Trading Post

Chapter 8   But then again….     Maybe Hunter really NEEDS diapers!   It wasn't a thought that had crossed his mind all that much.  The point of this whole exercise was to get him to wear them and learn to use them at night so that they could both get a good night's sleep. While the plan was to help make him dependent on them at night, the presumption always was that Hunter was fully in control of his bladder.    Sure, they had both discussed the possibility that his peeing issues could get worse with age, but that was something for way down the road.  That was certainly not part of the calculus for this immediate plan. However, maybe it was time for the plan to change. Hunter was never going to admit needing them.  He was wearing them at night, voluntarily, but that was more to keep the peace and make Jake happy.    Daytime was a whole different ball game. Getting him to wear them during the day was going to be an exercise all its own.  Jake was seconds away from having the leverage he needed to push the issue, but Hunter held on long enough to derail that plan.  However, the way things were going, it wouldn't be that long before he had another chance.    Jake didn't want that, though.  He didn't want Hunter to just have a really bad accident one day.  It could happen in front of people, his love would be humiliated.  Even if it happened at home, the boys would probably see it.  He could leave a mess somewhere.  Or, in the worst case scenario, he may have multiple accidents before Jake even finds out about it. He was never one to lie, but he could certainly see Hunter covering that up for as long as he could without getting caught.    These thoughts all swirled through his head. Of course, there was always a chance that yesterday was a one-off incident. He was more than sure that Hunter would be on his best behavior for bathroom trips going forward. He could certainly tell that Hunter was embarrassed by what happened yesterday. Though, when they did those bladder stretching patterns, Hunter was having trouble lasting very long then. It seemed like this was going to be an ongoing issue. The doctor didn't seem concerned about any of it, but it definitely meant some lifestyle changes.    Among all these things, however, there was something more pressing that he needed to address. He would be going out of town on a business trip, which was not that common in recent times. He didn't like to travel as much with the boys being at the time of their life that he wanted to be present for, but sometimes it was unavoidable. Obviously, Hunter was here, but now that Hunter needed some caring for he didn't like to leave the house as much.    The only two people outside of their core of four that knew about the situation were Hunter's doctor and Jake's bestie, Cody.  Cody was the ultimate “bro”.  Playboy, handsome, charming, hilarious.  Loved to play golf and rec hockey.  Had a 6 figure job at his uncle's hedge fund, right out of college.  However, he was also very down to earth and a very loyal friend.  He was very emotionally supportive of Jake when he first had to take the boys in. He offered to help financially, of course, but Jake would not accept any more than just a few dollars to put food on the table one month when he was between gigs.  He also insisted on paying it back, even though Cody didn't want him to.   Cody and Jake had been through a lot.  He was the first person that Jake came out to, the first shoulder that he ever cried on. If Cody were gay, he and Jake would have been married. Hunter even knew this, everyone did.  Hunter understood and respected their friendship. He knew what Cody meant to Jake and that they were best friends for life. Hunter liked Cody, but it wasn't initially mutual. Cody was very honest that he didn't feel comfortable with the age gap and he generally did not care for Hunter.  He knew how vulnerable Jake was after “losing” his parents and Cody was afraid that this new man could be exploiting that.   The intervening years, however, had changed things up a bit. He came to realize that Hunter was really a good guy and truly in love with Jake.  He also saw the bond that Hunter had with the boys and there was also a part of himself that realized he was having trouble giving “his” Jake to another man.  Even though he didn't see Jake that way, it didn't mean that he was emotionally ready to share the person that he loved the most in this world with someone else.   He and Hunter had always been in a little bit of a rivalry with each other. It became more passive and fun in later years, but they never missed the chance to one up the other.  Cody respected Hunter, how hard he worked and how he provided for the family, but he enjoyed having the upper hand when he could. He practically fell off his chair the day Jake invited him out for a beer to tell him about the new arrangement.    Hunter was upset. He was mortified. He begged Jake not to say anything. He knew that Jake needed someone to confide in, but he couldn't stand the thought that Cody would know he was wearing diapers.  Jake was sympathetic, but firm. He said that Hunter knew entering in this relationship that no secrets existed between Cody and Jake. There were special circumstances where Hunter and Jake, as a couple, May have to keep something between them. However, as Jake explained, this was going to be a part of their daily life going forward and it would be impractical to think that they could keep this from someone so close. Hunter finally agreed, but he was reluctant.    All of this made Jake think about the business trip. In the back of his mind, he knew that Hunter was going to go back to his underpants for the week. Hunter still did not like his diapers and he hated the idea that he could become more dependent on them. Surely he was going to take the fact that Jake was not around has license to not wear them. Jake did not like this. First of all, Hunter was so used to them now, he could wet the bed. Second, more importantly, Jake did not want Hunter to have windows where he was out of his night diapers. Sure, he offered that as part of that bet, but he was pretty confident he was going to win that. He didn't actually think that he would have to allow it. Of course, he ultimately did not have to have that happen, because Hunter responsibly acquiesced.   That would not happen in his absence. He had told Hunter how he felt, but Hunter just dismissed his concerns by telling him not to worry about what goes on when he's not here. This attitude convinced him more and more that Hunter was going to be irresponsible about this. Which is where Cody comes in. Hunter would be angry. Hunter might even hate him, but Jake was seriously considering the idea that he would enlist Cody to come by each night and diaper him.   Nobody else knew about the situation and he certainly could not have the boys be involved with that, it would be highly inappropriate. He could tell him to put them on and then have him send him a picture or something, but then he would immediately take them off. No. This called for something more drastic.  Immediately, Cody agreed when approached about it. He was practically giddy.  Jake reminded him that this was not Hunter's fault and that any inappropriate teasing or negativity would be met with a very strong reaction from Jake. Cody assured him that he could contain himself.   Cody, however, thought this was hilarious. He couldn't believe that Hunter, a grown man pushing 40, was essentially his younger fiance's diaper boy. He thought it was amusing and he was going to take tremendous delight in knocking that prideful pain in the ass down a notch.  They came up with the cover story and put all the wheels into motion.    It was the night before the trip. Hunter was stoked. He loved Jake.  Jake was everything to him, but he had felt pretty smothered these last couple of months. Jake was on top of all of his business and especially his bathroom habits. He had even been watching him pretty closely during the day after that torturous night coming home from the beach. Even during the day, he noticed that Jake was paying very close attention and he tried to eliminate as many mistakes as he could. He also made sure to use the bathroom regularly and never be desperate.    Hunter was looking forward to having his underwear back on at night for a week. He understood where Jake was coming from, but Jake wouldn't be here and it wouldn't affect him. He would put the waterproof sheet back on the bed, it was a fair compromise, and he would just enjoy being free again. He didn't expect to have any accidents, he would be careful, but he would have his freedom back for a week. It was all so great. The boys even planned a couple of sleepover nights in the middle of the week, so he would have the house all to himself.    There was a family a couple of streets over that had five boys, two of whom were relatively close in age to Luke and Mason.  They had all become close in recent years and three of the boys were still wetting at night and using protection.  The oldest, the middle son, and the youngest.  That being the case, it was a safe place for Luke to sleep over and not have to be self-conscious, especially when there's an 18-year-old down the hall still going through the same thing.   Hunter was ready. He needed this.    Around 8:00 there was a knock at the door and Luke from the entryway, with Cody in tow. The boys jumped up and ran to hug their Uncle Cody.  They loved Cody so much. He was significant in their life, the way that Hunter was. They felt very lucky having a great support system, despite their parents not being around.    Jake explained to everyone that Cody had a pipe burst in his house and caused all kinds of damage. Since it was last minute, he invited him to stay with them for as long as he needed until they could get the damage repaired. He figured it would be about a week or two.  The boys were thrilled. Hunter was stunned and crushed as he clearly did not want Cody here for this week. It was bad enough that Cody knew about the diapers, he didn't want him around to spoil his week of freedom. He could still sneak around but Cody would surely rat him out. He would just have to be careful. Unless he could somehow talk to Jake out of this whole thing.    Cody sat down and watched a movie with the boys while Jake and Hunter went upstairs to talk. They argued, but quietly, about the situation. Hunter made the case that Cody could afford a hotel and did not need to be here. Jake shot back that Cody had always been great to them and he was practically family. The least they could do was open their home to him for a week or two. It went back and forth, but Hunter lost, all he seemed to do was lose arguments lately!   Back downstairs, everyone was laughing and having a good time, but Hunter was sulking. He was determined that he would still have his freedom, but having Cody around was like having a pipeline to Jake at all times.  They had mended their earlier disagreements, but he was still Jake's best friend, not his.  His loyalty was unquestioned.  It didn't help that Jake announced “bathroom time” right before bed and he had to stand up and take the walk of shame with Luke.  He could see the grin on Cody's face as he watched the little ones being sent to go potty.   The rest of the night was pretty quiet. Hunter made a concerted effort not to pee that night as he didn't want to be wet in front of Cody.  He succeeded, but had to hold it for about 2 hours. He barely made it to the toilet, by the time he heard Jake rolling around and knew that it was safe to get up and go.    They all shared an emotional goodbye with Jake and then he was off. Hunter decided to take immediate control of the situation. He announced the full day of fun activities for everyone and invited Cody along.  This actually worked. Everyone had a great day, Cody and Hunter got along and actually talked about life.  To his surprise, Cody never brought up the diapers. He was sure he would. They had normal conversation as if they were just a couple of bros catching up. It was pleasant.     They all had a game night and the energy was very good. Everybody was enjoying themselves. Hunter lost track of time, but the alarm on his phone went off at 9:00. He walked out into the living room and called Luke aside. He reminded him to go to the bathroom.  Hunter looked to make sure that Cody was distracted and he went to do the same. After all, he couldn't take any chances. Without his diapers, tonight, he would be vulnerable and he needed to enjoy every second he could have that soft fabric.   Cody pulled out his phone.   “Potty time: successful”.  He clicked the send button.    The response from Jake was immediate. “Awesome. At least they are on top of it. Thank you so much for being there to make sure everything goes smoothly. I hoped I could trust them both, but knowing that you are there to make sure is so comforting”.   “Don't worry.  I'm always here to help. Your little guys will be tucked in and fully protected within the hour.”   Cody smirked and put his phone down.  This was going to be tough, but he made a promise and he was going to see it through.    After the movie, Hunter sent everyone to bed. He locked up the house and made sure to let Cody know if he needed anything to give him a shout. They hugged and then Cody disappeared up toward the guest room.    Hunter stopped by Luke's room. Luke smiled and raised his T-shirt to show the waistband of his pull up.  Satisfied, Hunter tussled Luke's hair and said good night.   Hunter returned to his room and locked the door behind him. Finally! He went into his bathroom and took a shower. He wanted to feel clean. After his shower he tried off and then a grin spread across his face. He felt defiant, he felt a bit naughty. He went into his drawer and found his cutest pair of boxer briefs.  They fit him pretty well and he felt cute wearing them. He smiled and then slipped them on.     He looked at himself in the mirror and liked what he saw. He looked good. If only he could still look this way for Jake at night. Oh well! He would take the moments when they came. He made quick work of putting his waterproof sheet back on and then his top sheet. He was about to climb into bed when there was a knock on the door. It was Cody. He asked him what he wanted, but he was being ambiguous.    Reluctantly, he put on a pair of shorts and then opened the door. Cody smiled and asked if he could come in for a minute.  Hunter did not want him in there, but he knew that being a bad host to his fiance's bestie was the first step in rocking the boat, so he was cordial and waved him in. For some reason, which he didn't understand on a conscious level, he hiked up his shorts to cover his underpants. It seemed unsubstantial, why would he need to do that. Perhaps somewhere under the surface, he felt the impending doom.  He was protecting his beloved underpants from an intruder.    “What's up man? Is everything okay with the guest room?”   “No, it's great. Thank you again for washing everything and making it fresh.  I only slept in it one night so I was pleasantly surprised.”   “I know what you mean to Jake. I want to make sure that you are comfortable and feel welcome here.”   “I'm glad to hear that. Thank you so much.”   “Please don't take this the wrong way, but is there something specific you need? I mean… It's pretty late, I'm about ready to crash”. Hunter was trying to be nice, but he wanted him out. He wanted his bedroom back. He wanted to crawl into the covers and enjoy the night air on his body, without all the padding.   “Trying to get rid of me already?”   “Don't take it that way. I don't intend for it to be mean. I'm just tired and want to get some rest.”   “Well it looks like Jake was right.”   Hunter swallowed hard. His throat went dry. His heartbeat picked up. He knew it was too good to be true that Cody had not gone there all day. He knew that he had gotten off too easy. He needed to be firm and end this, without having Cody run and cry to Jake.    “Right about what?” Hunter made it sound exasperated and patronizing. He wanted to make it seem like he was the one controlling the room. He knew that was far from the truth, but it was important to him to maintain some level of control.   “Well, I come into the bedroom to say good night to you. Everything looks great. You've got a little glass of water by the bed, your phone is plugged in, the sheets are all made up, your comforter is open and ready for you to slip right in. You look like a man who's about to get into bed.”   “Exactly what I've been saying…” Hunter casually walked over and began to open the door. He hoped that Cody would take the hint.  “So, if you'll please excu-”   “Jake said that you and Lucas would go potty a little before bed, which you did.”   Hunter immediately froze and shuddered at the mention of the word “potty”.  He turned bright red and stared at Cody.     “He said he would lock up the house, clean everything up and then you would check on Lucas, which you did.”   “He said that Lucas would be all ready for bed, in his pullups and playing on his phone, which he was when I poked my head in a minute ago.”   Hunter's fists were tightening.  He knew where this was going and he was already mad.    “And…. He told me…. If I'm not there to put Hunter's diaper on him, he'll climb right into bed without it.”    There it was.  “Hunter's diaper”.  He talked about my protection callously.  With no hint of discretion or compassion.  He said it the way you would talk about a little kid.  He was direct and condescending.     “Get out, Cody!  NOW!  This does not concern you, whatsoever.  I know that Jake confides in you and I'm glad that he feels comfortable doing that. I want my future husband to have someone in his life that means that much to him.  You and I are not that close. We're not best friends, we did not grow up together. I am not going to have this discussion with you on those terms. Now I'm going to ask you one more time to please go to bed and let me have my privacy.”   I said it. It may have sounded a little cold, but it was the truth. I'm sure I would get a nasty text from Jake, but this would also give me some ammo to come back at him about the decision to tell Cody about everything. It would make my position stronger that we should have just kept it between us.  Once he left, I would deal with the fallout. Now it was time for him to go, though.     Except…. He wasn't moving. Not toward the door anyway.  To my dismay, no, my sheer horror, he walked toward my dresser.  He knowingly opened the upper cabinet and reached in, his head retracted a moment later with one of my diapers.  I felt like a deer in the headlights.  Jake never told me that he told Cody where they were. I wasn't expecting this. I wasn't prepared. I would have hidden them somewhere else. Cody had removed one of the diapers after I told him to stay out of it, which could only mean one thing.  Cody was going to try to put that on me.     “Give me that!” I barked at him, as I reached for it.  He pulled it away playfully, but looked at me as if I were a bratty child. I was no slouch, physically, but Cody was a lot more athletic and a bit stronger than me.  He was playing keep away with one of my most embarrassing secrets and I was mortified.    “Oh? You want it now? You should have wanted it about 5 minutes ago. It should be on you already!   Tell you what. I appreciate everything you did today and I want our guy to have a relaxing business trip. So here's the deal, let's get those clothes off of you and get this on quick. Jake never has to know. I'll tell him that I came in here and you were fully diapered for the night. How does that sound?”   “Sounds like you're a perv. You have no right to be in here or demand anything of me. This is my home and I pay bills here. You are my fiance's best friend, but you're still a guest. You have no agency to tell me anything. Now I'm going to ask you to please put that down and leave the room. What I do after that is fully my business.”   “Actually. That's not entirely true.  Jake was kind enough to your fading dignity to come up with that story for the boys. There's no pipe broken in my house. If there was, I could clearly stay at a nice hotel or at my parents house. That was his idea to spare you. The reason I'm here, the real reason is that Jake knew that left without someone to be accountable to, you would immediately undo your new routine. This is still so new for you and Jake does not want to lose progress.”   “What are you saying, Cody?  Are you trying to tell me that Jake wants to you to-?” Hunter's face went wide with realization.   “Yes, Hunter.  The real reason that I am here this week is that Jake asked me to babysit you until he gets back.”   Hunter turned bright red. He caught Cody a little off guard and immediately ripped the garment out of his hand. He turned around and pushed him as hard as he could toward the door.  “Get out.  Get out of my room.  First thing in the morning, I don't care what you need to tell the boys, but you get your bags and leave this house immediately in the morning.”   “You're making a mistake, Hunter.”   “I will deal with Jacob.  I will handle the situation with my fiance directly. Without your intervention. I appreciate everything you have done for him and for us over the years, but I will not tolerate this in my own home. You leave my room right now or I will contact the police. Same thing if you are not out of here by breakfast tomorrow.”   Cody shook his head and left the room.  A little grin crossed his face.  Jake was wrong about one thing, he thought Hunter would immediately submit. Cody actually respected the fact that he put up a little fight. This was just round one, though.   The texts that exchanged between Jake and Hunter the next 10 minutes were very tense. Hunter unleashed his fury on Jake.  Jake tried to calmly respond that he was only trying to help. He said he didn't tell him the whole story because he knew he would react this way.  Hunter immediately shut that down and told him to stop gaslighting him.  He told him he knew exactly what he was doing and he did it anyway. It was a tremendous breach of trust and he didn't know if he would ever be able to get over such a thing.  The text exchange just kind of faded off as the night went through.    Hunter used the bathroom one more time and then crawled into bed. He didn't want to hear about diapers or anything tonight.  He wasn't even concerned if he would wet the bed tonight.  He just wanted to get some sleep. He had locked his bedroom door in case Cody decided to come back in.    Down the hall, Cody and Jake exchanged texts. Jake assured Cody that things would calm down in the morning and he apologized for all the drama. Cody reassured him that he was doing the right thing and he agreed that Hunter would calm down.  They agreed that it was only round one and letting him have tonight was just the start of a bigger plan.  Jake knew that he would screw up. It had been too many weeks with diapers.  Hunter would make a mistake and then they would have him!    The next morning, things did in fact calm down. Hunter woke up dry and rested.  He was still tense about the situation with Jake, but he was determined to not let it derail him.  He got up early and went for a run.  When he got back, he started to make breakfast. Cody slipped down with his suitcase before the boys woke up.     “Look, Hunter, I know you're pissed, and I guess I really did step on your turf here. I shouldn't have been so loose with my words. You know how it is with us, I just kind of enjoyed playing with you a little bit. I know this is not your fault and I should have been more sensitive. Jake just really wants what's best for you. If you're going to be mad at me, be mad at me. If you're going to hate me, hate me. Just don't take it out on him. You're his world.”   “Cody.  I um…. I'm not going to say I could have handled that better, because you did blindside me and what you and he were trying to cook up behind my back was gross. It was a breach of my trust and I'm not sure how Jake and I are going to get past it, but I think we will. That said, the boys do love you and they don't get a lot of time with their Uncle Cody. If you can manage to stay out of my lane, why don't you stay a few more days?  It would mean a lot to them.”   “I appreciate it, man, but maybe I should go. It's kind of tense now…”   “Yes, but I've calmed down and in the light of day I can see something. It may be kind of sick and twisted, but in your own way I think you and Jake were trying to be helpful. At least that's the glass half full perspective that I'm choosing to take on this. I don't hate you and I do think the boys want you to be here for a couple days.”   They bro-hugged it out and Cody returned his suitcase to the guest room. The four of them had breakfast as if nothing had happened. There was a bit of a lightness on Hunter, in spite of what had happened. Maybe having faced this built up his confidence in himself, who knows? He would still have to find a way to fix things with Jake. Then again, maybe Jake was the one that needed to fix this. He always tried to be the bigger person in arguments, but he was not the one that broke trust this time.    Cody took the boys out for a couple of hours and Hunter went to run some errands. He stopped at his favorite lunch spot on the way home. His phone rang about that time and he reluctantly answered it.    “Hey.”   “Hey.  Still hate me?”   “I don't hate you. I never could.”   “I don't think I would blame you if you did. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess maybe I thought you would just go along with it because you've been so passive with me. I want you to know that I chose Cody because he's the only adult, besides you, that I trust with my life.”   “You should not have lied. I know that if you brought this to me I would have rejected it. I'm not saying that I don't understand why you went about it the way that you did, but it was wrong.”   “Babe.  I just want you to wear the diapers.  It's important to me. It's important to you!  I'm trying so hard to build a pattern for you and for us so that we can move forward through all of this. I know you are self conscious, but by taking yourself out of them when I'm not there, you're kind of breaking the trust too. I know you don't see it that way, but we did have a pact about this.”   Silence.   “Babe?”   “Yeah. I'm here Jacob. I'm not conceding that it was the same thing, but you're right.  I'm sorry, too.  I guess I've just had such a hard time accepting all of this that I wanted a few days of my old life back.”   “I get that.  I also know that you asked Cody to stay. You're a good man, Hunter, I know I picked the right one. You put the boys and I above yourself again. Tell you what, why don't we compromise? Why don't you have one more night of freedom and then starting tomorrow go back to your routine?”   “Would that make you happy?”   “Yes, Hunter. That would make me happy.”   Long pause.  “Okay.”   “Thank you, baby, I love you so much.”   “I love you, too.”   “One more thing I want to ask.  I understand that you are not going to like it, but Cody is a good man. He's absolutely a ballbreaker, but he has a good heart. He's not looking to hurt you. Please let him help. I know that the time we have at night is very special. It's bonding. I want you and Cody to bond.  Obviously, not romantically, but as friends.  It's important to me that you trust him as much as you trust me and letting him undress you and put your diaper on would definitely build that trust.”   “I don't know-”   “Hunter, I know I'm asking a lot. I know I am!  This is just something that I need. I need the two most important men in my life, not including my brothers of course, to love each other as much as I love you both.”   “You have no idea how hard this is for me…. Plus, I feel used.  I know the two of you are plotting and manipulating behind my back!”   “Okay…. Yes, we were. Full disclosure, we were plotting about it, even after you threw him out of the room, but I can't do it anymore.  I called it off.  We're going to talk about these things openly and honestly, now, together!  I was wrong for what I did.”   “That's something…”    “Tell you what, another compromise. We're all about compromise right? That's how we're getting through all this. You have tonight off, let him do it tomorrow. If you hate it, I promise, I will make him back off. You will never hear about it again. If it goes well, then you have somebody else who can be there for you when I'm not home.”   “I'm going to do this one time for you. We'll take it from there.”   There were more pleasantries and “I love yous" before they both hung up.  Hunter knew he should be mortified to what he just agreed to, but he felt a sudden peace about it.  Jake made him feel good about Cody's presence and that was enough to make it worth one shot.    The next night, Hunter decided to run right at it. He had his two nights of undies. He slept dry for both. Sort of. He definitely dripped on the way to the toilet early this morning, but he was calling it a win no matter what.  As it got to be about 10:00, it was already pretty late. He was sitting next to Cody and the boys were laying on the floor in front of them. They were watching a couple of shows on streaming when Hunter turned around and looked at Cody.  Cody raised an eyebrow, unsure of what was supposed to be communicated.   Hunter rolled his eyes and then looked twice to the clock and back.    Cody grinned as he finally understood. Hunter was saying that it was Cody's job to be Jake tonight so he better not mess it up.  “Hey guys it's getting pretty close to bedtime.  I think it's time for a bathroom run, don't you?”   Mason snickered and Luke gave him a shove.  Hunter and Luke got up and headed toward the bathroom. Cody smiled. Hunter was a man of his word, so far anyway. On some level, it was solid. The fact that he was willing to submit to this, just to make Jake happy. Jake really did mean everything to him.     Young Mason, on the other hand, Cody was not sure he appreciated his little attitude. He was obviously amused at the scene of watching the two older males take a bathroom trip.    “What about you, Mace?”   Mason turned around, completely appalled at the insinuation.   “The nightly potty run is for the bedwetters, which I'm not.” He said, defiantly.    “I see. Well, I've known you boys for a long time and it appears to me that it's not so long ago that you were one.  Maybe you should go try.”   Mason was now red as a tomato and quite exasperated.  Jake told Uncle Cody everything, how could he have not told him that Mason was one of the big boys now. How could he still think that he was on the level of Hunter or Lucas?   “I'm fine, Uncle Cody, I usually go right before bed.  I handle that on my own, since I'm not in diapers anymore.”   “Well, that's probably not a bad idea. Better safe than sorry, right, champ?”   Mason turned back around and seethed.  Any joy that he had just gotten from watching his uncle send his brother-in-law for a potty run was quickly sucked out of the room by his callus comparison that put Mason on the level of the tinklers.     Cody, for his part, was well versed on Mason. Jake had laid it out for him.  He decided he was going to have some fun with the youngest boy and make sure that he understood that he should not get “too big for his britches” as they used to say.   After the younger set headed upstairs, Hunter whispered to Cody to give him about half an hour and head in. Cody nodded and then headed upstairs. He also understood that he was to check on Luke before heading to Hunter's room.    He knocked on Luke's door and opened it to find the teenager reading a story on his tablet. He put it down and let Uncle Cody confirm that he was set for the night before tucking him in. He handed him back his tablet and then gave him a quick hug.    “Uncle Cody.  Kind of seems like you're taking Jake's place while he's not here. Is that kind of what I'm supposed to be getting from all this?”   “Haha.  Well, I'm not sure you're supposed to be getting any of it, but I did tell Jake that I would help take care of his guys while he is away.”   “Can you do me a big favor?”   “Of course, buddy.  Name it.”   “Hunter's been through a lot.  This is really a big change for him. He didn't grow up with all this like we did. He's kind of scared and figuring all this out for the first time. If you're going to help him out at all, please don't do anything to hurt him.  I love him so much, he and Jake are like our Dads at this point, I just-”   “Hey.  Hey! Shhh!” Cody grabbed a tissue and wiped a small tear from his eye.  “You listen to me. Nobody, I mean nobody, is here to hurt anyone. I know what Hunter means to all you guys, he and I may not have grown up together like I did with Jake, but he's important to all of you, so he's important to me.  I'm not going to hurt him, Jake is not going to hurt him. Nobody is going to hurt you or Mason, either, so you don't need to worry about that.”   Luke nodded. Cody brushed a lock of his hair out of his eyes.  “You look so much like Jacob did when he was your age. You're such a kind, loving guy and that's such an amazing quality. Don't ever lose it, kid.”   “Didn't plan on it.”   Cody patted his knee and then got up and left the bedroom. He was starting to understand the significance of what he was tasked with here. This was not a time for one-upsmanship, this was not a time for games, this was a responsibility. He was given the responsibility of care for someone who was really going through it. He needed to think less about himself and more about the person that he was about to go in and help.   He knocked on the door and was quickly granted entry. The scene was a lot different from two nights ago. This time Hunter had a nervous expression, but much more kind and welcoming. The diaper and a pair of shorts were laid out on the bed.  Cody smiled and closed the door behind him.     They both stood nervously in the middle of the room for a couple minutes.  Neither really knew where the best starting point was for this whole thing.  Hunter was about to start by grabbing the diaper, but before he could he felt a set of arms around him. Cody wrapped him in a very tight hug.  Hunter was unsure what to do. He felt a little bit awkward at first, but then there was something soft and welcoming about Cody's embrace. After a minute, Hunter settled into the strong arms wrapping around him. He did something that he had never done with any other man, besides Jake. He allowed himself to be held.   “You're a good guy, Hunter.  I'm sorry that I haven't been more willing to support you. I'm sorry that I've been selfish and childish about all this.  I do love you, okay? Do you understand? I love you just the way I do Jake and the boys and I'm not going anywhere.  I'm here for you.”   Cody really wasn't sure what he expected.  If he were being honest, part of him expected Hunter to shove him away and call this whole thing off. What happened next, nobody could have predicted.  Hunter started sobbing.  Not gently, but with some authority. It turned into tears. Hunter was emotionally overloaded and had not let it out.  Until now.  He finally felt safe enough to let his guard down in Cody's arms. He hadn't been able to do it with Jake and he really didn't have anyone else to turn to about this.     Cody was not bothered. He wasn't put off, he wasn't disgusted. He went into full best friend mode. The way he would for Jake, if he were here. He rubbed Hunter's back and reassured him that he was safe and okay.     “I'm- I'm weak.  I'm barely a real man anymore.  I'm still worried that I'm gonna lose Jake, the boys, everything.  You were right about me.  He deserved better. You saw it from the beginning and he should have listened to you…”   Cody felt instantly ashamed. For all the times he'd made jokes, for all the things he had said about Hunter. This man was pouring his heart out to him and all he could think to do was continue to comfort him.    “Hunter.  That's all BS and you know.  You are scared, you are in pain. You know better than this. You know that you are Jake's whole world and the boys…. Before I came in here, listen to me, before I came in here Luke told me to make sure that you feel safe and loved, because this is hard for you. He didn't want to see you in any pain. Does that sound like someone that you're not worthy of? Sounds to me like a kid that thinks you're his world.  Mason loves you too, he's just a bratty preteen with an attitude to match.  And Jake?    I can't even tell you what you mean to Jake. There aren't enough words.  Why do you think he's going through with all of this? Why do you think he's trying so hard to make this work? If he didn't love you with all of his heart, he probably would have just left. He didn't. Never crossed his mind. He tells me everything, Hunter, never once did the thought cross his mind that he wanted to be anywhere but in this home with you and his boys.”   “I let him down.  I'm a burden.”   “Stop this, you're not a burden. You're a hard-working guy, you're honest, you do a lot to take care of yourself. You just need the bathroom more than some guys. It sucks. It's a bad situation, but it's not your fault and we all know that. Everyone here just wants to help you. Everyone wants to take your burden from you and make your life easier.”   Hunter seemed content with those answers and began to relax.   “Hunter.  You're a good man. You're enough, you're worthy. You just have a bladder that doesn't hold up the best.  You pee a lot and sometimes you have accidents.  YOU NEED DIAPERS!  You know what?  It's perfectly fine that you need diapers.”   Hunter squeezed him tight. This was it. This was what Jake wanted and he was smart enough to know that it could happen. No matter what happened from that day forward, short of Hunter breaking Jake's heart, they were now going to be besties for life. Cody had his back and he knew it.  Cody also gently patted Hunter's bottom.  It was a little thing he always did with Jake to help him relax.  It worked.   After he composed himself, Hunter pulled away a little bit and looked Cody in the eyes. He saw him differently now. They both smiled and Cody leaned in, giving Hunter a little peck on the cheek and then one last tap on the back side.     Without further fanfare, Hunter held his arms out. Cody smiled and lifted his T-shirt above his head.  He then undid the drawstring on his shorts and lowered them, with the underwear, to Hunter's ankles.  Hunter stepped out of them and Cody inspected them.  Satisfied, he tossed them toward the hamper. Cody then grabbed the diaper and held it out for Hunter to step in. He did so and Cody made quick work of setting it at his hips. Cody gently guided Hunter to the bed, laying him down. He made quick work of the tapes and double checked them to make sure.  He then put on Hunter's shorts and picked him up. He gave a few more taps on Hunter's bottom, now fully padded.    Hunter felt comfortable. There was no desire to throw Cody out. There was no shame. He finally saw what Jake did about Cody.  They both smiled and Cody held open the blanket for Hunter to climb in. He then tucked him in and kissed his forehead.     “Thanks Cody.  I needed this tonight. I guess I just never realized how much. I've been carrying that for so long.”   “Not anymore. I'm here for you now. So is Jake. You're not alone and you're not forgotten.”   Hunter laid back and closed his eyes.  Cody knew he should go back to his room, but part of him was worried about the emotional toll that tonight had taken on Hunter. Hunter must have sensed his hesitation, because he gently nodded his head to the other side of the bed. Cody only intended to lay down for a few minutes and make sure that Hunter found asleep, but he soon found sleep in his own right. 

When you read the other perspective, they are kind of missing plot points. When she is washing her wet sheets, it doesn't come clear here, they even talked about the wet bed. Was that on purpose? It feels like the plot is slightly different in the stories

Chapter 3 – Confessions I didn’t even know how to begin telling her about everything that had happened over the past two weeks but I knew that I had to give her some kind of explanation. I took a deep breath. ‘Do you ever find adult life kind of difficult?’ I asked. ‘What do you mean?’ Samantha replied. ‘I mean, do you struggle with being an adult sometimes?’ I asked whilst trying to control my anxiety. ‘I don’t know anyone who doesn’t struggle with being an adult’, said Samantha, ‘Jake, what are you trying to tell me?’ My palms were now sweating. ‘The thing is…I never needed to wear nappies originally’, I told her, ‘I chose to wear them’. ‘You chose to wear nappies?’ questioned Samantha who was now looking very confused. I decided to start being as honest as I could. ‘I’ve also had a fascination with them ever since I was young. It’s hard to explain but they bring me a sense of comfort and safety’, I said. ‘That woman, Christina, that you saw me with…she isn’t exactly my Auntie’. ‘Who is she?’ asked Samantha who was trying to understand what I was telling her. ‘She’s just a family friend but I was staying with her during my time off work’, I explained, ‘she helped me to take some time out from being an adult and go back to an infantile state’. ‘Infantile state?’ said Samantha who was looking more and more puzzled. ‘She basically treat me like a baby’, I tried to explain, ‘she would feed me, change my nappies and look after me. I guess I got so used to wearing nappies that I ended up needing them out of necessity. I also got used to having a dummy hence why I have one in my bed’. Samantha thought for a second before her eyes grew wide. ‘It all makes sense now’, she exclaimed. ‘What does?’ I asked. ‘That day when I bumped into you at the park, I saw you coming out of the baby changing room’, she gasped, ‘Christina was changing your nappy, wasn’t she?’ I nodded. ‘And when you were drinking from a baby bottle’, she continued, ‘you were drinking out of it…because you wanted to’. I nodded again. ‘You even had me drinking out of a baby bottle’, she exclaimed. ‘Honestly, it’s not a big deal’, I smiled, ‘being babied felt great. It’s perfectly fine’. But Samantha wasn’t smiling anymore. In fact, she looked horrified. ‘It’s not fine Jake’, she said in a serious tone, ‘it’s weird’. ‘It’s not weird’, I said in defence. ‘Jake, you’ve just told me that you’ve been staying with your ‘Auntie’ and have basically been crawling around going ‘goo goo ga ga’ whilst she’s been feeding you and changing your dirty diapers’, Samantha exclaimed. ‘When you say it like that, I guess it does sound a little odd’, I replied, ‘but you wouldn’t understand it until you try it for yourself’. ‘Try it for myself?’ Samantha said in shock, ‘you’re out of your mind’. She got up off of the bed and looked down at the nappy between her legs. ‘I can’t believe I actually wore this thing’, she said shaking her head, ‘I should go’. With that, she picked up her clothes and went into the bathroom. She only seemed to be in there for less than a minute before she came out fully dressed. ‘Samantha, can we talk about this?’ I asked. ‘I have nothing to say’, she replied and headed out the door. ‘Samantha wait…’ I called out, but it was too late. Samantha had gone. I fell back onto my bed and allowed the tears to start flowing from my eyes as I began crying. Now I had really blown my chance with Samantha because of my babyish attributes. What had once felt like a fantasy now felt like a curse. I reached over and grabbed my stuffed dinosaur and held him tightly to my chest. I picked up my dummy and thought about sucking on it for a moment before throwing it across the room in anger. I turned out my bedroom light before crying myself to sleep knowing that I had lost Samantha.   Chapter 4 – Regrets I woke up the next day feeling lost and lonely. As I sat up in bed, I could instantly feel that I had messed my nappy in my sleep. I headed straight to the shower. I gingerly removed my dirty nappy and rolled it up into a ball before throwing it into the trash. However, just as I was about to put it into the trash, I saw the nappy that Samanta had been wearing the night before in there. I instantly began sobbing as I started to remember the events of yesterday. I disposed of my dirty nappy before doing my best to clean myself with toilet paper. It was times like this that I wished Christina was still here to do this job for me. I cleaned myself up as best as I could and allowed the shower to do the rest. - I took a slow walk to work that morning. I was dreading facing Samantha. What if she had told somebody? Endless questions seemed to fill my head. Eventually I arrived at work and took a deep breath before walking inside. I instantly began looking around for Samantha as I made my way over to the staff locker room but couldn’t see her anywhere. I threw my bag into my locker and got ready to start my day of work. After an hour of unpacking boxes and stacking shelves, I was already wanting to leave and go home. I could barely concentrate anymore on what I was doing. None of the other staff had spoken to me or mentioned anything about my nappy which led me to believe that Samantha hadn’t told anybody. However, just as I started to believe that maybe I had a bit of dignity left, I felt the familiar warm sensation in my nappy as I began wetting myself. I groaned and made my way back to the locker room to get my changing bag. Just as I walked into the room, there she was. Samantha was just finishing a bottle of water as she noticed me walk in. She smiled at me but said nothing. ‘Hi’, I said whilst trying to hide the fact that my palms were starting to sweat. ‘Hi’, she replied as she put her empty bottle back into her bag. ‘Are you ok?’ I asked. ‘I’m fine’, she replied slightly bluntly, ‘are you ok?’ ‘I’m better now that I’ve seen you’, I smiled. Samantha rolled her eyes and said nothing. ‘I was just going to…erm…clean myself up’, I told her. ‘You’re doing that yourself?’ she asked sarcastically, ‘or is your Auntie going to do it for you?’ ‘Samantha, can we talk about this?’ I asked her as I could tell that she was still struggling to understand what I had confessed to her the previous night. ‘I don’t think this is the time or place’, she replied, ‘besides, I don’t think we have anything else to talk about’. ‘If you’ll just let me explain’, I said desperately. ‘I’ve got to get back to work’, she said bluntly and left the locker room. I collapsed onto a chair, allowing my nappy to let out a huge squelching sound. I felt completely defeated. I’d lost Samantha. I hated my job. I hated being an adult. The rest of the day seemed to fly by. I kept my head down and got on with my job but deep down I knew what I was going to do after work. When the end of the day finally arrived, I picked up my changing bag and left the supermarket. I started walking and thinking about how awful things had turned out. I began to increase my pace and walked faster. My fast walk then turned into a jog. I seemed to move faster and faster before I found myself running. I knew exactly where I was running to. I wanted to be back where I belonged…with Christina. I finally approached her house and knocked frantically on the front door as I tried to catch my breath. After a few moments the door opened to reveal the comforting sight of Christina. She looked down at me and smiled. ‘Back so soon?’ she grinned as she saw the defeated look on my face. I nodded silently. Christina stepped aside, ‘you’d better come in’.   Chapter 5 – Return to Christinas I sat on the sofa holding onto Christina as the tears started flowing from my eyes. Christina had her arms tightly wrapped around me as she tried to find out what had happened. I started to tell her about my date with Samantha and how we had ended up back at my place. ‘I don’t understand’, said Christina has she gently stroked my hair, ‘I thought you two were made for each other’. ‘It was all going really well’, I told her, ‘but then…she found my dummy’. ‘Ooh I see’, Christina said, ‘what did you tell her?’ I let out a loud sigh. ‘I panicked and told her everything that had happened about being babied by you’, I confessed, ‘she freaked out and left’. I sobbed quietly as I remembered the look of horror on Samantha’s face after I had told her. ‘Well of course she was going to freak out’, Christina assured me, ‘you can’t just tell someone that you’ve been pretending to be a baby for the past two weeks and expect them to understand. You need to give her time to process it’. ‘I tried speaking to her today at work’, I said, ‘but she didn’t want to talk about’. Christina lent down and kissed me gently on my head. ‘I think it’s best that we forget about her for now and concentrate on you’, smiled Christina, ‘for starters, I think we’d better change your nappy’. As I looked down, I saw a wet patch on my work uniform and realised that I had leaked. I hadn’t even noticed the fact that I had wet myself. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel upset, in fact I found myself smiling because I knew that I had Christina to look after me again. Christina stood up and held out her hand. ‘Come on sweetheart’, she cooed, ‘let’s give you a quick shower’. I took her hand and followed her upstairs into the bathroom where Christina undressed me before allowing me to shower in privacy whilst she tidied up the nursery. When I had finished my shower, I dried myself off with a towel and then headed into the nursery. As I walked in, it felt like I had returned home. I grinned with excitement as I saw Christina had already laid out a fresh nappy on the changing table. I instantly let my towel drop to the floor and climbed onto the changing table. ‘I hope I can still remember how to do this’, Christina joked as she placed a dummy into my mouth. I giggled as I began to suck on it and allowed Christina to sprinkle baby powder over my genitals and bottom. As she began taping on the clean nappy, it instantly felt a lot more secure and snug than it had done during my attempts. I hopped off of the changing table and we headed downstairs where Chistina kindly made me some dinner. I was slightly disappointed when I was made to sit at the dining table rather than in the highchair but Christina still made sure that I wore a bib whilst I was eating. ‘Thank you’, I said. ‘What for?’ Christina asked. ‘For looking after me…again’. I smiled. ‘Aw, I should be thanking you’, Christina replied, ‘it’s nice to have a baby back in the house again’. We laughed and continued chatting whilst we finished our food. As I finished my last mouthful, Christina announced that it was my bed time. I looked over at the clock and couldn’t believe that it was almost 8pm already. I had forgotten about my ‘early bedtimes’ when I was with Christina but after the day I’d had, I was looking forward to a good night’s rest. We headed back up to the nursery where I was told to sit down in the crib. As I did, Christina came over and revealed a bottle of warm milk that she had brought up with her. She sat next to me and helped me get into the feeding position. After laying in Christina’s arms, she brought the nipple to my lips and I happily accepted it. My mouth quickly began to fill up with warm milk as I started sucking on the bottle. Despite it being summer, the warm milk had a nice calming effect and I could already feel myself getting drowsy. I barely even realised that I had finished the bottle until Christina quickly put me over her shoulder and burped me. She then tucked me into the crib before locking up the side. Christina closed the curtains and wound up the crib mobile. I closed my eyes and started drifting off to sleep. I just about felt Christina put a dummy into my mouth before kissing me goodnight. Within seconds, I was fast asleep. I hadn’t even thought about Samantha and started to feel like this was the place where I truly belonged.

One thing I do is since my furniture is new I don't sit directly on it when I'm wet or poopy. I use cheap underpads from Walmart, that way I'm sitting on a cloth of sorts I LOVE being in just a t-shirt and diaper and sometimes enjoy wearing nothing but a diaper around the house. My favorite for that is the Sunkiss Masterpiece, which holds hour and hours of pee.

Tena stopped producing the original Tena Slip Maxi a couple of decades ago, replacing it with a breathable, cloth-backed version—later sold as the Tena Slip Maxi Proskin. After a few years, they relaunched a successor to the original plastic-backed version under the name Tena Slip Maxi Active Fit. Both Tena Slip Maxi Active Fit and Proskin are still sold in Europe. It may no longer be profitable for Tena to sell these diapers in the US due to the high import tariffs imposed on foreign products by the current administration in Washington, D.C. - that is my guess.