Save Me Santa, page 4
I also wanted to thank you again for saving us from the spider and making sure I knew it was real. As you might imagine, it was stressful not knowing if it was a fruit cake-induced hallucination, and knowing that I don’t have a large spider running around the house is very nice.
Speaking of the spider, do you know why I keep imagining it as the size of a dinner plate? That’s not logical, is it? My roommates would also like to know if you are ever sent out by Santa to save littles from other creepy things like mice and crickets. There’ve been some issues this year that have been stressful but we hadn’t thought about asking Santa for help until recently.
Oh, and did Santa tell you that I was a little? I know you brought me the wonderful Build-A-Bear I wanted, but I wasn’t sure if that was Christmas magic or good planning on your part because you’re a Daddy.
Thank you for your help and I look forward to hearing back from you and possibly seeing you in the near future. If that would be okay?
Brady
He wanted to meet me.
Fuck.
Hmm, he’d managed to do a pretty good likeness of me in the picture, though. Did he honestly not realize who he’d drawn?
I thought back to the bits and pieces of the conversation I’d overheard when he’d been making my gift, and I couldn’t remember any comments about who his Secret Santa looked like. They’d listed off the random physical attributes their addled brains could remember, but no guesses about who it would be.
They were the weirdest people ever and they hadn’t given me anything productive to work with.
“Okay.” Taking a deep breath, I did my best to keep my voice low as I talked out the problem, even though it was ridiculously early and I didn’t think any of them would’ve been awake. This would’ve been the perfect time to have a roommate so I could make someone listen to me figure my shit out, but unfortunately the one I’d been given by the university dropped out mid-semester.
He wouldn’t have been any help either, though. Real life made him nervous and my not being straight hadn’t helped his precariously balanced sanity pile. But surprisingly, it’d been a bad grade on a history paper that’d pushed him over the edge.
The stalking allegations against him hadn’t helped either.
He couldn’t have handled the whole Daddy thing.
People were so fucking weird.
“Alright, he wants to meet his Secret Santa.” I had to get back on track and figure my shit out.
“He’s not scared of meeting his Secret Santa because he has a fond memory of kissing me and his biggest worry is that I’m the hippy from the other building.” Since that wasn’t going to be an issue and he’d admitted in a roundabout way that he found me at least distracting, I shouldn’t have anything to worry about, right?
Fuck.
I was going to end up making a fool of myself and having to move because it would be so horrendous.
“I wonder if embarrassment is a reason for moving housing?” I wouldn’t love having to move back into the dorms, but it would be better than having to hear how much Bambi hated me.
“Dragging this out will not make it any better, moron.” Standing up, I walked over to the small bookshelf I’d found at the thrift store. I had to smile as I placed the frame next to a drawing of me and Mickey Mouse and a slightly passive-aggressive-looking Winne the Pooh.
It looked cute and definitely said I had a little in my life again.
But this time I was going to be the Daddy.
Okay, it was time to be the fucking grown-up and not make things worse. Daddies did not make things worse. Daddies fixed shit and made littles happy…and according to Bambi, Daddies saved littles from bugs and imaginary mice.
It seemed reasonable to me, but it didn’t make figuring out how to go upstairs any easier. Food. Food would make things easier and if I could figure out something else to give his bear, that would be even better.
It was too bad there wasn’t a delivery service for Build-A-Bear.
Another outfit would’ve made sure he didn’t hate me.
Heading into the kitchen, I pushed the shopping thoughts out of my head as I searched through the pantry to see what I could make for him. I could cook, but I hadn’t been thinking about making something special, so the only reasonable option seemed to be the canned cinnamon rolls that exploded and scared the shit out of everyone.
Hmm, would tackling that without jumping make me look brave to Bambi?
Probably.
I told myself I’d have to make sure to drop it into the conversation somewhere as I got started making a double batch of the sweet treats. By the time they were done and I was dressed, I heard someone moving around upstairs and I knew I’d hit the limit on dawdling.
Taking a deep breath, I headed upstairs with the cinnamon rolls, getting there just as Brady was peeking out their door. “Oh, Secret Santa didn’t leave me a note or another toy.”
His frustrated sadness had me almost grinning, but thankfully my nerves held me back. I wasn’t sure if he’d understand why his comments were so cute, so I cleared my throat and stepped closer. It was almost like a cartoon or a bad rom-com.
His gaze raked up my body as he straightened and his eyes got even wider until he almost tripped over his slightly too long Spider Man pajama pants. “Frowning man chased my Secret Santa away? Maybe?”
I managed not to roll my eyes as one of his roommates came over and peeked out the door. He grasped the situation faster and laughed. “Man, Frowning Guy is your Secret Santa. That’s so handy. Now we don’t have to worry about the spider coming back.”
Before I could think of a way to respond to that, Brady swallowed. “There was a spider, right? It was big?”
“Yes, and it was as big as you’re imagining.” We were going to talk about the whole memory and being poisoned thing, but for now, I just reassured him. “It was a pet that belongs to one of the neighbors.”
The roommate nodded. “Fucking cricket asshole again, right?”
Before I could nod, Brady shook his head. “No, he promised no more weird pets. He wouldn’t go back on his word.”
Tell that to the spider whose enclosure seemed to take up half the living room.
I didn’t want to be the one to explain to Brady that people lied, so I held out the cinnamon rolls. “I made breakfast.”
Judging by the hungry look in his roommate’s eyes, making two containers had been a brilliant move on my part.
When Brady just stood there with his brows pulled together, his roommate nudged his arm. “Invite the elf in. He made cinnamon rolls.”
“Yes.” Brady latched on to that plan, nodding to himself. “It’s good manners, and he did save us from the spider.”
I was going to end up needing to buy that damned spider a Christmas gift as a thank-you present.
“Yes.” I shrugged like I hadn’t made the manners rules. “It was huge and in your Christmas tree. It was some kind of exotic one and that’s why it was so big.”
His eyes widened as he finally stepped back. “That makes so much sense. Thank you.”
Evidently, making sure he wasn’t nuts was the key to getting let into the house, so I decided to take it. “You’re welcome. I wanted to make sure you knew you hadn’t imagined it. You said there was some kind of issue with brownies and fruit cake?”
Giving him something else to talk about broke down another level of his reservations and as they started dishing up breakfast, I got the whole saga in a lot more detail. It made my family look like fucking saints.
Pot brownies.
Boozy cake.
At least my family had never tried to poison me.
As we sat down at their table, well, the part that wasn’t covered in crafting supplies, I studied Brady. “But you’re feeling fine now?”
I’d have never left him alone if I’d realized there was anything he could’ve gotten hurt with in the house. The munchies shouldn’t have been that dangerous. “I didn’t know there was anything you could’ve gotten sick on or I’d have done something to keep you safer.”
His roommates were assholes and made awing sounds, but Brady shrugged. “We didn’t know either. I hate fruitcake. I don’t know why I ate it.”
I could explain why he’d eaten it, but I wasn’t sure he wanted a reminder of the brownies.
“But that’s okay.” Brady’s smile perked up as he started unwinding his cinnamon roll. “It’s all in the past.”
He might’ve thought that way, but his roommates were watching me closely and looking skeptically at the tree.
“I’m just glad you’re okay.” Dumb and Dumber seemed to take me at my word on that because they actually relaxed, but when it looked like they were going to start asking questions, I held up my phone. “Would you like to see Herman? That’s the spider’s name. You know, like the Munsters.”
Brady nodded. “It was real. That’s wonderful.”
I was left not knowing what to say again, so I nodded and pulled up the picture on my phone. “The scale is kind of hard to see but this was your spider.”
A fucking big spider that I was hoping he didn’t google.
“Oh wow.” Brady’s eyes managed to get even wider as he angled the phone so his roommates could see. “That’s…”
“Herman’s fucking huge.” One of his roommates leaned back away from the phone and shook his head. “We should’ve just burned the tree down.”
Definitely Flamethrower Dude.
“I don’t think we even own candles.” Frowning at the picture, the other one sighed. “Moving. I’m voting that we should move. I don’t care if it’s someone’s pet.”
And now I’d met Closet Dude.
I knew one was Cash and one was Gareth, but now I just had to figure out which was which.
As Brady handed me back my phone, he seemed stumped about what to say. “How did you get it back to its owner?”
“Tupperware container.” I shrugged as he laughed quietly. “I was hoping it would be too big but it wasn’t.”
Flamethrower Dude took that moment to ask the question I’d thought Bambi would’ve already asked. “How did you know? Between the brownies and cake, we have no idea when you showed up or how you knew.”
Oh, time to fess up.
I pointed to the window. “The sound carries like crazy. At first I thought you guys were just imagining it and then I started to wonder what you were doing and if it was real. So I came up to help.”
Because clearly, I had trouble minding my own business.
Brady sighed. “And then you found us brownied. I’m sorry about that.”
Was there a good response to that?
“It’s alright.” I didn’t want to sound dismissive or like a dick. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
It was a bit repetitive, but it was the least offensive thing I could say.
I was hoping we’d have a chance to eat and relax around each other before anything else stressful came up, but his roommates weren’t on the same page about that. Closet Dude leaned against the table and glanced between us. “So Brady kissed you, huh?”
Would calling him an asshole make me an asshole?
“He was slightly confused and grateful I’d removed the spider.” I wasn’t trying to make it more than that until I’d gotten a chance to talk to Brady when he was sober, but his roommates wouldn’t let it go.
“Yeah, but he also dreamed about you and made you a present.” Flamethrower Dude was now leaning into the table too. “He’s a little. What does that mean to you?”
“It means you’re a dick for outing someone just in case I didn’t know.” Okay, so maybe I needed to find my filter before I hung out with his roommates again.
Brady didn’t seem to mind the outburst, though. He actually smiled at me. “You’re so sweet.”
Huh?
“Thank you?” I needed a better roadmap for how to have conversation with him. “But yes, I know you’re a little.”
Pointing toward the window again…the one that was still open, I shrugged. “It’s not a problem for me.”
“So you’re a Daddy? Do you know what that entails?” Closet Dude was just as pushy as Flamethrower Dude.
Rolling my eyes, I didn’t bother hiding my snark. “Rescuing you from big-ass bugs and making sure his toy problem is managed carefully.”
Brady perked up and smiled. “That’s so nice. But it’s well under control. I have great storage.”
And probably a lack of impulse control.
“Good. If you like, you could show me later.” Yes, I was hinting for there to be a later, but I wasn’t sure he realized that.
“I’d be happy to.” Picking off another bite of his roll, he smiled. “I’m very organized.”
Did he think that was all I wanted?
“I’m glad.” Fuck. Now what?
“I think the elf is trying to date you.” Flamethrower Dude huffed as Closet Dude elbowed him.
“He’s a Secret Santa not an elf.” Closet Dude frowned. “Santa definitely didn’t send him.”
They were so weird.
“I’m not sure that matters.” Brady smiled. “The most important thing is that he saved us from the spider.”
Glancing down at my phone on the table, his brows pulled together. “The big spider.”
Yep, but was that going to get me a date or not?
Chapter 6
Brady
Well, the most important thing seemed to be that he’d rescue us again, so I wasn’t going to worry about the details…like if he was human or not.
That spider seemed to have taken up half the tree.
Yep, that was definitely the most important part.
“Would you be willing to send me a copy of that picture? I need to make sure my family knows it’s real.” Just in case it came up at Christmas dinner.
My savior’s mouth twitched like he was going to smile. Since he wasn’t frowning, I was going to count that as a wonderful change. “Probably a good idea.”
I had a feeling he knew about the mouse.
Ignoring that debate, I smiled. “Yes, it’s been a long year.”
He nodded, looking like he actually understood. “The crickets. Yeah.”
Oh, he was wonderful and hadn’t mentioned the mouse.
I had the best Secret Santa ever.
I was debating how to tell him that without sounding overly enthusiastic and scaring him off when Gareth decided to be helpful. “We’ve been calling you Frowning Guy, but now we can’t use that and I don’t think you want to be Elf Guy. What’s your name?”
Oh, that might’ve been a bit blunt.
My Secret Santa had a thick skin, thank goodness.
He shrugged, leaning back in his chair. “Better than Flamethrower Dude and Closet Dude.”
Hmm, I had a feeling there was a story behind those names. But it looked like Cash wasn’t ready for story time so he nodded. “Fair.”
Was that it?
Daddies and people who thought they weren’t Doms or subs were very stubborn sometimes.
Thank goodness my Secret Santa was a wonderful grown-up and didn’t play games. “Jude.”
Then he just started eating. He was going to be a wonderful Daddy once he realized he was a Daddy. He bought me toys and saved me. He had to be a Daddy.
With the gates of adulthood open, Cash stepped through and dragged Gareth with him. “I’m Cash. That’s Gareth.”
Jude—what a wonderful name for a Daddy—nodded but didn’t tell me who was Flamethrower Dude and who was Closet Dude.
I was smart enough not to ask my name.
Occasionally I was brilliant…this was one of those moments.
“What did you call Brady?” Cash was an asshole.
Jude just smiled.
Oh yes, that was a wicked Daddy grin.
I’d never seen one in person but I’d watched enough porn as research and had enough friends in the lifestyle that I knew what to look for. Jude. I’d definitely been looking for Jude.
“I drew you right.” The random thought finally popped into my head and he laughed, nodding as he chewed.
As he swallowed, I realized he needed something to drink. “Would you like some coffee? I could—”
He cut me off. “Are you allowed to use that yet?”
Oh, we really had been loud.
Shoot.
“Um, well, I’m allowed to pour some once the coffee pot is done, and I’m not allowed to use the fancy buttons, but I was hoping you just wanted the simple kind.”
Please let him just want the simple kind.
“A cup of simple coffee would be great.” He raised one eyebrow and almost smiled. “Can you pour milk safely or should I handle that?”
Definitely a Daddy…even Gareth snickered.
“I can do that without there being a problem. Would you like sugar too?” He nodded, explaining what he liked, and I was wonderfully coordinated and nothing went wrong. “Here you go.”
“Thank you, Brady. You did a good job.” His smile was mostly in his eyes, but I knew he’d been serious, not teasing me like some people had in the past.
I’d pleased Daddy Jude.
“Thank you.” Ignoring the silly awing sounds Cash and Gareth were making, I focused on Daddy Jude. “And thank you for breakfast. I appreciate it.”
Neither Cash nor Gareth liked making breakfast, and sometimes I just got tired of cereal. I wondered if Daddies were responsible for feeding their littles as well as keeping their apartments bug-free.
I almost asked but I remembered just in time that he hadn’t said he was a Daddy or that he wanted to be my Daddy.
We probably needed a date before we could have that conversation?
Hmm, but I’d already kissed him?
“What are you thinking?” Daddy Jude’s eyes were so twinkly and distracting I forgot where my common sense had wandered off to and actually answered.
