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I turned my head to glance at him, my brows furrowing in a question.
"He owns the park. He bought it long after starting the club. He wanted his Little, Jenna, to have a place where she can be herself without judgement. His dream expanded to create safe spaces for other Littles."
I looked around, taking in the sight of Elijah darting around a gigantic oak, his laughter ringing out as his two Daddies watched him in amusement. Their smiles were pure, their pride evident. I then turned to Mike, nestled in Uncle Joe’s lap, his hands carefully holding onto his teddy bear - the poor thing was a moment away from falling apart, yet Mike cradled it as if it held the world.
"Mike and that teddy bear, I swear they're inseparable," I said, a giggle escaping my lips.
With a chuckle, Hank added, "He loves that thing. Says it’s his anchor. We all have something like that, don’t we?"
The canopy of the giant tree provided us with a private space, a perfect spot for our late picnic lunch. I watched as Elijah made his way over, collapsing next to us with a dramatic sigh, but Mike was nowhere to be found.
I turned my head and my heart leapt into my throat as I watched Mike scramble up the tree with a recklessness that would've made a mountain goat proud. He perched on a branch high above the ground, swaying slightly as he held onto the tree for balance. I could barely breathe, horror clawing at my insides at the sight of his precarious perch.
"What the--" Joe's voice echoed through the park. He stood rooted to the spot, eyes wide as he took in the sight of his Little balancing on a branch like a squirrel before carefully taking a seat. "Mike, what the hell are you doing up there? You're not a bird, you're a boy!"
But Mike, bless his fearless heart, just grinned, swaying his legs back and forth as if he was on a swing. His voice was filled with delight as he hollered back, "I'm a baby bird, Daddy! Tweet, tweet! Waiting for mama bird to bring me some worms!" His laughter echoed through the park, undeterred by the height or our wide-eyed expressions below.
Joe’s face turned several shades darker, a war between laughter and worry playing in his eyes. "Mike, so help me God, if you don't come down right now, I'm going to spank you right in the middle of this park!"
Mike merely shrugged, his grin devilish. "Don't threaten me with a good time, Daddy! Besides, I'm a baby bird, remember?"
He made exaggerated pecking motions and flapped his arms like wings, eliciting more laughter from Elijah and me.
Joe, failing to hide a grin, folded his arms. "And why, pray tell, are you pretending to be a baby bird?"
Mike tilted his head, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Because, Daddy, it's always been my dream to fly!"
Joe huffed, grumpily. "You're a human, not a bird!"
Mike shook his head. “No, you’re a human!”
“If you’re a bird, then I’m a bird, darling,” Joe said with a gentle smile. “You know your Daddy can’t live without you. But you need to come down now.”
But Mike was on a roll, his laughter mingling with the chirping of the actual birds around us. "You're just jealous because you can't fly, Daddy!"
When Joe asked him about his business up in the tree, Mike's sassiness hit a new high. "Just getting a bird's eye view of my kingdom, Daddy. You know, checking if my subjects are in line. Speaking of which, I believe one of them isn't, and I’m looking right at him."
Joe, playing along, admonished, "Birds sometimes go down from trees too, you know."
"Only if they'rebranchingout, Daddy." Mike threw back his head, giggling uncontrollably.
"You're going to break that branch, you naughty boy!"
Mike clutched his chest dramatically, "Are you calling me fat, Daddy? That's rude!"
Joe, stifling his own laughter, retorted, "Mike, I promise you, being a chicken isn't all it's cracked up to be!"
"Well, I'm not going tochickenout of this!" Mike’s giggles echoed through the park again.
Joe let out a deep sigh, pretending to scowl as he crossed his arms. "Well, I hate to break it to you, kiddo, but mama bird is at the supermarket, buying human food. Now, can you climb down before you hurt yourself?"
Mike just shook his head, giggling at Joe's exasperation. "Nope! I'm going to wait here for my wormy lunch. And you can't make me come down!"
With a smirk, Joe declared, "Alright, little birdie. But you know, birds also eat spiders."
That got Mike's attention. His eyes widened in horror as his movements stilled. "Spiders?!"
Joe nodded, hiding a chuckle. "Oh, yes! Big, juicy, hairy spiders. It's a delicacy in the bird world. In fact, I think I saw a few crawling up there somewhere."
