"How did your shift go tonight?" I ask in the silence of the bathroom. I feel his chest rise with a deep breath.
"We had a car pileup. I got pulled into the Emergency Room to help." He tells me about Bobby, about making sure the baby was safe. Then he drops the bomb. "I was told that an older gentleman from another car didn't make it. I didn't have the heart to tell Bobby's parents that. From what I gathered while giving my statement and getting more details, their car was the one that hit first. I don't want Bobby to think he did that."
"I'm sorry." I don't know what else to say to that. I run my hands up and down his legs, timing my breathing with his. "I didn't mean to scare you, either."
"It's okay," Brandt says softly. I can tell he's half asleep right now. "I was tired and scared, baby. I wasn't thinking straight. I know how much you love your sleep."
I give a small chuckle at that. I'm always the one fighting to wake up in the mornings. "It's not my fault when I have the perfect person in bed to cuddle with."
"You're cute, Ty." I hear and feel him yawn behind me. I sit up and turn what little I can in the tub to look at him.
He's definitely about to fall asleep in this water. I cup his face with one hand, scratching lightly at the stubble there. I let my hand fall to his chest. "Let's get you cleaned up and in bed."
We drain the water and turn on the shower. He's sleepy, so I take control and get him washed up. He's had a long day and I know he has to do it again tomorrow. I grab both of us towels and we dry off to not drip water on the floor.
Fluff is sitting outside the bathroom door and meows when I open it. "Did you—"
"Yeah, I fed him when I ate dinner. I think he just misses you." The orange fluff ball walks with us to the bedroom. He jumps on the bed and claims his spot in the middle. He'll move down to the foot of the bed when we lay down. It's the same routine each night now.
I drop my towel and open his drawer to grab one of his shirts to wear tonight. I'm looking for my favorite faded blue one when I feel his body press against mine, wrapping his arms around me like I did to him in the kitchen. "You're amazing, you know that? Thank you for taking the lead tonight."
"Everyone needs taking care of from time to time," I say. I turn my head and kiss his cheek. He spins me around and kisses me properly. It's soft and caring. His hands explore my body as ourtongues slide together. I tilt my head slightly to deepen the kiss. Our lips make low smacking noises as it turns from sweet to a bit more heated.
He pulls back first. We're both breathing heavier and take a moment. He grabs my hand and pulls me away from the dresser and toward the bed. Without a word, he drops his own towel and pulls down the blanket to get in. Guess we're going no clothes tonight.
"Let me get my laptop," I say quickly.
"Can you put the rest of the food in the fridge while you're out there?" I nod and try to be as quick as I can without actually running. My mouth waters at the food, even though I'm not hungry and it's definitely cold by now. It's my favorite meal from that place though.
I double check that the door to the apartment and the balcony door are both locked. I flip off the main living room light and head into his bedroom. Brandt doesn't move when I walk in. He's laying on his back, eyes closed, with his arm out in the perfect position for me to cuddle up next to him. Like I do every night.
"Daddy?" I don't speak too loud. It's not even ten yet, but he is out cold. I set the laptop on the dresser and climb in the bed beside him. I settle my head against his chest and smile. "Goodnight. Sweet dreams."
Bythetimemyshift is over on Monday night, I'm ready to get home and relax. I have to get some studying done tonight, but then I'm hoping for a bit of Little time. Or sex. I'll take eitherone to relax. Last night certainly wasn't the time to think about it, but hopefully my Daddy is in a better mood when he gets home. Less scared and tired, at the least.
I clock out and say bye to Austin, pulling out my phone to text Daddy that I'll be home soon. He still has two hours left of his twelve hour shift, but then he's off tomorrow. I hope he rests, but I also know Vivian is coming over.
There's a text from my mom that catches me off guard. I haven't spoken to her in weeks. It's lengthy and takes me a full minute to read. She's apologizing; sorry that she was rude, sorry that she didn't let me get something to drink that day, sorry that she wasn't supportive of me moving out again. She's inviting us over this weekend for dinner with her and Dad. Andy will be at a friend's house on Friday night if we're available.
I text her back that I'll have to check with Brandt and see what he's planning for Friday. Usually we hang out with one of the other guys or do a playdate, but I don't know if we have anything planned. Fridays are definitely my Little night, though.
I don't know what else to say to the rest of it. Apologizing over text isn't ideal and I don't know how she meant it.
I go through my routine when I get home. I feed Fluff and give him all the cuddles while I make my own snack. I keep it light because we'll make dinner together in a bit. I also take my medicine and put the last star of the month on the calendar. I smile and snap a picture, sending it to the group chat to brag that I get a special toy now that I remembered to take my medicine every day. I also send it to Daddy.
I talk back and forth with the guys for a bit, slipping into the comfortable space of barely being Little. It's enough to smile and laugh at small things but still in my big headspace to get some things done. I change out of my clothes, dressing in my go-to training pants and my favorite pajamas. I spread out mynotebooks and laptop on the coffee table and put the TV on low volume for background noise.
My classes are fun this semester. I'm learning a lot, but only having the two was a smart idea. It's not stressing me out with deadlines and tests. I have to write a paper that's due in a week. It needs to be at least three pages long. I add it to my school calendar notebook.
When my Daddy does get home, I put everything away and stand up to hug him. He looks a lot better tonight. There are still small bags under his eyes but he's smiling and he spins me around in his arms. It makes me laugh and he kisses up and down my neck.
"I missed you, Ty."
"I missed you too, Daddy. Did you have a better day at work?"
He nods. "Much better," he says with a genuine smile. "The family from yesterday was sent home today. They're all going to be okay. The police came back and let us know that it was an accident. The mom was driving and she had swerved to avoid a piece of debris, an old tire, that had fallen off the back of a truck ahead of them. Everything had happened so fast, none of them saw it but her, but witnesses confirmed it."
"That's good," I say with a nod. "Hopefully that will help the boy to not feel so bad."
