“Daddy, can I get a cat?” 

I rolled my eyes as Nova walked over to me in the kitchen, hitched up her already too short black skirt before swinging her black stocking-covered leg over both of mine, and plonked her sweet bottom down. She was wearing a black ruffled skirt with a short pink cropped top with a cat’s face on it—which just about met her midsection—black over the knee stockings with a small pink bow at the top, and patent pink and black buckled shoes that had a cat’s face on the front of them. 

The shoes were the reason she was asking. Ever since Spencer had bought them for Nova Star a few days ago, she’d been the prominent Star in our household, and she was getting bolder every minute she was here. Annoyingly, Spencer had then taken off to spend a few days with Layton, leaving me and the rest of the household to manage this new…addition into our family fold. 

It was putting it mildly to say she made me uncomfortable. I had no idea how to deal with a rampant teenage female who pretty much sexually crushed on any walking male…and they were one thing we were not short of in our family. Her latest crush—Jacob. She’d met him yesterday for the first time…well, it wasn’t the first time, of course. Star knew Jacob, but each of Star’s people didn’t hold the same connection with the others…bar me.  

I was Daddy and they all knew me well. Whether that was because they spoke about me wasn’t clear. We all knew that Leo often spoke for them, which made us believe he could interact with them, but it was unclear if they spoke to one another, other than via Leo. He seemed to be able to tap into all their thoughts. Thinking about it now, Leo was the manager of them. He could override them, push them back, which made sense as he was the more adult of them, and the host head and body.  

Spencer had taught us that people with autism could mask their behaviour to fit in with the world, or space around them, something we’d concluded, with Layton and Joe, that Leo had done in the alley where he’d lived with Joe. He’d copied and mimicked the other boy’s behaviour, which had got him by maybe sixty percent of the time. Joe had filled in other moments when his behaviour had been erratic and…well, not “normal”, had been the words he’d used. 

If you asked Star about those times in the alley, and whether his people had been with him, he’d just shrug and say he didn’t know, and that’s all he would say. My guess was, they were there, and all had a part in guiding him in moments, but maybe they hadn’t been clear to him because Leo had been busy. Busy trying to manage his life, and his world as it was then, busy constantly masking his days and his moments.  

It must have been exhausting doing something you didn’t understand, on a feeling, and I totally understood his moments of wanting to tap out and spend time with Ginger. Those moments with Ginger must have felt blissful, to forget everything and just release everything in those painful times. 

Nova Star wasn’t a regular of Star’s people. In the past, she’d only crept out in small moments, the biggest being when Joe had arrived back here, and Leo disappeared leaving his other people to work things out themselves for a time. So having Nova here, was like having a whole new person in the house, who was trying to find her footing in amongst everyone else who lived here. Nova meeting Jacob for the first time yesterday came with a whole lot of breathy swooning, eyelash fluttering and sneaky looks in his direction, especially when he looked her way. Which, of course, he did because Nova Star was new to Jacob. He was wary and shy of her, so kept viewing her under his lashes as well. 

Nova Star was very different to the other Star Littles, and she had overcome her shyness first, which was par for the course when our Star wanted something. Some of Star’s characteristics were identical across all his people, and want, which was very close to need for Star, drove all of them in one degree or another. 

Usually with Spencer being present twenty-four-seven, he got the brunt of it, which wasn’t so bad. He was pretty good at all the feminine traits, from make-up to dress wear, and seemed to understand Nova Star’s needs. He’d been the one she’d properly come out to first, and that had started her first little love crush. Spencer was the one she tried to engage with. What did he like? What clothes did he think suited her? Attention seeking, and sulking, if Spencer didn’t seem to reciprocate.  

We had only heard of these moments through Spencer—they drove him crazy sometimes—and I’d only seen a moment or two of Nova Star’s fangirling, as Spencer called it, until yesterday. Now it wasn’t about Spencer, it was about Jacob. 

Before bed last night, she’d wanted to know everything about him, and I’d had to put a stop to her constant questions, while I belatedly sympathised with Spencer’s moans in the past. 

“Daddy? Please?” She lifted a hand and trailed it up my chest over my linen tunic, playing her varnished fingers over my Adam’s apple at my neck. 

“No, stop it, and you need to change your…clothes, they’re not suitable for playing in the house.” Having no clue about female clothes, I’d left her to dress herself. Now I regretted it. 

“I do not play in the house! I’m a girl, Daddy! Girls don’t play, they…flutter.” Flutter? What on earth was that!?  

“Then flutter back to your room, star girl, and choose different clothes that are more suitable for a family breakfast.”  

Her bare arms dropped heavily down by her sides as she pouted. “No Daddy! I’m going to show Jacob my new shoes.” Then her thoughts suddenly sidetracked, thankfully averting a full-on Nova sulk. “Do you think he likes pink? He likes animals, right? You said, so does he like cats? Can he come to my dressing room and look at my stuff?” 

“No. And don’t even think about asking him. Now get down and go change while I sort out your grapefruit…” 

“Grapefruit! Yuk! No, thank you. I’m going to have breakfast with Jacob. He likes pancakes…like me.”  

Star had never chosen pancakes for breakfast. He was a toast and grapefruit boy every day. I mentally pulled my thoughts into check. This wasn’t Star, this was Nova. 

I patted his thigh… her thigh. “Okay, that’s enough. Up, change, then we’ll decide.” I was just about to grab my phone from the table, when Nova put her hands on my shoulders and started to rub her…backside over my thighs, almost bouncing quickly. 

“But, Daddy, I haven’t shown you my new knickers. Spencer showed me how to hide my boy penis when I wear them, so I look really sexy.” Jesus Christ. I couldn’t imagine where he’d hide the monster he was endowed with. 

I closed my eyes briefly, then grabbed one of her wrists to ply her off me, just as Joe and Jacob came into the room. It immediately caught Nova’s attention, stopping any pouting and whining she’d just about to fall into, and she pulled her arm from my hand and smiled shyly at…Jacob, while clutching at my arm. 

“Morning.” Joe headed straight for the kettle, passing us and dropping down for a quick kiss to Nova’s forehead and my cheek as he went. Jacob was dutifully following, and would usually not stall, but he stopped and looked uneasily at Nova. 

Nova didn’t miss the opportunity. “Hi, Jacob. I’m going to have breakfast with you this morning.” 

“Hi…erm…morning.”  

I huffed amusedly. “Morning, Jacob.” He quickly dropped a kiss, managing to get only close enough to quickly skim his lips across my head, as Nova squirmed bashfully on my lap and then watched him as he headed around the kitchen to Joe’s side. 

Nova wriggled from my lap as Joe filled the kettle and looked back, watching, then spoke. “Is there trouble brewing?”  

Nova stood and brushed her hand down her skirt and then brushed her curls back from her face, then walked around me towards Jacob, who was getting cups from the top cupboard. 

“Possibly. Be vigilant.”  

Joe huffed a smile. “Gotcha.” He lidded the kettle as Nova reached Jacob, leaning her back on the counter next to him, fluttering her long lashes as she looked at him. 

“You forgot to give me a morning kiss.”  

Jacob put two cups down on the counter, biting his lip as he looked first at Joe, then at Nova. “I, err…sorry…”  

He leaned forward to drop a kiss on her cheek and she quickly turned and looked up at him, catching his lips on hers. Christ almighty. He pulled back quickly and wiped his mouth, looking at Joe. Nova giggled as she bit her bottom lip. 

“Wow, thank you. I’ve got lipstick on, so now you’ve got it on you…” She reached up to touch him, and Jacob looked pleadingly at Joe. 

Jacob wiped at his mouth, calling for Joe in a quiet panic. “Sire…”  

Joe moved Nova from the counter to place the kettle down. “Okay, young lady, that’s quite enough of that.” Joe rubbed his hand over Jacob’s arm to soothe him as Nova scowled at Joe. 

“What, Joe!? I didn’t do anything.” She folded her arms in front of her and huffed.  

Joe faced Nova and nodded at her. “Yes, you did. Do you remember yesterday when I told you about people’s personal spaces? About touching before you’re invited? About touching people without permission?”  

Nova dropped her face in a sulk. “I just wanted to say morning, and to show Jacob my new shoes.” She smiled and looked up at Jacob. “They’ve got cats on them, and Daddy’s going to get me a real cat.” Both Joe and Jacob looked at me, concerned. 

“I never said that, Nova.”  

She turned and looked at me, sulking. “Well, you never answered, and that can mean yes. Spencer said so.” The reprieve Jacob had of losing her attention was suddenly gone as she whirled around to him. “Daddy said I can have pancakes with you today. I can help make them with you.” Joe had been teaching Jacob some basic cooking, and yesterday they’d made pancakes together while Nova had watched. 

I sighed heavily. This was going to be a long day. I looked up to find Joe grinning at me. 

“When’s Spence back?” 

“Not soon enough. Do you want to do swapsies today?” I eyed him pleadingly which turned his grin into a laugh. Jacob and I could rekindle our old days, where we walked easily through the woods in sweet silence and then ended up back at my house. Oh, how I took those moments for granted! 

“Daddy!” Nova screeched her annoyance across the kitchen, making both me and Jacob wince. “You can’t swap me around!”  

Joe was still laughing as he spoke. “Err, I don’t think so, Daddy.” Then he teasingly wrapped an arm around Jacob and kissed him before continuing. “This is a life lesson, Honey. We reap what we sow…or something like that.” Humph! He was reaping my… the benefits of my sowing, and he knew it. 

He turned to make the tea, still smiling, which left Jacob’s personal space free game, and Nova didn’t miss a beat. She stepped into him, sidling up against him as she reached up and twiddled his hair. 

“Do you want to see my new panties, Jacob?” Oh for the love of… “Spencer got them for me and they’re pink. Do you like pink?” Nova’s hand drifted to the hem of her skirt, as Jacob leaned back in panic and looked towards his Sire. 

“Sire…please….” 

I got up quickly. “Okay, that’s enough, little madam. Come on, we’re going out.” Nova scowled at me, pouting and huffing, as Joe pulled Jacob out of harm’s way, to his other side for protection. He was still finding it funny. I wouldn’t forget.  

“But Daddy! I don’t want to go! I haven’t had breakfast yet!” She stamped her foot in annoyance as I pulled at her arm to bring her to me. 

“We’ll grab something once we’re there, but you need to change your clothes first.”  

“But I don’t want to change, where are we going?” She wasn’t coming willingly. She leaned back and dug her feet into the floor, scowling at me. 

“To get Spencer, but right now, we’re going to your room.” 

Joe spoke, trying to hold back his amusement. “Nova, sweet, I think you’re pushing Daddy’s spanking buttons, so I think you better do as you’re told.” 

Nova threw her whole body into a stropping stamp as she huffed and threw herself forward out of my hold, storming off towards the door. 

“Fine! But I’m not taking my panties off when you spank me, Daddy!” 

I turned and looked at Joe, who was back to full on grinning. “Oh, that sounds like fun! Enjoy your day, Daddy.” 

I took a deep breath and followed her out.