Daddy's Boy

by T C Heffer

  "Uhh…it's just unexpected, is all." Pete makes himself start eating too. "Are you serious?"

  "Yeah. Talking about you two last night got me thinking," the Chief answers. He clears his throat, and Pete suspects he's replaying the awkward moment they'd had discussing Pete being 'punished' by Jeremy. Thankfully, he moves past it swiftly. "I've talked to Jeremy about it, and I've talked to you, but both of those times it was just the two of us. I'm never going to really get used to the idea of you and Jeremy being together if I don't actually see it with my own eyes—and I want to get used to it because I get the feeling that neither of you are planning on it going away anytime soon. Am I right?"

  "You are," Pete confirms. "Jeremy even offered to come with me wherever I end up going after the summer."

  The Chief's eyebrows rise on his forehead. "That was generous of him."

  "Yeah, well…he's freelance and all, and it's not like he's hurting for money. Plus, I'd miss him, so I wasn't exactly gonna turn him down."

  The eyebrows descend again. "I suppose that makes sense. Anyway, back to dinner. Will you ask him?"

  Pete nods. That his Dad is continuing to make the effort means a lot to him. "I'll talk to him this evening."

  "And ask him what he wants. Maybe I'll break out the grill again, if that sounds good to him."

  Pete stares at his Dad judgmentally.

  "And if you let me," the Chief amends with a huff. "I won't go too crazy on the meat, Pete."

  "Better not." Pete narrows his eyes and points the end of his fork at his Dad. "I'll be watching you like a hawk."

  "Noted."

  — CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT —

  - Saturday, December 14th, 2013 -

  On Saturday evening, when the sun has begun to set and paint the sky a pleasant orange colour, Pete stands anxiously in the kitchen as he waits for Jeremy to arrive for dinner. Through the window above the sink, he can see his Dad outside in the back yard. The Chief has their old grill set up in front of him, as well as a tray laden with burgers, sausages and even a couple steaks. In his hand he holds a half empty bottle of beer, beads of condensation sliding down the glass. It's one of the six pack that's currently chilling with a bottle of sparkling water in a cooler full of ice at his feet. A short distance away, the patio furniture is set up for the meal, with a stack of three plates on the side closest to the grill and a large platter right in the centre. On top of this are all the bread rolls and hot dog buns, fresh and already cut open, as well as some condiments.

  As for Pete, he's in the middle of chopping up vegetables for a fresh salad. It probably isn't a good idea for him to be handling a knife when he's so in his own head, worrying about how the night is going to go, but he'll be damned if he lets his Dad get away with eating only a bunch of red meat tonight.

  Pete is almost finished when he hears a knock on the front door. He immediately drops his knife on the countertop and leaves the salad half assembled to go answer it, his gait a bit faster than it needs to be. In the foyer, he stops, takes a deep breath and smooths his hands down the front of his beige shorts to rid them of the sweat that has suddenly appeared on his palms.

  Once he believes himself ready, Pete opens the door and has his breath stolen from his lungs when he sees Jeremy on the doorstep.

  "Wow," he chokes out. He doesn't move aside to let Jeremy in because he's so stunned by how handsome he looks—seemingly even more handsome than usual. He doesn't think it's just his imagination, but maybe it's because they unfortunately haven't been able to see each other since Pete stayed the night at Jeremy's on Wednesday.

  Tonight, the man wears a pair of black jeans that are tight on his muscular legs and probably cup his plump ass perfectly. His torso is covered by a short-sleeved maroon henley that's just as tight as the jeans, the neckline of which is a deep V that shows off his collarbones and a teasing glimpse of his chest hair. There's no leather jacket in sight today, but Pete doesn't miss it. It allows him to salivate over Jeremy's toned arms, his biceps bulging even though they're just hanging at his sides.

  Jeremy's facial hair is a bit more grown out than Pete is used to seeing it, creating a beard that's thick enough to prevent any of the skin beneath from showing through. It looks so soft that Pete has to hold himself back from reaching up to find out if it really is. The hair on Jeremy's head is artfully swept back off of his forehead, and the grey that's sprinkled throughout the black strands shines in the waning sunlight.

  "Are you gonna let me in sometime today?" Jeremy asks him teasingly, a hint of a smile on his lips.

  "Oh!" Pete hastily steps aside and shuts the door again when Jeremy has crossed the threshold. Alone together in the foyer, Pete stares a bit more. "Did you…" he starts but trails off.

  Jeremy arches a thick eyebrow at him. "Did I what?"

  "Did you dress up a bit or something?"

  Jeremy looks down at himself and shakes his head. "No more than I usually do."

  "Oh."

  "Why's that?"

  Pete shakes his head to show it's not a big deal. "No reason. You just look really nice, is all. I like the fuller beard."

  Jeremy grins and leans in to peck him chastely on the lips. "Thanks. Guess I'll keep it, then. You look nice too."

  "Not really. It's nothing special."

  "Yes, really," Jeremy insists, checking Pete out in return. The attraction in his eyes doesn't lie.

  Pete accepts the compliment. "Thanks, I guess. My Dad's already out back with the grill," he says. "He's been out there for a while. I don't let him get away with having stuff like this very often, so I think he's been looking forward to the food all week."

  "I remember you telling me that when you moved in with me for a while."

  Pete remembers too, and now that everything's alright with him and his Dad, he looks back on that time with nothing but fondness. He still has to get through another half a year before he can firmly plant himself back at Jeremy's side, as per his Dad's conditions. That's not to say he doesn't like living with his Dad. He's just really looking forward to the day he can move in with Jeremy for real.

  "Anyway, seeing as Adam's so desperate for food, I guess we'd better go put him out of his misery," Jeremy says. He grabs Pete's hand and interlocks their fingers. "C'mon."

  Pete's anxiety instantly rears back up and kicks into high gear. This is the first time the three of them are going to be together in one place since his relationship with Jeremy came to light, and fucking hell does he hope it goes well.

  * * *

  At the sound of the back door opening behind him, Adam lowers his beer from his lips and turns around. It's strange to see Jeremy and Pete walking out of the house together, hand in hand, their shoulders brushing with each step. His son with one of his best friends… It reaffirms to Adam that suggesting they all have dinner together was a good course of action. It'll help him get over the lingering strangeness of it all, and he meant what he said to Pete earlier that week—he really does want to get fully on board with him and Jeremy, to better understand what drew them to each other.

  As they get closer to him, Adam has to admit that, despite the newness of it all, Pete and Jeremy do look pretty good together. He glances down between their bodies and notes how Jeremy strokes his thumb back and forth over the back of Pete's hand seemingly without conscious thought, like he's subconsciously attempting to help Pete calm. This has Adam raising his gaze to Pete's face, and there he sees a maelstrom of emotions:

  Pleasure, possibly from being with Jeremy after a few days of not seeing each other.

  Cautiousness and nervousness that the evening won't go well.

  Embarrassment…why?

  Adam can't place the reason for the last emotion until Jeremy drops Pete's hand in order to greet him with a friendly hug. As he continues to peer at his son over Jeremy's shoulder, he believes he figures out the final piece of the puzzle.

  This is a very different situation, of course, but he recalls the time he brought his first serious girlfrien
d over to his parents' house to meet them when he was a teenager. He's not so old that he can't still understand how uncomfortable it can feel to interact with a significant other around family, especially when one is still so young and inexperienced. Adam is glad when, after Jeremy has released him with a couple strong pats on the back, the other man returns his hand to Pete's and gives it a squeeze, continuing to silently reassure him that everything's alright, that he's here with him.

  This action displays a level of care that Adam never doubted Jeremy possessed. He's always known that Jeremy has a good heart—he never would've befriended him if he didn't. What's odd to him is that said care is likely a result of Jeremy being Pete's…Daddy—damn, that word still trips him up—and not just a result of regular affection between romantic partners, at least in part. But he doesn't give voice to that oddness. Adam doesn't want to make his son any more embarrassed than he already is, so he pretends that everything is normal.

  As Adam gets the meat cooking, Pete retreats back inside with the excuse of finishing up the salad. Adam watches him go and then turns his attention to Jeremy.

  "I hope you're hungry," he says, gesturing to the spread he prepared.

  Jeremy whistles as he looks over it all. "That's a lot of meat. And yeah, I am. I skipped lunch specifically so I could stuff my face now." His stomach growls as if to prove it.

  "That's good. You want a beer?"

  "Sure."

  Adam crouches down to get another bottle out of the cooler and offers it to Jeremy. The other man takes it, twists off the top with practised ease and takes a long pull from it, and then there's an awkward pause. Adam won't have that, so he addresses the elephant in the room—or in the yard, as is the case here.

  "I hear things are going well between you and Pete," he says, aiming for a casual tone as he keeps an eye on the burgers currently sizzling away on the grill.

  "They are," Jeremy confirms. "I've never had a relationship that felt so natural before."

  Adam puts a few sausages on the grill next to the burgers. "I've never seen you in a relationship at all before, not since you moved back to town." He doesn't actually ask a question, but he hopes Jeremy will pick up on his desire for more knowledge about his love life.

  He does. "That's because I've never had a serious one since I've been back here," Jeremy says.

  "Any particular reason?"

  "I just never really connected with anyone, I guess." Jeremy takes another drink of his beer before setting it down on the edge of the grill. "I've had…flings, I guess you could call them, but as I said, nothing serious since before I left New York."

  "You had something serious there, then?"

  "I did."

  "How did it end?"

  "We really liked each other, but we just wanted different things in the end," Jeremy replies wistfully.

  Adam can't help himself. "Like what?"

  Jeremy meets the Chief's gaze with uncertainty. "You sure you want to get into this?"

  While he's grateful for the out—and for Jeremy's consideration—Adam doesn't take it. "I want to know. You're one of my best friends, and it seems bad to me that I don't actually know that much about your personal life. I know vague details, but that's it. And seeing as Pete is a part of your personal life now, now seems like a good time to rectify that." Adam turns the sausages and burgers over and is pleased with the char he sees on them.

  Jeremy chuckles. "Okay. Just know that you asked for it."

  "Bring it on."

  "I got into the scene when I was in my mid-twenties," Jeremy begins. "I'd had a few different short-term relationships by that point, just experimenting and seeing what stuck, y'know? But nothing ever really did. When I was single again, I was in my apartment one night when I came across a website that, uh…opened my eyes, let's say."

  "What kind of website?"

  Jeremy levels Adam with a look that clearly says, "You really need to ask that?" and Adam clears his throat.

  "Oh. That kind."

  "Yeah. That led me to another site that was like an intro to BDSM, and something about it called to me. I looked into it a bit more and found out about a club that was hosting an open night for people who were interested in joining. I went."

  "I guess I'm really ignorant about this whole thing, but you couldn't just walk in any old night?"

  Jeremy shakes his head. "It's not like that. When you're in a community like that, a big deal is made about consent, privacy, and respecting people's boundaries. If the club was just open to anyone at all times, then there'd be a risk, however small, of someone walking in who a member didn't want there. Secrets could be revealed and there could be a lot of fallout from that. Plus, it helps to weed out the people who aren't serious about it, or the people who aren't good at it or will abuse someone's trust—and things like that need trust. So yeah, access is restricted most of the time, and when it's not—like on the open night I attended—the owners of the club let members know so they can stay home that night if they don't want to deal with newbies."

  Adam takes a few moments to consider what he's been told so far and has to admit that it makes sense. There are bad people in every walk of life—his job has taught him that very effectively over the years—so there must be bad people in the BDSM community too. As for privacy concerns, he considers sex to be a very private thing himself. He doesn't judge other people who don't feel the same way, as long as everyone's legal and consenting, but he wouldn't have wanted anyone else to know what he and Vanessa used to do in the bedroom.

  "I think I get it," he says.

  At that moment, Pete returns to the back yard with a filled salad bowl. He places it with the rolls and hot dog buns on the table before walking to Jeremy's side.

  "What're we talking about?" he asks.

  "Your Dad wanted to know how I originally got into the scene," Jeremy replies before Adam can.

  "Oh." Pete's eyes widen slightly.

  "Want me to stop?"

  "N-no, it's okay. I've gotta admit, I'm kinda curious about it too. You've told me a bit, but not much."

  "Alright, then." Jeremy wraps an arm around Pete's shoulders to pull them together and then addresses Adam again:

  "Anyway, I went to the open night and something clicked with me. I didn't like everything I saw there, but then again, no one does. Not everything is for everybody."

  As Jeremy keeps talking, Adam notices how Pete's face gets redder and redder. The poor kid is probably uncomfortable as hell with his Dad being a part of a conversation like this one, but Adam doesn't end it. Pete is uneasy about it, yes, but he gave Jeremy the go-ahead, and if it becomes too much, he can always speak up himself.

  "While I was there, I really hit it off with a Dom, and he must've seen something in me because he agreed to take me under his wing," Jeremy reveals. "I signed up to become an official member of the club, and it went well for a while. But something still wasn't quite clicking for me. I enjoyed everything I was being taught, but there was still something missing.

  "Then the club hosted one of its theme nights. I heard about it from the Dom I was training under and thought it sounded…interesting isn't really the right word, but I don't know what else to use."

  "What was the theme?" Adam enquires, curious. He thinks he already knows, though, and he's proven correct when Jeremy gives him an answer.

  "It was an age play night, for Daddies and Mommies and their littles," Jeremy says.

  Adam briefly diverts his attention back to his son and sees that, sure enough, his face is as red as a beet now and he seems a second away from hiding it in Jeremy's shoulder. He himself feels similarly and is amazed that Jeremy says the words 'Daddies' and 'Mommies' so casually. But then again, Jeremy has had plenty of time to get used to it, and Adam hasn't yet.

  "You could go to that? I'd assume that only the people the theme applied to could go," Adam says.

  Jeremy nods and wears an expression that has Adam suspecting that this question is one that was asked often. "An
y member could go to observe, but the only play or demonstrations that happened would be those that were relevant to the theme. It's not how it works in every club, but that's how it is in the one I was a part of."

  For the next few minutes, Jeremy relays the rest of his story back in New York and gives Adam a quick lesson on the ins and outs of BDSM and being a Daddy. Adam already knew bits and pieces of Jeremy's past, but the more personal parts are brand-new to him, so he pays close attention while putting the steaks on the grill to cook too.

  He learns that BDSM is different for everybody who practices it.

  Some are couples who do it in private, while others go to clubs like the one Jeremy was a member of and do scenes with people they aren't romantically affiliated with.

  Some include sex in their scenes, while others don't.

  There are even people who are actually professional Doms. They have a bunch of different clients who pay them for their services, and then they part ways again until their next session.

  This part surprises Adam the most, and it's what makes him realise that he really had been ignorant to this. He has no desire to engage in any aspect of BDSM himself, but he has to say that hearing Jeremy explain the appeal people find in being either a Dom, a sub or a switch is fascinating to him.

  A few minutes later, Jeremy moves on and Adam learns about how the other man had been taken in by watching some of the Daddies and Mommies in the club interacting with their littles. Something about those sorts of relationships had felt right to him in a way that even training to be a Dom hadn't. Jeremy talked to the Dom who was teaching him, and he was put in touch with one of the most well-respected Daddies in the New York kink scene, who was fortuitously willing to speak to him and answer any questions he had.

  Jeremy learned more about what a relationship like that entailed, loved the caretaking aspects of it and so began working out what sort of Daddy he would be. He searched for his perfect boy but never found him. He found someone just after he turned thirty who he thought would work out at first, but the younger guy wanted something much more intense than Jeremy felt he could give—a 24/7 dynamic, including pretty much every single aspect that being a little could have.