Page 17

The party at Austin and Remington's house isn't big, but it's full of people I don't know. Their house is nice too. I know this was Remington's place before Austin moved in only a few weeks ago, but it looks like they've lived together for years. There are pictures of the two of them together and some of friends and family. We're given a tour of the downstairs by Austin, but then he takes my hand and asks if I want to see upstairs. I look at my Daddy and he nods.

"Austin, be careful though, okay? Orion is still a bit shy."

"I will." I can see that Austin is kind of in his Little headspace. He's completely different from how I've seen him at work. There, he's the boss, making decisions and usually has a bit of an intense thinking expression. Now, he's smiling wide and there's something extra in the way he walks. I was going to chalk it up to just being happy, but then it clicks in my brain. I was walking like that this morning when I was wearing my training pants Daddy put on me. When we make it upstairs, the noise of the party dwindles until we're standing in front of a door. This house is kind of like my Daddy's, but they don't have the big window where my paint station is. Or the loft area where Daddy played pretend with me last night and this morning. After cleaning me up from all the paint. "Why are you giggling?"

I didn't realize I made any noise. I can feel my cheeks heat as Austin stares at me. I whisper my words in case anyone is around. I don't think there is anyone, but still. "My Daddy let me paint today and I got messy. I was just remembering it."

"Oh I love painting." Austin moves to one of the doors and twists the handle. "I like to color a lot too. This is my playroom."

I walk inside and take in everything. There are toys everywhere. They range from stuffies to castles and dragon figures. There are plastic dolls, princes and princesses, and superheroes lining two of the walls. An overflowing bookshelf sits next to a bed. It's just a single bed, maybe a full size. There's a large, fluffy chair that looks like it could fit three people in the other corner. I imagine that naps on that are amazing. The final thing is a smaller table with a stack of coloring books and a clear container of crayons.

"I like it," I say with a real smile. I turn around to look at Austin. He's still standing by the door, where I've walked to the middle of the room. "The chair looks comfy."

"That's my reading chair. Also the timeout chair sometimes." Austin looks sheepish when he says that. "You can use it later if you need. I heard Daddy Garrett has someone coming over to do face paint too."

"Yep." I smile, not at all jealous that Austin calls him Daddy Garrett. As long as I'm the only one calling him just Daddy. "He says I'm not allowed to paint my own face. I'm also not allowed to use paints without a Mommy or Daddy watching me."

"Hey, you two." My Daddy steps through the cracked door and I move toward him on instinct. He kisses the side of my head when I reach him. "Are you coming back down to the party?"

"Yes." Austin answers. "I was just showing him my room."

"It's a great room, Austin." My daddy smiles at Austin and I stamp down on the way my tummy doesn't like that. "But we'll come up to play later, okay? Right now, there are people downstairs to celebrate with you and your Daddy."

Austin nods and we head back toward the stairs. Daddy stops me before we follow down to the main floor. "Orion?" I look up at him with a smile. It's not a big one, more one of nerves. I don't know why I'm nervous. "If any of this becomes too much for you, I need you to tell me okay? We can find a quiet spot for you to calm down or whatever you need."

"My tummy is already feeling funny," I admit. Daddy's hands are on my shoulders, squeezing reassuringly. It doesn't entirely take away that twisty feeling in my belly, but it helps.

"Is this an I don't feel good feeling or that's a lot of new people downstairs?"

I try to figure it out. I don't feel like I'm sick. "New people," I decide.

He pulls me in for a tight hug and we stay like that for a minute. I close my eyes and take several deep breaths. I've never had the chance to go to a party growing up, much less since I've moved out on my own. Big crowds make me nervous.

"Do you need another minute to yourself?"

"I'm okay," I say into his chest. "Can I stay by you? For a bit, at least?"

"Of course," Garrett says. "I wouldn't have it any other way. I have to show off my Boy to everyone."

My Boy.

A true, genuine smile crosses my face now and I look up at him. "Thank you."

He gives me a quick kiss before we walk down the steps. He keeps my hand in his as we start the round of introductions. There aren't a lot of people here, not as many as I was thinking. All of them are friends of Remington, half of them from the club. I meet Luke and Quinton. After we exchange names, they both ask Garrett if he actually has someone coming to paint their faces.

I blush, but feel really happy when Garrett says it was my idea to have the face paint. The two guys thank me and invite me to come sit with them at their own table in the yard. It's early February, but with a light jacket on, the weather isn't too bad today. I don't think we'll stay outside long, though. I make sure it's okay with Garrett, who promises to keep an eye on me until it's time to eat. I don't join in a lot of their conversation, but I enjoy watching and listening. They're so open with their Little sides. I do gather that the three of them, Austin, Luke, and Quinton, are more into the pretend playing regression. They talk about playing Knights with the foam swords later, something about a game called Night Time Ninja. It's like hide and seek but you turn off all the lights in the house and make it as dark as possible. I look down and pick at a loose splinter in the wooden table.

"I want to color, too." Austin says, catching my attention. I see his eyes glance my way before looking at the others. "Maybe we can have a competition and see who can draw the best pictures. Winner can have their face painted first."

"I want to turn into a lion!" Luke says. He pretends to be a lion and roars, making all of us laugh around him.

"I want a koala on my cheek," Austin chimes in. "Orion, what do you want to get?"

"I don't know," I say. My voice is barely above a whisper as they all look at me. "Maybe a turtle. Like the Ninja Turtles."

"Oh! I love the Ninja Turtles!" Quinton says. "And there are four of them. We could all get a colored mask on our eyes. What color do you like, Orion?"

"Um." I lick my lips. I remind myself that they're all like me. Or similar enough that they aren't going to judge me. "I like Donnie, the purple one."

"I choose Leo, the blue one!" Quinton says. "That leaves Raph and Mikey, red and orange."

"Red!" Austin and Luke shout at the same time, causing all of us to laugh.

"Rock, paper, scissors!" Luke shouts. I look over my shoulder to see if anyone is watching us. I don't feel uncomfortable, we're not doing anything but having fun, but that feeling in my tummy is still there a little bit. I catch Garrett's eyes and he gives me a soft smile while whoever he is standing beside keeps talking. I turn back to watch Luke and Austin hold their hands out and call out the words. They both get rock the first time. The second time they both do paper. The third time, finally, Luke gets paper and Austin does scissors.

"I win!" Austin says excitedly, throwing his hands in the air. "I got the red one! What's the red one's name again?"

"Raph," Quinton and I say at the same time.

"You'll be Mikey," I add, looking at Luke. "He's the one that likes pizza a lot. And he's funny."

"Well, that sounds exactly like my Lukey Boy." A woman comes up and stands behind Luke, putting her hands on him. She's pretty, with long hair and green eyes. She looks like she's maybe around Garrett's age. I realize it's Luke's Mommy when she bends down and kisses his cheek. "Speaking of food, it's about ready. Do you boys want to come make your own plates?"

All three stand up and head toward the house. I stand and follow a step behind them. Garrett reaches out his hand as I get closer and I break off to stand next to him. He's still talking to that same person from a minute ago. His arm goes around my shoulders and I relax into his side. I feel so much better, calmer when I'm next to him. The other man looks to be in his fifties, maybe even sixties. He has salt-and-pepper hair, no beard, and is tall and slim. He's handsome, but he looks too much like a lawyer or something.

"Orion, this is Ray. He's a friend of mine and Remington's." I look at Garrett and back to the guy, the unsaid words between us. I turn back to the man and smile.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you." I hold my hand out and he takes it, giving one firm shake and then dropping it.

"Nice to meet you too," Ray says. "Garrett was just telling me a little about you. Nothing invasive, I promise."

"He knows I wouldn't do that," Garrett said, squeezing me to his side. He took a shower before we left the house and put on this new cologne that I love. It's a woodsy scent and fits him perfectly. "Ray and his Boy will be joining us after the party as well. His Boy is the one that's going to be doing the face paint."

"Oh." I know my eyes light up at that. I knew Garrett was getting someone that would be comfortable with the lifestyle, but I didn't think it would be someone in the lifestyle. That makes it ten times better. I look at my Daddy and smile. "We're all going to be Ninja Turtles though, but there's only four of them. I don't want him to feel left out."

"Don't worry about that, Orion." Ray says. I turn my eyes to him and then back to Garrett, like I'm watching a tennis match. "He loves doing face paint so that will be more than enough."

Someone announces that the food is ready inside and we all head in. Garrett holds my hand the entire time as we wait in the line. The group of people form a line around the dining room table, where all the food is set up, and start moving in a clockwise motion so everyone can grab what they want.

Garrett hands me a plate and dishes out the food for myself and him. There is chicken breasts or strips of steak, mixed veggies, and baked macaroni and cheese. There's also a large pan of banana pudding in the fridge.

Austin is waiting at the end of the food line for me. "Do you want to eat outside or we can go eat in the living room?"

I look at Garrett, but he just nods. "Do whatever you want, honey. I'll be outside on the patio if you need me, okay?"

"Okay." He kisses me quickly before he grabs a plastic fork and heads back outside. I grab a fork as well and turn to Austin.

"There are drinks in this cooler, if you're thirsty," he offers. "We have water or soda. Da— I mean, Remi doesn't like to have alcohol when we have events like this." Austin steps closer to me. "But there are also juice boxes in the fridge if you want to grab one of those."

I'd love to grab a juice box, but I stick with water instead. There are a few people sitting in the living room. Not many, but the seats are all taken so I move to sit on the floor next to Quinton. Austin starts introducing me right away. "This is Wendy, Remington's sister. Their mom and who I consider my mom too, Gwendolyn. And, finally, Terry, Wendy's son. The rest you already know."

I wonder if any of Austin's family is here. I don't know anything about his personal life. Outside of the Little thing, that is, so I don't ask. I greet each person, making small talk as we all eat. There's a show on the TV, volume low, that catches my attention. It's some sitcom that I've heard of but I haven't actually seen. It's funny though and soon conversation dies out and we're all laughing along with the audience.

I get more comfortable as the next hour passes. Remington's family, especially his mom, is great. It makes me wonder if I'll meet Garrett's family one day, but I push that thought to the side. We've really only been together for a month now. After I finish my food, I head outside to see what Garrett is doing. He's sitting at the table with the others, some I understand are employees of Remington's company. They all greet me and I introduce myself while standing behind Garrett's chair.

There is some small talk for a few minutes before Garrett pulls me down so he can whisper in my ear. "I'm sure everyone is going to be leaving soon. Do you still want to stay?"

"Yes, please." I'm kind of excited to hang out with the others. They're all really nice and we've been getting along so far.

"Okay." He kisses the side of my head and I stand back up, catching Remington's eyes. He offers a knowing smile.

It's another half an hour before it's just our group left at the house. Austin and Remington disappear into the playroom and the others all find their own rooms to change into as well. Garrett leads me to the bathroom on the second floor, bag in hand. I let him undress me and watch him pull out the outfit I chose for tonight.

"Do you want the underwear or diaper? I brought both just in case." Garrett holds both up and I think about it. I don't know if any of the others will be wearing one or not, but I really like the way the diaper feels.

"Diaper?"

"Honey, is that a question or answer?" Garrett looks at me and I bite my bottom lip, thinking hard. Probably overthinking it. I know Garrett can see that on my face. "No one is going to judge you for whatever you choose. I promise that."

"Diaper, please." My voice is still low, but a definite answer. He puts the underwear back in the bag and finishes undressing me until I'm standing naked in front of him. I giggle a little because Daddy has to figure out how to get the diaper on while I'm standing up. After a minute, he secures it and grabs my pants. It's a PJ set, black background with white bunny heads with long ears sticking straight up on the shirt and pants.

Daddy gives me a kiss when my head pops out of the shirt and it makes me giggle. I can feel the stress of meeting new people, of the thought of being Little around others, falling away. Daddy kisses me once more, deeper and longer. He tastes like the steak he had for dinner, mixed with something sweet. It's only then I remember there was dessert. I pull back and look at him, pursing my lips.

"I didn't get no banana pudding."

Daddy's face flashes with confusion before he laughs loud enough anyone outside the door can hear him. "Did you taste that?" I nod and it makes him laugh more. I was going for pouty, but Daddy's laugh makes me laugh and he cups my head in his hands and kisses me once more. It's heated and he backs me against the door so I can't move. He kisses me until I'm breathless.

There's a knock on the door that interrupts us and I jump into Daddy's body. "Ray's Boy is here for face paint now, if you were planning on coming out of the bathroom at all tonight."

My cheeks go red, but Daddy shakes his head at Remington's words. He turns back to the bag sitting on the toilet. I realize now that I probably should have gone potty, but I can wait a bit. I want to get my face painted.

"Okay, Orion. If you need it, I also brought your bottle and paci. Just let me know. I'll keep them with me. Here is your sloth and there's some of your blocks in there, too."

"Yes, Daddy."

We finally meet everyone downstairs. The others are already in the living room, sitting on the rug playing. Austin is wearing a koala onesie. Luke has on a pair of red shorts with a blue shirt that has a picture of Superman. Quinton has on what I'm assuming is a onesie that looks tie-dyed with a pair of black shorts. There's a new guy sitting with them who has varying paint colors around him.

"Orion," Ray says. "This is Elijah."

"You can call me Eli, though," he says. He’s older, which makes sense since Ray is older too. Not that there’s anything wrong with an age gap, because Daddy and I have one too. He smiles brightly though and holds out his hand to shake. "It's nice to meet you. Are you ready to get your face painted?"

"Yes, please."

We all take turns getting something done. Instead of the full mask like the actual Ninja Turtles, because Eli didn’t bring enough of the orange color with him, we all get the color on the corner of our eyes and get an animal drawn on our cheek. I go with a sloth, like the one Daddy got me at the store.

When we're all finished, Eli packs up his things and disappears upstairs with his Daddy. I'm aware that Daddy and the others are watching us from the kitchen, but I try to keep from looking, to reassure myself that Daddy is still there. Austin has all sorts of stuffies and toys for us to share, but the others have brought things to share as well.

There is a big castle with a dragon who has eyes that light up and a prince and princess. The others have their own stuffies as well as a doll, or something to bring to the play scene. I join in, choosing to be the horse. Quinton is a unicorn and Luke has a knight with a sword. Eli is in control of the drawbridge that goes up and down.

We all storm the castle, fighting Austin's dragon to get the prince and princess. There are sound effects of us throwing fireballs or clashing swords together and Austin is shouting, pretending his dragon is hurt as he falls dramatically to the floor, like we actually hurt him. As he's laying like a starfish on the floor, his tongue poking out to signal he's dying, we all laugh. He's laughing too, which defeats the purpose of him pretending that we've beat the dragon.

"Oh thank you for rescuing us!" Eli says in a high-pitch tone. It makes all of us laugh harder as he stands up and twirls around with both dolls, pushing them together and making kissy noises. He lowers his voice, now the prince. "Yes, thank you. Now, do you mind if we use you to get back home?"

I offer up my horse and Eli takes it, fitting both dolls on the back and galloping around the room.

We move from castles and dragons to making stories with our stuffies. Austin introduces me to all five of his— Koka, Kola, and Barry who are in a bear-some as he calls it and then Pam-da and Elle who are also together— and explains each of their stories. Quinton shows off his kangaroo stuffie, Luke his teddy bear. Carly and Jewel named accordingly.

Eli doesn't have his stuffie, but he does have his blanket. It's a light gray with a seal head attached to the middle. It's not that big, but it's cute. It reminds me of mine at home.

At Daddy's, not home.

We play for another hour. Daddy brings me out a small bowl of banana pudding at one point and I sit and watch the others play while I eat. I make a bit of a mess and walk into the kitchen to grab a napkin, but Daddy is prepared. He wets a napkin and cleans off my face while the others continue their conversation. They're talking about something with the club, I think. Something to do with Valentine's Day.

"Do you want anything to drink, baby?" Daddy asks when he finishes cleaning me off.

"Yes, please. Juice?"

"Do you want it in your bottle?" Daddy asks the question low enough I'm not sure if the others heard it.

"I should probably ask the others if they want anything," Remington says. "I'll be right back."

Daddy is still looking at me, waiting for a response. "Um, the juice box is fine."

Daddy cups my face in his hand and I lean into it automatically. "Baby, are you sure?"

I'd like the bottle. A juice box is fine and even a sippy cup, but I much prefer my bottle. I dip my head just slightly, but Daddy uses his hand to make me look at him. "Bottle, please."

"That's my good boy," Daddy says with a wide smile. I can't help but return it. Hearing him call me a good boy makes me happy. "Go back to play and I'll bring it to you."

"Thank you, Daddy."

I catch Rachel's words before I'm out of the kitchen. "He's adorable, Gare."

"He's perfect," Daddy says in response.