Winning Big

Chapter Six

Dom

The blocks made a perfect wall to keep the bad guys out of the compound that Brandon and he had built away from the zombies. Zombies had taken over the world because of a virus and there was only a handful of humans left. But not all humans were the good guys, so they had to have a safe place to hide out.

Dom picked up his favorite soldier before placing him on top of the wall. “I’ll keep watch!”

“K.” Brandon wiggled. “I will gather more supplies.” He moved his soldier over to the supply box. “We need more ammo for the next zombie attack.”

There was a group of bad guys hiding in the trees by the table leg. A small group of zombies were lying on the ground across from the wall Dom’s soldier was on. Crawling around the compound wall over to where the zombies had been left. He needed more friends! If Ezra or Lake were there, one of them could be the bad guys and one could act out the zombies.

Lifting his head, Dom peered around for his Daddy.

His Daddy.

It was the first time playing in the room that he had his very own caretaker.

The Daddies always watched over him along with their boy but Dom had his own Daddy this time.

“Daddy?” Dom called.

Rising from the chair in the corner where he’d been talking to Dane, Remi walked over to crouch beside him.

“What’s the matter, baby? Are you thirsty? Hungry?” He dropped his voice as he slipped his finger under Dom’s onesie. “Wet?”

“Thirsty,” Dom told him.

Remi passed him a sippy cup that Dom hadn’t even seen he was holding.

Dom took the cup gratefully, taking several big gulps. The crisp taste of apple juice made his mouth tingle. He pulled the cup away from his mouth before looking at Remi. “Ezra?”

“He’s still at work, baby, but he’s bringing Lake home with him.”

Dom perked up at hearing that. He’d checked in with Lake, but Lake’s answers had been short and not really revealed anything. Dom needed to talk to Lake to find out how his friend was feeling. Dinner with his family always left Lake in a bad place. He still hadn’t shared his concerns with anyone else but maybe it was time.

Remi would probably have a good idea on how to help. His Daddy was super smart like that. Dom just didn’t want to betray the trust that Lake had put in him. Dom needed to talk to Lake.

“Why don’t you get back to playing?” Remi said. “The boys will be here in time for lunch.”

Dom took several bigger gulps before he passed the sippy cup back to his Daddy. “K. Thanks!”

As Remi rose to go back into the corner, Dom returned to playing. He picked up a zombie in each hand and made them shuffle closer.

“Grr.” Dom made what he considered pretty damn good zombie noises.

“Oh no!” Brandon cried. “The zombies are coming. The zombies are coming!”

“I want to eat brains!” Dom said in a deep voice.

Brandon giggled while putting all their weapons within reach of their soldiers.

They could wait to have the showdown until his other friends arrived. The zombies needed to get closer though. And the bad guys were still out there. Should the zombies eat the bad guys? Hmm, that might be better than a human against human battle.

“They’re gonna wait until midnight to strike,” Dom said.

“From the zombies or bad guys?” Brandon asked.

Dom hummed. “Maybe the bad guys attacked the compound and then the zombies come?”

“Yeah!” Brandon enthused.

Dom wiggled. His bladder was full and it was past time for him to go to the bathroom. He’d been deciding if he was actually going to use the diaper or not. Remi had said he was totally fine with it but Dom still worried.

Turning onto his stomach, he pushed his hips into the floor.

He wasn’t supposed to worry about anything when he was little. Remi had gone to a lot of trouble for him. To give Dom the perfect little weekend. Dom didn’t want to do anything to ruin it. Although if he turned Remi off everything would be ruined anyway.

He’d taken too long to decide. As his bladder gave a painful twinge, Dom let his muscles go and started to wet.

Biting his lip, Dom didn’t know what to do now.

Dom could call for Remi. It would be the brave thing to do. Or he could just lie here and wait for—

“Hey, baby.” Remi was kneeling beside him once again.

“Hi.” Dom kept his eyes down.

Remi’s hand ran down his back to settle against his bottom. “Ah, I see.”

God, this was embarrassing. What if Remi wasn’t ready?

“I’m so proud of you,” Remi whispered by his ear.

That got Dom’s attention. He lifted his head and glanced over at his Daddy.

“I mean it,” Remi told him. “I wasn’t sure if you were ready.”

Dom wasn’t sure that Remi was. This was huge for them. It was one thing to wear a diaper but another to actually use it. To have Remi take care of that. Either they were going to be closer or everything was ruined.

“Come on. Let’s get you changed.”

Dom glanced around for Brandon, but his friend was sitting on Dane’s lap as they talked. They weren’t paying attention to Dom. “Okay.”

Remi helped Dom climb to his feet.

Okay, they were doing this. Dom clung to Remi’s hand up the basement stairs and into the hall. Then they walked through the house until they reached Dom’s bedroom.

Jimmy was happily playing in his water dish, making a mess.

The room was clean. Cleaner than Dom usually kept it. After picking up and placing Dom’s little stuff in drawers that morning the guest bedroom now felt more like his own. There were stuffies sitting on the bed by the pillow.

His binkie on the nightstand.

And in the top dresser drawer were the diapers.

“Up you go,” Remi said. He lifted Dom up before helping him lie on the mattress with his legs hanging off the edge.

He remained silent as Remi turned to the drawer. Remi pulled out a diaper, wipes, and powder.

Dom gulped.

“Do you need your bebe?” Remi asked.

Yes! Dom was afraid of saying the wrong thing. Of being over emotional. He didn't want to push Remi too hard. Too fast. He nodded instead of sharing his concerns. Of letting Remi know how scared Dom was of screwing things up.

Remi grabbed his bebe but paused to look down at him. “Oh, baby.” Gathering Dom in his arms, Remi hugged him tight. “Don’t be scared. Everything is going to be okay.”

Damn, Remi really knew him.

Dom clutched at the back of Remi’s shirt.

Running a hand down his back, Remi hummed while rocking Dom.

“I’m okay with this,” Remi said quietly. “I want to take care of you.”

Drawing away, Dom grabbed Remi’s face in his hands. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve been trying so hard to get you to see that I can take care of all your needs,” Remi said. “For you to see that I’m the perfect Daddy for you.”

“You want to be my Daddy.”

“I am your Daddy,” Remi said. “I want to be your person. Always.”

They were already doing this. “Okay.”

“Good boy.” Remi patted his back before laying Dom back down. Dom took his bebe and stuffed it in his mouth as he waited.

Had Remi done this before? Dom didn’t think so.

Remi unsnapped the buttons holding his onesie together.

Dom sucked harder on his bebe.

The onesie was pushed up his stomach before Remi reached for the tabs of his diaper.

Dom sucked even harder.

Remi undid the tabs. The diaper opened, revealing Dom’s front. He lifted his bottom as Remi slipped the wet diaper from under him. A new diaper replaced it.

“Down.”

He dropped his butt back down on the fresh diaper.

“Good boy,” Remi praised.

Dom relaxed. They’d gotten this far.

Remi pulled out several wipes, using them to clean Dom up. The wipes felt good against Dom’s heated skin. He hadn’t realized that he’d been sweating with worry.

“Now some powder for my boy.”

His Daddy used a liberal amount, making him giggle around his bebe. The scent wafted up. Soothing, familiar, and so damn great. Remi wrapped the new diaper around him.

Dom gave a little wiggle.

The diaper crunched under him.

“Daddy has a good lunch planned for his boy,” Remi said as he worked on getting him re-dressed.

“Food,” Dom said around his bebe.

“Yummy food.”

He liked yummy food. And by the time he was eating, his other friends should be there as well. Brandon was fun to play with but the whole gang needed to be together. There was something about all of them playing that was special. Having the whole group that loved the same things. They were lucky. To have found one another. To have Daddies that cared about them.

Dom lifted his arms to his Daddy and Remi reached for him.

“See, everything is all right.” Remi patted his bottom.

Yes, for sure everything was okay. That had been a big hurdle. Dom was relieved that they had gotten it out of the way. Now he really didn’t have any more worries that needed to keep him from enjoying his weekend.

Wrapping an arm around Remi’s neck, Dom held on tight.

He was carried from the bedroom. Dom couldn’t wait to get back to playing. Remi didn’t carry him into the hall toward the basement. Instead Remi took him into the kitchen.

“Play?” Dom mumbled around his bebe.

“Lunch first.” Remi set him down at the table in the kitchen. “Will you color me a pretty picture while I make lunch?”

“I color?” Dom asked.

“Yes, baby. Your friends are on their way.” Remi returned with a stack of coloring books and a big box of crayons. The big box that had all the colors. All the colors!

Friends. And a Daddy. Dom could color while he waited until it was playtime again. “Drink, Daddy?”

“Sure, baby. Let me get that for you.”

Now that he didn't have to worry about wetting, Dom could drink all he wanted. Remi hadn’t run from him. Hadn’t shied away. Remi was the best Daddy ever. “Choco milk!”

Remi turned. “Chocolate milk?”

“Please.”

Crossing the room, Remi knelt in front of him. “You know Daddy still has to watch how much liquid you take in.”

Dom didn’t want to think about that. That was big boy problems. “Daddy take care of?”

“Yes, Daddy will take care of.” Remi kissed the top of his head before returning to the fridge.

Dom shuffled through the coloring books that Remi had handed him. He recognized several of them from the playroom but there were some new ones too. Dom picked the new Sesame Street to match his Cookie Monster onesie. This would forever be his favorite onesie since it was his and Remi’s first time together.

He picked a blue crayon before bending over the page.

“Here you go, baby.” Remi set the sippy cup by his elbow.

“Thank you, Daddy.” Dom put the tip of the crayon to the paper.

* * * * *

Remi

Pulling the mac and cheese casserole out of the oven, Remi smiled at the perfect color of the melted cheese. This recipe was an old favorite that his mother made for special occasions. Remi couldn’t think of anytime more special than that day.

He’d felt the moment that Dom had relaxed after Remi had changed his diaper. When the boy finally knew that Remi wasn’t going to run away. That none of this was too much for him to handle.

There really was a future for the two of them.

Maybe one day he’d even be able to take Dom back east to meet his parents. His relationship with his parents was strained, even after two decades of him being clean and sober. There were too many times in the past that he’d lied, stolen, and emotionally hurt his parents for them to trust him completely. Remi tried to show his parents that he was a changed man and would never go back to his old ways. They mostly believed him.

Remi could see it in their eyes though. The doubt. The questioning. The hurt that he’d caused them.

He’d run across the country when given the chance to join the Las Vegas Metro Police department.

His father had been angry. Accused Remi of being back on the shit.

No matter how much Remi had done to help people, the two that he wanted to be the proudest of him still looked at him with fear and sadness.

It pained Remi but he knew he deserved it as well.

He’d spend the rest of his life helping men and women, boys and girls, anyone who wanted to get free of the poison. Remi had been the lost soul once. It was for those who still wanted a life. It didn’t matter what they did with that life. He didn’t judge if they lived quietly, if they turned around and helped others, or if they lost the battle and went back to their old ways. At least they’d had a chance.

Remi set the pan on the counter and closed the oven.

“Daddy! Smells good!”

“It does, baby.” Remi was pleased. And glad that his boy had pulled him from his whirling thoughts.

“Hungry, Daddy.”

“Almost done.” Remi crossed the kitchen to check on his boy. Dom had colored three pictures already. Admittedly, the boy could have done a neater job but there was something about the childish strikes of crayon that made Remi happy to see. He picked up the empty sippy cup.

One day Remi could allow Dom the freedom to eat and drink everything that the boy wanted. Until that day Remi still had to take into account all of Dom’s medical needs. It wasn’t fair. Not that there was anything fair about Dom’s situation or anyone else that had medical issues.

At least Remi had more confidence that Dom was going to continue to fight. They’d all noticed Dom pulling away after Thanksgiving. Christmas had seemed to perk the boy up, but in the new year Dom had grown quieter and more distant.

But the boy happily humming while bent over a coloring book wasn’t thinking about how hard life was. Dom was a happy little.

Dane entered the kitchen with Brandon on his hip. “I have a hungry boy and two more just pulled into the driveway.”

“Good thing the food is done,” Remi quipped.

“Down you go, baby,” Dane said to Brandon. “Let me get you some water.”

“Juice!” Brandon said as he reached for a coloring book.

“Water,” Dane replied. He crossed the kitchen over to Remi’s side.

“I want juice!” Brandon banged his hand on the table.

Remi looked up as Dane spun. Remi knew that Dane would be firm with the boy but not harm him. They didn’t even do spankings due to Brandon’s past trauma.

“That’s ten minutes in the corner,” Dane said sternly.

Brandon stuck out his bottom lip. “I just want juice.”

“And you already had some this morning. Water for the rest of the day.”

Remi turned his head so the boys wouldn’t see him smile. Brandon was pushing limits. It was great to see. The more comfortable Brandon became, the more he would test Dane. All of them, in his own way. It showed Brandon was finally healing from the past. And the asshole who’d abused him.

“Okay, Daddy. Sorry.” Brandon slumped in his seat.

Dane returned to his boy. “It’s fine. Remember that there’s nothing that you can do to push me away. To make me leave you.”

“No matter how bad I am,” Brandon whispered.

“You are not a bad boy,” Dane said sternly. “It’s okay to push. That doesn’t get you out of punishment though.”

“Corner time,” Brandon whined.

“That does mean corner time. But after you get to finish your play date.”

“And lunch,” Brandon said.

“It smells good, huh?”

“My tummy hungry,” Brandon said.

Dane kissed Brandon. Crisis averted. Turning back to his mac and cheese casserole, Remi started to plate out the food. He heard whispering before glancing over his shoulder.

Dom had his arm over Brandon’s shoulder as the two of them giggled.

The front door opened before the alarm gave a series of beeps.

“It’s just us!” Ezra called from the entrance.

“Hurry up! Lunch is ready,” Remi called.

“Coming!” Ezra shouted back.

Remi carried two plastic colorful plates to the table as Ezra and Lake entered. Ezra rushed over to the table, but Lake hovered at the doorway.

“Hey.” Remi strolled over to the big sweet boy. “I’m glad you could come.”

Lake glanced up with his big chocolate eyes. “Ezra insisted. I don't want to intrude.”

“You are never intruding. We want you here.” He grasped the back of Lake’s neck. He knew how to spot someone with secrets. Hopefully soon Lake would trust them enough to share. “And I made my mother’s famous mac and cheese. There’s plenty for everyone and we’ll still have leftovers.”

“If you’re sure?” Lake’s voice held hope.

“Very sure. Come on.” Remi led Lake to the table.

Dom peered up at him and smiled. He reached for Lake’s arm to pull him down as Remi returned to finish dishing out lunch. Dane passed him with sippy cups. The one that Dom used only half full.

It hurt his heart at the sight. Pushing that feeling down, Remi had to get the boys through lunch and back into the playroom. They had a battle to finish after all.