"Do you like it baby bear?"

Wren nodded, looking around the room. He pointed at the painting above the bed, holding onto his paci with his other hand.

"Pwetty dwawing"

"Yeah baby, its very nice isn't it"

I placed wren down on the bed and he giggled as he sank into the thick soft duvet and mattress.

I'd barely managed to get off it myself but I was tempted to return to the comfort, watching wren happily wiggle around in just his diaper. After he woke up, wren declared himself too hot and the onesie was cast away.

He also had me very carefully tuck in bearemy, who was still napping and 'definitely needed it' according to wren.

Wren squealed as he crawled around the bed, trying to escape being absorbed into its soft clutches.

I jumped on aswell, and we ruined the lovely made up bed as we rolled around laughing. I'd grazed my fingers along wrens sides and he'd screech and try and tickle me back. His technique was lacking but I was still laughing.

I crossed my legs and pulled wren into my lap. I bent down and blew a raspberry on wrens tummy and he squealed pushing away my head.

"Daddy! Stop!!"

"Oh I'm so sorry little bat"

I relented on that front but then immediately threw my arms around wren, nuzzling his head and placing so many kisses all over his face. Wren giggled while pushing at his cheeks.

He then reached and grabbed either side of my face. He held my head still, took out his paci and gave me a little kiss on my cheek. He popped his paci back in as I melted around him.

Suddenly the door opened up. Wren clapped his hands excitedly.

"Papa!"

Wren laughed as he bounced in my lap. David rounded the corner, smiling as he put the bags he'd carried up down and went straight for us.

"Now what's going on here?"

Wren leaned forward and made grabby hands. David picked him up by under his arms and threw him up in the air.

"Someone's feeling silly"

I laughed and David bounced wren.

"I think you're both getting a bit silly, wren?-"

Wren started to grab at David's hair as David dropped his voice very low.

"Are you and Daddy being silly?"

Wren squealed

"Bed sof!"

"Oh I bet it is-"

David cut himself off when he gave Wren a little tummy tickle.

"Now hold on a second... where has your onesie gone bubba?"

David asked, acting all bewildered. Wren sniggered.

"Don know papa"

"Really?"

"Uh huh"

"Well I guess we'll never know"

David sat down next to me and Wren crawled into the middle. David pushed on the mattress with his hands.

"Wow this really is soft"

"God I know, this place is wonderful, I don't even know what to do"

I messed with wrens light pearly locks. He lay across me and David, giggling and twisting around. David stretched out his back and added.

"As much as I love the idea of just lying here with you two for eternity. How about we get the rest of our stuff and maybe do a bit of exploring. Have as much of a snoop as we are permitted."

"Ooooh I like that, I wanna check out the pool. See what the deal is. So wren do you wanna exploring with me and Papa?"

Wren popped up from lying down to sit in David's lap. He held onto his paci and nodded.

"Yea! Wanna go see things!"

"Well there's lots to see, so you're in luck princess"

David flashed out a brochure of activties and I quickly snatched it, giving it a brief scan before tucking it in my pocket.

Wren was just brimming with energy since he'd woken up and was very eager to get moving.

"Wan go!"

Wren crawled forward, heading for the edge of the bed but David pulled him back, earning a tiny whine (that a little temple kiss from David quickly stopped).

"First lets get some clothes on you baby bear"

I tickled wrens sides and he squealed, as I took him off David and bounced him. David pulled over Wrens case and opened it up.

"Shorts or skirt baby?"

"Esporing shorts!"

"One set of esporing shorts coming right up"

I chuckled as I took out a little blue pair of shorts and a white top with little rainbows stripes. David jokingly commented

"3rd outfit of the day, very fashionable wren"

Wren giggled as I slipped the top over his head. I pulled the shorts up and David picked out some cute socks for Wren.

But wren had some different ideas. Wren decided he didn't want socks or shoes. I outright laughed as he dodged David's attempts, even climbing up his arm and up onto his shoulder. Slapping on his head and giggling.

" 'splorin! No shoesies, no sockies"

David laughed and spun around, making wren shriek in giggles.

"Bubba, its sockies then shoesies then exploring"

David plucked wren off and sat him down on the bed.

"No!"

Wren fell onto his back on the bed as David tried putting his socks on. He giggled and kicked his legs in an attempt to stop the sockies being put on. He flipped onto his tummy and tried to crawl away

"We go now!"

"Woah not so fast there princess"

David plucked him up off the bed and cradled him close.

"Course you need shoes n socks, what if there's tiny stones when we're exploring and they poke you're little feet"

Wren half giggled half whined when David started tickling his toes. I took the opportunity to grab the socks and shoes.

David gently held wrens legs out one by one so I could pull them on one by one.

Wren whined for a second once they were on but then immediately forgot.

"We go's now?"

"Yeah bubba let's go"

At first wren happily situated himself in David's arms, looking around at everything as we left the room and started walking around the corridors.

We opted for the stairs instead of taking the lift down, it seeming more adventure-y to us.

Wren then began to squirm in David's hold. Kicking out his legs and generally fussing. David fluffed up wrens hair and asked me.

"What's got you worming about princess?"

Wren looked bashful for a moment before asking.

"Can i's go down?"

"Course you can bubba"

David set wren down on his feet and he looked around again, I'm sure everything seemed alot bigger from down there.

I held my hand out to him.

"Do you wanna hold my hand little bug?"

Wren nodded and took my hand, immediately starting back on the adventure.

We were off

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Ricky and Wren ran through the corridors. Wrens infectious energy and Ricky bounding off the walls as we explored the hotel.

As I ran after them it almost turned into a game of chasing as wren would squeal whenever I rounded the corner after them.

Until we reached the lobby where wrens anxiety began to spike and he made his grabby hands to be carried.

Ricky happily carried him across the large room, waiting a second to ask where wren wanted to go next. Wren pointed over to where all the cool indoor spaces the hotel had to offer were. A good exploring spot.

We walked on, my arm around Ricky's back as he carried Wren, who snuggled up to his neck in the busy lobby.

Sometimes I worry about wren's anxiety. I wonder if we're somehow making it worse. Around us he's a ball of love and adorable energy but as soon as a strangers are introduced into the situation he closes straight up. And we're always there to cover and protect him... but is that really helping him?

I pushed the thought out of my head when I realised it was I predicted, as soon as we were out of public view wren got all his energy right back, very politely asking to be let down again so he could run about again.

We passed by a big sign leading to pool with some big cardboard cutouts of dolphins and sharks wearing arm bands.

Wren excitedly pointed them out.

"Fins!"

Ricky laughed as wren looked up, admiring the cutouts.

"Do you want to take a picture with them baby bear?"

Wren nodded very excitedly.

The first one with the dolphin was perfectly normal with wrens adorable little baby smile and him holding onto the dolphins extended fin.

But before the shark photo was taken wren very sheepishly asked us.

"Cans I peas show my fangs peas"

Before we could say yes wren tried to justify why as if we would ever say no to his little 'peases'.

"Da sharkies fangs is ouh so it ok for me?"

Wren smiled, almost as an extra persuader. It wasn't needed, but very much welcomed. Wren fiddled with his hands nervously.

I answered the fidgeting little one

"Course it is bubba, show us your fangs"

Wren beamed and opened his mouth, baring his still tiny little baby fangs.

We'd taught wren that baring your fangs at other people was like the vampire version of flipping the bird. Of course we put it in more wren friendly terms, saying it was like asking for a fight, and wren took it quite seriously.

He ran back over to us to see the photo. We showed it to him and he giggled before gasping and getting an idea.

"Show jam jam!

He giddily shook Ricky's arm.

"I'll send it to Andrew and he can show jam jam"

"Yay"

Ricky popped Wren's pacifier back in and he moved right on, from the cutouts and to 3 porthole style windows on the walls. We all stepped up to them.

"Look! You can see right in"

True to Ricky's words through the three windows you got a good view of the pool. It had a few different parts to it, a shallow kiddie pool, a cordoned off area to swim lengths, a lazy river and even a decently sized slide.

I lifted wren up when he realised he couldn't see in not even on his tippy toes, so he could get a look in. Wren pressed his hands up against the glass and marveled.

"We goin swimming?"

"Not right now baby bear but we're getting in there as soon as we can."

Wren babbled happily and pointed at a few things going on, like 2 kids passing an inflatable ball back and forth or someone doing a flip and getting told off by the life guard, before deciding it was time to move on.

We walked past even more windows into the gym. Wren was a little spooked by the strong looking vampires in there but one of weightlifters noticed us and gave a pleasant waved. Wren hid behind Ricky but still waved back. We watched the burly man laugh before getting right back into his routine.

"Me and you gonna hit the gym David?"

Ricky flexed his totally ripped biceps and I laughed.

"Thought you wanted me to relax. I was looking forward to the spa"

I said the last bit in a mocking voice and Ricky shoved me.

"Hey! I mean it"

"You better, I'm forcing all your knots and stresses out if it's the last thing I do"

"Think that contradicts the whole spa vibe"

We laughed as we continued down past the actual spa and it seemed as I expected. While we could only see the reception-y bit, there was insense, calming music, the whole shebang.

We walked further and further through the maze of corridors, coming eventually to one seemingly empty, but there was muffled sound coming from somewhere.

We figured there might be an event space here with a party going on, until a door opened and sound erupted out into the hall. It startled wren and made him whine.

"Goodbye everyone!"

A cheery voice called out from up the hall. I looked up to see a women stepping out from a room in a big purple poofy princess dress. She had a tiara, a wand and a stunning smile, as she waved to the room she was leaving. A thousand byes screamed out of the room and she giggled.

"Bye bye now"

As she got out of the doors view she seemed to drop the cheerniess for a second, taking a breath and cracking her neck. She then spotted us and smiled again, it looked more genuine than what I expect from a children's performer.

She seemed to understand the absurdity of her glitter bomb outfit as she strode over to us, almost smirking and laughing. Ricky was pretty much the same, barely holding it together at her ridiculously over the top outfit.

She seemed to affect wren the most though as he'd come to a full stop, frozen still, his jaw hung open with his pacifier fallen out.

"Hello-"

The women curtseyed and tipped her tiara.

"The names Periwinkle, princess Periwinkle and I host the Princess kids clubs as you probably would've guessed"

I introduced my self and so did Ricky.

"I'm david"

"Ricky"

"Two dashing young Kings I see"

"Or queens"

Ricky mumbled and I covertly smacked him

Princess Periwinkle then bent down, her dress fanning out around her.

"And who's this little one?"

I looked down seeing wren had hidden himself behind me. He still peaked out in awe of the Princess before him. I encouraged him and took a small step to the side, staying close to wren but leaving him open to the Princess.

"Go on bubba"

Wren fiddled with his fingers and stuttered out.

"A-a-am w'en"

Wrens gaze was firmly affixed to the ground

"Wren, that's a beautiful name"

Wren blushed and tried talking again.

"Y-your dwess p-pwetty"

The Princess put her hand on her heart and awed.

"Thank you wren, i must say you're one of the kindest little princes I ever met"

"Buh ima pwincess"

Wren practically whispered, somehow she heard him though.

"Oh gosh I'm sorry wren, then you're one of the kindest princesses I've ever met. Do you like princesses wren?"

She spoke to wren with such ease and understanding, like she knew exactly what to say. I was impressed to say the least.

"Ya, chu a weal pwincess?"

Wren seemed to open up the woman before us, not being as anxious as before.

"I am a real princess!"

Wrens eyes sparkled. He leaned forward to the woman, who in turn smiled and leaned forward to wren as well.

"Weally?"

"Yes really! And I love spending time with all the little monarchs of this hotel. We learn how to be great little monarchs and we go out on adventures. I just finished up one actually"

"Adventures?"

Wren asked, he nervously stepped back, reaching his hands up to take mine and Ricky's hands, looking for a bit of reassurance. We happily provided and held them tight.

"Yeah, really fun adventures. We play games together and do lots of fun things. Today we had a big tea party and everyone brought their teddies"

Wren squeezed our hands as his face lit up in excitement. He bounced on his toes.

"I- I like teapawties!"

"Do you?!"

She mirrored his excitement

"I do em wif my cousin an my fwiends an my daddies"

"Oh wow. Now I always wear my fanciest dresses to tea parties. What do you like to wear wren?"

"I wike d'esses"

She gasped dramatically for wren.

"Do you have any of your own pretty dresses with you?"

"Ye, I broughts my favouwite pwincess d'ess"

Wren very happily proclaimed. The Princess clapped her hands in excitement.

"Well I'd love to see it, you'll just have to join us next time. I'm sure you'd love it"

"Are there lots of... people dere?"

Wren looked down a little ashamed. Princess Periwinkle sympathetically answered.

"There's a good few of us usually but I can assure you we're all very nice. There's no place for a meanie princess or prince in my troupe"

"No meanies?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it. Which I do, you're looking at a very powerful princess right here"

Wren giggled and the princess smiled.

"Oh you're just the sweetest little princess I've met. I'll hopefully be seeing you again soon-"

The Princess cut herself off and looked down the corridor behind her.

Some people were beggining to step out of the room the princess had just come from and she looked back to us rather anxiously.

"-I should run or ill be swarmed"

She gave Wren a little head pat. He beamed with pride.

"It was lovely meeting you three. Do consider the kids club"

She quickly got out and then

"Bye bye little princess!"

She called after us and wren waved to her until she rounded a corner. Wren turned back to me and Ricky, smiling to himself.

"Did you like talking to the Princess bubba?"

Wren giggled, waving his hands a bit.

"Uh huh, she nice.

Wren was so happy with his new princess friend, he didn't even mind walking through the parents and little ones like himself coming out of the daycare like space. It was frankly remarkable for that woman to have such an effect on him. Perhaps he just responds well to glitter.

I took a little look in the room and it looked quite impressive. They're was a big painted castle on the wall and shelves covered in toys, book, crafting stuff. It looked great.

"We'll have to look into that, won't we wren"

Wren babbled to Ricky excitedly.

'Dada I wansa twy it. She said I'm sweet! An she wansa see my pincess d'ess. An stuffies come too!"

"It's settled then"

I chuckled at how forward wren was being. It was so out of character but so lovely to see.

Wren skipped along holding our hands and humming to himself and I leaned into Ricky's ear and whispered jokingly.

"What did that woman do to him?"

Ricky whispered.

"I don't know but we have to get him in one of those. It's in the pamphlet right?"

"Yeah I think so-"

"Hey!"

Wren shook our hands to get our attention.

"Whatchis sayins"

"Oh nothing nothing-"

Wren frowned a little until I bent down and whispered.

'-just that your princess dress is wayyyy prettier and princessier than anybody else's around here"

Wren put his hands up to his face and giggled, jumping a little in place.

"Tink so?"

"I know so!"