Chapter 17 #2
This was, clearly, the right thing to say.
His whole face changed as he turned back to the pile with renewed purpose.
Introducing me to the stuffies in the bed he made took time.
He gave me names and personalities for each, along with very specific information about who needed what and who was difficult at bedtime and who was the best at sharing.
It was one of the most purely joyful things I had ever witnessed.
Wells was in the middle, predictably, in the position of honor.
"He's oldest," Grizzly explained when he reached the bear. "But he newest too. Him spwecial."
The statement was confusing if I thought about it too hard. For a Little, it had to make perfect sense. Which was why I smiled, going along with his words without question.
As he spoke, he’d tucked extra blankets around the stuffies. Seeing his process led to another question.
"Are you nesting, baby?" I asked.
He froze, looking at what he had made in a new light. “Nest?"
"Have you heard of Omegaverse?"
His expression shifted. I watched as some of the big side of him came through. "Wait…You’ve read those kinds of books?"
"A few,” I answered with a laugh. “Back in college. One of the guys on the team was really into it, and I read a couple to understand what he was always talking about." I looked at the nest. "It's basically what you're doing. Nesting. Making a safe space for the people you're taking care of."
My boy sat back fully, his shoulders straightening. "I've read some too. I didn't think of it that way, but I suppose the instinct is the same. The Omegas always wanted someone safe to nest with."
"They did.” Part of me hated that I’d pulled him out of his Little mind with the question. But I was more interested in seeing how he reacted to this new understanding.
"I pway now,” he said next.
Smiling, I waved my hand. “Play away, baby. You’re in charge.”
As Grizzly settled into his caretaking mode, I decided to get my Daddy act together. My boy was working up an appetite and would need to fill his tummy soon enough.
Snacks were a must.
I went over to the small refrigerator to check out the selection. There was enough in there to put together a plate of finger foods: apple slices, small pieces of cheese, a handful of gummy bears.
As I poured juice in a cup with a lid, I contemplated what my odds were as far as bottles went.
Would he be open to the idea of me giving him one before bed?
Along with that, I was reminded we needed to have a talk about diapers too.
There were many different ways to regress.
I still had to learn what it meant for my boy.
Grizzly was with the babies when I brought the plate over, sitting cross-legged in front of the nest, Wells in his lap. He watched me approach with a curious look.
My boy had never been truly spoiled. A travesty, really. His responses were so beautiful, I couldn’t imagine not wanting to take care of him all the time.
"Scoot over, baby," I instructed when I was close enough.
He shifted to make room, giving me space to settle beside him. I was close enough that our shoulders were touching.
I set the plate between us, and he reached for an apple slice. My hand landed on his, as I calmly said, "Let me.”
His eyes met mine, though he didn’t argue. Taking the silence as agreement, I picked up an apple slice. When I held it out to him, he opened his mouth, letting me feed him with an ease that undid me a little bit.
It took everything I had not to let my emotions show on my face. The point was him, not me. I could celebrate this moment later.
My boy chewed slowly. He savored each bite no matter what item I gave him. We quietly worked our way through the assortment for a while, just the two of us and the babies.
"Good?" I asked when he shook his head at another bite.
He nodded, slow. “Juice now, Daddy.”
Handing him the cup, I watched him slurp big gulps of the liquid. “Easy, baby. Don’t make yourself sick.”
At my words, he slowed a bit. When he’d had about half, he pulled it down and held it out.
Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "I want to ask you something, and I want you to know there's no wrong answer."
Silence followed the outburst. He looked at me with wide eyes, though he didn’t stop me from forging ahead.
"Have you thought about ABDL? Diapers, that kind of thing?"
He remained quiet. I understood it was because he was considering the question. Not because I’d stepped out of line.
"I have," he said, his voice turning big again. "I don't think it's for me. It's not something that feels right. For me specifically. Some people love it. I just don't think I need it."
"That's totally okay, baby. I wanted to ask rather than assume. There's no pressure any direction."
He relaxed slightly. "There's one thing, though."
"Yeah?"
He looked at the plate rather than at me. "I really like the idea of bottles. Can we try?"
“Of course! I was actually considering making you a bottle later before bed while I was putting the food together.”
His smile made my heart speed up. "Really?"
"Yes, baby. Whatever makes you comfortable and happy. That's what Daddy’s here for."
He fell asleep around hour two of his playtime, which I had been expecting. He leaned into me with Wells tucked under his chin when it happened. One moment he was there and the next he began snoring, as if a switch had been flipped.
I kept myself still as he rested for a bit. He’d need to wake up to go to bed eventually, but I couldn’t pull away from him. He felt right exactly where he was.
With time to kill, I pulled my phone out. I had a list I’d been building in my email over the past two weeks. It was saved in my drafts since I didn’t plan on actually sending it anywhere. The more I learned about my boy, the larger the list grew.
Each note gave me insight into Grizzly. There were even a few questions I had listed for me to ask. Next to the one about ABDL, I marked his desire for only bottles. It wasn’t surprising he’d said as much. With how he’d gone into baby talk mode, I had a hunch he would.
Since I’d noticed he didn’t have any, I ordered one in a muted blue that matched the wall color in his playroom. Then I added another with clouds on it. By the third, this one with a bear that looked similar to Wells, I decided enough was enough.
At least for the bottles.
Toys came next. He had plenty, though none were from me. My boy needed to know how much Daddy cared about him when I couldn’t be around. That meant providing him with more babies he could love on.
I picked a large lilac octopus, a miniature giraffe, two penguins—one blue and the other pink, a family of sloths, and a light brown rabbit with oversized eyes. He’s going to love them.
At checkout, the site suggested a few things based on what I had in my cart. Usually that sort of thing went ignored as I focused on what I knew I wanted. This time I took a moment to see what they said.
Some of the items were easy to pass up. We didn’t need diapers, ointments, or any other younger regression items. I continued to scroll until two more things caught my eye.
The first was a weighted blanket. I’d seen firsthand how much they helped with anxiety since I had an old teammate who brought one with us on road trips. My boy could definitely use one.
A small projector, the other item to grab my attention, would be the perfect finishing touch.
The preview images showed the light shining big fluffy clouds on the ceiling in a darkened room.
It wasn’t bright enough to keep someone awake.
Just a gentle glow that created an effect like being inside the clouds.
Given what Grizzly had created in his playroom, I knew this would be welcomed. I bet having the option to make his bedroom Little from time to time would please my boy.
After I added those, I went through the list once more to confirm the choices. Then I made sure the delivery address was right, and that nothing was going to arrive in a box that announced itself on the outside.
While I could have this delivered to my house, I wanted Grizzly to have the surprise of seeing the boxes dropped off. Plus, Pops would definitely snoop around, then likely want to come see how the reveal went.
No need to put my boy in a position like that. He’d see how clingy Pops was another time.
Expedited shipping was the obvious choice after I had everything I wanted. For the time being anyway. Once I saw what all he liked best, I’d get him even more.
Grizzly shifted slightly against me, resettled, then went still again.
I looked down at him. He was breathtaking like this. I couldn’t see how anyone would look at this man, this Little, and not see how precious he was. How gentle, sweet, kind, and utterly wonderful of a human being they had in their midst.
Before Grizzly, I’d been fine. I wasn't going to pretend otherwise.
But fine and this were not the same category.
From the moment I saw him, I knew there was more to his story.
Sitting here with my boy asleep against my side in the room he had built alone, I understood more than ever how perfect we were for one another.
Fate. Destiny. Serendipity.
Whatever people wanted to call this, I was living it. I put my phone away, settled further into the cushions, and wrapped myself tighter around my boy.
This right here was where I was always meant to be.