Summer's End

By LJ

O.C.’s: Rowan/Darby & Dennis/Dusty/Skyy


“Today’s the big day, Rowan!” Darby excitedly announced, throwing off the light covering and scrambling out of bed immediately upon opening his eyes.

Rowan just managed to focus through squinting eyes and determine the time as being only six AM. It still amazed him that his partner, who was normally far from being a morning person, was actually capable of rising with the birds on a day that heralded a long-awaited event.

“Darby,” he croaked out then cleared his throat. “Darby, we are all of ten minutes from the airport and the plane doesn’t land for another hour and forty minutes.”

“And your point is?” Darby cheekily replied, momentarily sticking his head around the door of their en suite before disappearing once again.

Rowan shook his head and smiled. He lay back to listen to the upbeat whistling coming from the other room.

“Besides, I bet our guests have been up for a while now.” Darby’s voice was garbled due to the toothbrush he had in his mouth.

“That’s because they had an early morning flight to catch.”

Two hours later, a restless Darby huffed in frustration and impatiently thumbed through the colourful pamphlets on a Tourist Information rack.

“Of all the days for a plane to be late and it had to be this one and the airplane we’re waiting for,” he grumbled under his breath and turned to see what Rowan was doing. Darby scowled when he saw his partner patiently reading a magazine he’d purchased.

The loud-speaker crackled and another delay was announced. Darby thumped himself down on the seat next to Rowan and opened his mouth to lodge a complaint, but bit it back at the warning look sent his way. He slumped and loudly exhaled. A large hand landed on his thigh and rubbed sympathetically.

“Sorry, Sweets, I know waiting is not a strong point of yours and now everyone else in the airport knows too. What say we go get another coffee while we wait?” Rowan got to his feet and hauled Darby up to accompany him to the terminal’s café. “If you think about it, it could be worse.”

“Oh yeah? How so?”

“We could be stuck on a tarmac in Vancouver.”

“Humph!” Darby grunted, having no choice but to go along with that observation.

Another half hour and Darby heard the announcement he was hoping for. Their friends would be arriving shortly. He ran to the window and watched the plane land, excitedly bouncing the entire time. The bouncing intensified as the passengers disembarked and made their way into the building. His beaming smile brightened even more when he picked first Dennis out of the crowd, quickly followed by Skyy and Dusty.

“They’re finally here!” he announced unnecessarily to Rowan who was standing right beside him, and headed to the arrivals’ gate.

Minutes later, a lone figure broke away from the crowd and ran straight into Darby’s arms. “We made it, Dek. Bet you thought we’d never get here!” Skyy enthusiastically greeted his adopted brother. Several people, who were standing around, chuckled at the happiness exuded by the two young men before turning to greet their own visitors or family from away.

Salutations with handshakes and hugs were exchanged between Rowan, Darby and the three men who’d be spending the next couple of weeks as their houseguests. Skyy and Darby fetched a luggage cart while the others made their way over to the carousel.

Another twenty-five minutes and they were driving out of the parking lot in a Windstar loaded down with five men and luggage for three of them.

Skyy and Darby had barely stopped talking since meeting up once again. One would think they hadn’t been in contact since last summer when Rowan and Darby had travelled east to spend two weeks in Atlantic Canada, joining up with Dennis and his two partners on the way. True, they had not seen each other in person, but they’d IM’d or Skyped just about every week.

“Too bad Shelley and Toby just left for Maui with her parents for three weeks. You’ll miss seeing the nice baby bump she has going. And even though Glen and TJ can’t make it over while you’re here, Jayson and Riley will be coming by for a bar-b-que at our place this evening,” Darby had told them as they’d shoved various cases in the back of the van.

“Tomorrow we leave for the cottage, right?” Skyy inquired, clipping his seat belt after being reminded to do so by his fellow-Brat.

“Yes, and the earlier we get away, the better,” Rowan responded before Darby could, and chuckled when he heard a slight moan of disgruntlement from Dusty. “Not an early riser, huh?” he asked Dennis who was sitting beside him in the passenger seat.

“Hardly at the best of times and rarely, if ever, on holiday,” Dennis quipped.

“How was your flight; aside from the delay in Vancouver, that is?”

“Everything went smoothly, including our stopover. We had no problems getting to and from the hotel; the bed was comfy and the food was excellent.”

“Glad you had a brief respite to just chill-out and be served. By the way, I hope you guys remember that once we get to the cabin, you’ll be living without a lot of the indoor entertainment we’ve all become accustomed to.”

“Don’t worry. We’re still looking forward to it,” Dennis assured his friend and host. He groaned when he overheard what ‘news’ his partners were sharing with Darby.

“You’ll never guess what Dusty and I did on the plane, Dek.” Skyy’s eyes were sparkling with mischief when he saw his brother’s brows rise. “We waited until Den was sleeping, then snuck into the washroom and became members of the ‘mile-high’ club.”

“No shit!” Darby’s disbelief clearly showed on his face.

“Yep, we sure did!” Dusty immediately confirmed with an expression of mild smugness. “I’ve asked Den to do it several times before when we’ve flown, but he never would. He says it not acceptable behaviour, but I think he’s just chicken to try it in case we get caught.”

Rowan turned to Dennis and laughed at the blush of embarrassment spreading over his friend’s cheeks. Dennis was able to return the tormenting laughter moments later when Rowan rolled his eyes at Darby pondering aloud his intent to ask his partner to join the same club the very next time they flew.

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

The sun was barely coming up when they pulled into the drive-through at Tim Horton’s the next morning and ordered breakfast to go. At Skyy’s persistence a box of forty Timbits was also purchased to eat during the long drive.

“That was a great evening you treated us to last night, Darby,” Dusty complimented after washing down the last bite of his muffin with the coffee he badly needed to keep awake. “It was nice seeing Jayson and Riley again. Too bad Riley was in such a sour mood,” he commented, rolling the paper wrappers from his and Skyy’s food into a ball and chucking it over the back of the seat in front of him so Dennis could add it to the garbage accumulating in the plastic bag the older man was holding.

“It’s because he wanted to come with us, at least for the weekend. But he had already made other commitments and Jayson insisted he stick to them. Here, Dennis.” Darby handed over the remnants of his meal.

“From the way Riley was acting, it would be my guess that they’d had a bit of a discussion about it before arriving at your place,” Dusty softly mused.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they did,” Darby agreed, feeling a bit sorry for his friend. “Riley likes to argue, even when he knows he’s on the losing end.”

“Why did he call me ‘Baby’Brat’?” Skyy asked. Although not appearing hurt or angry, he did seem a little confused.

“Yeah! What was with that all about? A slur of some kind?” Dusty was somewhat put-out at the thought of anyone’s attempt at demeaning one of his partners. At one time such a slight, real or imagined, would have resulting in a punch or two being thrown when Dusty had a tendency to fight at the drop of a hat. He was not able to control that urge thanks to Dennis’ influence and the security of his place of importance in a couple very special people’s lives.

“Oh no, Riley would never have meant it as an insult. He has a habit of categorizing stuff.”

“Huh?” was the dual response from the other two men in the back seat with Darby.

“Okay, it’s like this. How many Brats do you two know living the lifestyle we do?”

“Besides you, Riley and TJ; just Slade and Jayden,” Dusty answered.

“And Aaron,” Skyy added.

“Right! Between us, we know of eight. Skyy’s the youngest, so Riley labels him with ‘Baby-Brat’. He refers to TJ as the ‘Senior-Brat’ because he’s the oldest. But he doesn’t mean anything derogatory by it.”

“Oh, okay then. We can live with that, can’t we, D?” Skyy laughed when his fellow-Brat merely rolled his eyes. “I do sympathize with Riley though, cause it really would have been neat if they were joining us for a few days. It also would have been neat to have Glen and TJ visit and hear more about the ghosts.” Skyy was always up for stories about the deceased couple supposedly sharing the Chamberlain/Cameron home.

“We’re not sure they really exist, Skyy,” Darby reminded him. “Like Glen says, it may all be a figment of TJ’s imagination.”

“But you have to admit, Darby, their house party you attended a few weeks ago sure provided some great stories,” Dusty mused. “It was a lot of fun listening to you and Riley in the tree house last night while you told us about your adventures with TJ’s ‘apparitions’. It was so much better than sitting around and listening to our partners discussing world problems. As if they could do anything about them,” he snorted.

“Yeah, it was fun. Just as long as you bear in mind what we said about being too drunk to know what we actually did or did not witness that weekend,” Darby insisted, his green eyes sparkling at the memories evoked.

“I’d still like the opportunity to see for myself someday,” Skyy pensively intoned.

In the front seats, Rowan and Dennis were discussing the pros and cons of the sales tax changes in their respective Provinces.

“The party in power definitely opened a can of worms when bringing in the HST here in BC,” Rowan commented. “I bet they go to sleep at night wishing they left it well enough alone and adhered to what the majority of voters wanted in the first place.”

“As usual, there are two contrasting sides to the issue in Ontario. But unlike BC, it’s a done deal and we’re stuck with it,” Dennis stated.

“Either of you two interested in politics,” Darby quietly inquired of his traveling companions.

“Only around election time; which now isn’t,” Dusty responded, rolling his eyes. He’d heard the sales tax debate more times than he’d care to count, having absolutely no interest in it at all.

Skyy chuckled. “When it comes to voting, Dusty glances over the literature that comes in the mail from the various parties and makes a decision according to what appeals to him.” He grinned at his fellow-Brat to let him know he was teasing.

Dusty chose to retaliate in kind. “Our last election was Skyy’s first time to vote and he studied everything he could get a hold of. He read the newspapers, watched the TV and listened to the radio. I bet he memorized every candidate’s platform before going to the polls.” He gently poked his younger partner in the ribs.

“I didn’t want to waste my ballot, D. So I just chose the party whose so-called promises I found easiest to live with.” Turning to Darby, Skyy pretended to whisper but deliberately spoke loud enough for Dusty to hear. “Dusty didn’t agree with anyone running at the time, so he destroyed his ballot. But at least he went to the polls and like Den says, every ballot counts.”

“If it was left up to me, I wouldn’t even bother to vote. I only do so because Rowan practically drags me to the polls. I usually find out who he’s voting for and follow suit. He doesn’t like me to do that but lets it ride.”

“He’s smart like our Den. He’s learned to pick his battles, huh?” Skyy’s snickering quickly turned to laughter when the other two readily agreed with his observation and added a couple humorous comments of their own.

“What so funny back there?” Dennis looked over his shoulder to see what they were laughing at.

“Nothing you’d appreciate, Den,” Dusty assured him.

“Hmm, I don’t think I’ll bother pursuing that,” Dennis murmured, chuckling when he heard Rowan’s ‘good plan’ being muttered from the driver’s seat.
Thinking a change of subject was in order, Darby regained Skyy’s attention by asking about his eclectic family. “So, Blue, how are all the folks adjusting to the tenement you grew up in being demolished?”

“They’ve handled it well and are all settled in new homes. It was sad to see our mini United Nations community breaking up but I guess you can’t fight city hall. Meme and Pepe, known to many as Adele and Gaston Lafontaine from apartment five, have relocated to an assisted-living retirement home. Meme can make their meals when she feels up to it, but doesn’t have to if she’s under the weather. Kenji Yamaoto, the elderly Japanese man from number four, has gone to live with his son and seems content. He gets to spent time with his grandchildren and putter around in a small garden he maintains in the back yard. He’s taking care of my hamster, Nugget, while we’re away. Rosalia DeBenedetto, the Italian lady I call Nonna, now lives with her daughter who is a lawyer. Nonna gets to take care of someone and Carina, who never married, has live in-maid service. It’s working out good for both of them. Nico, the Greek guy from apartment two, and Max, the German man from number six, are sharing a place. It’s interesting to say the least. Kind of like living in a boxing ring; they each go to their respective bedrooms and come out fighting when the bell rings. But they’re learning to compromise and accept each other’s differences.” Skyy’s uncomplicated take on the various situations had his companions in stitches.

“What about the Swahili couple who took over your Uncle Earl’s unit?” Darby didn’t want anyone left out.

“Oh yeah, almost forgot them. Jabari and Akilah Zaremba actually left town. Man, I hardly got to learn how to speak any of their language. But Jabari explained that they really enjoy a somewhat nomadic life. They are accustomed to pulling up roots and starting over again fairly often so they found it easy to accept the eviction notice when it showed up in their mail box.”

“Do you get to see the rest very often?”

“Yeah, we try to visit as much as our busy schedules permit and we’ll be making an all-out effort to get everyone together for Thanksgiving,” Dusty answered while Skyy enthusiastically nodded his agreement.

Momentarily running out of questions to ask, Darby glanced about in search of road signs to indicate how much further they had to go. Some wildlife attracted his attention. “Look out my window, guys. There a group of mountain goats grazing over there.”

The remainder of the trip went by swiftly with Rowan and Darby pointing out sights of interest to their guests. No one succumbed to the temptation to nap despite their early start to the day. But all were relieved to arrive at their destination so they could get out and stretch their legs.

“No one goes inside empty-handed,” Rowan announced as he walked around to the back of the van. “Grab as much as you can carry.”

“That’s too heavy, Skyy. You’ll hurt your shoulder trying to take so much at once,” Dennis admonished, relieving his youngest partner of a large duffle bag. “Here, take this one instead.”

“I’ll be glad when it gets fixed,” Skyy griped, obediently following the older man’s directives. He hated being treated any differently than the others.

“With luck, Dom will have news of when the surgery can take place by the time we get home, little buddy,” Dusty sympathetically encouraged.

“It can’t be too soon; we’ve been waiting forever for a date.”

“Darby, show our guests to their room and take our luggage up to ours,” Rowan instructed. “I’ll get us all a bite to eat. In spite of all the snacks we’ve had, I can still here a couple of stomachs growling.”

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

Rowan and Dennis walked out of the kitchen, each with a beer in their hand. Most the afternoon had been spent unpacking and settling in, and now with supper and dishes out of the way, they wanted nothing more than to relax.

“What are you two up to, Sweets?” Rowan asked his husband, stopping to find out why almost every box of puzzles and all the board games had been taken off the shelves and spread out on the floor of the family room.

“Blue and I are just getting these in order according to which ones we want to do first,’ was the answer from the man with his head in the lower cupboard of the shelving unit.

“Without a TV, DVD player, Play Station, or electronics of any kind, we want to be ready in case we get stuck inside.” Skyy spoke up while examining the cover of one of the boxes. “And Dek says we can’t use our I-pads or you’ll confiscate them. Is that true? Would you really do that?”

“Probably,” Rowan answered with a grin.

“Where’s Dusty?” Dennis inquired, looking around and noticing they were one man short.

“He said he was going out for a bit of fresh air,” Darby responded, sitting back on his heels and gazing up at the men standing over them.

Dennis frowned, not at all pleased with one of his wandering off. The three of them had never been here before and Dusty had more city savvy than country.

“Hmm, I hope we don’t need to organize a search party,” Rowan jested, not thinking for one minute that such a move would prove necessary.

Just as the four men stepped out on the veranda, they heard a loud howl of distress. It was immediately followed by someone crashing through the underbrush on the far side of the clearing. Their noses sensed Dusty’s arrival seconds before actually seeing him.

“Oh, oh, skunk,” Darby muttered and pinched his nostrils.

“Oh my God, that’s putrid,” Skyy chokingly complained, covering the lower half of his face. He gaped in shock as his fellow-Brat stumbled towards them.

“You get him stripped, Dennis, while Darby and I get the equipment we’re going to need to clean him up,” Rowan offered, putting down his beer and re-entering the cottage with his young husband close behind.

Darby was thankful for any distance he was able to put between him and the disgusting aroma that was currently assailing the entire area. By the time he and Rowan returned, a naked Dusty was irritably wailing out his tale of woe.

“That fucking little monster assaulted me, Den. I’ve a good mind to go back and ring its’ scrawny neck.”

“You’ll do nothing of the kind, young man. It’s going to be enough work to get this reeking mess off of you as it is.”

“Here, Dusty, squat down as best you can in this,” Darby instructed, setting a large galvanized wash tub on the ground. “Rowan is mixing up something that should eliminate most of the stench.”

Seeing his Brat’s hesitation, Dennis urged him on. “You don’t have a choice, babe. We’ve got to get you cleaned up before we’re all nauseous.” He landed a light swat on Dusty’s naked butt.

Dusty did as he was told, blinking back stinging tears of mortification and exasperation. “Nothing going to get rid of it,” he grumbled under his breath.

“Yes it will,” Rowan assured him, having picked up on the scepticism in the young man’s voice. “It’s a mixture consisting of one quart of three percent hydrogen peroxide, a quarter cup of baking soda and one teaspoon of dish detergent.” He handed a spray-bottle and rag to Dennis. “Make sure you spray Dusty thoroughly, rubbing it in as you go. I’ve got more to refill the bottle as needed. You’ll have to continue bathing him for at least five minutes to make sure it soaks in well.”

Dennis accepted the items and set to work. It wasn’t at all a pleasant task. His eyes were watering and he was having difficulty breathing. “How did you manage to get yourself into this, Dusty,” he asked as he worked.

“I don’t know. The little creature looked kind of cute and I wanted a closer look. I thought skunks had bad vision and if I was quiet, it wouldn’t see me.”

“It obviously sensed your presence. A skunk will give several clear signals before it sprays,” Rowan explained. “Why didn’t you heed the warning signs and get as far away from the animal as possible?”

“What exactly are the ‘warning signs’, Rowan?”

“When threatened, a skunk will stamp its’ front feet, arch its’ back, and shuffle backwards. Did it do that?”

Dusty grimaced and hung his head. He found facing one unhappy Top daunting, but face-to-face with two was unbearable. “I thought it was doing a cute little dance of some kind. I didn’t know it was warning me to keep away,” he quietly admitted.

“If you don't leave right away, it will raise its’ tail and release the smelly musk, a sulphur-alcohol compound from special glands near the anus. This spray not only stinks, but burns and can cause temporary blindness if it gets directly into the eyes. Since you didn't leave, it defended itself.”

“So now you know better for next time,” Dennis mildly scolded.

“By the hell, there isn’t going to be a ‘next time’,” Dusty ardently declared.

“I should hope not!” Skyy readily supported the announcement.

“Let’s go get the garden hose, Skyy, so Dennis can rinse Dusty off and take him inside for a warm shower,” Darby proposed now that the sickening scent was dissipating.

Rowan bent down and gathered up Dusty’s clothing. “I’ll put these through the washing machine. Two cups of ammonia should take the smell out.”

Once the cleaning mixture had been rinsed off, Dennis helped Dusty stand up. Wrapping an arm around his Brat’s shoulders, the slightly bigger man steered him into the cottage and towards the bathroom.

“Am I in trouble, Den?” Duty murmured, leaning heavily against Dennis’ chest.

“No, you’re not. The woods are not exactly your area of expertise and I would think getting sprayed by a skunk was traumatizing enough without adding to it. Just don’t make a habit of wandering off until you learn more about the area or encounters with wildlife will not be your only dilemma. Got it?”

“Got it! And thanks, Den.” Dusty lifted his head and kissed his lover’s lips. “Love you.”

“Love you too, Grease-monkey.” Dennis gave the man in his arms a gentle squeeze and then held him at arms’ length. “Now get into the shower. You’ll feel like a new man when you’re warmer and dressed again.”

Dusty felt the pressures of the day melting away as the warm water cascaded down his body. Several minutes passed before he pushed back the curtain and stepped out to immediately be swathed in a large fluffy towel. He practically purred as he was adeptly rubbed down by loving hands and helped into a clean pair of flannel sleeping pants and a t-shirt. He compliantly went along with being put to bed even though it was relatively earlier by his standards, and was sleeping soundly seconds after his head hit the pillow.

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

Skyy sat at the end of the dock with his feet dangling over the edge. He loved the solitude and knowing that aside from the three men he’d left sleeping in the cabin, there wasn’t another human around. He’d been up for some time now, showered but not yet dressed. He entertained himself with thoughts of the wonderful week they’d enjoyed as he watched the morning mist rise off the water. He smiled when he heard footsteps coming up behind him and smelled the aroma of fresh coffee.

“Mornin’, Den.” He snuggled against the big man who sat down beside him.

“Good morning, Sport. Looks like the beginning of another beautiful day.” Dennis sipped his drink and tightened the arm he had wrapped around his companion’s shoulders.

“Yeah, we’ve had great weather. The heat just meant plenty of activities here at the lake. Think it’s going to be as hot as the other days have been since we got here?”

“Probably, although Rowan mentioned an approaching storm that should help cool things off a bit. Thank God the nights get cooler or we’d never be able to sleep,” the older man mused as he enjoyed this quiet time spent one on one with his youngest Brat.

“Well I sure slept soundly and now I’m raring to go. Did you come prepared, Den?” Skyy inquired, turning around to straddle his partner’s thighs.

“Sorry, honey; guess I forgot.” Dennis smiled teasingly. He knew exactly what Skyy was referring to.

“Then it’s a good thing I did then.” Skyy dug into the large pocket of his robe, pulled out a hand towel and some lube and placed them on the dock not far from Dennis’ coffee mug. Next he opened both his and Dennis’ robes, and rubbed their bared bodies against one another. He combed his fingers through the mat of black curls that covered his partner’s chest, leaned in and gently nibbled in turn on each nipple, then blew on the hardened wet nubs, drawing a gasp of pleasure from the man he was tormenting.

Dennis pushed his lover back to stare into beautiful violet eyes glazing over with desire. He generously lubed his right hand, and shifting Skyy slightly, slid greased fingers down the cleft in Skyys’ bottom. For a moment or two, he purposefully teased the rosebud between the nicely rounded globes before deftly preparing his young lover for the invasion he was panting for.

Grabbing hold of Skyy’s hips, Dennis lifted him so Skyy was able to lower himself onto his lover’s engorged member. “It’s time to ride the lightning, baby. Go at your own pace and I’ll follow your lead.”

Skyy slowly seated himself, biting his lip as he waited for the pain to lessen. Once he’d adjusted to the sense of fullness, he began rocking back and forth.

Dennis wrapped his hand around Skyy’s throbbing penis, pulled back the foreskin and smeared the pre-cum with his thumb over the exposed head.


The angle of Skyy’s movements changed and the tempo increased as he made sure his prostate was grazed by every other downward push. Although engrossed in maintaining his established rhythm, he was fully responsive to the large hand stroking his manhood and causing his pulse to race.

It wasn’t long before both men’s cries of release were drowning out the sounds of any nearby wildlife. Skyy collapsed on top of Dennis and lay there gasping for breath with his lover’s heart beating erratically beneath his ear.

“Perfect,” Skyy panted, instinctively knowing the big guy under him was smiling. “Love ya, Den,” he whispered.

“Love you too, sweetheart,” the other well-sated man murmured as he gently maneuvered his lover just enough to clean them up.

Several minutes passed in silence as Skyy absently twirled his fingers in Dennis’ damp chest hair and purred to the calming influence of his lover’s hand soothingly caressing up and down his back beneath his robe.

“Sure wish we could stay here in the mountains a bit longer,” Skyy mused, drawing in a deep breath. “Only four days left and it’s back to the city for a couple more and then we fly home. Time passes just too darn fast.”

“Ýou’ll just have to make the most of the time left, Sport.”

“This has been one of our best vacations ever. Don’t you think?”

“Well I guess if you overlook Dusty’s close encounter with a skunk and your near miss with poison ivy, it’s been near perfect all right.”

“That just made things more interesting, Den. We wouldn’t wanna get bored.”

“I really could have done without that kind of excitement.” Dennis chuckled before continuing. “And it still boggles the mind how, after several days of drought, you and Darby managed to find what must be the only existing mud anywhere near this entire lake. Finding it was one thing, but did you have to drive that ATV back and forth across it so many times? You two guys and the machine were unrecognizable when you drove into the yard yesterday.”

“Yeah, we could hardly see through the visors of our helmets. But we hosed down real good, Den.” Skyy lifted his head and smirked before adding. “Besides, it could have been worse.”

“How’s that?”

“If the second ATV was working, we would have had both muddy.” Skyy laughed when he saw Dennis rolling his eyes. “Dusty says he’ll have the broken one up and running by this afternoon. Not that it will do Dek and me any good seeing as our ATV privileges have been revoked until further notice.” The young man put down his head and suddenly turning serious, softly inquired, “Den, do you think D. is having a good time? He seems to be spending a lot of time on his own instead of with the rest of us.”

“Hmm, I’m not sure, Sport. He hasn’t said anything. He realizes that you and Darby seldom see each other and is probably just giving the two of you some private time together. Same can be said for Rowan and I.” Neither man was fully convinced that such was the case, but couldn’t come up with anything more plausible.

“But then I bet he was happy not to have been with you and Darby when you were caught jumping off that cliff. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“You had to bring that up, huh?” Skyy complained, his momentarily disgruntled expression hidden by Dennis’ chin. “Well since you did, I just want to point out again that you should have waited until I was dry before spanking me. I even would have used a towel, ‘cause spankings hurt more on wet butts.”

“Yes, so my palm and fingers can attest to,” Dennis teased.

Lifting his head once again, Skyy stared in wonder at the older man. “I hafta tell you, Den, I’m having a hard time feeling any sympathy towards your hand.” His comment caused his partner to laugh uproariously.

“As enjoyable as this brief one-on-one time has been, Sport, we better get a move on.” Dennis heard a low rumbling and grinned. “Your empty stomach seconds the motion and mine will be following suit anytime now.” He firmly pushed his young companion off him and got to his feet; then offered a helping hand to Skyy. “Do you and Darby have any plans for the day?”

“Nope; we try to avoid planning ahead. There’s a lot to be said for just winging it. I’m sure we’ll find something interesting to do.”

“Now why does that thought strike fear to my heart?” Dennis chuckled mockingly.

“Beats me!” Skyy shrugged nonchalantly even while his eyes lit up with mischief. “You and Rowan were talking about taking in another round of golf. Is today the day?”

“It’s been thrown out there. Nothing’s cast in stone though.” Taking Skyy by the shoulders, Dennis turned him around. “We’ve dawdled long enough. Get a move on, Sport.”

“I hope Dusty is up by now. I know Rowan and Darby will be,” Skyy commented as he tied his robe. He shoved the lube back in his pocket and picked up the soiled hand towel. “Race ya!” he shouted and sprinted towards the stairs leading up to the cabin.

Dennis retrieved his mug, grimaced at the now cold coffee and dumped it out. He then leisurely followed his overly enthusiastic partner.

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

Dusty spent most the morning messing around with an uncooperative engine and eventually succeeded in repairing the malfunctioning ATV. He should have been relaxing instead of doing what he’d normally be doing at work. After all, his partners and their friends were sure enjoying some well-deserved R and R. But it had been his choice. No one had so much as suggested he fix the darn thing. It had taken all the patience he could muster to put the motor back together and as a result he wasn’t in the best of moods. At least the fun part was all that remained; testing it out. He went in to inform his cabin-mates of his whereabouts. Skyy and Darby were giggling and plunking away on the ancient upright piano while Dennis and Rowan calmly read, seemingly unbothered by the racket the younger men were making.

“I’m going for a trial run on the ATV, Dennis,” he announced, wiping his dirty hands on a greasy rag.

“Just be careful, babe,” Dennis responded. “Don’t go too far.”

“And don’t get lost,” Rowan kindly added.

“Yeah, right!” Dusty grumbled under his breath as he walked out, leaving the others to their own devices. He was sure Rowan’s comment had a sarcastic ring to it. “For God’s sake, I’m a grown man capable of taking care of himself.’ He kept up the low muttering as his mood became darker. “You’d think I’ve never been in the woods before.” He totally missed Skyy and Dennis exchanging looks of concern.

Dennis frowned at the sight of Skyy chewing anxiously on his lower lip. The two men had thought all was okay after this morning’s conversation. They had returned from the dock to find their hosts preparing brunch and Dusty still in bed. After coaxing him out from under the blanket, they’d showered together and made love. Dusty had assured them that he was having a great holiday and happily taking advantage of having some alone time to do whatever he felt like. His present temperament once again gave cause for doubt in the minds of his partners.

Dusty returned shortly before supper and he was pumped; too pumped to notice the smell of fresh baking permeating the kitchen he rushed into.

“Den!” he hollered seconds before the echo his entrance faded. “You’ll never guess who I met!”

Dennis glanced at Rowan and realized the smirk of forbearance on the other man’s face meant he too was used to slamming doors. “We’re in here, Grease-monkey.” He couldn’t help but be pleased when his oldest Brat ran into the family room and skidded to a halt in front of him. The man was practically beaming and appeared at his happiest since arriving in BC. “Okay, babe, catch your breath and then tell us what has made you so animated.”

“You know that rental place about a quarter of a mile from here; the one that’s been empty almost all summer according to Rowan?” Dusty paused to look back and forth between the two slightly older men, then at Skyy and Darby who had just entered the room to see what the hullabaloo was about. Getting a nod, he carried on. “Well, I met up with two of the guys staying there. They were out walking and I didn’t realize how close I was to their cottage. They’re names are Don and Barry. They’ve invited up to their place for a bar-b-que and to meet a bunch of their buddies, tomorrow afternoon. I told them we’d be there with bells on.”

“Oh Dusty,” Dennis released a long sigh, briefly shut his eyes and shook his head at the odious thought of having to burst his partner’s bubble. “Rowan and I heard about their arrival yesterday when we were in town. From what we’ve heard, these gentlemen….” he hesitated until he could think of a delicate way to say what had to be said. “Ah… well, we just might not have very much in common with them.”

“They are probably good men, Dusty,” Rowan decided to jump in with his two cents worth and help out his fellow-Top. “We just don’t think we’d enjoy one another’s company.”

“We can’t back out now!” Dusty angrily intoned. He had no trouble picking up on the signals that his hopes for a good time were being thwarted.

“I’m sorry, love. Rowan and I were planning a game of golf tomorrow, but how about us all going out for dinner instead? Maybe we can locate a really nice restaurant not too far from here.”

“Never mind, you guys go do your own thing and I’ll do mine,” Dusty said quietly, as he grudgingly accepted the inevitable for the time being. He walked out of the room, the little devil on his shoulder egging him on to make plans of his own; plans that definitely included a bar-b-que with new friends.

Dennis pursed his lips, put down the knife he was using to cut up veggies for a salad, wiped his hands and followed his oldest Brat. He located Dusty in their room sitting on the side of the bed. He’d obviously caught the young man off guard as he watched him awkwardly attempt to hide something under his pillow.

Ignoring that for the time being, he sat down beside his partner and wrapped a beefy arm around his shoulders. “What gives, love? Your moods have been swinging like a pendulum. I can’t keep up with them.”

Dusty leaned into the embrace and murmured. “Guess I’m a bit disappointed about tomorrow. I was kinda looking forward to meeting new folks.”

“That’s understandable, but rudeness isn’t the proper way of dealing with it.”

“I’m sorry and I’ll offer my apology to our hosts,” Dusty sincerely offered.

“That’s more like it. I think you’ve been spending far too much time alone this vacation, Grease-monkey. You need to get more involved with what the rest of us are doing.”

“But I really am having a good time by myself, Den. Honest!”

“All right, if you say so. Whatcha got under your pillow?” Dennis tried not to smile as he witnessed the blush spreading up the other man’s cheeks.

Pulling out what he thought would be a forbidden article, Dusty handed it over to Dennis. “I’d go nuts, Den, if I had to live completely without electronic game devices. During rest periods, Skyy is perfectly content doing jigsaw puzzles and the like. He taught Darby how to do Sudoku and now Darby is as hooked on it as Skyy is. You and Rowan are happy playing chess or reading. I’m not interested in any of that.” He sighed and glanced up at his partner. “Are you gonna tell Rowan I’ve been playing with my I-Pad?”

“I think we can keep it our little secret, babe,” Dennis assured him, handing back the item and smiling when it was once again hidden.

“Skyy already knows.” Dusty grinned conspiringly.

“And why am I not surprised?” Dennis didn’t point out the likelihood of Rowan already knowing. Instead he reached for the drawing tablet and pencils lying on the night table. “Where did you find these?”

“They were in one of the cupboards of the shelving unit where the games and stuff are stored. Darby said Riley had received an art kit as a gift but didn’t want it. I sorta confiscated the whole thing.”

Dennis slowly flipped through the pages. “It’s good to see you sketching again. It’s been a while. You’ve got some beautiful scenes in here.” He looked up to see Dusty’s face light up with the praise.

“So you can see; I have been keeping myself busy. No need for you and Skyy to worry, right?” Dusty insisted, hoping the smoke screen would be accepted at face value.

“Let’s just say I’ll take your word for it,” Dennis replied, replacing the art supplies on the night stand. “Meanwhile, supper will be ready faster if we all pitch in. So let’s get out there before someone starts hollering.”

After a few moments of badly needed cuddling, they headed out of the room together. The earlier incident had been put behind them, or so Dennis hoped.

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

“I have to tell you, Rowan, I think our timing was way off when it comes to playing golf this afternoon. I think it has to be the hottest day since we got here,” Dennis teasingly complained as they put their clubs away.

“We can only hope the storm forecast for yesterday, puts in an appearance before the day is over,” Rowan commented as he wiped the sweat from his face. “I can understand now why we just about had the links to ourselves; there weren’t that many other players foolish enough to be sweltering under the sun like that.”

“Looks like we were a couple of the few,” Dennis mused. “Let’s grab some cold ones and wait for the desperately desired rain to get here. Assuming it ever does, that is.”

“A nicely chilled beer would go great right about now. Although it may feel like there is a weather change on the horizon, I wouldn’t hold my breath for it getting here any time soon,” Rowan quipped.

They found Darby and Skyy sitting in the shade on the front porch, finishing off a puzzle.

“Got it!” Skyy jubilantly shouted as he gently pressed the last piece in place. He and Darby gratefully accepted the cold beers handed to them by their partners. It left Dennis holding an extra one and looking around for the man he wanted to give it to.

“Did you guys get much swimming in, Sweets?” Rowan asked, sitting down on the wide arm of the chair Darby was reclining in.

“Nah, it’s way too muggy to bother plastering on sunscreen. I didn’t even have to resort to threats of bodily harm to keep this guy out of the kitchen. Baking yesterday was absolute torture, regardless of the end result being a batch of delicious brownies. Right, Bro?” Darby smirked at Skyy who was too beat to do more than nod.

“Skyy, do you know where Dusty is?” Dennis inquired.

“Ah, did you check our room?”

Dennis knew when his youngest Brat answered a question with another he was trying to tip-toeing through a mine field without setting off a mine. A head-on approach was the only thing that worked in these instances.

“I didn’t. But it doesn’t matter as he isn’t there, is he?” A wide-eyed stare of innocence greeted this query, causing Dennis’ to narrow his eyes as a suspicious thought entered his head. “He went to that blasted bar-b-que, didn’t he?” This time, he only received a shrug. Turning to Rowan, he muttered with some anger in his voice. “Damn; I wish he hadn’t met up with those men yesterday. I’m going to have to go after him.”

“I’ll draw you a map of a shortcut to get there faster,” Rowan offered. “And I’ll keep an eye on your youngest,” he assured his friend.

“Thank you. I will need to borrow something if that’s all right.” Dennis’ request had an ominous ring to it.

Meanwhile, Dusty had arrived at a place he knew he had no business being and been welcomed with open arms. Although disappointed that he was on his own, his new acquaintances were more than happy to see him. Barry immediately took him under his wing to show him around and introduce him to others.

“Come on and meet the gang. They’re a real friendly bunch of guys,” Barry guaranteed. “It’s a good chance for you to make new friends. There’s lots of food and booze, other mind-altering drugs if you’re into that; fun and frolic. Something for everyone, just wait and see.” Leaning in, he whispered furtively while wiggling his eyebrows. “The muffins are laced.”

Quickly scanning the area, Dusty noticed the majority of those present were ‘Bears’. Not that it presented a problem After all, a man he loved with all his heart could be consider by some a ‘Bear’. Dennis was a little older than he was, somewhat larger and definitely hairier in the chest area; so in Dusty’s mind, his partner qualified even if Den was clean-shaven.

Of course many of these guys were even hairier than Dennis, especially above the neck. In fact a couple would probably give orangutans cause to be jealous.

“This is Dave, Chuck and Amos; the rest are out back.” Barry quickly rhymed off names and Dusty hoped he wouldn’t be expected to remember them all.

It was the smell of someone smoking marijuana that had Dusty mentally hitting himself over the head for having disobeyed his Top. This was definitely not good and was exactly what Dennis and Rowan had told him about when he had re-introduced the subject of them at least putting in an appearance at the bar-b-que, at breakfast this morning. Due to the rumors circulating and Dennis being wary of taking unnecessary risks, he had been told in no uncertain terms that he was not to attend. He should have listened; more importantly he should have simply obeyed. But he hadn’t. Why? Because he didn’t want to accept that Don and Barry could be into drugs. Besides, even Dennis had admitted it could easily be more rumor than fact.

Dusty was steered over to a hot tub and encouraged to get in. “You’ll be surprised by how it can actually cool you off,” Barry told him. “It opens your pores. Go on; try it.”

Not wanting to make waves, Dusty did as he was told. One man was already relaxing in the tub and two others, who answered to George and Blake, soon joined them. Dusty was surprised when Blake got in wearing only a collar. Although Skyy went around in his birthday suit as often as possible, he didn’t do so in front of strangers. And Dusty was undeniably a stranger.

Dusty’s eyes widened when he saw three fresh stripes on Blake’s butt. All the signs suddenly came together as Dusty finally clued into the lifestyle most these men were involved in. The leather pants with naked backsides protruding, the submissive attitude of some versus the dominate characteristic of others, the collars….and just what did those leather cases contain? Implements, maybe?

He and Skyy had briefly investigated the kink online but had quickly lost interest. Not that they thought anything was wrong with it; after all, different strokes for different folks. It just didn’t turn them on; quite the opposite. They had been shocked to learn their Top had at one time considered looking into it during his college days when he had gone to a couple of BDSM clubs.

Dusty closed his eyes and mentally prayed no one would decide to put on a scene while he was present. Moreover, he desperately hoped no one would ask him to participate.

He was startled out of his private musings when a hairy dude moved a little too close for comfort into his personal space. This came as a surprise as it was his understanding that 'Bears' were very conscious of pouching. In fact, had some of them been aware of him being here against his Top’s orders, in all likelihood a couple of them would have given him an earful and sent him packing. Of course there was no way Dusty could have known that the man invading his space was coping badly with the breakup of a recent relationship and overindulging to deal with the pain.

“Hey, relax. My name is Smitty. Why so skittish?” the fella asked after introducing himself, settling down next to Dusty and reaching for him. ”You’re not as big as I thought you might be. But that’s okay, I like any size.”

”That’s my thumb!” Dusty indignantly declared. He was getting nervous and not sure how to get out of this mess he found himself in. The chap next to him was older, bigger and probably meaner…..and he was blatantly coming on to him. He didn’t want to insult anyone or start trouble but…..

“Take it easy, Cub. What you need is a Bear,” Smitty slurred.

“No, I don’t.”

“Really? How come?”

“Cause he already has one!” a menacing voice growled near their ears.

The men in the tub stared up at the large man looming over them. Dennis was shirtless, his mat of chest hair gleaming darkly with sweat, from just below his broad shoulders down to where it tapered and disappeared behind the waist band of his shorts. He’d seldom appeared more threatening.

Dusty was never so relieved to see his Top. Smitty, on the other hand, sobered instantly and wished for a hole he could sink into. The man behind them was bigger than he was and a lot angrier. Had Smitty’s jaw dropped any lower he would have been able to suck up half the water in the hot tub.

Dennis was in over-protective, knight-to-the-rescue, royally pissed-off mode. He was a force to be reckoned with and Smitty certainly wasn’t up to it.

Placing his hands under Dusty’s arms, Dennis lifted him out of the water and stood him on the deck. “We’re leaving! Get your t-shirt and shoes on!” he roughly ordered. Turning back to the other men in the tub, he graciously added, “Gentlemen, it was kind of you to make my cub feel so welcomed, but he forgot to mention we had other plans for today. If you would kindly say his goodbyes to your hosts, we’d both really appreciate it.”

With that, Dennis wrapped a muscular hand around Dusty’s bicep and led him off towards the path he’d rushed along to get here. He’d been relieved to find his Brat safe; if being hit on by a stranger could in anyway be considered ‘safe’. He didn’t know what infuriated him more; Dusty’s defiance or Dusty being mauled. Either way, he held his Brat responsible for being in this situation. Premeditated noncompliance was a paddling offense and Dusty knew it.

Once well hidden by trees, Dennis let go and while donning his own sleeveless shirt strode on ahead, fully expecting his Brat to follow in his footsteps. He utilized the walk back to the cottage to get his temper under control.

“Wait, Den! Please!” Dusty beseeched after several minutes of trailing behind. He was out of breath but still running to catch up to his partner. “You’re going too fast.”

It was only when Dennis slowed to a snail’s pace and Dusty caught up that the younger man noticed something protruding from his Top’s back pocket. He began to wish he’d kept his distance.

“I’m really sorry, Den,” he panted, as he grabbed hold of his partner’s forearm to get him to stop walking.

“What exactly are you sorry for, Dustin. For your deliberate disobedience, for needlessly worrying those who love and care about you, for putting yourself in a frightening situation you had no idea how to get out of…..what exactly?” Dennis realized he was coming off harsh and somewhat heartless but he had a point to make. “Or is it for lying to us, your partners and lovers, over and over again?”

“For all of that, Den. Honest!” Dusty’s eyes filled with tears of remorse. “What lies?”

“The ones when you repeatedly attempted to persuade us you were perfectly happy spending time on your own. But I’d rather discuss that particular issue when the three of us are together.”

“Can… ah…we take care of the rest now? Please?” Dusty badly wanted to get it over with and preferably in the relative privacy of the forest. “You came prepared to do just that, didn’t you?” He seriously hoped he’d guess correctly.

“Yes, I did,” Dennis acknowledged. “I figured you’d choose here as an alternative to a place where we’d be overheard.”

Trying unsuccessfully to swallow the growing lump in his throat, Dusty merely nodded his agreement.

Dennis searched around and found an old stump. It was approximately the right height for him to sit on, but rough enough to cause him to fleetingly wonder how many slivers he’d end up getting in his rear-end. He put the thought out of his head and determinedly turned his attention to teaching his wayward Brat the concept of obedience.

Taking a seat, he summoned Dusty with a beckoning finger. He understood the other man’s reluctance to rush things now that they had reached this point of no return. He assisted in getting Dusty’s shorts down to his knees and the young man settled across his thighs. He rubbed his hand over the cool unblemished flesh and sadly shook his head. The two beautiful, lightly tanned globes would all too soon be hot and bear a deep red hue. Dennis wished there was some way to avoid hurting his partner but knew to let it go would do infinitely more harm in the long run. Dusty’s guilt would overtake him and leave him in a very unhealthy place.

“We’re both well aware of the reason behind doing this, aren’t we, Dustin? I don’t see the need to list the infractions responsible for you being in this position, agreed? ” Picking up on the muffled mutterings of concurrence, Dennis raised his right hand and brought it down firmly on one cheek and then the other. Promptly getting into a well-known pattern, he thoroughly peppered his Brat’s entire bottom with hard, stinging swats. By the time he was satisfied with the colour, Dusty was crying freely and begging him to stop.

“What are you going to do the next time you are told ‘No’, Dustin?”

“Listen and-and abide by your decision,” Dusty hitched, struggling to get his breath.

“Good man. We’re almost finished here.” Dennis reached around to his back pocket and pulled out the hairbrush he had borrowed from Rowan. He had never made it a habit of traveling with Dusty’s paddle and had no intention of doing so in the future. He’d just have to make do as occasions arose. He landed six solid smacks on each reddened globe with the substitute implement and ended the punishment, then set about soothing his chastened lover.

Dusty lay limp over his chastiser’s lap, relaxing into a post-spanking haze. As sore as he was, he found relief in knowing the worse was over. He knew he had been forgiven and the slate whipped clean. The guilt and shame he had been feeling earlier was slowly disintegrating. He was safe.

Dennis let Dusty lie where he was for several long minutes before gently lifting him to sit on his opened thighs. He took out a clean handkerchief and wiped away the few remaining tears. “Okay, love?” he murmured, nuzzling Dusty’s ear. He smiled when his Brat wrapped arms tightly around his neck and snuggled in closer.

“Yeah, I’ll live. Thanks for coming after me, Den. I was in over my head five minutes after I got there.” Dusty jerked upright when a drawn-put rumbling of thunder was heard. He peered through the tree branches above them to see dark clouds rolling in.

“We better get a move on, Grease-monkey. Looks like the storm Rowan been telling us about, is on its’ way.”

Dusty got to his feet and hissed as he rearranged his clothing. He turned watery eyes to Dennis and gave him a crooked grin. “I’m kinda anxious to talk to Skyy.”

“I know, babe.” Nothing more had to be said. Dennis knew his Brats always needed time together after one or both of them had been punished. This time there was a specific problem still to be addressed.

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

Skyy paced non-stop across the veranda from one side railing to the other. The thunder had been going on for some time now, but both it and the flashes of lightning no longer attracted his attention or took his mind off the worrisome reflections plaguing him.

Rowan had at one point thought to pull him down on his lap, but reconsidered when he recalled Skyy’s propensity to shy away from people. He remembered Dennis explaining that his youngest Brat was most at ease with youngsters and older folk, not those in between which was Rowan’s age group. Skyy was even wary of many his own age unless he knew them well. He wasn’t exactly introverted, just a bit timid. His upbringing had a lot to do with that and Rowan found his ire rising if he dwelt on it too much. Suffice it to say, he’d keep watch but give Skyy all the personal space he required.

“You’re wearing a groove in the planks, Blue,” Darby teased. “Not to mention wearing yourself out. Come sit down on the swing with Row and me. There’s plenty of room.”

Skyy paused for a moment and turned sad eyes to his hosts. “D’s been acting weird since our second day here and now he’s gone off and gotten himself in deep shit.” He blushed as he glanced at Rowan to see what the older man’s reaction would be to him using an off-coloured word. Rowan appeared not to have a problem with it.

“Well he sure didn’t seem to appreciate you badgering him every day to come join us,” Darby reminded his friend. “What the heck was he doing in the bedroom anyway while we were having forced afternoon rest periods?”

Skyy became engrossed in the cracks of the floorboards, while surreptitiously watching Rowan from under lowered eyelids.

“He was playing a hand-held electronic game that he’d hidden in his luggage,” Rowan stated and bit back a smile when Skyy’s head abruptly came up to stare opened-mouth in astonishment. “Didn’t think I knew, huh? Bet your fellow-Brat still doesn’t know. What was it he had anyway?”

“His I-pad,” Skyy answered, glad it was out in the open and no big deal was being made about it. “He said it was the only thing that kept him from going completely ape-shit.”

Both Darby and Skyy burst out laughing at that while Rowan merely rolled his eyes. The jocularity only lasted a second or two as Skyy returned to his restless pacing.

“It’s gonna rain any minute now. Den and Dusty will get drenched,” Skyy expressed his newest fears.

“The storm is further away than you think, Blue. Right, Rowan?” Darby jumped up and stepped to the edge of the porch.

Rowan didn’t get a chance to respond before large drops began falling. The sky opened up and the downpour picked up strength just as Dennis and Dusty burst out of the forest. They dashed towards the cabin, narrowly escaping an all-out soaking.

Instinctively knowing both his partners were in need of a little TLC, Skyy grabbed their hands and towed them into their bedroom. He left them removing their wet clothes while he went to fetch clean towels. He returned to find Dennis sitting on a large armchair in his birthday suit while Dusty was off to one side of the room gingerly peeling off his shorts. He was facing Skyy, but the younger man saw his fellow-Brat’s rearview reflection in the full-length mirror and flinch at the sight of Dusty extremely red and sore-looking bum.

He handed Dennis a towel and went over to stand in front of Dusty. “Can you use some help, D? I can dry your hair for ya.”

“Nah, I’m okay, little buddy. You can get me some fresh underwear though.”

Skyy watched as Dusty slipped the t-shirt he’d taken from the dresser over his head, and grimaced alongside Dusty when the other man pulled up his clean boxers.

“Why, D?” he asked softly.

Dusty blushed and solemnly shook his head. “Negative thoughts kinda took over and got away with me, little buddy.”

“I knew it; I just knew it. Den and me both figured something was bother you but when you kept denying anything was wrong, we had no choice but to wait it out. You should have talked to us, D; given us a chance to help.” Skyy stepped closer and with a smirk, whispered. “We both failed our mind reading courses and I don’t think we’re allowed to take them over.” His joshing earned him a diminutive grin.

“Well, we’re gonna talk it all out now. Right, Den?” Dusty asked the man presently zipping up his slacks.

“We are, but not in here now that we’re fairly decently clad. It will be more comfortable, temperature-wise, on the veranda with the rain getting rid of the mugginess. Come along, you two. We’ve issues to discuss.” Dennis led the way out and sat down on the wicker settee. He patted the thick pillow beside him and invited Dusty to join him.

Dusty eyed the seat with some misgiving before reluctantly lowering himself and getting settled as best he could. Skyy sat on the small table facing them.

“From the beginning, Dusty,” Dennis instructed. “How did the misunderstanding start and exactly when did it get beyond the point of no return for you?”

“While we were in the city, things were great,” Dusty started after taking a moment to get his thoughts straight. He seemed oblivious to the sound of lightly falling rain landing on the roof above them. “The first day or two up here were okay too. I assumed you might like time alone with Rowan ‘cause some of you guys’ interests are different than ours. I was equally certain Skyy would want time alone with Darby. And that was fine by me until I got to regret suggesting you all go do your own thing. I didn’t feel right saying I’d changed my mind. Somehow while it was eating at me, I managed to convince myself that it wasn’t my fault I was spending so much of each day on my own. I guess I grew resentful and distanced myself even further.”

“What should you have done when those feelings surfaced, Dusty? What did you fail to do to correct the situation?” Dennis inquired. There was no censure in his tone; his voice only reflected a mild exasperation and the abundance of love he felt towards this befuddled Brat of his.

“Talk,” Dusty woefully admitted and leaned forward to put his head in his hands. “You both asked me numerous times to accompany you and take part in your activities. But for reasons unknown to me, I pigheadedly rejected all your attempts to include me. I’m so sorry.” He moaned when he realized ‘asked’ was understated. Hell, Skyy had actually begged him to come with them. Dusty drew in a deep breath and wretchedly acknowledged, “Playing the martyr really sucks and it only led me down a path of loneliness and discontent. Then to add insult to injury, it got me in a hell of a tight spot that I needed to be rescued from and a paddling to boot. Not that every lick of that hairbrush wasn’t well deserved, Den,” he assured his older partner. “I’m more than ready to return to the fold if you’ll let me.”

“As if there was ever any question about that,” Dennis scoffed. “You never stopped being one of us. Thank you, Grease-monkey, your explanation along goes a long way in setting things right. I think your heart may have started out in the right place, but then you let some little demon take over.”

“Yeah, it was nice of you to want to do something that special, D,” Skyy, who had been quietly listening, finally commented.

“There’s an unspoken ‘but’ hanging around, Buddy,” Dusty declared. “Get on with it. This discussion is meant to clear the air once and for all in regards to this fiasco I created.”

Skyy smiled. “But you didn’t have to. Sure I like being with Darby, however I like being with you more.”

“Really? Even though he’s your brother?”

Skyy sighed and glared at the man who’d just ask uncalled for questions. “Yeah, really!”

“What about sharing private stuff?”

“There is no ‘private’ stuff, D. I tell you a heck of a lot more than I tell anyone else....except Den,” Skyy added as an afterthought. “For instance, although Dek would like to learn more about my past, he knows I won’t talk about it and he doesn’t ask. You two are the only ones who know everything.”

Dennis sat back and let the conversation between his partners flow unhindered. They needed to give and receive this affirmation of love.

“How come?” Dusty enquired, his brow furrowed in confusion. “He’s your brother now….adopted maybe, but still considered by all of us to be your brother.”

“He doesn’t need to know to be my brother, D. It’s different with you. You earned the right to know when you pulled me out of that dumpster; when you took me home and saved me from a life on the streets.” Skyy moved forward to straddle Dusty’s lap and link his hands around the other man’s neck.

Dusty barely managed to hold back a hiss. The added weight made the discomfort of sitting that he had gradually become accustom to, hard to ignore. But ignore it he did as he gazed somewhat enthralled into the gorgeous violet eyes of his younger lover.

“Dek’s my brother, D, but you’re my hero.”

The earnestly spoken declaration brought tears to the eyes of all three men. Dusty drew him closer and lovingly pressed his lips to Skyy’s. Dennis tried unsuccessfully to swallow the lump in his throat as he embraced his two Brats and gently kissed their heads in turn.

After spending several minutes reconnecting and assimilating all that had been said, Dennis huskily suggested they consider going inside and starting supper.

“Rowan says the leftovers are piling up and we’re running out of room in the fridge for more. So guess what we’re having?”

“Yahoo,” Skyy hollered as he got to his feet. “I love leftovers. It’s a homemade all-you-can-eat buffet, and it’s free. But first I think we should take advantage of this long-awaited rain.” In a blink of an eye, he was stripped of his clothing and racing out into the yard. Dusty wasn’t too far behind him. Dennis stood with his hands on his hips and laughed to see them frolicking in the nude.

Two more men watched from an upstairs window. “Looks like they’re having fun,” Darby commented.

“Want to join them?” Rowan asked, wrapping his arms around his husband from behind. “You’re dressed…or should I say undressed, for the occasion.”

“Nope, I’d rather take advantage of our nakedness and make love again.”

“You’re insatiable, for which I will be eternally grateful,” Rowan mused as he nibbled along Darby’s shoulders. “It’s back to bed then.”

“Race ya!”

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

“It is so much more enjoyable now that the oppressive heat wave is over.” Dusty breathed a sigh of relief. “Dennis and Rowan should have waited until today to go golfing and gone fishing two days ago instead of now.”

“I’ll say,” agreed Skyy who was sitting next to his partner on the dock. They were air-drying after having spent a greater part of the afternoon swimming. He looked over his shoulder at his brother lounging nearby. “So with our Tops out of the way, what else can we do to make our last day here memorable, Dek? Either of you got any ideas?”

“Visiting Bears is out!” Dusty adamantly decreed. Darby and Skyy laughed at the proclamation. Dusty had regaled everyone with his adventures of the previous afternoon with Don, Barry and their band of merry men at supper last night.

“Forbidden cliff-jumping is permanently off the activity list!” Darby mumbled. He did not want to contend with an angry Top brandishing a hairbrush any time soon.

“I thought it was permitted,” Dusty said, glancing back and forth between his two companions for enlightenment.

“Not the one we were caught diving off of last week,” Skyy informed his partner.

“Only the shorter one has been approved. At the start of every summer, Rowan and Jayson check the water below it to make sure boulders and the like haven’t fallen in over the winter. They also hang a new rope for Riley and me to swing out on in case the previous one frayed or rotted,” Darby explained. “Blue and I got in trouble for jumping off the higher cliff.”

“Guess you never tried that one before, huh?” Dusty mused.

“Not on your life. It’s a wonder Riley goes up at all ‘cause he’s kinda squeamish when it comes to heights. He actually grabs the rope, pulls back as far as he can, and swings out over the water with his eyes closed most the time, then climbs back up for more fun.”

“Hmmm, I really don’t feel like racing around on the ATVs.” Dusty muttered, turning up his nose at the idea of getting grimy with dust. “Besides Dennis and Rowan told us not to go into town, which is precisely where we’d want to head if we took out the heavy toys.”

“Waterskiing again would be neat, but we’ll have to wait until our partners return,” Darby mentioned in case anyone was interested.

“That’s some list we have going,” Skyy piped up. “It’s full of things we can’t or don’t want to do.”

“Maybe just chilling out is good enough,” Darby suggested. “Choices can be somewhat limited when you have a Top, don’t you find.

“Yeah, it sorta sucks sometimes,” Dusty moaned.

“How did you three guys end up in a discipline partnership to begin with?” Darby asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Dusty shrugged. “Just more or less happened; but that was long before Skyy came on the scene. I was a real garbage-mouth back then. At least that’s what Den called it. And I got in a lot of scraps. Man, I’d fight at the drop of a hat. Two distinctly bad habits and I needed help breaking them. Den offered that help. It was my choice though once he spelled it all out for me.”

“I’d never had anyone who cared enough to watch out for me,” Skyy spoke next. “I saw what Dusty had and after a lot of thought, decided I wanted the same. The rules make me feel safe. Sometimes I get carried away and make wrong choices, but Den is there to help me deal with the fallout. What about you, Dek?”

“Well, I don’t quite recall having made a decision about it. Row just told me he was the head of the house and I was fine with that. Heck, I’m not much of a take-charge kind of guy, probably never will be. I’d get caught up in my music and often forget where I was supposed to be. Drove Rowan nuts until he put his foot down and said enough was enough. I thrive within the boundaries we put in place together. It took a lot of work as you guys probably know, but I wouldn’t want to live any other way.”

“Me neither!” Dusty and Skyy avowed in unison and then grinned at each other.

“It’s still a struggle sometimes though,” Dusty murmured, thinking of his disobedience and the consequences from the other day. “Den can swing a mean paddle.” He chuckled to hide his embarrassment.

“We don’t have a paddle, just a nasty hairbrush,” Darby mildly griped. “Rowan won’t use another implement without my agreeing to it.”

“The paddle at our house is mine,” Dusty professed. “Den would never use it on Skyy.”

“Unless I pull a certain stunt like the one I did with Aaron,” Skyy reminded him. Looking at Darby, he added, “I tried ghost-riding once and got caught.”

Darby’s eyes widened in disbelief and he shouted, “Are you crazy? You could have been killed!”

“Which is why, I’ll never do it again. Well that and I don’t want to be paddled.”

Dusty shook his head. “But you’ve got to admit, it kind of makes you wonder why as grown men we’re so contented with this lifestyle.”

Skyy and Darby silently nodded as all three of them contemplated their lives and the loving relationships they cherished. They were deep in thought and nearly missed the sound of the returning boat their partners had taken out.

“Did you have any luck?” Skyy asked as he jumped up to catch the rope Rowan threw to him. He tied it to the dock and stood back as the older men handed their gear up to Darby and Dusty.

“Not so much as a nibble,” Dennis confessed. “Rowan’s determined to go into town and get take-out pizza for dinner.”

“Don’t forget the garlic fingers!” Darby exclaimed.

“Or bar-b-qued chicken wings,” Dusty added.

“Can you get some honey garlic spare ribs and a large Caesar salad?” Skyy requested his favourites.

“Somebody must be hungry,” Rowan laughed, throwing an arm around Darby’s neck and walking with him towards the cabin. They left their guests dawdling a short distance behind.

“You’ve been gone a long time,” Darby pointed out. “And it’s been a while since brunch.”

“You want to come to town with me?”

“You bet. In fact, try to get away without me,” Darby teased. He turned and shouted to the men slowly following them. “Row and I are going into town as soon as we call ahead and place our pizza order. Be back in about an hour with supper.” He returned the waves that acknowledged they’d heard him.

Rowan drove out of the yard several minutes later and headed down the dirt track that led to the main road. It was a bumpy ride due to the deep ruts left by the storm.

When the first couple of highway miles passed in silence, Rowan glanced at Darby to see why. He saw his husband staring at him; a hazy warmth filled his green eyes and his handsome face held a slight expression of awe.

“Whaaat?” Rowan asked, turning his attention back to the road.

“Just thinking about how darn lucky I am,” Darby softly answered and reached for the older man’s hand.

“How so?”

“I’ve been blessed with the best husband in the world and the perfect Top for me.”

“And just what brought this on?” Rowan entwined his large, solid fingers around Darby’s longer, more delicate ones and gave them a gentle squeeze.

“Me, Blue and Dusty were talking.” Darby shrugged nonchalantly.

“About?”

“You, Dennis, and our relationships; among other similar topics.”

“Hmm, I see. Have they ever mentioned how they feel about Dennis and I having an affair several years ago?”

“Like me, they’re not at all bothered by it. We unanimously came to the conclusion it would never have worked for the two of you. You both would have ended up being miserable.”

“Ya think so, huh?”

“Heck yes. You’re too much alike. After a while it would be comparable to living in a charcoal sketch. You’d both be looking around to have some colour in your lives. You know; fulfillment?”

“You’re probably right.” Rowan chuckled as he tried to imagine the conversation he and Dennis had not been privy to.

“We talked about our lifestyle choices too and admitted that even though we could have live productive lives without ever knowing about discipline relationships, now that we do know we wouldn’t want it any other way. We like having someone who takes the decision making out of our hands sometimes and having someone we’re accountable to.”

Darby shifted in his seat so he was almost facing his partner. “I can just envision how I would probably be living if I hadn’t met you. I’d have probably lost one boyfriend after another because of getting absorbed in my music and not making time for them or anything else. I’d end up a lonely old man living in a dingy-looking place piled to the ceiling with sheet music and instruments. Kinda like those places you see on that TV show ‘Hoarders’, with little pathways to get to the kitchen, the bathroom and my bed. Who knows where I’d keep my clothes with the floor space at such a premium. Thanks to you, I lead a much less cluttered life. You make me stop regularly and pay attention to other equally important things.”

“I’m glad it’s working out so well for us, Sweets.”

“It worked out fabulously all the way around, Row. You and Dennis have the partners you were meant to have and you are still great pals. I got a kid brother out of the deal and a new friend in Dusty. Who could ask for more?”

“Not me!” Rowan couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Lucky, weren’t we?

“Actually when you think about it, we’re really a couple of pretty smart men.”

“Because….”

“You were smart enough to ask me to marry you, and I was smart enough to say ‘yes’.”

“Good points, both of them.” Rowan sounded a little amused. “You’re right though, we have made some very good choices.”

“And right now we have some food choices to make,” Darby laughed as the van pulled up to the curb and Rowan shut off the engine.

They returned to the cabin as promise exactly an hour after leaving, with more food than was probably needed to feed five men, regardless how hungry they were.

“This food has to be eaten before we depart for the city tomorrow. If we can’t finish it all tonight, we’ll have it for breakfast in the morning,” Rowan declared as he unpacked the bags and laid everything out on the table. “We can’t leave perishables in the refrigerator.”

“Already clear out, Rowan,” Dennis assured him. “We used up the eggs and cold cuts to make sandwiches for the drive. We’ll get as much of the van loaded this evening and be ready to leave almost at dawn’s light, if we should happen to get up at that ungodly hour.”

“Not gonna happen!” the Brats chimed to the amusement of their Tops.

“All right then, let’s dig in!” Rowan ordered and watch with satisfaction as plates were loaded to capacity.

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

Darby stood at the huge window watching the plane soar out of sight. He felt a fleeting moment of conclusiveness at the loss of his brother’s companionship. Then out of nowhere, strong hands landed on his shoulders from behind. He was firmly steered through the throng of people waiting to pick up their luggage, and out of the building. It was a small airport with very limited space; two planes on the tarmac were enough to make movement within it difficult at best and darn right harrowing at other times.

“They’re gone, Row, and our vacation is over,” Darby moped as he did up his seat belt after receiving a warning glare to do so.

“We’ll be seeing them next summer, Sweets.” Rowan concentrated on maneuvering into the parking lot booth so he could put his pre-paid ticket in the slot.

“That’s a whole year away! It’ll take forever to get here!” the other man bitterly complained.

“I hear that same complaint every December the twenty-five once you’ve opened your gifts,” Rowan chuckled. “And here it is, just a few short months until we’re once again caught up the annual frenzy of buying and decorating.”

“Four very long months, you mean,” Darby returned the teasing with a wide grin. He never was able to keep a sour mood for any length of time.

“Besides, I would think you’d be happy to have me all to yourself, babe. You usually are after we’ve had company.”

“Yeah, that’s true. But still....” Darby was unable to do much other than laugh as Rowan fingers dug into his ribs and tickled him.

“I understand about you missing our guests, Darby; especially after developing a closer friendship with Dusty this time around. I trust you don’t harbour any guilt over the trouble he got himself into.”

“None at all, the wrong decision making rests on his shoulders alone. Don’t worry, Row, the three of us talked it all over that last afternoon we spent together while you and Dennis were fishing. We really had a great time and got a lot out in the open. Who’d have thought guys could confide in each other like that?”

“I think many of us have a tendency to let our hair down, so to speak, in certain situations and chilling out at the cabin might be one of them.”

“Too bad it had to end,” Darby commented with a sigh.

“Hey, aren’t Shelley and Toby due back next week from their vacation?” Rowan reminded him. “I’m sure at least two of you will have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Until the baby comes,” Darby softly mused. “Then Shelley will get mega busy. Babies can be very demanding and time-consuming, you know.”

“True; but I bet you’ll be over there as often as possible helping out and filling your role as Godfather to the little tyke.”

“I’d like to throw the new mom a baby shower. Think that’s a good idea?”

“It is; except I thought her mother had one for her just before they left on their trip.”

“But I wasn’t invited. Something about females only, which is a bunch of bull,” Darby declared, a little indignantly. “The one I have will include all Shelley and Toby’s friends, regardless of gender.” He started to bounce a bit in his seat, excitedly making plans in his head.

“Then organize it, Sweets,” Rowan encouraged as he drove into their driveway. “If nothing else, it will give you a special event to anticipate and help you get over these doldrums you’re experiencing that are probably just associated with Summer’s end.”

The End