“Nah,” I wave the dripping carrot stick in the air, “I’m good. You should go for it.”
I’m not unaware of the looks that Noah and Izzy share, but they don’t get it: I need to stay lean to stay fast on my skates. I’m agile, and it won’t stay that way if I weigh myself down with grease and cheese.
“Your loss,” Marshall tells me, oblivious to the silent conversation our friends are having. He grabs himself the second to last slice and munches down happily. “Mmm, pizza.”
***
“This was a great idea,” Justin tells me as I help him carry a bowl of salad to the outdoor table. It’s already laden with a couple other salads, scalloped potatoes, and the steaks and hot dogs hot off the grill.
Out in the tiny square patch of backyard, Owen squeals and pushes his little legs as hard as he can to outrun the college-aged guys “chasing” him for the ball in his arms. His little rounded cheeks are red from exertion, and his mop of red hair is plastered to his head from sweat, but he’s wearing a huge grin.
“Yeah,” I say as I watch my friends entertaining the kid, “thank you for having the guys over. They’ve been looking forward to it. Marshall especially.”
My Boy smiles and his gaze drifts over to watch the guys entertaining his son. Marshall has switched teams and is plantinghimself in between the other two and Owen, dramatically yelling “Run, O! Save yourself!”
Justin snorts. “He’s a big kid, too, huh?”
“Yep. He’s actually studying to be a grade-school teacher.”
“It suits him.”
"I think so, too." Marshall is a big goofball with a heart of gold who loves kids even more than I do.
“I’m surprised you didn’t have other plans for Labor Day, though,” Justin adds, still watching the guys horse around. “When I was in college, it seemed like everyone always took advantage of the holiday and partied hard. I mean, not me, because I had Owen, but…”
I shrug. “We’re not big on the party scene. I prefer to go to Kik if I want to dance, Noah has some social anxiety and prefers smaller gatherings, and Iz…well,” I look at the big guy, my lips quirking affectionately. “He’s not a people person. Not unless you’re in his circle.” I look back at Justin, whose own lips have turned down into an adorable frown. “Which you are now, by the way.”
He blinks in surprise. “What?”
“He wouldn’t have come to hang out if he didn’t like you. Izzy is one of those brutally honest types, you know?”
“So…him being here means he wants to be my friend?” There’s a hint of something in his voice which I would call his Little side, even if we haven’t really gotten to explore much of that since that first night at Kik.
“It does,” I nod, while ideas of how we can spend our night start to circle in my brain. We’ve prearranged for me to stay the night, with Owen’s grandparents picking him up later this afternoon.
As much as I enjoy having Owen around, I’m more than excited to get Justin to myself for the night. When we were planning theevening, we discussed an array of ways we could spend tonight, including exploring our dynamic as Daddy and Boy. And, now that Justinsoundslike he could be ready to regress, I hope that is what he wants to do tonight.
To be honest, I think he needs it. The past couple of weeks since the fall semester started, he’s been getting edgy. I don’t know if he’s got more of an issue with working with me than he originally let on, or if there’s more going on in his home life stressing him out than he has told me, but I think letting go and being Little will help ease some of that stress…assuming he wants to give it another go.
I wasn’t lying when I told him that I wanted to date him either way. He’s been so cute in calling me Daddy, but if he has changed his mind and that’s all he wants to do, that’s okay, too.
Still, that hasn’t stopped me from planning just in case.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks, pulling me out of my distracted musings.
“Tonight,” I answer honestly, and I love the way a pink blush spreads over his cheeks.
“I forgot what having a twenty-two-year-old libido is like.”
I can’t help snorting. “Uh, you’re not that much older than me, baby. But, no, I wasn’t thinking about sex.”Although…Images flicker through my mind and I smother a groan, willing my cock to stay down. “But, thanks; now I am. That’s your fault.”
He laughs, catching the guys’ attention. Marshall’s eyes light on the table and he cheers, “Food!”
“Go wash up first,” Justin and I say in unison, which makes Noah snort and even Iz smirks.
Owen leads the trio through the house and Justin asks, “Okay, but what were you thinking about, then?”
“I was thinking about the bag of stuff I have in my car,” I shrug, “and how I can’t wait to show you what I’ve bought you. I know you felt weird about being Little and using Owen’s stuff —which, y’know, totally fair— so I’ve bought Little Justin some stuff. But only if you want to try being Little again. No pressure.”
