Well Wishes

Chapter 4
Father Figures

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Chapter Description: Much diminished in status, Shane gets to know Robbie's dad from an entirely new perspective. But despite everything, some feelings are hard to ignore...

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When he finally snapped out of his daze, Shane realized he must be acting very weird to Robbie’s father. But he was having trouble accepting that he was now a little kid looking up to this huge man from his office, a man who had no inkling of the true identity of his son’s guest.

Steve was in charge of security for the office. As he plumbed his memory, Shane recalled that the huge man was also on the office softball team, where he’s a bit of a glory hog. That fact had always gotten on Shane’s nerves.

Steve’s also a few years younger, and they are both former athletes. It’s always been like he is gunning to knock off the "older" guy. At this moment, he’s casually dressed in shorts, flip-flops and a white tank top that shows off his tanned, muscular arms as he flipped burgers on the grill.

In contrast, Shane found himself at a definite disadvantage, showing up in no shoes and wearing a circa 1970 T-shirt. His "attire" magnified all his perceived disadvantages with Steve. Not to mention he’s now trapped in a 10-year-old body, having to literally look up at this huge man. Shane reeled from the disorientation of seing someone he know from this new perspective, but all he can think is that Steve looks really BIG.

Formerly, Shane had maybe an inch or two of advantage in the height department. That had definitely disappeared now.

"Your brother called and is eating out with some friends, so I guess your friend can have his burger," Steve announced. He spared a glance at Robbie’s friend and noticed the kid’s open-mouth gape.

Shane was having trouble looking away from Steve, but he began to register that he is making himself seem too odd. But how can he help it?

"The guy looks like a mountain!" Shane thought.

And he had forgotten Robbie’s brother. He found himself just as glad he won’t have to have another encounter with the mean older boy at the same time he is adjusting to a giant Steve.

"C’mon, Shane. Over here." Robbie had picked out seats on the bench of the picnic table.

Shane followed Robbie, feeling a bit awkward around Steve and very glad to have a friend here.

"You boys can have some of those chips. Burgers are almost ready."

"Cool - thanks Steve!" Shane blurted out. "Erm...I mean, Mr. Williams."

Steve looked irritated, but accepted the correction. Still standing at the grill, looming over everything on the redwood deck, he gave Shane a critical look. "I don’t think I have seen you before."

"I’m just visiting," Shane said quickly. He had also realized that the logical and practical thing he should be doing right now would be confessing everything to Steve and begging the huge man to make Robbie go back to the park and correct this entire mess.

"Where are you visiting from?" Steve asked, drawing a befuddled Shane from his conflicting thoughts about his predicament.

"Ugh - Chicago," Shane said. He didn’t pull the answer from thin air. It’s where his brother resides, so it was just the first city to spring to mind.

Steve seemed to listen, nodding. But then, he turned back to the burgers. He flipped two of the burger patties onto buns and then delivered them to the picnic table.

Robbie grabbed his burger. "Thanks, dad," he said with gusto.

Shane’s stomach rumbled - all that play and just cereal to eat a long while ago hasn’t cut it at all. He spied toppings on a plate, so he added some of them to the burger.

"Eeww. You like that stuff on your burger?" Robbie asked, turning up his nose at the sliced raw onions and tomatoes.

"Yeah- they’re good," he said.

Steve joined the boys, somehow sliding his huge body between bench and the table, sitting across from them. "Robbie’s a bit of a picky eater," the grown man shared.

Shane bit into the burger, tasted the mushy tomato and scrunched his nose.

"Something wrong?" Steve asked.

Shane peeled back the bun and removed the rest of the offensive tomato slice. "Guess I forgot that I don’t like tomatoes," he said.

Robbie smirked. "I guess Shane’s a picky eater, too."

Shane glanced across the table and noticed that with both of them sitting on the benches, he was only as tall Steve’s shoulder. The big man takes huge bites out of his burger. He has halfway done away with his burger, and Shane has barely made any progress.

Despite the competition he has felt for Steve, he can’t help but feel that hero worship start again with the thought flashing into his awareness that Steve’s freakin’ shoulder is as big as his head!

"Oh, and I asked Shane to sleep over," Robbie announced between bites of hamburger.

"I have to work this evening, son. I am sure Sean’s parents don’t want him staying over without an adult."

"I’m visiting my uncle, and he won’t mind," Shane said.

"Besides, Keith will be back later!" Robbie pointed out to his hesitant dad.

Steve finisheed his burger. "OK...I guess that will be all right then."

Shane grabbed onto something he hadn’t taken into account. Keith, Shane’s older brother - the bully. Somehow, he had forgotten Keith and the humiliating encounter with the teenager yesterday after his sudden regression into boyhood. Shane looked toward Robbie, wondering if that’s such a good idea. Robbie seemed to think that he would have the same power over Keith as when he had been a grown up.

"Well, I have to get ready for work. You guys turn in by 9:30. Got it?"

Robbie is still finishing his burger.

"OK - thanks Mr. Williams," Shane piped up. He is only halfway through his burger and his stomach feels like it’s gonna bust. His feet are kicking idly off the picnic bench - toes just brushing the grass.

"Finished yet? We can go up to my room." Robbie seemed impatient.

"Oh yeah - I’m stuffed!" Shane struggled to get off the bench, ended up brushing against the "Mount of Steve" in the process.

The big man steadied him by grabbing his bony shoulders, and in a complete surprise, Steve lifted his son’s friend off the ground and swung him in a wide arc, putting him down near the back door. "There you go," Steve said.

It all happened so quickly. Shane felt Steve’s huge mitts completely covering his shoulders. Being lifted and whipped about so effortlessly brought forth a surge of laughter and Shane found himself wishing he could wrestle with Steve at this size. He wondered if Steve ever does that with his kids.

The scale for his burgeoning hero worship goes up tenfold.

"So, you like school, Shane?" Steve asked as he watched the younger boy still struggling to gain his balance.

"Dad! We were going to my room!" Robbie complained.

"In a minute, son," Steve said, looking down at Shane, who is feeling extremely confused.

Shane looked up, wishing that Steve still had him in those powerful arms. He felt so shy and confused in such close proximity with Robbie’s huge father.

"School’s OK," he mumbled.

"Play any sports?"

Shane thought back to high school and college.

"Oh, yeah. Football and basketball."

He saw Steve’s skeptical expression.

"And I like baseball, too," he added for good measure.

"Well, maybe you can give Robbie some pointers."

Shane felt some of that competition from his grown-up days resurge.

"Yeah, I could do that," Shane agreed.

"Well, you guys can run along..." He seems to see Shane’s T-shirt for the first time and reads the slogan. "Keep on Truckin’.... I haven’t seen one of those in years!"

Shane blushed, but then turned and followed Robbie up the stairs. In his haste, he tripped and stubbed a bare toe. He dropped back onto the landing at the base of the stairs and danced around, trying to cope with the pain.

Suddenly, Steve scooped him up, yet again.

It was just a toe. It shouldn’t have hurt that much, but he acually felt tears well up a bit. Shane was sure he could have controlled his emotions, but then this big crushing bear hug upset the balance.

"I know boys think they can run around in bare feet, but shoes do serve a purpose," Steve said in a fatherly tone.

Shane can’t believe his feet don’t even touch the floor, and Steve acted as if he was no more than a light sack.

"I guess I left my shoes at home."

"Let’s see the toe." He carried him into the living room and sat down in an armchair, with Shane in his lap. He turned Shane on your back and grabbed his foot.

Robbie, with a sigh, walked back downstairs and followed his father and friend into the living room.

"Whoa! What are you doing?" Shane objected, taken by surprise.

"Making sure there’s no permanent damage," Steve said, giving him a wink. "Is it the big toe?"

Shane’s stomach lurched a little to be flung about like this. He squirmed, ticklish, as Steve grabbed his foot and examined the toe.

"Dad!" Robbie protested.

Shane sniffed, holdover tears having spilled out of his eyes.

Robbie is pulling on one of his dad’s arms, but is completely ineffective.

"Oh, you guys ganging up on me?"

"Just put him down, dad!"

"What if I don’t want to?" Steve challenged playfully.

Shane felt a tidal wave of hero worship, sitting on this huge guy’s lap, held in place by his huge arms.

"You ticklish, Shane?"

"He is!" Robbie yelled out

Shane looked at Robbie and caught the glint in his eyes

"No!" Shane said quickly. "I’m not!"

Steve leaned in and tickled him. "NO!!" Shane begged. "Please, don’t. Let me go." He felt a bristly cheek brush against his now complely smooth face.

Shane tried to tickle back - little hands reaching for this huge man’s stomach and armpits. Mr. Williams smelled strongly of cologne and mesquite barbecue smoke.

"Help me, Robbie!" Shane coughed out between laughs.

Robbie is almost climbing up his dad’s arm, trying to pull at least one of his arms out of the action. But Steve managed to tickle Shane more, treating Robbie as if his interference is nothing.

Shane meant to fight back as best he could, but it’s nearly impossible with all the squirming and laughing. And then there’s the surfacing thought that he’s enjoying this and doesn’t really want it to end. He decides it is a good thing he has regressed back to nine, or he would be popping  a major boner right now.

Too soon, he grabbed Shane solidly with both hands and lowered him back onto your feet.

"That’s enough... I do have to get ready for work," he said.

"Yeah," Shane said blankly.

"How’s the toe?"

"The toe?"

Steve laughed. "It’s a trick you learn after raising two boys," he said. "Makes them forget all about the stubbed toe." He winked down at Shane, who slowly realized the trick that had been played on him.

"You guys have fun," Steve said.

Shane grinned back like his face is frozen in that dumb, goofy grin.

Steve grinned back and then lowered one of those huge mitts down, messing up Shane’s unruly hair. "Scoot!" He slapped Shane’s butt as Shane followed Robbie to his room. As they climbed the stairs, Shane found that his opinion of Steve has completely changed. He’s a swell guy.

"C’mon," Robbie urged.

He quit daydreaming and followed Robbie up the stairs.

"That’s Keith’s room," Robbie pointed out.

Shane remembered how he had felt so scared and helpless the previous evening when Keith and his friends bullied him as he left the park.

Robbie continued the tour. "And this is my room..."

Even as thoughts of Keith made him apprehensive, he only had to pull up a thought of Steve to banish those thoughts. His hero worship completely engaged him now as he focused on the fact he has never met anyone as big and cool as Steve.

He’s even bigger and cooler than Jon, the teenaged next-door neighbor.

Robbie opened the door, and as Shane stepped inside the room, he noticed the bunk bed.

"Oh wow!" Shane exclaimed. "I wish I could live here with you all the time, Robbie. This is a swell room."

Robbie is looking through drawers in his dresser and finds what he wants. "Here you go, Shane." He shoved a clean T-shirt and tighty-whities at his friend.

After handing the clothing to his friend, Robbie walked back to his dresser. He retrieved something.

He lowered his voice. "And I found this in my brother’s room."

Shane gasped when Robbie handed him his wallet. He had forgotten that Keith and his friend had taken it.

"Oh, wow! Thanks!" Shane said. "I’d be in real trouble without my wallet."

Robbie beamed proudly. "We should tell Dad what Keith did."

"No!" Shane objected. "Robbie, I don’t think I could explain having a grown-up’s wallet to your dad. Thanks for getting this back for me, but let’s keep this just between us."

Robbie frowned. "OK," he said. "If that’s what you want."

Shane shoved the big wallet into the front pocket in his shorts. "It’s for the best," he said.

Shane is mesmerized by the cool room. The bunk beds are covered with spreads featuring a train pattern. Robbie has some cool toys, but Shane doesn’t recognize all of them, although they all look fun.

"Tomorrow, I can find you a pair of my old shoes," Robbie said, getting out of his shorts.

Once again, Shane felt like mentioning something about wishing himself back to normal.  but then he stopped himself. After all, they had agreed to discuss it tomorrow

"I usually sleep on bottom bunk, but you can have your pick," Robbie said.

Shane nodded. Right now, he felt dirty after all the play in the park, especially wrestling on the ground with Robbie.

A loud banging at the door startled Shane. "You boys remember to take a bath before going to bed!"

The loud, authoritative voice commands attention. Shane stiffened at just the sound of Steve’s husky voice.

And, then, Steve opened the door. He was shirtless and wet. He must have showered in a hurry

"Baths!" Steve commanded. "I know Robbie likes to skip his bath," Steve joked as he looked down at Shane, noticing the boy holding a pair of Robbie’s briefs and a T-shirt.

"And use hot water, and scrub," he said. "If you don’t pass the nose test in the morning, there will be trouble. Understand?"

Robbie nodded, and Shane imitated him.

"Shane, you can use my bathroom," Steve said.

"Yes, Mr. Williams," Shane responded in a boyish voice. He kept getting distracted as he noticed other things about Robbie’s dad. He has huge pecs and a nice dusting of dark hair over them, and Shane found it next to impossible to avert his gaze. From his arms and chest, to his legs and some incredible calves, the dude is stacked.

"I’ll be finished in a few minutes, but I’ll start filling the tub, Shane."

He turned and left, giving Shane a good view of his backside, back and shoulders.

Shane felt that the silence had gone on a split second too long. "Your dad is cool," he said in a awed whisper.

Robbie gave him a strange look, so he added more to the statement. "You know, for letting me stay here like this an’ all."

"Yea?" Robbie said, as if he had never considered it. "Well, I think he does like you."

"He does?" Shane said, with a tad too much excitement in his voice.

"Yeah, I think so."

"That’s great," Shane said, trying to keep his cool.

Hearing a knock at the door, he turned to gaze up at Steve, who is now dressed in his work uniform.

"Robbie, hit the tub. Shane, bath’s waiting for you, big guy."

Shane looked up at Robbie’s father. He looked even bigger, wearing security blues.

"Oh, which way?"

Steve grinned and put a hand on the boy’s back. He directed him down the hallway to his own bedroom.

The touch of the heavy hand on his back send shivers through Shane. As they entered the master bedroom, he stared up at Steve. "Are you a policeman?" He put just the right amount of unknowing and naive curiosity into his tone as he asked the question.

"No, I am in charge of security at one of the big buildings in downtown," Steve said. "Now, the bath is attached to my bedroom."

"Oh, cool!" Shane said. "You are in charge of a whole building?"

Steve grinned and nodded. "Now, that water’s hot, so you give yourself a good scrubbing and then you and Robbie get to sleep."

Shane nodded. "Uh, thanks for all this, Mr. Williams, letting me stay overnight and dinner and all," Shane stumbled over every other word.

"Oh, no problem, Shane."

Shane beamed.

"Maybe I will take you and Robbie to visit my office some time," Steve said. "I don’t think he has ever been there."

"That would be awesome!"

"Well, I can’t be late," Steve annouced. "I will see you guys in the morning."

Now alone, Shane wandered through the huge master bedroom. The room is quiet, and he found himself walking on tiptoes until he realized that was foolish. After all, who was he going to disturb?

Shane entered the bathroom, and noticed that in his haste, Steve left his clothes strewn on the tiles. Each article of clothing is so big and overwhelmingly masculine. Shane closed the bathroom door and stared down at at them. Everything Steve had just been wearing - the shorts - tight t-shirt - even his underwear.

He shucked off his own clothes, and then he placed his shorts on top of Steve’s crumpled shorts. The shorts belonging to Robbie’s look like they belonged to a giant!

He couldn’t help but check out Steve’s clothes. Holding up the adult jockey shorts, he peeked at the label. They’re a size L, but they looked even more gigantic. The cologne smell was fainter now, replaced with something stronger.

On an impulse, Shane pulled the jockey shorts on. If he let them go, they fell past his knees to pool around his ankles. Not relishing that prospect, he kept a hold on the waistband, but still the huge briefs barely hang on him. The seat of the briefs sagged empty below his small butt.

He let them fall, then bent over and pulled them up, only to do it all over again. Engrossed with the game, Shane next pulled on Steve’s T-shirt. The garment covered him down past his knees. It smelled even stronger of Steve’s powerful cologne and Shane swore it still felt warm from the big man’s skin. To his embarassment and surprise, he actually popped a boner as he wore the big man’s stuff on his puny body.

Even with his much reduced package at full attention, the pouch of the "borrowed" jockeys seem pretty empty. Shane has not had much chance to feel aroused like this since his change, and the hormones play havoc with his emotions.

Pulling the waistband of the roomy briefs away from his stomach, he peeked down for a quick look. He noticed with more than mere disappointment that he looked far from impressive down there now. Even as he lamented the inevitable dwindling of his manhood, he grew even stiffer. With everything getting all too confusing, he released the stretched waistband.

First thing tomorrow morning, he vowed, he knew he needed to put an end to the situation. No matter what protest he got from Robbie, he would have to make the boy see reason.

"I’m not a kid," Shane said in a boyish voice as a grown man’s underwear made his stick-thin legs and immature body look even more ludicrous than he felt.

He slid into the warm water, and it felt so good. His little hard-on demanded attention, but he resisted. It didn’t feel right to jerk off in the bath with Robbie just down the hall.

Reaching for the faucet, he poured some cold water into the bath and made sure to splash some of it across his scrawny chest and shoulders. The cold water did the trick, and he did his best not to think of Robbie’s huge father.

 

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