Heal My Heart

F o r t y - E i g h t : S c o t t

A/N: So I had a reader mention that they were a bit bored by the lack of progress and I was a like...ME TOO! So I wanted to speed things up a bit. Let me know what you think!

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After twenty swats on the butt I sent Puppy to corner while I considered the Black Tie Gala.

It would do wonders for my business, drawing in more affluent customers. But... If I knew Puppy something would go terribly wrong and I was sick of being upset with him. I was content with a nice night in with him--where had his interest in going out come from?

Puppy was whining in the corner as I swiped sweat from my brow. I turned up the air and thought of a good way to cancel the plans.

I could lie and tell him that it was cancelled but I'd feel bad. When his corner time was up I took him out. "I'm sorry Scott. I won't say mean things ever again."

"Good because I know you're not a mean boy. I don't want to go tonight though Puppy. Not because of anything you did--I just would rather cuddle with you and watch movies."

Puppy looked disappointed but smiled anyway. "Okay. Do I have chores to do?"

I thought about. I could always assign outside chores to Lisa. "Nope. Why don't you put on something comfy and start a movie. I'll be up shortly."

***

Comfortable turned out to be dog pjs.

It was a one piece suite that had a hood with ears, a tail, and the sleeves folded down to make little paws. I didn't love it but, I told myself, at least I'm not attracted to him. There was no way our cuddling could turn into anything more.

The sippy cup was a staple in his life at this point. It saved me a mess to clean up and Puppy felt better about himself. So he had his little flower sippy cup on the night stand.

I supposed this was a 'little' night as Glenn would put it. The movie he picked was animated as well. There was an action movie premiering tonight I'd planned to watch with him but I knew he would like it.

"I can't reach my sippy Daddy."

The change happened so suddenly it caught me off guard still. Normally he was only little like this in his room--it was a controlled setting for the both of us. I reached for it and saw he'd folded down his paws. "Well of course you can't you silly boy. You need fingers to hold the handles not Puppy-Paws."

"I like Puppy-Paws!" He cried excitedly.

I couldn't help but smile. His innocence was endearing.

Maybe this Little thing is growing on me?

We watched two movies before Puppy got restless. It was only 6:40 so I asked if he wanted to play. "Can I have a bath Daddy?"

I'd washed his hands with him acting little before but never bathed him. I thought about saying no. "I suppose," I finally said slowly.

A smile broke across his face. "With lots of bubbles?"

"Sure." I got out of bed and went into the en-suite.

I ran like warm water testing it continuously to make sure the temperature was okay. I didn't want him cold or burnt. I added the bubble bath I'd picked up a few weeks ago and hidden under this sink. It was a whim purchase because in the back of my head I knew this time would come.

"Is it ready?" Puppy screeched.

I cringed. "Inside voice. And soon."

"Otay."

And now he's dropping sounds.

The weird part was that I. Ever got agitated with Puppy when he was like this. I had more patience for all his little quirks. Maybe it was because he was so childlike it was impossible to hold him to an adult standard?

Whatever the reasoning the calmest nights I had were spent with Puppy as a Little and I his Caretaker. The amount of work was very different though. Puppy stuck closer than usual and demanded rather than requested my attention 24/7.

It made it hard to hide this part of our relationship from my employees.

Why I hid it I wasn't sure.

After he tub reached a satisfactory depth I went find Puppy. He laying upside down on the couch, staring at his own fabric incased feet. "How many toes do I have Daddy?"

I smiled. "Your Puppy-Feet don't have any toes!"

I stooped down and tickled his tummy. He giggled and rolled downward. I caught him before hit the floor and hoisted him onto my shoulder with ease. "No Daddy! Under my Puppy-Feeties."

"Hmm..." I pretended to be puzzled. "I guess we'll have to guess while we're scrubbing them clean!"

How I fell into this character so easily was unknown to me. In the back of my mind I had my hesitations, my questions. But with Puppy I was there 100%. If he needed me to be a caretaker that was exactly what I'd be.

***

"How many toesies?"

"One...two...three--" as I ran the washcloth over each toe I counted and he laughed.

He was so at ease. He responded much faster than when he was in a normal headspace and seemed to be far more receptive. "Ten! Ten whole toes! You must be an alien."

"No!" He cried instantly. "Ten toes is good toes. You're the alien!"

I feigned offense. "What?! Oh no. Now I have to bring you back to my ship..."

I pulled the plug and Puppy squealed trying to climb out of the tub. "Careful, careful." I told him as I wrapped him in a towel, carrying him to his room. Blonde strands of hair plastered onto his forehead and he made grabby-hands toward Milo. "Want to put your Puppy PJs back on?"

"Yes!"

"Alright then."

I helped him into the suit and zipped him up. He grinned at me and I smiled clearing fair from his forehead before giving him a kiss there. "We can watch one more movie before its night-night."

Night-night? Where the fuck did that come from?

"Otay. Daddy can pick!"

He sprang into the bed and disappeared momentarily in the midst of blankets and stuffies. He emerged, hood down, with an armful of stuffies and a cleared space for me behind him. "So Daddy can cuddle with Puppy!" He proclaimed proudly.

I felt awfully...okay with the night. For the first time in a while I'd had a good time without Danny crossing my mind once.

Maybe this could be something we did more often...?

QOTC: Adorable or not so much? Cos I thought it was freaking adorable! What did YOU think?