Page 12 of A Little Campfire Blues (Pride Camp 2025 #10)

Chapter Ten

Roman

“I figured you were down by the lake somewhere,” I said when Axis stepped inside carrying his guitar case.

“The view is amazing, especially when the sun is coming up,” Axis said as he headed for his room to tuck his guitar away.

“So is sleep and food,” I followed, gently chiding, but dammit all, I was worried about his eating and sleeping habits lately. “Did you at least make it to the chow hall?”

Even before we’d arrived, I’d started noticing dark circles under his eyes when we chatted through the video feed on Messenger. All he’d ever say about it was that he was working on something, which was fair; I knew how driven he could be. But I’d thought coming here would help him relax more.

“Yeah, I did, actually,” Axis said as he placed his guitar in the closet. “Mackenzie wandered past the rock I was playing on and encouraged me to grab a bite with him.”

“That’s something at least.”

“He’s nice, and a pet handler too, not just a daddy,” Axis said as he dug around in his bag for something, finally pulling out cutoff jeans.

Hearing that left me momentarily speechless and hopeful too, because the vibe I’d gotten off the man the night before had been a good one.

I’d wanted to accept his offer to spend time with us, but with all the uncertainty between Axis, Ezzy, and me, I’d been hesitant.

The fact that he’d read the tone between us correctly and walked away without being asked had left me with positive vibes, as well as a sense of longing.

“So, did you guys decide on the fishing derby or exploring the trails?” Axis asked as he turned around.

Chuckling, I shot a look towards the closed door Ezzy was currently dressing behind. “Fishing. Ezzy’s getting ready. They brought the most adorable lime green fishing pole with a matching net and cute little lures and bobbers.”

“So that’s what was in the little green bag I carried in.”

“Yup.”

“Sweet, I can’t wait to see it.”

“You brought a pole, right?”

“Yeah, but, I dunno, I think I’ll just go watch and maybe scribble in my notebook.”

“Why? You love fishing.”

“I—I just, I kinda wanna wear the Bluey dungarees I got, but now I’m feeling really shy about putting them on.”

“Putting what on?” Ezzy asked, bounding into the room in a glittery crop top, shorts, and socks that all bore shimmering images of the characters from Finding Nemo.

“Awe, you look adorable,” Axis said as I took in the colorful characters all over them, wondering if they’d matched any of their other outfits to the activities in the itinerary we’d been provided when we’d registered for camp.

They spun, showing off the outfit from every angle, right down to the matching cap they had tucked in their back pocket.

“Why aren’t you guys dressed yet?” They asked.

I could tell the moment they started picking up on the vibe in the room, because the big smile that had been on their face when they’d bounded in here had started drooping into the beginnings of a frown.

“Getting there,” Axis said, heading for his bathroom with those cutoff shorts in his hand. “Be ready in a moment.”

“You should wear what you want to wear,” I encouraged. “Don’t think I didn’t notice that there are still tags on all your little outfits. Why haven’t you ever worn them? I know you go to Splendid Delights every Saturday night. I thought you were playing.”

Axis paused in the doorway of his bathroom and slowly turned around to face us.

“Sometimes,” he muttered, shrugging as he clutched those shorts.

Something caught my eye, and when it did, I couldn’t unsee the anarchy sign he’d scribbled on the thigh of his shorts in several different colored permanent markers back in high school.

It shouldn’t have shocked me that he still had them; he’d loved that pair.

But I was confused about why he wasn’t taking the opportunity to wear one of the custom outfits he’d selected from a website that catered to littles and pets.

“Sometimes?” I repeated, shooting him a pointed look.

“Okay, so maybe it was more like two or three times where I actually played, and the rest of the time I spent watching.”

“The way you plan to do today,” I said as I crossed the room, trying to get him to meet my gaze.

“Just having a hard time getting into the right headspace is all,” he muttered as I reached to brush his hair back from his cheek.

The wind had made a tangled mess of it in places, and my fingers snarled in it when I tried to comb it back in place.

“I had to really talk myself into putting this on,” Ezzy admitted as they pressed against my side, brush in hand.

“But the website said that this whole event is a safe space, and we should feel free to be ourselves and dress however we want to for the activities, and honestly, it’s been exhausting always toning myself down to fit what’s expected of someone my age. ”

His words brought a small smile to Axis’ face, even as Ezzy moved around him so they could reach the messy strands of Axis’ hair and start running the brush over them.

“What can we do to help get you in the right headspace?” I asked, caressing his cheek so I could keep him from ducking his head again.

His answer, after several moments of hesitation, was simply to shrug and turn his head, nuzzling against my palm.

“This is already helping,” he murmured while Ezzy continued steadily brushing.

“Have you ever had a daddy?” Ezzy asked as silence descended between us.

“No,” Axis admitted, those moss green eyes of his shimmering with tears.

“I could never stop wanting what we promised one another for long enough to let someone else take your place. I’ve had plenty of sex; people were always willing to fuck around with me, especially after a show, but there was never anyone I connected with in a way that came anywhere close to what we had.

Guess I was just too stubborn to settle for less than what I’d always dreamed about. ”

Huffing, I reached to card my fingers through Ezzy’s hair while they continued to brush Axis’ until it hung sleek and slippery down his back. That’s when they reached for a hair elastic and secured it in a ponytail.

“Want me to braid it for you?” Ezzy asked while Axis traced a fingertip over the logo on my T-shirt.

It wasn’t what I really wanted to wear today either, but fishing in leather headgear, a harness, and paws seemed like it would be hot, awkward, and potentially damaging to the gear.

Besides, the fishing derby was supposed to be for the littles, with areas set up for those who regressed really young: one for net fishing and one with little plastic and metal fish for those using magnetic poles.

They really had thought of something for all stages of regression when it came to planning each activity.

“Yes, please.”

In those two words, I detected a subtle shift in headspace, while in those expressive green eyes of his, I saw a note of hopefulness. While Ezzy started braiding, I continued caressing his cheek and letting him use me for a touchstone.

“Have either of you ever had a daddy or a caretaker?” he asked, sighing and letting some of the tension bleed out of his shoulders.

“I had a wannabe caretaker,” I admitted.

“Until he realized I was headstrong, opinionated, and not thrilled with being used as a showpiece to boost his ego. I was still enlisted then too, so I was careful about the events I accompanied him to, which he didn’t like.

Like I told you when we chatted, I go to Bend when I want to play, but that’s all I do is play in the pet room with the other pets.

I’ve gotten the impression several times that some of the handlers think I’d be too much of a handful to take on, so they leave me be. ”

“That’s shitty,” Ezzy blurted as their deft fingers finished weaving the braid before securing the bottom with another elastic.

“Really shitty,” Axis muttered, pressing his cheek more firmly against my hand.

Yeah, he was getting into that headspace the way he had the few times we’d played through video chat.

“I was never comfortable going to a club alone, so no daddy for me, just a bunch of random, mostly forgettable partners,” Ezzy explained.

“I always wanted what we promised one another when we first figured out what the lifestyle was and where we fit into it. A Daddy for the three of us. Someone who’d love us collectively or individually, even if it has to be from a distance, at least in the beginning.

I know we have shit to work out, but if someone clicks with us here, I’d love to spend time with them too and see where it takes us, so at least we know what it’s like and don’t have to keep wondering. ”

“I’d like that too,” Axis said.

“Ditto,” I said. “It’s painfully obvious that despite time, distance, and the conversations we still haven’t had, we’re still on the same page about what we want and how we feel about one another. Ultimately, that’s the only thing that counts, right?”

“Uh-huh,” Axis said, cocking his head and staring up at me. “Does that mean we can spend time with Mackenzie if he still wants to spend time with us, ‘cause he was super nice to me down by the lake?”

“What kind of nice?” Ezzy asked.

“Talkin’ not touchin’,” Axis explained, more into his little headspace than ever. “He didn’t try to touch even when we were sitting side by side on the rock; there was space between us.”

“Did he press to spend time with us?” I asked.

“Uh-uh,” he replied, shaking his head. “He just said he wanted to be my friend and that I could call him Mack and shouldn’t feel ‘timidated by him just ‘cause his band got further than mine ‘cause in the end, both bands failed, and that was okay ‘cause now we got to learn from it and figure out what we wanted to do next. I kinda wanted a hug after that, but then my tummy grumbled, and he walked me to get food so it would stop rumbling.”

“Did you ask if he was going fishing?” Ezzy asked.

“I forgot to.”

“That’s okay,” Ezzy said. “If he’s there and he comes over to us, I’d be okay with him joining us if you and Roman are.”

Instead of responding, Axis just stared up at me with the same pleading, puppy dog eyes that Ezzy had given him at the bonfire last night.

He wasn’t the only one giving me sweet, hopeful eyes.

Ezzy was too. With no logical reason to say no and absolutely no desire to, I gathered them in my arms and kissed the tops of their heads.

“If he stops to visit with us, it’s perfectly okay, but don’t either of you go running off trying to find him, okay? We don’t know how crowded it will be by the pond, and I don’t want to lose track of either of you.”

“We won’t,” they replied, practically in unison, both bouncing a little.

“I’m gonna hold you to that.”

“We know,” they singsonged.

“I—I think I’d like to change into my Bluey outfit,” Axis said. “Do we have enough time?”

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I checked the time and nodded. “If we both hurry, I think we have time to change into something we’ll each enjoy wearing today.”

“Yay,” Axis cried, crushing the air out of me when he hugged me.

He didn’t rush for his closet, though; instead, he turned and hugged Ezzy, squealing as they broke into a happy little dance.

He was a whirlwind of motion when he finally did head for his closet, and when he joined Ezzy and me in the living area of our cabin, he was dressed in Bluey dungarees that ended just below his knees, a dark blue Bluey top beneath it, one strap buckled, the other dangling from his shoulder.

He’d changed his shoes too, into a pair of blue tennis shoes, but his socks had Bluey on them, and he’d tucked a little Bluey bandana into his back pocket and looped a hand sanitizer holder through one of the buttonholes on his dungarees, and yup, that had Bluey’s face on it too.

I knew it was his favorite cartoon; he’d had it on in the background during several conversations, and once I’d even caught sight of a Bluey coloring book lying on the coffee table beside a big box of crayons while he’d been propping up his phone.

I was glad he’d changed his mind about wearing it.

Our two weeks up here were supposed to be about getting to do the things we couldn’t normally do, for whatever reason, which was why I’d pulled on my protective pup T-shirt and added a wide, studded, leather belt to my jeans.

Part of the reason I loved it was because it reminded me of a collar .

Attached to the two clips on the back were leashes, one for each of them to hold.

For now they were doubled up and dangling to my knees, but when we weren’t fishing, I thought it would be a good way to keep us connected.

I was serious when I’d mentioned being worried about losing one of them at the fishing derby.

While I might not have had much club time over the years, when I did visit one, I spent as much time as possible simply observing the littles and watching how their caretakers looked after them, guided them, and kept them from getting into too much trouble.

I’d also learned that littles loved bright, shiny things, were easily distracted even when you thought they were super fixated on something, and tended to wander at the slightest provocation, especially if they spotted something they wanted to get a closer look at.

Keeping up with these two had never been much of a challenge for me, but a lot of that had been because they loved to play follow the leader, so where one went, the other usually was.

Fortunately, the time we’d spent chatting over the years had allowed me to see that separation and the evolution of our tastes hadn’t changed them much in that regard.

Now to see if we could catch some fish…and the eye of the daddy who’d expressed so much interest in us last night because Axis and Ezzy weren’t the only ones curious to see more of him. It had pained me to turn down his offer, so much so that I’d still been kicking myself over it this morning.

At the last minute, before we headed out to Axis’ Jeep, I rushed back into my room to clip on the third leash I’d brought. Wishful thinking, I know, but if there was one thing coming to camp was supposed to be about, it was making our wishes come true.