So This Is How Being Married Is Like! – Box Shaped Heart Bonus Story, Patreon Exclusive (Patreon)

Author’s note:

Hey guys, this week we take a small break from Alex’s story because here I am with the bonus story for Box Shaped Heart, as promised! I loved hearing from you, your ideas about what the story should be about, what to include, and this is what I came up with. I hope you will have fun reading it, as much as you had while reading the main storyline. 

Nash, Ron, Hunter, you mentioned that you wanted to see how Carter and Aron manage everyday life with kids. Natalie, J S, you were courageous and asked me about Aron’s and Carter’s introduction to David and his BDSM club. The rest of you who are not at all into this, I just want to tell you: don’t worry, guys, that scene will be as goofy and funny as the two main protagonists. And Nina, the bit I wrote a little more for you than for anyone else … I guess you’ll know it when you’ll read it!

Without further ado, here are Carter and Aron having fun while being happily married. The story starts with the honeymoon, then will follow the two protagonists through snapshots of their life as newlyweds, and then as a couple with children, while the end … I’ll let it be a surprise!

This story is for all of my patrons! I could not have made it so far without you!

~~~

Married for two days

“Hey, I had no idea that was what you were thinking about!” Carter exclaimed as he hurried out on the balcony to take in the views. “I think you said ‘somewhere with a pool’. That’s,” he gestured toward the vast expanse of blue in front of them, “the entire ocean!”

Aron crossed his arms and looked at his husband, with an all-knowing smile on his lips. 

“Hmm,” he murmured, and his smile grew larger.

Carter turned to watch his best friend turned lover turned husband and pressed his index finger against his pursed mouth. 

“Are you trying to impress me, A?” he asked, but he knew that the laughter bubbling in his chest could not stay there for long.

“Well, of course I’m trying to impress you,” Aron replied. “You impressed me with the wedding and all, so it’s my turn. Seriously, I had no idea you knew so much about catering and all that.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Carter guffawed. “Both your mom and my mom took care of things. Oops, I guess that was supposed to be a secret, and also that ruins all the good impression you just had of me in regards to organizing weddings.”

“Don’t worry. My good impression of you still stays,” Aron began walking slowly toward him.

Carter gulped, feeling a bit overly conscious of himself and aware of a sudden change in temperature in the room. Or maybe it was just him. Yeah, his body temperature was rising. 

With the wedding and all, they hadn’t had exactly time to have proper sex. What was he thinking about? They hadn’t had any kind of sex. Everyone had been so absorbed with the preparations of the event, that all he could remember right now was how tired he had ended up being. 

“Weddings are so overrated,” he declared out loud.

“Yeah, I suppose, but they’re a necessary evil,” Aron came closer.

It was pretty sweet that Aron stood just a little taller than him. He could just look up, just a little bit, and he could stare Aron in his deep dark eyes.

“A necessary evil, huh?” he licked his lips, that sense of oh, something is just about to happen, and it’s going to be so cool, came back to him.

“Yes, since I get to do this,” Aron said and just leaned in and kissed him.

It was something that had to be right at the crossroads of magic and wishes come true in how Aron kissed him. Unhurriedly, like they had all the time in the world to stay like that.

Carter could live with that. Yeah, he didn’t need to run a comparison between this and anything else to know the winner. Aron’s kisses? Number one in his book. 

And Aron’s kiss just deepened, making him open his mouth pretty much involuntary, although he did want to debate the truth of that statement. Voluntary-involuntary, it didn’t matter. All he knew was that his arms were wrapped around his husband, and they were kissing each other like crazy and they were soon dry humping one another through their clothes.

“This,” he moaned, as soon as Aron let his mouth go so that he could speak.

“Yeah?” Aron encouraged him, with the same wicked slash adorable grin. 

The way Aron smiled was just making him want to reach out and lick the guy’s lips. And then bite them. And then …

“Knock, knock,” Aron joked, tapping his forehead with two bent knuckles. “I know you must be thinking of something sexy because your eyes go all lit up like a Christmas tree.”

“The only thing I’m thinking is how we’re supposed to be all naked, and in bed,” Carter laughed. 

“Oh, really? But I wanted to show you something else,” Aron smirked.

“Damn, are you going to play the role of that guy at the tourism agency now? Seriously, I thought he was never going to end presenting the amenities. I wonder how they don’t go bankrupt. Tell me again why we didn’t do all the booking and such online,” he said.

“You’re getting lost in details, hun,” Aron joked.

“Hun? Is that my name from now on?” Carter questioned, quite interested in learning if that was the case. 

“Since I want to yell the moment I get back from work ‘hun, I’m home!’, yeah, that’s pretty much your name from now on.”

Carter scrunched his nose.

“That was supposed to be ‘honey, I’m home!’,” he said.

“I was looking for a little variation. After all, you’re a husband, not a wife. Consider it the more masculine version of that.”

“I like it how you decide all this stuff on your own,” Carter murmured.

“Wow, are we ready for our first little fight as a married couple? Am I too possessive?” Aron laughed.

“Fight? Who’s fighting? No, I really like how you decide all this stuff on your own. It’s no irony. And ‘hun’ it is.”

“Really? You want me to decide stuff concerning our marriage and life together by myself?” Aron pretended to pout.

“Only stuff that’s unimportant.”

“So how I call you is unimportant,” Aron persisted, the same naughty smile lighting up his face.

“Ugh, I guess it is our first fight as a married couple. Who won?” Carter questioned.

Aron burst into laughter. 

“I don’t know. But all the glossy magazines say that after a fight, nothing is better than make-up sex.”

“Then we should get to that already!” Carter exclaimed.

Who knew? Aron had a sense of humor. All those years they had spent as friends, Carter had thought Aron the more serious of them two. Also, the guy had always been nice enough to laugh at his jokes, and Carter was very much appreciative of that. But it looked like Aron could make a joke or two on his own, without a problem. 

And Carter very much liked that about his husband.

“Then we should get to the part where I show you something,” Aron took him by the shoulders to guide him through the vast accommodations they had booked for their honeymoon.

Carter had protested, saying that he only wanted to stay indoors and enjoy being married for a while, but Aron had been stubborn enough to insist on the idea of spending at least one week away from all the hustle and bustle of the city. For a moment there, he had wanted to insist and say that he had no issues with the hustle and bustle of the city, quoting Aron on that exactly, as long as they just spent their time at home, doing …

He made a small funny sound when Aron’s large hand landed on his ass and squeezed playfully. 

“Seriously, A, you shouldn’t add fuel to the fire. My dick is about to ask for its marital rights in the most severe terms, and it apparently knows some legalese, too.”

“And what am I doing?” Aron drawled into his ear. “Seeing how you readily took my name …”

“… and you mine,” Carter said right away.

“Don’t interrupt me, my lawfully wedded husband,” Aron chuckled, making thousands of tiny little hairs, invisible to the naked eye, rise to the occasion. 

He was pretty sure other things were also standing up to the same occasion, but he didn’t want to make too much fuss, seeing how Aron was bent on calling the shots, which meant that whatever came next, was going to be really, really good. 

Aron placed his palms firmly over Carter’s eyes.

“Hmm, is it a surprise?”

“No, a promise,” Aron said promptly.

Hmm, he had no idea what that could mean. When Aron finally let him see, he stared quizzically at the large in-ground pool that also seemed to be private, and only for the two of them.

“I promise you there will be a pool, so here it is,” Aron said, laughing and began undressing at the speed of light.

“Hey, slow down,” Carter joked, taking in his husband’s impressive body with hungry eyes.

“What?” Aron frowned and smiled at the same time, stopping in the middle of unzipping his pants.

“I need my phone,” Carter said directly.

“What for?” Aron asked, this time a bit surprised.

“For taking pictures of that hot body,” Carter replied.

Aron shook his head, smiling with both eyes and lips and grabbed Carter’s hand.

“You can take as many pictures as you want. But not now. And I thought that marrying my best friend might mean that there would be no novelty factor anymore. How many times have you seen me naked?”

“Not enough times,” Carter said promptly. “Plus, now I see you with a husband’s eyes.”

“Oh, with a husband’s eyes?” Aron’s eyes twinkled with excitement. “And how is that?”

“Like this,” Carter replied and placed a loud kiss on Aron’s lips while cupping his husband’s face with both hands. “Like I can’t have enough of you.”

“Hmm, so it’s a good thing we got hitched because that could only mean that before you did have enough of me.”

Carter made a long face, hoping that Aron could understand, without words, why he couldn’t agree to that.

“And why do you look like you just licked a lemon?” Aron pushed Carter’s hair away from his face and then rested his muscular arms on his husband’s shoulders.

Carter liked it best like this. When they could stare into each other’s eyes, and there was no one in the world bothering them.

“Come on,” Aron whispered. “I want to see you naked five minutes ago. And you could do a good job undressing me, I think.”

Pushing down Aron’s slacks was easy. Taking off the underwear seemed more of a challenge though. Aron’s hot and hard cock was definitely in the way. Carter brushed his hands over the stretched cotton, feeling the other’s manhood with delight.

“I like your cock so much,” he whispered.

Aron responded by grabbing him by the ass and then pushing his t-shirt up.

“Thank you,” Aron chuckled.

“How polite,” Carter snickered. “I have such a well behaved husband. I should be proud.”

“Oh, you won’t think I’m that well behaved once I’ll start having my way with you.”

Carter had only a partial recollection of how he had gotten all naked and in the pool with Aron, but they were soon splashing water everywhere, and particularly at each other.

“You’re such a teaser, I can’t believe it,” Aron joked, grabbing him in his strong arms again.

“I thought this was part of the foreplay,” Carter joked.

“Well, I had a different appetizer in mind for the foreplay,” Aron said with a small, secretive smile.

“What is it?” Carter questioned.

“You will have to do exactly as I say,” Aron said softly while pushing his fingers through Carter’s wet hair.

It wasn’t easy to look at his husband like this. Aron’s hooded eyes were filled with delicious promises, and his lips were inviting him, without words, to go along with anything the man wanted.

His husband’s body was a work of art. He could think that, although he had no artistic inclinations whatsoever. But he knew as much that Aron’s sculptural muscles were just as fascinating as those of ancient statues. The marble idols must have had as a source of inspiration mere mortals, and those men must have triggered feelings of awe and lust just as what he was feeling right now in the artists who had immortalized them in stone.

He put out one hand to take in the contour of Aron’s chest, now partially wet and slippery. He could drag his blunt nails through the coarse hair in the middle, and then play with the nipples that were growing harder with each passing of his curious hand.

“Carter,” Aron whispered. “All my life, I don’t think I wanted something more than this. Than you.”

He smiled in sympathy.

“I guess that applies to me, too. Only I had no idea. I mean, I should have. Especially I should have realized it when I got mad at you for marrying another guy. I was so damn and freakishly jealous. I just couldn’t ... bear the thought to lose you, I guess.”

“You’re babbling,” Aron smiled. “Am I making you nervous?”

Aron knew so damn well to be a teaser.

“With this body?” he managed, although his words came out as a whisper, too. “You should know. You practically made me gay with it.”

“Good,” Aron said, getting closer and moving his hands on Carter’s body, too, enjoying, as it seemed, the way his fingers followed every muscle in their path. “Because I’m planning to do more gay things to you. It is my solemn duty to make you completely and utterly gay,” he laughed.

Carter wanted to laugh, too. But he couldn’t do that, as a shiver made his entire body tremble. Aron pulled him close and kissed him, stuffing his mouth with his tongue, and making his eyes roll in his head with exquisite delight.

“That appetizer? I think I’ll have it now, thank you very much,” Aron joked, and guided him toward the edge, making him turn and put his hands in front for balance.

He knelt on the underwater steps, loving every second of having Aron’s hands between his legs, pushing them apart, just enough to have enough room to grab his balls and dick and give them a friendly tug.

“Ah, damn, A,” he whispered.

He wanted to put into words what he most wanted right now, but it seemed that all conscious thought was gone from his mind, and, unlike on many other occasions, his brain was silent, too, most probably just as much in awe for Aron’s skillful touch.

“Oh, fuck, damn,” the string of expletives left his mouth the moment Aron’s tongue reached between his butt cheeks, giving a good wet swipe to his hole.

So that was what Aron had meant by appetizer. He would have liked one just as much, but preferably in the shape of Aron’s cock. He had enthusiastically discovered how much he was enjoying that particular sexual activity on the go, so to speak. Or maybe Aron’s cock was damn addictive. He had no idea which was the truth. Maybe both.

He could feel his mouth water just thinking of that.

“Aron, I want to suck you off so much right now,” he admitted plainly while pushing his ass up, hungry for Aron’s amazing rimming technique.

Everything Aron did was amazing. But there were things his husband enjoyed more than anything and eating Carter’s ass seemed on top of the list. Not that he was complaining. He could let Aron do anything to him. 

Besides his tongue, Aron pushed one finger in, slowly making his hole a little loose, and totally ignoring his plea from earlier.

“Aron,” he said, this time a little louder. “Your cock in my mouth, now.”

“Maybe a little later,” Aron joked. “Now I rule the show.”

“And how is that fair?” Carter protested. “We’re equal and stuff, right?”

“Yeah, but I’ve been gay a little longer than you,” Aron laughed.

“Oh, wow, you’re pulling that on me?” Carter laughed. “Well, since I’m behind, I have much more cocksucking to recuperate.”

The tongue in his ass stopped, a bit to his disappointment.

“Well, then, you should recuperate, by all means,” Aron admitted and stood up.

And now he was the one lazily leaning against the edge, grinning like a cat.

Carter had no intention to have Aron issue that invitation twice. He made himself way between his husband’s muscular legs, placing his hands on them for leverage.

“Ass up, hun,” Aron joked, but somehow Carter knew the guy was also damn serious.

He was busying himself with Aron’s cock that quickly found its way into his mouth as it belonged there. It was a bit difficult to arch his back and obey his husband’s wishes, but his ass was eventually sitting just a bit above the water. 

Aron grabbed his ass and began working it to the same rhythm Carter was using to give his husband a blowjob. He wasn’t sure that his technique has improved, but, by the way Aron was softly grunting with each go of Carter’s mouth as close to the root as possible, he could tell that he had at least gotten a little better.

He could feel Aron’s cool, wet fingers against his hole. All his nerve endings were battling to be stimulated, and he could barely think clearly. Aron was patiently making his hole larger, using his own saliva to make the entrance slick.

“Hey,” Aron called softly. “Do you think you could let go of your precious lollipop so that I could go grab some real lube?”

“I don’t mind it like this,” Carter protested, but he knew Aron wasn’t going to listen to him in a million years.

“Trust me. I know your ass well and just what it needs,” Aron said, and slapped Carter’s buttocks playfully.

“Yeah, my ass is a simple guy. It just wants your cock,” Carter admitted.

Aron was still laughing while walking away, leaving wet marks as a trail behind him. 

“I better see you in position by the time I get back,” he threw over his shoulder.

“Yes, sir,” Carter replied in kind.

Aron was back in record time. 

“It’s nice to see you walking around like this, dick bouncing and all,” Carter said, and bit his lips as Aron’s lubed fingers were quick at his behind.

He had gotten in the position all right. And it was interesting to do it in the water like this. The pool had the perfect temperature, and he felt relaxed and ready for anything his husband wanted to give to him.

He grunted in small surprise as Aron began penetrating him. Only his surprise was small, after all. And Aron was so serious when he was sticking his cock inside. The guy knew all too well how big he was.

But that was just one of the many things Carter liked about his husband. And he grabbed his ass, to help Aron inside. 

“Yes,” he whispered when Aron pushed inside a little more.

Aron’s hands were caressing his back, taking advantage of the wet skin, to move slower, in sensuous and convoluted lines.

“You know, A,” he dared to speak, once his ass grew accustomed to the hot rod inside, “make-up sex is about being all rough and stuff.”

“You don’t say,” Aron whispered and pulled him close.

Carter helped by angling his head so they could kiss.

“Well, I’m sorry, hun, being rough to my beloved is no deal,” Aron said softly.

“Hmm, I might have to protest,” Carter joked.

“Protest all you want. Except for a good pounding when we go without fucking for a while, I’m afraid I’ll be a very boring sex partner.”

Carter moaned a little louder when Aron hit the right spot. The sound of wet skin on skin was making his arousal growing stronger.

“Nothing is boring in the way you fuck me, A,” he managed with some difficulty. “I love it. Just fuck me like this.”

His encouragements seemed to have the desired effect on Aron who was moving faster, stronger, digging his fingers into Carter’s hips, and hitting that perfect spot inside his husband’s ass like the expert he was.

Carter was pumping his cock desperately now. How could they have resisted for so many days without touching each other? He felt like he was close enough to flip a lid and had an inkling that Aron was just the same.

He spilled his jizz into the water, registering something like a remote sensation the way Aron was holding him still, his stiff cock pulsing inside, like a wild, impetuous thing.

“I love you, A,” he mumbled, as his breathing was slowly getting back.

“I love you, too, Carter,” Aron said as he kissed his cheek.

“What happened to hun?” Carter joked.

“The two don’t exclude each other.”

“Ah, that’s good to know.”

If only they had the energy to laugh at their own jokes. Nah, they were way too spent for that.

***

“You know, I think I won’t mind vacationing with you of it’s always like this,” Carter rested his head on his husband’s chest, enjoying the familiar scent of Aron’s skin after sex.

“We will continue to have sex like this after we’re back, you know,” Aron caressed his hair slowly. 

“Oh, do you think I was worried about that?” Carter pretended to be miffed by that assumption.

“Yeah, I know how your mind works. Most of the time, at least,” Aron chuckled.

“Well, okay then. My mind is clearly at ease. Plus, we have to take advantage of all this freedom before the kids come along.”

Aron’s hand stopped his caressing movement.

“Do you want us to have kids?” 

“Sure thing,” Carter said with conviction. “I think you’d make a great dad.”

“I think you’d make a great dad, too.”

“Me? I’m a scattered brain. I think you’d have me to take care of, besides the kids.”

“Your heart is where it’s right to be for raising kids. The rest is just learning new things,” Aron said with conviction.

“Even so, you’d still be the better dad.”

“I have a feeling you’d be the better dad,” Aron said back, and, by the way his chest was trembling, he was fighting hard not to laugh out loud.

“But you make lasagna!” Carter exclaimed.

“And you tell the most interesting stories I’ve ever heard!” Aron mimicked his tone.

“Oh, no, are we fighting again?” Carter said as if he just had a revelation.

“I hope not. I seriously need to rest before we can have make-up sex again.”

“Okay, me, too,” Carter agreed. “But you’re still the better dad.”

“No. You are,” Aron said stubbornly.

All right, so that was how it was going to be. Carter waited for a few seconds.

“No, you,” he said quickly and shut up Aron with a short kiss.

“You do realize we don’t have kids yet, right?” Aron laughed.

“Completely irrelevant,” Carter said with satisfaction.

Yeah, Aron was going to be the greatest dad in the history of dads.

~~~

Married for three months

“So how is this place like?” Carter wondered out loud, stealing glances at Aron.

His husband was grinning, and that made him a bit … well, he needed to focus on his driving for now.

“Well, it’s a reputable establishment,” Aron replied, although the way he was saying those words made it quite clear the guy thought it was a damn good joke to drag Carter to a sex club, in the middle of the week.

He had met David at the wedding, and they had had a few meet-ups after, but always while others had been present, so Carter could not directly ask the guy about his club and all that. He had the feeling that Aron had been vague on purpose, and that made him feel a little … ah, driving, driving, keeping your eyes on the road …

David had made a pretty strong impression on him, even without cracking a whip and impersonating that Dom role Carter supposed the guy was playing as a lifestyle. For a couple of seconds, he had had a feeling like there was something strangely familiar about the guy, but he could not put his finger on it, so he had just let it slide.

“So it’s like all leather and chains?” he once again tested the waters, seeing how Aron wanted to be so tight-lipped about it all. 

“You’ll see,” Aron chuckled. “And what are you afraid of, really? I think I showed you enough gay porn to know what the letters in BDSM mean.”

“Yeah,” Carter sighed. “I know the letters. And what they mean. And that’s more the reason to be scared.”

Aron laughed out loud. 

“Easy for you to laugh,” Carter protested. “You’ve been there before. But I have no idea what I’m walking into.”

Aron’s warm hand landed on the back of his neck and squeezed gently.

“I know it’s uncharted territory for you, but trust me. And we’re only going to visit David for a while. It’s not like the moment we walk through the door, you’ll be chained, ball-gagged, and have things done to you, things you don’t want.”

“It might not be the moment we walk through the door … but that means that later …” Carter trailed off.

Aron kissed him quickly on the cheek.

“Hey, it’s not fair, I’m driving,” he protested, and Aron withdrew to his place with one of his low, sexy chuckles that were making Carter squeeze the wheel with all his might.

“To put your mind at ease, I just want to show you around David’s club. David invited us to come a long time ago. And he’s a good friend.”

“I am still not over the fact that you didn’t tell me about him,” Carter pretended to pout.

“Well, it would have been rather tricky to do that, you being straight and all,” Aron laughed again. “If I had told you, ‘Hey, buddy, my friend has this gay BDSM club, care to tag along?’, what reaction do you think you would have had to that?”

“Maybe I would have tagged along, and suddenly seen the light,” Carter jabbed back.

“Ah, the light being … some laser dick or something?” Aron burst into laughter.

“I can’t believe it. Lately, you keep stealing my jokes. Before I even manage to tell them.”

“It must be because we’re on the same wavelength,” Aron explained, earning a big smile from Carter.

“Yeah. I guess. So you have my back, right?” Carter asked. “In case something really weird goes down.”

“Like what could go down? We’re friends with the owner. No one is going to jump us and force us into some rough BDSM play.”

“A, I never really asked you, though. Do you …” Carter cleared his throat, “like this kind of thing? I mean whips, and chains, and, I don’t know, paddles and stuff?”

“Not really,” Aron was serious now. “Like anything that caters to a specific fetish, it can be fascinating and exciting. But I’m pretty certain I would not be into this lifestyle like David or other people are. However, since I do want to show you all kinds of things, and going to see David and his club was long overdue …”

“I get it,” Carter interrupted his husband. “But …” he pondered a few seconds whether he could voice his insecurities or not, “what if some guy comes over to you and …”

“Oh, is this still about that guy who came on to me when we went clubbing the last time?” Aron questioned. “He was just seriously tipsy, and he had a lot of trouble taking ‘no’ for an answer. Also, to stand up on his own feet.”

“I know,” Carter murmured. “But I still got jealous. Seriously, A, I never wanted to punch someone so hard in my life. And you know me; I’m not the violent kind.”

Aron’s warm hand caressed his head slowly.

“I know you,” he whispered. “But it was pretty hot that you got jealous. That night was particularly … well, I thought I was going to have troubles sitting on a chair Monday at work.”

“Sorry about that. I guess I got a little too carried away,” Carter mumbled. 

“That made me think you’re the one who has it a bit bad for rough trade,” Aron joked. “But I love it when you’re possessive like that,” he teased.

“And I’m still sorry for giving it to you so hard that time,” Carter said slowly.

“Well, you’re such a sweet lover most of the time, so the change of pace was rather nice.”

“Was it? I mean, really?” Carter questioned, and proceeded to park the car.

Aron leaned in and kissed him quickly before unbuckling his seatbelt.

“Yes, really. Now, are you ready to learn a few more things about rough trade?” he joked.

Carter rolled his eyes.

“You’re not going to let me forget about that, right?”

“Right,” Aron said gleefully as he climbed out of the car.

***

“Hey, guys,” David welcomed them with open arms. 

Aron embraced the man and David hugged back. Unlike that night at the club with that stranger trying to hit on Aron, Carter found no pang of jealousy squeezing his heart. David had a way to make people trust him.

“And I see you managed to convince your husband to come along with you,” David smiled at him.

Carter wanted just to shake hands with the guy, but David pulled him into a hug, too, and there wasn’t time to protest.

“So, Carter, what do you think?” David gestured around. “We’re in the middle of the week, so it’s not crowded, but I wanted to show you, guys, the more low-key experience. Especially since you’re new to this.”

The way the man was watching him intently was making him feel a little hot. While women had liked him and he had grown accustomed with their interest at the time, having guys manifest the same attitude toward him was still new. And he had no idea how to react.

Not that David was hitting on him, or anything, but he could tell the guy was pleased with what he was seeing, and he was making no effort to hide that, either. 

“I hope I will still remain new to this, after tonight,” Carter spoke frankly.

David began laughing.

“Aron, did you scare your husband? What did you tell him about BDSM?”

Aron joined him.

“I just showed him some niche porn, that’s all.”

“And, what did you think?” David turned to look at him again.

“Well,” Carter started. “Some dudes really like, and I mean, really like pain.”

“Porn is not exactly the real thing,” David explained. “They howl and scream just to make the audience believe there’s a lot of pain involved. In most cases, it’s not even 10% real.”

“Seriously?” Carter asked. “It definitely looked like …”

“Come on,” David gestured for them to follow. “I promised Aron that I would let you guys have a room for a while so that you can get familiar with everything. Later, I expect you guys to join me for a glass of wine. Right now, I am still a bit busy. You won’t suspect how much paperwork a place like this can generate.”

Carter stole one look at his husband. Aron was perfectly relaxed. He was also smiling, a good sign that the guy had known everything about it. So that what why he had been rushed through the door half an hour after Aron had gotten home. They had barely had time for a quick bite, and Aron for a shower.

“You knew about this,” Carter whispered, as he fell back a little.

“Of course,” Aron grinned at him. “Come on; I really want to see you in leather and chains.”

“For real? It may be dangerous. What if we’re allergic to latex?”

Aron laughed so loud David turned to look at them.

“Something tells me you two have already started to have fun,” David commented.

“Not yet,” Carter said dryly.

“Don’t worry, Carter. If Aron is getting too rough on you, you can tell me. I have the means to correct him,” David joked.

“No way,” he almost exclaimed. “If there’s anyone who’s going to correct my husband, that would be me.”

“That’s the spirit,” David showed them to a long hallway. “And may I make a suggestion, Carter? Aron’s a pretty strong guy. Don’t hold back,” he winked at him.

“You are really overestimating me. I will probably end up doing nothing,” Carter said.

“I trust you,” David patted his shoulder and smiled. “Aron wouldn’t be so smitten with you if you weren’t a strong guy, too. Well, now I’ll let you be. And hope to see you later, thoroughly satisfied and in the mood for a glass of wine.”

“I’m driving,” Carter said right away.

“So responsible. You got yourself a good guy here, Aron,” the man turned to his other guest.

“Yeah, I know,” Aron smiled widely, making his dimples show.

Carter could feel his knees getting weaker. There was no shortage of sex in their marriage, but he still felt at times, when Aron smiled, or when he got all serious, or when he was only himself, that he just wanted to jump the man and reassure himself they were married and he could do that anytime he wished.

***

The room they stepped in was as challenging as he had expected. There was an underlying sensuous tone in the deep rich reds covering the bed, the floors, and the windows ceiling to the ground. The light was subdued, too, and Carter almost expected soft moans to come off the walls and sexy silhouettes to start moving as shadows, like in a vampire movie or something.

Aron was moving slowly, seemingly taking in the surroundings just as much as he was. He almost jumped when he heard a smacking sound. Aron was smiling like a naughty devil as he was testing a spanking paddle on his own palm.

“So, how are you feeling?” Aron whispered seductively while getting closer.

“Ahem, I think I feel like I want to bolt.”

Aron chuckled, making Carter feel goosebumps everywhere, all over his skin, and rested his arms on his husband’s shoulders, without letting go of the paddle.

“You’re with me. It’s safe. And we don’t have to do anything. I just thought it would be fun, that’s all.”

Carter licked his lips.

“There’s just something so intimidating about this all,” he gestured around the room.

A plethora of what looked like stuff people into BDSM would use was neatly arranged on the nightstand and the bed. 

“And, as I said,” Aron embraced him slowly, “we don’t have to do anything. But I would like to try a few things if you don’t mind.”

Carter nodded and gulped. Aron’s proximity, in such a setting, was enough to make him want to cling to the man and just beg him to …

Aron grabbed his ass and hiked him up into his arms. He had no choice but to wrap his legs around his husband. 

“If the thing you’re poking me with is any indication, you are not as disinterested as you’re trying to let me know,” Aron whispered, moving and gently putting Carter on the bed.

“I’m hot for you, not this,” Carter said.

“I have an idea,” Aron said and pressed a small quick kiss on his lips. “How about you rule the show this time? You say what you want, try what you want, explore your curiosity, and I will be your slave,” he added with a chuckle.

“I think the term is a sub or something,” Carter mentioned. 

“Well, think of me as your sub then,” Aron said.

“Um, okay,” Carter confirmed. “But where should I start?”

“Anywhere you want. Feel free to experiment.”

Carter pushed himself up from the bed and began looking at the items available. He picked a leather harness and watched it closely.

“That’s the stuff that goes over …” he gestured all around his body.

Aron nodded. How he sat there, on the luxurious bed, wearing that sexy smile, was enough for Carter to say that he wanted nothing else but to see Aron naked and in position to be penetrated. It was really nice that Aron didn’t mind getting topped. Because he had a tough time deciding whether he liked best to be topped or to top. Eventually, Aron had put his mind at ease telling him versatile guys had the most fun. He wasn’t sure if that was a complete truth, but for him, it was.

“Okay,” he sighed. “Let’s see you in this getup, then,” he handed Aron the harness.

Aron’s eyes lit up, and he started undressing right away. To save himself the torment, he pretended to be interested in other items exposed there, apparently for his perusal.

“Hmm,” he murmured to himself, as he picked up some clamps.

“Interesting choice,” he heard Aron talking. 

His husband was laying on one side, wearing now that exciting thing.

“Wait, is that thing sterilized?” he asked, alarmed.

“Everything’s new, courtesy of David,” Aron replied. “So, what do you think?”

Carter began playing with the clamps, as he looked again at his sexy husband.

“You look … amazing,” he managed.

The leather harness was covering absolutely nothing, but it wasn’t like Aron was completely naked. The strips were stretched over Aron’s taut muscles, and the small metal circles, now adorning the man’s nipples, were just making those particular anatomical parts even more exciting.

Carter could feel his mouth water. 

“As a Dom, now, you should start giving me orders,” Aron smiled. “And please, put down those nipple clamps. You’re making me a little wary, the way you play with them like you’re about to hack through something.”

“Nipple clamps?” Carter stared at the metallic objects in his hands. 

He put them down carefully. He was pretty confident he didn’t want anything like that close to his nipples. Suddenly, the clamps looked kind of threatening. 

“Your orders, Sir?” Aron asked, and his lips were twitching.

“Let me lick your nipples,” Carter said right away and started moving toward Aron.

“I’m pretty sure that’s not how a master-slave relationship should work,” Aron began laughing.

“Are you trying to give me lip, my slave?” Carter fell right into his role, although he could feel laughter bubbling inside his chest. “I mean, my sub, or something.”

Aron was laughing for real now.

“Stop laughing. I can grab those nipple thingies anytime. And you won’t like it when I do,” Carter warned, as he pulled his t-shirt over his head. 

“Well, try me,” Aron challenged him.

Carter shook his head and jumped on the bed. He latched his mouth directly over one pert nipple, and began sucking, making Aron quit talking and start to groan. 

He was all over his husband now, licking and caressing every patch of skin he could get his tongue and hands on. If the way Aron’s soft groans were turning to moans, he was doing a great job.

“There,” he said with satisfaction, placing one hand over Aron’s erection, strained by the tiny leather thong that seems to be incorporated in the harness getup. 

“Please, Master, get me off,” Aron begged, only half-joking.

“Aha, I got you where I wanted,” Carter said victoriously. “Now, you’ll have to let me blow you.”

“Is that an order?” Aron teased.

“You can bet your sweet ass that’s an order,” Carter confirmed. 

“Oh, damn, Carter, you’re making this so vanilla,” Aron feigned complaint.

“Well, I’m your lord and master, and I like vanilla,” Carter said with determination.

Feeling his husband’s hard-on as it stretched the leather was pretty hot if he were to think about it. Under his fingers, Aron’s manhood was twitching slightly. Without overthinking, he leaned over and began licking the material. Aron cursed softly and threw his head back.

He was starting to get the hang of it. Now all his worries seemed a little foolish. He was hungry for his husband now and the idea of having Aron restrained ...

He pushed himself to his feet and started scouting the room for anything he could use to do exactly that. 

“What are you looking for?” Aron questioned.

Carter threw one look over at his husband and winced. His own cock was more than pleased with Aron in a leather harness. He palmed it and squeezed it. 

“I want to tie you up,” he said with conviction and moved his eyes away.

“Well, there are some not so hidden perks to this bed,” Aron drew his attention again.

The man was playing with some padded cuffs hanging on the headboard.

“Oh,” Carter smiled, suddenly feeling like a cat in front of a bowl of premium tuna.

He took one of Aron’s hands and secured the wrist with the padded cuff. With a frown, he checked to see if the thing wasn’t uncomfortable. For no reason in the world was he going to make his husband feel any pain, even if it was part of some sex play. 

“I’m good,” Aron offered him the peace of mind he needed. “Come on, the other one.”

Carter obeyed. Aron’s arms now hanged above his head, making the strong man appear a tad vulnerable and damn sexy. Yes, that was precisely it.

He straddled Aron and leaned in for a kiss. Aron opened his mouth to greet him like usual, and Carter devoured him.

From there, he needed no more cues. He shed off his pants, too, and completely naked now, he found room for himself between Aron’s legs. It felt amazing to trace Aron’s hard cock through the leather. 

His fingers, curious by nature, traveled lower and pulled at the thin leather string to reach inside. Aron’s opening twitched in interest, just like his cock.

“The lube is over there,” Aron whispered and gestured with his head.

He almost lunged over the thing. He could tell by the way their mingled deep breathing filled the room that they were both aroused and even more than usual if that was possible.

“You don’t have to go so slow,” Aron spoke again, as his fingers, now wet with lube, found their way between the man’s firm butt cheeks.

“Hey, am I the master, or you are?” Carter decided to protest.

“You are,” Aron replied with a smile.

He pushed Aron’s legs apart and began entering his husband. Aron was softly praising him, and that sweet talk was making him feel goosebumps everywhere from pleasure so intense he could not think possible.

Their lips connected once more and Carter moved slowly, earning now small curses and not so veiled threats from his husband.

Yet, it felt good to be the one able to tease like this. Throughout their life together so far, Aron had been the knowledgeable one. Now, he felt like he could really be in charge, too. And that meant that he could genuinely show Aron how much he truly loved him.

“Just sit there nicely and take my love,” he half-joked.

Aron, as expected, chuckled and kissed him.

“Your love is hard as fuck,” Aron teased. “What are you going to do about me? You’re driving me nuts like this.”

“I’ll blow you,” Carter promised.

“Oh, damn,” Aron whispered. “So you do want to torture me and make me wait.”

“I don’t think you’ll have to wait for too long,” Carter replied. “And as much as I want to nut in you, I want you to do the same. Me blowing you is the shortest way.”

“I’m sure you drew a graph in your mind,” Aron laughed.

“Nope, didn’t have the time,” Carter whispered and began ramming into his husband hard, one hand on the headboard, another buried in Aron’s hair.

He came inside long and hard, while almost suffocating Aron with his kiss. He withdrew quickly, panting, but bent on making good on his promise. With a swift move, he pulled Aron’s cock out of its confines and swallowed it in one go.

Aron’s mouth was a fountain of sexy expletives as Carter worked his husband’s shaft with gusto. It didn’t take Aron long to blow just as Carter had done, moments earlier.

Carter welcomed his husband’s taste on his tongue, played with it, and swallowed everything. After that, he crushed on his husband’s chest.

“How about freeing me now?” Aron whispered into his damp hair. “And, by the way, that was amazing play from a master as new to this as you,” he joked.

He moved to release his husband from the padded shackles. And then, returned on his rightful place, crashed on top of his better half.

***

“So, how was it?” David welcomed them into his office.

The guy’s bar was obviously stacked, but Carter was not going to give in to temptation. He was already thoroughly satisfied, and his bones were like jelly. 

Aron took his hand and squeezed it, then threw him a look loaded with affection.

“It was great,” Aron said softly.

“Come on, guys, details,” David joked as he handed Aron a glass.

Carter pouted for a moment. But then he grinned widely, especially since David made a gesture for him to help himself to a colorful fruit cocktail that the club owner had assured him included no alcohol.

“A gentleman never tells,” Carter spoke.

“Of course,” David looked at him with his scrutinizing eyes. “But let me guess. You didn’t make it past the spanking paddle.”

Carter snorted.

“Not even that. But where did you buy that ... um ...”

Hmm, how could he ask about the harness without sounding ... kinky?

“Let me give you anything you want as a gift on your way out,” David offered. “And I’m ready to assist you in anything, and I really mean it, anything you might want to know.”

Carter held the man’s gaze.

“Wait, why do you think I’m the one ... I mean, the master and stuff?” he asked.

“Aren’t you?” David asked smoothly.

“Aron is bigger,” he pointed at his husband with his free hand.

He still held his hand firmly clasped around Aron’s. It just felt good and natural to hold hands like that.

David laughed.

“Size is not the most important consideration,” the man said.

“What’s the most important consideration?” Carter asked right away.

“Is he always this inquisitive?” David turned toward Aron.

Aron just shrugged nonchalantly and looked again at his husband with a smile as large as the sun.

“I guess I failed to drag you to my alternative lifestyle,” David laughed. “But, whenever you feel like trying something, feel free to ask for my help. You two are so damn hot together.”

“Alternative? I thought being gay was alternative enough,” Carter said.

David laughed again. The trio then proceeded to less risqué conversation topics, and the atmosphere became even more relaxed.

***

Later that night, Carter made his way to the marital bed, wearing what he thought was not a good idea, for him at least.

“I think I look stupid,” he told Aron as he climbed into the bed.

“You look hot,” his husband contradicted him. “And you thought I looked hot in it. How is it different for you?”

Carter hooked his fingers under the straps going over his chest.

“I wanted this kind of thing for you,” he said.

“Well, it’s my turn to play master,” Aron joked. “Plus, I want to give you just a little spanking while you’re wearing a thing like this.”

“Well,” Carter pondered, “to deserve a spanking, I must first do something wrong.”

“Oh, and you think you did nothing wrong?” Aron teased him.

“I don’t think I broke anything lately.”

Aron laughed.

“Hey, I’m not talking about accidents.”

“Then what?” Carter questioned.

“Here,” Aron handed him a pillow and gestured for him to get on his fours.

Carter felt the bed dip right behind him and then Aron starting to caress his ass.

“Is this spanking?” he asked.

A small smack was the only reply.

“That’s not spanking,” he laughed.

Aron placed a kiss on one buttock, then the other.

“That’s not spanking, either,” he guffawed.

Aron began squeezing his ass cheeks, and he could feel his cock getting harder, the more Aron hovered closer to his hole.

“I think I’m just a master of vanilla, too,” Aron whispered as he delved to begin rimming him.

“It’s okay. I can live with vanilla. In sex. Less in ice cream,” Carter had to say.

“I know,” Aron replied. “Now come on, ride me. I want to have the nice look of you in this skimpy harness from above.”

Carter didn’t need to be told twice. As soon as Aron was on his back, he hurried to straddle him. And, as always, before anything, they kissed each other like crazy.

Maybe, after all, they were alternative enough as they were. And they could just stop at the letter B in BDSM.

~~~

Married for six years

“Are you really certain you’re going to be okay? Twice the work, you know,” Aron said, as he placed a full plate in front of Carter.

Damn, he was so hungry he could eat the plate along with the food on it. He might have skipped lunch. Right now, he could not remember exactly.

“I’m the stay at home dad,” he said, raising his fork, to illustrate his determination on the matter as well as he could on a grumbling, empty stomach.

“We can always get someone to help,” Aron insisted for a bit, as he filled his plate, as well, and took his place at the table.

“Yeah, I know, but I don’t want to be like one of those desperate housewives. Having the nanny do all the work while I’m eating bonbons and complain that life is hard.”

“I have an impression that you haven’t really watched that show. Plus, you’d be a desperate house … husband?”

“Stay at home dad,” Carter gestured with the fork again. “I’m staying at home anyway. What would be the point of having some stranger around? Plus, I must tell you a secret. I don’t want our moms all over the place again. The first time, was pretty much enough. They stole the show,” he said with conviction.

“Aren’t you a little territorial when it comes to kids?” Aron laughed. “And our moms adore you. You must have felt like a king during that time.”

“Oh, sure,” Carter glared at his husband. “They were on the point of wanting to change the curtains, A. The curtains! We’re the gay couple! No one has better taste in curtains than us!”

“Have you been watching that silly show with gay guys teaching straight guys how to dress or something?” Aron shook his head with mirth.

“Hey, it was for research purposes and only once. But, what I mean to say is that I want to be the one who picks everything this time. Having someone else buying all that stuff for you just takes the fun out of it.”

“All right,” Aron admitted with a smile. “The truth is there’s hardly anything sexier than you, a milk bottle, and a baby in your arms.”

“Such a dirty mind,” Carter glared and started to snicker while digging into his plate. “The thing is I did miss doing some things when Freddie was a small bean, and I want to recuperate now.”

“Ah, so you plan on going shopping?” Aron smiled. “You can go crazy with it, as far as I’m concerned.”

“No, no, no,” Carter protested. “Even if we have a large budget for this, we still must shop like we have a budget.”

“Ah, so tonight it will be all about comparison charts between different baby strollers?” Aron pretended to sigh.

Carter blinked as he had just been caught doing something inappropriate.

“Well, we’re not going to use the same we had for Freddie. Now we have to buy all the girly stuff. And I gave that away to charity, anyway,” Carter said quickly.

“Oh, damn, you’re having fun with this,” Aron smiled. “It’s great, you know. It appears that, except for cooking, I don’t do that well in the realm of domestic affairs.”

“Are you trying to say you’re not a good dad?” Carter threatened him with the fork.

“I wouldn’t dare. You are about to poke my eyes out with that thing in your hand,” Aron laughed.

“Good. Because I enjoy being the stay at home dad. Just as I said. I’m staying at home anyway.”

“Hmm, and when was the last time you wrote one line of code?”

Carter blinked again, feeling a bit disoriented by the question. 

“In my head,” he gestured at his temple, “I’m always coding. Plus, sooner than you think, the kids will be all grown up, and I’ll only have coding to do.”

“Seriously? Only coding?” Aron grinned.

“Hey, it’s not fair,” Carter smirked in return. “You know what I mean. Freddie will be up any minute now. Care to join us for a basketball game in the backyard? Me and Freddie one team, you, the other.”

“Why am I always on my own?” Aron pretended to pout.

“All right, all right, I’ll lend you my most promising young player,” Carter said with emphasis.

“Nah, it’s okay. Freddie always picks you,” Aron said with a smile.

“He’s just more used to me since I'm around every one of his waking moments,” Carter apologized. 

“It’s okay,” Aron replied. “And he’s only four. I can forgive him for playing favorites.”

“Yeah, we should allow him to do that until he’s like six or so,” Carter laughed.

“Agreed,” Aron nodded. “So when we’ll start shopping?”

“Let’s just pick some things tonight together, and I’ll see tomorrow for the rest. The room is as good as ready, but there are just all kinds of miscellaneous stuff,” Carter said quickly.

By how Aron smiled, Carter could tell his husband was mentally prepared for what kind of shopping he had in mind.

***

“Hun, I’m home!” Aron shouted the moment he was in.

By the noises he could hear, his husband was in the living room. And the sound of plastic wraps was a good indication that the mad shopping season had begun. Bracing himself, he walked toward the source of the noise.

To witness, as expected, Carter, Freddie, and Taz among all sorts of packages big and small.

“Oh, wow, that must be why there was a traffic jam just earlier,” Aron joked.

“Hmm? What traffic jam?” Carter raised his eyes from a notepad on which, most probably, a long list of must-haves was scribbled down.

“From all the delivery trucks,” Aron explained and leaned over a stack of packages to kiss his husband quickly.

Freddie put his arms up and looked at him, somewhat expectantly. Aron picked him up and kissed him on both cheeks. And then, the boy, satisfied with being greeted with the same consideration, patted him on the back, to be let down again, mumbling something that was a language of his own. 

“So you two are busy unpacking?”

Taz jumped over some packages to reach him, too and pushed his head into Aron’s hand.

“Ah, sorry, the three of you,” Aron caressed the dog’s head, earning a grateful look from the canine’s eyes.

“Yes, but this is just a small part.”

“Oh, really?” Aron pursed his lips not to laugh.

“Yes, we have toys, and a new stroller, that, by the way, must be assembled, and three sets of bottles and …”

“Three?”

“We need to see which ones she prefers,” Carter said matter-of-factly.

“Of course. Who knows how pretentious she may be?” Aron chuckled.

“We must be ready for all possibilities. Right, Freddie?” Carter asked the boy who was absorbed in checking the colorful ribbon on a small package.

The boy just mumbled his reply. For a while, Aron had worried that Freddie must have a speech impediment, only to be surprised by short bursts of verbosity from the boy. As Carter had explained to him, Freddie liked being efficient in using speech, by only becoming talkative when certain situations required. Aron could only agree with his husband. At only four years old, Freddie was capable of reading all the letters, and even syllables, and knew words that Aron was pretty confident he had no idea existed when he had been at that age.

“So, bottles, stroller, what else?” he asked, pretty sure that there was more there, in those packages that he had no idea what could be.

“Toys, new blankets, clothes, a bottle warmer, no, two …” Carter began.

“Hmm, and you’re sure you do not forget anything?” Aron joked.

“I’m going through everything, and if there’s something amiss, I’ll order it tonight. Everything needs to be perfect.”

“Damn, the little one is already being treated like a princess, and she’s not even here yet,” Aron smiled.

“What are you talking about? These are only bare necessities,” Carter said, opening his arms wide.

Freddie giggled right away and began humming, at the best of his abilities, the song from The Jungle Book. Aron took in the family scene in front of his eyes. He probably needed to consider getting a bigger house. Also, to tell Carter that two kids were enough. More than that, and they were going to need a ranch to raise them all, at least, according to his husband’s standards.

~~~

Married for eight years

Aron was pretty much taken with how great a dad Carter was. Not that he hadn’t always believed that but seeing how invested he was in raising both kids, Deidre being nothing but a small baby, was really making him proud of his husband. 

He had had some troubles adjusting with how overly conscious Carter had been at first, just for the sake of making sure that everything was perfect for their little girl, but, in the end, he had learned all these new quirks of his husband.

He sat on the sofa, setting the TV volume on low, not to disturb the sleeping beauties in the house. 

“Dad?” someone called and Aron turned to see Freddie in the door.

“Hey, buddy,” he smiled.

“Can I watch TV with you?” the boy asked.

Aron patted the place next to him. Going on six, Freddie was a pretty serious boy for his age. The child sat on the sofa, sighed, and put one hand on his father’s knee.

“What’s up, buddy?” Aron asked.

“Can I have a beer, like you?” the boy questioned again.

Aron bit his lips not to smile. 

“No, that’s for grownups, buddy.”

“Why?” Freddie turned to look at him.

“Why what?” Aron asked. 

He liked talking to their son. Freddie had a very analytical mind, and they were considering whether an accelerated school could be an option for a child as intelligent as him.

“Why do grownups drink beer?” Freddie asked.

“Well,” Aron looked at the bottle of beer on the coffee table, “to relax.”

“Why do they have to relax?”

“Because they had a hard day at work, and drinking a beer helps them,” Aron offered.

“I need a beer, too,” Freddie still said with conviction.

“Why? Did you have a hard day at work, too?” Aron asked.

“Not at work. Here,” the boy replied, with all the seriousness he could manage at his age.

“Hmm, and why was that?”

“Daddy is always with Deidre. And I have this game, and I can’t get to the next level,” Freddie said. “Can I have a beer?”

Talking about being relentless, Aron smiled.

“No, let’s just play that game together, shall we?” Aron offered.

Freddie seemed to consider.

“The game is really hard,” he replied. “Daddy could get to the next level.”

“Well, try me,” Aron said.

“When can I have a beer?” Freddie returned to one of the original topics.

“When you’re 18,” Aron replied. 

The boy seemed to ponder for a while.

“12 years from now?” he asked.

Aron ruffled the boy’s hair and smiled, feeling proud for having such a smart boy.

“Yes, 12 years from now.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, promise,” Aron replied. “You’ll have that first beer with me, buddy.”

Freddie nodded solemnly and went to get his game. Aron turned off the TV. If it was that kind of game Freddie and Carter liked to play, he needed to focus. And he was going to put that beer back into the fridge, too.

***

“Hmm, how are you?” Aron pulled Carter into his arms.

“Thank you for helping Freddie to sleep. Deidre is a bit of a handful. Aren’t two-year-olds supposed to sleep a lot?”

“We should change once in a while. Freddie is starting to miss you,” Aron nuzzled his husband’s neck.

“Oh, no, am I neglecting him?” Carter became restless. 

“You’re just a bit absorbed by Deidre, that’s all. And you’re still his favorite dad, you know.”

“I need to do something about it, then,” Carter said with determination.

“Well, you do, but not right now. Freddie is not the only guy missing you in this house.”

Carter turned to face Aron.

“Am I neglecting you?”

Aron caressed his husband’s shoulder slowly.

“I’m not saying you do. But what would you do about it if that was the case?”

“Oh, first, I’d do this,” Carter leaned in and brushed his lips against Aron’s.

“I think I’d like that. But I need more demonstrations,” Aron joked. 

“Sure thing. I’ve only just begun.”

Aron sighed contently. He had the best husband in the world. And he was always serious when it came to demonstrations.

***

“What is this?” Aron asked, looking a bit disoriented at the giant board in the living room.

All sorts of post-it notes covered the board. 

“Ah, are you starting to code again?” he asked his husband.

He now remembered that he had seen something like that when Carter had been working on some collaborative coding with some of his pals, as obsessed with programming as he was.

“No,” Carter said as he stared at the board, with a stack of post-it notes in his hand.

Aron came closer.

“Are you organizing … all of us?” Aron asked and started laughing. “I’m glad I’m blue, though. And you chose orange for Freddie?” he took a closer look.

“His choice,” Carter replied. “In case he chose blue, I had orange and green to pick from for you.”

“And what’s with all these codes?” Aron asked again, taking one blue post-it and struggling to read.

“Freddie knows how to read,” Carter whispered. “I cannot have him ask him all kinds of questions about this or that.”

“I think I’m the one who’s going to ask questions, though. What’s this, for instance?”

Carter picked the post-it from his hand and put it back on the board.

“You can’t know. It will take all spontaneity out of our sex life.”

Aron roared with laughter now. 

“Carter, I’m going to tickle you until you tell me,” he threatened.

“No way. My lips are sealed,” Carter replied, but he was clearly just as amused by the situation.

“I could almost bet your analytical mind was going to come up with something like this,” Aron took another look at the board, then at his husband. “I had no idea what shape it was going to take, but …”

“You don’t mind, do you?” Carter asked, a bit anxiously. “Deidre still gets the most of my time, but she’s the smallest.”

“How could I mind?” Aron said and took his husband by the shoulders. “You’re the greatest dad, you see?” he pointed at the board.

“But I still can’t cook. What are you going to make tonight?” Carter asked.

“How about your favorite? Freddie seems to love it, too.”

“Lasagna!” Carter said, this time excited, and threw his arms around Aron.

“Do you have any free colors? We need one more row,” Aron said.

Carter handed him a post-it stack.

Aron began writing something down, and then, satisfied, placed a note on the board. Carter hurried to read.

“Family activities?” Carter grinned. “That’s awesome!”

“Hey, we should start to go out a little more, and not only at the park. Just wait for me. I will fill your entire board with ideas.”

Carter wrapped his arms around his husband’s neck.

“What’s BH-23?” they heard Freddie ask.

Carter exchanged a knowing look with Aron.

“I told you he was going to ask questions.”

“That’s code for ...” Aron started.

“Watching sports,” Carter said brightly.

“Why doesn’t it say so?” Freddie looked up, cocking his head, and staring at his father questioningly. 

“Because it was too long,” Carter replied promptly, but he was already exchanging glances with Aron.

For the moment, Aron just wanted to watch and see how Carter was going to find his way out of this one.

“But ‘going to eat ice cream’ is longer,” Freddie looked at another post-it.

“It’s a code I use only for sports,” Carter said.

Now the glances were turning desperate. Aron could barely keep from laughing.

“And here, dad wrote ‘teaching Freddie how to send the ball through the hoop for real’,” the boy continued his innocent interrogation, speaking each word slowly.

Carter’s eyes were now pleading. Aron scooped Freddie into his arms and then said to the boy.

“Parents are allowed to use codes. That’s what parents do.”

Freddie seemed to ponder for a while.

“It’s not fair,” he said.

“Hmm, that’s too bad, buddy, because around here, dad and daddy decide what’s fair and what’s not fair. Like when you have to go to sleep at 8.”

“8.30,” the boy said promptly.

“Really? When did that change?” Aron looked over at his husband.

“Today,” Freddie said again.

“It was sort of a negotiation,” Carter explained. 

“Ah, then all is good,” Aron said with a small smile. “How about we all go out for ice cream?”

“Let me just wake up Deidre from her beauty sleep. You, big guys, can stay here and come up with more ideas about what to do together,” Carter said.

“Can I say what?” Freddie raised one arm.

“Sure,” Aron replied. “As long as it doesn’t involve puzzles. You and daddy are always beating me up at that kind of game.”

Freddie seemed to ponder.

“What do I get if it’s not puzzles?”

“What would you like?”

“Then I choose three times what to do,” the boy answered.

“Where did Freddie learn how to negotiate?” Aron shouted after his husband.

“Deidre is still sleeping,” Freddie pulled at his t-shirt.

“Oh, sorry,” Aron said, justly chastised. 

He waited patiently for Carter to emerge from the princess’s room with the little beauty in tow. In the meantime, he started listening carefully to the other little tyrant’s list of demands.

***

“Wow,” Carter said, the moment he walked into the kitchen.

On one corner of the table, Deidre was happily splashing some muddy water in a bowl. Freddie had the same serious look on his face as always, his sleeves were rolled up high, and his hands were in another bowl that, by the looks of it, had too much flour in it. 

In the meantime, Aron was whistling happily while pushing a tray of cookies into the oven.

“What are you guys cooking?” he asked, and three pairs of eyes turned to look at him.

“I am trying to make some dough,” Freddie said with aplomb as he reached for the flour once more. 

“And how is it going?” Carter asked.

“It needs more flour.”

Carter could feel his lips twitching. 

“And dad isn’t telling you how to make it?”

“I can make it,” Freddie said with determination. 

Aron shrugged and smiled at him. 

“And how’s my little princess?” Carter kissed the girl on the top of the head, making her giggle happily.

“I think she has another version of dough in mind,” Aron replied instead.

“Then I see you have everything under control,” Carter smiled.

“Nice try,” Aron wagged the finger at him. “I’ll need help with the cleaning.”

In the meantime, Freddie was more than pleased with a large unsteady pyramid of flour in his bowl, and he was studying it from all angles. Deidre was just happy to be lifted by Carter and placed two muddy hands directly on her daddy’s face.

“I’m afraid we need a bath more than anything,” Carter said, laughing. 

“Traitor,” Aron mouthed at him.

“Hey, at least, I’m taking them out of your hair,” Carter replied. “Come on, Freddie, we need to change that t-shirt and wash your face and hands. You have flour everywhere.”

“No,” Freddie said, still studying his pyramid of flour. “I’ll help dad with the cleaning.”

“Thank you, buddy,” Aron beamed at their son. 

“Okay, then,” Carter smiled, too, and stopped with Deidre in his arms only to ruffle Freddie’s hair, and kiss Aron quickly. “But when the cookies are ready, just let us know. Don’t eat them all by yourselves.”

“There are 12 cookies for each of us,” Freddie intervened. “I counted them.”

“Well, then, there’s nothing for Deidre and me to worry about,” Carter said.

He had a fantastic family, he thought, as he walked out of the kitchen with Deidre. Of course, one had to put up with things like now having his hair used as a towel by their little girl, but that was just the stuff that came with the territory.

~~~

Married for 20 years

“So, where are daddy and your brother?” Aron questioned as he threw a cursory glance over the list left on the kitchen table by Carter.

“Coding together or something,” Deidre shrugged as she opened the door to the fridge, pondered for a while, and finally took out a bottle of cranberry juice.

“That’s for cooking,” Aron told her, and Deidre put the bottle back with a dramatic sigh. “Go tell them that there’s still some packing to do.”

“And why, exactly, do you think they will listen to me? Or even hear me?” Deidre took another bottle of juice and showed it to her dad, with a questioning look.

Aron nodded.

“So they’re in that deep,” he said. 

“Yeah. Sometimes, I think that they don’t need words to communicate,” Deidre said matter-of-factly, as she sat down across from him, at the table. 

“Then I will have to go shake them up before they forget to eat or do something life-threatening,” Aron decided.

“Wait, dad,” Deidre stopped him. “I need to tell you something, and I need you to be the first to hear it.”

“Okay,” Aron looked at his teenage daughter.

It wasn’t only because Deidre was their daughter that he thought her to be a real beauty. Deidre was already breaking hearts. And he had a vague impression that it was about such a thing that the girl wanted to talk about. 

“Matthew will come to take me out for ice cream and a mocktail,” she said, trying to sound neutral, but failing.

“All right,” Aron said brightly. “Who’s Matthew?”

“A guy from school.”

“Hmm,” Aron pursed his lips in thought. “And what’s he like?”

The way Deidre instantly smiled at that question told him that he needed to start worrying. 

“You know, just a guy,” she spoke, trying to hide her excitement.

“Is he older than you?” Aron began his interrogation.

“No.”

“I hope he’s not some bad boy,” Aron wagged the finger at her. 

Deidre rolled his eyes.

“He’s not. But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh, it isn’t? So you don’t think you should inform your fathers about who you’re going out with,” he crossed his arms and stared at his daughter with all the seriousness he could muster, seeing like he wanted to laugh out loud at how cautiously Deidre was trying to manipulate him into saying ‘yes’.

“Hush, dad,” Deidre gestured with both her hands.

She got up from the table and tip-toed into the hallway. With a sigh of relief, she turned back to her place.

“So you expect me not to tell daddy about this?” Aron asked, this time lowering his voice.

“No, no,” Deidre gestured again. “But, you know, he has to be kind of eased into this kind of thing.”

Aron could feel his lips twitching. 

“Daddy cares a lot about you, Deidre,” he said.

“Yeah, so much that he would be capable of launching an impossible math tournament to pick my first boyfriend,” Deidre said wryly. 

“Well, you’re young. And he only has your best interest in mind.”

Deidre pouted, but, right away, she smiled.

“Come on, dad. You know him. I think I’ve heard it since I was five how my first boyfriend is supposed to be like. Seriously, daddy should check his standards once in a while. No one can be like that.”

“So, what do you want me to do?” Aron asked. 

“Be the one to tell him, pretty please,” the girl linked her hands together and looked at him pleadingly. 

“Okay. And how do you think that will go?” Aron smiled. 

“C’mon, dad, I know you can convince him of anything. Just make sure that he doesn’t intimidate Matthew.”

“I’m glad we’ll get to meet this boy.”

“Of course you’ll get to meet him. He’s a good guy. Only that he confessed to me that all the other boys are scared of having to deal with two dads at the same time. That’s why all my friends have boyfriends, and I don’t.”

“Young lady, you don’t have to have a boyfriend just because everyone else does,” Aron looked at her sternly.

“I know,” Deidre said. “I like Matthew. He’s cool,” she added.

“Hmm, I don’t know,” Aron decided to tease her a little.

“He has the highest grades in math in the entire high school,” Deidre began babbling. “He likes basketball. Oh, and he has a dog. Is that enough for him to qualify?” she questioned.

“I suppose so,” Aron laughed. “Don’t worry, Deidre, I’ll deal with daddy. And I promise we will both behave and not scare Matthew when the boy comes around to take you out.”

“Thank you, dad,” Deidre said and jumped from her chair, so she could go over to her dad and hug him. “You’re the greatest.”

“Really? Greater than daddy?” Aron laughed, but let her hug him. 

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Deidre beamed at him. “You know how he is about these things. Now, seriously, dad, between you and me, you’re the coolest.”

“Hey, you don’t need to butter me up, sunshine,” Aron laughed. “I’ve already agreed to help you.”

They were interrupted by Carter walking into the kitchen with a focused look on his face. He, too, went directly to the fridge.

“Are we invisible?” Aron asked out loud, but as if he was just talking to Deidre.

“I’m afraid we’re not either Euler’s number, nor i, the imaginary number, dad,” their daughter played along.

Carter turned toward them, with a guilty look on his face. 

“What are you guys doing?” he asked.

“Just talking,” Aron exchanged a knowing look with Deidre.

“Hmm,” Carter looked at them as if he was trying to figure out what was going on. “Did you get some bad grade that I’m not supposed to know about?” he looked at the girl.

“No,” Deidre said promptly.

“Oh, great,” Carter murmured. “This is about boys, isn’t it?”

Aron exchanged surprised looks with Deidre. 

“How can you even tell?” Deidre groaned. “Dad, how can he tell?” she complained, grabbing Aron’s arm with both hands and smashing her forehead against his shoulder.

“This room stinks of conspiracy,” Carter said right away. “So, out with everything, fiends. Who’s this boy? And Deidre, you’re too young for boyfriends.”

“Dad,” Deidre stared at Aron pleadingly.

Aron knew he was the one in charge of damage control. 

“Matthew is a good guy, Carter,” he said.

“Matthew, huh? How long has this been going on?”

Aron knew his husband well enough to tell that right now, Carter was just having a bit of fun at their daughter’s expense. 

“Nothing’s been going on. Deidre was just asking for our permission,” he said smoothly and looked at his husband in a way that brooked no argument.

“Oh, really?” Carter pretended to be upset. “Because I don’t remember being present while the two of you were conspiring in the kitchen.”

“Hey, not my fault you’re busy talking in math with Freddie,” Deidre said to her defense. 

“Is my little princess jealous?” Carter mimicked the way little kids talked just to rile up Deidre a little.

As expected, the little tigress put out her claws.

“I’m not a little princess!” she exclaimed. “I’m just a normal girl!”

Carter started laughing, and Deidre scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“Anyways, daddy,” she began speaking quickly, “Matthew is going to take me out for ice cream, and dad already said ‘yes’.”

“You did, huh?” Carter turned his attention on his husband.

Aron put his arms up.

“The guy has the highest grades in math in the entire high school,” he said.

“Ah, that changes everything,” Carter laughed again. “Bring the boy up for questioning, Deidre.”

“See, dad?” Deidre turned toward Aron once again. “Daddy is going to scare Matthew.”

“Come on, hun,” Aron sweetened his voice. “He also plays basketball.”

“He just likes it. He doesn’t play, I mean, not that much,” Deidre hurried to say.

“He doesn’t play?” 

Now it was Aron’s turn to look questioningly at their daughter.

Deidre looked away, seemingly a little guilty.

“Now you have to bring him so I can show him how to play,” Aron said.

“Seriously, guys?” Deidre rolled her eyes. “He’s supposed to become my boyfriend, not your toy to torment!” she complained. “Like having two dads is not intimidating enough for most guys. At least, he had the guts to ask me out. Also, he has a dog,” she remembered the extra point in Matthew’s favor.

Aron and Carter looked at each other and burst into laughter.

“Ah, don’t tell me,” Deidre pouted. “You two are just having fun at my expense.”

“She’s mad,” Aron wiggled his eyebrows.

“Oh, yes, she’s totally scary,” Carter nodded and wiggled his eyebrows. 

“Why do I even bother to tell you guys anything?” Deidre groaned. “You two are just making fun of me.”

“We are making fun of you because we care,” Carter said, in a clear effort to appease their daughter.

“Yeah, you two are quite the comedic duo,” Deidre replied, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in her chair. “Daddy and Double Dad.”

“Who’s Double Dad?” Aron questioned.

Deidre looked at him.

“Do you really have to ask, traitor dad?” she said with satisfaction.

“Are you trying to tell me that I’m fat?” Aron protested. “You know that if I go on a diet, everyone else in this house goes on a diet, too.”

“Oh, no, have mercy,” Carter said theatrically and placed a hand over his heart. “Deidre, don’t do this to me! You know I hate broccoli!”

Deidre started laughing.

“You two,” she almost choked. “So it’s okay if I go out with Matthew? And it’s just for ice cream. It’s not like he’s my boyfriend for real, yet.”

“Just tell him that if he doesn’t behave …” Aron cracked his knuckles, letting the fake threat hang in the air.

“And you two promise me that you won’t scare him. No math tests, no basketball tests, no nothing.”

“Okay,” Carter sighed. “Wait, why was I here? Ah, I was in the mood for beer. Maybe we should let Freddie have one, too?” he looked expectantly at Aron.

Aron shook his head in mirth.

“So that was all about? Sneaking a beer for Freddie, too? His first one, right?”

“Well, I hoped you two weren’t in the kitchen. But, since you’re here,” Carter shrugged. “Ah, Freddie, were you waiting for me?”

Everybody turned to look at the newcomer. Freddie pushed his glasses up on his nose and then said.

“Sorry, daddy, but dad promised me that I’d drink my first beer with him.”

Carter looked at Aron.

“When did you promise the boy such a thing, A?”

Aron blinked and started thinking. He had a vague idea that Freddie was telling the truth. Not that he didn’t always do that. He was a totally no-nonsense type of guy, their son.

“When exactly did I promise you that, Freddie?”

“When I was 6,” Freddie said promptly.

“And you remember things like that from that age?” Aron asked.

“Not exactly. But it looks like I wrote it down, and now, while I was starting to pack, I found it,” Freddie explained. “A promise is still a promise,” he added.

And, as expected from him, he produced the written evidence and read it out loud.

“12 years from now, dad will give me a beer. I’m 6 now. 12+6=18. At 18, I drink beer.”

And, just as expected from the rest of the family, everyone started to laugh as if on cue.

***

“So, how’s the beer?” Aron smiled, as Freddie took one seat next to him on the steps.

“Frankly, I’m not that impressed,” Freddie looked at the bottle with a small frown. 

“You’ll get used to it,” Aron touched Freddie’s bottle with his own. “I’m proud of you, son. And I hope you’ll get to enjoy yourself. Don’t let it be all about studying.”

“Well, I make no promises,” Freddie grinned. “You know how tempting studying is.”

“You really are your daddy’s son,” Aron laughed. “I’m sure he would have no issue with you studying day in and day out, but I advise you to make some friends and have some fun, too. Both your daddy and I had a lot of that when we were your age.”

“Duly noted, dad,” Freddie said solemnly. “And I’m proud of you, too. I mean, the both of you. I have a feeling, sometimes, like Deidre and I must have been quite a handful.”

Aron ruffled the boy’s hair. 

“Let’s just say that the rewards have balanced the shortcomings,” he laughed. “The house will be a little emptier, with you gone.”

“I’m sure Deidre already has an idea about what purpose to give to my room.”

“You’re overestimating your sister in her ambitions to take over the entire house. And that room will always be yours.”

“Thanks, dad,” Freddie made a small, awkward move to hug his dad.

Aron met him more than halfway. 

“Just so you know, dad,” Freddie spoke. “It might look like I favor daddy, but you two are equal to me.”

“Seriously?” Aron grinned and patted the boy on the back.

“Yeah, seriously. And the same goes for Deidre. She also thinks you two are a package deal. No matter what she might say.”

“Oh, no, and she just told me I’m the coolest,” Aron joked. 

“I can’t argue with that,” Freddie laughed. “Daddy is not exactly the definition of cool. But you kind of are. That’s why we always take our negotiations through you first.”

“You know, that has not always been the case. And, wait, why am I the first?”

“Just because we know that if we win you over, daddy would never dream of telling you ‘no’.”

“Smart thinking. Still busy packing?”

“Yeah, I should go,” Freddie spoke and stood up. “Maybe I’ll give beer another chance another time.”

“Sure thing,” Aron smiled at him.

For a few moments, he sat there on his own. When someone else sat next to him, he didn’t have to look to know who it was. After so many years together, he could tell when his husband was nearby, without looking.

“Since when have I become the bad cop?” Carter questioned.

“Ah, you heard that?” Aron grinned.

“Yeah.”

“So you’re eavesdropping now? Next thing, you’ll read Deidre’s diary.”

“Hey, I wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing! Although this thing with boys, ugh, it bugs me.”

“I was just teasing you. But it’s good to have a change of roles. Now you know how I felt when they were little,” Aron joked.

“It’s tough,” Carter joked, too.

“I bet it is. So, are you really okay with Deidre going out with that boy, Matthew?”

“By what she says, he’s a good kid. Of course, I’ll have my eyes on him.”

“Well, I think we can trust him. He’s good at math,” Aron said.

“And he likes basketball,” Carter added, with a sigh.

“And he has a dog,” Aron followed up.

“So we need to let our daughter go after this guy,” Carter said, apparently resigned.

“Let’s not hurry just yet. I’m sure she’s not serious about him,” Aron spoke as if he wanted to convince himself that was the case.

“Yeah, I mean, ice cream? He has to do better than that.”

“They’re not even 15.”

“Oh, great point!” Carter said brightly. “It’s enough that Freddie is leaving.”

“Well, I guess the chickens must leave the coop, eventually.”

“Not really pleased with the idea, but, well … And it’s a really nice coop,” Carter added with a smile.

Aron pulled him closer. 

“It is because we’ve made it so,” he whispered into his husband’s ear.

~~~

Married for 30 years

Aron looked at Carter, the phone still in his hand.

“Who was it?” Carter questioned, seeing his husband a little unfocused.

“Carter, do you still have that board? You know the one you used for coding with Freddie? Or by yourself? And before, for keeping things organized around here?”

“Wait, what’s this about?” Carter looked at Aron.

Everything seemed a little too suspicious. 

“We need it. For a noble purpose,” Aron said promptly. “Freddie and Diane will come to stay with us for a while. Something about being able to relax better here.”

“Relax? Freddie and Diane?” Carter snorted. “Have they run out of mountains to climb?”

“Well, I think they need less of the adrenaline now,” Aron said with a small smile.

Carter could tell his husband was dying to tell him something but preferred to torture the both of them.

“Why?” he asked slowly.

“Well, it looks like …” Aron left the words to hang in the air for maximum effect, “we’re expecting!”

“Expecting? Are you trying to tell me that … that … that we’re going to be grandparents?!”

“Yes!”

“Oh, I can’t believe it! Here, pinch me! Ouch, not so hard,” he complained, and Aron pulled him into a hug. “That’s such great news!”

“It is, right?”

“Wait, but why do we need the board? I know that dealing with a pregnant Diane might not be our forte, but even after …wait, what aren’t you telling me?” Carter asked and looked his husband in the eye.

“Well, they intend to spend some time after Diane will give birth since, to quote Freddie, there’s no better place for infants to grow …”

“Infants? More than one?” Carter finally realized.

Aron nodded happily.

“Twins, how nice,” Carter exhaled.

“Err, not exactly,” Aron laughed.

“What are you talking about?”

“We’re having triplets!” Aron finally dropped the bomb.

“Triplets?!” Carter reacted.

“Yes!”

“Oh, clearly, we need that board.”

(I don’t want to say THE END – But I had to stop somewhere!)

Author’s note:

So there you had it, guys! I hope you enjoyed the bonus story with the two protagonists and their beautiful family! I also hope that I managed to live up to your expectations and what you had in mind for it. 

I thought it as a longer ‘happily ever after’ and it was indeed, a lot of fun to write. With that, I dare to think that saying goodbye to the main characters from Box Shaped Heart was a little easier.

Thank you again for all the support you showed for this story, and I hope you will continue to enjoy my other ones, as well. Soon, I will start a new series that will replace Box Shaped Heart.

To this date, this story was the one I enjoyed writing the most of everything else I have ever written. Aron, Carter, and their little ones are taking a bow as the curtain falls, and so am I.

Thank you, guys,

Lots of hugs,

Laura.