A/N: kind of an after-the-fact chapter.
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I closed the door, heart all but beating out my chest.
Daddy?
I ran a hand over my face. This was insanity! I wasn't his father! And how did we get to this point? I paced the hallway a few times. Part of me wanted to wake Puppy up and demand he end this nonsense. But I'd been very careful with him since the Incident. And that I mean the dislocating of his jaw.
We had quickly made a silent pact not to bring it back up. Out of sight out of mind right? Maybe this was him acting out. I had dismissed the entire happening and he's allowed me to.
I wondered if he even thought about it anymore. He couldn't have forgotten--he wore my bruises for nearly a week.
I scrubbed my hand over my face. It was my fault. I'd encouraged the behavior. But the fact I didn't call him out immediately was damaging. Puppy had said it without a though, burying himself into his bed.
His face was peaceful--clearly he was okay with the D-word.
I needed to talk to someone. I was overwhelmed and unsure. I went to my office grabbing the land line in one hand a bottle of beer in the other. As I dialed the first number that came to mind--Kyle's--I put the bottle down.
I wasn't Connor. I wasn't going to drink to solve my problems.
Kyle answered on the fourth ring sounded breathless and annoyed. "Hello?"
"Are you busy?" My tone was strained and quiet. Like this conversation required utmost secrecy.
"Scott? Are you alright?"
"Are you busy?" I repeated with added urgency.
"Uh, I was kind of in the middle of something--"
In the background I could hear Bailey calling for him. "You can't leave me high and dry Master!"
"One sec," muttered Kyle. "Bailey! Shut up and go back the room. I want you face down."
My stomach was twisting uncomfortably. A rush of emotions ran through me and I couldn't decipher a single one. "Hey Scott--you still there?"
"He called me Daddy."
"And there goes my erection--thanks Scott."
"Seriously Kyle. I don't know what to do."
"Is that not something you do?" Kyle asked somewhat flatly.
I felt bad for ruining his night but I was currently experiencing a new ended dry spell so it was hard to sympathize. "No! We're not...like that."
Kyle scoffed. "Please Scott."
"What do you mean?" I asked aggressively.
"Well you encourage him to embrace his childish side--no doubt due to the guilt from your little accident--and then are surprised when he views you as he does."
"I'm his Dom."
"You're his father."
"I am not."
"Well not literally no. But you're the father figure he's always wanted. You give him love and attention. You do the little shit like tucking him into bed. You can't be surprised Scott."
"When you say it like that..."
"Master!"
"Lord help me," Kyle muttered. "Give me a minute. I'll be back."
The minute was closer to five as Kyle no doubt 'finished up'. "Sorry," he grunted as he got back. "Where were we?"
"Daddy."
"Oh right. So why are you so upset?"
"I'm not cut out to be that. And I'm not sure I want to be. Maybe I'm not the best fit."
"Oh stop it," sneered Kyle. "If you didn't care you wouldn't have called me. You wouldn't have done all you could to cater to his needs. You're a good Dom Scott--and a good man. Puppy's a good boy. You two deserve each other. I can't see you giving up on him."
"So I'm supposed to raise him now?" I asked, exasperated.
"Not all the time. I've seen amazing changes in Puppy. When he's out there doing his chores he's responsible and passionate. He's grown up. You should be honored he feels so safe and trusting with you after all you've put him through."
All I've put him through. "I don't know how he can do it."
"Sure you do. The same way you're going to do this for him. You love him and he loves you. I don't expect you to snap right to your Daddy-duty of course--this area is something I know nothing about. But I do know of someone in the area you can talk to. He's not quite into the whole ageplay community but rather on the outskirts with his own set up with his sub--kind of like you."
I groaned a bit. "I just don't know. Maybe I can find him a caretaker, you know?"
"Just talk to him first. I think you guys can really connect. You got a pen?"
I wrote down the number and Kyle excused himself from the conversation after Bailey's voice travelled to me yet to let Kyle know he was 'ready for round two'.
I sucked on my teeth a bit before hesitantly dialing the number. Someone picked up the second ring. "Hello?"
I hung up immediately heart beat in my throat. I sat in silence for a moment but jumped when my phone rang. The caller ID said it was Glenn Samson. It was the same number I had called. I swallowed back my fears and answered the phone.
"Scott King."
"Hey--did you just call?"
"Uhm I did, yeah."
Awkward silence stretched between us. Glenn spoke against sounding annoyed. "Okay, great--why?"
I swallowed dryly. I was parched. I didn't some water. I...was stalling. "Okay," Glenn said after a minute. "Great. Have a good night Scott King."
"No wait!" I cried before he could hang up. "Kyle gave this number."
"Kyle? Why?"
"He thinks that you could, uhm, tell me a bit about-about your lifestyle."
"Oh." Glenn sounded astonished. "Okay. Sorry for being so rude--it's been a long day."
"You and me both," I muttered.
"So what questions do you have?"
"All of them! I mean--I don't think I can do it, you know?"
"One hundred percent. I didn't go through my Cultures course where I first heard about the abdl lifestyle and think--yup. That's for me alright!--I just happened into it."
"H-how?"
"Well--let me know if this sounds familiar--I bought my sub from a Trading Post. They're slightly better than an Auction house was almost equally terrible. Jenny was raised there to be the perfect slave--and she was. But the longer I had her the more peculiar she got. She liked to buy toys when grocery shopping and acted immaturely. I thought she was acting out but when I sat her down about it she got really upset. She said she wasn't sure why she acted the way that she did but she hated that she missed out on the 'fun' part of her life. Childhood. I loved her and while I wasn't looking to be Daddy-Dom it was something she needed. I knew that I needed to support her in any way and every way she needed. So we sat down and made a plan. During the day she was my Big-Jenny. At night my Little-Jenny. It worked for a while but she began to do it less and less. Lately she's only Little-Jenny every once in a while."
"Puppy acts like a kid."
"I saw some doctors about it a few times and they said childhood development was essential for a healthy adult. And me letting her live through it made her all the better. Now she hardly feels the need to revert back--she got her childhood and I got to see her blossom into the wonderful woman she is today."
I bit my lip. I felt ridiculous. I hardly knew this man yet he was spewing off his entire life to me. "I'm telling you this because I know you must care about this Puppy very much to be calling someone despite how uncomfortable the situation makes you."
"So you think I can do if?"
"For sure. Of course you're not going to get up tomorrow morning and immediately know what to do. It's a role you really have to ease yourself into. Your sub has been easing himself into it for some time most likely. It's the little things we miss. Like unusual attachment...fits... You know."
"So I should ease into it? It's that simple?"
"Of course not. The hard part will be letting yourself be okay with this. You need to address it with Puppy and make sure he knows you support him. He need the stability to grow past this point. However allowing a full time headspace will make this worse. You don't do you?"
"Headspace?"
"When he acts like a kid--how old is he, do you think?"
"Eighteen."
"Mentally," chuckled Glenn. "My Jenny is about six--the same age she was brought to the Trading post from the group home."
"Oh. I'm not sure."
"Get sure. You have to know them better than they know themselves.
Especially if you want to help them through the process."
I murmured quietly and thought about if. "I hope I was helpful?"
"You were."
"Okay good. Call me at any time you she questions. We can meet up if you'd like? I've been told I have a knack for guessing headspace age."
I blinked. "You wouldn't mind?"
"I'm sure Jenny would love to play with someone new and it's always
nice to have an adult conversation you know?"
Did I ever.
"What about Saturday afternoon?"
"That works for me. How does one sound?"
"Perfect. Do you know where the duck pond is?"
"Off interstate 34B or the one on the turnpike?"
"34B."
"I do. Jenny loves it. That sounds great. We can meet by the pond?"
"Great. Puppy loves animals so he'd enjoy seeing the ducks."
Glenn laughed. "You're thinking like a Daddy-Dom already."
I hung up and sat a moment. We had to talk of course. Before Saturday. It was time to talk about what I'd done to to home over much I wanted to forget the whole thing.
We needed to get on the same page and make a plan.
I got up and went to check on Puppy. I opened the door soundless. He was asleep already, seeming to disappear into his pile of stuffed animals. His face was still but the smile there was genuine. He was so happy.
My stomach felt a bit warm and I felt calmer. It was worth it to know that he was so happy. I stepped in and kissed his forehead.
"I love you too buddy."
QOTC: is the plot moving too fast? Am I rushing? (I have a tendency to do that)