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“Exactly.”

Slowly, she opened her eyes, blinking as her vision was beset by light. “I guess that hiking for hiking’s sake is worth it after all. Because you’re not really doing it for the hike; you’re doing it for the view.”

“Oh there are definitely some people who are just after bragging rights,” said Wren with a laugh. “But I’m definitely in the hike to explore and marvel at nature camp. Sandwich?”

Emmie finally looked down at the blanket and looked at the spread laid out before them. Ham sandwiches with cucumber and no mayonnaise, carrot sticks with hummus, and cucumber slices cut into the shape of hearts. There was a little pots of nuts and raisins, another with cheese and crackers, and then some lemon cake bars and tiny strawberries to finish it off.

“Wren, Daddy, how on earth did you manage all of this?”

Wren shrugged it off. “No big deal; anything for my baby girl.”

“Yes, but,how?”

“Daddy magic,” said Wren with a smile. “Come on petal, eat up. You must be hungry.”

Emmie found that she most certainly was hungry, and between the two of them, they devoured the entire feast.

Afterwards, they lay down together on the blanket. “Come cuddle up on my chest,” said Wren.

“But you’re tiny,” said Emmie. Wren was pretty petite herself, and Emmie dreaded the idea of accidentally squashing her.

“I maybe tiny, but I’m strong, now come cuddle Daddy!”

“Yes, Daddy,” she said.

“Good girl.”

10

Wren

The walk back to the campsite seemed to take forever.

It shouldn’t have done—they had less things to carry, and they knew exactly where they were going—but there had been a kiss on the picnic blanket that had necessitate a short breather whilst the two of them decided that returning to the campsite and the relative privacy of Luna would be for the best.

Emmie was essentially bouncing along, stopping every now and then to say hello to some insect friend, or to coo over a particularly pretty plant. She seemed to have loss her nervousness in nature, and Wren thought that she’d done a very good job with their first date.

First date, because Wren had every intention of asking Emmie to be her Little beyond the campout. They had a connection that neither of them could really deny, and it was bringing her more joy than she could have imagined.

Finding a woman to fall in love with, and one with an adorable Little side, was the last thing she’d expected of the weekend, and yet here they were.

Emmie wasn’t what she’d have expected from a Little; she had moments in Littlespace, especially when she was overwhelmed, but she moved fluidly between that headspace and a Big headspace. Little Emmie would kiss Wren on the cheek and giggle. Big Emmie kissed her on the lips and had as much a hard time holding back as Wren did.

“Hold my hand, Daddy?” she asked, as they neared the campsite. They were about twenty minutes out, and she almost walked along, chattering away, and pointing out all the exciting things that took her notice.

Wren shared snippets of information about the animals they saw, and each one resulted in a wide-eyed “Wow!” from a Little Emmie.

But as they approached the camp itself, something in her demeanour shifted, and she smiled apologetically at Wren. “I really love being Little with you—if that’s what that is—but I’m not sure that I’m ready to be like that in front of other people, Daddy.”

Wren squeezed her hand. “That’s totally okay, petal. You have to feel comfortable, and if you’re most comfortable being Big around other people, it won’t stop me from being your Daddy.”

“No?”

“Of course not! There’s nothing that could stop me being your Daddy.” Wren’s words hung between them, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be able to recall them. Emmie was looking thoughtful though.

“What does that mean? I thought this was just for this weekend.”

There was a hole in the pit of Wren’s stomach as Emmie’s words sunk in. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed…”