Daddy's Boy

by T C Heffer

  Pete shifts in place, giving himself away.

  "You have! You lost your V card. Good for you!" Steve holds out his fist.

  Reluctantly, Pete bumps his fist against Steve's and then rests his hands in his lap. "Yup," he confirms. "There are no virgins in this room right now."

  "Was it good? Did you bottom? What was that like? I've always been curious, but I've never had anyone I could really talk to about it before."

  "You're curious about bottoming?" Pete asks. "S'there something you wanna tell me, Stevie?"

  "No," Steve denies right away. It's a bit too quick to be one hundred percent believable.

  "So I'm not gonna hear stories about how you let Mia peg you in a couple weeks?"

  Steve becomes bemused. "Peg me?"

  "Y'know, pegging. Where a girl wears a strap-on and fucks a guy?"

  Steve barks out a laugh before slapping a hand over his mouth. "Sorry," he says. The word is muffled, so he lowers his hand again. "Just a weird visual."

  "Again, don't kink-shame."

  "I'm not. I've just never thought seriously about doing anal myself, but I know it must feel good because, if it didn't, no gay guy would do it. So, going back to my question, did you bottom?"

  Pete shakes his head, half from exasperation and half from fondness. "Let's see… I'm not gonna go into too much detail because, again, I'd like to keep mine and Jeremy's sex life somewhat private. Yes, I bottomed, and it was weird at first but felt great when I got used to it. Jeremy took care of me."

  "How great are we talking?"

  "You're asking a lot of questions for a guy who says he's not interested in bottoming himself," Pete points out, growing suspicious.

  "Well…you never know," Steve mumbles.

  "So you're considering it?"

  "Maybe. I dunno. I'll have to think about it a bit more first, maybe do some experimenting."

  "Well, if you do, don't talk to me about it, okay? I don't wanna know about any wild adventures you have fingering yourself."

  "But who else am I gonna talk to about this stuff?" Steve whines.

  Pete looks at him, unimpressed. "Mia. Duh."

  "But she's not a guy, and she doesn't have firsthand experience!"

  Pete tries to be strong, to stick to his guns, but Steve pulls out the puppy eyes again and he's lost. Bastard. "Fine! You can talk to me about it."

  "Awesome! You're the best, dude."

  Pete bumps fists with Steve again. "I know."

  "So have you tried topping yet?" Steve asks him, thankfully moving on.

  Pete nods. "Last weekend. And before you ask, yes, that was also amazing."

  "I know, right?" Steve says happily. "I mean, I don't know what it's like to have sex with another guy and I don't have any plans to, but sex with Mia is—"

  "Yeah, you've already told me in explicit detail, buddy. Let's not go there again, huh? I'm still mentally scarred," Pete jokes.

  Steve scratches at the back of his neck bashfully. "Sorry about that."

  "No, you're not."

  Steve grins devilishly. "No, I'm really not."

  Pete checks his phone and sees that it's almost time for the bell to ring and bring an end to the lunch period. He gets to his feet in preparation, and Steve does the same. The other boy stops him from reaching for the door handle by grabbing his wrist.

  "He really makes you happy?" Steve asks.

  Pete's response is an immediate and ardent nod. "He does. He really, really does."

  "Looking back recently, I can tell. You've seemed…lighter. It's still a bit weird to me, but it's your life. I support you."

  Before Pete can say anything else, maybe that he's grateful, Steve hugs him again. Pete hugs him back, unable to stop smiling. In spite of the problems their friendship has gone through recently, what with Steve always seeming to prioritise Mia over him, he loves his best friend and feels extremely joyful to have his approval. It means a lot, and it's just one more thing that he can finally stop worrying himself sick about.

  "I have an idea," he says when Steve pulls away again.

  "What?"

  Pete informs Steve of the plans he made with Jeremy to go to the carnival later. "Do you wanna go too, maybe meet there? You can meet Jeremy and see for yourself."

  Steve contemplates it for a moment. "Would Jeremy be okay with that? Also, it feels wrong to call a proper adult by their first name."

  "You'll get used to it," Pete says. "Hang on, I'll ask him."

  Pete texts Jeremy again and wishes for Jeremy to get back to him swiftly like he did earlier. He does, and Pete's mood is raised even further. "He says he's fine with it, and that we should get there at around 6."

  "Then sure, I'll go. Can I ask Mia too? It can be like a double date."

  "Yeah, that'd be good. We can hang out for a bit, go on rides and play games together and stuff, and then you two can go off and do your own thing, and Jeremy and I can do ours," Pete suggests.

  "Sounds like a plan to me. I'm in."

  "Cool."

  "Before we go out into the hall again, how much can I tell Mia?" Steve enquires.

  "Uhh…you can tell her I'm seeing a guy and how old he is, but leave out everything else," Pete answers. "And make sure she doesn't tell anyone else any of it."

  "You got it."

  As Pete reaches for the door handle again, the bell rings, meaning that they need to start getting to their next classes. Stepping out of the closet, they're just in time to avoid anyone catching them and assuming that they were playing Seven Minutes in Heaven or something equally ridiculous and nauseating. Since Pete doesn't have another class with Steve for the rest of the day, they exchange goodbyes then and there.

  "I guess I'll see you at the carnival," Steve says.

  "Yup. I'm looking forward to it." It's not a lie, which Pete is glad about. "Just don't eat too many corndogs and vomit everywhere."

  "That was one time!" Steve pouts. "And we were eight!"

  — CHAPTER SEVENTEEN —

  - Monday, December 2nd, 2013 -

  Once school has ended, Pete gets in his Kia and drives back to Jeremy's house, excited to do everything they planned for the afternoon and evening. Jeremy is home when Pete pulls his Kia into the driveway. He finds him sitting on the living room sofa with the TV on. He sports a pair of dark-blue jeans and a long-sleeved red henley that highlights his muscles and has adorable thumbholes at the ends of the sleeves.

  "Hey, baby," Jeremy says, patting the cushion next to him. "Did you have a good day?"

  "Hi, Daddy," Pete responds, not bothering to remove his jacket before he takes a seat—he kept it on all day and honestly never wants to take it off again. He happily snuggles close when Jeremy wraps an arm around his shoulders and pulls him in. "It was pretty good, yeah."

  Jeremy kisses his temple and then, when Pete tilts his head up, gives his boy a proper kiss on the lips. "Did you behave yourself during Math class?"

  Pete nods. "It was close a few times, but yeah, I did. No detention today, as proved by me not still being stuck at school," he says proudly.

  "Good boy."

  Pete turns to the TV, which Jeremy muted when he came in. "What're you watching?"

  "Nothing, really." Jeremy switches the TV off altogether and sets the remote on the arm of the sofa. "Just passing time."

  "In that case…" Pete swings himself around so that he's straddling Jeremy's lap and puts his forearms over Jeremy's broad shoulders. The man holds onto his hips right away, his big hands both protective and possessive as he keeps him steady.

  Jeremy gives Pete a sexy smile. "What're you up to, baby?"

  "Since you're not busy, and we've got time before we have to leave for the carnival," Pete murmurs, tilting his head down but maintaining eye contact through his eyelashes, "you still have to tell me what happened between you and my Dad and take me out for ice cream."

  Jeremy raises both eyebrows. "Oh, I do, do I?"

  "Yup!" Pete chirps. "You promised this morning if I wa
s good, and I was. Remember, Daddy?"

  "Well in that case, I guess I have no choice." Jeremy keeps his grip on Pete as he stands up, ending up with Pete's legs wrapped around his waist. "Do you have any homework that needs doing tonight?"

  "No, why?"

  "Because that would've determined how long we stayed out. How about we kill two birds with one stone? We'll go out for ice cream, and then as we're eating it, we'll talk."

  Once Pete has enthusiastically nodded his assent, his blond curls bouncing, Jeremy walks into the foyer with his boy holding onto him like a baby koala. Pete remains attached to him even when Jeremy lowers his arms to his sides and raises an eyebrow at him. "You need to get down now, baby, unless you actually want me to carry you out to the car like this."

  "I wouldn't complain," Pete murmurs, nuzzling his Daddy's bristly jaw.

  Jeremy sighs deeply, but Pete can tell he's not really annoyed. "Alright," he relents, "but don't be surprised if the neighbours stare."

  "I'm cute and you're hot. Of course they're gonna stare," Pete excuses.

  Once Jeremy has got his keys, slipped on his shoes and checked that his phone is still in the back pocket of his jeans, he opens the front door and steps outside, Pete still stubbornly clinging to him. Halfway down the front path, Pete spots a woman a couple houses down watching them with a hand above her eyes to shield them from the sun. Her long red hair and billowy white skirt blow in the gentle breeze. Even from this distance and with half of her face hidden in the shadow cast by her hand, Pete can tell that her expression is one of shock. He supposes it's not every day you see an eighteen-year-old holding onto a middle-aged man like he's much smaller and younger than he is, but he doesn't care and just waves at her jovially.

  Pete is still riding the good mood he got from Jeremy's text earlier and then his talk with Steve. It wasn't even affected by Mr. Harrison subtly antagonising him for the entire duration of Math class, trying to get him to do something that would earn him another detention. Pete didn't rise to the bait, and he was pleased to see as he walked out of the classroom that Mr. Harrison looked even more irritated by him than ever. He behaved himself because his Daddy told him to, so he would've kept behaving himself until the school year was up anyway, but not giving Mr. Harrison any satisfaction and pissing him off instead gave Pete even more incentive.

  "Now you've really got to get down, baby," Jeremy tells him when he's standing beside his Porsche.

  "Ugh, fine," Pete says petulantly. He uncurls his legs from around Jeremy's waist and slides to the ground, his bottom lip sticking out.

  Jeremy rolls his eyes at him and leans in for another kiss. After it ends, he takes Pete's bottom lip between his teeth as he pulls away, causing Pete to hiss from the small bite of pain. "In the car, baby boy. Let's go fill your belly up with sugary treats."

  Pete is unable to keep up the petulant act anymore, his lips already feeling swollen. They're probably red too. "Okay, Daddy."

  * * *

  "Steve, relax. I'm sure they'll be here any minute and it'll all go fine," Mia says quietly from where she stands near the entrance to the carnival.

  Steve stops pacing back and forth in front of her. "I can't help it. I'm nervous."

  "Why?"

  "Because I wanna make a good first impression," Steve answers. He moves to her side and shoves his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "I don't want to make this weird."

  "Then you won't," Mia says confidently, linking her arm through one of his.

  Steve looks at her with a smile, grateful that she's there to keep him calm. The sun hasn't set yet, but it's begun its descent in the sky and paints everything with a warm, orange glow, including Mia's pale skin. This evening, she has her shoulder-length hair tied back into a short ponytail on the back of her head. She sports minimal makeup, and she's changed into some light-blue skinny jeans, a black halter top and a red leather jacket. In short, she's beautiful, and Steve feels luckier than ever that he somehow managed to land her.

  "What're you staring at?" Mia asks him after a while, bemused. "Do I have something on my face?"

  "No," Steve replies. "I'm just looking."

  Realisation dawns, and Mia's cheeks pink up. "You dork."

  "A lucky dork."

  Mia rolls her eyes but can't seem to stop herself from smiling as well, revealing that she's pleased with the compliment.

  Steve stares for a few seconds longer and then returns his focus to the parking lot in front of them, which is already packed with other cars. He watches the road, waiting for Pete's familiar Kia to appear. "What d'you think he's like?"

  "Who?"

  "Jeremy. Pete has never had a boyfriend before—or a girlfriend—and he had to start with a guy in his forties. I'd never say it to Pete's face because I don't wanna hurt him, but part of me's still a little weirded out by it. Like, how's Jeremy gonna fit in with us? Do we act like ourselves, make rude jokes and mess around stuff, or is it a good idea to act all mature around him?"

  "Just be yourself, Steve," Mia says with certainty. "I'm sure he knows what he's getting into."

  "If you say so."

  "I do. Now shh, I think I see them coming."

  Whipping his head around, Steve frowns when he doesn't see Pete's Kia anywhere. "Where?"

  "I'm pretty sure I saw Pete in the passenger seat of the silver car that's parking back there."

  Steve follows Mia's finger to the one of the few empty spaces in the back of the lot, into which an expensive silver car is slowly backing. "Wow, that's…swanky."

  Mia shrugs. "You said that Pete said Jeremy had money, so it makes sense."

  Together, Steve and Mia observe as Pete and a tall, muscular man with short, salt-and-pepper hair exit the silver car, link hands and begin walking toward the entrance to the carnival. On the way there, the man—Jeremy, Steve reminds himself—presses his lips to Pete's temple for a moment and then gets a kick out of Pete's reaction, Pete's face turning even redder than Mia's did earlier. Steve has to admit that they look pretty good together, and seeing Pete duck his head to hide his pleased grin has Steve smiling too. He's never seen this side of his best friend before, wouldn't have even guessed it existed, but it's definitely a good thing.

  When they near the entrance, Pete gets out his phone and taps the screen a few times. A second later, Steve's phone chimes, and he checks it to see a text from his friend which tells him that they're here and will be waiting in the exact spot that Steve and Mia are already standing. Steve doesn't send a text back because there's no point; Pete and Jeremy will see them in a moment.

  Sure enough, when he's a few feet away, Pete looks up from his phone again and his steps falter. "Oh, you're already here," he says to the other couple.

  "Yup. For about ten minutes now," Mia responds. "Steve was impatient."

  "I was not!" Steve denies.

  "Well…Steve, Mia, this is my boyfriend, Jeremy King," Pete introduces, releasing his man's hand. "Da— Uhh…Jeremy, meet my best friend, Steve Brooks, and his girlfriend, Mia Morris."

  "Nice to meet you," Jeremy says, politely offering his hand to both of them.

  When Steve takes it, he discovers that it's lightly calloused and pleasantly warm. He peers up at the older man and finds himself thinking that it's no wonder Pete fell for him. He still believes himself to be straight, but fucking hell, if they both weren't already in relationships, Jeremy might just be the man who made him seriously reconsider everything he knows about his sexuality. He's still a little squicked that Jeremy is so much older, but he has to admit that time has been very kind to the man, the grey in his dark hair and the lines on his face working for him. That he obviously takes excellent care of himself helps, his muscles putting Steve's to shame.

  Steve's a bit jealous, in all honesty.

  "Uhh, Stevie?" Pete calls, breaking the other boy out of his obvious and open-mouthed staring.

  Steve blinks a few times, snaps his mouth closed and meets his friend's gaze. "Huh?"

  Pete's e
yes shine with amusement in the warm sun. "You alright there?"

  "Yeah, sorry. Just…got distracted."

  The amusement grows. "I know. He's super hot, isn't he?" he whispers, still loud enough for both Mia and Jeremy to hear him clearly.

  "I-I guess. I mean, I wouldn't know, but sure, if you say so," Steve says evasively. All three of the others laugh good-naturedly at him, and Steve sighs and has to purse his lips to stop himself from joining in and encouraging them.

  "Alright, enough teasing," Pete relents. "Let's go in already. I'm craving some funnel cake."

  "You just had ice cream," Jeremy says.

  "So?"

  Jeremy harrumphs. "Alright, but if you eat too much and throw up on me…"

  Steve misses the rest of what Jeremy says when he leans in close and whispers it directly in Pete's ear, but from the way Pete's eyes widen comically and he smacks Jeremy lightly on his chest, it must be something sexual. Steve doesn't want to know, so he grabs Mia's hand and leads the way into the carnival, getting some money out of his pocket as they walk. He can hear Pete bickering playfully with Jeremy behind him and chuckles to himself.

  This is going to be an interesting evening.

  * * *

  After they've ridden a few rides, the group gathers together at one of the food stands and orders a bunch of food. Probably too much for just four people to consume, but Steve is all for trying. He'd eat it all by himself if he could, even if it gave him a stomach ache later. It'd be worth it.

  Once they find an empty table, Steve sits on one side of it with Mia, and Pete and Jeremy sit opposite them.

  Mia starts off the conversation, cutting through any awkwardness that might have presented itself now that there's nothing else to keep them occupied. "So, Jeremy, what do you do?"

  "I'm a lawyer," Jeremy replies as he steals one of Pete's curly fries.

  Steve is shocked that Pete doesn't reprimand him for it. The last time Steve tried it, he learned the hard way never to get between his friend and his precious curly fries unless he wanted to get his face bitten off. That Pete doesn't get mad, only narrows his eyes at Jeremy for a second and then goes back to eating the rest of his fries, says a lot to Steve. There must be something really strong between them if Pete is willing to share his food with Jeremy. With that observation, he tunes back into what Mia is saying now.