Dandies, Inc

by G. R. Lyons

  “But–”

  “I insist. Finish up what you need, but then I want you to come home, alright? I'll go unpack and grab Jayden, and we'll see you at your house. We'll help you with Rey, and then have a nice evening together. How does that sound?”

  The phone lines lit up again. Spencer gave him a wry smile. “That sounds great,” he said, throwing himself back into his chair and snatching up the handset. “Dirk Cameron's office…”

  Dirk mouthed a goodbye, then ducked into his office to look over a few things, only to get shooed out a few minutes later when Spencer insisted he had everything handled. He went back downstairs, calling Jayden along the way. Jayden almost deafened him with a shriek of excitement when Dirk told him he was back in town, then practically begged Dirk to hurry and pick him up so they could go to Spencer's house as Dirk planned.

  Jayden gave him the address of a coffee shop near his school, and the driver headed there, not even getting a chance to get out and open the door for Jayden once he came to a stop. The little brat was already on the curb, waiting, and dove right into the car as soon as it parked.

  He tackled Dirk, pinning him down to the back seat, and kissed all over his face. “You're home! You're home! You're home!”

  Dirk chuckled, then grabbed Jayden's head with both hands and soundly kissed him on the lips. “Down, boy,” he teased.

  “But–” Jayden complained, rolling his hips against Dirk's thigh, his hard cock more than apparent through their layers of clothing.

  “Fuck,” Dirk gasped.

  The driver cleared his throat. “Where to, sir?”

  Dirk scrambled to sit up. “Home, please. Then we'll be going to Spencer's house after.”

  “Very good, sir,” the driver said, a restrained smirk on his face visible in the rearview mirror before he put up the partition and pulled out onto the street.

  Jayden laughed and threw his arms around Dirk again. “I'm so glad you're home. I can't wait to tell you all about school. And Storm. And holy hells, do I need you to fuck me bad. Both of you. Like right now.”

  Dirk laughed. “Patience, brat.”

  “You know I'm no good at being patient.”

  “You don't say.”

  Jayden stuck his tongue out at him, but he settled in beside Dirk all the same, eagerly watching the streets go by as they got closer and closer to Dirk's building.

  As soon as they parked, Dirk got out and grabbed his suitcase, Jayden joining him as he went up to his apartment. Dirk quickly unpacked, then grabbed a small duffel and threw in a few things for both himself and Jayden. They all had clothes at each other's homes now, but Dirk had no idea what was still clean. With that done, they got back into the car and went to Spencer's house.

  Dirk knocked on the door as he opened it to let themselves in, then called out, “Spence? Rey?”

  “In here,” Rey called back.

  Dirk and Jayden found him in the living room, parked in front of the wallscreen with snacks and drinks within easy reach.

  “Hey, you're back!” Rey greeted Dirk. “Good to see you.”

  Dirk shook his hand. “Good to see you, too.” He looked around. “Spencer home from work yet?”

  Rey shook his head. “He popped in about an hour ago to check on me. Should be home soon, though.”

  “I'll go start something for dinner,” Jayden offered.

  Rey groaned with delight and called after him, “I love you!”

  Jayden laughed, the sound fading as he disappeared into the kitchen.

  “I'm gonna go take a shower if that's alright,” Dirk said.

  Rey gestured for him to have at it, so Dirk went back to Spencer's room, pulled some clean clothes out of his duffel, and ducked into the shower, being extra thorough just in case Spencer wanted to top him when he got home.

  Dirk moaned at the thought. Then again, no matter how Spencer wanted him, he'd take it. Gladly.

  He dried off and dressed in an old t-shirt and some sweatpants, then padded back out to the living room just in time for Spencer to walk through the front door.

  “Hey.” Dirk pulled him into his arms and gave him a slow, deep kiss, feeling the man practically melt in response. “I'm glad you're home.”

  “Me, too,” Spencer said with a tired smile.

  “Jayden's making dinner,” Dirk told him, and Spencer's stomach growled in response. “Why don't you go take a shower and relax?”

  Spencer sighed and gave Dirk another kiss. “Let me just get Rey his meds first.”

  Dirk stepped aside and watched Spencer fuss over his brother for several minutes before he finally managed to get the man to go put his things away and unwind. They all sat down to eat, and once the kitchen was clean again and Spencer got Rey settled into his room for the night, Dirk and Jayden grabbed Spencer and hauled him off to bed.

  Spencer pulled away mid-kiss and turned his head to one side, covering a yawn.

  “Hey,” Dirk said, frowning as he tilted his head. “Are you sure you're alright?”

  “I'm fine,” Spencer insisted.

  “If you'd rather sleep–”

  Spencer shook his head and silenced him with a kiss. “My boys need me,” he murmured, “and I missed you. I'm only sorry we couldn't go with you.”

  “You got me there,” Dirk reminded him. “I'm so grateful.”

  Spencer smiled, then slipped his hands under Dirk's shirt, pushing it up his body until Dirk obediently lifted his arms. Then Spencer did the same with Jayden, and as they all came together to trade kisses again, Dirk forgot all about the stress of travel, the reason for his trip, his concerns over Spencer's exhaustion. All that mattered was that they were together, the heat and bliss of bare skin and passion driving everything else away.

  They wound up with Dirk on his back in the middle of the bed, Jayden sucking him off, and Spencer stretched out along his side, thrusting against Dirk's hip while Dirk kissed him. When Dirk felt his orgasm coming, he grabbed Jayden and pulled him up along his other side, trading kisses back and forth while they all stroked one another, cum from all three of them shooting across Dirk's belly and hips and mixing into one big mess.

  Spencer got them cleaned up, and they all tumbled back into bed, snuggling up together under the sheets and settling down in the dark with a chorus of happy sighs.

  Dirk hugged his men to his sides, and turned to kiss Jayden's forehead. “Goodnight, brat,” he whispered.

  Jayden chuckled. “Goodnight.”

  Dirk turned the other way. “Spence?”

  Spencer's only response was a tiny snore.

  Dirk breathed a laugh and pressed a kiss to the top of Spencer's head, then smiled as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

  It felt like only a few hours later when someone's alarm went off. Spencer practically flew out of bed, startling Dirk awake.

  “Spence?” Dirk asked, blinking slowly and trying to see in the dim room. “Come back to bed.”

  Spencer stumbled about, going first in one direction, then another, then finally snatched up his underwear from where he'd left it on the floor last night. “I have to go check on Rey.”

  “Isn't he asleep?”

  Spencer looked around, frowning like he was confused.

  “Spence?” Dirk asked, gently nudging Jayden aside so he could sit up.

  “What? Oh, sorry.” Spencer shook his head. “I need to go see if Rey needs anything.”

  “Come back to bed,” Dirk insisted.

  But Spencer stumbled out of the room without another word. Dirk watched him go, then slumped back on the pillows with a sigh.

  He turned over onto his side and hugged Jayden back to his chest. Dirk closed his eyes but tried to focus on staying awake, wanting to make sure Spencer actually did come back to bed, but long moments of silence passed, and there was no sign of the man.

  Then Dirk heard Rey scream.

  “Spence! Spencer!” He paused, then shouted, “Dirk! Jay! Help! Please!”

  Jayden woke up with a hiss as Dir
k shot out of bed, scrambling about to find his underwear on the floor. He yanked them on, then caught sight of Jayden out of the corner of his eye, doing the same, and they both raced down the hallway, heading for Rey's room.

  Dirk threw open the door and flipped on the light to find Rey almost falling out of bed, reaching for his brother.

  Spencer was face down on the floor, not moving.

  “Spence!” Dirk cried. He and Jayden both dropped to their knees and carefully rolled Spencer over.

  “Dirk…” Spencer gasped weakly, then his head lolled to one side and he went limp in Dirk's arms.

  “Call for help,” Dirk barked, and Jayden ran out of the room, coming back a few seconds later with his phone pressed to his ear. “What happened?” he asked Rey.

  “I don't know,” Rey insisted, eyes wide with panic. “He woke me up, saying it was time to get ready. But it's the weekend, right? And then he just passed out!”

  “Ambulance is on the way,” Jayden said, tossing his phone aside.

  “It's that stuff he was taking, isn't it?” Rey asked, his voice breaking. “Gods, just tell me he's gonna be alright.”

  Dirk looked at Jayden, then slowly looked up at Rey. “What stuff?”

  Rey's eyes widened again, looking like some sort of realization had dawned on him, and he turned his focus on his brother. “Gods, Spence, what have you done?”

  Dirk stared at Rey for a moment, then looked down at the man in his arms, the man he knew he loved. He'd said so once, but when Spencer hadn't immediately said it back, he'd decided to let it go, especially considering the circumstances.

  But now he wondered if he'd ever get a chance to say it again.

  Chapter 16

  SPENCER'S EYELIDS felt impossibly heavy, like it would take the strength of at least two full-grown men to lift them. He took short, quick breaths with long pauses in between, trying to take stock of his body. Something was definitely wrong. Nothing really hurt, per se, other than what felt like a stiff shoulder and an ache in his jaw. Spencer frowned. Had he gotten into a fight? But he hadn't done anything so immature since before the accident, when he and Rey used to play wrestle—or even fight for real when Rey got out of control while under the influence of some drug and needed to be restrained before he broke something or hurt someone.

  “Rey,” Spencer gasped. He tried to sit up and force his eyelids open. He blinked hard several times, trying to get the room to come into focus, but everything remained a blur, and his arms trembled so much that he couldn't push himself up. Inwardly cursing, he tried again. He had to check on Rey.

  “Hush,” someone murmured. “Rey's fine.”

  Spencer gasped for air as he looked around, his vision still slowly focusing, trying to find the owner of that voice. That had to be Dirk, right? But the tone sounded all kinds of wrong.

  He finally went still, holding his breath as he stared at the wall. The room wasn't blurry. It was just all white. Everything around him: the walls, the bed, the equipment. Spencer stared in horror at an IV line threaded into his wrist, then looked around again. He was in a hospital. Why the hells was he in a hospital?

  Dirk sat in a chair next to the hospital bed, arms crossed over his chest and a hurt look on his face.

  “Dirk?” Spencer tried to push himself up again.

  “Just lie still, would you?” Dirk snapped.

  Spencer shook his head and finally got his arms to almost hold him up, just long enough to reach a sort of sitting position. “Where's Rey? Why am I in the hospital? What happ–”

  Dirk muttered a curse and got up, adjusting the bed and lifting Spencer bodily so he could sit up against a pillow, then resumed his own stern posture in the chair. “Rey's fine,” he insisted.

  “Where is he?”

  Dirk jerked his chin to one side. “In the hallway. With Jay. They're letting me talk to you first.”

  “What time is it? I need to check on Rey. If he hasn't taken his meds–”

  “Would you just hold still for two fucking seconds?” Dirk demanded. “I told you: He's fine. The doctors made sure of it when we got here.”

  Spencer stiffened, staring at Dirk. He'd never heard a tone like that come out of the man. Spencer had heard Dirk get angry before, but this wasn't just anger. This was hurt. A bone-deep hurt. The kind that spoke of heartbreak or betrayal.

  Dirk's jaw ticked as he clenched it, and after a long moment of silence, he asked, “When was the last time you got a full night's sleep?”

  Spencer looked down at his hands, fiddling with the sheets where they were bunched in his lap, and gave a weak shrug. “A few months ago? Maybe? I don't remember.”

  Dirk was silent again, then asked, “When was the last time you slept at all?”

  Spencer blushed, still focused on his hands. There was no way he could look Dirk in the eye for this. “You mean other than last night?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dirk give a sharp nod. Spencer swallowed hard and cleared his throat. “Um…three or four nights ago?”

  A heavy beat of silence passed before Dirk exploded. “Gods damn it all, Spence. Why? Why would you do that to yourself? Why didn't you say anything? We could have figured something out–”

  “You had enough to worry about, alright?” Spencer argued. “Your mom could have died, Dirk. There was no way I was gonna put any more load on you with that happening.”

  “But even after we knew she was gonna be fine–”

  “I was handling it,” Spencer insisted. “But then Irene had to leave, and I didn't have a choice. I couldn't leave Rey alone all day, and I couldn't leave the magazine waiting at this point in the issue cycle, when we're always so busy–”

  “Hang the fucking magazine!” Dirk yelled, shooting to his feet and jabbing his finger at the air. “It can fall apart for all I care, but I can't–” He broke off as emotion choked his voice.

  “But you love the magazine,” Spencer countered, “and I didn't want to let you down.”

  Dirk slowly shook his head. “You don't get it, do you? So what if I had to come back and put out a few fires? That's my job. The company would have continued just fine. We've weathered far worse before.” Spencer tried to argue, but Dirk held up a hand and barreled on: “Would I have been disappointed? Yes, of course. But not with you. Things happen. Hells, I could have come back to the magazine in ruins and not felt a fraction of this,” he said, pounding a fist on his chest. “Knowing that you were killing yourself…to take care of me?” Dirk shook his head, his anger disappearing behind the shimmer of tears. “That let me down,” he said, barely getting the words out before his voice broke again.

  Spencer ducked his head and held his breath, hoping it might help him to hold back his own tears.

  Dirk sank back into the chair, his entire body slumped with defeat. “You passed out from exhaustion,” he said, his voice just above a whisper. “Do you know what that does to the body? Do you know how easily we could have lost you?”

  Spencer sniffed and blinked rapidly, but he couldn't stop a tear from escaping.

  “I couldn't have lived with that, Spence,” Dirk whispered after a long moment of silence. “And what about Jay? He needs you. We both do.”

  Spencer clenched the sheets in his fists. That was exactly what he'd been trying to do: to be there for his men. To provide for them. To take care of them.

  But maybe his ex had been right all along, years ago. Maybe Spencer wasn't worthy of taking care of anyone. Maybe he didn't deserve to be Daddy, to have any kind of provider role.

  Dirk slowly stood, then shuffled from foot to foot awkwardly for a moment before he spoke again. “Jay's not sure he's ready to talk to you just yet. He's really broken up about this.” Spencer swallowed hard and nodded. “But I know Rey wanted to talk to you before they gave you another dose of the sedative.”

  Spencer sniffed. “Sedative?” he whispered, not taking his eyes off his hands.

  “To make you sleep,” Dirk said. “B
ecause gods know you need it.”

  Spencer almost opened his mouth to argue, but he was too fucking tired, weighed down with exhaustion and guilt. Besides, he had a feeling that if he even tried to get out of bed again, Dirk would just hold him down until the doctors could strap him in place and force him to go back to sleep. Not that they would have any right to do so, but…

  A heavy sigh slipped out, and Spencer shook his head. It hurt just to think.

  He listened to Dirk's footsteps as they slowly moved away, only to rapidly return and pause at the side of the bed.

  Dirk grabbed him by the chin and gave him a hard press of his lips. “I love you, you bastard.” He whirled away and left the room in a hurry before Spencer could say anything.

  Spencer watched the door shut between them and couldn't hold back the tears anymore. They slid silently down his cheeks, dripping onto the hospital gown while he stared at his hands, resting limply on his thighs.

  Dirk loved him. And Spencer had failed the man.

  A few minutes later, the door cracked open, and Spencer looked up to find Rey trying to push it wider while also maneuvering his chair.

  “Rey,” Spencer gasped, trying to get up to help him.

  “Don't you fucking dare,” Rey growled.

  Spencer froze, watching helplessly as Rey cursed and grunted and finally managed to get the door shoved open enough so he could roll his chair into the room, muttering over his shoulder to Dirk and Jayden—Spencer could just hear their voices in the hallway—that he wanted to do it on his own.

  Rey finally got into the room, spun his chair around, and pushed the door shut again, giving them some privacy as he rolled over to Spencer's bedside.

  “Rey–”

  “You scared the shit out of me,” Rey accused him. “You know that? All of us. Gods' sakes, Spence, we thought you were dying! Hells, you probably were if they hadn't gotten you here in time.”

  Spencer clenched his jaw so hard, it hurt, sending a sharp pain all through his head and down his neck. He had some vague recollection of trying to get Rey out of bed for some reason, and then nothing. What if he'd had Rey in his arms, halfway between Rey's bed and the chair, when he'd passed out? He could have seriously injured him. And what if Dirk and Jayden hadn't been at the house? Rey would have been completely helpless, unable to call for assistance while Spencer was passed out on the floor.