Chapter 5 Brandon
brANDON
By Friday morning, I was feeling like a new man. The antibiotics had kicked in, the swelling in my jaw had gone down, and the pain was manageable with just over-the-counter stuff, so I didn’t have to take the hard stuff.
I even made it through my morning coffee without wincing, which felt like a small miracle.
When I showed up to the site, Frank gave me shit about not wanting to go to the dentist at all, but after some worksite ribbing, I thanked him for pushing me to go and assured him I was ready to be back.
It was good to have something to focus on other than the cutie who fell asleep in my arms yesterday.
Not that I actually stopped thinking about him. I just thought about him while running electrical wire instead of lying on my couch…which felt less obsession-y.
That kid was something else. Sweet and funny and completely adorable in a way that made my chest ache and my dick hard every time I remembered the way he felt pressed up against me. The fact that he was Little was just the icing on the cake.
A sexy cake that I probably didn’t deserve to touch but desperately wanted to taste.
I'd suspected he was gay back in the dentist chair when he used that gentle, soothing voice on me and wasn’t afraid to hold my hand.
Most straight guys didn’t do that no matter what their job was.
But it wasn't until he put on a cartoon and was so open to cuddling that I'd really started to wonder if there was actual regression going on.
And then he mumbled about Daddy finding Nemo in his sleep, and I almost creamed myself.
If Sebastian was Little, was he looking for a partner? A caretaker…or even a Daddy? He’d seemed somewhat shocked when I called him out on it, like maybe he didn't share that side of himself with just anyone.
Which meant he trusted me. Or at least, he trusted me enough to let his guard down and be vulnerable around me.
That was even sexier than the needy stares I caught every now and then or the subtle flirting he was so damn good at.
Just picturing him with tears as he worried for Nemo’s safety made me smile as I climbed down from the ladder.
Mike was standing by the water cooler and raised an eyebrow when he saw me. "You're in a good mood today." He took a swig of his water and studied me. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah, much better." I grabbed my bottle and took a long drink. "Turns out modern dentistry isn't as bad as I thought it was."
"That's good to hear." He clapped me on the shoulder. "You had us worried there for a minute. Thought you were gonna pass out on the scaffolding."
"Nah, I'm tougher than a rotten tooth." I grinned and headed back to my ladder. "I might even show up for the follow-up appointment next week."
Mike laughed. "Okay, tough guy. Just make sure you follow their instructions. That blood clot can be a bitch."
I just shrugged and got back to work. I wasn’t worried about it. I felt better and that was all I cared about. Truthfully, I wasn't going back for the follow-up to have my tooth checked. I was going back because it meant I'd get to spend some time with Sebastian again.
And if I played my cards right, maybe it wouldn't be the last time.
At lunch, I found a quiet spot away from the crew and pulled out my phone. I'd been thinking about texting Sebastian all morning, but I didn't want to come on too strong. I promised to check in with him, but he practically ran out of my house yesterday.
Our texts last night turned flirty, and since he hadn't shut me down when I'd hinted that I liked taking care of sweet boys like him, I took that as a win.
Maybe he wasn't as freaked out by me as I thought.
I opened up our text thread and started typing. Hey, sweetheart. How's your day going? Starting off with an endearment was bold, but I felt it would take the conversation in one direction or another. Better to get my answers up front.
Before I could worry too much about it, my phone buzzed with a response. Pretty good! Just finished up with a root canal patient and am on a break. How about you? How's the jaw?
I smiled at the screen. Way better. Back at work and everything. Thanks to you.
I'm so glad you're feeling better. Another dot bubble showed up but then disappeared, like he deleted whatever he was about to say.
I stared at the phone for a second, trying to decide if I should just go for it. Worst-case scenario, he’d shoot me down. Best-case scenario, I’d get to spend more time with him.
Fuck it.
I quickly thumbed out my message and hit send before I could erase it. You doing anything tonight?
The three dots appeared, then disappeared, then appeared again. My heart was pounding harder than it had any right to over a simple text message.
Sebastian finally put me out of my misery and sent the text. No plans. Why?
Why indeed. I should have thought this through a little better. Maybe we could grab dinner. I’d like to thank you for taking such good care of me in my time of need.
You don't have to thank me! I was just doing my job. He followed that up with a quick response. And it was fun to hang out.
Agreed. So let me take you out. There's a restaurant I know that has really good chocolate mousse. It’s basically pudding.
There was a longer pause this time, and I started to worry that I'd pushed too hard. But then my phone buzzed.
Chocolate mousse pudding? You know the way to a boy's heart.
I grinned so wide my jaw actually started to hurt a little. Is that a yes?
Yes! What time?
I could probably be ready by six, but I wanted to have plenty of time to tidy up the house, just in case. I'll pick you up at 7.
Perfect. I'll text you my address…since you don’t have access to patient files to stalk me back. A string of embarrassed face emojis followed his message.
Never realized stalking could be hot.
You're making me blush, Daddy.
Holy fuck. Boy, I can pinken your skin in ways you can’t even begin to imagine. See you at 7.
He responded with a sweating face emoji, and we left it at that.
I put my phone away so I could get back to work, already feeling lighter than I had in years. Sebastian not only agreed to go out with me on an actual date, but he called me Daddy.
My hand slipped into my pocket to adjust my growing dick. I had a feeling that was gonna happen every time I talked with that boy.
The rest of the workday flew by because I was more focused than I'd been in weeks, finishing up my section of wiring ahead of schedule and even helping Mike with his when I was done.
By the time five o'clock rolled around, I was in my truck and headed home to shower and change without a backward glance.
Clothes had never been important to me. I was a jeans and t-shirt guy.
Sometimes I threw on a hoodie when it was cold, but I didn’t even own a suit.
When I had to go to a funeral a few years back for a co-worker, I had to borrow a jacket from Frank and wore it over a black tee.
That was always good enough for me. But now that I had a date with someone I wanted to look good for, nothing I owned seemed to work.
I stood in front of my closet for way too long, trying to decide what to wear. I wanted to look nice, but not like I was trying too hard.
Finally, I found a dark blue henley and black jeans that were new enough not to have rips or stains. Not at all fancy, but clean and put together. At least, as clean and put together as I ever got.
There was still a bit of swelling in my jaw, but I could chew on the right side of my mouth, so I wasn’t too worried. And since Sebastian had seen me at my absolute worst, I hoped he would be okay with how I looked.
At six forty-five, I climbed into my truck and headed over to Sebastian's place. My hands were sweating on the steering wheel, which was ridiculous. I'd been on plenty of dates before, and this one shouldn't have been any different.
But it was different. Because Sebastian was different.
He was sweet and funny and completely genuine in a way that most people weren't. And he was Little. I hoped we’d get to talk about what he was looking for, if he needed someone to take care of him and make him feel safe and protected.
I wanted to be considered for that position. I wanted to be his Daddy if he was looking for one.
I pulled up in front of his apartment a few minutes before seven and sent him a text to let him know. I'm heading upstairs now.
A few seconds later, the door to his apartment opened, but Sebastian didn’t come out. He waited for me to get to him. “Hey, there.”
Fuck, he looked good.
“Hey, sweetheart.” I walked toward him, checking him out with a hungry stare. Sebastian was wearing a green sweater that brought out the emerald in his eyes and dark jeans that fit him perfectly snug. “You look amazing.”
He practically bounced on his toes until I opened my arms, inviting him in for a hug. He fell into my chest with the bright smile I was already addicted to. “You too.”
With my arm around his back, I guided him down the stairs and opened the passenger door for him when we got to my truck.
"Wow. A gentleman." Sebastian climbed up into the seat and grinned at me. "I didn't know those still existed."
"Only for special boys." I winked and closed the door, my heart doing stupid things in my chest.
When I got into my seat, Sebastian was looking at me with this soft expression that made me want to pull him onto my lap and kiss him right there. But I managed to keep my cool and put the truck in drive.
"So, where are we going?" He buckled his seatbelt and settled back in the seat.
"Little Italian place downtown. They've got great food and even better desserts." I glanced over at him. "I think you're gonna like it."
"I'm sure I will." He was quiet for a moment, and then sucked in a deep breath. "Thanks for inviting me out. I wasn't sure if you'd want to see me again after I ran out of your house like my ass was on fire."
I reached over and squeezed his knee. "Of course I wanted to see you again. I had the best afternoon of my life, even though I was still in pain."
He bit his lip and looked down at where my hand was resting on his leg. "Yeah? I thought maybe you were just being nice."
"I'm not that nice." I pulled my hand back and focused on the road. "If I didn't want to spend time with you, I would have already canceled my follow-up with Dr. Weismann."
"Good to know." He sounded relieved, but when I glanced over, he was scowling. “And you are not gonna cancel your appointment, mister. You need to make sure there’s no infection.”
I rolled my eyes but smiled. “You’re cute when you’re bossy, Little boy!”
He giggled and leaned toward the center of the truck, like he wanted to get closer. I’d never appreciated the value of a bench seat before, but I wanted nothing more than to scoot his ass over to the middle seat so I could feel him against me as we drove.
Maybe on the way back…
The drive to the restaurant didn't take long, and when we pulled up, Sebastian looked at the building with wide eyes. "This place looks fancy." He turned to me with a worried expression. "I'm not underdressed, am I?"
"You look perfect." And I meant it. He could have shown up in pajamas and I still would have thought he was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen. “And I’m basically wearing the same thing, so at least we match.”
We headed inside, and the hostess led us to a table in the back corner. It was quiet and a little more private than the rest of the restaurant, which was exactly what I'd hoped for.
Sebastian sat down across from me and picked up his menu.
His eyes scanned the options, but after a few seconds, he looked up at me with a slightly overwhelmed expression.
"Everything looks good." He bit his lip and looked back down at the menu.
"I'm not really good at making decisions when there's this many options. "
I set my own menu down and leaned forward. "Do you want me to order for you?"
His eyes snapped up to mine, and there was something hopeful in them. "Would you?"
"Of course." I reached across the table and took the menu from his hands. "Any allergies I should know about?"
"Nope. None." He was immediately more relaxed. "And I'm not picky. I like pretty much everything."
"Good to know." I studied him for a second, trying to gauge what he'd like. "How do you feel about pasta?"
"Love it." He smiled at me and reached for his glass of water.
"Perfect." I flagged down the waiter and ordered for both of us. Fettuccine Alfredo for Sebastian because it was mild and comforting, and chicken pomodoro for me and my sensitive mouth. Plus a side of garlic bread to share.
When the waiter walked away, Sebastian was looking at me with a soft, almost awed expression.
"What?" I cocked my head, suddenly self-conscious.
"Nothing. It's just..." He trailed off and shook his head. "No one's ever offered to do that for me before. Order for me, I mean."
"Well, get used to it." I reached across the table and took his hand. "Because I hope you’ll let me do it a lot more."
His face flushed and he squeezed my hand back. "I'd like that."
We sat there for a moment, just holding hands across the table, and I knew this was the start of something good.
Something really fucking good.