey.”

“Ah, Den….hmm, sorry about not getting all our chores done. It’s my fault. Skyy did all the inside stuff and the gardens. I was supposed to mow the lawn, but wanted to play first.” Dusty reluctantly decided now was as good a time as any to get his rule-breaking out in the open. “With it raining most of the weekend and my fighting a cold, I jumped at the chance to go trail-riding with the gang.”

“I figured that was where you’d taken off to. Not that Skyy’s note provided much information. You really are going to have to work on that, Sport. ‘Gone out; be back whenever’ just doesn’t cut it.” Dennis rolled his eyes at his youngest Brat’s smirk of indifference that dared him to say more. It was one of those ‘pick your battles’ moments and he wasn’t biting. Besides, he had already picked up on Dusty’s growing misery over thinking he’d done something seriously wrong.

“Dusty, love, why are there rules concerning your Jeep and what are they?” Dennis patiently waited for an answer as Dusty thought it over.

“Well, we both know you weren’t exactly thrilled with the idea of my buying the Jeep in the first place. You’d already envisaged possible snags we’d be dealing with. And you were right. I sort of got a little carried away with my new toy.”

“A ‘little carried away’?” Skyy blurted out in disbelief. “Man, you became completely obsessed with it.”

“Skyy’s right, Dusty. That vehicle took over almost every aspect of your life. You ate, slept, worked and played with that toy on your mind. You even let it disrupt our relationship. It was only when it reached the point of interfering with your job that you admitted you needed my help in getting your obsession under control.”

Dusty blushed when he remembered some of the arguments caused by his actions after having purchased the Jeep six months ago. It was his staying out so late one night that prevented him from going to work the next morning that brought it all to a head. He had slept in and lied to his employer about not feeling well and needing the day off.  And then gotten caught riding around later in the afternoon. ‘Man did the shit ever hit the fan then,’ he thought, his blush intensifying.

“Yeah, you’re both right and I know it. There were three main rules. The first involved my drastically curtailing the amount of time I spend online taking part in the forum. It went from all evening down to one hour.  Man, I think that was the hardest adjustment. The second one was trail-riding, which was okay as long as it didn’t interfere with family activities and only after chores were done. Third was my night out with club members. Once a week was acceptable and if I stayed out late I still had to work in the morning. I messed up today with the second one, Den.”

“Let’s discuss that, love. It rained all weekend and so I can only imagine that the grass was still too wet to cut this morning. If I’d been here, I would have encouraged you to spend the day exactly as you did.” Dennis chuckled at the stunned expression on Dusty’s face and briefly wondered at the snickering that was coming from Skyy. “Tell me, my beautiful grease-monkey, where are all your Jeep cronies right now?”

“At the usual place; our favourite watering hole. We always go there after wheeling.”

“And you’re not there because…..?”

“I still had a major chore undone.”

“Exactly! A few weeks ago, that wouldn’t have crossed your mind. So we can easily see what progress you’ve made. I’m proud of you, sweetheart.”

Dusty stared open-mouthed at his Top. He never would have put that spin on his actions. “Man, you always seem to be one step ahead of us,” he quietly mused in amazement. 

“Hey, it’s the best way to keep you on your toes,” Dennis joked. “Now how about getting that last chore out of the way while Skyy and I make supper? The two of us can sit back as the steaks grill and enjoy the sight of you doing the yard work without a shirt; all glistening with sweat and muscles bulging.”

“I’ll need a nice cool dip afterwards. Maybe I can persuade Skyy to go skinny-dipping in the pool with me.”

“Like getting me to go around in the nude has ever presented a problem,” Skyy laughed and reached over to high-five his fellow-Brat.

“Sounds like a well-planned evening,” Dennis agreed. “But for the next few minutes, we’re just going to sit here and reconnect. I’ve missed you too much to rush it.”

“Nice thought, Den, but I don’t think it’s gonna happen the way you have in mind.” Dusty chuckled and looked pointedly at Skyy who was undoing the buttons on their Top’s shirt.

Dennis glanced down at the fingers that were gently combing through the thick mass of hair on his chest and lightly tormenting his nipples. “Hmm, I think we’re just going to put those other plans on hold for the time being and move this up to our bedroom.”

“Works for me!” both Brats declared simultaneously.

The End