Dreamland part four

Popee saw his boyfriend starting to shake and cry in a nervous and anxiety driven manner, so he took the baby and had Kedamono sit down.

“Oh sweetheart, it’ll be okay. I promise,” Popee said softly.

“No, no. I let you down. Now, what will we do?”

“You did not let me down. And…We will be what we’ve always been. A family.”

Kedamono smiled through his tears. “Family?”

“Yeah, and I’m excited. I’m going to be this kid’s new mom. Well… er, dad. You know!”

Kedamono laughed affectionately. “Popee, you want to raise my son with me?”

He leaned in and nuzzled their noses together.

“Our son. Right?” Popee said with a soft reassuring tone.

Kedamono nodded, more tears running down his face. He wanted to propose with that golden ring right then and there—-but he realized there would be a better way to do that. Soon.

Popee was excited for this—-but, he still was unsure what to do.

“Popee?”

“Hmm?”

“How can you be so okay with this?”

He leaned in and smiled, “Because, Keda, I know what’s it is like to be abandoned. How it feels. How you feel so worthless. How you think no one could ever truly love you. I know you know how it feels, and to see you go through it all over again, but—-now it is with your son… I am so sorry. I couldn’t believe that. It broke my heart.”

Kedamono cried harder.

Popee frowned and held him tight, being careful with the baby in his boyfriend’s arms.

“I—I thought you’d leave me…” Kedamono sobbed.

Popee sighed, looking at Kedamono in a soft way. “Never.”

“I love you so much Popee…”

“I love you too, my dear.” He leaned down and kissed Kedamono’s cheek. “Now dry those tears, my darling. No more worries!” Popee said with a grin.

Kedamono seemed to only want to cry more, which made the blonde concerned.

“Here, sweetie,” Popee gently took Kedamono Junior from him and had him sit down. “Okay, dear, just relax, and take in slow, deep breaths. Okay?”

“I.. oh… o-okay.” He was hiccuping from how bad he was sobbing.

“My weepy old man,” Popee teased. “I’ll take care of you.”

Suddenly, the baby started to cry.

Kedamono instantly had a ton of expressions fall off in surprise as he stood up.

“Is he okay?” Popee asked.

Kedamono nodded. “Maybe he’s hungry.”

“I’ll get him milk.”

Kedamono shook his head frantically, “No, I’ll get it. You sit with him, and I’ll make it.”

“We—-we don’t have bottles, Keda.”

“Oh, no! Okay. I’ll get some. I’ll go to the store and be right back!!” Kedamono put on a coat, and said, “Just sing to him or something, I’ll be right back!”

As he ran to the door, he saw Popee and his son and ran to them.

“Love you, both of you, so, so much!” He kissed Popee on the mouth and then Kedamono Junior on the cheek.

He proceeded to run back to the front door and left hurriedly.

“Get diapers and wipes, too, and blankets!” Popee yelled.

Kedamono turned and nodded. “Okay, baby!”

“Hurry!” Popee said, trying to calm down the crying baby.

The door closed and Popee felt overwhelmed now that his partner was gone. The baby’s cries were only getting louder.

He gently snuggled the baby and kissed his forehead.

“Oh, Keda Junior, it’s okay, your papi is coming back in a few minutes!” Popee said gently.

He tried to sing Twinkle, Twinkle, but forgot the words, so he made up the rest.

“Twinnnnkle, Twinnklee, little star, little baby, you’re in my heart! Twilight in the hazy clouds of space, milky ways! Milky ways!” He sang in a soft, wispy voice and the baby only calmed down marginally.

There was another knock on the door suddenly, and Popee’s eyes widened.

“Oh, no. If that’s your old mommy, I’m not going to be happy,” Popee said as he went to the door, opening it.

To his pleasant surprise, it was Nina.

“Ah, I knew I heard a baby cry,” She said. “Is everything okay?”

Popee groaned, rubbing his eyes in a tired way. “Ma’am, my boyfriend’s old ex came by, and told him she had his son earlier this year. She didn’t say much, just left him here. Keda had to go buy bottles and stuff for him.”

She looked at him empathetically. “Oh, I’m sorry about that. How do you feel?”

“Fine,” Popee said with an edge to his voice. “How do you calm a baby down?”

She laughed gently. “You swaddle them. Change them. Feed them and burb them. Hold them and sing to them.”

“How do you swaddle?”

She smiled. “I’ll show you.”

They went inside and Nina helped lay out the blanket like a triangle and placed the baby in the middle.

“Check baby first, make sure he isn’t needing a diaper change,” she said, doing doing it for Popee, and then she said, “He doesn’t need a change. So, take the top edge of the blanket and fold it over, gently under his head.”

Popee did so, and she nodded.

“Now, fold over right side and tuck opposite side of baby, then do the bottom for his feet. The last part…” she said as Popee followed the directions perfectly, and she smiled at him in affirmation, “that last side, wrap it around the entire thing, and tuck it under.”

“Is it too tight?” Popee asked, nervous and concerned.

“No, no. Baby likes it. Feels like womb.”

Popee saw that Kedamono Junior was calming down, and he took a deep breath in.

“Ah, you are going to be his dad as well?” She said softly, pointing to the baby.

“Yeah. I think I already have a connection to him. He looks so much like Kedamono.”

“He does. It’s uncanny. Very much like a clone, in a way.”

Popee laughed. “Yeah. Thank you for your help.”

“Where will this child sleep?”

Popee frowned. “I don’t know. The bed?”

Nina sighed and shook her head. “Ah. Okay. Auntie Nina will get you a crib. Tonight.”

Popee’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Yes. I know you and Kedamono won’t accept money. So… I’ll get you a crib and some baby stuff. Okay?”

Popee grinned, “Oh, dear, thank you oh so much!”

She hugged him. “You’re most welcome!”

“That’s the nicest thing anyone ever did for us!”

“I’ll have my nephew bring in the furniture tonight. He works in a furniture store, and I know his manager. Let me make the call.”

Popee grinned. “You’re so sweet.”

“No. I just… you two feel like family to me. I don’t know why,” She said softly.

Popee smiled. “It’s a shame we are leaving. So do you.”

“It’s okay. You need more space.”

Popee nodded. “Yes. The house will be better for Kedamono Junior.”

Nina smiled. “Named after his father?”

Popee sighed. “The mom named him that.”

“Ah, it’s a good name.” She sighed happily. “Okay! I’ll be back within a few hours. See you soon!”

They hugged again and she left.

While Kedamono Junior was sleeping, Popee got out the card and gifts he made for Kedamono for their six month anniversary.

Suddenly, he stumbled upon a box. It was half open and when he saw what was in it, he felt a bit like he had been hit with a blast from the past.

It was his old circus stuff. His old costume, with the bunny ears. A few cigar boxes he used to juggle, and other stuff. A picture of him and his dad.

It made him feel nostalgic yet he felt glad he was no longer the person he used to be. An immature, sometimes violent, sometimes mean person. He closed up the box more and sighed, going back to check on the baby.

Ten minutes later, Kedamono came back, and got the bottle ready. He also bought diapers and wipes, and a few new outfits.

“Did you do something different with the blanket, Popee?” He asked as he was feeding Kedamono Junior on the couch.

“Ah, Nina was here. She… well, earlier she wanted you to know that she is very appreciative of all your hard work here. She saw the baby, I told her what happened. She helped me swaddle him with the blanket..” he smiled. “And she’s getting us a crib for Kedamono Junior.”

Kedamono looked completely in shock, “What? Really?!”

“Yes. She called herself Auntie Nina. I agree with that title. Already, she has been the only and best female influence in my life.”

Kedamono nodded. “She’s amazing. And funny. She is a protective person, I have seen that. Wow! I’m so happy.”

Kedamono Junior was done with his bottle, and Popee said, “Make sure you burp him!”

Kedamono nodded. “How?”

“I think you need to rest him upright facing you on your chest and shoulder… and pat his back gently. Make sure you always support his neck. Nina explained it to me before she left.”

Kedamono looked at him, impressed. “Wow. You know a lot.”

“I’m learning! I’ll teach you to swaddle him, too.”

Kedamono smiled, feeling so warm inside to have such a supportive partner.

“Popee… what did I do to deserve someone so wonderful as you in my life?”

Popee grinned. “You are wonderful, Keda, I’m just me. You have taught me to be the person I am today. I wonder the same thing often—-how I even deserve someone as loving and kind as you.”

He put his son down on the bed and put pillows on each side so he wouldn’t roll over off the bed.

“We can keep checking on him,” Kedamono said, exhausted.

“You’re a good father, Kedamono,” Popee said, kissing him gently on the lips.

“And so are you, my love.”

“Now it’s time to continue our anniversary together, right?” Popee asked.

Kedamono smiled happily, kissing him deeply.

They both felt a slight heat radiating from each other.

It felt like an intense flame hitting their bodies, and their hearts were racing. Popee kissed him over and over in fervent pecks, his hands in his hair, tugging at it gently. Kedamono moaned into Popee’s mouth, and his hands traveled lower to hold onto Popee’s hips.

“Oh, God, you are turning me on….” Kedamono whispered.

“Mmm… Keda, I need you…”

“What do you want me to do?”

“To—touch me…”

The request made Kedamono feel dizzy.

Popee was holding onto him tightly, kissing him all over, his face red and his eyes half lidded.

Suddenly, Popee jumped up and wrapped his legs around Kedamono’s waist and back, his arms holding himself up around Kedamono’s neck.

“Make love to me, you silly, lovely, sexy wolf…”

“Ma—make love?” Kedamono squeaked, as Popee kept kissing his neck.

“Yea. Make love to me…”

Kedamono put his hand underneath Popee’s bottom and held him up higher.

“Oh, crap, you look so… beautiful… I…” Kedamono moaned softly as their bodies pressed closer together.

“Keda, I’ve been dreaming of this moment for a long time.. my big strong man…”

“Me too, darling….”

Suddenly, they heard a rustling from the blanket and Kedamono Junior crying.

The mood torn apart, they looked at each in a desolate manner, and gave each other one last kiss before taking care of their son.

“Parenthood is fun!” Popee said sarcastically, making Kedamono laugh.

He saw Popee gently picked him up, and kiss his cheek.

“It may not be fun, but it sure is a wonderful dream come true because of you, darling…” Kedamono said softly.

Popee grinned and felt warm and safe inside, realizing what a true family felt like, finally.