by Ruby Keller
When I turned around to watch them chat excitedly, I couldn't help but smile. I then looked at Oliver and put my hand on his thigh. It was a proud moment for us to have watched our boy change so much right before our eyes. Before getting help, we couldn't have imagined him being so excited about going to such a big social event. I was proud of us for making a change happen together. Even making friends was difficult for him when I had first met him, so I was glad I was the one who had introduced him to Michael.
When we reached, we held onto Elijah's hand while John held Michael's. We headed over to the locker room and began undressing our boys.
When John got Michael out of his jeans and down to his diapers, Michael pulled them down too and shook his bare ass. "Look, Daddy, it's a full moon tonight."
"Oh, yeah." Elijah pulled his briefs down briefly and did the same. "Looks like there are two full moons tonight."
Oliver and I looked at each other and smiled when they started giggling.
"Our boys get so naughty when they get together," John said, shaking his head.
"Can I attend the event in just my diapers, Daddy?" Michael stepped away when John tried to put him in a onesie.
John cleared his throat and used his Daddy voice. "Oh no, this isn’t happening again. Michael, darling. I know you aren't going to make your Daddy chase you naked around the club with a onesie in my hand. You know what happens when you get naughty and don't listen to Daddy. When naughty boys misbehave, they get spanked. Do you want to get spanked when we go back home, darling?"
Michael stepped away again and giggled. "How will you spank me if you can't catch me?"
After a few seconds of chasing him around the room, John caught him by the waist, sweeping him off the floor and into his arms.
Michael laughed and kissed him on the cheek. "Fine, I give up. I've been a naughty boy. Can't wait for you to spank me and put me in my place tonight."
By the blush on John's face, I understood there was going to be a lot more than just spanking to look forward to when they returned home.
When the boys got dressed, Elijah proudly showed off his new clothes to Michael.
"They look so good on you," Michael said, holding onto his hand as we led them out of the locker room. "I'll have to ask Daddy to get me one with little wolves instead of bears. I better be on my best behavior today then."
The other parts of the club were empty since the party didn't start until late into the night. A large room in the corner of the club was designated for weekly events but events for Littles only happened about once a month, ranging from storytime to coloring.
When we stepped inside, boys were sitting on the floor with their Daddies, some in their laps sucking on binky while others sat together in a small group chatting noisily. Since everyone was on the floor, Michael got down on all fours and Elijah followed.
Nick was going around to make sure everyone was ready to begin. When he saw us, he waved and walked over to us. John and I had come up with the idea to have events for Littles years ago and Nick readily accepted. It was a surprise Nick didn't have a boy of his own considering how fascinated he was with age play.
"Ah, you must Elijah, the famous boy with two Daddies and two pet bears." Nick leaned over and ruffled Elijah's hair. "The other Littles were just discussing how lucky you must be. Nice to finally meet you. I bet the boys have a lot of questions for you. You're a celebrity in their eyes."
"Me? A famous celebrity?" Elijah blushed before looking up at us and then back at him. "I'd love to meet them too."
He led us to an empty area in the front row before moving onto greeting others. Our names were taped onto the floor and we all sat on the floor with crossed legs.
Michael leaned towards Elijah before whispering. "Didn't I tell you it's going to be amazing? Front row tickets because Daddy knows Nick so well. It was my idea to have seating on the floor. I thought Littles could cuddle or sit in their Daddy's lap this way."
Moments later Rachael, who looked over most of the events at the club, walked into the room in a beautiful pink gown that made her look like a princess. She instructed everyone to take their places and all the boys crawled or walked back to their Daddies.
Elijah turned to us and gaped in awe. "She looks so pretty, like she stepped right out of a fairy tale." He tightly held onto the stuffed bear Oliver handed him. When I put the binky in his mouth he began sucking on it as I wrapped a hand around his waist. Scooting back a little, he rested his head against us.
"So, how many of you like fairy tales?" She asked and Elijah was the first to raise his hand. Michael raised both his hands to show he liked them the most.
When she began reading out loud, all the Littles listened carefully, getting lost in the story and being surprised every time the evil stepmother cast her spells on the poor princess. In the end, everything turned out just fine and the Littles were relieved that everyone got their happily ever after. After reading out another book, this one much shorter, all the Littles gathered in a corner to chat. There were chairs in the opposite corner of the room for all the Daddies to let their boys have some alone time with other boys.
"Do you want to go over and join them, Elijah?" Michael asked, popping his binky as we all still sat on the floor. "They might ask you a lot of questions about having two Daddies and pet bears but it's just from curiosity. I can get you out of there if you start to feel uncomfortable."
Elijah turned around nervously and looked at us for guidance. He knew we would know the right thing to do.
I smiled and rubbed his back just the way he liked it when stressed. "Why don't you go over and say hello, sweetheart? You don't want them to think you're rude, do you?"
"It's alright, honey." Oliver kissed his head. "We'll be watching you from here. Just wink at us if you want us to get you out of there. We'll make an excuse to take you away."
Elijah giggled. "Daddy, you're making fun of me. You know I can't wink."
Oliver chuckled. "Then just wave at us."
"Alright." He said after a pause. "I'm Daddy's brave boy and I can do anything I set my heart too."
"That's the spirit." I patted him on the back as he got down on all fours. Looking at us for courage one last time, he held onto Michael's hand and crawled over to the other boys. We took seats in the corner and joined the other Daddies.
The noisy chatter turned to dead silence when they saw him, but then Michael introduced him. One of them said, "Is it true that you have two Daddies?"
Another Little said, "It says that on his shirt, silly. But is it true that you have two pet bears? Don't they try to eat you when you try to touch them?"
A part of why Elijah feared strangers was because he wasn’t good at small talk. But since they looked up to him as a cool celebrity, he looked confident answering their questions. Soon he was telling them all the cute stories of the bears, making them laugh and go ‘Aww’ now and then. Our boy was the center of attention and by the look on his face, he was enjoying every bit of it. He was explaining to them how Coco’s jaws were big enough to fit him inside but how harmless and gentle she was.
I held onto Oliver’s hand as he went on and on, telling one cool story after another while the other boys watched in utter disbelief. “Ah, such a proud moment for us. Everyone thinks he’s cool and they’re hanging on his every word. And to think he was afraid of not being liked.”
“Yup, that’s our precious boy.” Oliver stroked my hand with his thumb before kissing it. “We always knew how special he is, but now the world gets to see it too.”
When Elijah looked at us from a distance halfway through telling another story, we smiled back at him with our heads held high and our chest swelling with pride.
“The Little amazing everyone with his stories?” Oliver proudly told the Daddy sitting next to him. “That’s our boy by the way, and we’re proud of him.”
When the stories ended, the other boys began telling him their own encounters with animals which didn’t go as good as his. Mich
ael then went around talking to them one by one. Elijah was very hesitant to start conversations on his own but he mingled well when they began approaching him.
Minutes later when the boys began dispersing back to their Daddies, Elijah crawled back to us with Michael.
“Did you see me, Daddy?” His eyes twinkled up at us as Oliver leaned over and scooped him off the floor and up into his arms.
I threw my arms around him and kissed his head. “How could we not? You were dazzling everyone with your stories. You won’t forget your Daddies now that you’re a celebrity, will you?”
He giggled. “No, of course not. Some of them said I was lucky I had two Daddies, that they’d want to have another one too but their Daddies would be jealous. Oh, it was so much fun. I can’t believe I almost didn’t attend. I want to go to all the other events in the future.”
Chapter 16: Oliver
When we reached home just in time for Elijah’s bedtime, Lance carried him in his arms onto the couch next to me. Sliding onto my lap, he rubbed his cheek against my shirt.
“Was I a good boy at the club today, Daddy?” His eyes twinkled up at me as he grinned.
“You were the best boy there by a long shot.” Lance pet his head when he leaned his head into Lance's hand. “You enchanted the other boys with your stories. You have come so far on your journey of healing and we’re so proud of you, sweetheart. Did you notice something? You weren’t shaking when you spoke to strangers, so I think the anti-anxiety pills are working.”
“I think so too.” He nodded. “The doctor said I can stop them in a few weeks once I get used to strangers. She said I need to learn that strangers aren’t always scary.”
I stroked his hair. “You were making good eye contact too, so cognitive behavioral therapy is doing wonders.”
His smile faded as he looked at us sternly. "None of this would've been possible if you hadn't insisted on getting help. I should’ve known Daddies are always right. You would only make the right decision for me. I was so sure it wasn't going to work, that nothing could help me. I'm sad that I resisted your suggestion for so long."
"Don't be, honey," I said. "Anybody in your position would have done the same. It's human nature to resist change. We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. You were a sad boy back then but you look much happier now. Do you feel so too?"
"I do, Daddy." He nodded. "My father's actions still haunt me but not as intensely as they once did. I feel much happier now, and a big part of it is from the love you both give me. I'm glad I went today. Thank you for making all the decisions for me, and for encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone and face the world. If I didn't have you in my life, I would still be sad, hurting, and terrified of people."
"That's what Daddies are for." Lance tapped his nose. "After all, Daddies know best."
“They truly do.”
“I’m glad you see how special and brave you are,” I said. “We always believed you were, but I hope you can see so yourself.”
He blinked slowly with a smile. “I do. Thank you for believing in me. All the boys were jealous that I have two Daddies, but it doesn’t matter how many Daddies a boy has. What matters is how good of a Daddy one has, and you two are the best in the whole wide world. I’m so lucky.”
“Aw, don’t cry sweetheart,” Lance said when he got teary-eyed. “We’re the lucky ones.”
“They’re just happy tears.” He adorably tried to blink them away as we lay small kisses on his head.
I knew just the right thing to lighten the mood.
“So now that you’re a celebrity should we have a meet and greet event at the club?” I said jokingly. “We’d like to have an autograph and in exchange, we’ll guard you in case you’re stalked by crazy fans.”
He giggled and shook his head. “I’m not that famous, Daddy.”
After feeding him in his high chair we read him a story in bed while he sucked on his binky. He instantly fell asleep, looking cute sleeping in the middle of the bed holding onto his stuffed bear. We would soon occupy the big empty sides of the bed and then take turns spooning him all night in our sleep.
“It feels good, doesn’t it?” I said as we sat down at the table for dinner. “Solving our boy’s problems one after the other. He learned a valuable lesson today, that people aren’t always scary, a lesson he wouldn’t have learned had we not made the right decision for him.”
“It does feel good,” he said. “So, which problem are we solving next?”
I chuckled. “I don’t have a list in mind but we should take a moment to recognize this achievement. We made the right decisions for our boy and they paid off, only because we stood strong together and made them. Speaking of making decisions, were you serious when you offered for us to move into your home in the city?”
“Of course.” He smiled. “Have you thought about it?”
“I have, but I haven’t discussed it with Elijah yet,” I said. “I want him to have all the things in life. Small home like this is comfy but I’d like for us to have an office at home too. I work out of our bedroom most of the time and I’d like to separate my work life from home. All of us moving into your home sounds like the perfect solution. I’d pay rent of course. The business is beginning to boom after all.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Forget about it. I simply won’t allow it. You both are a part of my family now. What’s mine is yours.”
“That’s very kind of you Lance, but it isn’t...” I stopped when he held up a hand.
“Please, Oliver. Thanks to some wise investments I have more money than I’ll ever need. I’ve always wanted to put it to good use but after Clayton’s death, I was robbed of my need to spoil my boy. Life has given me a second chance and I’ve realized nothing’s more important than family.”
“Fine,” I sighed. “But I’ll pay you back someday, in one way or another. But what are we going to do about the bears? He would miss them dearly if we left the woods.”
“I would’ve suggested getting a dog had I not met Coco and Teddy myself,” he said. “But they truly make him happy and they’ve become a part of our family. I’m afraid there’s simply no way around it. It’s a very difficult choice to be made, we either give him the joy of a bigger home or spending time with the bears. I wouldn’t be surprised if he leaves the decision up to us considering how big it is. What if we make the wrong decision? Can he forgive us for separating him from the bears?”
I sighed. “It is a big decision, yes, one which has its own set of pros and cons. Living in the city would mean a lot more playdates and events at the club with Michael since he lives so nearby. Even the club is minutes away. Michael is a good influence on our boy and it’s nice for him to have friends he can talk to. That’s another point to consider, that he’ll have a social life once he makes friends at the club and they’ll want to have playdates with him. He starts working at my company soon and he wouldn’t have to travel miles each day if we lived in the city. Sacrifices have to be made in either choice, but the bears are a part of our family and family can never be sacrificed. Maybe we should leave the decision up to him.”
Chapter 17: Elijah
I was pacing around the bedroom with excitement. I couldn’t believe I was having a friend over for the first time in my life. Growing up, my father forbade having friends over, not that I had any. The physical abuse he inflicted ensured I’d have low self-esteem and social anxiety for the rest of my life, if my Daddies hadn’t intervened that is.
Lance was over at John’s house to bring him and Michael over for a playdate. I could hardly wait for him to meet the bears and see my nursery. His home and nursery were dozens of times bigger than mine but it didn’t matter. Houses were nothing but walls and they didn’t mean much. As Lance had said, it was people who lived in them that mattered.
We put a large pot of honey just outside the front door in hopes that Coco would smell it from miles away and realize we wanted her home. Animals were far more intelligent tha
n humans gave them credit for. I found it fascinating how bears had the strongest sense of smell in the world, about two thousand times better than people. With an ability to accurately locate food from twenty miles away they were the coolest animals in my book, and I was determined to learn everything about them. No wonder most of my toys, clothes, and books were bear themed.
“What are you thinking about?” Oliver asked, putting down the book he was reading.
I sat in his lap and he wrapped his arm around my waist. “Nothing, just thinking about how much I love the bears. I hope Michael loves them too. They can seem scary at first. I hope Coco doesn’t try to eat him.”
When I heard the front door open, I jumped out of his lap and ran into the living room. Michael was in John's arms in the doorway, clinging onto him tightly like a baby chimp to its mother. Seeing him in his Little headspace instantly eased me into it myself. I got down on all fours before sitting down before the couch.
When John took his binky out of his mouth and put him onto the floor, he crawled towards me and gave me a hug. "You've got a lovely home. It must be sweet to have wild animals peeking at you through these big windows. Do they drop by to say hello or ask for snacks?"
Only Michael could find something like that sweet. He loved animals just as much as I did.
John chuckled as he walked in with Lance. "Animals are dangerous, darling. They look cute on those nature shows but they don't think twice before attacking people."
"Not all of them, Daddy," Michael said as John handed him his backpack full of toys. "Some are cute and cuddly. They just want snacks and hugs sometimes-" then turning to me- "so where are your pet bears? I was hoping I could say hello to them."
"They might be on their way but I'm not sure how they'd react," I said. "Coco might try to attack you or cuddle you. There's no in-between with her."
