The combination of those things, the fact that Liam is the answer to both of those biological urges, should drive Daniel wild. Instead he’s scared, pretending to be asleep.

There are tears.

It just doesn’t make any sense. And the fact that he’s only responded to a Daddy/boy dynamic also doesn’t make a lot of sense.

A Daddy/boy dynamic is gentle, and if Daniel were anyone else then maybe he could just have that. But he’s high needs. If Liam treats him softly, as gently as Daniel wants, Daniel will spiral. Liam has seen how badly that can turn out when designations are not compatible.

But maybe the poor fit is something to worry about later. Right now, it’s a place to start.

“Beautiful boy. I’d be a very lucky Daddy if I got to have a boy like you. I’m going to put the thermometer on your neck in a bit. It stays there for five seconds and it not only takes your temperature but will tell us how much stress you’re under and how bad your drop is. It doesn’t hurt at all. I’m sure you’ve had it done before,” he says, and doesn’t stop touching Daniel’s hair. He thinks about that statement. “Well, maybe you haven’t had it done before. When you wake up you can tell me. Okay, here we go.” He touches it to Daniel’s neck.

Daniel makes a sound and shivers. It’s pretty close to a moan.

Interesting.

“Good. Almost done.” The thermometer beeps and Liam takes it away, watching the monitor for the information to come up. He’s still touching Daniel’s hair. Best to get him used to Liam’s touch as he’s going to experience a lot of it pretty soon.

“Let’s see. What can we tell from this?” Liam asks, like he’s talking to himself. He keeps his voice soothing. “You’re in distress and there are still spiked levels of hormones showing you were hurt. The submissive side of you is pretty touch starved. Hopefully, we can take care of that with some affection. We’re gonna go slow and make sure you feel good. We can talk about it when you’re ready. However you’ve been feeling, we can do better than that.”

There is no way Daniel has been feeling good. “It’s gotta be a real struggle for you, Daniel. A beautiful boy like you needs a Daddy to take care of him and get this problem fixed. That’s what I’m going to do, sweetheart. I’m here to give you what you need.”