The tension in my chest eased at the sound of his voice, and it was as if all my worries flew away. “Hi, sweet baby, I missed you too. I have one more project I need to start, but it should only take a few hours. I could stop by tonight and bring over some dinner. Would you like that?”
Tristan let out a little squeal of excitement. “Yes, please, Daddy, that sounds amazing. I have a couple more plushes I need to make today, but thankfully they’re small, so I should definitely be able to finish before dinner!”
“That sounds great, baby. I’m so proud of you. Have you eaten lunch?”
Tristan giggles, “You’re such a Daddy. I love it, and yes, I just finished eating a sandwich before you called.” Just as I was about to speak, he added, “And yes, I made sure to have somefruit on the side, and there were spinach and tomatoes on the sandwich.”
Pride filled my chest at how well my boy already knew me. “Good job, baby. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water and to take breaks to stretch your hands.”
I knew Tristan was a competent adult and had no doubt he could care for himself. During one of our phone calls, Tristan mentioned that he sometimes gets distracted while working, and he greatly appreciated my checking in on him. During times like this, when he didn’t necessarily need the reminder, he said he still enjoyed me asking because it reminded him that I cared for him. At first, I worried I’d be too much, but Tristan soaked up my care like a dying plant, and I loved every second of it.
“Thank you for the reminder, Daddy. I have my water sitting next to me, and when we hang up, I’ll do some wrist stretches. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, sweetie. I’m going to let you go now so we can both get back to work, but I’ll be at your place with a yummy dinner around six, and I can’t wait to see you.”
“Bye, Daddy. See you soon.”
Feeling renewed from talking with my sweet boy, I cleaned up from my lunch and headed back outside to my workshop.
After seeing how much Tristan liked to stack the blocks I made him, I knew I’d be making more as soon as I could. Besides, my boy was not the only one who liked them; those blocks were my best seller at the fair. Even though it was barely the end of summer, now was the perfect time to start making multiple batches for the holiday season. David was always fairly busy withhis clients, so anytime I needed him to paint any of my projects, I made sure he had weeks, if not months, to prepare. I didn’t want him to feel pressured to finish my commissions while also working on others, so I planned ahead to ensure he wouldn’t have to rush.
I spent the next couple of hours measuring and marking the wood to cut the blocks, then sanding each piece so they were ready to paint. I’d make sure that Tristan got another hand-painted set, but for the time being, I set aside fifteen blocks to spray paint in similar colors to the dragon set in his playroom.
Grabbing all the necessary equipment, I got started and covered each block in the colors that matched the set. Thankfully, it only took an hour or so to spray each block, and they’d be ready for me to apply a protective sealant the next day.
By the time I got everything cleaned up, it was time to get ready and head over to Tristan’s apartment. As I got dressed, I shot Tristan a quick text.
Hey sweetheart, I’m about to leave to grab dinner. Would Ellery like to eat with us?
I was grabbing my keys and headed out the door when my phone buzzed in my pocket.
Yes please. We’ve both been swamped, and you bringing dinner is honestly a lifesaver.
I’m glad I could help, sweetheart. Send me your orders, and I’ll be there soon.
Not even half an hour later, I was knocking on Tristan’s door with bags of food. I stopped by my favorite Chinese takeoutand grabbed possibly way too much food. If we weren’t able to finish it all, I’d make sure to put it away so my boy would have leftovers.
Tristan opened the door and nearly launched into my arms, but thankfully, he noticed my hands were full and backed away just in time. “Yay, you’re here! Hi, Daddy, let me help you.” I made my way past him and headed for the kitchen. “Thank you, sweetheart, I’ve got it. Why don’t you and Ellery get washed up and pick a show on the TV, and I’ll get our food set up. But first come here.”
Tristan practically bounced after me. Once I was in the kitchen, I set all the bags on the counter and turned around to pull my boy into my arms. Tristan gasped in surprise, and I took the opportunity and bent down, capturing his mouth with mine. I wasted no time deepening the kiss and plunged my tongue into his eager mouth. Tristan’s body melted against mine as our tongues moved together.
When we finally came up for air, Tristan’s eyes were glassy, and his face was flushed. He looked absolutely wrecked. My brain chose that moment to remember our clean test results, and it was all I could do to keep from scooping him up and sliding inside his tight hole with nothing between us. I took a deep breath to calm myself and pressed a soft kiss to his already swollen lips.
“Go get ready for dinner, sweetie.” Tristan let out a soft whine of frustration, making me tap his left butt cheek. It wasn’t quite hard enough for a smack, but it still made my boy’s eyes widen, and his breath quicken. “Now, boy. Go get ready, we’ll haveplenty of time for Daddy to play with you later.” Tristan took a deep breath to calm himself. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Good boy.” I placed one last kiss on his forehead and got started on the food. I headed into the living room and placed Ellery and Tristan’s meal on the coffee table and mine on the end table closest to where I’d be sitting.
“Hi Daniel, thanks for the food.” I looked up, and Ellery was standing at the end of the hallway. They were wearing a loose-fitting purple satin shirt that hung low to their mid-thigh, and underneath were black leggings. The sleep shirt looked incredibly soft, and I wondered if that was one of their own creations. I was distracted by all of Tristan’s stuffed animals at the fair, but the quick glimpses I got of Ellery’s work were marvelous.
“You’re welcome, Ellery.” I pointed to their shirt. “Did you make it? That’s a gorgeous color, and it looks really comfortable.”
Ellery’s eyes widen in surprise at my random question, but then their eyes light up. “I did actually. It’s super soft.” They sat on the other side of the couch and grabbed the remote. I headed toward the kitchen but then turned toward Ellery. I wasn’t sure what they would want. I know that Tristan and Ellery spend most of their evenings together regressed, and I didn’t want them to feel like they couldn’t be themselves just because I was over. I wanted to help put them at ease.
“Hey Ellery, I’m going to grab our drinks. Would you like a glass, or is there a special cup you would like to use?”
Their cheeks flushed at my question. “If you’re sure it’s okay, I have a princess sippy cup I’d like to use. It’s in the same cabinetas Tristan’s.”
I smiled, overjoyed that Ellery seemed to be warming up to me, especially. “Of course, I’m more than okay with it.” At that moment, Tristan walked in wearing the most adorable two-piece pajama set that was covered in dragons. “Why don’t you b-” I cut myself off and then turned to Ellery.
