Page 18 of Lance & Clayton

There was a silence on the other end before he spoke. “Boys laugh and cry, but that’s how a boy’s life is. The world is cruel and you can’t protect them from it every time, but as long as your boy knows you’re there when he needs you, you’re a good Daddy.”

John was so wise when it came to these things. No wonder he was the best Daddy I knew.

“Well, he did come to me when the world was cruel to him, so I hope that means he trusts me with his problems. But how do you do it, John? How do you live with yourself knowing that you cannot protect your boy from everything?”

“I take life one day at a time, and that is what I teach my boy. You may not be able to protect him from everything, but you can help him become strong and brave enough to face the world. My boy had some unreasonable fears when we fell in love, but together we worked on them and now he’s a much happier boy than he was before. So love your boy and make sure he comes to you with his problems.”

I knew John was right. The reason Clayton was hesitant to come to me for help was apparent. When it came to trusting, we weren’t there yet. He considered his problems too big for me to handle. I only hoped that with time he understood how much Daddy loved him, that no problem was too big to come to me.

“Thank you, John. You’ve been helpful as always.”

“Goodbye, uncle John,” I heard Michael say in the background. “Daddy told me about Clayton and I would love to show him my toys. Don’t forget to bring him over sometime.”

After hanging up, I went into the bedroom where Clayton was still asleep. It was almost time for lunch but I didn’t want to wake him because yesterday had been a very rough and tiring day for him.

When I turned around to leave, I heard his sweet voice. “Good morning, Daddy,”

“Good afternoon, more like.” I walked over to him and offered my hand. “Time to wake up, sleepyhead. Do you want to take a bath with Daddy?”

When he smiled, I took his hand and led him to the bathroom. Running a bath, I returned with his paci while he waited patiently. When I undressed him, I realized there was something sexy about having him stark naked while I stood there completely clothed. Maybe it was the power dynamics it represented.

He felt embarrassed about being the only one naked, but little did he know that he had the most beautiful body I had ever seen, lean yet muscular. I stood there staring at him for a moment as his cheeks turned redder.

"Daddy!" he said, looking away and covering his privates with his hands. "You're staring at me."

I shook my head and smiled, turning his head to face me. "I'm not. I'm just admiring how handsome my boy is. You don't have to be shy around your Daddy, bright eyes. Don't you remember the things we did in bed that day?"

"I do," he said, turning red and taking his hands off his crotch to reveal a semi. "I just find it arousing and I'm embarrassed."

So there was the truth. He found the power dynamics just as arousing.

"Fine, I'll get naked too." I swiftly undressed as he watched me. "Better now?"

He bobbed his head up and down, color returning to his cheeks before looking down and giggling at my semi.

I took his hand and checked the water before we stepped in and lay in the water. He had his head against my chest as he happily played with his squeaky toys. It was hard to believe he was the same boy who had cried his eyes out yesterday. But such was the beauty of slipping into Little headspace, that no matter how big the problem was, you blocked all your real-world problems and just relaxed, knowing that Daddy was going to take care of everything.

I found it outrageous that someone would go through the effort of raising a child for decades, only to disown them the moment they reveal they were born different. A part of me wanted to take Clayton with me and talk to his parents, tell them how bad their parenting was, that they didn't have to choose between their son and their religion. But I knew that would only make things worse and stress him out. Being disowned was very stressful for any boy. The only good thing that came out of it was him coming to live with me. I shuddered at the thought of Clayton coming out before he met me. He would've ended up homeless. Although he had me, I knew there were thousands of other men who were forced to survive on the streets after such an ordeal.

"How do you feel about living here, sweetheart?" I asked and I could see that he was surprised. "Is my boy happy?"

"Yes, very." He looked up at me and smiled. "It doesn't matter where I live. As long as I'm with my Daddy, I'm a happy boy."

Wasn't that all a Daddy wanted to be happy himself, his boy's happiness? But no matter how happy he was, I felt it was my duty to make him even happier. I happened to know just the right thing.

"I think I know someone whose company you'd enjoy, maybe even far more than mine."

"Impossible," he said, pushing his lips out in a pout and wrapping his arms around my chest. "Nobody could make me happier than my Daddy."

"How about another Little?" I asked and he instantly began wiggling excitedly in the water.

"Another Little, Daddy?" He asked, looking up at me with big eyes. "Do you mean your friend's boy, Michael?"

I nodded and chuckled at his inability to stay still. "Look at you all excited for your first playdate. I'll arrange one for you this weekend. I bet you'll forget all about your Daddy the moment you play with him."

He calmed down and giggled. "You're being silly, Daddy. You're my favorite person in the whole world, but Michael is a Little, like me. It isn't better or worse, just different."

He joined his hands pleadingly. "Can I take Dino with me? Pretty please? I don't want him to stay home alone and feel lonely. He'll think he's not my friend anymore. He's helped me through the dark and now I want him to be with me through my happy times."

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