Saved Soldier (AB/DL)

26: Slipping

Clay's Pov:
     I gently shake Brodie, but he groaned and rolled over. "Just a couple more minutes..." he mumbles and whines. I smile a little. I had already let him sleep in for an hour, since he just looked so cute and he was probably exhausted.
     "Come on Bud, I've already let you sleep in for so long. If you sleep in any longer, we won't have time for breakfast." Brodie just whines and shook his head more. "Come on baby... I don't want to have to contact a friend of mine..." I smirk a little bit.
     Brodie shook his head more and buried it in the pillow. "No..." he mumbles sleepily. His voice was so cute today, he really did sound like a toddler now. I can't tell if he's slipped or if he's just sleepy.
     "Well then, you leave me no choice, looks like you'll be getting a visit from... the tickle monster!!" I laugh and tickle his sides, causing the man to squeal and squirm around, shaking his head.
     "N-no no!!" He giggles out and gasped for air, trying to get away from the tickles. I pulled him closer and stopped so he could catch his breath.
     "Well then, are you gonna be a good boy and get up now?" Brodie looked up at me and nodded quickly. He clearly did not want anymore tickles. Everything about him at the moment just seems so... pure? I'm not sure if that's the right word.
     His beautiful grey eyes were rounder and bigger than usual, and he was speaking less and in a higher pitches more childlike voice. I forgot how amazing those eyes were... and seeing them less sharp and more relaxed made them even better. The grey was such a welcoming color, I really didn't want to stop looking.
     "D-daddy...?" He asks in a very small voice. I hadn't even noticed his tight grip on my shirt.
     "Oh- right sorry baby." I stood up. "Do you want to get changed first?" I ask softly. Brodie quickly nodded before hiding his face in the crook of my neck, looking down and biting his lip again. He seemed to do the lip biting a lot. I gently slip a pacifier in his mouth, which he instantly began to chew on. "You know, you're supposed to suck on those, sweetheart. It's better than chewing." I smile as he slowly stopped himself and tried sucking on it. The pacifier bobbed as he melts into me more in relaxation. 
     I smile softly and take him to the closet, looking through the many different clothes. "Do you see anything you like?" I ask while still looking through the clothes myself. "Aww, this would be so cute..." I pull out some overalls and a yellow shirt. Brodie just hid his face more into my neck. "Is that a yes?" I grin as his face heats up, slowly nodding.
     I lay him on the bed and quickly get to work, changing him into a fresh diaper, then the shirt and the overalls on top. "Oh! You know what else would look so good?" I go back to the closet and return with some long, over the knee socks. Brodie just his his face behind his hands now. I don't think he liked it when I saw him turn cherry colored. "You are too cute." I smile and slide the socks onto his legs.
     Brodie slowly sat up when I was done, looking down at the socks and his outfit. He then looked up at me. He looked so precious at this point. He was wearing the cute outfit, which if anything made him seem shorter than he was. He isn't short at all, maybe 5'10"? I'm only a few inches taller than him. But the outfit made him look so tiny. His hair was an absolute mess, but I didn't feel like styling or combing it for him. It added to the childish look. He was also all cherry red, probably from all the blushing. He reaches his arm and stub up for me, and I happily lift him up. He had never acted like this before, he's just seemed to let go of everything.
     I take him to breakfast. Nothing excited happened there, we ate some cereal... though I found I had to clean up a lot of a mess from him while he was eating. Maybe I should have fed him? He seemed so embarrassed the whole time, and has been so quiet. He's only spoken when it's absolutely essential!
     After breakfast, I take him back to my room. I really needed to start bonding with his little side, this is the longest it's ever been out. I only have just over two weeks to get him to 100%.
"Hey Baby, you know who I'm remembering?" I got up and go to grab his fawn from the other day. "Remember her? What was her name, Apple?" I ask with a small smile, watching as his face lit up. He instantly reached his arm out for her, and I quickly give it to him.
     Brodie hugged the toy tightly to his chest and began to try build a block tower for her. I gush a little and go to sit with him. "Aww, are you making her a tower, sweetie?" I gently rub his back. Brodie nods and after a moment. I continued to watch him, but the little guy was struggling at this point. He was still adjusting to the one hand and almost half an arm. His face scrunches up in frustration as he continued stacking the blocks. He held Apple under the armpit of his stub. His round eyes were slowly going away.
I couldn't let it go away just yet. I need to find ways to revert him back, and frustration clearly wasn't going to be good for Brodie. "Do you... want me to help you?" I ask and tilt my head a little. Brodie looked up at my and shyly shrugged, gently pushing a few blocks my way. "You have made such an amazing tower so far. You know it's okay to take your time on these things, right?" I smile.
Brodie just shrugs again, going back to stacking the blocks. I help him stack them. These were the nice kind of children's blocks, wooden but of course covered with finish and such so that there would be no splinters.
"It's okay to take a break sometimes, Bud. You are still adjusting to this whole arm thing."
Brodie just sat there, shaking a little.
"Hey... when this war is over, I'm gonna buy you one of those prosthetic ones. One of the expensive ones so you can move it around." I smile a bit and go to put my hand on his back.
Brodie looked up at me slowly, his cheeks were stained with tears.
"Oh no- baby did I say something wrong?" I frown and quickly pull him into a hug, rocking him soothingly. "I'm sorry, I won't if you don't want me to."
Brodie shook his head and hiccuped as he cried, holding onto me tightly. "T-too nice!" He manages to get out. I pull his head out and put my hands on his cheek, wiping his tears away.
"Hey, come on. I want to do these nice things for you. You deserve it, you've been so brave for me..." I brush his hair back out of his face. This Brodie was much different from the near dead one from earlier. He's doing so much better. He's learning to adapt to his loss of arm.
"I also want to do nice things, because I really do care about you..." I smile softly and rock him gently in my lap. "I care like, a lot... now, how about we worry about that later." I kiss his forehead, which instantly makes his eyes back to the round way they were before. His face lit up a small but, making him nod quickly.
I let him crawl out of my lap and return to the floor. He hands me a few more blocks and we begin to build up the tower together.
     I couldn't mess this up. I had to be good for my cute little guy. I place a few blocks down and smile. "Does it look good so far?" Brodie nods in acceptance and continued to build up the block tower, handing me blocks. He looked so focused the entire time, it was so cute. Whenever he's extremely focused, one of his eyebrows raises up just the slightest, and he stops sucking on the pacifier for the moment.
     Once the tower was done, Brodie placed Apple near the top, I could see a faint smile creep onto his face- Wait a second... this boy has dimples?! How have I never noticed?! Holy mother of cute!! He was adorable before, but this is the ribbon on top, the icing on the cake, the everything! He beamed at his creation behind the pacifier, looking up at me and opening his arm and stub up. I pull him into a tight hug.
     "You did such a good job, Brodie. Apple loves it!" I say proudly. I'm proud of him not only for building an actually very cool structure with the blocks that is able to support the toy, but also for being able to open up so much.
     I felt his head once again go into his new favorite hiding place, my neck. I could feel the heat of his cheeks from blushing so much. "You've done such an amazing job." I pat his head. Brodie just stayed still. I wouldn't mind being like this forever, holding him in this warm embrace while he just relaxed in my hold.
     Comparing him to the first time I held him, he feels like a teddy bear. He's so soft and huggable now. Even more so like a teddy bear made out of butter, since he keeps melting right into me.
I felt Brodie's arm reach up and take his pacifier out, and all of a sudden... his lips pressed against mine. We stayed like that for a moment, his lips were so soft, I just let him kiss me for however long he wanted. He pulled off eventually and looked me up in the eyes, but quickly looked away, blushing harshly.
"I Umm... th-Thank you... for everything. A-and... and for giving me purpose, Clay..." He fidgeted around anxiously. He's so incredibly handsome and cute...
I pull his head back to mine, and we just sit there, kissing one another for a short while.
"You have given me purpose too... and someone to fight for." I smile softly after breaking away from the kiss.
"I've been feeling... really weird recently." He mumbles awkwardly, partly from the moment we just had and partly from the kisses.
"How so?" I ask and begin to play with his hair. I think I already knew the answer.
"I just... feel like such a child, and I actually WANT to be that way, especially with you. I know that you'll take care of me and it just feels so good and, and natural!" He pouts a little bit, looking like a cute little puppy.
"It's because you're slipping, my baby." I laugh.
     He tilts his head to the side, continuing with the cute puppy look. "Slipping?"
     "Well... its a lot to explain." I chuckle. "But to sum it up... I think you've devolved a headspace, which you are slipping in and out of. This headspace is an entirely different side of you, that is like a little kid." I smile softly. I honestly hope that doesn't freak him out. He's been so against this whole baby thing.
     "Oh... okay." He mumbles and grabbed by onto his fawn. "Can we go back to playing now?" He looks up at me with a pleading look. He was so cute without even meaning to be.
     "Sure thing." I laugh and grab onto another toy. He's too precious.

~~~

Hope everyone is doing well! Treat yourself with some ice cream today, will yah? ;)