Hey everyone welcome to my third story on Nifty. Bear & Cub is going to be a great story and it's proving well on AO3 (TuxEdwards). If you do enjoy B&C, please read some of my other works: Counting, Counting Down (the sequel to Counting), Not Capable of Love, Fire (on AO3) and Jaded (on AO3). Please take a few minutes to drop me an email to let me know if Bear & Cub is for you: Foxfire3730@proton.me

 

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"The Universe is Made of Stories, Not of Atoms" -Muriel Rukeyser

 

The Beach

Clyde Burns

 

The slow, soft, repeating breathing coming from such a small body snuggling into my chest is something I'm just not used to yet. The boy has many nightmares and jerks awake at the slightest noise, totally afraid that someone is coming after him. If I let him, I'm sure he'd crawl inside my shirt to sleep. I've been up countless times a night for the past three days just to make sure he's okay. It's a welcome interruption, honestly, like waking from a dream. 

 

The sunlight beams through the picture window, waking me for the last time this morning. While enjoying the few precious moments of bliss with my pillow, I feel a small finger travel the full length of my morning wood right up to the tip. It circles it, then begins sliding up and down my pee hole.

 

Since I decided to keep Ryder, I've been trying to teach him how a normal boy should act. The first thing I did was decide to wear pajamas to bed. It stops any unnecessary groping by little hands. Ryder has told me that his master had him do a lot for him in the mornings. The DA was to be woken up with a blowjob, and the young boy had to swallow it all. Some days that would lead to him being fucked, but not always. Then he would shower with the master, and he would roughly clean Ryder. Then he would receive his punishments from the day before, and afterwards, the bodyguard would fuck and spank him for a couple hours. Therefore, being here, the mornings are always hard on him--on us both, really. "Ryder, is that your little finger?"

 

"I'm sorry, Uncwe Cwyde, it's just tat, if I'm not supposed to be ready for you to fuck in te morning, what am I supposed to do?" 

 

Rolling over on my back I look into Ryder's hungry eyes, answering him as I yawn, "You're supposed to sleep in." I blink my eyes and see a naked Ryder sitting down next to my crotch. I lean down, take him by his little bottom, and pull him up on my chest. "Look, Ryder, I know you think that you have to do sex stuff to be useful. Until I'm sure you're doing it for you and that you want it, until then, we're going to hold off on it." 

 

I imagine pulling apart his cheeks while massaging his small, firm, perky bottom. I want to make him squeal in delight. He practically purrs on my chest as my hands slide up and down his back, and I begin to question my promise to him to give him time. I sit up and push him to arms length before I do something I'll regret. "Did I do something wrong?" Ryder asks, and he slips a finger in his mouth, making him look as adorable as possible. 

 

"No, kiddo, it's just time for our showers," I tell him, looking kind of ashamed. Suddenly Bear jumps up on the bed, and Ryder laughs, protecting his little boner and balls from the barking dog. I stand up and stretch, leaving the cutest boy I've ever seen sitting on the bed to play with the dog. "I have a surprise for you today. I've took the day off work, and it's just you and I kiddo. We're going to have a blast," I say as I take off my shirt. 

 

The shirt clears my head, and I can see that look in Ryder's face. Like a baby bird that needs the earthworm its parents have, except he's drooling as he stares at the worm between my legs. "Bear, keep Ryder company. I'll be right out," I tease the kid as he sits playing with his little hard on. I hear Bear barking and Ryder jumping on the bed behind me.

 

I go take my shower first, and my hand freezes just above the knob. Silence takes over the apartment, and right before I think today will be different, the door creaks softly as it opens very slowly. Then a soft, meek voice asks, "Can I..."

 

"No, Ryder, I can take a shower by myself." I interrupt him, listening to the boy sneak back out of the room. Sigh, maybe I should just let him join me. No, no, I have to show him that that's not all I want for him. I have to be strong. I get to work in the shower and do everything, and I do mean everything, I need to do. 

 

I come out of the bathroom in my wrapped towel, and Ryder is naked, sitting on the bed next to Bear, looking confused. I open the dresser and ask, "What's wrong, squirt? You look like someone pissed in your Cheerios." 

 

His adorable face looks as if he just ate something revolting, saying, "Yuck! Tat sounds awfuw." I laugh at him, and he giggles as he imagines someone doing that. 

 

I sit down next to him and pat his little knee, repeating my question, "So, what's wrong?"

 

He leans on me, and I wrap him up in a side hug. "I just... feew usewess. Wike I'm not doing my job."

 

I pick him up and set him on my lap. "Ryder, you are not useless, and you have one job. Be a kid. We are going to hold off on the sex stuff till you get the hang of it, okay?" He looks into my eyes, and I see the random, tiny tear that trails slowly down his cheek. "Oh, Ryder, am I even doing the right thing? What was I thinking, thinking that I could help you?" I whispered to myself more than to Ryder. Bear lays his big head on my leg and looks into my eyes.

 

"What does tat mean?" asks a scared little boy.

 

"Hey, you know what? We're just going to have to be there for each other. I need you, little buddy. I need you too." I tell him and take him into my arms, rubbing his back. I let him cry a little and picked him up, setting him down on the floor. I turn his body towards the bathroom and tickle under his bottom, getting his little ball sack. He dances in place, giggling and laughing but not going anywhere. He's loving this. I chuckle to myself and pat his little butt, pushing him towards the door. "Take your shower... by yourself. Then I'll dry you off and help you get dressed, deal?" I don't get an answer; I just chuckle and smile at the thought that I'll be dressing him later. "Make sure you wash well; I'll be checking."

 

I put on my red swimming trunks with the blue stripe while the small boy plays in the shower. I pull out a short-sleeve shirt with Hawaiian red flowers on it. For Ryder, I pull out a neon green t-shirt and his new neon green swim trunks. I figure I have some time so I call the hospital to check on Gus. I had an idea about his accommodations and wanted to ask the security office there.

 

Ryder's voice sneaks out of the bathroom, telling me he's done. I quickly hang up the phone after talking to the security manager just in time to the highlight of my morning for the three past days. This is part of the compromise. He agreed to shower himself, but I get to dry him and dress him. I enter the bathroom and see him soaking wet, standing in the shower. Damn, little boys always look hotter when they're wet. 

 

I take a clean, fluffy towel off the rack in the linen closet and toss it on his head, making him laugh. With the towel wrapped around him, I lift his wet body out of the shower and stand him on the toilet. While I begin to dry him off, I quiz him on our new rules: "Alright kiddo, what are your new rules?"

 

"Ruwe one: I am my own person. I do not need a master tewing me who I am. Who I am is up to me."

 

"Good, good, keep going," I praise him as I move to his lower body. 

 

"Ruwe two: I can't be afraid to try new tings." 

 

"That's right, and that rule is what we're going to work on today. You're all dry, now hurry into the bedroom and let's get you dressed." I tease him and tickle his little butt as he rushes out the door. I clean up a little and then follow him. I find him jumping in my bed, and Bear is watching him from the arm of my easy chair. His giggles and laughter are music to me, and I just can't get enough. It's a shame I have to speed this along. "Sit down; let's get you dressed," I tell him, and I retrieve his clothes from the dresser. 

 

"Ruwe tree: Don't tawk to strangers. A stranger is someone you haven't introduced me to."

 

He continues with his set of rules that I made up for him on a whim. I realized that the boy had been raised with a set of rules, and by taking them away or telling him they were bad, I left him hollow. So, I replaced them with normal little boy rules, and I adjusted one or two to fit his way of thinking. 

 

"Ruwe four: I'm not awowed to be naked outside or around oter people, unwess you say I can."

 

Yeah, that rule was made the first day when he walked his way to the Jeep, wearing nothing but a baseball cap, to get his soda that he left in the cup holder the day before. I noticed the car honking and saw the door open. Rushing outside, I heard passersby whistling at him as he stood there drinking his soda. Someone even called the cops on some random naked boy walking around. When they got here, I just explained that it's my youngest sister's kid, and at that age, who knows why he thought it was a good idea to walk naked to the Jeep and back?

 

"Ruwe five: I have to mind you and not get into troubwe, but voice my opinion if I don't wike what you say so we can dis... disc..."

 

"Discuss"

 

"...discuss it," he says and smiles, leaping off the bed into my arms, fully dressed and ready for the day. I put on his baseball cap and my bucket that I always wear to the beach, which Ryder makes fun of, and we're out the door with Bear on my heels. 

 

Soon after, the Jeep pulls to a stop at the `Palm Tree Diner.' I unbuckle, slide out my side, and turn just in time for Ryder to leap on my back. I hike him up so he's comfortable, tell Bear to stay in the Jeep, and then head inside. It's a little mom-and-pop restaurant that I've been coming to for years. Decorated in reds and whites, the diner is full of stuff from the 1950s, including a brightly lit jukebox playing Elvis Presley's 'Don't Step on My Blue Suede Shoes.'

 

"Morning Burns," Alice says as we enter the diner. "Have a seat where you want, and I'll be right with you, fellows." 

 

I work my way through the diner, hopping once in a while, so Ryder bounces, making him laugh. We take a corner booth, and I drop Ryder down on the bench before sliding in myself. He sits on his knees as close as he can get to me without being on my lap. I look through the menu and pick what I want. I scan the kids menu and think I'm going to need a little input. "Ryder, what do you eat for breakfast?" 

 

"Oatmeal, it's all I reawy eat; unwess Master weaves me some scraps," he says without skipping a beat. His eyes darted around the diner, taking in everything that was brand new to him. There are two mannequins here, one of which is dressed in an Elvis costume that is light blue and adorned with rhinestones. The second one has on a blonde wig with a ponytail and is dressed in what appears to be a hiked-up version of a puddle dress, which I am certain would have been considered inappropriately high-cut back then.

 

"Oatmeal, yuk, I'm not feeding you that. Have you ever had pancakes?" 

 

"Te kitchen boy snuck me a smaw piece of cake once after one of the master's parties. It was so sweet and smoov. It was so good," he says practically swooning over the memory, then asks excitedly, "can I have cake for breakfast?"

 

I chuckle at the request and take off his hat, setting it next to him. "Sorry, pal, that's not on the menu. Pancakes are pretty close, though; how about that?"

 

He nods his head very excitedly, and when Alice comes over and hands me a cup of coffee, I order my breakfast and then ask, "For my nephew, do you have pancakes for kids?"

 

She winks at him, making Ryder blush and hide his face in my Hawaiian shirt. "I have just the thing for you, sweetheart; just wait." She took the menus and headed into the kitchen. Alice comes back after some time passes, refills my coffee, hands me a small box of crayons, and tells us to flip the place mat over. 

 

On the back are a couple pictures to color and a few puzzles to keep the children busy while they wait for their food. We get to work, and Ryder is a real good colorist. Most of the time, he stays within the lines, and he chooses his colors wisely. He needs help with the puzzles, but together we work ourselves through the labyrinth to the center to get the pot of gold. 

 

Ryder and I are astounded by his pancakes once our food has arrived. It's a stack of two with chocolate chips in them. On top, there is a circle design of bananas with slices of strawberries. The whole thing is topped off with a chocolate syrup swirl and whip cream. It looks so good; I think I should have ordered that. 

 

We both dig in, and after the first few spoonfuls that smeared chocolate syrup all over his chin and cheeks, I just decided to let him have fun. I'll wash his face in the bathroom after he's done. Once he's finished, I swear, his stomach is bigger, and it's cute that I can just make out his outie belly button making a little tent. 

 

He realizes that I'm staring and gives me a chocolate-covered smile. "What?" He asks, knowing what the answer is. 

 

"You're very cute," I answer without thinking. The look in his face makes me think about what I said, so I quickly rephrase my statement, "I mean, with the chocolate smeared all over your face." He blushes, and I'm sure my correction wasn't any better. It might have been worse. Oh my god, he's beginning to affect me. I thought I had locked this part of me away in a dark corner when I decided that a police officer couldn't love little boys. What am I going to do? I feel myself blushing, and the need for a stiff drink takes over. "Come on, kiddo, let's hit the bricks," I tell him as I slide out of the booth.

 

I turn, and he hops out of the booth and quickly grabs my hand. I put my hat on and hand him his as we head to the register to pay. I let go of his hand to get my wallet, saying, "Hey Alice. Everything was great. The boy really liked the pancakes. What do you say, Ryder?"

 

I hear a soft mumble that sounds like `thank you' coming from behind me, and I can feel him gripping my back pockets. "You're very welcome, sugar. Burns comes here almost every morning, so when you're here, you'll get a new pancake flavor. He's so cute, Burns; are you sure he's your nephew?" She jokes, and I look behind me at a blushing Ryder and give him a wink. He smashes his face into my butt crack, making me jump and blush with a little embarrassment. 

 

"Yeah, I'm sure."

 

"Oh, I can see it now, honey," she says, handing me my change and a hand full of wet-wipes. I tell her goodbye and turn around, scooping up Ryder. I put him on my shoulders, and he laughs out loud, ducking so he doesn't hit the ceiling with his head. 

 

"Wave to Alice, kiddo," I request as we leave. Once we're outside, the summer heat hits us, and I see our shadow in the parking lot. His little, skinny likeness is waving and looking back inside the diner. He really is affecting me, isn't he?

 

I'm not sure if it was the huge breakfast or the restless night he had, but he falls asleep during the Jeep ride and doesn't wake up till we get to the beach. I think of breaking him in slowly, so I unbuckle his belt and then head over to his side of the Jeep. I slowly and carefully pick him up, and he snuggles into my chest as I tell Bear to heel. He jumps out of the Jeep and takes up his place, walking next to my left knee. I sure do like having Bear around. We enter the park. I love this one because it's got a great view over the ocean. 

 

The warm breeze is blowing off the ocean, and Ryder's hair moves slightly from under his cap. I move myself over to the big tree and sit down on the small patch of grass without waking him. After some time, Ryder stirs, and I realize that I must have fallen asleep with him on my chest. He yawns and lifts his little head, looking around. 

 

"Where are we?" He asks, looking a little nervous.

 

"We're at the park. See, look! See all the kids playing on the Splash Pad." He crawls off my lap and stands there, holding my hand, looking over the children playing. I know he hasn't even seen the ocean yet. I stand and pick him up. "Look, bud, it's the ocean," I tell him, watching his eyes turn into saucers. He points at it and smiles at me. 

 

I move us to one of the empty picnic tables and sit down. I place him next to the bench, saying, "But let's start with the Splash Pad first, okay? Look, the other kids are having fun." 

 

He shuffles next to me and takes my arm tightly, releasing a small whine. "You mean... pl... play wif ofer k... kids." 

 

I stand up and take his hand, moving us to a picnic table that is closest to the Splash Pad. It's basically a small cement area with plastic hoops that are cemented standing up in the ground. There's a ten-foot post with a big plastic, light gray cloud at the top, and an area of fifteen holes formed in the ground. Everything sprays water so the kids can run around laughing and giggling and having the best time ever, except Ryder. He seems more afraid now that we're closer to the water. 

 

"Doesn't this look fun? Come on, kiddo," I tell him, setting him down on the ground. "See that hoop? I bet you can't run through it without getting wet." He looks to the hoop and back to me. It's about ten feet away from me, and he is seriously thinking it might be too far from me. "It's okay, bud, just run through the hoop and run back. It's that simple." 

 

He worriedly looks at me and then at the hoop. There aren't any kids on this side of the pad. They all seem to be playing in the water jets that randomly shoot up from the pad from the fifteen holes. He steps up on the pad and checks to make sure I'm still here, then inches his way up to the hoop. The hoop is dark blue, and the inside of it has holes to spray the children with water as they run through it. He takes a deep breath and then speeds through. As soon as the cold water hits his body, he squeals in glee and does a little dance that I recognize as the same one that he does when I tickle him. He spins around and sees me smiling, and, laughing. Without warning, he runs back to me and leaps between my legs, hugging me tightly.

 

"Hey! You're all wet," I tease him as if he doesn't know. His dark hair is all matted and sticking to his forehead. He laughs hysterically, then turns and runs back into the hoop to dance and squeal some more before running back into my arms. This repeats a few times until I'm successfully soaking wet, and then he decides to stand under the cloud as it rains down on him. If every part of his physical body wasn't wet before, it sure is now. 

 

Then something unexpected happens. A red-haired boy and little girl, siblings, I'm guessing, join Ryder under the cloud. He freezes and turns to run back to me, but the little boy says something. He locks eyes on me, and I nod towards the two playing in the water. Ryder says something back, and the boy takes him by the hand pulling him over to show him the water jets. 

 

An hour goes by, and I watch my perfect boy play in the water. His neon green shirt and swim trunks clung to his skin, outlining every curve and crease. Bear growls a little and lifts his head before the picnic table rocks a little, alerting me that someone is sitting down. I turn and see a red-haired woman introducing herself. "Hello, I'm Susie. Oh! What a beautiful dog you have!" she says, kind of shocked. She must not have seen him lying to my left.

 

"It's not my dog," I plainly say, showing no interest in her advances. I reach down and pet Bear's head a little, then he lays back down.

 

She fake laughs out loud as if I just made a wonderful joke, and then she continues, "My two kids are the only red-haired kids out there." She pauses as if I'm supposed to respond. Then it hits me: I've been staring at her kids for over an hour because her son is sticking to Ryder like glue. 

 

"Oh, I understand... I'm Clyde Burns. My little nephew is the little brown-haired boy that your kids are playing with." 

 

She looks relieved and chuckles to herself, saying, "Oh, okay, that makes sense. We parents have to be careful, right?"

 

"Yes, we certainly do," I respond, thinking I can completely understand her concern, because her red-headed son is nearly as handsome as Ryder. I bet he looks great naked. He's wearing one of those swim team speedos that the kids love to wear these days. It sure doesn't hide much of that wonderful ass he has. He doesn't look much older than Ryder, but he's still in my age range. "They sure are getting along." I add with a smile. 

 

"Yeah, I think my girl has a real crush on your nephew. They look so cute together; he must take after you. Maybe we could take them on a double date," she says with a fake California laugh. I can't tell if she really thinks that her daughter is hitting on Ryder or if she is trying to hit on me. 

 

I decide to blow her mind and point out the truth. She clearly isn't paying attention to her kids. Maybe it's the detective in me, but what's going on is so obvious to me. "Are you sure it's not your son that has the crush? I can clearly see the attraction the two boys share for one another. Your daughter just keeps getting in the way. She clearly doesn't like either boy, to be honest. Haven't you noticed the little touches the boys keep exchanging, making each of them giggle and blush?"

 

She seems offended, as if I've just insulted her parenting by snidely asking me, "Do you think they are even old enough to decide they are gay and can crush on another boy?" 

 

I shrug and respond as I watch the two boys tickling each other as the jets of water spray their toned bodies. "You're saying your younger daughter knows when she has a crush and your older boy doesn't? At their age, their feelings for each other don't have labels. Crush, love, straight, gay, mad, hate--these labels are unfamiliar to a child. That's why they can be fighting with a friend one minute and hugging them the next. Unfortunately, it's us adults who feel like we have to label everything. To them, they aren't gay, bisexual, straight, or whatever. They just know they like each other, and what is wrong with that? It's proof of innocence," I explain to her before I get interrupted by my cellphone ringing. 

 

"Why, I should call the police! You're obviously raising your child wrong," she says, going for her phone in her front pocket. The nerve of this bitch!

 

I answer my cellphone, "Detective Burns," and pull out my badge from around my neck. She sees it and puts her phone away, blankly staring at me like she's afraid to move. It's the hospital on the phone, so I ask her, "You'll have to excuse me for a moment, won't you?"

 

She gets up from the table in a huff and calls her kids to her side. Together, they head back to the small group of women that have been making googly eyes at me ever since they sat down. She hands out two towels to her children, then she grabs her boy by the arm, lifting him just enough to make it uncomfortable for him to walk as she scolds him for feeling something he doesn't even understand. What a shame. Right then, when the boy looks back at Ryder, who is standing under the cloud, and scowls at him with a hate that can only be taught, I get to witness a homophobe being born. 

 

"Yeah, go ahead," I say disappointedly into the cellphone. I whistle at Ryder to get his attention while listening to the hospital. He is standing under the cloud as gallons and gallons of water pour over his head, and it does nothing to hide his tears. I wave him over and got his towel. "Gus is awake and talking; good, I'll be there to talk to him soon. Are the cops still guarding his room... yeah, yeah, good. Okay, see you then." I set the phone on the table just in time to wrap Ryder in his towel.

 

"What did I do wrong? Why is Brandon mad at me?" Ryder is very upset and shaking from the cold water. 

 

"He's not mad at you. He just wanted to keep playing and they had to leave, is all," I lie to him, then add, "I'm very proud of you for playing with the other kids. You looked like you had fun." I wipe his tears from his cheeks with his towel and listen to his recounts of what they did, talked about, and that he had fun. I hope that I'm not the one who has to explain to him what just happened. I feel bad thinking it might be my fault for putting that `Karen' in her place, but if I'm really going to be raising this boy, I shouldn't be doing that, I guess. "Come on, let's get some lunch. You hungry? I saw a hotdog cart going down the pier," I tell him, and I pick him up, making sure the towel stays around his shoulders. 

 

After walking down the pier and finding the hotdog cart, I set Ryder down, and he immediately grabbed my back pocket. I order us three hotdogs, two sodas, and a bottle of water. Checking to make sure he's still back there, I see Ryder clutching at his towel. The wind that blows across the pier makes him shiver, and he holds it a little tighter around his little shoulders. I can feel his little hand pulling at my pocket as we make our way to the empty bench. I sit down, Ryder quickly climbs into my lap, and the most well-behaved dog I've ever met sits down next to me. I hold the drinks and hotdogs up so Ryder doesn't spill them until he gets comfortable, and then I give him his. 

 

"Make sure you take small bites and chew it. We don't need you choking," I remind him as I set one down for Bear, who eats it like two chops. 

 

"What is it?"

 

"What is it?" I repeat his question with a goofy smile. "This is... the best... amazing... mouth-watering hot dog you've ever had. It's the meal of kings and queens. For today only, it's being sold here on the pier. We are very lucky to get these before they sell out." 

 

His lips are pursed, and the corners of his mouth are turned up as he holds his laughter in. I take a bite and chew it like it's the best thing in the world. He sniffs it and nibbles at the end of the hotdog a little. Once he realizes he likes it, he takes a bigger bite, saying with a mouthful, "tis is reawy good."

 

I swallow and wipe the ketchup from the corner of his mouth, asking him, "Please don't talk with your mouth full, okay?"

 

We sit and watch the people walk by and the ocean, with its surfers and boats, in the distance. It doesn't take long before we see a school of dolphins, making Ryder squeal with excitement. All in all, the day was very enjoyable. When the time comes, I get the sleepy Ryder back to the Jeep and buckled into his seat as he says with a yawn, "Tanks for spending te day wif me." 

 

"You're welcome. Anything for my little boy," I tell him, messing up his hair and making him giggle. I whistle and tell Bear to jump in as I head around the Jeep, and my phone rings again. Answering it, I say, "Detective Burns." 

 

"Hey Burns, it's Smith. Your homicide contact called me because it's your day off and everything. I thought maybe I could handle this, but you need to see this."

 

"I've got the boy, man. We've been at the pier all day and are heading to the hospital right now to talk to Gus, the witness to the hotel murder."

 

Smith sighs and whispers into his cellphone, "That's why I'm calling you. I'm thinking this murder might be connected to Gus."

 

"What! Are you sure? Where are you?"