6. Axel

Chapter 6

Axel

Axel felt different walking down the main Eagle Ridge strip. Despite having walked up and down the main parade of stores and cafes a thousand times before, this time felt different. And there was one reason for it too…

Arlo.

Axel felt a surge of pride come over him as he walked alongside the happy, confident young man who he had very recently come to know. There was no denying the fact that being around Arlo brought out another side to Axel.

However Axel also knew that this was a short-term thing. The boy was only passing through town and would soon enough be on his travels once more. There was no point getting attached in any real sense of the word. Axel was determined to enjoy this precisely for what it was.

I get to hang out with a sweet young man…

Help him out, make him feel safe .

That's all it is.

Axel couldn't help but smile though as he caught Arlo looking at the pair of them in the bookstore window's reflection. For the briefest of moments, Axel imagined that Arlo was considering what the pair of them would look like as a couple – or as Daddy and Little.

Such thoughts might be fun for Axel to contemplate, but he simply wasn't going to allow himself to dream or live in a fantasy land. Axel was a practical man who lived in reality, and that was the way he was going to keep things too.

So rather than dwell on an impossible future with Arlo, Axel decided to take control of the situation and get the pair of them to The Hot Plate for some breakfast. And once they were done there, Axel and Arlo could head to the repair store and collect Arlo's refurbished tent.

‘This way, boy,' Axel said, motioning across the street. ‘It's time to hit Max's and learn what a real pancake tastes like…'

‘Hey, I've tasted plenty of real good pancakes before,' Arlo said, sassily raising an eyebrow. ‘It takes a lot to impress me.'

‘Well quit talking and keep up,' Axel replied. ‘Because I know for sure you ain't tasted anything like these before.'

With that, the two of them crossed the street and made their way inside Max's place. As Axel held the door open for Arlo to enter, he was glad to see both Marshall and Dale were in the diner.

‘Boys, I'd like to introduce you to someone,' Axel said, closing the diner door behind him and walking with Arlo over toward Marshall and Dale as they slurped their milkshakes in the middle booth. ‘Boys, this is Arlo. Arlo, these are two young men who I think you might just like. I'm going to have a quick word with Max, and I'll have his finest breakfast pancakes sent over ASAP.'

‘Thanks, Axel,' Arlo replied, shyly taking a seat next to Dale and opposite Marshall.

Axel smiled and headed over toward the counter. While he would have loved to spend all of breakfast with Arlo, he figured that the boy would probably rather spend it with Marshall and Dale. After all, the two of them were fun-loving Littles and probably had a whole lot more in common with Arlo than he did.

Of course, the fact that Axel was now able to take his preferred seat at the counter and get some of Max's strongest coffee down him was merely an added bonus…

‘Usual?' Max asked, his broad smile and square jaw looking as perfect as ever.

‘Yup,' Axel replied. ‘Surely you don't even need to ask at this point?'

‘Normally, no,' Max replied, setting to work on making Axel a triple espresso. ‘But you don't show up with a cute as all hell boy every morning either. Who knows what you might want!'

‘Well, I'll have a large stack of breakfast pancakes for the boy,' Axel said. ‘With extra strawberries, extra syrup on the side, and… stick a few extra banana slices on there.'

‘You go it… Daddy ,' Max chuckled, knowing full well that any mention of the D-word would bring a frown of disapproval from Axel .

‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,' Axel grumbled. ‘It's not like that. He's passing through town and needed some help. I'm only doing what any decent man would do. You know me. Relationships ain't my thing. Not anymore.'

‘Times change, people move on,' Max said, handing Axel his piping hot espresso. ‘Seriously man, I think you're ready to try being a Daddy again. But… don't take my word for it. Look at him. He's already looking like he's been friends with Marshall and Dale for years…'

Axel could see that Max wasn't exaggerating.

As Axel turned on his stool and watched the three boys all giggling as they introduced their stuffies to one another, Axel felt his heart skip a beat. This wasn't like him. In fact, Axel couldn't remember the last time he felt like this.

Get a grip.

This isn't a Daddy and boy thing.

It can't be. It's just not possible.

Fortunately for Axel, his attention was soon taken by the sight of Kipp walking into the diner. And before long, the three Daddies were planning their next hike together. It was all set to be three Daddies, three canine companions, and a whole lot of high intensity walking.

‘I can't wait,' Max said, fist-bumping with Axel and Kipp. ‘But we might need to drag Axel away from the new boy though…'

‘Ha!' Kipp bellowed, briefly drawing the attention of his Little, Dale, along with Marshall and Arlo too.

Axel simply rolled his eyes and motioned for another coffee .

It was time to order some breakfast for himself and keep his mind off Arlo by planning precisely how he was going to kick both Max and Kipp's asses when the hiking would inevitably get competitive – Axel might not have had a Little to call his own, but his competitive and naturally dominant Daddy streak could never be called into question!

After finishing his breakfast, Axel was more than happy to wait for Arlo to wrap up his own hangout with Marshall and Dale. But that being said, Axel couldn't deny how happy he was when Arlo came over to him and said that he was ready to collect his tent.

And now the pair of them were back at Arlo's campsite and in the midst of getting everything set up once more…

‘I think they've done a great job fixing the tent,' Arlo said, smiling warmly as he impressed Axel with his tent erection skills. ‘I have to admit I was a little skeptical…'

‘I sensed you were,' Axel chuckled. ‘But I've been taking all my outdoor equipment to that place for years. I'm still waiting for them to miss the spot. They'll have the rest of your stuff ready by tomorrow.'

Arlo smiled and applied the finishing touches to the tent's small overhanging rain cover at the entrance. Axel could see that Arlo took great pride in setting everything up correctly and he had to admit that he couldn't have put the tent up better himself .

‘I had a good time with Marshall and Dale,' Arlo said, standing in front of the tent and placing his hands on his slender hips. ‘Thanks for introducing me to them. We had a lot in common. So… thanks .'

‘Don't mention it,' Axel replied. ‘Good job on the tent. But I think maybe you could have pulled the wind shield a bit tighter at the rear.'

‘I don't think I asked for your approval,' Arlo replied, pouting a little as he reluctantly craned his neck so that he could see whether Axel might have a point. ‘ Huh . Well. Whatever. I think it's perfect.'

Axel bristled at Arlo's sass, but at the same time he also wanted to laugh. Arlo might have been small, but he was packed with enough pride to power a steam train across the length and breadth of the state.

Arlo's get-up-and-go attitude was deeply impressive to Axel. A lot of the boys he'd come across were far too keen to simply let their Daddies do everything for them. That might have worked for a lot of couples, but Axel had always dreamed of a boy who would have that added spunk and determination to him. This would mean a little added sass and acting out at times, but Axel was happy with that thought too – anything that encouraged a little extra spanking or paddling was fine by him.

Quickly, Axel realized that he was doing it again. He was conjuring a future for him and Arlo. If the mere sight of the boy putting a tent up was causing Axel to contemplate his future with Arlo, then he knew that he had to wrap up their interaction as swiftly as he could .

While it might have been the last thing Axel actually wanted, he felt like it was just about time to say goodbye. But before he did that, his Daddy instincts couldn't quite resist offering his services to Arlo should he require them…

‘Remember, I'm only a phone call away,' Axel said, placing his hand on Arlo's shoulder. ‘If something goes wrong, you need help, or anything like that… you can call me and I'll be there.'

Axel wasn't sure if he'd come on too strong.

For a moment, there was an awkward tension between him and Arlo as their eyes met and held a shared gaze for a moment. Arlo quickly broke the ice however in customarily confident style.

‘Me, need help?' Arlo asked, a cocky smile on his face as he stepped away from Axel and paraded around the front of the tent. ‘Not likely. I graduated top of my intake in my military training. I'm pretty sure I can handle a night in the woods without the help of a… checks notes … gardener.'

‘Tree surgeon,' Axel replied, rolling his eyes. ‘And it was just an offer.'

‘I will accept an offer of breakfast tomorrow though,' Arlo replied, a look of hope in his face. ‘I mean unless you're too busy or whatever.'

‘Nope, that's good. I can do that,' Axel replied, his head momentarily spinning. ‘Yeah, why not.'

With that, Axel and Arlo half-hugged, half-air kissed, and half-fist pumped. It was a goofy moment, that was for sure. But as Axel turned and left the camp to make his way back down toward his car, he couldn't help but wonder… had Arlo just asked him out on a date?

Back at home, and Axel was feeling as relaxed as he had in a long while. It might have been in part down to the piping hot bowl of stew he'd just consumed. And certainly the two bottles of beer he'd glugged down would have played a part too.

But Axel knew that his overriding sense of happiness was down to something else. Or, to put it more accurately, down to some one else.

With Laser fast asleep in front of the fire, Axel's mind turned to Arlo. The thought of him all alone in his tent didn't worry Axel though. Far from it. Axel could tell that Arlo was capable of looking after himself, and he had the training to handle most natural safety issues that might crop up.

What was on Axel's mind was rather more to do with what was going on in his own imagination…

Axel took a gulp from his bottle of beer and slowly unbuckled his belt and raising his hips so that he could lower his jeans down toward his knees. With his cock already hardening inside his boxer briefs, Axel took another sip of the beer and began to let his mind wander to what he might do to Arlo if they were in his tent together.

Damn, he's hot.

Small, but strong.

Athletic but with all the right curves …

Axel began to imagine what a naked Arlo would look like. His strong shoulders, defined pecs, and not to mention his perfectly rounded butt cheeks…

‘Fuck,' Axel groaned, taking his rock-hard cock out of his boxers and beginning to stroke it, gradually increasing the pace as he conjured a multitude of scenarios involving him and Arlo together.

Axel knew that him and Arlo could never happen in reality, but this was all fantasy, and nothing could stop him as he worked his cock harder and harder until he reached his climax with thoughts of a naked Arlo inside his tent, on all fours, and presenting his booty for a very special Daddy inspection.

‘Now that was… interesting,' Axel sighed, satisfied from his climax but already feeling like he was going to miss Arlo when he departed Eagle Ridge.

Still, there was always breakfast tomorrow to look forward to.

Axel was determined to give Arlo the friendliest goodbye breakfast a boy could ever wish for. But what Axel wasn't banking on was the possibility that Arlo might not make it into Eagle Ridge after all…