Raf bounded down the stairs, skidding when his feet hit the hardwood floor.
“Slow down, baby boy,” Daddy warned him. “You’ll slip and fall if you keep running like that.”
Raf rolled his eyes, since he had his back toward Daddy, but of course, he should have known better.
“You’d better not be rolling your eyes at me, Raphael.”
Daddy’s voice held that edge, that tone that was a clear warning sign. Raf stopped, then turned around. “I’ll be more careful, Daddy.”
He peeked at Daddy from between his lashes. Oops, Daddy did not look happy.
“You didn’t answer my question, Raphael.”
Whenever Daddy called him by his full name, Raf knew he was in trouble. And as much as he wanted to talk his way out of this one, he’d learned the hard way that honesty worked better. Being disrespectful meant an ass so red sitting had been painful for two days straight. “Sorry, Daddy. I did roll my eyes at you.”
Daddy slowly shook his head. “My concern is not something to make fun of, baby boy.”
Raf released a slow breath. If Daddy still called him baby boy, things didn’t look too dire. “I’m sorry, Daddy,” he said.
He meant it. As much as he had felt like rolling his eyes, he loved how Daddy took care of him in big and little things.
Daddy leaned in and kissed the top of his head. “I’m sure I can find a suitable punishment for you later today.”
Raf suppressed a smile. He’d learned to read Daddy’s body language and interpret the tone of his voice, and the sparkle in his eyes and the slight hitch in his voice meant it wouldn’t be a real punishment. He’d let Raf suck him off or something—as if that was a deterrent. Ha! He loved Daddy’s cock.
“Can I look now, Daddy?” he asked, his foot tapping on the floor all by itself.
Daddy smiled at him, one of those smiles that made Raf’s stomach flutter. “Yes, baby boy. But walk, please. No running.”
Properly chastised, Raf made his way to the advent calendar. Every day after his nap, he got to open a new door. He’d already spotted today’s date when he opened yesterday’s, so he found it in no time. With a bit of help from his nail, he pried the little carton door open, catching the piece of chocolate that fell out.
He held it up to show Daddy Brendan. “It’s a reindeer, Daddy!”
“Hmm, which reindeer do you think it is?”
Raf studied the reindeer’s nose, which looked unremarkable to him. “I don’t think it’s Rudolph. His nose looks pretty ordinary to me. Though they couldn’t make it red, since it’s chocolate, so maybe it is? The story never says his nose was bigger or different other than being red, right?”
Daddy nodded. “I think you’re right. So you get to pick which one you think it is.”
Raf frowned. “I’m not gonna eat Rudolph. It has to be one of the other reindeer because they were mean to him, so they deserve to be eaten.”
Daddy grinned. “You’re a little cannibal, aren’t you? A bloodthirsty, revengeful cannibal.”
Raf gave the chocolate reindeer one last look, then popped it into his mouth. “They deserve it. Bullying is mean,” he said with his mouth full, which earned him a stern look from Daddy.
“How many more days till Christmas?” Daddy asked when Raf had finished the creamy chocolate that had melted in his mouth.
His Daddy hadn’t bought one of those cheap advent calendars that had the grainy, way too sweet chocolate. Nope, he’d sprung for an expensive one with delicious milk chocolate. Not that Raf had expected anything less because if there was one thing he’d learned in the year they’d been together, it was that Daddy loved to spoil him.
Wait, they’d been together longer than a year, hadn’t they? He tried to do the math in his head. They’d met, like, a month before Rhys’s father had died…and that was, when again? Nope, that had been at the end of January. Right, he’d met Daddy Brendan in the club the first week of January. So almost a year ago.
“Where did you go, baby boy?” Daddy asked, his tone as patient as ever. No matter how many times Raf got distracted, Daddy never got angry with him.
“I was thinking that we met almost a year ago,” Raf said, knowing better than to say sorry. Daddy had told him he never needed to apologize for who he was, and that included his ADHD.
Daddy’s smile was wide and radiant. “I know, baby boy. And what a wonderful year it has been, hasn’t it?”
Raf held out his hand, looking at the slim, elegant ring on his finger. His engagement ring. They were getting married on Valentine’s Day, which hell yeah, was a total cliché, but he didn’t care. With Daddy Brendan, he wanted all the clichés, all the schmoopy, cheesy stuff.
“I can’t wait to get married,” he said softly. “You’re so good to me, Daddy.”
Daddy lifted his chin with a single finger. “So are you to me. Don’t ever forget how happy you make me, my sweet boy. You’re my everything.”
Raf stepped closer, and Daddy opened his arms so he could snuggle against that warm, cuddly chest. It was his happy place, tucked against Daddy Brendan’s chest. Or plastered against his whole body. Or riding his fat cock, for that matter. Sucking him off. Eating him out. In fact, Daddy was his happy place.
“I love you, Daddy.” He sighed, the familiar wave of happiness rolling over him.
Daddy kissed the top of his head. “I love you so much, baby boy. Now, tell me. How many days till Christmas?”
Daddy was so good at that, bringing the conversation back on track whenever Raf wandered off track. His mind was still squirrelly sometimes, but Daddy never got annoyed with him.
“Twenty-one days, Daddy. Three weeks.”
Daddy rubbed his back in slow circles. “Are you excited?”
They were going over to Mama Laura and Papa Daniel, as Raf called Brendan’s parents, for Christmas Eve, since it was on a Saturday this year. After dinner there, they’d drive over to Rhys and Cornell to celebrate Christmas together. Daddy had taken off till after New Year’s, so the plan was to stay for a few days. Raf was already hyped up to spend time together.
“I am. I’ve bought cool gifts for everyone, I think.” He leaned back and met Daddy’s eyes, batting his eyelashes. “Did you buy me a present, Daddy?”
“Are you telling me you’ve been good this year? Good enough for presents? Because naughty boys don’t get presents…”
“Of course I’ve been good,” Raf said, huffing with the sheer audacity of Daddy to suggest he hadn’t been good. Then he saw the twinkle in Daddy’s eyes. “Ugh, you’re teasing me again.”
Daddy’s mouth pulled up in a grin. “I’m sorry, but you’re such an easy target. But I promise I’ll stop. For now.”
“You’d better, or I will think you’re a mean Daddy after all.”
Raf pouted, which made Daddy bite his lower lip, and that resulted in a kiss that made his stomach melt, so everything was good again.
“I have something special planned for today,” Daddy said.
Raf’s ears perked up. “Oh, another surprise? I like surprises, Daddy.”
“And you’ll love this one. I’m not gonna spoil it, but I will tell you to put on something nice. Something that looks cute on you.”
He let go of Raf, who stepped back and looked at his Daddy with sad eyes, letting his bottom lip tremble a little. “Are you saying I don’t look cute in everything?”
“You do, baby boy! I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that—” Raf couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore, and Daddy’s eyes lit up when he apparently realized that Raf had gotten back at him. “You little rascal. You were messing with me, weren’t you?”
Raf shrugged, still laughing. ”You had that one coming after the way you teased me.”
“I’ll give you that one. Now, do you want to get changed so we can leave, or is what you’re wearing good?”
Raf looked at his jeans and simple shirt. The way Daddy had said it had sounded like they were meeting other people. People he’d want to look his best for. “I’ll be quick.”
It only took him ten minutes to change into a pair of jeans coveralls he really loved and a red Superman T-shirt. A pair of equally red Converse completed his look. He’d also put on a bit of mascara and eyeliner, with his usual lip gloss.
“Baby boy, you look amazing. I’ll be a proud Daddy today.”
A proud Daddy… Did that mean they were going somewhere where he got to be himself? Where people were okay with him being a little? He didn’t want to ask because Daddy could get short with him if he was nagging, but once they were on their way in the car, he couldn’t resist.
“Is it fun, Daddy, where we’re going?”
Daddy nodded. “You’ll love it.”
Raf bit his lip. “Will there be other Daddies and littles?”
Daddy smiled at him. “Good guess, baby boy. Yes, there will be. Now, no more questions because I don’t want to spoil the surprise.”
Raf sighed. “I’ll try, Daddy. I’ll try to be good.”