Bedtime Story - Three

[Daisuke]

- [COLOR=#800080]Prologue[/COLOR]
- [COLOR=#800080]One[/COLOR]
- [COLOR=#800080]Two[/COLOR]
- Three
- [COLOR=#800080]Four[/COLOR]
- [COLOR=#800080]Five[/COLOR]
- [COLOR=#800080]Six[/COLOR]

Three

I heard the knock at my door and sat up in bed. “Yes, Spencer?”

“Can I come in?”

I closed my eyes. “Alright, be quick.”

The door opened and snicked shut. “It feels weird with no grownups in the house.”

“You don’t feel safe?” I asked, opening my eyes. He stood on the other side of the room, wearing his powder blue pajamas, shifting from one foot to the other.

“I do,” he said quickly. “It’s just that...” He peered through the darkness. “Can I sleep with you tonight?”

“Sure.” Knowing he couldn’t see in the dark, I got up, crossed the room and took his hand. Leading him back to my bed, I guided him to the mattress and crawled in after him.

Spencer tucked his arm under his head. “Are you feeling better?”

I stretched out beside him. “A lot better.”

He reached out, tentatively touched my face. “Your skin is all rough and puffy.”

“I know, but it will heal.”

“Are you sure?”

“Doesn’t it always?”

His fingers stroked my cheek. “I wish I could see your eyes. What color are they again?”

“They don’t really have a color. They’re just very pale. Grayish.”

He smiled. “But you can see my eyes right now, can’t you?”

“Yes,” I said, tugging on a lock of his hair. “They sparkle like sapphires.”

His smile widened as he scooted closer. “That’s so cool, Cameron.”

“What’s so cool?”

“That you can see in the dark. It’s like a superpower!”

I couldn’t help laughing. “I have to wear sunglasses whenever there’s too much light. What kind of superpower is that?”

Spencer shook his head, totally enchanted by this new idea. “Anybody can see in the daytime. And all you have to do is wear your glasses and you’re okay. Nobody can see at night without help!” The smile slipped from his mouth. “I wish...”

Sliding my hand to the small of his back, I pulled him closer to me. “What do you wish, Spence?”

“I wish...” He swallowed. “I wish I had powers. Then I could... Then I could protect you, and nobody could hurt you anymore.”

My breath caught. “Spence—”

“Why are they so mean to you?”

“I don’t know,” I said softly.

He hiccupped as he tried to hold back his tears. “When I get older, will they be mean to me?”

My throat clutched, and I wrapped my arms around his body, heedless of the pain in my own. “No. I can’t imagine anyone not liking you.”

Spencer twisted his hands into my shirt. “Tell me the story about the Wishing Star.”

“The Wishing Star?” I buried my face in his hair. “Now?”

“Now. Right now.”

I closed my eyes, tried to think. “Stars are magic. Everyone knows that. So they write songs about them, and make movies about them. Even Peter Pan lives on the second star to the right.” I shifted slightly against his body. “That’s why people are always making wishes on stars. A lot of them think they have to make the wish on the first star they see at night, but that’s not true. Every person has their own star in the sky. You just have to find it.”

Spencer snuggled against me. “And if you do, you get a wish?”

“It’s difficult, because there are so many stars in the sky, but if you can find the right one, then you get your heart’s desire.”

“I’ll find mine,” he whispered, already drifting off to sleep. “You’ll see.”

“Shh.” I kissed the top of his head. “You don’t have to worry about any of that. If your heart has a desire, then I’ll find a way to give it to you.”

He made a little sighing sound, and I closed my eyes, falling asleep with him in my arms.

I awoke a few hours later, saw my brother peering through my telescope. A gift paid for by my father. Mrs. Poole picked it out, sewed the heavy drapes around it so it could stay by the window without letting in light. “Spence?”

He spun around, smiling broadly. “I found it, Cam.”

“Found what?”

“My star. I found my star!” He ran forward, tripped on something and toppled onto the bed. “I made my wish and it worked. I know it did.”

Yawning, I sat up. “What did you wish for?”

He frowned. “I can’t tell you that.”

“Why not?”

“Because then it won’t come true.”

I cocked an eyebrow as I stared down at him. “That’s not part the story.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but everybody knows that.”

Too tired to argue, I laid back down on the bed. “Fine.”

Spencer leaned down, kissed my cheek.

“Ow,” I said, covering my face. “Go to sleep.”

He laid down, wriggled his way into my embrace. “It’ll come true, Cam. And then no one will hurt you again.”

I fell quiet, realizing what he must have asked for. One wish—that was all you got on your star—and he’d used it for me.

He must have wished for the power to protect me.

*****

“You didn’t believe I was telling the truth that night, did you? But it did come true that night, didn’t it?”

I glanced away from Spencer’s massive body. After all these years, he still believed everything that had happened...

Was because of a star?

*****

I stared intently at the television.

“Watcha watchin, Cam?”

“Cooking show,” I murmured, without looking away from the screen.

“Cool.” Spencer bounded into the den, sat on the floor in front of me and scooted against my crossed legs. “Open up!”

Sighing, I spread my legs so he could sit between them. My arms slipped around him, my body already slipping into our usual position, and I frowned when I looked at the television.

I couldn’t see the screen.

My back straightened as far as it could go, and still I could only see the top half of the show. “Hey,” I said, my hands sliding up to push on his shoulders. “Move down.”

He resisted, and it surprised me how hard it was to keep him moving downward. “Why?”

“Because I can’t see.”

Spencer twisted around to look at me. “You always could before.”

True. And the last time we’d sat together this way was only a few days ago. My hands loosened on his shoulders. “I guess you had a growth spurt.”

He grinned. “Cool.” Turning to face the screen again, he took my arms and wrapped them around his chest. His head bowed, then tilted to the side. “My arms are bigger than yours.”

“What?” I leaned over his shoulder to look. Sure enough, his forearms were slightly thicker than mine. And it wasn’t baby fat—I could see cords of muscle there. “They really are,” I said softly.

Spencer seemed to lose interest, glancing up at the television instead. “What’s she making?”

I tore my gaze away from our entwined arms. “Roast prime rib with horseradish cream whip. She’s just now starting the sauce.”

“Oh.” He was quiet for a few seconds, until the camera panned to the roast itself. “Is that it? It looks SO good!”

I could practically hear him drooling, and it made me smile. “Yes it does.”

“Can you make that, Cam?” He twisted around again, curling his hands into my shirt. “Can you?”

“I think so,” I said, staring thoughtfully at the screen. “It looked pretty easy when she did it.”

His grip tightened. “Wh-What about those potatoes?”

Chuckling, I glanced down at him and nodded.

“Tonight? Can you make them tonight?”

My brow furrowed. “We don’t have a lot of the ingredients.”

His shoulders slumped.

I smiled and cupped his face in my hand. “We could take a taxi to the grocery store and pick them up.”

His blue eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Sure, Spence.”

Laughing, he threw himself into me, knocking me back onto the carpet. “You’re the greatest, Cam!”

The air whooshed out of my lungs. “We’ll see.” I tried to sit up, and Spencer pinned me to the floor. I tried again, only slightly more successful the second time.

What... What was going on?

Spencer grinned, laid himself on top of me. “I know you let me win sometimes.”

“You do?” I asked cautiously, noticing how heavy he’d gotten.

He nodded, fingering my hair. “I like it when you do, even after I figured it out. Makes me feel really strong.” Spencer lowered his head, kissed my cheek. “Can we go right now?”

“Y-Yes,” I said softly. “Just go up and put on a clean shirt while I call the taxi, alright?”

Vibrating with excitement, Spencer rolled off of me and ran up the stairs.

Slowly, I sat up and stared after him. It was true. Sometimes I let him win when we wrestled or raced. I wanted to build up his confidence since I didn’t have that at his age. But this time...

This time Spence had been the one to let me go.

[redkage]

Wow, it's been awhile since I've seen this story. Glad to see you haven't given it up on it yet. Hopefully we'll see more in the future, but I guess it'll all depend if you can find the time to do so.

Anyways, good luck and happy writing.

-Red

[onelocolobo]

I love this story but I can't remember all the previous details. Can you post the links to the earlier parts?? Please . THANKS!

[jsmith2300]

Daisuke,

Another post! Yes! It's certainly been a while. I was ever-so-much hoping that you hadn't forgotten about your fans here at the Forum.

The lastest chapter was excellent. I enjoy the dynamic between Spence and Cam. It's fun to watch how much the brother's care for each other. With the last chapter, it was Cam protecting Spence; in this chapter, it's reversed but certainly no less charming and wonderful. It's fun to see Cam in his very adult older brother mode while Spence remains childlike and dreamy in his desires to protect his older brother through his wish. Simply wonderful!

There's good foreshadowing here with Spence's growth spurt beginning. I know that Cam is already noticing the signs, and it won't be long before the younger brother far outstrips the older. It's already apparent in Spence's strength. The best part, however, has to be Spence's comment that he likes feeling strong. That made my day!

As always, looking forward to seeing more. Until then, THANKS!

--JSmith

P.S. Oh, onelocolobo: you'll notice at the top of the chapters that Daisuke has kindly provided the previous chapters. I bet you can click the links to get the previous chapters you are looking for.

[yobdior]

Love how this tale is slowly unwinding like... well, a fairy-tale lol. It's a really interesting approach to a muscle-growth story.

I suspect uncovering how the brother's have arrived at the point they are at will provide for some riveting twists and turns. So far, it's a superb read and a treat to see how the characters are fleshing out (literally lol).

Looking forward to more!!

[onelocolobo]

Originally Posted by jsmith2300

--JSmith

P.S. Oh, onelocolobo: you'll notice at the top of the chapters that Daisuke has kindly provided the previous chapters. I bet you can click the links to get the previous chapters you are looking for.

Yes, I noticed that AFTER I posted the message. I'm a dork. Forgive me. It's finals weeks, lol.

Again, great story, Daisuke! I'm holding my breath for the next installment. Okay, maybe not literally. I would like to finish grad school before I die!

[sexiscriptor]

long missed, well aged, and nicely written; glad to see a new chapter!

[chocomus]

Hey! How could I miss such a good story? I haven't realized till now it was already posted. It's very good. We can easily feel the brotherly love. I find Spence's attitude cute. Is he gonna be a kind giant? I'd love to see that. Well, kind to kind people. Evil people...beware!

[redroger11]

Hey, does anyone know how to get in touch with Daisuke? He has his preferences set at no emails. I sort of hoped someone who knew him better could contact him and encourage him to continue this story. It really is a very good one.

Thanks;
redroger11

[tagsnola]

... that the writer seems to have abandoned this story. It was on its way to being one of this group's classics!