Paparino's Piccolo Gattino

Shock coursed through Andy’s veins at his sweetheart’s words, the teen in question snuggling closer to him. Sure, they called each other sweet pet names all the time; it was just part of their relationship. But unless he was mistaken, he could swear that Ash had just called him “Daddy”. He pulled away just enough to look down at the young man he loved with all his heart and soul, his brows as high as they could possibly go as he used a finger under his chin to raise his gaze to his face.

“D-did you j-just call me ‘D-Daddy’, sweetheart?” he asked, stuttering a bit from his shock.

Ash gasped and his eyes widened, a blush staining his cheeks as he tried to duck his head. “Th-that wasn’t supposed t-to h-happen.”

“Sweetheart, look at me.” Andy raised his face once again, forcing him to look him in the eye without being abusive about it. “I don’t mind you calling me ‘Daddy’, if that’s what you want. It’s…it’s just the first time you’ve ever done something like that, so it shocked me.”

“Well, you practically are my daddy,” he told him, still blushing furiously. “You’ve loved me and treated me the way I’d imagine a daddy is supposed to treat their child. Not even my biological father treated me in such a way, and we both know damn well that my mother never did. You even made me feel safe the very first day I met you, despite your intimidating looks and basement-deep voice.”

The older man merely laid still and listened as he explained his line of thinking.

“Daddies are supposed to love their children, make them feel safe, and spoil them to a certain extent,” the teen continued, now playing with his lover’s hair. “You do all of those things and then some. I don’t see why the name ‘Daddy’ wouldn’t fit.”

“The only thing I have to ask of you is that, if we’re in public or have guests over, don’t call me that. Okay?”

His sweetheart looked at him with a confused expression, his brow cocked.

“Well, not many people would understand, and if they did, it’s doubtful they’d accept such a thing,” Andy told him. “If you don’t call me by name or Mr. Biersack, at least call me ‘paparino’.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked curiously.

“Paparino is the Italian word for Daddy,” the older man chuckled, gently kissing his forehead. “I doubt very many, if any, people in a town this small know Italian.”

“Papa-ree-no,” Ash said slowly, trying out the alternate way to call him “Daddy” for himself. “That’s not very hard. But how did you learn Italian?”

“I didn’t. I just woke up one morning when I was ten with the ability to speak it, and so fluently it was almost like I was born and raised in Italy,” his lover answered.

“Wow… Can you teach me?” he asked eagerly, leaning up on his elbow.

“If you’re willing to learn, gattino,” Andy answered, chuckling into the kiss he pulled him down for.

“You keep calling me that, and I wanna know what it means,” the teen pouted.

“Kitten,” the older man answered. “You’re as sweet and cuddly as a little kitten, so that’s what I started calling you.”

“And now that you’re Daddy, that means I’m Daddy’s little kitten,” Ash hummed, purring softly.

“Sí, Paparino’s piccolo gattino,” he agreed, nuzzling his temple.

“That’s how you say that in Italian? Paparino’s piccolo gattino?”

“Sí, mio gattino.”

“Now I’ve gotta learn some Italian so I can come up with my own little pet name like that for you.”

Andy laughed merrily as he squeezed his arms tighter around his sweetheart, pulling him so that he was laying right on top of him as he kissed him again. When he’d first thought he was as sweet and cuddly as a kitten, which was shortly after they first started dating, he hadn’t been kidding. Because he’d been deprived of affection the majority of his life, especially by his mother, he always seemed to crave it, particularly cuddling. It was almost as if the bitch had never snuggled her son close in his childhood, and now that he thought back to what he’d been told, she probably hadn’t.

It wasn’t long afterward that they finally decided to rise and shine for the morning, and not because they wanted to. Had their stomachs not started grumbling at them for food, they’d have been content to lay there in each others’ arms all day. However, the older man could get a bit mean when he was hungry, and Ash could turn into a bit of a diva, so they decided it was best to go satisfy their hunger.

The teen seemed to have a bit of trouble moving around now, a hand pressed to the small of his back as if it were sore. Considering his lover’s size and the pounding he’d taken, despite it being fairly gentle, it was no wonder he was sore. Once he was as dressed as he was going to be, Andy gently swooped him up in his arms bridal-style, refusing to let him aggravate his backache and promising a massage later. With a soft purr, the teen nuzzled into his neck, which he’d wrapped his arms around as he carried him, and said he’d hold him to that. He couldn’t see their relationship getting any better than it already was, but knew it probably would.



A couple weeks later, Ash was having trouble concentrating in class one day. Since it was a new semester, he had concert band with his boyfriend instead of marching band, although the rest of his schedule was changed completely. Second period was now Chorus with Jake, third period was Chemistry with CC, and last period was Calculus with Jinxx. Of course the guys were still his closest friends at school, and they helped him find his classes after the semester change, but he always felt like something was missing.

He couldn’t help but feel somewhat abandoned, even though he knew damn good and well that not only did Andy love him as much as he always had, but he was on the same campus, too. One morning during second period, after having a bad nightmare the night before that’d really shaken him up, the teen had to beg the choral instructor to let him run to the bathroom.

The tears clogging his throat from both being shaken by the nightmare and because, for that unexplainable reason, feeling abandoned by his boyfriend left him unable to sing at the moment. Concerned about him, Jake begged her to let him go with him to make sure he was all right, and she conceded. His friend chased him down the hall to the bathrooms all the Fine Arts students used, which were right next to the faculty bathrooms. Sometimes faculty members even had to use the student bathrooms if theirs were busy, but he doubted that’d happen right now. As far as he knew, all the Fine Arts teachers had a class of some sort right now.

“Ashley?” he asked softly, trying not to startle him.

“H-handicap s-stall,” Ash choked out. Holding his tears back was hard.

“What’s wrong, Ashley?” his friend asked, sitting down on the floor beside him. “I’ve never seen you this upset before.”

“I-I had a b-bad n-nightmare last n-night,” he stuttered through his tears. “A-and for s-some r-reason, I feel a-abandoned by m-my b-boyfriend.”

“That’s never a good thing,” Jake said, immediately wrapping him in a tight hug. “Has he been treating you right?”

“M-more than,” the teen managed. “I d-dunno why I f-feel l-like this.”

“Could it be something subconscious from your past?” the other young man suggested. He, Jinxx, and CC already knew the sordid tale behind his submissive nature, and he knew better than to say anything specific about it if he didn’t introduce it to the conversation first.

“P-probably,” Ash answered, nodding.

“Is there anything I can do to help? We can’t miss too much of class, you know.”

“I j-just want A-Andy!” he sobbed into his chest, uncaring of his makeup.

“Andy? Who’s Andy?” Jake was obviously confused.

“That’d be me.”

Ash’s head shot up at the sound of his boyfriend’s basement-deep voice, and he scrambled over to the stall door to unlock it.

“Oh, what’s wrong, mio gattino?” the older man asked, immediately squeezing him in a bear-hug.

“Mr. Biersack?” his friend asked, sounding surprised.

“Mmm hmm. We weren’t going to say anything till he graduated, just so we wouldn’t catch Hell from the school board,” Andy answered. “We’d appreciate it if you’d keep this a secret.”

“The only one I’d dream of telling is Jinxx, and even then, I won’t say anything unless he asks,” the other teen promised.

“Thanks, Jake. Now, sweetheart. What’s wrong?” he repeated, returning his attention to his boyfriend.

Ash was sobbing too hard now to answer, so his friend decided to.

“He told me he had a bad nightmare that left him shaken last night,” Jake told him. “We think it’s something subconscious from his past that triggered it.”

“Wouldn’t be surprising,” the band director agreed, nodding. “I was in an abusive relationship when I was younger. Although it’s not the same as child abuse, it’s still abuse, nonetheless. I can’t tell you the number of times I woke up shaken from nightmares triggered by those events.”

“Well, that’s not all of it, Mr. Biersack,” he said.

“Andy, when we’re in private,” he insisted.

“Right. Anyway, he says that he feels a bit abandoned by you, although he can’t explain why,” he continued.

“What?” Andy used his thumb to raise his head so he was looking at him as he cupped his cheek. “Mio gattino, why haven’t you said anything to me?”

“B-because I didn’t w-want to h-hurt you f-feelings,” Ash sobbed, fresh tears cascading down his cheeks.

“Ashes, you’d never hurt my feelings by telling me something like that,” he assured him, kissing his forehead. “Besides, how am I supposed to help you figure out what’s causing these feelings and how to help stop you from feeling that way if you don’t tell me?”

“You know, he’s got a point, Ashley,” Jake agreed, gently rubbing his back. “Jinxx once felt the same way early in our relationship. I didn’t know why he was so depressed, and I hated having to force the answers out of him, but I finally got him to talk. All it really took to cure him of those feelings were more cuddling—some of which CC provides, if I’m unavailable—and a necklace that has ‘Jake’s Fallen Angel’ engraved in it.”

The other teen looked up at him with tear-filled chocolate eyes, which widened at him. “H-he did?”

“Mmm hmm. Now look at how happy he is,” his friend answered, nodding. “Sure, I get a little jealous sometimes when I see CC cuddling him, but in the end, I know he still loves me.”

“Hmm… I have an idea, Ashes, so I’ll probably be home a bit late. Okay?” Andy asked thoughtfully, getting him to turn his attention back to him. “In the meantime, Jake, do you think you can take him home? I don’t think he should be in class if he’s having a meltdown in the bathroom.”

“Yeah. Jinxx, CC, and I can sign ourselves out and stay with him, if you want us to,” the other teen agreed, nodding.

“That’d definitely be appreciated,” the band director told him. “If I could leave early, I’d just take him myself, but I don’t wanna lose my job.”

“Understandable. Think you’ll be all right until Andy can get off work, run his errand, and come home?” he asked his friend.

“As long as you guys are around,” Ash answered, nodding weakly.

“C’mon, then. Let’s go get ourselves signed out. I’ll send Jinxx and CC a text on the way to the office so they’ll know to do the same.”

“Thanks again, Jake. I’m not trying to dump him off on you, or make him feel a stronger sense of abandonment, but I really can’t leave early,” the older man said.

“It’s fine, Andy. I’m sure Ashley understands.”

“I do,” he answered. “Like I said, I dunno why I feel this way, anyway.”

“Sweetheart, look at me.” His lover gently raised his chin again. “I’ll never abandon you unless I die and have no say in whether I live or die, okay? I’m not going to leave you, and especially because I committed suicide or anything of the sort. I’m by your side through thick and thin until you don’t want me to be anymore.”

Ash threw his arms around his boyfriend’s waist one last time before his friend took him back to the chorus room to grab their things. The choral instructor wasn’t too happy that they were leaving early, but understood that he couldn’t sing if he was congested and crying, and that it was probably a good idea for him to have a friend around to make sure he was okay. She quickly gave him a hug before they left and told him she hoped he felt better soon.

On their way to the office to sign themselves out, Jake kept his promise and sent both his own sweetheart and their other friend a text. Concerned about the only other submissive one of their group, they both responded within seconds, despite their teachers glaring at them, and promised to meet them at the office. He sighed miserably as he relaxed into his friend’s hold, the hazel-eyed young man having wrapped an arm around his shoulders in a comforting gesture. He couldn’t resist wrapping his own arm around his waist as they walked, obviously in the habit of doing that with Andy.

Shortly after their arrival in the main office, all four of them were headed out to the senior parking lot. Jake and Jinxx always carpooled, and CC often rode with them since he didn’t even have a car. Sure, he had his license, but his parents refused to get him a car and he hadn’t saved up enough money to buy one of his own yet. Because he was in no condition to drive, it was agreed that the later would drive Ash’s Mustang for him.

The quartet were soon settled in the two cars, and the miserable teen sat in silence as his wild, hyper friend drove back to the house he shared with his boyfriend. Their other friends were hot on their heels, all of them having known where he lived for a while now, just not that he was living with and dating their band director. He smiled a bit at how Andy would always hide himself in what used to be his bedroom, which was now an office, and never come out while they were over so they didn’t have to say anything about their relationship. Ash thought it was sweet that he was doing everything he could to protect him, just like a good daddy should, and now he wondered if he should clue Jinxx and CC into their relationship.

“You okay, Ash?”

Looking away from the window, he saw that they were parked in his driveway and the latter of his clueless friends was looking at him, concern marring his features. “Yeah, I’m fine, Chuppy.”

“You don’t look it,” CC told him. “Let’s get you inside and comfortable, okay?”

Nodding his agreement, he allowed his friend to help him out of the car.

After unlocking his front door, he led his trio of friends into the house and told them to make themselves comfortable in the living room. They gave him a questioning glance, clearly wondering if he’d be okay by himself or not, and he assured them he would be. He was just running down the hall to his and Andy’s bedroom so he could change into something more comfortable.

Still worried about him, Jinxx insisted on coming with him, but that was fine by him. Because he had others around who didn’t know about his fetish, he wasn’t about to wear one of his thong-and-baby doll sets like he normally did when at home. Besides, since he was feeling abandoned by his boyfriend, although he still couldn’t explain why, Ash had already planned on grabbing a pair of his sweats and one of his hoodies. He’d figured out already that sometimes wearing the older man’s clothes could help with his loneliness because they helped him feel closer to him, which was just what he needed right now.

His friend sat on the foot of their bed while he headed into the closet, not only to pick out his lazy clothes, but to strip and get dressed, too. The teen had chosen to wear a thong to school under his jeans today, and he didn’t want his friend knowing that he wore not only women’s undergarments, but women’s lingerie, as well. Otherwise, he’d probably have changed right in front of him since he was perfectly comfortable in his own skin, but no one knew about that fetish but Andy.

Once he’d changed and put his dirty clothes in the hamper outside the closet door, Ash quickly walked into their bathroom. Despite his lover’s clothes already smelling like him, he added a bit more of the Axe he used so they really smelled like him, which he oftentimes did when he missed him. Jinxx smiled at him once he’d gotten himself changed and cleaned up, putting a hand gently in the middle of his back as they headed back to the living room. The moment they walked through the doorway, CC perked up quicker than Jake, clearly worried about his troubled friend. Of course they were all worried about him, but with the wildest of them always so protective of his friends, he was the most worried about the teen besides his boyfriend.

“Feeling better now, Ashley?” Jake asked, still sounding concerned.

“A little,” he answered, nodding.

“C’mere, you,” the wild child said, his arms wide open.

Since he’d been told how he often cuddled Jinxx in his boyfriend’s place if he was feeling lonely, he knew that’s what he was offering now.

“It’s okay. It’s pretty obvious that your boyfriend still loves you,” he murmured softly, cuddling him as close as he could.

“Thanks, Chuppy,” Ash giggled, nuzzling his chest. “You guys are the best friends a guy could ask for.”

Notes