Oxytocin

Chapter Five

Wes and Jeff got back after break ended late at night. So, when David woke up, he took his spare key to Wes's to dorm and slipped in to see him before all their friends were reunited.

It was something he'd done a thousand times.

Wes was still asleep, but this time, he was holding something. He was snuggling a little gray stuffed bunny.

David smiled, gently sitting on the edge of his bed. Wes looked so peaceful, a rare sight. He tended to look troubled when he slept.

He didn't wake him up like he'd planned, letting him be relaxed.

After a while, Wes stretched his arms in his sleep, accidentally pushing the bunny away from him. He moved his arms back, a crease forming between his eyebrows. He looked troubled, like normal.

David picked up the bunny, gently setting him back in Wes's arms. Wes smiled in his sleep, hugging it.

He bit back an 'aww,' because Wes was so cute. He'd never seen him with a stuffed animal before.

After a while, Wes woke up, yawning. He smiled sleepily as he saw David. "Morning."

"Good morning," David replied, kissing him. "You're adorable. Where'd you get the bunny from?"

"Jeff bought it for me when he found out I've never owned a stuffed animal before. His name is Carrot."

David's expression softened. "That's really sweet of him."

"His little sister started crying when she found out my parents didn't get me toys. I didn't realize it was such a big deal."

"Not getting a child things necessary for their development, like toys, is a form of abuse," David said gently.

"Oh! Nobody told me that, now it makes a lot more sense. Did that affect me much, though? Because I had books and teachers."

"Well... Toys help emotional development. Things like self-esteem, communication, sharing, experimenting, self-regulation- they help all those, and it's hard to be taught things like that."

Wes paused. He held up the stuffed rabbit, looking at it. "Carrot, I think I really needed toys growing up, because I'm still bad at some of those things."

He chuckled, picking up Carrot's stuffed arm, waving it as if it was speaking to Wes. "It's not too late, I'll help you! I have the power of God and Leporidae on my side!" he said in a funny voice, moving the rabbit forwards to kiss Wes's nose. "Mwah!"

Wes cracked up, pulling David down to lie beside him and kissing him properly.

"Wes! Think of the children," David said in mock-horror, covering the stuffed animal's eyes. Wes just laughed harder.

"I love you so much."

"I love you too."