The club had organized this event for several years now, but Brendan had never attended. It was a small affair, but the littles loved it. He’d simply never had anyone to bring. Even when he’d been with Henry, he’d skipped it, maybe somehow sensing Henry wouldn’t truly appreciate it. But with Raf, he had no doubt. His boy would love it.
“We’re here,” he announced.
Raf, who had been dozing a little despite the nap he’d taken earlier, sat up straight. He frowned as he looked outside. “We’re at the club.”
Brendan nodded. Emotions flashed over Raf’s face, but then he looked at Brendan with his eyes full of love. “I trust you, Daddy.”
Brendan’s heart was full. So full. He gestured at Raf to climb over the console and sit on his lap, which the boy did right away. Even with the relative discomfort of doing this in a car, Brendan’s favorite position in the world was to have his boy on his lap. As much as he loved the sex with Raf, this topped it because it felt so perfect, so intimate.
He pulled him against his chest, softness unfolding in his belly when Raf melted in his arms. “I love you, baby boy, and I will always be grateful for your trust. Thank you.”
“You wouldn’t say something was fun for me when you knew it wasn’t,” Raf said, and that simple statement made Brendan hold him even closer.
“No, baby boy, I wouldn’t, and I’m so happy you know that. I promise you we’ll be having fun inside.”
They cuddled for a little while longer, Brendan unwilling to let his boy go just yet, but then it was time to go inside. He hadn’t been lying to Raf. It really was something special, and Raf would go crazy, just like the other littles. They met the first couple at the entrance: a thirtysomething Daddy-Dom Brendan had met before with a little who appeared to be the same age.
“Brendan,” the Dom said, “so good to see you again.”
Brendan had to think for a second before he remembered his name. “Likewise, Chris. I haven’t seen you in a while.”
Chris smiled, sending a look of love to his little. “I’ve been busy taking care of this one.”
Brendan smiled back, pulling Raf a little closer. “I haven’t been to the club in a while either for the same reason.”
Chris held open the door. “After you guys.”
Raf’s hand was tense in Brendan’s as they walked inside, where a sub took their coats and gestured them to the main room. Raf’s grip tightened, but then they walked in, and he squealed. “Daddy, that’s Santa!”
Brendan’s heart erupted with love at the joy in Raf’s voice. He’d instantly dropped into little mode, his face beaming and his eyes shining. “I know, baby boy. That’s why we’re here. You get to take pictures with Santa.”
Raf’s mouth dropped open before he recovered and flung himself into Brendan’s arms. “That’s the best surprise ever, Daddy!”
Brendan kissed the top of his boy’s head. “I’m glad you like it. Wanna get in line for your picture?”
Raf immediately let go of him, and he all but ran toward the end of the short line, impatiently waving at Brendan when he didn’t follow quickly enough. “Hurry up, Daddy!”
Smiling, Brendan made his way over, and he and the Daddy in front of them shared a look of understanding.
“I’m Robbie,” the little who belonged with the Daddy said after popping his pacifier out of his mouth.
Raf tilted his head. “I’m Raf.”
“I haven’t seen you here before,” Robbie said.
Raf looked at Brendan, who nodded at him it was okay. “I haven’t been back here since I met my Daddy.”
Robbie nodded in understanding. “My Daddy and I go when they have little-night. You should come. It’s really fun because we all get to play together.”
“Play?”
“Yeah, we can build train tracks or play with the cars or make a drawing. It’s fun.”
Raf looked pensive for a second, then turned to Brendan. “Daddy, can we go sometime?”
“Absolutely,” Brendan said. He’d been reluctant to suggest it, not knowing if Raf could handle that many stimuli, but they’d have to find out.
The line moved slowly, Santa taking his time to pose with all the littles and sometimes with their Daddies as well. Brendan looked at Santa, trying to determine which Dom had drawn the short stick this year to play him. It was a thing the Doms without littles did for the Daddies with littles, and it had become a long-standing tradition that drew people in from afar. But they’d started this morning, so things were winding down. Brendan had planned it like this on purpose so Raf wouldn’t be faced with too many people at once.
“Daddy,” Raf whispered, pulling on his hand. He’d gotten more and more quiet as the line progressed and they got closer to Santa.
“What is it, baby boy?”
Raf gestured him to bend in, and so he did. “I don’t have my binkie with me…or my little fidget blankie.”
“I brought them. Do you want them in the picture?”
“You brought them?” Raf’s voice was full of disbelief.
“I did, baby boy. I wasn’t sure if you’d need them, so I put them in my pocket.”
He pulled them out, showing them to Raf. The boy only hesitated for a second, but then he took them. He stopped before putting his binkie in his mouth. The look on his face told Brendan Raf had more on his mind, and so he waited. His experience was that it rarely took long with Raf.
“Daddy, did you also bring a…” Raf brought his mouth even closer to Brendan’s ear. “A diaper?”
“I always have one in the car, you know that. Would you like to wear one in the picture?”
Raf nodded quickly. “I love being your little boy, Daddy, and I want to be like that in the picture with Santa.”
If his heart grew any fuller, it would explode. “Why don’t we step out of the line and get that taken care of?”
Raf bit his lip. “But, Daddy, then we have to get back to the end of the line.”
Brendan ruffled a hand through his boy’s curls. “It’s fine, baby boy. Santa isn’t going anywhere until he’s seen all of you, I promise.”
Getting Raf changed was easy, since they had a dedicated changing room for Daddies with littles. It had two cubicles with changing tables, and Brendan quickly diapered Raf in one of them while his boy fell deeper and deeper into little mode. God, he loved it when Raf got like that, all innocent and needy and completely dependent on Brendan. It hit all those protective instincts inside him, all those Daddy buttons that had gone unused for too long.
Raf sucked hard on his binkie when they got back in the line, which now only consisted of them and one other Daddy and little. He clung to Brendan’s hand, constantly seeking his presence. He was nervous, Brendan realized. Was it for meeting Santa? Was he that deep into his little persona? Or was he fearful on some level of rejection, of being ridiculed for being a little.
“Daddy’s right here with you,” he whispered. “Nothing bad’s gonna happen, I promise.”
“What if Santa doesn’t like me?”
Raf’s lip trembled, and this time, it was real. It tugged at Brendan’s heartstrings, this insecurity that still popped up every now and then. His sweet, tenderhearted boy, so scared of being rejected.
“How could he not love you? You’re the sweetest boy there is, and you look super cute with your diaper butt, your pink binkie, and your fidget blankie.”
That earned him a grateful look from his boy, and the grip on Brendan’s hand relented a little.
Finally, it was their turn.
“What’s your name, buddy?” Santa asked, and Brendan wanted to shout with joy. Thank god. He’d recognize that deep, warm voice anywhere. Ford.
Raf slowly pulled the binkie from his mouth with his left hand, still fidgeting with his blankie in his right hand. “R-raf.”
“That’s a beautiful name. And who’s that, little Raf?” Santa asked, pointing at Brendan.
“That’s my Daddy Brendan.”
“He looks like a strict but kind Daddy. Is he a good Daddy? Does he take good care of you?”
Raf nodded enthusiastically, forgetting about his binkie and blankie. “He’s the best Daddy in the world.”
“I’m so glad to hear that. A sweet, cute boy like you deserves a wonderful Daddy.”
Ford had found exactly the right tone to make Raf feel comfortable, and the tightness flew from his face.
“I’ve been a good boy,” he told Santa, his honesty so endearing Brendan felt his heart melt.
“That’s good, little Raf. Because you know naughty boys don’t get presents. So Daddy hasn’t had to spank you?”
Raf grinned, that wonderful, mischievous grin that Brendan loved so much. “I like being spanked.”
Santa laughed heartily. “So you are a little naughty, aren’t you? Trying to get your Daddy to spank you. Should I ask your Daddy if he thinks you’ve been good?”
Raf nodded. “I already asked him. He said I’d been a good boy. Well, at first he said I’d been naughty, but he was teasing me. That wasn’t very nice because I thought he was serious, and I was really sad for a moment.”
That got another laugh out of Santa, who was now winking at Brendan. “So you’re saying your Daddy has been bad? Should Santa spank him?”
Raf’s eyes grew big as he turned toward Brendan as if he couldn’t believe Santa had really said that. “No! You can’t spank my Daddy! He’s…he’s my Daddy. Daddies don’t get spanked.”
Brendan had trouble keeping a straight face. He and Ford both knew damn well Daddies could get spanked. In fact, Ford appreciated a good spanking if Brendan remembered correctly. Almost as much as he’d appreciated Brendan’s fat cock in his ass. The man was a total size whore—not that Brendan would ever tell Raf that. He had no secrets from his boy, and Raf knew he’d played with other boys and Doms before, but that didn’t mean he had to know all the details.
“That’s too bad because I would’ve loved to spank someone.”
Raf’s hands went on his hips. “Well, you can’t spank me because I’ve been good, and even if I’d been naughty, my Daddy would spank me.”
Ford must’ve been as enamored with that answer as Brendan because he pulled Raf close and kissed his cheek. “That’s the perfect answer, little Raf. Now, do you want a picture with Santa?”
Raf nodded. “Is it okay if I have my binkie in my mouth?” he asked politely.
“That’s fine, buddy. Do you like your binkie?”
Another quick nod. “My head gets really busy, and my binkie helps me calm down. My blankie too. See? Daddy Brendan got this for me. It’s a fidget blankie so my hands have something to play with.”
He held it up, and Santa studied it carefully. “That’s wonderful, Raf. It sounds like your Daddy loves you very much.”
“He does. And I love him more than anything or anyone. Maybe as much as my best friend, Rhys, but that’s different. Rhys doesn’t spank me, though maybe he should have, I don’t know. But we’ve been friends forever, and he’s always been really nice to me. But it’s different with Rhys because…” He frowned, and Brendan could see him think it through. “Rhys and I are friends. He’s not my Daddy. He’s a Daddy too, but to Cornell, not to me.”
Santa pressed his lips together for a second or two, and Brendan could only imagine how much effort it took Ford not to laugh at that honest statement about Rhys, his mentee.
“You’re a lucky boy, little Raf, to have a friend like that… But Rhys is equally lucky to have a friend like you. Don’t ever forget that. Now, come sit on my lap, sweet boy, and we’ll take some pictures.”
He gestured at the photographer—another Dom who always volunteered for this—and Raf climbed onto Santa’s lap without a second’s hesitation. The smile he gave the photographer was so broad it almost brought tears to Brendan’s eyes.
“Should we take one with Daddy in it as well?” Santa asked.
“He can sit on your other knee,” Raf said, and Brendan about choked on his breath.
“He sure can,” Santa said, and that’s how Brendan found himself on Santa’s lap, his sweet boy right next to him, loving every single moment of it.