Chapter 23 Daniel
Daniel
My pants and shirt were soaked by Tristan’s accident, but I couldn’t care less because my boy was in my lap.
I knew this was a big moment between him and Ellery, so I stayed quiet and offered my support.
Once they were done and my boy was laughing again, I knew it was time to get both of us cleaned up.
“Ellie, would you mind waiting in the living room while I get us cleaned up. Feel free to turn on the TV and grab the coloring books, and we’ll be back shortly.”
“Okay!”
Once Ellery left the room, Tristan turned his face to me. “Dada hewp… icky.”
Wanting to raise his spirits and hopefully ease his embarrassment, I gasped in mock horror. “Oh no, it looks like we both got attacked by the sog monster this time.”
Tristan’s sweet giggles filled the room as I carried him out of the playroom and into the bathroom.
Reaching into the shower, I turned on the water and then placed Tristan down.
He wiggled in discomfort as I peeled his wet clothes off him, and then I did the same for myself.
Once we were both undressed, I took his hand and pulled him into the shower with me.
Tristan was a puddle of goo as I scrubbed down his body with soap.
He didn’t even react when I cleaned his groin.
Not that I would have done anything if he had, but the absence of a reaction told me my boy was worn out from all the earlier excitement.
Tristan stood under the water with a blissful expression as I made quick work of scrubbing myself down.
Grabbing some fluffy towels, I dried us both off and bundled him up in them so he wouldn’t get cold while I got dressed. I placed my fuzzy Tristan burrito on the edge of the bed and got dressed in some sweats and a black t-shirt.
At some point while I dressed, Tristan’s thumb had found its way into his mouth, and my boy stared at me with eyes full of love as he suckled peacefully.
Even though he just had an accident and cried his little heart out, he looked…
peaceful. Knowing that my presence gave him the peace he needed had my chest puffing up with pride.
Unable to stop myself, I walked to the edge of the bed and planted kisses on his wet hair. “I’m so proud of you, sweetheart. If you are ever stuck in your head or overthinking, I will always be there to reassure you without judgment. I love you so much, sweet boy.”
Tristan removed his thumb and reached up towards me, so I lowered myself, and my heart nearly melted when his palm cupped my cheek.
“I know, Daddy. You’re so incredibly kind…
Everything was happening so fast, I got scared.
Sometimes I get so anxious, and even though I know rationally that neither of you would be upset or judge me, it still takes me a bit to really get it.
I promise to let you know if I get worried again. ”
He leaned forward and pecked a sweet kiss on my lips. “I will always want to hear your worries and set you at ease. I know it can be scary or overwhelming at times, but I’m so incredibly proud of you.”
Tristan’s face flushed, and he shivered. My boy needs clothes. “Thank you, Daddy. I love you berry much.”
He yelped in surprise when I scooped him up and propped him on my hip. “I love you too, sweetheart. Now let’s get my boy all warm and comfy so you can color with Ellie while I make dinner.”
“yay! Din din wif Ewwie!”
I laid him on the changing mat, handed him his pacifier, then rummaged through the drawers for another Dragon onsie and a diaper.
Tristan suckled his paci, practically melting into the table as I placed the diaper underneath him and rubbed his bottom with barrier cream.
My heart melted when he let out a contented sigh behind his pacifier.
“You’re such a good boy for me. Thank you for trusting me.
I promise to protect you and keep you safe always. ”
My vision became blurry with tears as I fastened the diaper around his hips.
Tristan smiled softly, watching me as I finished dressing him.
His eyes reflected the emotion I felt swirling inside me, leaving me breathless.
I was so gone for this sweet man. I couldn’t wait till the day he moved in, taking care of my boy in our home and waking up beside him.
Our relationship was moving fast, and I didn’t want to overwhelm Tristan, so that was going to have to wait.
That was more than fine with me as long as I had my precious boy in my life, I’d wait for him for as long as he needed.
“Okay, sweet boy. You’re all set. Ready to play?
” Tristan clapped his hands, squealing with excitement, then nodded.
I picked him up, placing him on my hip, and he nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck.
My boy was too adorable. I just wanted to scoop him up and keep him on my hip forever, but he had a friend to play with, and I had two little ones who needed to be fed.
Tristan’s squeal nearly took out my eardrum when we walked into the living room.
Ellery had put on some cartoon show I didn’t recognize, but my boy certainly did, cause it was all I could do to keep him from falling out of my arms from how excited he had gotten.
“Whoa, baby, hang on.” I walked as quickly as I could with my squirmy, excited boy and placed him on the rug next to Ellery.
His bottom had barely touched the floor before he already had a coloring book and was looking through the pages.
Both littles were immediately sucked into their projects and the cartoon music playing on the tv.
I was sure both needed to relax and turn their brains off for a bit after all that excitement.
Neither of them even noticed me as I left the room to get started on dinner.
Both Tristan and Ellery looked at me like I’d hung the moon when I returned with two plates and sippy cups with juice. Ellery got a princess plate and cup, while Tristan got a dragon set. Both plates had grilled cheese, carrot sticks with ranch, and some sliced fruit.
If I didn’t know any better, the way both littles tore into their food, I’d think they were starving. I’d barely finished my own grilled cheese when Tristan turned toward me, showing me his ranch-covered fingers and face. “Dada, I icky.”
“Oh no, did you get attacked by a ranch monster?” Both Tristan and Elley giggled. “No, Dada, I messy baby.”
My cheeks ached from how wide my grin was.
“I see that messy baby. But don’t worry, Daddy’s got it all covered.
” Reaching into the table beside the couch, I pulled out a package of wet wipes I had stored there.
My sweet boy was a squirming, giggling mess as I cleaned him up. “Do you need a wipe, Ellie?”
“Yes, please.”
Ellery wasn’t far from where I sat on the couch, but I wanted to make sure they were having just as much fun as my boy, so I walked over to them, bowed down in front of them, and held out the wipe. “For you, Princess Ellie.”
Ellery giggled and nodded their head in appreciation before taking the wipe. “Thank you, good sir.”
After both littles were all clean, I cleaned up our plates. Thankfully, there wasn’t much mess, and I quickly returned to find both boys cuddled up on the couch watching their show.
“After this show is over, would you boys like to build a fort and watch a movie before bed? Since Ellery is staying the night, I figured you could both sleep together in the fort.”
Ellery bounced on their feet, clapping wildly. “That sounds so fun! Bestie, let’s do it!” They looked over at Tristan and paused. Tristan had a tight smile on his face, and apprehension shone in his eyes. “But wha bout Dada?”
Not being able to bear seeing his sad face, I scooped him up and popped him on my hip.
“Oh, sweet boy, I wouldn’t leave you two alone when you’re little.
I figured we could use the back of the couch to anchor the fort, so it’s inside the tent, and I can sleep there, and you little ones can sleep on a mountain of blankets. ”
Tristan’s eyes widened with excitement. “Dat’s the bestest idea ever. Wight, Ewwie?”
“That sounds like so much fun. You have the best Daddy. But just until I get my own Daddy, then he’ll be the best Daddy ever.” They looked up at me sheepishly. “No offense, Daniel.” I barked out a laugh at their comment, taking me by surprise. “Thank you, Ellie, and no offense taken.”
After our laughter subsided, I squared my shoulders and put on a serious face. “I have a very important mission, and I need a princess and a dragon. Do you little ones know where I can find them?”
Tristan roared and then pretended to breathe fire, and Ellery bounced up and down. “Me! Me! Me! I’m a princess, and this is my fire-breathing dragon.”
I sighed dramatically with relief, my shoulders slumping.
“Oh, thank heavens, I need help building a magical fort. The material is enchanted, so it only allows little ones and daddies inside and keeps out anything that isn’t happy or fun.
The problem is you can only touch it if you have a princess and their mighty dragon.
Will you help me build the enchanted fort? ”
Ellery jumped up and down, cheering, and Tristan roared and giggled with excitement. “We would be honored to assist you, good sir.”
I bowed my head. “Thank you, Princess Ellie, I am forever in you and your mighty dragons’ debt. Please follow me.”
Both littles followed me with determined faces as I led them to the end of the hallway and opened up the closet where I stored various sheets and blankets. “We need to grab as much of the enchanted materials as we can carry and take them to the living room.”
Once all of our arms were full of the linens, we made our way back into the main room. I instructed them to place the sheets on the floor and the blankets on the couch, and I hurried to find some clothespins.
When I returned with the pins in hand, both littles waited patiently as I moved the furniture around to make a base for our fort.
Once I was done, I instructed them to help hold the sheets up as I pinned them together and anchored them to the coffee table and the couch, creating a canopy over the large space.
I’d barely finished pinning the top together when both Ellery and Tristan darted inside and plopped on the floor. “Whoooaa, so cool!” Tristan roared in agreement.
They stayed inside the tent, holding the sheets for the fort’s walls as I pinned them to the top.
Once I was done, I made my way around the structure, making sure it was secure, sure it wouldn’t hurt anyone if the sheets fell on top of us, but I’d prefer if they didn’t.
Excited giggles sounded from inside the tent as I re-adjusted a few pins.
“I’ll be right back.”
All I got in response was more giggles and the cutest-sounding roar.
My face ached from smiling as I hurried to my bedroom and grabbed my laptop so we could watch a movie inside the fort.
On my way out, I had a lightbulb moment and rushed into the playroom, grabbed some fluffy pillows and stuffed animals.
The room was silent when I returned. All of my worries faded when I opened the fort to find my boy and Ellery snuggled up together.
They’d taken all the fluffy blankets off the couch, except one for me.
Their thoughtfulness made me smile. The blankets were arranged into a pallet on the floor, and they had a few more on top of them, and it nearly broke my heart that I was going to have to ruin how comfy they were.
“Hi, little ones, are you having fun?” They both nodded their head furiously, nearly knocking their heads together.
I started to talk, but was cut off by both boys yawning loudly, making me chuckle.
“All right, little ones, I know you’re comfy, but we need to get ready for bed, and then we can come back and get all comfy. ”
“But Dada, we are ready. Dun wanna get up.”
I furrowed my brow and met his gaze, my expression stern. “Are you sure about that little one?”
Tristan wiggled and nodded his head. I held out my arms and wiggled my fingers, making him giggle. “Hmmm, I’m not so sure. Come here, little one.”
Tristan let go of Ellery and crawled toward me out of the tent. I lifted him and propped him on my hip. Placing my hand on his bottom, I shifted his weight and squeezed. Just as I thought, he was wet, and I was not going to let my boy go to bed in a wet diaper.
“Ellie, there’s a spare toothbrush under the sink in the hall bath if you need it. Get ready for bed, and we’ll meet you back here.”
“Okay! Thank you, Daniel.”
“You’re welcome. Come on, sweetie, let’s go get ready for bed.”
Tristan was practically half asleep already as I carried him to the playroom.
He suckled on his paci as I changed him into a dry diaper and rubbed fresh cream on his soft skin.
“Come on, baby, let’s get those teefies brushed.
” He whined in protest but still nodded his head in acceptance.
“I know, sweet boy, but it’ll be fast, and then we can go watch a movie, and you can cuddle with Ellie. ”
A few minutes later, I was dressed in clean sweats and a black t-shirt, crawling into the tent with my boy.
Ellery had gotten back before us and set up my laptop, with a movie already pulled up.
I didn’t know what movie they pulled up, but the happy squeals I heard from my boy meant it must’ve been a good choice.
Once both littles were snug under the covers, I groaned as I crawled over to the couch. Thankfully, I didn’t have to crawl far, or I was going to need new knees. Tristan and Ellery stared at the screen with half-lidded eyes as I stretched myself out over the couch and got comfy.
My eyes never made their way to the screen as I watched my boy slowly fall asleep, snuggled up to his friend. They looked so peaceful together as they slowly drifted to sleep. I couldn’t help but follow suit, and the world faded away.