Snow Fun At All

Co-written by: Jo and LJ


Kyler stood surveying the boxes in front of him. He did a quick mental calculation, jotted down the number at the bottom of the tally sheet. “It’s almost done!” he exclaimed and tapped his pencil on the clipboard.

He had been working on his own in the store room for most of the day and enjoying himself. There were few times he liked solitude, but this happened to be one of them as he concentrated on the final inventory for the end of the pool hall’s fiscal year.

Earlier, Kyler and his mother had eaten lunch together and she had come in again a short time ago to let him know her shift was over and she was heading home.

“Try not to be too much longer, honey; you have a couple of gorgeous hunks who’ll want to spend time with you,” Clarissa reminded her son after kissing him goodbye.

“I don’t have a lot left to do, Mom.” He hugged her and cheerfully sent her on her way. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he called out to her just as the door closed.

There was an unexpected knock on the door and Kyler opened it to find Cameron standing there.

“Hi ya,” Cameron greeted in a friendly manner. “The lounge is pretty slow, so Chad suggested I come and see if you needed any help.”

“Hi yourself,” Kyler responded with a grin. “Thanks anyway, but I’ve done all I can in here and now I only have to do a quick total of supplies at the bar. Then I’ll have to talk to Chad.” This last was said in a rather glum voice.

“That was fast,” Chad commented at the unexpected approach of the two young men and he continued wiping off the top of the bar. “It’s a slow day all the way around but that’s to be expected as many people are probably still recovering from New Year’s Eve.”

“Good thing too,” Kyler stated. “It gives me a better chance to get a more accurate figure for year-end.” He walked along behind the bar, slowly counting the bottles and noting the amounts each contained before writing down the info.

Cameron grinned. It had been a riotous New Years Eve's party and the kiss he and Chad had exchanged at midnight had been hot. He looked at Kyler curiously. “What’s wrong?” he asked; his voice low. “Is there something Chad’s not going to like in the figures?”

“Just a slight discrepancy, but Chad has to be informed. It will be up to him to decide what to do about it.” Kyler didn’t feel it was right to give out too much information or to mention his suspicions to anyone but the owner. He was really wishing his Uncle Kipper was around.

Stepping up to Chad, Kyler requested a few moments of the man’s time. Apparently picking up on Kyler’s hint of concern, Chad led the way into the office. There Kyler reported a shortage of three bottles of Crown Royal Deluxe Canadian Whiskey. According to the last liquor delivery, the missing items must have disappeared over the holidays.

Chad nodded thoughtfully at the implications. They had hired a bit of extra help over the busy season and quite possibly one of the temporary employees felt he or she deserved a bit of a bonus. He smiled and assured Kyler it was all right to write it off as a business loss.

A short time later, Kyler returned to the lounge and walked over to the bar. He sat down and ordered a beer. “Being that it is so slow at the moment, Cam, how about joining me? That is, if you won’t get in trouble with the boss.” He teasingly smirked at the man behind the counter.

“Well, I have some influence with the boss,” Cameron teased right back. “I’m sure he won’t mind if I take a break.” He pulled out two beers, walked around the bar and sat down next to Kyler.

“You make any New Year’s resolutions?” he asked. He liked the little he knew about Kyler and wanted to get to know the young man better. “I decided to get into less trouble with Chad and to try not to flirt with the customers so much.” Cameron grinned. “There are a few guys around town who seem to take my friendliness the wrong way; as if I’d want anybody when I’ve got Chad.”

“Less trouble, huh?” Kyler swallowed his mouthful of beer and sputtered. He wasn’t sure if he should pursue the subject or not, so decided to leave it hanging. “I haven’t made any resolutions as I usually end up breaking them. Hmm, of course, come to think of it; my partners would probably see to my keeping them,” he stated with an amused lilt in his voice.

“That’s one of the reasons, I haven’t told Chad I’ve made the resolutions,” Cameron replied, grinning. He looked at Kyler. “I’ve got Sunday off. Do you want to hang out together?” Cameron knew a lot of the mine workers were finding it slow at this time of year and was hoping Kyler was one of them.

“Sure; it would be fun.” Kyler’s quick response was open and enthusiastic. “Let’s see; it’s Friday and I have to work the next two graveyard shifts at the mine, followed by two days off. There are only skeleton maintenance and security crews at the mine now, with the closure and all; then I am back to school on Tuesday. I am free Sunday afternoon if you’d like to go snowmobiling. I have an extra suit you can use as well as everything else we’ll need.”

“That’s sounds cool,” Cameron replied. “I’ve never been snowmobiling before, but from what I’ve seen, it looks like heaps of fun.” Cameron looked at Kyler. “I guess your extra suit will fit me, even though I’ll look like someone’s given me clothes to grow into.” He grinned at the thought. “Oh well, clothes do not make the man.” He heard a choking sound behind him and turned around to see Chad standing there. He smirked when Chad rolled his eyes and walked around behind the bar.

The young men continued to excitedly discuss their plans, making arrangements for Kyler to pick up Cameron and drive to Kipper’s home where the ski-doo was stored.

Polishing off the last of his beer, Kyler reluctantly stood up to say goodbye. “I better get home before Hugh or Patrick sends out a search party; plus I’ll have to sleep some before my shift tonight. See you in a couple of days.” He shouldered into his heavy jacket and headed for the door. “Bye, Chad! You too, Cameron,” he hollered on his way out.

Cameron turned to Chad. “I can go, can't I?” he asked, his blue eyes pleading. “I’d really like to be friends with Kyler.”

“I think you and Kyler can be good friends, sweetheart. A couple of hours snowmobiling sounds like fun, but there are rules to doing it safely and I will expect you to adhere to all of them.” Chad studied his partner for a moment or two as a question came to mind. “Have you ever been on a Ski-doo, Mugs?”

“No,” Cameron replied. “Kyler’s been doing it for ages though, so I guess he knows all the rules. I’ll just be on the back enjoying myself.”

“Well, my love, you are also going to be well informed of the rules before you go for that ride.” Chad was adamant about his love playing safe.

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

It was late Sunday morning and Chad was sitting back chuckling as he watched his partner excitedly pulling up the zippers on the suit Kyler had dropped off at the lounge yesterday.

“Don’t finish bundling up yet, Mugs, or you’ll get overheated. Now while we’re waiting for Kyler to get here, why don’t we do a quick review of the rules? List them off for me, please, Cameron.” Chad’s firm voice easily made know what he was insisting on.

Cameron rolled his eyes. “You can be such a Top,” he complained. “Okay, okay. Dress warmly, wear a helmet, carry a cell, stay on the trails, don’t go near water, no speeding, no fooling around, and listen to Kyler. Is that it, oh Lord and Master?” he asked impishly.

“Don’t get too cheeky, young man, or you’ll find yourself staying home.” Chad didn’t try too hard to keep his feigned annoyance hidden. He had been tempted to land a swat on his Brat’s backside, but realized with the layers of clothing the younger man had on, it would prove rather pointless; so he hugged him instead. “Just keep them in mind, Mugs. You are also to call me if you run into any trouble.”

Chad almost fell backwards when there was a knock and Cameron hurriedly pushed him away in order to get to the door.

“Hey, Kyler,” Cameron greeted. “I’m really looking forward to this. Chad’s being really anal about rules and stuff, so let’s get going before he can add anything else to the list.” Cameron was in such a hurry to leave, he forgot all about his cell phone.

“Hold it, Mugs,” Chad called out. “Does this look familiar?” He walked over and handed Cameron his fully charged cell phone. He winked at the young man standing on his door step. “Hello, Kyler. I trust Hugh and/or Patrick made sure you have everything you may need today. You know all the safety rules and you also know that I, like your partners, expect them to be adhered to. Other than that; have a blast, guys!”

He hugged his love goodbye and waved the two young men on their way before settling back on the sofa to enjoy the Sunday paper in peace.

A brief expression of discontent crossed Kyler’s young face, but was gone as fast as it had appeared. Kyler shook his head to dispel the negative feelings before merrily returning the wave and running down the path to his car. “It looks like that suit is a tad big on you, Cam, but maybe you’ll grow into it in time,” he teased and then ducked the snowball that was sailing through the air towards his head.

A little over half an hour later, they were speeding along the trail that was maintained by the province for the use of snowmobiling in the winter and off-road activities in the summer.

“This is so much fun!” Cam yelled into Kyler’s ear as they whizzed along. “Can we go any faster?” he requested.

“You bet!” Kyler hollered back over his shoulder. Knowing it was his passenger’s first time on a ski-doo, he wanted to make it as thrilling as possible. A flick of his wrist and throttle really opened up. There was no way to verbally communicate with each other, so after several minutes at this faster pace, Kyler gradually slowed to a stop and turned to see if Cameron was still okay.

“Anything else you’d like to try?” he asked with a grin.

“How about going off trail?” Cameron suggested. His face had a huge smile on it. “This is a lot of fun, but I bet it would be even more of a blast if we went somewhere else. Wouldn’t it?”

“We could always try some tricks in the meadow; really open this baby up and see what it can do. I’ve never had her at full speed before.” Kyler pulled down the visor on his helmet, covering his gleeful expression. Driving up over the small embankment, he headed for the wide-open spaces and beyond.

It was some time later, after they had put the machine through its’ paces, that the accident happened. Kyler never did find out what they hit, but both young men were thrown from the ski-doo. Fortunately they were uninjured as they somehow managed to land in a pile of soft snow. The ski-doo wasn’t as lucky. Although it quickly lost momentum, it ended up crashing into a group of fir trees where it came to a dead stop.

“Are you okay, Cam?” Kyler picked himself up and extended a hand to his companion.

“I’m cool,” Cam said, brushing the snow off himself. “What happened?” He looked over and saw the ski-doo. “Oh wow, that doesn’t look too good. Where are we anyway?” Cam looked around before abruptly sitting back down.

“Still somewhere in BC,” Kyler joked. He examined the ski-doo and much to his relief, found it to be undamaged. “It’s not too bad at all, Cam; only a few scratches. Here, give me a hand to drag it out,” he requested and began pushing the snowmobile out from under the low hanging branches.

After several attempts to get it started, Kyler stood back with a quizzical expression on his face. “I can’t figure it out. I filled the gas tank before we left and it is still reading a third full. Let’s turn it over to see if anything is broken.”

A brief struggle had the machine on its’ side, but nothing seemed out of order so it was slowly lowered back onto its’ skis. When nothing else came to mind, Kyler unscrewed the gas cap and peered inside. “Now, it is beginning to look bad,” he muttered as he used a stick to measure the levels. “Empty; the fucking thing is empty. The gauge must be malfunctioning. Beats me why, as it was perfectly all right when Uncle Kipper and I went rabbit hunting last month.”

Taking a deep breath loaded with frustration, he reluctantly suggested, “Guess we better start walking.”

“Walking away from the ski-doo; is that a good idea?” Cameron asked. “I could ring Chad and he’ll come get us.” He reached into his pocket for his cell phone, turned it on and found he had no signal. “Shit,” he moaned. “How far off the trail are we?”

“I guess that means we've got to start walking, but I wonder how our partners going to react.” Cameron shook his head. “I bet Chad is going to kill me. I think I’ve broken most of the rules he discussed with me.”

Kyler put his mitts back on and pick up his helmet as he glanced round at the landscape to get his bearings. “We’ve mostly been driving around in circles, so I’d be surprised if we’re any more than half an hour’s walk from the trail. But you should be able to get a signal here. Are you sure your phone is working? Here, try mine if you’re positive you even want to call Chad. He’s not going to be able to get to us though. With all the snow we’ve had lately, most areas around here are inaccessible by anything other than snowmobiles, and Chad doesn’t have one.”

He smiled at his city-slicker friend and tried to offer some encouragement. “Wouldn’t you rather we first try to work this out on our own? We could make our way back to the trail and hope someone comes along to give us a hand.”

“Okay, let’s give it out best shot,” Cameron replied, shaking his cell-phone. “I don’t know what’s wrong with this thing. It was on its’ charger all night. So, which way do we go?”

Kyler slipped his phone back into his pocket and with his helmet held securely under one arm, headed across the snow-covered field; his friend keeping pace beside him.

As they trudged along, Kyler’s mind was going a mile a minute. He was curious as to why Cameron seemed so worried about being in trouble with his partner and giving his curiosity full reign, Kyler decided to ask questions.

“Cam, you keep muttering about Chad going to ‘kill’ you. How come? I know Chad can sometimes come on as a real hard-ass but like my Uncle Kipper, I usually find him pretty laid-back. I can’t see him ‘killing’ anyone, especially his partner.”

“He’s not a hard-ass,” Cameron staunchly defended his partner. He flashed a grin at Kyler. “Actually, he has a cute ass,” he remarked. “But he is laid back, except when I break the rules.” Cameron blushed. He wasn’t too sure he wanted to tell Kyler that Chad spanked him.

“Rules, huh? As long as I can remember, Uncle Kipper and Chad always had rules. And now my partners also have some.” Kyler had no plans of sharing his lifestyle with his friend. It never crossed his mind that he’d meet another couple right here in Jade Heights who lived the same why he, Hugh and Patrick did.

A thought unexpectedly surfaced and he glanced over at his companion. “Cam, Chad didn’t happen to give you rules regarding snowmobiling, did he?”

Cameron grinned. “Let’s see if I can remember them all.” He wrinkled his brow. “Dress warmly, carry a cell, stay on the trails, don’t go near water, no speeding, no fooling around and listen to Kyler,” Cameron recited glibly. “How many of those haven’t I broken?” he asked, with a wry smile.

“Well, you’re actually batting over five hundred. After all, you complied with four out of seven so that’s not too bad. Now, what’s the worse that can happen if Chad finds out about the three rules that got broken? He gets a little miffed and bawls you out or something, right?” Kyler knew if his partners had given him a similar list of rules and he had disobeyed them, he could expect more than a lecture. But that was him, not Cameron.

Cameron grimaced. “Nope,” he answered. “He’s a lot more direct in showing his displeasure.” Unconsciously, his hand crept back as if to protect his backside. As soon as he realised what he was doing, he snatched his hand back. He blushed and hoped Kyler hadn’t caught the movement.

Kyler’s eyes widened when Cameron’s spontaneous action hit home. He blinked as he slowly came to grip with the idea of his friends also living in a discipline relationship. He quickly thought over how to approach the subject without further embarrassing either himself or Cameron. He decided sharing might help.

“If I’m not mistaken, you and I live comparable lifestyles. You should have told me about those rules, Cam. I would never deliberately try to get you in trouble. Man, I know from experience how hard Chad can spank. He only ever spanked me once when I was about fourteen years old and had been left in his care. But let me tell you, once was more than enough. Hopefully, he’ll never find out, huh?”

Just then, the muffled sound of Kyler’s cellular phone ringing could be heard. Removing one of his mitts, Kyler reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “Hello. Ah, yes, everything is just fine. Sure, just a moment please.” He shrugged his shoulders as he handed the cell to Cameron and mouthed, “It’s Chad!”

Cameron’s eyes rolled. Just at the moment when he was trying to assimilate Kyler’s admission, Chad was the last person he wanted to talk to. He reluctantly took the phone off Kyler. “Hey Chad, there seems to be something wrong with my cell cause it’s not working. I’m still carrying it, honest.” He stopped talking and listened. “We’re not too far from the track, but we had a slight accident so we’re on foot,” he admitted. “Looks like the ski-doo ran out of fuel.” Cameron listened again. “No, we’re both fine; no more than a few bruises,” he assured his partner.

“The fact that you are both uninjured is good news. However, did I understand you to say you had left the track? If that’s so, we’ll be discussing this when I get you home, Mugs. Let me talk to Kyler please,” Chad calmly requested.

‘Shit,’ Cameron thought to himself. ‘Why did my mouth always run away on me?’ he wondered. “He wants to talk to you,” he said to Kyler, handing the cell phone back to its’ owner.

A second or two later, Kyler came on the phone. “All right, young man, I want to know exactly where you are, why you are there and what are your plans for getting home.” Chad almost growled out his request for information.

Kyler flinched, having heard the tone before. “Ah, we’re in the meadow at the base of Jade’s Peak and heading back towards the trail. We’re almost there and hoping someone else is also out snowmobiling who will be able to help us.” He deliberately left Chad’s middle question unanswered.

Realizing the young men were in an area he would be unable to access, Chad sighed out his aggravation at having to cool his heels and wait it out. “Call me in half an hour and keep me informed of what’s happening. Oh, and Kyler, just so you know; I didn’t miss you avoiding the issue of ‘why’.” He hung up and smirked at the thought of leaving the two scamps worrying about exactly how much trouble they were in.

Chad had known Kyler for years; had watched the young man grow up and Chad knew a Brat when he saw one. He also easily recognized the differences between Kyler and Cameron. While Cameron was somewhat more outgoing and flirtatious, Kyler was quiet and of a more serious nature. However, both had a tendency to throw caution to the wind and step over the line where acceptable behaviour was concerned.

“I hope one if not both of that lad’s partners is a Top,” he muttered to himself, grinning broadly.

Kyler snapped his cell shut and returned it to his pocket, his body language clearly indicating his frustration. “I’d say he’s a tad pissed off from the sounds of things. We better get a move on.” He picked up the pace in order to reach their destination sooner and to ward off the cooling temperatures.

“Hey, slow down!” Cameron called out. “I’m not used to walking through snow.” He shivered and realised it was getting colder. “Strike four,” he muttered. At Kyler’s raised eyebrow, he continued. “Dress warmly; and I was until we had to get off and walk. I guess I’m going to be warm enough when Chad gets hold of me. Well, at least one part of me. How about you? Will you be in trouble with your partners? You did say before we were both in the same type of relationship.”

Kyler grimaced sympathetically at Cameron’s hints of future reckoning. “I don’t think so, but I’m not one hundred percent sure. I do know that if Uncle Kipper was home, he lock the ski-doo in the shed for a couple of weeks at least. I am only supposed to go off the trail when I am with other experienced riders.”

He was quiet for several minutes before adding to the conversation. “As far as my partners go; they’ve been a bit preoccupied lately. You see, Patrick’s elderly parents aren’t doing too well. He’s concerned and spends as much time as he can with them. It’s only right that he do that but it has still been a bone of contention with us, especially since Hugh usually goes visiting with Patrick. Take this morning for instance, I got home from my graveyard shift and had to sleep some. When I got up there was a note on the kitchen counter saying they were having brunch with the old folks. I could have joined them, but had already made plans with you. So I left them a note.” Kyler grinned at his companion. “Neither note gave a time of when we could be expected home. I guess I should be more mature about it, but sometimes I can’t help feeling abandoned and I get pissed off. Some days I kind of wish Uncle Kipper hadn’t gone on one of his annual excursions.”

“Yeah, I always wonder where Kipper goes. I know Chad knows where he goes and why, but the one time I asked he said it was none of my business and then assigned me so many chores I forgot all about it. Look, I’d hate to think coming out with me stopped you from spending time with your partners. Do they know how you feel? Chad can be pretty quiet, but he insists we talk things out. He helps me to think clearly about feelings. Like dumping Lon and the others because I didn’t need friends like them.”

“Hugh, Patrick and I usually talk a lot, but things have been a little hectic lately with holidays and all. Besides, I’m sure they understand I’d rather spend time with someone my own age than with old people who are not feeling too good.” Kyler paused. He didn’t want to admit that he was afraid of getting too fond of Patrick’s lovely parents, only to find them suddenly gone from his life.

“My Mom knows where Uncle Kipper goes too and won’t tell me,” he simply opted for the other topic. “I don’t bother asking anymore, but I do know it involves a cruise at least once a year and secluded resorts the other times. I just want to know who he is with. I mean there must be someone because who goes on these kind of holidays by themselves, right?”

They had reached the trail and not seeing anyone, had thrown themselves down in the soft snow to catch their breaths.

“Do you hear that?” Kyler asked, bolting upright and cocking his head to one side to listen. “Someone’s coming. They’re still a good distance off but help will soon be at hand!” he joyfully hollered as he got to his feet and held out a hand to help Cameron up.

Cameron took the offered hand and then let out a credible yodel. “Shall we walk along the trail and meet them or stay put?” The question became moot as a ski-doo appeared; travelling fast, it skidded to a halt and Cameron saw a familiar figure stand up. “Uh, hi Officer Barrett,” he greeted. “Are you looking for us?”

“It’s Chief Barrett,” Kyler hissed before turning his attention to Jade Heights Chief of Police. “Hello, Chief. Don’t know what brings you out here today, but I’m sure glad to see you. We’re kind of stranded because my machine ran out of gas. The gauge isn’t working properly. You wouldn’t happen to have any extra fuel with you?”

Chandi removed his helmet and glanced around. “I don’t see a snowmobile anywhere, boys. Just where have you hidden it?” He smiled in a friendly manner, immediately putting the young men at ease. “I wasn’t looking for you. In fact, I wasn’t even aware of you being out here. I am just enjoying my day off. And, in answer to your question, Kyler; yes, I do have some fuel I can let you have. As soon as we locate your ski-doo, that is.”

“It’s about a twenty minute ride over the field in a small corpse on the left hand side,” Kyler informed the Chief while both he and Cameron swung their arms around themselves in an effort to warm up some.

“Well, seeing as your both have your helmets, hop on the beast here and we’ll see about getting you home as soon as possible,” Chandi suggested as he sat down and revved up his machine.

An hour later with Chandi trailing them, Kyler and Cameron arrived back at Kipper’s home to find Chad waiting for them. As instructed, they had kept the older man informed of all that was happening.

“Thank you for getting us back safely, Chief. We really appreciate it and will return your gas in the morning, if that’s all right,” Kyler offered, shaking Chandi’s hand. He watched their rescuer drive off and then reluctantly turned to face Chad.

Cameron glanced up at Chad’s face and immediately looked down, biting his lip. The look on Chad’s face did not bode well for the continuing health of his bottom. He shuffled uneasily. “Hi, Chad,” he said, trying to inject some confidence in his voice. “We’re back safe and sound.”

Chad waved goodbye to Chandi after sincerely thanking him for coming to the aid of the two younger men. Seeing the guilty expressions on the Brats’ faces, he rolled his eyes and responded to his partner’s comment. “Yes, but it was more by good luck than good management. Get that toy back in the shed, Kyler, and lock it up. Then you better get home to your partners.”

He waited to make sure his orders were obeyed and then steered Cameron towards the Ranger while Kyler made his way over to his own vehicle.

“Aah, Chad?” Kyler tentatively made a bid for his long-time friend’s attention. “Hmm, are you going to be talking to Hugh and Patrick about today?”

“No, Kyler, I expect you to.” Chad smiled kindly when he saw a look of surprise cross the other man’s face. “Off you go now. We’ll see you in a day or so, Scamp.” He knew the often repeated pet name from the past would cause a frown, but it would also be warmly received, at least inwardly.

He watched as Kyler got in his car and drove away; then turning to Cameron. “In you get, Mugs. We’ve got some talking to do.”

“Talking,” Cameron grumbled. “Yeah, right.” He looked up at Chad and a quick grin flittered across his face. “I’m guessing I don’t get to drive.”

Believing it to be a rhetorical question, Chad didn’t bother answering. He got into the driver’s seat and did up his seat belt, then waited for Cameron to get in and do the same.

They walked in the door of their home a short time later and as he hung up his jacket, Chad began issuing orders. “You caught a chill out there, Mugs; so I want you into the shower as quickly as possible to warm up. Then get into a pair of flannel sleep pants and a T-shirt while I make us something to eat.” He held up his hand when he noticed an expression on his Brat’s face that indicated a forthcoming argument. “We’ll talk things over later, love, after supper,” he softly added.

Cameron appeared in the kitchen, wearing his favourite Nike ‘Just Do It’ T-shirt, just as Chad turned off the heat under the heated chicken noodle soup. The table was set, a platter of sandwiches and glasses of milk on it.

Cam sighed. He loved chicken noodle soup almost as much as the ham sandwiches Chad had made. He knew they were ham leftovers from the holidays. Despite the fact he was hungry, he played with his food, trying to make it last as long as possible. He ignored the glass of milk which was not a favourite. “Can I have a coffee?” he finally asked as he polished off the last sandwich. “Doesn’t the condemned man get a final request,” he grinned over at Chad.

Chad quirked an eyebrow at his partner’s ‘condemned man’ comment, but other than that, he ignored it. “Milk is better for you,” he firmly stated, fully expecting the glass to be emptied. He got to his feet, gathered up the dishes and put them in the sink.

When Cameron had finished his drink, Chad quietly suggested they go into the living room. Sitting down on the sofa, he invited Cameron to join him.

“Okay, Mugs, maybe you can start off by listing the rules you broke this afternoon.”

Cameron sat down. “I hate milk,” he grumbled, “almost as much as I hate having to list my crimes.” He quailed slightly under the look Chad was giving him and unconsciously rubbed his finger tips over the all but invisible scar on his forehead. It was a nervous reaction he had developed recently.

“Do they teach you that look at Top school?” he asked playfully. “Okay.” He held up a hand as the look got grimmer. “I give; we went off the track, I guess we did speed a bit and fool around. I did get cold when we started to walk, but I had my cell phone, I listened to Kyler and we went nowhere near water.” Cameron was hoping for brownie points.

Chad reached over and gently took Cameron’s hand in his own and soothingly drew circles on the back of it with his thumb. “You were dressed properly, sweetheart, and you also wore a helmet so you had those rules down pat. But seeing you were bound to break a rule or two, maybe it should have been the ‘listen to Kyler’ one instead of the three you did break. Those were the ones that could have proven dangerous.” Chad paused and watched his Brat squirm when he realized just how serious his Top was taking this deliberate act of disobedience.

“I didn’t mean to break them, honest,” Cameron replied, looking directly at Chad. “I just got carried away. I was having so much fun; it didn’t seem all that dangerous. Kyler was in control all the time until we ran out of fuel.” Cameron squirmed “There goes my New Year’s Resolution,” he thought to himself, not aware he’d also said it out loud.

“Ah yes, best laid plans and all that,” Chad softly commented and nodded his head in understanding before turning sombre. “However, that still leaves us with having to deal with today’s poor choices. I will never let you get away with endangering yourself or someone else, Mugs, and I fully intended to impress upon you just how important it is for you to maintain responsibility for your own safety.”

Within moments, the bigger man had his partner face down over his lap with his sleeping pants around his knees. Stroking Cameron’s back, Chad calmly stated, “I do not see the need for you to reiterate your list of transgressions, Cameron, as we are both well aware of what they are.” He raised his right hand and brought it down with a resounding smack in the bare bottom, eliciting a loud yelp from Cameron.

Chad proceeded to administer a sound spanking, only bringing it to an end when he felt it would prove effective as a deterrent for the offenses being repeated any time soon. He then set about soothing the love of his life by massaging Cameron’s shoulders while murmuring a familiar mantra of forgiveness and a great deal of affection.

Cameron wasn’t aware it was over. He had sighed in relief when Chad had said he wouldn’t have to repeat his transgressions. Then the first swat had landed and he was much more concerned with the burning in his bottom than anything else. He yelped as each spank landed and was soon sobbing continuously.

Eventually, he realised it was done and Chad was forgiving him. Revelling in the love his Top had for him, he slowly calmed down and squirmed up to lay his head on Chad’s chest while being careful not to let his scotched butt land on anything hard.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I vowed I wouldn’t be so much trouble this year and within the first week of the New Year, I mess up.”

“We taken care of it, Mugs. It’s over. And just for the record, you are not any trouble; you’ve not messed anything up. I love you just the way you are, my vain ex-model-turned-bartender-extraordinaire and fun-loving Brat.” Chad hugged his partner and kissed the young man’s tear-stained face. “We’re good, sweetheart; real good.”

“All good,” Cameron said with a happy grin. “You know, while we were out there, Kyler and I talked a bit. He said you spanked him once. Why did you do that? What did he do?” Cameron asked curiously.

“Shared that with you, did he?” Chad smiled and shook his head in wonder at what else the young men had discussed. “It happened the first time Kyler was put in my care and you can rest assured that he was more then slightly pissed off at the idea. Kipper was accompanying Clarissa back East to attend a funeral and Kyler figured a fourteen year-old boy should be able to stay home alone for a week. His mother and uncle had other ideas. To make a long story short, he had a curfew which, despite several warnings, he chose to break by taking off with his friends. The same ones, I might add, that he still sometimes hangs out with today. When I caught him sneaking in through the bedroom window for a second time, I kept a promise I’d made him to tan his hide. That was it; end of story.”

Finished with his narrative, Chad inquired, “Care to tell me just what other information you two exchanged out there?”

Cameron winced in sympathy for that long-ago youth. He settled against Chad’s chest in his favourite position. “Well, we talked about you,” Cameron answered with a smile, glancing up at Chad. “He said you sometimes appear as a hard-ass and I asserted you had a cute ass. He misses Kipper, so we talked a bit about him and wondered where he’d gone off to. Kyler said he lives a similar lifestyle to us. He’s a Brat to Hugh and Patrick like I am to you. We were both pretty surprised about that. What are the odds of two DP’s in one small town? Although I’ve meet a few people who radiate Top; to me at least. He seems to be having some problems with Hugh and Patrick. Apparently Patrick’s parents aren’t well and I think he’s scared they are dying and he doesn’t want to get close so he’s not hurt.”

“Kyler always missed his uncle when Kipper goes on these trips,” Chad mused. “I am sure any problem he is experiencing can be worked out with his partners. As far as you and Kyler being the only Brats in town; well, let’s just say I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a couple more.” He chuckled at the look of surprise Cameron turned on him.

Gently patting Cameron’s hip, he abruptly changed the topic. “Go put a movie in the DVD player, Mugs,” he ordered, clearing indicating that as far as he was concerned the previous subject was now closed. “I feel the need for an evening of relaxing and cuddling with my partner.”

Cameron hopped up. “You make the popcorn,” he suggested, grabbing one of his favourite DVDs, ‘Dirty Dancing’. The two men settled down to relax and cuddle to Patrick Swayze at his sexy best.As they got ready for bed, Cameron checked out his butt and was unsurprised to find it still pink. He jumped into bed and nestled against his Top. “Where does Kipper go?” he asked sleepily.

“None of your business, Brat; now go to sleep,” Chad growled, kissing Cameron and spooning around him.

“You shouldn’t keep secrets from me,” Cameron replied. “If I kept secrets from you, you’d be pissed.... umm, annoyed.”

“You can keep all the secrets you want as long as they do not concern our relationship and are not detrimental to your well-being. Where Kipper vacations does not come under that criterion. Now unless you want to be spending your free time this coming week doing extra chores, you’ll drop this subject matter,” Chad firmly advised. He left his Brat fuming and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Cameron, with no desire to push any further, fell asleep as well.

The End