by T C Heffer
While a tiny part of Pete remains wary, he nods his acceptance. This is happening. He's really going to dip his toe into what it's like to be a little and find out once and for all if it's really for him.
Coming out of his reverie, Pete leans forward and kisses Jeremy. Heat stirs in his gut when he tastes Jeremy's mouth, but before he can really get into it, his day catches up to him and he has to break things off to yawn.
"I guess my boy's all tuckered out," Jeremy observes with a smile.
Pete finishes his yawn and smacks his lips. "Yeah. Sorry…"
"It's fine, baby. We can continue that another time." Jeremy shuts his MacBook, stands up and offers his hand. "C'mon, let's get ready for bed. You've got another long day of school tomorrow."
* * *
- Saturday, December 7th, 2013 -
At the start of the weekend, Pete wakes up in Jeremy's bed to the smell of hash browns and coffee under his nose. He blinks open his eyes and spots Jeremy standing next to the bed with a tray of food in his hands, a sight that he's seen every time he's slept over at Jeremy's house over the course of the past week. Jeremy meant it when he said that he was going to spoil him, and Pete has loved every second of it. It makes him feel special, and this morning is no different.
In fact, as Pete sits up, he thinks that it's even better because today is the day—the day his pyjamas arrive.
"Good morning, baby," Jeremy greets, sitting next to him.
Pete rubs his eyes to wake himself up fully and then inspects the delicious breakfast Jeremy prepared. "Mmm…morning, Daddy. Looks good."
Just like all the other times, Pete doesn't pick up the knife and fork himself. Jeremy takes care of all of that for him, and all Pete has to do is open his mouth, chew and swallow. He's fast turning into a very pampered boy, and he relishes it.
"Are you excited for today?" Jeremy asks him after feeding him the last piece of food.
Pete hums and swallows. "Yeah, I actually am."
"Me too."
"D'you know when they're coming?"
"Let me find out." Jeremy grabs his phone and goes onto the tracking app for the delivery service that all the websites use. "Sometime in the early afternoon, by the looks of it."
Pete is disappointed, impatient to receive his new PJs. "But that's so far away," he whines, pouting.
Jeremy rolls his eyes and sets both his phone and the tray on his nightstand. "I'm sure I can figure out a way to make the time fly by."
Easily picking up the hint, Pete pushes back the sheets and climbs over into Jeremy's lap, his arms settling over Jeremy's shoulders. They make out for a while, Pete moaning into the kiss when he feels Jeremy slide one of his hands into the back of his underwear and brush over his crack with a finger.
"Daddy, don't tease me," Pete says against Jeremy's mouth.
Jeremy slips his finger into Pete's crack and rubs over his dry hole. "Does my boy need me to fill him up?"
Pete rocks back onto Jeremy's finger. "Uh-huh. It's been so long."
"It's only been a couple days since we had sex, baby," Jeremy reminds him, amused.
"Feels like longer."
"I have to agree with that." Without warning, Jeremy tips Pete's backward and follows him down so that Pete ends up on his back with Jeremy looming over him. "I'm going to send you so high that you'll forget all about being impatient, and then I'll give you a spanking before we get up. How does that sound, baby boy?"
Pete moans again and arches up beneath Jeremy, brushing their chests together. "Daddy, please…"
"Alright. You just lie back and let me make you feel good."
* * *
At just after one o'clock, Pete sits on the floor of the living room with the coffee table in front of him. He's in the middle of researching colleges on Jeremy's MacBook, narrowing down his choices and bookmarking those he believes look decent enough. Now that he's actually doing it, he can't recall why he'd been putting it off. He's thankful that Jeremy sat him down on Thursday afternoon and helped him make a start, otherwise he probably would have left it until the very last day, been panicking the whole time and made poor choices. Once he's got things fully narrowed down, he plans on speaking to both his Dad and Jeremy about it to get their opinions.
Speaking of Jeremy, the man enters the room a moment later, sets a glass of sparkling raspberry-flavoured water on the coffee table next to Pete and sits down on the sofa behind him.
"How's it going so far?" he asks, his feet bracketing the teenager's hips.
"Pretty good," Pete answers before taking a sip of his cool beverage.
"Anything promising?"
"Yeah, a few."
"That's good."
With those last two words, Pete reads something different in Jeremy's voice. Something bad. He puts his glass back down and shuffles around to face him. "What's up?"
Jeremy shakes his head and smiles at him, but it isn't one of his usual smiles, bright or fond. It's wan.
"Jeremy, just tell me," Pete entreaties. He purposefully doesn't call him Daddy, sensing that this is a serious topic that requires him to be in a clear and mature headspace.
Jeremy seems to struggle with whether or not he should open up, but in the end he does. "It's just…the idea of you going off to college is making me reconsider some things," he says. "I don't want that to spell the end of what we've got going here, and it wouldn't be the same to do this long-distance."
Sitting up straight, Pete puts a hand on Jeremy's knee. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that…"
"Jeremy, spit it out. You're worrying me."
"Sorry. I'm saying that, when the time comes, I might look into renting this place out."
This isn't what Pete had been expecting to come out of Jeremy's mouth, and he can't discern what it means right away. "Huh?"
"Wherever you end up going—whether it's here in California or on the other side of the country—I'll do whatever I have to to help you get there," Jeremy says, peering down into Pete's eyes with steely determination. "And I'll come with you. If you want me to."
Pete is dumbfounded in the best way. They've both already said they're thinking long-term when it comes to them as a couple, and to Pete, this revelation only underpins that. Jeremy speaking about future plans like this… He knew that him falling for Jeremy was an inevitability very shortly after they met, but this only makes him more sure that he's already fallen. He's so damn in love with this man that he doesn't know how to handle it. He hasn't ever felt this for anyone before.
When he doesn't speak, Jeremy taps the side of Pete's head with his index finger. "What's going on in there?"
Pete can't hold it back. It's been a struggle to do so for as long as he has, and he's only managed it because it seemed too soon to him. But with Jeremy talking so openly about following him wherever he goes to college, Pete stops.
"I love you," he says plainly, hoping he's not making a mistake.
Jeremy gapes, his expression vulnerable. Pete can't decide if this is a good sign or not, but he finds out a few seconds later when Jeremy drags him up and into a fierce embrace.
"I love you too," Jeremy rasps, one arm around the small of Pete's back and the other hand cradling the back of Pete's head. "My brave, beautiful boy."
Pete exhales his relief and laughs giddily. "Nice alliteration."
Jeremy laughs with him. "I try."
Pulling back, the pair share a passionate kiss that's full of their newly confessed feelings for each other. It leaves them both breathless.
"I'm so lucky I found you," Jeremy whispers when it's over, holding Pete's face and stroking his thumbs over his cheekbones.
"Luck had nothing to do with it, in my opinion."
"No?"
"No." Pete bows his head, a bit embarrassed by how cheesy what he's about to say is, but he makes himself. "I like to believe it was fate that led me to you."
Another kiss ensues, this one just as full of feeling. "I'll believe that too," Jeremy agrees.
"You'll really come with me?" Pete asks.
Jeremy gives him another smile, and this time it's full of the affection Pete is used to. He promises always.
— CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE —
- Saturday, December 7th, 2013 -
For the rest of the afternoon, Pete attempts to distract himself with various tasks—watching TV; reading a book; texting with Steve; playing video games with Jeremy—but none of that is enough to prevent him from always being aware of the time ticking away. The tracking app said that his PJs were supposed to be delivered in the early afternoon, but when four o'clock comes and goes with no knock on the door, Pete gets increasingly antsy and annoyed. Jeremy must notice it because he rests his PS4 controller on his knee and checks the app on his phone again.
"The driver's running late, but it shouldn't be too much longer," he relays. "See?"
Pete looks at Jeremy's phone. There's a small map of the county on the screen, which features a small icon of a van just outside of Leraine.
"It's pretty close," Pete notes.
"Yup." Jeremy turns his phone back around so that he can see it himself again. "And further down, it says that there are only a few more deliveries to make before ours. I know it's not ideal, but you just have to be patient a little bit longer."
"I guess I can do that," Pete sighs. His annoyance has faded, but he's impatient and wants to try on his PJs now. Still, he shakes the feeling off because Jeremy doesn't deserve to deal with it; it's not his fault that the driver's running late. "You wanna play more?"
Jeremy nods. "Sure."
For another half hour, Pete actually manages to lose himself in the action happening on the TV screen. He doesn't so much as glance at a clock, which means that it comes as a surprise when he hears a loud knock on the front door. He startles and nearly drops his controller, but he saves it from the floor just in time. Jeremy chuckles at his antics and goes to answer the door, leaving Pete alone in the living room nearly dying with anticipation.
This is it. He's finally going to know what it's like after several days of waiting, of dreaming about it every night—and in most of his waking moments as well.
"Alright, thanks!" Jeremy says in the foyer, right before the door closes.
"Are they all there?" Pete asks, sitting up straight when the man comes back into the living room with three packages balanced on top of each other.
"They seem to be. I've got something from each website, at least." Jeremy sits back down next to Pete and puts the boxes on the coffee table. "You're really eager for this, aren't you?"
"Yeah," Pete confirms. "I have been since Wednesday. Your spankings've basically been the only things keeping me from getting sidetracked in school, and even then, there were a few close calls."
"I've been waiting for this too." Jeremy taps his chin with his index finger. "Maybe we can have a little fashion show."
"Maybe. Now c'mon, can we open them already?"
"Hang on. I'll go get a box cutter."
A few moments later, Jeremy returns to his seat and pulls the first of the three packages onto his lap. He cuts through the tape sealing it shut, pulls apart the flaps and makes a start at unloading the various sets of pyjamas that are contained within, each one wrapped individually in noisy plastic. He repeats this process with the other two boxes without letting Pete see anything, only stopping when it's all done and they've got a short tower of seven plastic-wrapped sets of pyjamas between them.
"How about we take these up to the bedroom?" Jeremy suggests. "You can try them on, pick one to wear for tonight and we can put the rest away. Sound good?"
Pete agrees only because it's the fastest way for him to actually get his hands on his new clothes. He tails Jeremy upstairs to the master bedroom, and then they work as a team to take the garments out of their plastic and lay them all out across the bed. Pete thinks it's a good thing that the mattress is king-sized, otherwise they wouldn't have enough space for everything. He puts the last set in its place and steps back to stare at all of them, taking in their bright colours and soft-looking fabrics with awe on his face. He doesn't stop looking even as Jeremy comes up behind him and hugs him, his chin slotted over Pete's shoulder so that he can see the pyjamas too.
Jeremy's voice is breathy in his ear. "What d'you think?"
Pete is lost for words, something that happens very rarely for him. "They're…" he tries, but he ends up trailing off.
Luckily, Jeremy understands what he means anyway. "I know," he says, squeezing him tightly. "They're really something, aren't they?"
For a couple minutes, Pete stands there in Jeremy's arms, unable to break free of the state of inaction the sight of his new PJs has shocked him into. But then Jeremy speaks again.
"Which one d'you want to try on first, baby?"
Pete's eyes are immediately drawn to the blue set with the yellow ducks. He wants to put that one on far more than any of the others, to the point where he's a hundred percent certain it'll be his favourite and the one he's going to stay in tonight. But because of that, he decides to save it for last.
"Can we start with that one?" Pete asks, pointing to the dark-blue pair with red accents.
"Sure. Let's get you out of these clothes, then."
Pete stands still as Jeremy comes around to stand in front of him and, with great care, assists him in taking off the day clothes he put on that morning. Others his age and older would feel weird being undressed like a kid again, but not him. Pete relishes the attention and willingly raises his arms when Jeremy peels his T-shirt from his torso. He puts his hands on Jeremy's shoulders when the man crouches down to take off his chinos and underwear, and then he's left completely naked. Were the situation different, Jeremy's face being so close to his crotch would have Pete's dick perking up with interest, but right now, he remains flaccid. This is totally innocent.
Picking up the pyjama bottoms, Jeremy assists Pete in stepping into them and pulls them up his legs. He fits the waistband comfortably around Pete's waist and moves on to the long-sleeved shirt, scrunching it up into a ring of fabric so that he can get the neck hole over Pete's head with ease. A few seconds later, Pete slides his arms into the sleeves and Jeremy pulls the shirt on all the way and smooths the fabric down his stomach.
"How's that, baby?" he enquires, taking a step back.
Pete looks down at himself and thinks. The fabric is so nice against his skin—softer than any of his normal clothes. He wonders if it's just his imagination or whether the company who made the PJs actually uses softer fabrics to further play into the childlike aspect of them. Whichever is true, he likes them, especially when he holds his hands up in front of him and he notices that the sleeves are longer than usual, ending at the middle of his pinky finger. It makes the PJs feel even younger.
"I love them," Pete says honestly, beaming at Jeremy.
Jeremy lets out a relieved breath and then grins beatifically back at him, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "I'm glad. I love them too. You look just as adorable as I thought."
Butterflies proliferate in Pete's stomach. "Really?"
"Yes." Jeremy steps forward again and kisses the eighteen-year-old's forehead. "You make such a beautiful little boy, baby."
Pete basks under the praise. He's slowly getting better at receiving compliments. Jeremy gives him so many that he has to. "Thank you, Daddy."
"You're welcome. D'you want to try on the next one now?"
"Uh-huh."
For the next few minutes, Jeremy repeats the process, dressing and undressing his boy in the other five sets of less adventurous pyjamas. Pete loves every one of them too, and when it comes time for him to put on the seventh and final set, the one with the ducks, his heart is beating so fast in his chest that he fears it might explode. If Jeremy notices how much it's affecting him, he kindly chooses not to say anything about it.
When the duck pyjamas are on, Pete dashes into the en suite bathroom to check himself in the mirror above the sink. Jeremy appears behind h
is reflection a few seconds later, and both of them are quiet as Pete admires how he looks. He flicks his eyes to Jeremy's face and sees admiration in his green eyes as well, even more than he'd seen when he was in his other PJs. This just seals the deal. The duck pyjamas are definitely his favourite set, and he's already sure that he'll be wearing them a lot more than all of the others. There's just something so right about seeing himself dressed like this. It unlocks something deep inside of Pete that he never knew was there. It's like he's truly comfortable in his own skin for the first time.
Unable to adequately speak his feelings, Pete spins around and hugs Jeremy tightly, putting his gratitude into that instead.
"You're welcome, baby," Jeremy whispers, once again understanding his boy without any trouble at all. He kisses the top of Pete's head.
Pete calms down again soon. He leans back so that he can see Jeremy's face. "Can we go cuddle on the sofa, Daddy?" he asks, aiming to make the fantasy he'd had on Wednesday a reality.
"Of course. We can watch an episode or two of your favourite show before it's bedtime."
Jeremy puts a hand on the small of Pete's back and leads him out of the bathroom, toward the bedroom door. Pete has a last-minute thought and temporarily breaks away to grab his teddy from its home on the pillows of the bed, and then he returns to Jeremy's side and walks with him back downstairs.
What follows is a perfect evening. Pete sits curled up next to his Daddy in his duck pyjamas, his teddy bear in his arms, his head on Daddy's shoulder and Daddy's fingers running continuously through his hair. Pete can barely focus on what's playing on the TV, but he doesn't care. It's total bliss, his mind empty of any worries or responsibilities.
If this is what being a little is all about, then he can definitely get on board with it.