Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
The plan began somewhere between nap mats and glitter glue, the way most Little mischief did, with an idea so ridiculous it made perfect sense.
Sadie dangled upside down off the beanbag chair, her curls dusting the playroom floor like a mop. “Okay, hear me out,” she said, legs wiggling for balance. “What if we make stickers?”
Danny paused mid-scribble and chewed his bottom lip. “Like... sticker stickers?”
“Revolutionary stickers,” Blake added, leaning over the coloring table with eyes wide. “Ones that say things like ‘Littles Rule, Bigs Drool’.”
Danny gasped. “Yes! Or ‘Adulting Not Recommended’. Or”—he crinkled his forehead thinking really hard—“oh, oh, got one: ‘Property of Daddy’.”
Sadie twisted upright so fast she rolled right off the beanbag and flopped onto the mat with a thud. Danny was half on his feet to check on her, as she added, “We could stick that one on Kevin’s back!”
“He’d never notice,” Blake giggled. “Until dinner.”
Kevin. Danny’s mood darkened. He didn’t like the guy. He was way too much interested in Easton.
With an effort, he pushed thoughts about the other Little from his mind and focused on the task. “Let’s make one for Sam, it’ll say ‘Certified Cranky-pants’.”
“Nah.” Sadie sat up and crossed her legs primly. “Let’s put broccoli on his door.”
Blake blinked. “Broccoli?”
“Don’t you know he hates it?”
Blake cocked his head. “I didn’t but it’s good to know. I think…” A think line appeared between his eyebrows.
Danny snorted. “You’re gonna get us all sent to corner time.”
“Worth it.”
Danny didn’t mean to start a sticker rebellion.
Not really.
He just wanted to make something fun. Something cheeky. Something that said we’re Littles and we’re here to play without getting kicked out of the Butterfly Program.
The idea had taken hold in Sadie’s corner of the arts-and-crafts room. They weren’t allowed to eat in the playroom, but that didn’t stop her from sneaking in a candy bracelet and chomping through it one pastel ring at a time while Blake fussed over the Cricut software on a clunky laptop.
“We need one that says ‘Certified Snugglebug’,” Danny suggested, as he leaned on the table, watching Blake wrestle with the machine. “With a teddy bear. Obviously.”
“Pfft,” Blake snorted. “Too tame. What about ‘This Butt Is Spank-Proof (Test Me)’?”
Sadie choked on her bracelet.
“Danny can wear that one,” Blake added with a wicked grin.
Danny pressed both hands to his cheeks. “I am not putting that on my jammies.”
“Who said it goes on your jammies?” Sadie asked, brows wiggling.
“Well, I’m certainly not going to wear it,” Blake muttered.
They all laughed. They knew Nurse MacIntosh who was Blake’s Mommy.
“Focus,” muttered the fourth in their mischief-making crew, Georgie. “We still haven’t decided on fonts.”
“Rainbow sparkle cursive,” Sadie said immediately.
“Black block letters,” Blake countered.
“White background. Rainbow lettering,” Danny suggested. “That way no one fights, and I don’t have to referee.”
Sadie leaned over, bumping his shoulder. “Look at you being all grown-up for a Little.”
“Brat Level: Expert,” Blake muttered under his breath, typing it out as their next design.
“Oh! ‘Sparkle Gremlin On Duty’!” Sadie bounced on her seat. “We can put it on the crayon bin!”
“Also ‘Mood: Feral Unicorn’,” Georgie added. “That’s for Blake. Obviously.”
Blake beamed.
The ideas poured out faster than the machine could process.
“‘Nap-Ready and Unashamed’,” Sadie called out.
“‘Sugar High, Morals Low’.” Danny bounced with excitement.
“‘Licensed to Brat’.” Sadie smirked.
Blake arched an eyebrow. “‘ Time-Out? Worth It’.”
Sadie clapped her hands. “‘Yes, I’m a Handful. That’s the Point’.”
Georgie didn’t participate in the tossing lines back and forth but doodled tiny cartoons.
A pacifier with a crown, tape over a mouth with the text ‘problem solver’. A smirking fox, a stick figure with a paddle, poop with a halo, and a cute unicorn figure with sunglasses.
Wow!
Within minutes, they were laughing so hard that Danny had to press his face into his arms. “Stop, stop, Sadie... I can’t! My tummy hurts…”
“I’m gonna pee,” she wailed, legs crossed tight as she gasped through a fit of giggles. “Someone! Make him stop!”
Danny could barely breathe, tears streaking his cheeks as he waved one hand. “‘Contents May Be Loud’!” he crowed. “That’s going on you, Sadie!”
“Put ‘Fragile: Handle with Care (and Candy)’ on Danny.” Sadie cackled. “But you’re not fragile, just... snuggle-powered.”
Georgie was the first to get a real sheet to print. She fed the sticker paper into the machine and then watched in horror as the entire thing jammed and spewed wrinkled nonsense across the rollers.
Sadie clapped. “The first pancake always sucks. Try again!”
While the next batch printed, they debated what to put where.
“Master Derek’s office gets ‘Beware of the Sadist –Do Not Cross’,” Blake declared.
“Littles aren’t supposed to know about sadists,” Danny reminded him.
“So, we cross it out and write ‘Probably Just Tired underneath’,” Georgie offered.
“Oohh.” Sadie clapped her hands before frowning at the glitter glue she now had over her both her palms. “Let’s put ‘I Have No Regrets (Yet)’ on Daddy’s paddles.”
“Good one!” Blake nodded approvingly before handing Sadie a wet wipe. “We can put ‘Spank Bank Headquarters’ on the paddling bench!”
Georgie perked up. “Can we sneak one onto the therapy office?”
Sadie’s eyes gleamed. “‘I Color Outside the Lines’—no, wait–‘Warning: May Spontaneously Giggle’!”
“No,” Danny said, eyes shining. “We put ‘I Color Outside the Lines’ on Sam’s door. And he gets the broccoli one.”
Sadie nodded. “Sam needs to laugh more.”
The printer whirred. Stickers rolled out in uneven sheets, some slightly off-center, others with typos. “Look,” Blake pointed, “‘Fragiel–Handle with Candy’.”
“Perfect.” Danny bounced on his toes like a boxer ready to step into the ring. “Unhinged spelling. Very on brand.”
A sudden sound at the half-open door made all of them freeze. “Are you being naughty without me?” Lori stood just outside the craft room, hands on her hips and one brow raised. Her pigtails were slightly crooked, and her mismatched socks peeked out above her sneakers.
“You’re supposed to be taking a nap,” Blake hissed, but he didn’t sound very convincing.
“I tried.” His Little sister marched in like she owned the place. “But somebody wasn’t there for snuggle cuddles, and then I heard the printer, and then I smelled glitter glue.” She pointed accusingly at Sadie. “You’re up to something.”
Sadie held up her hands. “We plead the fifth.”
Lori narrowed her eyes. “Why?”
“Never mind.”
Danny grinned. “Well, since you’re here…” He waved a hand at the chaos of cut paper, sticker rolls, and half-written slogans. “Wanna help?”
“Duh.” Lori skipped over and flopped onto the rug beside them. “I’m an Authorized Glitter Technician, remember?”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Sadie reached into her overall pocket and pulled out a small Ziplock bag. “Googly eyes?”
Lori gasped like she’d been handed the keys to the kingdom. “You do love me.”
“You’ve got fifteen minutes,” Blake warned. “Then we deploy.”
“Operation Chaos is a go,” Lori whispered, dramatically peeling off a backing sheet.
By the time they’d cut out three dozen designs, their fingers were gummy from peeling corners and rearranging the crooked ones. There were stickers on the table, under the table, on Blake’s sock, and—somehow—on the back of Danny’s hoodie.
“‘No pants, no problem’?” Blake offered.
“Too suggestive,” Danny said, though he wrote it down anyway.
“‘Time-outs are for quitters’?” Sadie grinned.
“Only if you want Master Derek to go full Dom,” Danny muttered.
“‘Caution: Sugar-fueled menace’.”
“Blake, that one’s your autobiography.”
The door clicked shut behind him as Easton entered Derek’s office, that rich scent of leather and old books a familiar greeting.
The mahogany desk still looked like it belonged to a man with too many responsibilities and not enough time to deal with them, but today it felt less imposing than usual.
Maybe it was the way Derek stood with his hip propped against the edge, arms loosely crossed, and half a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Across from him, Sam nursed a cup of tea, legs comfortably stretched out like he didn’t have a care in the world. The steam curled lazily upward, perfuming the space with something earthy like chamomile, most likely. The scent was completely unlike the nerves fizzing just under Easton’s skin.
“There he is,” Derek greeted as Easton stepped further in.
Easton gave a slight nod, then glanced toward Sam, who gestured to the open seat beside him.
As Easton lowered himself into the chair, he noticed the way the tension in his own shoulders lingered.
Apparently, he was not quite ready to let his guard fall all the way.
His hands clenched around the armrest on the way down, and for a second, he didn’t sit, just let himself hover between decisions.
“You still look tired,” Sam observed in that quiet way of his. “But better.”
Easton wiggled his head, considering Sam’s words. “I feel... steadier.” Easton admitted after a moment. “Danny helps. So do our sessions.”
The words landed heavier than he expected. Rubbing his chest, he shifted his weight and cleared his throat, unsure what to say next. Something had cracked open in his chest these last few days, and he hadn’t quite figured out what it meant yet.
“Your boy has been doing great.” Derek rubbed his thumb along the edge of the desk. “He’s playful, regulated, but respectful for the most part. I wonder how long that will last as he spends lots of time with my Sadie.”
Sam’s mouth quirked as he set his tea down. “That girl is more mischievous than a basket of kittens. My Pippi can pull a prank, but your Sadie… let’s just say her abilities are quite impressive, really.”
Easton dragged a hand through his hair, and his lips twitched. “It’s fun to watch how she can coax even the most withdrawn Little out in the open.”
He’d seen it with Kevin a few days ago—how Sadie had looked up from her glitter-covered paper plate, spotted the shy newcomer lingering at the edges, and offered a crayon without hesitation, her fingers sparkling and her smile even brighter.
She hadn’t said a word, just made space like it was the most natural thing in the world, as if everyone deserved to belong.
“Of course she does,” Derek murmured, amused. “Beneath all that glitter and giggle is a heart of gold… and probably a contraband candy stash.”
Easton had to smile about that, until something more thoughtful took its place. Easton caught the shift in Derek’s expression just before the man straightened.
“We’ve been talking about Danny’s stay,” Derek began. “It’s nearly up. A little under two weeks left, if I’m counting right.”
Easton inclined his head. He’d been counting too. Not out loud, not even consciously, but the number clung to the back of his mind like dew on grass. He’d tried not to dread it, but he was.
“You’ve still got time left on your Daddy-in-Residence term,” Sam added. “The question is whether you plan to finish it out… or leave with him.”
“Danny could ask for an extension,” Derek continued, “but that’s not the only option.”
Easton raised a brow.
“You two could stay.” Derek said it simply. “Make it permanent.”
The room stilled for a moment.
Easton glanced between them. “That’s... a lot.”
“It’s an invitation,” Sam clarified, “And we’re not trying to push you—or him for that matter— just laying it out. We’re not making any demands.”
Leaning back, Easton rubbed his thumb against his knee.
The thought had lived quietly in the back of his mind for days but hearing it out loud made his pulse tick up.
He could picture it. He would wake up beside Danny each morning, sharing breakfast in the Ranch cafeteria, reading bedtime stories after bath time without needing to count down the days.
But it also meant planting roots again. Committing. Letting go.
He flexed his fingers against his thigh, then stilled them.
And what about Danny? The boy had just started to relax back into the Little persona he was. Was he ready for something more permanent?
“I’d need to talk to him,” Easton spoke more to himself than to the other men in the room.
“Of course,” Derek replied.
“No rush.” Sam leaned forward. “You’ve both made incredible progress, but that doesn’t mean you have to sprint toward the next milestone. Recovery isn’t linear. Sometimes the next right step is just standing still for a while.”
Easton nodded. Intellectually, he knew that. But the part of him that had watched Danny blossom over the last few days wanted to take that next step and never look back.
“Thank you,” he said after a long pause. “For the support. For... giving us the space to figure this out.”
“We’ve both seen too many Daddies rush into something before they were truly ready.” Sam picked up his cup again. “You’re doing the work. It shows.”
Derek pushed off from the desk and moved forward to stand beside Easton, placing his hand on his shoulder. “Whatever you two decide, you’ve both left a mark on this place already.”
The three of them stayed like that for a moment longer, letting the warmth of camaraderie settle in. Outside the window, the sun caught on leftover snowbanks, making the walkways shimmer like glass.
Easton watched the light.
He didn’t have all the answers yet. Not even close.
But he was starting to believe he didn’t need them all to take the next step.