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Carlos didn’t often get to go to work with his daddy, but on the rare occasion when he was small and there was an overlap between Judd and Grace’s schedule, Carlos would find himself in the chaos that was the fire station. He used to be worried that Judd didn’t like having him hang around the station while he was working, but every time he was dropped off, Judd would hoist him up in his arms and carry him around, letting everyone know that his boy was there, something that always made Carlos’s tummy light with excitement. Today he was no less happy to be there, even if his daddy was very busy in a meeting with uncle Owen.
The little’s were allowed to wander around if only because there were always multiple sets of eyes on them. It was absolutely no shock to anyone to find Carlos stomping around on ground level, joining in on TK and Mateo’s game. The two of them had dropped once they were done with calls for the day and now that Carlos was there, the crazy was dialed up well past eleven. They were running around, going in and out of the fire engines, though Carlos was a little bit slower than the other two. He was the littlest of the three of them, something Mateo often had to be reminded of despite being the oldest, and Carlos always wanted to do everything everyone else did.
He was always prone to doing what TK and Mateo wanted him to and, now that he was settled with Judd, he had his own mischievous streak to him. Lately, though, he’d been on a copycat kick. His favorite person to copy, however, was Judd. The little boy had been pretending to be him for two days. Last night, he’d worn matching clothes, had matching dinner, and repeated everything the man had said between giggles. What he was doing now had all of the grown-ups biting back laughter.
“Pank,” Carlos giggled, catching TK and smacking his bottom before running off and getting Mateo’s. “Pank!”
The grown-up’s watching them tried to stifle their laughter, knowing eventually they’d have to stop him, but no one could quite do it because it was adorable. Even when he started going after them, they just laughed. Carlos had managed to smack both TK and Mateo, Paul, Tommy, and Nancy so far. There was an opportunity to get Marjan, but he knew that she didn’t let people touch her bottom mostly, so instead he just snuggled her before he’d run off to get TK again. Carlos knew that TK’s bottom was one of his daddy’s favorite’s to spank and Carlos wanted to be just like his daddy.
He was chasing around his best friend when he saw Owen’s office door open and both his uncle and daddy came out of the room, though they were still mid-conversation. Carlos’s eyes lit up and he stopped chasing TK and headed for the stairs, looking around for someone to help him upstairs. He wasn’t supposed to walk up the stairs by himself because he might fall down. He’d done that once before and it had not been very fun.
“Nan!” Carlos said happily, reaching his hand out to spank the older girl as she came near, but she caught it in hers with a raised brow. Carlos giggled and shook her hand in his. “Nan he’p? Go up?”
“What’re you gonna do up there?” Nancy asked.
Carlos smiled and leaned forward, cupping his hands around her ear to tell her the secret. “’Pank daddy!”
Nancy glanced up at Judd who, no doubt, had heard the secret being told, and shrugged. “Sure, I’ll help you upstairs.”
Stairs were tricky for Carlos when he was small and they’d learned that it was best if someone was on one side of him and he gripped the handrail on the other, walking up one step at a time, both feet landing on the step before moving up the other one. When they got to the top Carlos smiled up at her happily and wrapped his arms around her in a large bear hug.
“No ‘pank Nan,” Carlos said. “Good girl!”
“I’ll take it,” Nancy said, laughing. “Go and get your daddy.”
Carlos nodded and turned, finding Judd immediately. The man was turned away from the stairs, still in conversation with Owen and Carlos crept up behind him, sneaking in a way he surely thought was stealthy, but no sooner had he smacked Judd’s backside, did the man have him up in his arms, having prepared for the catch. Delighted, Carlos shrieked and squirmed around in Judd’s arms as the man flipped him like he was holding a sack of flour.
“Daddy!” Carlos giggled as Judd held him bridal style. He kicked his legs and reached up for the man, giggling even more as he was put up onto his hip.
“What’s this I hear about my little munchkin goin’ around and spankin’ his friends?” Judd asked with a raised eyebrow. “And you tried to spank daddy?”
“P’tend,” Carlos said. “I daddy!”
“Oh you’re daddy, huh?” Judd asked. “And you think daddy just spanks naughty behinds, do ya?”
“No!” Carlos said joyously. “Cuddle!”
“Oh, so I cuddle, too?” Judd said.
Judd gently started to pat at Carlos’s bottom as he held him. “I think someone needs a spankin’ to remind him who is in charge of ‘em.”
“No ‘pank,” Carlos said, shaking his head. “Jus’ a baby.”
“No spanks?” Judd asked. “Even though little boys aren’t supposed to go around touching other people’s bottoms?”
“Jus’ baby. Silly baby ‘Los.”
Not for the first time, Judd was struck by just how sweet and how far Carlos had come. Even three months ago, Judd couldn’t be sure that Carlos would have done anything like this, but here he was with a mischievous little grin that went from ear to ear. Not to mention his giggles, which were music to the man’s ear. He remembered how when Carlos had first come around he’d been this silent, scared little mouse of a boy, too afraid to even admit how small he was and now he was joking about it. He was so proud of his boy.
“I thought you were daddy?” Judd said. He tickled his tummy, making Carlos squirm and squeal.
“Uh-huh,” Carlos giggled. He wrapped his arms tighter around Judd and then, quickly moved, spanking Judd’s butt again, dissolving into even more laughter.
“Oh, you’re a naughty baby,” Judd said, squeezing him tighter.
“Goo’ baby,” Carlos said, bringing his hand back up, fingers fisting around the back of Judd’s shirt. “Baba?”
“Baba after a few spanks,” Judd said, carrying him into Owen’s office.
Judd, on principle, didn’t make a habit of spanking much in private. He had no problems with baring a bottom in front of the rest of the firehouse or in a cereal aisle of the grocery store, but the office was the closest seat and he wanted to cuddle his boy for a good long while when he finished.
Carlos went over Judd’s lap, still giggling despite his whining and he felt Judd pull off his pants, then his diaper. He felt the first sting and howled as two more followed, but before his bottom even pinked up, his pants were fixed up and he was sitting on Judd’s lap, blinking in confusion.
“No more?” Carlos asked, cocking his head to the side thoughtfully.
“I don’t think my silly boy needs anymore. You’ll remember who does the spanking now, won’t you?”
“Jus’ daddy ‘pank. Jus’ p’tend be daddy,” Carlos said, his voice going softer as if telling a secret. “Love mine daddy.”
Judd’s heart, which had once broken over this boy swelled with warmth. His large arms pulled Carlos in tighter to him, wrapping him into the biggest, tightest bear hug the world had ever seen.
“I love you so much, munchkin,” Judd said, voice thick with emotion.
They sat in the office together, wrapped in their hug for a long time before Carlos squirmed to get away, having heard TK shouting about something or other and wanted to go play with his friend again. Judd watched him go, reminiscing about how much he had wanted to wrap the boy in bubble wrap and never let him go anywhere again and now he was running around giggling instead of crying and playing, more good days than bad. If anyone else had impersonated him, their backside would have been sore for weeks, but Carlos – he had Judd wrapped around his finger. And besides, he was just a silly little baby.