Back To Basics

Co-written by: Myst and LJ




“Stewart, just when are you planning to clean up in here!” Lucas called out from where he was standing in the middle of their en suite.

“What’s the matter, Luc? Anything wrong?” Stewart asked artlessly as he came in from the bedroom.

Lucas stared at his partner. “What’s all this?” He pointedly looked around the room at the mess Stewart had left behind a short time ago. “I thought we had an understanding about cleaning up after ourselves?”

“I just left for a couple of minutes to get some clean clothes. I was going to clean it up once I’d changed,” Stewart replied with an innocent look on his face, even though it had taken him ten minutes to find the comfy sleep pants he wanted to wear. “I know we agreed to clean up when we are done, but I didn’t feel like doing it while I was naked,” he added with a touch of irritation in his voice.

Lucas bit back a grin. “Yeah, right; usually when you get home from work, keeping you dressed is more often than not a greater challenge than keeping you undressed. I thought the plan was for you to take a shower and get clean clothes while I dealt with some unfinished business for the upcoming fund-raiser my parents are hosting. Then we were going to relax and watch a DVD, remember?”

Seeing a somewhat blank expression on his partner’s handsome face, Lucas stepped closer and wrapped an arm around the younger man’s shoulders.

“You seem a bit distracted, babe. Are you having a particularly difficult week? ” Lucas was concerned with the increasing signs of tension he’d been noticing lately.

“No, nothing’s bothering me. Everything’s under control,” Stewart informed his partner with a quick smile.

“Hmmm, I see,” Lucas mused, not really believing it but also not wanting to push. “Okay then, how about you putting on your sleepwear and getting the bathroom put to rights while I pick out a movie to watch?”

“Sounds good to me,” Stewart replied. “But not a Terminator movie, okay? I’m not in the mood for aliens on a mission,” he added with a grin.

Unknown to Lucas at this time, he was soon going to regret not pushing the issue and insisting they talk things over.

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

‘Déjà-vu or what?’ Lucas thought less than a week later as he stood with his hands on his hips, surveying the mess surrounding him.

There were dirty underwear and socks on the floor, along with a wet towel and facecloth. A shirt was hanging on the door knob, a pair of pants draped over the back of the toilet. A slimy bar of soap lay on the counter and the sink had hair in it. The squeeze bottle of shampoo lay on its’ side oozing a slow drip down the wall of the shower enclosure.

“Stewart, get your bubble butt in here!” Lucas demanded. There was a definite ring of frustration in his voice.

“Bubble butt? Why are you calling me names?” Stewart asked with a glare of irritation as he walked into bathroom. “What’s wrong?”

“I wouldn’t consider making a reference to your butt in the same league as name-calling.” Lucas quietly out-stared his Brat, easily recognizing that his partner’s prickly attitude was influenced by being over-tired. “We have to address this issue before it gets any further out of hand. This is the third night in a week that you’ve left the bathroom in a mess. The first time I discovered it, you were already asleep so I tidied up for you. Two nights ago I made you clean it up yourself and I intend to do so again tonight even though it is getting late. Didn’t we discuss this just last week when this problem first reared its’ ugly head?”

He waited patiently for an answer and was eventually rewarded with a reluctantly mumbled ‘yes’.

“Now, I’m asking once again; is there something troubling you? Something we should be talking over?” Lucas was recognizing the indicators of a stressed out Brat; behavioural signs like absentmindedness, inability to concentrate and growing bewilderment; physical signs like lines of fatigue, sunken eyes and restless finger movements.

“Nothing’s the matter. I really don’t know why you think something is. Just because I didn’t clean up after my shower doesn’t mean that anything is wrong.”

Lucas sadly shook his head. “I find that hard to believe, sweet pea, as there are too many indictors saying otherwise. I want you to get this mess cleaned up while I close up the house for the night. Then after I’ve showered, we’re going to stretch out on the bed and talk.”

“But there’s nothing to talk about. I already told you that. And it’s too early to go to bed. It’s barely nine-thirty, you know,” Stewart replied with a frown.

“I am not arguing with you, Stewart. Please do as you’ve been asked.” Lucas left the room fully expecting his instructions to be followed, even if somewhat begrudgingly.

“Fine!” As Stewart straightened up the bathroom, he muttered under his breath. “Some people just won’t give me a minute’s peace or believe what I say.”

At last the en suite was back to normal and as he walked into the bedroom, Stewart again wondered why Lucas wouldn’t believe him when he said everything was fine.

Lucas’ return coincided with Stewart’s. “If you’re ready for bed, love, lie down and I’ll join you as soon as I’ve washed up and changed.” It wasn’t long before Lucas was stretched out and reaching for his lover.

“Now, I know you like to believe there is nothing to chat about, but I’m afraid I completely disagree with you. Something is causing you stress, Stewart, and I intend to ferret out exactly what it is. Maybe a good place to start would be for you to tell me how things are going at the bakery. What is worrying you? Is there anything new and pressing in the works? Any information you’ve been withholding?”

With a slightly confused look on his face, Stewart replied. “There’s nothing wrong. As a matter of fact, I was asked to make the desserts for the Ladies’ Bowling League’s end-of-season dinner and I’ve decided to make Cannoli. They’re not that hard to make and I’ve been wanting to try something new that I could add as a speciality dessert at the shop. As for anything else wrong, the only think I can think of is my partner worrying about me too much,” he added with a cheeky grin.

Lucas shook his head. “There’s more to the story, Stewart. But I can see us playing the slow torturous game that involves me dragging all pertinent information out of you, fact by fact. While I am happy for you getting this lucrative order and for the other positive signs of your business growing, I do believe I am justified in worrying about you taking on more than you can reasonably do on your own. I’d like you to tell me all the items you are now baking every day.”

“Let’s see,” Steward murmured as he closed his eyes, trying to mentally list everything he made on a daily basis. “Every day I make around thirty-five dozen cookies, twelve dozen brownies, nine two-layer cakes and two sheet cakes, three dozen turnovers, two dozen cinnamon rolls, three dozen croissants, eighteen loaves of bread and six dozen dinner rolls.” Taking a quick peek at Lucas’ expression, he went on in an attempt to minimize the work involved. “It sounds like a lot, but with the convection oven and the bread maker, it’s a lot less work than you’d think.”

When another thought came to mind, he hastily added, “Oh, and then there is the extra cookie order I do each Friday for the day-care. Miss Stephanie picked them up today at noon. Just about everything sells, Lucas. In fact, I find I am often sold out before day’s end.”

Closing his eyes, Lucas rubbed his forehead and prayed for strength. Although it did cross his mind that maybe he should be praying for his partner’s strength. The list Stewart rhymed off was extensive and a great deal more than he had been aware of.

“That is a lot to expect for one man. You presently work Tuesday to Thursday from seven AM to six PM, plus Fridays from seven to eight-thirty and Saturdays from seven to five-thirty. That’s over fifty hours a week, babe, and you’re doing it all on your own.”

He looked down into his lover’s tired eyes and gently brushed the curly hair back from Stewart’s forehead and planted a kiss there. “Don’t think for one minute, that I haven’t noticed you leaving for the shop a little earlier than permitted the last few days. Nor have I missed you shaving time off your obligatory lunch break. I am also fully aware of you going in this past Monday for a couple of hours. You do remember, don’t you….that day of the week when your mother takes care of business for you by cleaning the premises and selling off any product remaining from the week before, hmm? Your extra day off a week to catch up on other responsibilities? Now might also be a good time for you to tell me about the new items you have added to the display counter. Croissants, olive bread, sourdough bread and soda bread, among other things, come to mind.”

Lucas was giving the other man an opening. The question was, would Stewart take advantage of it and admit that he was getting somewhat beleaguered.

“The Cannoli is a special order for tomorrow only and I plan on keeping it that way. They’ll be like the other special items that have to be pre-ordered such as brioches. Cannolis are delicate and go bad too fast to be one of my daily items. You’re right about the croissants. I tried them out and they are very popular. They sold out in under an hour. Right now I’m only doing two types; plain so that people can use them for a sandwich or just eat them as is, and chocolate filled as a dessert,” Stewart explained. “As for the breads, you knew about me making those. We discussed them a couple months ago because people kept asking me for them. They sell out every day.”

“And,” he added, “I only went in on Monday because Mom wasn’t feeling well. She called after she’d finished cleaning and asked if she should just lock up. I took her home and then went back to take care of the store until noon. I was there less than two hours.”

“Stewart honey, I don’t consider your mentioning new breads in passing, the same as a full-out discussion regarding your plans to actually bake them on a daily bases. I’m sorry to hear your mother felt ill and you were right to take her home when you did. I hope she is feeling better.”

“Thanks, I’m glad you understand what happened and why I was at the shop when I’d normally be at home.”

The two men lay still for several moments. Lucas continued to rub gently circles on his partner’s back while thinking of the best way to approach what he consider the most pressing problems that were beginning to interfere in their way of doing things.

“Do you remember what it was like when you first started up your own business, sweetheart?” Lucas softly questioned and smiled when he received a slight shrug in reply. “It was a big step, somewhat frightening and very over-whelming. As an over-achiever, you wanted everything to happen at once and of course, be perfect. You became very flustered when it didn’t always meet your expectations. But eventually the purchase of the bakery was behind you, as was the developing a product line, followed by the building of a good customer base. Over time everything fell into place, but we had a lot of compromising to do in order for that to happen. Between us, we came up with a schedule and some rules that both of us could live with.”

He paused to see if his partner had anything to add at this point. Although Stewart remained quiet, it was clear that Lucas had the younger man’s undivided attention, so he continued. “As I recall, we re-enforced the rules ensuring we spend quality time together each evening; rules that included scheduling, guidelines for eating properly and getting enough rest, doing our fair share of the chores and picking up after ourselves. We also instituted new rules regarding the introduction of additional products and not over-extending yourself by committing to more orders than you can handle without becoming weighed down. We decide you would keep me informed of not only changes to your working hours, but also plans to add new items before actually doing so. Is it all coming back to you, babe? Have I missed anything?”

“I have lessened my load a bit. Don’t you remember that Kipper is doing the books for me now, so I don’t have that to do along with running the bakery? That’s saving me at least three hours a week. I’ll admit to forgetting the rule about adding new items when I added the croissants. I was playing around with dough when things were slow one day and I just wanted to see if I could make good ones. When that dozen came out of the oven, they were an instant success. And there’s no arguing with success, is there?” Stewart added with a small grin.

“Right now, the Cannolis are just for the Ladies’ Bowling League Dinner. I don’t see a problem in making them a special order item and I don’t plan to make them on a regular bases. They really aren’t all that hard to do, you know, but if you think I shouldn’t add them as a speciality item, I won’t,” Stewart added this last with a rush, feeling guilty about not talking over his plans with Lucas.

“Yes, farming out the accounting end was a bit of a time-saver. Speaking of which, I bumped into Kipper the other day at the bank and he told me how much your business growth has surpassed the expected projection figures. For some reason, he was under the impression that I knew about it and I didn’t disabuse him of that idea. I really would have appreciated hearing the news from you though as I had made it known that I liked being your sounding board. Why have you been shutting me out, Stewart?” Lucas tried to keep the hurt out of his voice.

“I haven’t been shutting you out, or at least not on purpose,” Stewart retorted with a small frown. He couldn’t prevent himself from going on the defensive. “All I’ve been doing is making a few small business decisions as things come up. You really wouldn’t want me to run every little thing by you, like whether or not I should make Cannoli for the bowling league. And, as for the business growth, I talked to Kipper and got the quarterly reports just the other day and only scanned them. I haven’t had the time to go into the details. I was hoping you’d be free this weekend to do that with me.”

“Of course, we can review the reports, babe. I look forward to seeing them. And while I love to see you increasing the number of delicacies you offer your customers, I don’t want you biting off more than you can chew and getting stressed out over it. You have a tendency to internalize, but subtle signs show up in your behaviour. Ones that not only interfere with our efforts to maintain a relaxed and happy atmosphere here in our home, but also leave you unable to focus on anything beyond the bakery and often struggling to make correct choices in other areas of your life. I will not permit it to continue, my love.” Lucas spoke calmly but firmly. He was well aware of how quickly their home-life could deteriorate if he let things slide.

“We have to deal with your pushing against the boundaries over the last several days, however unintentional. But first lets see if we can’t come up with a plan that will allow for the increase of your products without over-burdening you. Would you consider hiring some part-time help, Stewart?” Lucas gazed lovingly into warm brown eyes and sadly thought how tired they looked.

“Part-time help,” Stewart replied with a question in his voice. “That sounds like a good idea, but where would I go to find someone? I’d like someone with an interest in making desserts, not just someone who wants a part-time clerk-type job. Someone who’d take pride in what they were selling and hopefully, in helping me bake. Do you think that’s expecting too much?” he wondered aloud before softly adding, “And I could really use the help for the late afternoon rush on most days.”

“I don’t think you’re expecting too much; after all it is what you’d be paying for. Of course, you’ll have to allow time to teach your new employee and help him or her gain an understanding of your expectations. Maybe you could speak to the Guidance Counselor at the high school or even the Home Ec. teacher to see if there may be a student interested in working in a bakery. You can go on your day off next Monday. You might also want to give some thought to hiring someone to relieve you of some of the heavier work. Maybe someone with a bit of experience; someone to start earlier in the morning and take care of the breads and cakes. It would free you up to concentrate on baking the sweets you’re becoming well-known for. If you were to cut back on the hours you work each day, you may be able to open six days a week instead of five. What do you think of these ideas?”

“I like the idea!” Stewart grinned, feeling good about his partner’s suggestions. “After we’ve gone over Kipper’s reports, if you think I’m clearing enough to hire two people; that would be even better. I’d love to have someone start things for me in the mornings. I’d love to cut back a half hour in the mornings,” he added with a blush. “I’m not sure I want to be open six days though; at least not yet. I always look forward to having Sundays just for the two of us and having Monday to do my share of the household chores and running personal errands.”

Lucas smiled down at the man nestled against him. “I am very proud of you for giving serious thought to the idea of hiring an assistant. You do realize that you may qualify for some Government financial assistance. Often times, our Federal Employment Program will cover half the salary of a new employee for small businesses such as yours. Aside from the needed help with the baking, some relief with your busiest hours would also be a plus. They seem to fall between three and closing each evening. Those busy times increase as the weekend approaches and of course Saturday is a given as a day when you’ll need the extra help. You will be able to make better decisions concerning scheduling after you interview a few potential employees.”

“I’m glad I may be able to afford at least one assistant and with financial help from the FEP, two would be great. A high school student seems like a great idea. They get experience and pay, and I get someone to help me out during those busy hours on weekday afternoons. As for Saturdays, I’m not too sure. While it would be nice for me, kids do need time for themselves. Depending on whom I hire and what their needs are, I could make do with a few hours on Saturdays unless I needed them for something special.”

“You know, overall I’ve been lucky. Not too many disasters,” Stewart added with a grin. He stayed still, just enjoying his partner’s closeness. ‘Things have been a bit hectic the last few days,’ he thought, suddenly comprehending what the other man had been talking about. ‘And Lucas has seen it while I haven’t.’

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I didn’t realize until just now how things at the bakery have been affecting us. I don’t want that to happen.”

“I don’t either, babe,” Lucas soothingly assured his Brat. “I have never wanted to run your business, sweet pea, and I believe I’ve made that perfectly clear since day one. On the other hand, I will not allow your business to run you. I know it upsets you when a customer comes into the bakery and the item he or she wants is sold out or not available. This is happening more often as word of your excellent products gets around town. I also know how hard you try to please everybody, but like we’ve discussed in the past, you have to learn to say ‘no’ sometimes.”

Stewart sighed. “I did say no last week when Mrs. Walker asked me if I could stock cupcakes or muffins on a regular basis. I had to tell her that they were just too much work with everything else I already make. She said she understood but I could tell she was disappointed. I hate saying no to a customer. It isn’t easy.”

“I know it isn’t, love. However, for your own health and sanity, it is necessary.” Lucas kissed Stewart’s head and gently pushed him up before saying in a slightly firmer voice. “We are going to bring this rule bending activity to a halt.” He knew his young lover was beginning to feel guilty and Stewart certainly didn’t need that on top of the stressful week he had put in.

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed and sitting up, Lucas pulled Stewart along with him until they were seated beside each other. He wrapped his arm around Stewart’s waist and smiled when a curly head landed on his shoulder.

From past experience, Lucas was aware of and had accepted his Brat’s inability to list the misdeeds he was about to be chastised for. But Lucas would never discipline his partner until he was absolutely sure Stewart knew why. He also knew that at times like this, drawn-out punishments such as corner-time, writing lines, extra chores or rescinding privileges, only added to Stewart’s anxiety. The younger man was in need of immediate absolution.

“There will be no more working longer than the hours we have agreed on; there will be no more shortening of your allotted lunch break; there will be no more adding to your product line before we’ve discussed it; and there will be no more neglecting your responsibility in cleaning up after yourself here at home.” Lucas quietly listed the issues they were presently dealing with. There was no condemnation in his voice or mannerism, only steadfast support.

Feeling the half-hearted nod of agreement under his chin, Lucas patted Stewart’s hip. He felt a surge of love and pride when his beloved settled himself over his lap and presented his bared backside for castigation.

The spanking Lucas administered was short and to the point. Due to Stewart’s fatigue, it didn’t take much to bring on the tears of regret. A minute after he’d lowered himself over his Top’s thighs, Stewart found himself upright and lovingly enfolded in Lucas’ strong arms as soft words of admiration and forgiveness washed over him.

Stewart cuddled in closer. “I’m s-sorry for letting things get out of hand b-before speaking to you, Lucas,” he hitched while wiping his face and blowing his nose on the tissue the older man pressed into his hand. Stewart hated being spanked, but honestly admitted, most often only to himself, that he found comfort in the boundaries his partner maintained for him. He also felt a sense of freedom at having the slate wiped clean and starting over. He always knew he’d be forgiven by his lover, but the punishment allowed him to forgive himself and totally eradicated any burden of guilt.

He was beginning to doze off with his head on his partner’s shoulder when something Lucas was saying caught his attention. Looking up at the older man, he requested the last part be repeated.

Lucas softly chuckled and complied. “I was saying that since tomorrow is Saturday, I could go to the shop with you and spend the day there. I know I can’t be much help to you as far as the baking goes, but I can certainly serve your customers and handle the cash register. What do you say? Do you think it will work for you?”

“Yeah, that would be great. Not just because I really can use the help, but mostly because we’ll be spending time together.” Stewart reluctantly pushed himself up off Lucas’ lap and leaving his sleeping pants on the floor where he had kicked them, he climbed into bed and held up his arm for the other man to join him.

Comfortably spooned together, they continued talking quietly until sleep overtook them.

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

Lucas pulled the last load of laundry from the dryer and carried the basket of towels into the kitchen. This and making supper were the two chores he habitually did every Friday evening while waiting for his partner to get home from the bakery.

He glanced at the clock as he finished folding the last item. It was eight forty-five; Stewart should be coming through the door any moment now.

Stewart hurried into the house, calling out. “Lucas, guess what? I hired not one, but two people today.”

“Now that is just about the best news I could hope to hear, babe.” Lucas couldn’t help but laugh at the young man bouncing excitedly in front of him. He barely managed to grab hold of Stewart to hug him.

“I hired Tony Aldrich to start the breads and cakes for me every morning. He worked in a bakery eight years ago in Vancouver before he retired and now he wants a part-time job. He also wants to start as soon as possible, so I suggested tomorrow and he agreed! Isn’t that great?” Stewart’s face lit up with a wide grin. “He even liked the idea of Sunday and Monday for his days off. I can’t believe how lucky I was to get him!”

“I’m glad to hear everything is working out so well.” Lucas didn’t bother mentioning the sense of relief he felt in the realization that his partner’s self-imposed workload would be greatly reduced.

“Oh yeah, the other person is a high school student. Joanie Summers is her name and she’s seventeen. Joanie is interested in learning about the operation of a bakery and how to make desserts. She’ll be working Tuesday through Fridays from two-thirty until closing and will help with the clean up as well. For now, she’ll only work Saturdays until noon, but is open to changing that once school is out. She has no job experience but seems to be willing to learn, and that’s fine with me.”

“Well, your books clearly showed that the bakery was more than capable of handling the hiring of some staff. Now you should be better able to produce the extra product you’ve been over-burdening yourself with. I couldn’t be happier for you, sweet pea.” Lucas smiled at the love of his life, greatly enjoying the enthusiasm Stewart was exhibiting. It had been too long since he had last seen the younger man so animated.

“I can’t believe how this all came together so fast. I’m really glad you suggested it. As a matter of fact, I have an idea for how to say thank you.” Stewart walked over to the stove and turned off the oven. “What do you say about joining me in the shower? Dinner can wait.” With that, he took Lucas by the hand and led him out of the kitchen.

Lucas was more than willing to fall in with his lover’s plans.

The End