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My first thought had been, how could I be a Daddy if I didn’t have any kids, and my second thought was reminded that this was all play. I had a lot to search, but Wren was open to questions, all questions. In fact, he offered me more information than I could’ve even thought myself.

Wren was a little, and that meant, he liked to regress in age when he played, and now, so much of what I’d seen of him made sense. His stuffed animal collection, his talks about night lights, the coloring pages I’d seen stuffed inside his notepad, and even the trashcan of juice boxes in his bedroom made sense.

It had been a week since we’d stopped pretending to date and really start dating. We’d still not spent the night at either place, but most evening, he came over to the Icehouse where he was full of ideas about boosting the team’s social presence. He had a newfound energy about him since expressing who he really was to me.

Saturday evening, the team gathered at the house in the large den room where we played video recordings from training sessions that Coach had of us to help explain areas, we needed practice in. It also helped us find b-roll footage to share to the internet, and that’s what we planned on doing tonight.

In the large comfy leather armchair, I sat with Wren on my lap, his entire body snuggled up in one of my hoodies. This was way different to the Wren that I’d been faking it with, this was the real deal, and I was falling hard for him.

“Ok, so up first,” I announced from my seat. “Everyone got popcorn?”

Wren’s head perked up from its perch against my chest. “I want popcorn.”

“Popcorn me,” I called out, holding a hand up.

Popcorn arrived swiftly in a bag. I looked behind to see everyone in the cinema style seating we’d set up in the den. Everyone had a view of the projector screen now.

“Fail compilation,” Ryan said from behind me. “They get hella laughs, and I think people love to see them. And I’m saying that as someone who is probably on their the most.”

“That’s because you’re trying to break the sound barrier,” Zachary jibed. “I’m semi against it.”

“Only because you fell on your ass the other day,” Ryan added. “Twice!”

It was funny to see them fall, never to fall yourself because it totally fucked with your center of balance, but sometimes it was just the way fresh ice was polished sometimes.

“I think it’s a good idea,” I said. “But only because I never fall.”

Wren glared at me, his big eyes narrowing to slits. “Except for that one time,” he whispered.

“You fell; I just met you on the ice.” I pressed my lips to his forehead just before he could shove a handful of popcorn into my mouth. It was lightly flavored, the slightest hint of sweetness to it, but that could’ve easily just been the way Wren tested. This was the only popcorn Julia approved.

Everyone had ideas and notes on what we were going to do for the social media accounts. We’d already posts little clips about the team as we prepared for our first game next week right when the season kicked off. It was a home game against Green Mountain State, and they were considerably fierce competition, but we’d faced them last season and managed to win each interaction. I just hoped we could continue the tradition with me at the helm.

It got a little late, and usually, that was the time Wren left, but he’d found a cozy spot against my chest, and I hadn’t wanted to move. Most of the team had left for bed with only some of the other seniors still in the den, rewinding and playing some of the clips where Zachary ate ass on the ice.

“Should’ve been on the gym team with those kinds of moves,” Liam chuckled. “I don’t think my legs could even part like that.”

They made my legs recoil slightly to think of doing the split and what that would’ve meant for my dick. I didn’t want to assume the flexibility of it. As I moved, I woke Wren. Startled awake, he nearly leapt from my lap.

“God, I should go home.” He tugged at the end of the oversized jersey of mine he wore, his body nearly consumed completely with the light of the projector. Zachary’s image in the splits shown across his torso.

“You should just stay over,” Liam said.

“It’s not like we don’t know the two of you are together,” Jamal added. “As long as you’re not loud, I don’t think anyone minds.”

Holding my hand out to him, he sat back on my lap. “But I don’t have anything to wear.”

“That’s fine, I’ve got sweatpants and a change of clothes if you need it,” I told him. “But it’s up to you. I can go get the caddy and drive you back home. But it’s the weekend and I’m sure the people you live with are awake and partying, so, I guess it depends on what you want.” I knew he liked to keep to himself when he was at his place, and I was selfish in wanting him to stay here with me.

“I don’t know,” he grumbled and grabbed at his stuffed orca teddy that had slipped down the side of the armchair. “I’m not sure if we’ve progressed that far.”

“Get a room!” Tyler shouted and laughed, throwing popcorn at us.

Jamal and Liam joined in throwing popcorn kernels at us and some of them landed just so perfectly in Wren’s hair.

“I don’t even have my toothbrush,” he said.

“Well, let me let you in on a little secret, we have an overstock of toothbrushes,” I told him. “Listen, they keep this house stocked up, so anything you need, I’ve got for you. I’m a good caretaker.” I winked at him. I needed to show that I’d been paying attention to his needs, and to the way of life he wanted to live. “But if you want to go home, I will drive you in the caddy, or walk you, if you think that’s safer.”

Before nuzzling his face into my neck, I caught him smiling the biggest smile. “Yeah, obviously, I want to stay over.”

“And you’ve even got your teddy,” I whispered in his ear.

More popcorn was thrown our way until we got up and left the den with their voices teasing us for being a couple. It wasn’t done maliciously, at least not in my opinion. Those three, I could trust, at least, I hoped I could trust them.

Across the floors of the team house there were several bathrooms, there had to be considering how many people lived there, and how frequently we all showered.

I showed Wren the overstock of toothbrushes in their packaging, handing him one and showing him to the selection of toothpastes, some were for sensitive teeth, others for whitening. It was of the house’s opinion that if you left your toothpaste in a bathroom, you were offering it up for free use.

In the bathroom closest to my room, I grabbed my electric toothbrush and one of the incredibly minty toothpastes. If I was sharing a bed with Wren, I wanted to make sure my mouth was only going to smell of mint.

“What about this one?” Wren grabbed a pink tube.

“That one is strawberry,” I said. “It cleans, but it kinda tastes like medicine.”

He licked his lips. “Why does that sound really good though?”

“Use it. I think it’s still full.”

I was still getting used to what Wren wanted from me in this dynamic, but from my brief research, I saw that a lot of it was just making sure your partner was cared for, in all ways. And Wren was a little, which meant he had a childlike wonder to him that also needed taking care of, and so I tried my best.

Bedtime was a several step routine from some of the blogs I’d read, and I didn’t want to ask Wren in case it pulled him out of the feeling. “Ok, and now let’s wash our faces,” I said. “I use this wash and then this moisturizer, it’s good.”

He took the bottle and scanned the back. “I’ve seen the ads for these, this is expensive.”

“Well, not really, like fifteen bucks,” I said.

“Yeah, that’s kinda expensive. The stuff I get it usually a couple bucks most,” he said. “But I’ll ty yours.” As he spoke, I got those fruity notes from the toothpaste, lingering on his tongue, it was fresh. I wanted to taste him in a way I’d never tasted anyone before, nor had I wanted to in the past.

This wasn’t the first time I was going to have someone in my bed, but it was the first time I was sharing my bed with someone I was sure I felt a four-letter word beginning with L. But I wasn’t going to label it just yet, I knew falling hard and fast was a real thing, but I never thought it would happen to me.

In my bedroom, Wren, who had never had any problem with throwing himself on my bed and testing out the mattress, was now standing by the bed, swaying his hips from side to side, waiting for an invite it seemed.

“Which side do you want to sleep on?” I asked.

“I usually starfish,” he giggled.

“You can still do that, as long as I get to cuddle you.”

“And will you put the stars on the ceiling like you said you could.”

I was surprised he remembered that. “Is that why you agreed to stay?”

“It was one of the reasons.” He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing the head of his teddy under his chin. “You were obviously the other reason.”

“Which reason weighed the most?” I grabbed the remote for the projector in my room and turned it on. “I hope it was still me.”

He hummed and laid on the bed, already prepared to look at the ceiling.

After turning the lights off, I laid beside him on the bed, the projector illuminating my ceiling with its menu screen. I scrolled through the applications pre-installed and found the voyage into space app. It was better than the first time I’d used it, not because they’d updated it, but because of the company.

We laid on the bed together, staring at the ceiling in awe of all the colors and detail, slowly zooming into the galaxy of stars and revealing large blooming suns and constellations. Within looking away, I grabbed Wren’s hand and squeezed it.

“Whoa. I need one of these.”

“I could stare at this forever with you.”

“Thank you,” he said.

“You can call me it, you know, just to see.” The one time I turned my head, he also turned to look at me.

“Daddy,” he said breaking into a fit of giggles.

Those stomach-churning tickles were right about him, and the way I was feeling. This was that sweet four-letter word, and yet, my body was refusing to even allow my mouth or brain to even speak it into existence. I knew this was a distraction, but I couldn’t stop it from happening.

“You’re adorable,” I said.

“And what about Bloo?” he asked, pushing his toy up to my face.

“He’s adorable as well, us Orcas have to stick together,” I said, giving his teddy a kiss. “Do you want one as well?”

“Do you even have to ask?” He puckered up for me.

He was right. I didn’t need to ask, and I shouldn’t have. All these rules were still so new to me. I kissed him, my lips now lightly coated in a sweet strawberry layer. “Good boy,” I said.

“Uh. Call me that again, Daddy,” he whispered, letting out a little whine.

“Good boy.”

Snatching his teddy away, he pushed it down his torso and held it there, as if hiding himself from myself, but all it did was steal my gaze to look down at the jersey covering him. “We’re missing the show,” he said as the plush orca was squeezed hard around his groin, as if suppressing the excitement he’d gathered in that area.

That was still so new to me, and I wasn’t sure I was quite ready to explore it yet, even if my own cock was getting hard, I didn’t know what to do with another one. “I think you’re right,” I said, sitting upright. “Did you say you wanted to change, or are you happy to sleep in my jersey?” I undressed out of my t-shirt, my naked torso on full show, but I was getting far too overheated in it.

Wren stared at me, as if my nipples were now my eyes, he held contact with them at least. “I’m ok in this.”

“You sure?”

Through a yawn, he nodded and turned his head to look back at the ceiling. “Yeth,” he offered playfully.

“Yeth,” I repeated. “You’re adorable.”

We continued to lay on the duvet and hold hands for most of the night. The warmth generated between our two bodies seemed like a layer all its own, much better than any blanket or duvet. I didn’t even recall falling asleep, only that I did, and Wren cuddled up to me, his head on my chest and his leg wrapping around my leg as if I’d get up and go in the middle of the night.