Page 6 of His for Hanukkah

“It’s not how you usually think of a scene, is it?” Tate snuggled him closer. “But I have a question for you. Out of the hundreds of Christmas displays you’ve probably seen this week, how many of them did you kick?”

Adam looked up at him sharply. “I would never…! I mean, I haven’t...” He drew a deep breath, gathering conviction. “I’m not a violent person.”

“And what made you kick this one today?”

Adam shrugged. “I don’t know. I was just angry.”

“And feeling invisible? You said that earlier.” He’d also let out a whole flood of unfamiliar words and cultural references that Tate intended to look up the second that he had a chance.

If the way to this boy’s heart was navigating the holidays of a new religion, he would happily jump on board. The most he’d gotten out of it was apples and honey, which he thought might be some sort of New Year’s tradition.

For now, he would just focus on how Adam felt.

“Yeah.” Tate could see this was hard for him. “I feel invisible a lot.”

“Good boy. Thank you for telling me. So, do you think that maybe you kicked that box to get my attention?”

Adam’s cheeks burned, but he didn’t pull away. Brave boy. “I guess so. That was really stupid, wasn’t it?”

“Well,” Tate chuckled, bringing Adam into the joke, “it certainly got my attention.”

Then, he pushed a little more, hoping he was making the right choice. “We’ll talk about punishment later.”

Adam’s body stiffened and then relaxed all at once. “Later?”

Tate’s heart surged. Adam was interested in at least a little more with him.

Right now, though, he had to take care of him in the moment. “Later. But I want to talk about something else now. How do you feel?” He saw Adam hesitating. “Be honest.”

Adam looked down. “Warm.” Tate hummed to prompt him further. “Safe. Like you’re taking care of me.”

“Did you know that you went into subspace?”

Another ripple of tension and then a soft release as his boy’s muscles melted into him. Adam communicated a lot with the way he held his body. Tate wanted to learn all his cues. “I didn’t realize it, but I guess I did. I felt all floaty.”

“That’s right, sweetheart. It released all the same endorphins. It was intense, physically and emotionally, and you knew you were safe enough to let yourself go at the end.”

“Um, did I actually, um, lick your neck?”

Tate couldn’t help a small laugh. He wanted Adam to see that he was pleased with him. “You did, and it was adorable. Best thing to happen to me all year.”

“Really?” Adam was incredulous, and his voice rose before dropping back to a whisper. “Wasn’t it gross or weird or something?”

Tate suppressed his frustration with Adam’s ex. He knew that Jacob had been all wrong for the boy, interested in weekend scenes and an independent boyfriend when Adam clearly wanted so much more.

If only Tate could be lucky enough to give it to him. “It wasn’t weird at all. It was perfect. You may not know it, but I think that you regress a bit when you feel safe. Believe me, there’s no higher honor than knowing that you feel safe with me.

“I don’t think you’re a little, just based on your disinterest in Susie’s diapers and toys,” he referenced a mutual friend of theirs. “But that tantrum was still a cry for attention. And I’m very happy to give you the attention that you need.”

“Really?” Adam’s voice blew past incredulous now, in both volume and pitch. “I mean… really?”

“Absolutely.” He let that thought rest, soaking in the feeling of the snuggly boy in his arms. Even sitting on the dirty floor in the lobby, this moment felt special.

People occasionally walked through and gave them a quick glance, but Mimi at the registration desk ushered them past quickly.

That was the beautiful thing about a place like Escape—as long as it looked safe, sane, and consensual no one was going to think twice about a grown man throwing a violent tantrum or sobbing in another man’s arms.

Tate had occasionally nodded to folks passing through, firmly letting them know that he had things under control. He’d asked Mimi to call for a couple of waters earlier, but otherwise they’d been left alone.