Chapter 24

Grady

"You sink so deep so fast, baby boy." Alick gave a happy sigh as I nuzzled against his cheek as soon as he'd started to stir. "Can I tell you that I find it sexy without you starting to overthink it?"

Probably not, and his fuzzy-brained smile said he was thinking something similar. "I didn't get floaty on my own."

That didn't make as much sense as he thought it did, but I managed not to laugh. He seemed to get that without my having to point it out, though, because he sighed and scrunched his eyes closed again. "Your emotions, like after…after I used my diaper."

He'd actually said it.

I was impressed…especially when he kept going. "Your emotions made me good and floaty and then poof."

I was a bad Daddy and chuckled at the poof explanation, but he didn't seem to mind. "Poof, huh?"

Alick seemed to be feeling brave and opened his eyes again, so I gave him a kiss and smiled. "I like that, but you need to tell me if my emotions are affecting you too much."

I liked the way he found subspace so easily, but I didn't want to end up fucking with his emotions or his headspace.

Alick nodded, but his brows pulled together like he was thinking hard. "Maybe we just turn the sharing down a bit unless subspace is our goal? I like it but sometimes that might not be your plan?"

Making him upset about everything I didn't seem to know about being a dragon wasn't my goal, but damned if I knew how to respond to his suggestion. He seemed confident about what he'd said, but I had no idea what he was talking about.

After a few seconds of me blinking and probably looking stupid, he sighed. "Um, that's something everyone does differently too, huh?"

I managed a nod but I didn't want to break my boy after we'd had such a good morning. But Alick didn't freak out this time. Maybe because he felt so confident about it?

"Well, Carrick described it to Lorne like he was supposed to close his eyes and find their bond. It looks like a string or a wire or something like that." Pausing, he frowned like he was trying to remember their conversation. "Lorne seemed to be saying they got more vibrant and easier to sense once the full bond was in place."

Alick didn't look quite as sure about that point, but I decided anything dealing with his friends would be like that. Their version of reality didn't match anyone else's, so I couldn't blame Alick.

"Then you make the link brighter to magnify the connection and dimmer to make it so your mate can't hear your thoughts all the time." Alick gave me a sheepish grin and shrugged. "Because it's hard to be naughty that way. That was Lorne's explanation. I'm not naughty."

Well, we'd just say he wasn't as naughty as his friends.

"So let me get this straight." He was adorable but this was fascinating. "Bonds don't just come in loud and quiet, like feelings versus feelings and words. They're adjustable?"

Like the volume on a phone?

Alick nodded and kissed my cheek like I was cute before snuggling back against me and looking thoughtful. "Okay, I was thinking about this. How many grown-ups went west with you guys?"

"Not nearly enough." I tried to hold back my snark but my eyes rolled on their own.

Alick managed not to laugh as he stroked my chest and gave a faint shrug. "There was probably someone who was supposed to pass along the information but didn't get a chance. What do you know about your group's history?"

"Okay, let me think." Lying back down on the bed, I pulled him onto my chest and snuggled him close as he giggled at my manhandling. "I'm not even going to try to guess the dates. I didn't pay enough attention to the stories. Shit. I can tell you more about Whitehorse or Troy, the other town I grew up near in Montana."

Not helpful at all at the moment.

Alick smiled but curled into my chest and decided that using me as a pillow was better than giggling. "That's stuff you came across more often. It makes sense."

Maybe.

Okay, what stories had I been told? "I remember a few trappers going west. I remember someone—maybe one of my grandparents—talking about the decision to take one of the wagon trains. There was the expected hardship stuff. The bulk of the group stayed in Montana but some eventually split off and headed north again."

That part I knew better but it wouldn't help, so I kept grasping for more relevant information. "Most of our group bounced back and forth between the two areas over time. That's why I have relatives in both countries and why I have dual citizenship."

Alick made a thinking sound but waited while I tried to sort through the random stories I could remember hearing.

"There was a story about some people getting sick. I'm not sure what got warped over time and what's an accurate detail, but I think the main point was that anyone who had regular human DNA in them got sick too." I hadn't heard it told that way exactly, but since we hadn't come from Earth, that was how I thought they should've said it.

"I can't remember what disease everyone caught. I could randomly guess but I don't think it matters." And I'd just be randomly popping out ideas like we were playing that old Oregon Trail game. "So, I'm going to say that was when we lost the people who had the best knowledge."

"The younger ones probably survived and they just hadn't learned the history and science of your people." Alick kissed my chest before snuggling against me again, but after a second, he went still. "When did you get naked?"

"Just noticed that, huh?" It seemed his brain was starting to wake up. "After I cleaned us off. Should I put some clothes on? We need breakfast anyway. I think you only came back to life because your stomach was growling so loud."

Groaning, Alick hid against my chest but shook his head. "No, I like it. And you're my mate. That means I can see you naked."

"No, it means you tell me honestly if things bother you or if you're not ready for something yet, because you know as your mate, I want you to be happy." My know-it-all teacher voice made him giggle, but he nodded again and I got another kiss.

"Yes, Daddy. I'll remember." His teasing tone still felt genuine, so I kissed his head and tickled his sides.

As he laughed and wiggled, I rolled us over until he was pinned against the bed again. "Good, because I can't do wicked things to my boy otherwise."

Eyes bright and filled with excitement and naughty fantasies, Alick looked up at me without a single fear on his face or showing in our bond. "Like the primal play?"

He was definitely looking forward to that.

"Yes." And so was I.

For some reason, though, his smile slowly started to fade and he ended up looking thoughtful and almost worried. "Lorne and his mates have such a strong bond that they can talk to each other in their heads. What…what if we can never do that because I'm just human?"

Oh no, we were going to nip that idea in the bud.

"First of all." I took a dramatic pause and rested my forehead against his so we were eye to eye. "There is no ‘just human' anything because up until very recently, I thought I was mostly human. So I'm still going to take offense at that even if it's not logical."

He was doing his best not to smile and managed to sound halfway contrite. "I'm sorry, Daddy. No more just human anything."

"Thank you." Giving him a quick peck, I eased back enough that he could see me without going cross-eyed. "And secondly, it will make it easier to hide from me if you're not tempted to talk to me in your head. Besides, I'm not sure you'd ever think to turn down our telepathic telephone because you spend most of the day talking to yourself."

As a blush spread over his face, Alick hid against my shoulder. "No, I worked so hard to stop that."

"Well, if it makes you happy to hear, you only seem to do it around the house or when it's just the two of us. I didn't see you doing it in the diner and no one else mentioned it." Pushing against the mattress to make sure I could see his face, I gave him another kiss as he flopped back onto the bed.

"I think it's cute, but it's probably because you spent a long time living on your own here with your plants. It's normal." And adorable.

Scrunching his face up, he took a deep breath before relaxing again. "I did it a lot as a kid. I was an only child and spent a lot of time outside until I found my friends. I had a hard time breaking the habit."

Kids weren't always nice, no matter what planet they came from.

"It might be because of all the stress of finding your mate." Nuzzling my nose against his, I tried to make up for making him worry. "I promise to tell you if you do it in front of anyone else or if you start giving away state secrets."

He tried to look serious but a smile broke out. "Or birthday presents."

I just scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Absolutely not. I will not give up any advantage that helps me stay one step ahead of my mischievous mate."

Aiming wide eyes at me, he pouted adorably. "Oh, Daddy, I'm your good boy."

I might've snorted. "That will never be as believable as you think it is."

Giggling, he shrugged and wrapped his arms around my neck again. "I'll just have to try better."

"Deal." I had every intention of teasing him again, but his stomach started to growl. "Hmm, that sounds like it's starting to eat its way out."

He gave me an adorably guilty expression. "Maybe?"

Shaking my head, I rolled off him and helped him sit up. "I'm going to start something for breakfast and you're going to finish getting cleaned up real quick. You said your only work today was in the afternoon, right?"

I thought I had that correct but I didn't want to get him in trouble at work if his brain hadn't started to function again yet.

"That's right." His bright smile had a hint of little to it as he kissed my cheek. "Thank you for remembering, Daddy."

Hmm.

"You did a wonderful job of telling me about your schedule. You were a very good boy." And a very organized one. "How about I make you pancakes? How does that sound?"

"Oh." He squirmed closer, sitting up on his knees and giving me an adorably manipulative smile. "With chocolate chips? I was very good. I told you about my thinking grown-up stuff and I made you smile and laugh."

Leaning closer, he dropped his voice and whispered. "And I even used my diaper. That means I get whipped cream too. It's in the can in the fridge."

There were clearly aftercare routines I had not been made aware of before.

"You were a very good boy." Who was probably manipulating me but he was earnest enough that he seemed to believe there was a direct correlation between using his diaper and getting whipped cream.

Was this something big Alick had been thinking about or was it just a little thing?

Was there a good way to ask that without sounding like a dick?

No.

Fuck. Was he manipulating me?

"Alright, fun pancakes for the good boy." If he had the whipped cream, it had to mean there was some kind of association already in place, right? "Do you need help getting cleaned up?"

Alick looked down at himself like he'd just realized he was naked. "Yes."

Definitely not big.

But he could still be fucking with me.

"I'll help…but I need a kiss first." I turned my cheek toward him as he giggled. "Daddy needs energy."

Snickering, he gave me my kiss. "Naughty Daddy. Bribe. Not energy."

Yep.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Pretending to be horrified, I collapsed down onto the bed. "I'm fading fast. If you don't believe in the magical energy, then it won't work."

My adorable little rolled his eyes. "Daddy dragon. Not fairy."

Then the brat turned around and carefully lowered his feet to the floor before grabbing my leg and tugging on it ineffectually. "Cream, Daddy. I good boy."

And rapidly descending in headspace because real sentences were long gone.

"I'm being tortured." I was still going to be dramatic just because I could, but I sat up. "Fine. I'll be tortured into making pancakes with whipped cream."

"Chips, Daddy." Nodding seriously and giving me a skeptical look, he made it clear he wasn't going to forget that part. "Chips."

"Chocolate chips, yes." If diapers earned whipped cream, what had he done to earn chocolate chips?

Were they just standard entry level good boy items or was that pancakes themselves?

Okay, maybe he was right that I needed some friends around town because this was definitely a Daddy conference level question.

As I got off the bed, he took my hand and tugged me toward the bathroom. "Teeth, Daddy. Jammies."

Since we'd just stepped over the ones he'd worn the night before, I had a feeling he meant new ones. "That's a very good plan."

He nodded. "Smart."

Big Alick would never have told me that in a million years, but little Alick was adorably confident in almost every aspect of life. He walked us right into the bathroom and parked himself in front of the mirror. "Ready."

And then he just opened his mouth.

Was I his Daddy or some kind of body servant?

Was there a good way to ask what kind of porn he'd been watching?

"Good boy." No, there probably wasn't. So I kissed the back of his head and followed his order, carefully brushing his teeth. "All done."

I was getting better at that.

He even gave me a big overly toothy smile and patted my arm. "Good boy, Daddy."

Had we reached the point where he was actually fucking with me?

"Thank you, baby boy." Kissing his forehead since I wasn't sure, I treated it like it was perfectly reasonable. "Alright, we need to get you some clothes. No naked bottoms at the table."

Not unless I was fucking him over it.

Giggling as he took my hand again, he looked scandalized. "Bottoms."

That was evidently a silly but still naughty word because he snickered and shook his head as we walked into the playroom. "Bottom."

That was not a naughty word. "Yep, bottoms have to be covered."

He was trying not to laugh, probably because he didn't want to encourage my bad behavior, but it was a nearly impossible task. "Covered."

"Yep." I wasn't sure what he was thinking, so I kept my response vague until he took me over to the shelves by the closet that were still beautifully carved but also held a variety of baskets that I'd learned contained everything from socks to undies and diapers. "Covered bottoms."

Alick paused, tapping his chin with his free hand as he looked at the baskets. He was mulling over his choices like we were deciding on how to achieve world peace, but the only emotion I was getting from our growing bond was contentment and something that felt very thoughtful.

So no help at all.

When he finally stood straighter and gave me a sweet smile, I knew I was about to be conned. He kept up the attempt and aimed his innocent look at me as he pointed to the basket that had training pants. "Good boy pancakes."

Okay, interesting.

His hand moved to the basket that had the diapers in it. "Ice cream pancakes."

Hell no.

Well, a good Daddy let his boy play and have fun.

He also hadn't been getting enough calories lately.

He looked adorable with a padded bottom, and a diaper meant we'd probably have bottle time after breakfast.

That was more calories and lots of cuddling.

He needed both of those to be healthy.

"Deal." Making my boy happy was all that mattered, and as long as we both knew he was fucking with me, it wasn't really manipulative.

Yes, I'd let him win so I could get my way.

So really, I was pretty sure I'd come out the winner even if he was rubbing his hands together like a Disney villain.