"Man, I haven't seen you dumbasses since college!" exclaimed Denver, his tone light and playful.
The one who called out to him laughed loudly. "Yeah, we were dumbasses in comparison to you, Mr. Overachiever."
Denver approached them and gave each one a one-armed hug, squishing me between his friends. I didn't mind, but it was a bit odd. He greeted them all and asked how they were doing, so I learned their names.
"Who's the little one?" asked Terry, the one who had called out to my daddy dominant.
Denver rubbed my back, so I twisted around a bit to look at the group. Terry's eyes widened just like Jerry and Tom. I blushed and rubbed my left cheek on Denver's shoulder, clutching onto his shirt. A familiar feeling of shyness mixed with anxiety had made itself known thanks to meeting Denver's friends from college. I hope I don't embarrass him.
"Um, my name is Emil." I said softly, and Terry straightened.
"It's a pleasure to meet such an adorable boy." he said with a smile, holding out his right hand.
I stared at it for a moment, then slowly moved mine from Denver's chest and into Terry's much larger one. "Th-thank you. It's nice meeting you all, too."
Jerry grinned. "So, what's your relationship with Denver?"
I blushed and tucked my head against my daddy dominant's cheek. Denver chuckled and patted my back. "He's my—!"
Tom butted in, "We don't want to hear it from you. We wanna hear it from the cutie-pie."
My face burned. Am I really that cute?
Denver chuckled. "C'mon, baby, tell them what they want to hear." he murmured, so I nodded and turned my head again to look at the three big, tattooed guys.
But my nervousness was overwhelming. I don't want to mess up and make everyone mad. My heart was pounding like crazy, my breaths leaving through short gasps. Denver gently tousled my deep red waves with blond highlights and kissed my cheek, so those actions tipped me over the edge.
"U-um, Denny is..." I paused, moving my pointer finger in patterns across Daddy's chest. "Daddy is mine." I continued softly but firmly, too shy to meet the men's intense gazes.
Terry snorted a laugh. "You finally found your boy, huh?"
Daddy chucked again. "Indeed."
"What's with the bruises, though? I see some traces."
Tom's scrutinizing gaze made me feel ashamed for some reason. But now Daddy was tense, so I rubbed his chest to calm down and gently kissed his cheek. He exhaled harshly and hugged me tighter.
"Whoa, why that old face?" hissed Jerry. "Who the fuck pissed you off?"
I glanced at his soft brown eyes. "Mama and Papa."
Jerry's dark eyebrows shot up. "And what did they do?"
"Hurt me." I whispered, "While he was over at the house with Charlie, they hurt me again."
My daddy's friends froze. They turned their faces away from mine, but I could see that they were getting angry. Daddy kissed my head and told me not to worry, tucking my hands against his chest when I went to reach for Terry, Jerry, and Tom.
"I've started the process to get them in court. I'd prefer not to have to see you guys in there as well for a different reason." remarked Denver, so Tom released a heavy sigh.
"You're right, but that's just inexcusable. Look at how small and cute he is!" he exclaimed, thrusting his left hand out towards me. "How could anyone think to hurt him?"
I can't believe Tom would say such a thing. Again, I can't help questioning their opinion on my appearance. I've got the blond parts of my hair from my dad, the green eyes from my mom, and my red hair from her side of the family. Maybe it's just because I can see the images of my parents within me that I don't think I'm that cute or anything. I tucked my head under Denver's chin with a sigh. He rubbed my back in a comforting way.
In response to Tom's outburst, he chuckled and replied, "I am pleased you agree. And that is why Emil's parents will be facing the consequences."
"How old are you, Emil?" asked Jerry, and confusion flickered across my face.
"Little age or real age?" I asked quietly, so he shrugged. I rubbed my cheek on Denver's shoulder and responded, "Um, I'm twenty-two. Usually I'm anywhere between six and ten when I'm calm or happy, but I can get down to four or five years of age in little-space if I'm really panicked or scared."
"You're so small in comparison to us big guys, too." added Terry, holding his hand up next to my small one. He was right.
Tom asked, "How tall are you, cutie?"
"Um, last I checked I was an inch under five feet."
Denver cooed, "You are so tiny, my little boy."
I blushed and clutched onto his broad shoulders. My heart pounded and my body felt flushed from his words. I'm so happy that Denver isn't bothered by my petite, slender frame.
"So why are you here?" asked Denver.
His friends shrugged, then Jerry replied, "No particular reason."
Denver didn't seem to be convinced, but he chose not to press the subject. Terry asked if we were on a date, and Denver nodded. "A date, and to get some clothes and other items for Emil."
Terry scrunched his eyebrows together, lifting them quite high on his forehead. "What happened to his other clothes?"
Denver hugged my form a bit more firmly, pressing his lips to my head until a harsh sigh escaped his mouth. "If you're not busy, we can talk while we walk to the next store."
His friends silently agreed, so I half listened to them talk while I snoozed in Denver's arms, perfectly content and equally safe. It didn't take more than a few minutes to arrive at the place Denver wanted to bring me.
"Sweetheart," murmured Denver, and I hummed sleepily. "Take a look at where we are."
I weakly lifted my head and rubbed my eyes, a soft yawn on my lips. "Mmkay, Daddy."
He kissed my head and I was able to absorb some energy from it. I opened my eyes, my gaze flickering over the fuzzy shapes. My eyes widened when my vision cleared.
"P-plushies?" I whispered, then looked at Denver.
He grinned. "Yes, baby. Pick out whatever you want. Try to limit it a bit, though."
I tilted my head, then grinned and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Daddy."
"You're welcome, sweetheart. I'll be close by, so don't worry and just wander around. Terry, Jerry, and Tom will be here, too."
The three waved at me, so I beamed as I waved back. Daddy grasped my fingers and kissed them, then set my feet on the floor. I hugged his waist, then rushed towards a giant teddy bear in the middle of the store. It was taller than Daddy! I stared at it for a few seconds, then bounded away to a different section.
I don't need a teddy bear bigger than Daddy 'cause he's my teddy bear.
I wandered down one aisle with turtle plushies, remembering Turtle. I smiled to myself but turned my head. Turtle was in a good home now. Hopefully, he won't have to see scary stuff like in my old house. My gaze jumped around to every animal I could see, then I found an odd one. It looked like a deer mixed with a zebra.
I picked it up and noticed it was maybe eight inches tall while admiring the legs and hind end on it. Was it a real animal?
"That is an okapi," explained Tom, his voice making me jump in place. He apologized for scaring me, but I wasn't upset.
"Really?" I asked, looking back at it. "What a strange-looking creature."
"Yes, it's certainly unique and different." he commented, lifting a small gazelle off one of the lower shelves.
I tucked it under my arm. "Thanks for telling me." I said with a happy smile, then rounded the corner of the next aisle.
This new aisle was filled with different teddy bears of many designs and colors, ranging from real animals with "bear" in their names to colored bears with patterns all over them. I found a really soft and silky koala plushie that I couldn't keep my hands off for two seconds. It reminded me of Panda with how silky-soft it is to the touch. I collected that one, then made my way down another aisle across the store.
"Huh," I muttered, lifting one long snake plushie. It was kind of like a boa constrictor in terms of length and width, but it was black with blue spots.
I put that plushie back down and kept looking around. I hadn't seen Denver yet, but I knew he was nearby. Tom was most definitely keeping an eye on me, which I appreciated greatly, especially after that kidnapping attempt before lunch.
"Not feeling it anymore?" asked Jerry, stopping at my left side.
"It's great, but I'm kinda lost. I feel like I haven't found one I really, really like. Although the koala is in first place right now."
Jerry held out his hand, so I grabbed a couple fingers and let him lead me to the back wall of the store. My eyes immediately zeroed in on something. I rushed over and scrambled onto my knees, reaching into the darkness of the bottom shelf at the back. Jerry stepped over to me quickly, but I was just pulling the plushie out as he arrived. I hugged it tightly, kissing its black nose.
"What's going on?" asked Daddy, so I turned to look at him with teary eyes. He rushed to my side and hauled my body into his arms. "Baby, what's wrong?"
"Look, Daddy." I whispered, unfolding my arms to present an exact match to a plushie from my past. "Tigre came back to me, just like I thought he would."
Daddy breathed a sigh of relief and held me close. "You're happy?"
"Yes, Daddy. I'm so, so, so happy." I beamed, tears sliding down my face. "Thank you, Daddy, for bringing me here. And thanks for leading me to Tigre, Jerry."
Jerry rubbed the back of his neck, shaking his head in silence. I knew what that meant.
Daddy kissed my cheeks. "Baby, why is this plushie different from Panda?"
My tears dried while I wiped my eyes. "Tigre is special, Daddy. He wasn't with me for long, but he came from someone very special."
My daddy squeezed my form. "He wasn't from Charlie?"
I shook my head. "Mama and Papa got angry and ripped him to shreds, so I was sad for a long time. That person never came back, so Mama and Papa were happy about it."
Stroking my fingers over Tigre's white and black-striped head made me smile. Golden eyes stared back at me. I kissed my tiger plushie's nose again.
"Why were they so upset?"
"He was my first boyfriend. Papa didn't want to accept it and Mama was filled with shame. I regressed rapidly after graduation 'cause Mama and Papa knew that I was better in my little mind. I wasn't thinking bad thoughts or wanting to be with a boy. I was just...me. And even then they didn't like me." I whispered, my eyes filling with tears once more.
Denver's hand cupped the back of my head, then gently kissed my forehead. Tears of sorrow slipped down my cheeks, along the curve of my jaw, then they dripped onto Tigre's head. I rested my head on Denver's shoulder, my inner pain starting to fade as he held me close to him. I could feel his heartbeat underneath my fingers and I could hear his soft breaths.
"Sweetheart, are you ready to go home?"
"Yes, Daddy." I whispered, then felt the other two plushies being given to Denver.
"Denver, we'll catch up with you and your boy another day. See you later."
Denver thanked his friends and waved them off, then carried me over to the register. I could feel the cashier's eyes on my huddled form, but I didn't want to move. Denver took Tigre and the two other plushies, then set them on the counter. The cashier rang each one up and placed them in bags. However, she left one out and stuffed it into my arms.
My grip tightened on Tigre and I snuggled deeper into Denver's arms with a soft smile on my lips. He chuckled and whispered a quiet thank you to the woman, then walked briskly out of the store. Denver rubbed my back, silently comforting me as he made his way down the escalator and towards the front doors of the mall.
"I won't let them harm you ever again." stated Denver, his firm, confident tone making me smile.
I rubbed my cheek on his shoulder. "I know, Daddy. I know, and thank you."
Denver went to say something, but he paused and formulated his thoughts. He tried again and uttered, "When we get home, and after you nap, please tell me what happened four years ago for you to become a caged, shut-in little."
"Yes, Daddy, it's definitely time to tell you. May we cuddle on the couch while I explain?"
"Of course, my baby boy. I adore cuddle time with you."
I kissed his neck, my face warm from his compliment. "I really enjoy cuddle time with you too, Daddy."
Denver's skin warmed up, but that could've been the mid-afternoon sun bearing down on us. He almost started jogging to get to his SUV, then unlocked it and tossed the bags into the backseat. Denver settled my form in the passenger seat and pecked my lips after he buckled me into place. I hugged Tigre and closed my eyes, exhaustion getting the best of me.
Denver climbed into the driver's seat and buckled himself in, then started up his vehicle and began to carefully back out of the parking spot. I stared tiredly at my daddy dominant's handsome profile, but I smiled when his ice-blue eyes started searching my face.
"I like you so much, Daddy." I whispered, closing my eyes and drifting off before I could hear Denver's response.
So, in the next chapter, we finally get to hear how it all happened and why Emil was treated in such a way.
Anyone excited, but also kind of sad/worried?
See you again next Saturday. I love you all very much. <3
- Alessa (Kelpie) xoxo
Updated: 10/22/2022
Word count: 2456