Chapter 7
Orlando
“No.” Daddy Bastian couldn’t make me. “Again.”
Daddy Bastian rolled his eyes. “No.”
“Yes.” I showed him my book. “I got more pictures.”
Ha. More coloring meant more movie.
He stopped grumbling and sighed.
I knew that sound from Enzo.
“That’s…” Daddy Bastian took a deep breath and did a Daddy thinking face. “Do you have another car coloring book?”
He was being sneaky.
“No.” Daddies were very, very sneaky…but I was smart. “I need more.”
Yes.
Smart. Smart. Smart.
“When can we go buy more?” Yes, that was a Daddy job. “I like buying but I have to be big and that makes it sad.”
Daddy Bastian could be big…he didn’t want me sad.
“We can go buy more tomorrow, but that means we need to save some just in case.” He shrugged when I pouted. “What happens if you run out and we can’t get to the store? We need to save some of the pictures so you can color them in later too.”
I didn’t like saving.
I liked coloring.
I liked movie car people and coloring cars and real cars.
“Now?” Terrence would say to be nice to get what I wanted. Nice meant cuddles and looking cute, I knew that because he’d told his friend. “We can ride in the nice car. I’ll be very neat.”
Daddy Bastian liked his car, so we had to be careful. But I didn’t have to be careful now, so I wiggled over and sat beside him and gave him Terrence’s gimmie what I want face.
“I won’t even bring a cracker or a sippy cup or dirt or anything.” I’d do a good job. “I like going and I like cars.”
Kind of.
Not as much as Daddy Bastian but no one liked cars as much as him.
He liked old cars and fast cars and little cars and funny-looking cars.
Oh, he groaned.
That was a Daddy defeat sound…Terrence said so.
“We definitely need to get you more coloring books and toys.” Daddy Bastian was getting weaker and weaker like a good Daddy should. “But we’re having our grown-up date tomorrow.”
He was still being sneaky.
“Little morning. Big later.” I shrugged. “I’m smart. I can do both.”
Ha.
He smiled. “You’re very smart…sneakily smart.”
“No…” That was what Daddies did. “I’m cute.”
Daddy Bastian leaned back and laughed. His great big belly sound, not the nice sound he did at family stuff. It lasted a long, long time until he leaned back on his hands and smiled at me. “You’re very cute. But we are not watching the movie again. So you have two options.”
Ugh.
“What kind of options?” I might like options. “Enzo would give Terrence kissing options or dessert options.”
He gave me his eyebrow look like I’d been naughty. But I wasn’t trying to sell him the silly car that didn’t work. “We need to find you some better influences to hang out with.”
“New friends?” He knew people. “You talk to people.”
Daddy Bastian groaned. “I talk to a lot of people.”
He kept talking to them even though he didn’t like most of them. “Little people?”
What kind of little people?
“You’re mine. I don’t have to share. You said so.” He’d promised, but I poked his chest to make sure he ’membered. “I didn’t forget.”
I did good.
Trying to hide his weird face, Daddy Bastian nodded and pretended he wasn’t a tiny bit confused and another tiny bit happy. “That’s right. I know you won’t forget.”
Daddy Bastian liked that I didn’t share.
He just couldn’t tell me yet…that was the game.
Mumbling something about me having a very convenient memory, Daddy Bastian was dramatic, so I had to pretend not to hear him. Daddies liked to pretend they were always good boys, but they weren’t. Terrence said we just had to pretend or the world would explode.
I wasn’t so sure about that but he was smart.
“What if we played with a little friend who already had a Daddy? That way you wouldn’t have to worry about sharing.” Daddy Bastian had a sneaky face on but he knew lots of people. “We could play toys and have a snack? They might want to watch a movie?”
“Not family people?” There were always family people. “Not even neighbor kinda-family people?”
Daddy Bastian chuckled and shook his head. “Nope. They don’t know your family at all. They live on the other side of the city and I’m not sure they’ve ever been in this side of town.”
“Not even for food?” Family liked food.
“Nope. They like going to Mexican restaurants and they have a few favorite Asian restaurants they love.” Daddy Bastian made a thinky face. “I’m not sure we’ve ever had Italian or anything even close to that when we go out.”
No noodles?
“Littles like noodles. The internet said so.” Enzo wanted Terrence to like salads but he didn’t. “Is your little broke like cousin kids from Aunt Nina?”
Did regular noodles make their tummy hurt too?
“That’s a good question but no. I think they just like other kinds of noodles.” Daddy Bastian shrugged. “Chips and salsa are fun, and lots of other cultures have noodles too.”
Hmm.
“Okay.” But Daddy Bastian was mine. “I don’t share my Bastian.”
Nope.
Nope.
Nope.
“That is correct.” Daddy Bastian gave a big work-serious nod. “Anyone we might play with will have their own Daddy and will just share toys, not people.”
“Yes, we just share toys, not people.” Daddy Bastian was mine. “I’ll share cookies.”
He wanted to giggle but he was still trying to be serious. “I’m glad you’ll share things like cookies. That’s very nice.”
“I’m nice.” I was smart too. “What are my options?”
Daddy Bastian blinked and then chuckled. “Definitely not the movie again.”
Kisses?
Cake?
“I’m a good picker. You can give me options.” As long as they were good options. Terrence wouldn’t pick a bad one unless he’d been naughty. “I’m a good boy, though. ’Member.”
“You are a more interesting little than I expected.” Daddy Bastian tried to look grumpy and serious but he had giggle eyes and he wanted to laugh. “You’re going to keep me on my toes.”
“Me?” I shook my head and made my face look very sweet…I’d seen Terrence practicing. “I’m a good boy.”
Daddy would believe me if I said it lots and lots.
“We’ll see about that.” He was trying to glare but he looked silly. “I’m not going to let you talk me into anything ridiculous.”
Yes…he would.
“Because you’re going to take good care of me.” Inching closer, I wanted to sit on his lap but I didn’t ’cause I wasn’t supposed to sit and wiggle yet. “Like watching movies and coloring with me and making me food. You’re a good helper person.”
He was a good Daddy but we weren’t supposed to use that word yet. Daddy Bastian was still pretending not to be a Daddy, so I had to play the silly game too.
Groaning, Daddy Bastian looked like he wanted to pout again but I knew that was a good sign so I was patient. “You do that entirely too well.”
Ha.
“Do what?” I was his sweet boy, so I didn’t have to tattle on myself. “What are we going to do?”
Having a Daddy around made everything better.
Food was better.
My movie was better.
Coloring was better.
“We can go over to my house so I can show you some interesting things you might want to try, or we can play a game like a boardgame, or you can show me more of your toys. I know you said you had some.”
Some. I needed more.
Oh.
“What kind of stuff at your house?” Other boy stuff? “Who played first?”
Daddy Bastian twitched his lips but he knew it was serious. “No one. Do you remember when I said I visited the store that had special little stuff?”
“Yes. With your friends.” Just friends. Not a Daddy kind of friend. “Did you buy stuff for a special little?”
I wasn’t going to share Daddy Bastian.
“No. I just thought they looked fun, so I bought them.” Daddy Bastian shrugged like oh well. “I knew I might not go back to a place like that anytime soon, so I picked out a few fun things I thought a little might like.”
“Just in case?” Did Daddies buy just-in-case stuff? “We just share toys. Not people.”
He had to remember that.
“Just in case.” Daddy Bastian made an X over his heart. “Cross my heart.”
Whew.
Daddy Bastian wasn’t playing pretend.
“Stuff.” Yes. I wanted to see stuff. “Show me your fun stuff.”
I was going to visit Daddy Bastian’s house.
“I look big.” I pulled out my shirt and showed him my clothes. “I don’t have little ones but that’s okay. I can be little in my shirt. Littles wear pants too.”
Nodding, Daddy Bastian ran his hand over my head to pet me like I was a puppy.
Snuggling and looking cute was good advice.
Eventually I was going to have to tell Terrence.
“That’s right. If you want clothes that make you feel special then we can buy some, but you can be little no matter what you’re wearing. ”
“Even naked?” I didn’t sit on Daddy Bastian’s lap, but I wiggled closer. “Some littles online said naked stuff means big.”
What did Daddy Bastian think about that?
“Oh.” Daddy Bastian did the Daddy blink that Enzo did sometimes.
It was funny on Daddy Bastian too, but I didn’t laugh this time.
“Well, it’s personal preference and there’s no right or wrong.
Some littles mean naked…well…naked happy time has to be when they’re feeling grown-up.
Some littles can have happy naked time while they’re little…
like in the bathtub. As long as the Daddy knows what the little’s limits are then there’s no right or wrong. ”
“Limits are important.” I was going to be good about sharing mine once I figured them out. “I think I’m gonna like baths. I think I’m gonna like bubbles too. Do you like baths?”
Innocent.
Innocent.
Not being naughty.
Nope.
Nope.
Nope.
Daddy Bastian sighed, but I didn’t smile or giggle. “You ask…good questions. Yes, you ask good questions. I approve of littles who love bath time and I think that happy baths are probably fun too. But the littles I’ve…the littles I’ve met were not the happy bathtime type.”
Oh, Daddy Bastian’s littles hadn’t been happy naked ones?
I’d be the first?
Firsts were special.
I’d be special.
“I’m glad you didn’t play with happy naked littles.” I liked being special. “I haven’t played happy naked time with anyone either.”
We were going to do lots of firsts together.
The internet helped me make a good list, and I was very smart.