Chapter 2

Fraser

I'd managed to sneak in during the what kind of little are you discussion, but I knew I couldn't hide from Talon for long. He was technically not a mage or a dragon, but he noticed more than the average human.

So I was pretty sure he was something, but that discussion would have to wait.

He'd found me.

"For fuck's sake. Why didn't you tell the bug doctor you could help him?" Talon's glare made me want to laugh, which was not his goal, so I behaved myself. "And why didn't you save him from these idiots?"

"Um, because it was funny?" No one liked that answer. Half were frustrated, half were confused, and Talon was back to rolling his eyes. "And the bug doctor was being nice and ignoring most of the ridiculousness. I didn't want to interrupt his lunch."

I was with the crazy old coots on that one, though.

Giving wide eyes to tomato soup and grilled cheese meant he was some kind of little.

"Then you showed up before I could decide when I was going to butt in." I hadn't been able to figure out if he'd needed saving yet. He was either really good at ignoring nosy old people or he honestly had no idea what they were talking about.

The cute bug doctor just sighed and went back to eating.

He was going to fit right in.

Talon still seemed like he was going to murder me, though. "I was busy making sure no one walked in on them having sex and then I had to come over here to fix something you could've handled. Be a fucking grown-up for once."

He'd learned to fit in too.

Turning around and mumbling something about Daddies who needed common sense, Talon barely turned to call over his shoulder as he marched out the door. "Leave the bug doctor alone or he'll make sure you all end up with bedbugs and I'll help him."

That had everyone going silent except the bug doctor.

He giggled.

Yep, little.

So the nosy bastards were right…but what kind was he?

I still wasn't sure and I was back to thinking that the bug cutie had no idea what anyone was talking about. So my guess was that he had no idea he wasn't vanilla…but did he know he wasn't straight?

I'd been watching him for a couple of days and still couldn't tell.

It would've been easier if he wasn't lost in his own world so often but that couldn't be helped. He was a bug doctor after all, so he had to be looking at the bugs.

How often he'd been found digging in the dirt by everyone around town wasn't helping them believe he was a boring adult either.

Unfortunately, everyone knew I was a real adult and were now looking at me to fix what they'd broken…the mind of the bug doctor.

He was still doing a great job of ignoring the chaos, though.

It was actually a pretty amazing skill, so I decided to use that as my opening and stood up to head over to where he was trying to hide from the insanity of the rest of the town. He was intently focused on his food, but every once in a while, he'd twitch as something he heard caught his attention.

So he was listening…and was curious at least…even if he was confused.

I wasn't sure what he was thinking, though, so I shooed everyone else away and sat down across from him in the booth. "You have an amazing skill for ignoring chaos."

It seemed like I was also chaos that should be ignored, so I kept going. "I'm Fraser. I'm your guide."

His body barely reacted as he finished a bite of his grilled cheese and set the rest down. I could almost hear the wheels in his head turning, but he carefully wiped his hands and took his time before looking up and acknowledging me. "Alright, thank you."

Was he actually polite or was it a defense mechanism?

The way he held his hand out didn't help me decide. "I'm Paxton. It's nice to meet you."

Shaking his hand, I decided to clear up a few things just in case. "I wouldn't have let the chaos continue much longer, no matter how good you are at ignoring them, but you need to be a bit more straightforward if you want to get rid of 'em. They've also been trained to walk away and stop being a nuisance if you say red."

Training them on safewords was weird but it'd been more effective than I'd thought it would be.

Blink.

Blink.

"That's good to know. Thank you." There was a flash of something before the confusion set in again. "I've tried to follow some of the trails in the area, but I think a few of them may be marked wrong?"

His effort to find a rational explanation was amazing if the trails were as fucked as the roads had been recently. But still, I could help even if the trails had become magically lost.

"I can help you with that. I'm a part-time local guide and my specialty is the local trails and actual wilderness hikes." Sometimes tourists just wanted to be able to walk the trails without worrying and sometimes they didn't want trails at all, but either way it was fine with me.

The bug cutie finally looked thoughtful and like he'd tuned back in completely. "You don't mind taking me off trail? I have some specimens I'm trying to locate but that's been difficult."

"I don't mind." I had questions, though. "But you're always dressed like Boyd, the town's accountant. Are you familiar with hiking?"

Did bug doctors always do fieldwork?

Aside from the whole playing in the dirt thing, he didn't look like he did, and I wasn't sure what kind of assumption I could make about his skill level.

Looking down at himself, he frowned like he'd just realized what he was wearing before glancing back at me. "I don't get to dress up much during my usual fieldwork."

Okay, that actually made sense.

"Not roughing it here. I get that." Pointing to the audience, I shrugged. "It was one of the things they've been confused about."

"Oh." Frowning, he slowly nodded. "That explains some of the questions I've gotten."

Probably not enough of them, but maybe a few.

"And I had a couple last year give all the right answers to go off trail but then they turned out to have no idea what they were doing and they drove me crazy." It'd been bad. "I just wanted to make sure you'd actually seen bugs in the wild and you know that the outside has dirt."

He just blinked at me for a moment.

"This town keeps getting weirder and weirder." He had no idea, but I just nodded to keep him going. "Um, yes. I understand the outside has dirt and bugs. I need to see the bugs. I also can tell you which bugs are edible and I've hiked large parts of the Appalachian Trail when I was in college."

"Perfect." I couldn't handle another idiot who passed out when they got dirty. "I've got some free time this week, so just let me know when you want to start."

Hopefully I could get one of the mages to fix whatever they'd fucked up, but if not, I could make sure our bug doctor didn't get lost.

"How about now?" He looked around himself like he was seeing what he had with him and then realized it was nothing. "Oh, maybe not."

The way everyone sighed like he was adorable made him frown, but he didn't ask what they were doing even though he clearly had no idea what was going on.

"How about we start first thing in the morning?" Leaning back in the bench, I ignored the ridiculousness going on around us. "That will give us the afternoon for you to explain what you're looking for and we can make a plan. I need to know what kind of environment we're looking for and how far you want to go on our first trip."

Making sure the bug cutie knew we'd go out more than once seemed like the best plan. He was the type that looked like he needed expectations set up front.

I knew I was right when he went still again and his vague nod came back. "Yes, we'll need more than one trip. I was planning on exploring the area for a few weeks but research has been difficult. I wasn't expecting to need a local guide."

Because he hadn't been expecting the fucking trails to be disappearing right and left.

"We'll make sure you can get your research accomplished." And hopefully, I could talk him into staying longer.

The bug cutie couldn't seem to decide if he believed that was possible or not, but he was too polite to say so. "Thank you."

Yep.

"You're welcome." Trying to stick with the manners he fell back on when he was confused, I ignored the giggles coming from around us. "Did you have work scheduled this afternoon?"

That was definitely a topic he was more comfortable with because he sat straighter and became more animated. "Yes. Unfortunately it's not fieldwork, but I have some papers to complete and emails to respond to."

"I would agree that fieldwork is more fun than paperwork." That made his smile wider. "But looking at the maps and talking about the hike can be just as fun, so how about I pick you up later and we'll have dinner as we go over the options and your goals."

He let out a quiet hum as he studied me curiously. "That…that would make getting started tomorrow easier."

Justifying or honest response?

"I agree." But that was only one of the reasons I suggested it. "I'm curious about what you're looking for and mornings are my favorite time to get up into the mountains."

Something about my response seemed to help him relax even more, and he smiled again, giving me a peek at what he was hiding under the blank wall he'd built around himself. "It's a wonderful time to get out. I tried to do it this morning but it didn't go as planned."

And the frown was back.

"I think there's something getting me turned around up here." Bouncing between wearing a confused expression and a frustrated one, he sighed. "I usually have a very good sense of direction."

I bet.

"I'm sure you do." The last thing I wanted was for him to feel stupid or for him to think I thought he was incompetent. "Something about the area can fuck with people's sense of direction. It's not uncommon and that's part of the reason our online reviews are so weird."

That was one reason for them.

Paxton's expression softened as he looked back down at his food and started stirring his soup. "Yes, you have fascinating reviews and they're part of the reason I'm here. I've been tracking some new beetles and I found some pictures on a rental review website."

Shit.

Several people around us went very quiet but Paxton didn't seem to notice. "I'm fairly certain they're the same species, or at least a similar one, as beetles I've been tracking in different areas."

Shit.

Shit.

Shit.

What had the fucking mages done?

"Other areas?" Sounding as relaxed as I could and still showing interest, I raised one eyebrow as he glanced up at me before taking a bite. "I don't know much about specific insect species, so you'll have to forgive any stupid questions."

I had broad general knowledge but nothing like what he probably knew.

"There are no stupid questions." Paxton responded so quickly, I hoped he remembered that later when I blew his mind.

"Good, because I'm going to have a lot for you." Like what his favorite foods were and if he'd ever seen anything about age play or littles.

"I don't mind that at all." The cute bug doctor's mind was in a completely different place than mine. "Insects are very interesting creatures."

He was adorable.

Yep, it was easy to see why half the town was convinced he was a little and had decided to keep him.

"I'd start asking you a few questions now, but your soup is going to get cold." Nodding toward the food in front of him, I chuckled softly. "Eat or everyone will start to worry you'll starve."

He obeyed without even thinking about it, but his gaze darted around the room. "Everyone is…they're very curious."

My chuckle had him blushing. "That's one word for it. Another would be nosy, oh, or pushy."

And I got a soft laugh from the cutie. "I wouldn't say that."

"Out loud. You wouldn't say that out loud." My teasing response had a few huffs and groans popping up around us. "See? I'm right."

And I got a giggle.

He cut it off as quickly as he noticed it and replaced it with a laugh he probably thought was more grown-up, but he didn't argue with me. "I didn't say that."

But he'd wanted to.

He couldn't admit that, though, so he grasped for something else to say. "I…I didn't see you order. Did you already have lunch?"

Shaking my head, I let him change the subject. "No, I got distracted being nosy."

Well, I kind of let him change the subject.

He was now the one groaning and shaking his head at me. "I should've expected that answer."

Yep.

"You're interesting. What can I say?" I knew I was giving the lunatics too much gossip to go on because I heard the word mate quietly being tossed around. "But at least I didn't corner you to ask nosy questions before you'd eaten."

He took another bite, watching me closely before setting his spoon down. "You were going to wait until after I'd eaten."

Smart was fucking sexy.

"Yes, you're always happier after you've eaten." Letting out that I'd been watching him was deliberate, and I waited to see what he'd say.

"No, I'm not." Scrunching up his face, he huffed. "I'm always happy."

Tell that to the moron who tried to ask a stupid question before the bug doctor got his morning caffeine and chocolate fix. "I heard what happened this morning."

That got a sigh from him and he rolled his eyes. "I shouldn't have to take quizzes first thing in the morning. I don't know why I like the muffins better than the quiches. That's just not a fair comparison."

Somehow, everyone had gotten it in their head that littles only liked comfort foods, so they were trying to use that rule to narrow down his little status and what the definition of a comfort food should be. It was fascinating logic and a rule I wasn't sure if I agreed with or not.

I was going to have to wait and see what their final conclusions were before I made a decision.

"You like sweet in the morning and savory later in the day." His preferences weren't rocket science. Most littles seemed to do the same thing based on the local population of slightly insane cuties. "Besides, you're right. It's not a fair comparison. A better survey would've been asking about muffins versus pancakes."

That had his mind going blank and his spoon stopped halfway to the bowl. "That's…that would be too hard to pick."

Oh.

"Because they're both good choices or because it's easier to grab muffins when you're heading out to work?" I had a guess but I wasn't sure if I was right.

"I…" And nothing. After a few seconds, he swallowed and his body started working again. "I don't make breakfast. So that's not…I don't…"

Was someone else supposed to make him breakfast?

A Daddy perhaps?

"Then you shouldn't have to answer silly questions." Shrugging like it was a perfectly normal answer to a reasonable question, I shrugged. "Whoever feeds you your breakfasts should know the answer."

It was definitely a Daddy's job to learn how to make his little boy happy.

But luckily, Paxton was saved because my burger arrived…and it was delivered by a battle-ax of a woman. Nancy seemed to like my cutie based on her glare and the heavy-handed way she set the plate down. "He likes my food, and he doesn't complain or talk about his sex life."

Saved by the death threat.

"Got it."

No scaring off her new favorite customer.

And my mate.