Part 19: After Practice

Practice ran late, the sun already setting by the time they made it back to Reece's house. Z was barely awake through dinner, nodding off over his pizza until Reece finally carried him up to bed.

When he came back downstairs, Ti was waiting on the couch. Immediately Reece gravitated to him, all that careful distance from earlier completely gone as he pressed close.

"Missed this," Reece admitted quietly, letting Ti pull him into his lap. "Been thinking about it all day."

"Yeah?" Ti ran his hands down Reece's back, feeling him shiver. "What else you been thinking about, little daddy?"

Reece buried his face in Ti's neck, but Ti could feel the heat in his cheeks. "Just... you. Being here. How good it feels when you..."

"When I what?" Ti prompted gently, one hand coming up to cup the back of Reece's neck. He felt the full-body shudder that ran through the other man at the touch.

"When you hold me like this," Reece whispered, pressing closer. "When you take control."

Ti's heart jumped, but he kept his touch gentle, understanding what Reece needed. "Like knowing someone's got you?"

"Yeah," Reece breathed, melting further as Ti's grip tightened slightly. "Like knowing it's... it's okay to let go. With you."

"Always okay," Ti assured him, pressing a kiss to his temple. "I got you, little daddy. Not going anywhere."

Reece made a soft sound, somehow managing to curl even closer. Ti had never seen him like this - all that careful control completely surrendered, trusting Ti to hold him together.

They stayed like that for a long time, trading soft kisses that gradually grew deeper. Ti kept his touches gentle but firm, grounding Reece whenever he started to tense up.

"Stay?" Reece asked eventually, voice rough. "Don't... don't want you to go yet."

"Long as you need," Ti promised. He shifted them so they were lying on the couch, Reece practically draped over his chest. "Just rest, little daddy. I got you."

Reece sighed contentedly, already half asleep. "Like when you call me that," he mumbled.

"Know you do." Ti pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Like taking care of you."

"Mmm." Reece snuggled closer, all that defensive toughness completely gone. "Nobody else gets to see me like this. Just you."

"Honor that trust," Ti said softly, but Reece was already asleep, face peaceful in a way Ti had never seen before.

Outside, the night grew deeper, but Ti stayed awake, holding Reece close and marveling at how far they'd come. From careful distance to this - Reece sleeping trustingly in his arms, completely vulnerable in a way Ti knew few people ever got to see.

Come morning, they'd figure out what this meant for them, for Z, for their careful routine. But for now, Ti was content to hold Reece close, protecting this softer side of him that only Ti got to see.

Some things were worth staying awake for.