Hello Daddy

“Nooo!” Blair shot up in bed, panting, shaking. It was just a dream, man. Just a dream. He repeated the litany to himself, as he lay back down, wiping the wetness from his cheeks.

Jim moved quickly down the stairs. Startled awake by his guide’s screams, worried, he hurried to check on Blair. Easing open the door, he was halted by his partner’s quiet voice.

“Don’t hit the light, ‘kay Jim?” Blair was well aware that the darkness would be no protection from Jim’s Sentinel sight if Jim chose to exercise it, but at least Blair could have the illusion of its anonymity.

“Fine, just... what’s wrong? You okay?” Jim moved to sit beside his young partner, carefully not touching.

“Just a nightmare, man.” Blair mumbled, embarrassed.

“Bad?”

“A real doozy.”

“Want to talk about it?” Jim could think of a fairly long list of things that might cause the kid nightmares and unfortunately the longer Sandburg stayed with him, the longer the list got.

“No.”

“C’mon Chief. You always tell me it’ll help.”

“That’s cold, man. Throwin’ my own words back at me that way.” Blair tried a weak laugh, attempting to diffuse the tension and distract his roommate from his current line of questioning.

“Just spit it out, Sandburg.”

In a last attempt to stall, Blair scowled, crossing his arms over his chest, “You’ll laugh.”

“I won’t, I promise.”

“Well...” Blair hesitated. How can I explain this without giving everything away? Jim’ll know that I’m not telling the whole truth. “I was running late...”

“Oh yeah, that’s new.”

Blair turned a sharp glare on his partner.

“Sorry Chief, you were running late?”

“Yeah. My mom was getting married and I couldn’t find her, or the church, and I was going to be too late.”

“Too late? You mean, you were going to miss it?”

Blair’s eyes flickered away a moment, “Yeah. So then I finally get there just as the minister is pronouncing them man and wife. And Naomi turns to me and says ‘Blair, come meet your new father.’ And when he turns...” Blair attempted to swallow past the huge lump taking up residence in his throat.

“And? Blair?” Jim asked, puzzled since nothing about the story so far seems particularly nightmarish. “He turned around and what? It was Freddie Kruger? What?”

“It was you, Jim. And you said ‘Call me Dad.’”

That wasn’t all he’d said though. In the dream, Jim had pulled Naomi into his arms for a long, passionate kiss. When they were finished, he’d turned back to Blair with cold eyes and said ‘There’s only room for one Sandburg in my life, in my loft, and in my heart. So long, Chief.’ It was then that Blair had actually woke himself screaming. Definitely not telling Jim that part though.

“It was me?” Jim was confused, and beginning to wonder whether or not to be offended. “I married your mom, and this causes you to wake up screaming?”

“Jim...”

“So what’s wrong with me then?” Jim was starting to build up a good head of steam now. “I’m not good enough husband material for your mom?”

“Jim, nobody...”

“Maybe I’d be a good husband. Did you ever think of that?” Jim jumped up and began rapidly pacing the small confines of Blair’s room, like a panther in a cage. “Maybe someone would be happy, thrilled even, to marry me.”

“Jim, I didn’t mean...”

“I could probably go out right now and find dozens of women who’d marry me!”

“I don’t want you to marry someone else.” Blair whispered.

“Naomi should be so lu-...” Someone else? Jim’s tirade crashed to a halt. Blair doesn’t want me to marry someone else. Does that mean... “Blair?”

Blair sat in the bed, hunched over, hiding his face in his hands, resting them against his raised knees. His hair curtained loose around his head, adding another screen between his heated cheeks and Jim’s prying eyes.

Jim moved slowly to sit on the edge of Blair’s bed. “Blair, do you... know someone... who’d be happy, or thrilled even, to marry me?”

With a muffled “uh huh,” Blair nodded, without lifting his head.

Jim’s heart began a little fluttering dance in his chest, “Well, why didn’t they say anything to me?”

“couldn’t.” Blair still didn’t lift his head, unwilling to risk seeing that same nightmare look of rejection in Jim’s eyes.

“Blair,” Jim smoothed a large hand over Blair’s soft curls, letting his fingers slide through them as he’d longed to do for ages. Lifting his guide’s chin, Jim dried Blair’s wet cheeks with his thumbs. “There’s only one Sandburg I’d ever marry.”

Blair’s eyes drifted closed, as he drew in a deep breath.

Jim waited until Blair opened his eyes again before continuing, “and it’s definitely NOT your mother.” Jim could feel the huge silly grin taking over his face, but couldn’t stop it.

“Jim,” Blair gasped, throwing his arms around the bigger man’s neck to draw him into a passionate kiss.

Breaking off the kiss only when oxygen became necessary, they lay panting side by side. Jim turned to look at his beautiful partner, a sly grin lighting his features, “So, Blair,” he teased, “who’s your daddy?” as he leaned over to pull Blair’s left nipple into his mouth, tugging at the silver hoop with his teeth and tongue.

Blair arched into his partner’s mouth, alternating gasps and giggles. “Only you, Jim, only you.”