Paparino's Piccolo Gattino

By the time Christmas rolled around about three weeks later, their relationship was becoming more and more romantic. Ash was getting more and more comfortable with his lover knowing that he wore women’s lingerie as pajamas and, whenever he wasn’t at school and they didn’t have guests, would usually lounge around the house in it. Sometimes he’d be a little daring and wear a thong or pair of panties to school, but only when he was absolutely sure no one was going to mess with him and reveal his secret.

However, not only were they growing more and more comfortable with each other knowing about their fetishes, they were growing more and more comfortable with the thought of sexual activities. They hadn’t gone any further than third base, as of yet, and even then the teen was too shy to do that for his lover, but it was a start, for sure. Andy was proud of him for gaining trust with him and allowing him to do such things, considering that he had pretty bad trust issues, which was understandable, on top of being a virgin. He never failed to make sure he knew how proud of him he was, which also helped.

Thankfully, their trip to Ohio over Christmas break was hopefully going to be better than the one they took over Thanksgiving break the previous month. Amy’d promised that, although Joe, his mother, and his sisters were all invited to come over to celebrate with them, her brother wasn’t allowed on the property for anything but dropping the womenfolk off. Andy was a bit saddened that, because of his behavior the last time, his uncle wasn’t welcome to celebrate with them, but he knew it was for the best. Besides, he got the feeling that if he caught him alone, his uncle would likely try to bring physical harm to his sweetheart just because of his sexuality…the very same sexuality he shared.

After packing their bags once again, they decided to retire early since they had to rise early to catch their flight. Considering that he’d been embarrassed enough when his lover found out, Ash decided to leave his lingerie at home because, although he didn’t think Chris or Amy would say anything bad, he still didn’t want them to know. And that didn’t include anything that Joe, who was staying several days, as well, could say.

“Let’s get some sleep in an actual bed before we have to try sleeping on a plane again,” Andy yawned, snuggling up to his back side.

“Sounds like a plan,” he agreed, yawning as well. “You know it’s hard for me to sleep in mid-air.”

“Same for me. Takes me forever to get to sleep, and then my sleep isn’t as restful once I do get to sleep,” the older man agreed.

“Mmm. I love being snuggled up to you,” Ash murmured, his eyes fluttering closed as he rolled over and wrapped himself around his lover. “So warm and soft…”

“I dunno about soft,” he chuckled, gently kissing his forehead as he wrapped his arms around him.

“I didn’t mean in an overweight sort of way.” He opened his eyes enough to gaze at him from under his lashes through the darkness. “I meant that your body wash makes your skin as soft as a baby’s ass.”

“And how would you know what a baby’s ass feels like?” Andy chuckled sleepily.

“Changed the diapers of my cousins back in Missouri when I was younger,” he yawned. “But that’s what I meant when I said ‘soft’.”

“All right, all right, sweetheart. Let’s get some sleep now.” He gently kissed his forehead once again. “Buona notte e sogni dolci.”

“G’night and sweet dreams,” Ash answered, not even realizing he’d spoken a different language.

* * *

“Ashes… Aaaashes, baby. Time to get up.”

The teen grunted as he returned from the world of dreams, slowly becoming aware of the hand gently rubbing his back through his baby doll and the soft, but deep voice murmuring in his ear. He cracked open his eyes to see Andy, barely awake and already dressed, standing by the side of the bed. His hair was still a mess and he hadn’t bothered with makeup, probably thinking that it wasn’t worth it since they were going to be on a plane, and likely fall back to sleep, for several hours.

“Mmm. Do I have to?” he murmured sleepily.

“Unless you wanna stay here by yourself for the next two weeks, yes,” his lover chuckled.

“Mmm. Bed…so comfy,” Ash mumbled into the pillow he’d buried his face in.

“I know it is. Believe me, I didn’t wanna get up, either,” Andy told him. “But I wanna be able to see my parents since it probably won’t happen again till Easter.”

“Okay, okay.” The teen groaned and rubbed his eyes as he tossed the covers off himself and sat up. “I enjoy being around your family, too.”

“I’ve already got our bags by the front door,” the older man told him. “All you’ve gotta do is get dressed.”

“And brush my hair,” he laughed.

Smiling at him, Andy kissed his forehead once again before leaving the room so he could get dressed. He let out another yawn as he stood up, having to grab the bedpost by his head to avoid falling since he wound up with a head rush. Once his head cleared and his vision focused again, Ash made his way over to the dresser for one of the few pairs of boxer-briefs he hadn’t packed for their trip, as well as a wife-beater and socks. The next stop was the closet for a pair of his skinny jeans and cowboy boots. He decided that, other than running his hairbrush through his hair before putting it in his suitcase, he wasn’t doing anything to his appearance.

A short time later, his clothes were on and his hair was brushed, but only after he pulled his hoodie on since it was December and cold outside. Granted, it was going to be even colder up in Ohio than it was here, but it was still cold enough to freeze the balls off a pool table outside. Now that he was ready, he headed to the living room so that he could put his hairbrush in his suitcase, then they were off.

Even though it was before dawn and the traffic was pretty light, even in the heart of Raleigh, Andy still insisted on driving. It wasn’t because he didn’t trust him behind the wheel, but rather because he’d been to RDU more than once and figured it’d be easier and quicker if he drove. He already knew exactly where he was going and, even though he was beginning to learn his way to the airport and back, it’d still take a while longer for him to get it memorized as well as his lover.

“Ready to go, Ashes?” he asked, grabbing their suitcases.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Ash confirmed, nodding. “You know, I can get my own suitcase.”

“I know, but it’s still not very gentlemanly of me to force you to carry your own stuff,” the older man chuckled. “And if there’s one thing Mom raised me to be, it was a gentleman.”

“I think I’ll have to thank her for that when we get there,” the teen laughed. “It might get a bit annoying sometimes when I’m in an independent mood, but it’s still nice.”

“I figured you’d see it that way,” Andy said, gently kissing his temple. “Go ahead and lock up while I’m putting our stuff in the car.”

“All right. Gimme my key ring that’s got my house key on it,” he requested, holding out his hand so he could hand it over.

Grinning at him, he took the requested key ring off the hook that was on his belt loop, gently placing it in the palm of his sweetheart’s outstretched hand. He gave him a gentle kiss before picking up their suitcases once again and turning for the car while Ash turned for the door. He quickly twisted the key in both the deadbolt and doorknob, making sure both were locked before turning and heading to his car himself.

By the time he got down to it, his lover’d gotten both their suitcases in the trunk and was waiting behind the wheel for him. He opened the passenger’s door and climbed in, reaching over to the hook hanging from the key ring shoved into the ignition and opened it so he could return the ring with his house key to its rightful place. After that’d been taken care of, he gave Andy a quick kiss before sitting back and strapping himself in while his lover depressed the clutch and brake so he could crank the car. If they didn’t get on the road soon, they were going to be late and possibly miss their flight.

Half an hour or so later, the car was parked in the proper parking lot at RDU and the older man had their suitcases in his hands. Since he was already loaded down and didn’t have any free hands, Ash grabbed their carry-ons and made sure his keys were clipped to his belt loop before making sure the car was locked. With both of those things taken care of, they headed into the terminal to get through security and let their luggage be loaded before taking a seat so they could wait for the boarding call.



In the terminal of Lost Bridge Airport, Chris was trying to keep his wife from bouncing around like a child hyped up on too much sugar as they awaited their son’s flight. Like he had during Thanksgiving, he was bringing his young boyfriend with him to celebrate the holiday, although they were planning to stay far longer than they had over the last holiday. The flight in question was supposed to be landing soon, and although he was excited to see his only child again, he planned to stay calm since someone needed to.

“I can’t wait until their flight lands,” Amy said excitedly, a grin stretching her lips.

“I can’t either, sweetheart,” he agreed, grinning as well. “But you need to calm down before someone thinks you’re an escaped mental patient.”

“Eh, true enough,” she agreed with a shrug. “We just don’t get to see him often enough anymore.”

Before he could say anything else, an announcement about Andy’s flight came over the PA system, saying that it was currently landing. Squealing with joy, Amy started bouncing slightly with her excitement as they watched the plane their son and his boyfriend were on come in for its landing. It wouldn’t be long until they were allowed to disembark, and therefore head into the airport and into their arms. The time they got to spend together over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays was going to be cherished by all because it’d likely be the last time they got to see each other until Easter.



After a long, somewhat grueling flight that left Ash scared to death due to turbulence again, the plane finally landed at the airport a short distance from Andy’s childhood home. They waited for everyone else to disembark before even trying to stand, neither of them wanting to be trampled because of how lanky their frames were. Once everyone else had disembarked, they rose from their cramped seats and grabbed their carry-ons from the overhead compartments, then made their way off the plane, as well.

Inside the airport terminal, the older man saw his parents awaiting their arrival anxiously over the sea of heads separating them. Amy was bouncing up and down slightly, though they weren’t sure if it was from excitement, trying to catch sight of her son over the sea of heads, or a combination of both. With a grin on his face, Andy took his hand and started pulling him through the crowd toward the older couple.

“Andy!” Amy all but shrieked, running through the crowd toward him.

“Hey, Mom!” he responded, picking her up and spinning her around as he had the last time when she launched herself into his arms.

“Hey, son,” Chris greeted him, wrapping him in a bear-hug when he set his mother down. “How ya been, Ashley?”

“Hey, Dad,” Andy answered, returning his hug.

“We’ve been all right,” Ash responded, blushing slightly as he wrapped him in a bear-hug, as well, after releasing his son.

“Well, that’s great to hear,” the middle-aged man said, grinning. “Let’s get on over to baggage claim before your stuff disappears.”

Everybody nodded their heads in agreement, the younger couple grabbing each other’s hands while the older one all but cuddled while on their feet. They all headed over to baggage claim, where Chris grabbed his son’s suitcase and Andy grabbed his sweetheart’s. Amy insisted on helping out as much as she could and took her son’s carry-on from the teen, refusing to let him carry them both.

After collecting the rest of their luggage, they followed the Biersacks out to their car where they got everything loaded into the trunk before everybody got themselves settled. Like they had at Thanksgiving, Chris and Andy took the front seats because of their longer legs, while Amy and Ash piled into the back seat. The latter had actually grown a couple inches within the past month alone, so the space was a bit more cramped for him than it had been before. His lover’s father apologized profusely, saying they would’ve brought the Tahoe instead, had they known he’d had a bit of a growth spurt since the last time they’d seen him.

Knowing that they had no way to know, the teen assured them that it was perfectly fine, that while it was a bit cramped, it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. Besides, he hadn’t even been aware of gaining a couple inches until he’d had to sit Indian-style in the back seat since he didn’t measure his height on a daily basis. Everybody laughed at that, knowing that it was a bit hard to keep track of exactly how tall someone was if they weren’t measuring their height every day.

Upon pulling into the Biersacks’ driveway, Andy’s cousin Joe exploded out the front door and glomped his cousin, bringing a sense of déjà vu to all of them. The band director wrestled with his cousin for a moment as he had during Thanksgiving while his dad took their suitcases up to his childhood bedroom. Amy laughed at their antics while keeping herself between the two of them and his sweetheart, more so out of maternal instinct than because of his past. It was only a few moments later that they decided they’d had enough of wrestling with each other and to stop before either of them got hurt. Joe helped his cousin up, who gave him a bear-hug before grabbing his sweetheart and lifting him up bridal-style to spin him around.

“Andy! Put me down!” Ash laughed, his arms wrapped around his lover’s neck for dear life.

“Never! I shall never put you down!” the older man returned, grinning into the kiss he gave him after he stopped spinning.

“You two are so cute,” his mother chuckled, shaking her head as she headed into the house.

“I couldn’t agree more, Auntie Amy,” Joe said, grinning at his cousin and the teen.

The latter buried his face to hide his blush, making them all laugh again.

“Aww, you’re blushing, Ashes,” Andy cooed, gently kissing the tip of his nose. “You have no idea how cute you are when you blush.”

Ash’s blush deepened and he hid his face further in his lover’s neck as he was carried into the house. The moment they got into the living room, Chris was asking if he was okay, considering that he’d never seen his son lift him up and carry him as if he were a young child. Laughing, the older man assured his dad that the teen was fine, that he was carrying him merely because he wanted to, not because he had to.

Now assured that he was indeed fine, the guys all settled into the living room while Amy disappeared into the kitchen to finish dinner, which she’d started before heading to the airport. Thankfully, Joe was just enough of a chef to keep the food from burning in her absence, but he couldn’t do much more than that. Ash started to go help her out any way he could, but his lover grabbed him and held him in his lap, telling him that they were guests and didn’t have to help her. Having heard her son’s words, she told him that if he tried to work to earn his keep, she’d chain him to a chair.

Since she didn’t know about his being bound by his mother and assaulted in many ways in his youth, Amy didn’t realize that those were the wrong words to use with him. Fear coursed through his veins at hearing those words, and he began to shake as his eyes widened. Realizing what was wrong, Andy picked him up once again and disappeared up the staircase, focusing so much on his sweetheart that he didn’t bother with an explanation to his confused parents and cousin.

Once in his childhood bedroom, the older man kicked the door shut and got them settled on his bed, where he kept his arms wrapped tightly around the teen. Ash whimpered and buried his face into his chest, old memories he’d rather not relive swarming his mind and causing him to hyperventilate. He appreciated his lover’s support and quick thinking, but once a panic attack started, there was no stopping it because of how quick his reactions took over. He just barely managed to gasp out that he was going to need Advil and cold water in a few minutes, as well as an assurance that he’d be fine while he got them. Unsure since he’d never had a panic attack or seen anyone else have one, Andy didn’t want to leave him, but did so, anyway.

“Nightstand,” Ash gasped out, his vision beginning to turn gray.

Nodding, his lover put his requested items on the nightstand, figuring out that they’d do him no good just yet. Once they were sitting there within arm’s reach for when he was ready for them, he crawled back onto the bed and took him into his arms. He held him close and merely let him know he was there, gasping softly when he finally passed out and went limp against him. It scared him, for sure, but given the way he’d requested the Advil and water mere minutes ago, he figured he knew what was happening to him.

“Ugghhhh,” the teen groaned, slowly blinking as he regained consciousness a few minutes later.

“Ashes? Can you hear me, sweetheart?” Andy asked, sounding concerned and scared.

“Don’t talk above a whisper,” he snapped, grabbing the side of his head. “And hand me the water and Advil I had you get.”

“Okay, okay,” he agreed. “What happened?”

“Panic attack.” He quickly downed the pills and water he was handed. “They don’t happen often, but they do occasionally.”

“Do you get headaches after every panic attack?” his lover asked.

“Yeah. They’re not always this bad, but it happens after every single one,” Ash answered, barely nodding where his head rested against his chest.

KNOCK KNOCK! “Andy? You guys okay in there?”

“Yeah, Mom,” he answered, pressing his hand to his sweetheart’s uncovered ear to muffle his voice.

“Owww,” he whined, tears beginning to stream down his face from his headache.

“Oh, sweetheart. What’s wrong?” Amy asked, having come into the bedroom.

“Lower your voice to a whisper, Mom,” Andy said, trying not to snap at her since she hadn’t known about that part of his past.

“Sorry, Andy. What happened?” she asked.

“Don’t threaten to chain him to something, or bind him in any way, shape or form,” the older man answered. “He had a panic attack from you doing that downstairs, even though I know you meant it playfully.”

“Oh, Ashley. I’m so sorry,” she said, gently rubbing his back.

He couldn’t help but flinch, even though her touch was as gentle as if she were touching a newborn.

“But why’d he have a panic attack over it?”

“You want me to tell her?” Andy asked, gently brushing his hair back.

Ash merely nodded his head, his selective mutism taking over.

“His mother used to chain him to basement walls when he was younger. Let’s just say that the things she either did, or allowed to happen, would’ve been nice to know when charges were being filed against her,” he told his mother. “Even playfully, threats to chain him to anything can cause bad reactions because of those memories, though I didn’t know he could have a panic attack from it.”

Nodding her understanding, Amy promised not to make such a threat, even playfully, again and to tell her husband and nephew not to do that, either. She also promised not to tell them why without the teen’s permission first, but said that she’d tell them he didn’t like it when people did that. Thanking her, Andy went back to comforting his boyfriend, trying to make sure he was calm enough for them to go back downstairs so they could eat with the rest of the family. Hopefully his head wouldn’t be hurting so bad that he couldn’t eat, but only time would tell if the Advil would alleviate his pain enough.

Shortly thereafter, Ash told him that, although his head still hurt a bit, he was hungry and wanted to attempt eating something. After making sure he was actually up to doing so, the older man gently lifted him bridal-style again and carried him downstairs, where he held him in his lap while they ate. Little conversation was made, both because everybody was hungry and because they didn’t know what to say, but that was okay. They all hoped that the rest of the Christmas break went better, and kept their fingers crossed.

Notes