Day Eleven of Advent

Door Eleven is opened by Trio and Sunne who asked for Sterling and Owen from Bound and Determined

A Place in my Heart

“There! That one!” Sterling rushed over to a blue spruce Owen estimated to be two feet higher than the ceiling in any room of their house.

That wasn’t what made him frown. Sterling was under orders to stay within reach once they left the car and entered the Christmas tree lot. It was an order Owen gave from time to time when Sterling’s emotions were chaotic and his focus as scattered as a kaleidoscope.

Holidays were difficult times. Reconciled with his mother, but not his father, Sterling’s home was with Owen and likely to stay that way. It didn’t matter that Sterling was at the age where moving out and finding his own place was natural; he’d lost his childhood refuge and that had to hurt.

Sterling had been weirdly distracted the last week, humming songs, tweaking the decorations he’d put up until Owen had spanked him with one of them. He wasn’t sure what it was, but Sterling had hung it over the handle to the front door, a long piece of wood decorated with dancing reindeer and white glitter. Every time Owen opened the door it shed sparkles.

The reindeer looked considerably less perky when he’d finished turning Sterling’s ass Santa-red. And the glitter against all that bruised skin did lend a festive air, he supposed.

Owen understood and sympathized with Sterling’s feelings, but he had no intention of allowing him to get away with flagrant disobedience. The place was quiet, no one nearby. He whistled, a sharp sound that had Sterling jerking around, then slipped the glove from his hand. The snap of his fingers, the curl of his finger, hooked Sterling as surely as a fish taking the bait and Owen reeled in his wayward sub.

“Repeat your instructions,” he said when Sterling was beside him, head down, the picture of penitence.

“Stay within reach of your hand, but that one was per—ow!”

Owen smiled, noting that Sterling didn’t rub his stinging ass. Didn’t even seem too perturbed by the smack, judging by his grin. “See? Now you’re making life easy for me. Much better.”

“I didn’t mean to disobey you. It’s just…” Sterling waved his arms and gave the impression of jumping up and down, though his feet stayed grounded. “Christmas! I love Christmas. And last one was kinda mixed-up and weird, but this year it’s you and me and it’s going to be perfect.”

Stunned by the sheer joy in Sterling’s voice and the glow in his eyes, Owen swallowed back a question. Asking Sterling if he was sure he didn’t mind not going home would be cruel.

Besides, he had the feeling that once they’d chosen a tree and loaded it up, that’s exactly where Sterling thought he was going.

Home.