Mee

Yeah, I think maybe a switch was just flipped... Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it! I do hope you enjoy it on the full read-through! There is more for them, and it is available, though only on my Subscribestar at the moment. Thank you for enjoying!

Thank you for such high praise! This was a little new to me, so I'm glad you enjoyed it! We're all searching for that somebody, but first and foremost I think it's important to love ourselves first! I'm happy to hear this story touched a chord with someone though, so thank you so much for the kind words. And please don't worry about subscribing/support if it's not feasible! The comments alone mean the world to me, and sorta like a fine wine, the backlog only gets better with time. So hopefully, more goodies are waiting the longer you're on break! I'll be trying to trickle more things down here!

Hi everyone! I've been gone for a minute! I've officially graduated from university, and wanted to trickle down some goodies to everyone here since I haven't been around so much! This is a super fun story I had the privilege of. Truthfully, there is a sequel that just came out today! If you'd like to subscribe to my SubcribeStar, you can enjoy that plus tons of other stories that haven't hit this board yet! (A full archive of all my stories!) Please enjoy, and let me know what ya think! Changing for Love If only they had a full-length mirror. Mercy sighed, trying to image ‘sexiness’ or ‘attractive’ with one leg awkwardly hiked up on the bathroom counter just so its reflection would be in view, all the while she ran a brush through her salon-groomed hair over and over. “If he doesn’t get hard over at least this much…!” she groaned as she threw her foot down, spinning around in hopes of being fast enough to see her ass lagging behind in the mirror. If only she were faster than light. But a reassuring pat on the back of her near-bare bum would have to suffice. No. More than suffice. It couldn’t be anything less. She sighed again with angst between her eyebrows as she adjusted the shoulder straps. She tested the cups, squeezing her breasts in hopes of a cleavage starting to form. But a magician could only make tricks if they were working with a full enough deck of cards. Not even tube socks would get her through this one. “It’s fine…it’s fine…” she soothed herself again, smoothing out the wrinkles, standing up straight, sticking out her bum, pouring out her chest, and smiling. She flicked the frills one last time along her panties, then with one last resolute look in the mirror, paraded out the door with pride. “Hey baabe!” her smooth and sultry voice wafted through the apartment as well as her brand-name perfume would start to do the same. “Huh? What was that?” Her voice reached him first, and he was mid-sentence, lounging on the sofa when she walked into the room, one sway in her hips after the other. Three more steps and he’ll have the perfect view… Right…here! And she stopped with a seductive grin that carried all the confidence in the world. “Oh…” a meek-sounding voice came from Justin, one leg raised and the other extended and straight, dressed in baggy jeans to produce the worst combination imaginable. How am I gonna see if you’re pitching a tent?! “Oh~,” Mercy mimicked, tilting her whole body the other way as a hand sat on her hip, starting slow and ending fast, letting gravity give all her pretty parts as much weight and size as it could. “When uh…” Justin asked with a curious smile, staring at nothing but her and his girlfriend’s figure, “when did you go and get this?” Mercy slightly stuck out her head in innocent surprise, just like she practiced in the mirror ten minutes ago. “Oh, this?” she looked down at herself, tracing a hand over the hills on her chest, ending in the valley below. Her fingers brushed the silk that hung beneath her breasts, parting ways and showcasing the patterned, skin-tight mesh covering her flat stomach. Intricate purple panties covered her crotch, staying as modest as lingerie could be in the front, and exciting ending in the shape of a T on the back. A small treat she had ready for the third act. “Mmm…who knows?” she puckered her lips, shrugging her shoulders. And the curious smile only widened, and Mercy genuinely smiled back. She took one step forward, then two, then three, until finally: “You weren’t gonna hog the couch all to yourself now, were you?” she teased as she gingerly mounted him, ending right where her crotch could spot any “activity” that might start to happen in his pants. Her upper half started leaning in closer and closer, all while her bare hands slipped under his shirt, tracing his skin and finding their way up to his toned chest. Until finally her chest hung just above his and she could lock lips at a moment’s notice. In a sultry whisper, she asked, “Do you like?” And a second lingered, likely for the sexually overwhelmed man to collect his thoughts. Until he blinked and stammered aloud, “Uh-uhm, y-yeah! I–...I like it a lot…” Mercy was ready to kiss, but she didn’t, stopping just as her face came half an inch closer. Slowly, she retracted her hands from underneath his shirt. Let’s move things up a little… With undivided attention, the lovers kept their eyes on one another as she blindly found his wrists, working her hands up behind his like strings that made a puppet move, and she raised her hips so his palms could await her bare bottom like a kid about to fish in a cookie jar. And the moment she felt his touch, her hips gyrated just to give him the whole dessert. Justin’s eyes slightly widened, and an attractive giggle left Mercy’s mouth. “I think I just found something you really like, huh?” she teased, just maybe speaking her silent hopes into reality. “Y-yeah,” Justin nodded again, albeit close to a dead-fish kind of answer. “I really do.” And for just a second her playful smile faltered, so she tried to mask the moment of imperfection with an alluring hair flick. She drove her behind into his hands some more, like trying to entice a plentiful squeeze that he just wasn’t making. So she drove her ass back, his hands included, skipping the pleasantries this time and unzipping his pants. “Maybe someone else wants to talk to me, huh?” Mercy teased Justin for just a moment, right before looking at the bulge in his underwear. “H-hey, Mercy…” She smiled to see the impressive size, then hooked his briefs and tugged them down, letting the waistband slap back beneath his balls where his manhood couldn’t hide. And the moment she gripped his cock in her hand… She wasn’t smiling anymore. The act was over. “What? What the fuck is this?” Mercy spat in disbelief, whining as she shook the floppy joystick in her hand. “Justin!” “W-wait…can you not…touch it like that…?” But between trying unexpected tactics and genuine frustration, she tugged his dick some more and spun it around. “How are you not hard?!” she cried, trying to make something happen with his balls next. “B-babe…I’m sorry, b-but can you just stop touching me like that…?” “Like this?” and she intensified her touches, trying to be as invasive and sexually stimulating as she could. She dropped his dick, grinded her crotch against his. Did her best to burrow it between her breasts; anything and everything short of actual penetration. Until finally she threw up her hands in frustration, shouting, “WHY AREN’T YOU ERECT?!” And finally Justin sighed, sitting up and grabbing his girlfriend by the waist. A meek meep was the final blow to the sexual tension, and she was promptly placed on an empty end of the couch where Justin could swing out his legs and sit beside her. As he sighed, true misery started to show on the girl’s face. “Why…?” she asked again, only now the tears were on their way. Lurched over she held her knees together. “Mercy…I promise,” Justin extended an arm and held her by the far shoulder. “You are attractive. You’re sexy. You’re beautiful. You’re cute. I love you more than anything–” But the contradictory cock between his legs made Mercy flick her head, staring tear-filled daggers at him. “I-I am attracted to you!” he doubled down, but with a wavering voice. Was he lying? Was he just trying to make her feel better? So she sniffled again, sinking into her hands. “Please…just be honest! I’ve tried everything!” she cried again. Lord, what hadn’t she tried? Roleplay, foreplay, making out, touching naughty places, couples games, sex toys, porn in the bedroom, and nothing. “Have you been masturbating? Is that why I don’t turn you on?” “Mercy, you do!” Justin claimed again, sounding just as confident, but yet again, anything after the fact felt as flaccid and weak-willed as his manhood. “I…!” he sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “I just…I’m just…” “Are you gay?” “I am attracted to you in…” Justin’s hand fell on his face, and Mercy just barely turned her head, widening her eyes at the blush growing on his face. “In ways you might find…weird…” “W-weird?” she mumbled back through her tears. “Y-you’re attracted to me?” Was this it? Was begging his turn-on? Four months into their relationship and Mercy had figured him for a vanilla, but maybe he was just a misbranded flavor. “W-well…how? What? Tell me!” Four months without legitimate intimacy wasn’t without good reason. Mercy stuck around for as long as she did because there was obviously more to it than just sex. Young love was special, but a young guy that checked all the boxes was even better. Dependable, reliable, kind, caring, considerate; a man who doesn’t mind cleaning and cooking just as much as his other half. They watched shows and movies, indulged in each other's hobbies, went out together, did parties, shared mutual friends… It was perfect. So close to being perfect. The last step was conquering the bedroom, but Mercy was lost without a clue and Justin was too timid to share the map. The irony though, because it made Mercy’s heart ache just thinking if it was only a matter of time. Was he unsatisfied and just too kind to show it? Was he already looking to start dating other women? What was she doing wrong? How could she fix it? What did they need to change? What had to be done to make something so great work? Her constant grooming and purchase-making was a testament to the nervous wreck love was starting to make her. She couldn’t enjoy the normal parts if she knew they were lacking in the sexual ones. “I’m just…I’m afraid you’ll be mad at me…or…you’ll want to leave me.” “What?” Mercy let out a frustrated whine. She shoved him as best she could, only managing to make the mighty man of muscle lean over just a bit. Another thing: she loved being the little spoon. But aside from that, “What? Just say it! Do you want to lick my feet, or something?!” “A-ahm…” Justin choked, and Mercy was just about ready to offer her toes. “TELL ME!” “I-I want you in diapers,” he blurted aloud. Silence ensued. Mercy’s lips imploded and her expression went from frustrated to shock. “H…huh?” And Justin looked ready to die. “D…diapers…” he said again, far quieter and more embarrassed. “...Continue,” Mercy commanded, and shock kept being traded blow for blow. So surprisingly, after forever in trying to find the solution, Justin did. Just kidding. “It’s mean though…you won’t like it…!” “DON’T SAY DIAPERS AND JUST STOP THERE!” She screamed as she pounced him. The neighbors both above and below that night would be particularly aggravated. …And weirded out. So one long while later, with a robe over Mercy and her lingerie, the couple sat shoulder to shoulder, speechless, particularly because of one of them. “It’s not normal, is it…” Justin broke the uncomfortable silence. And Mercy, resting her chin in her hand, muttered back, “No, it’s not.” But what felt normal anymore? A relationship where the cuddles and hugs had dried up, and what remained of apparent physical shows of love and affection always felt questionable for their authenticity and legitimacy. Their interest in each other was waning, as much as it was alive and well. The battle had been won on one front, but the war still had a whole other battlefield to unfold. “S-say it again…” Mercy sighed. “Explain it to me one more time.” “A…Are you sure?” Justin nervously asked. “I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t serious about this…” Mercy moaned. He was the one acting apologetic to her, but Mercy didn’t want apologies. She wanted a solution. Even as she tried to set the pieces straight in her head, the fantasy felt so far from reality and stuck inside fiction that an innate feeling of inadequacy in herself seemed more appropriate. Their relationship was failing because of her, and as insane as it seemed, this might be the only solution. “I want to keep you in diapers,” he started, repeating what still went down her throat like a bitter and strange pill. “And…I…I want to have sex with someone else.” “Someone else…” Mercy muttered with a scoff, only because acting angry was the best way to stop herself from crying. “Am I really not enough?” “No!” Justin was firm, holding her by the shoulders. “Mercy, I swear, you’re everything to me. When…when I say someone else, I don’t mean somebody specific. A stranger, somebody I don’t care about, someone I don’t actually love!” And yet he expressed his desire to have sex with strangers more than his own girlfriend. The hurt on her face did all the talking. “It’s…” he groaned, disgusted by his own inability, “It’s all about you. About us. It’s because you could be with any guy you wanted that I…I want to own that part of you so badly… I want you to watch me be with someone else, make you feel small…locked up. H-how…how does that make you feel?” “Terrible!” Mercy cried. “I want to be the one that makes you feel good!” “And you do!” Justin insisted. “You will. You will make me happy. So happy. Because…I know it’s hard to imagine, but being with someone else, knowing that you know…just knowing how frustrated, sexually, it might make you feel…” And if there was a perfect time for Justin’s knees to be spread, Mercy’s eyes widened at the sight of it. She had to undo his jeans and underwear just to see the beginnings of a rocket that’d never take off, but she was watching a mountain emerging from the ground. A tent was trying to be pitched. The dick did not lie. His words came with weight. “Are…are you some kind of sadist?” Mercy asked, too innocently amazed to not reach down for his bulging crotch. Just feeling the hardness was putting thoughts in her head that made her moist. And yet, the more she fondled and felt, the weaker the member got, until the brave soldier just about fully retreated. As if she sapped all his sexual stimulation for herself. “What? Hey! Make it go back up again!” she complained. “Just think more of those thoughts! Fantasize me! Can’t we just do that?” “I…I really want this, Mercy,” Justin poured out in every sense. “I want us to work so badly, and I think you’re the perfect woman… But…I need this. I really need this, because it’s all I can think about, and I’ve just been too afraid to tell you because of how you might react.” “Wh…well…why even the diapers, then?” Mercy frowned. Being cucked was obviously the bigger issue, but padding pegged for ageplay at best made it even more confusing. “Chastity…? I don’t know…” Justin hadn’t stopped blushing for the past hour. “It’s…attractive, I don’t know. The thing that stops you from having sex, or masturbating. It’s like I’m in charge of you that way, sort of like…” “A daddy?” Mercy finished for him, then noticed the twitch in his pants. Daddy… “I know it’s a lot…I’m not asking for something right this minute…but…” he looked at her with a loss for words. And Mercy went back to a difficult, painful expression. She hardly understood. Words didn’t even begin to describe a modicum of what he was suggesting, and bias could only make her doubt it all for self-hating reasons. What’s more was how earnest he sounded. How he stressed the importance of this. In other words, this was essential. A deal-breaker in their relationship. An ultimatum. Mercy suddenly stood from the couch. “I’m going to bed,” she announced, leaving Justin behind. “M…Mercy…?” Justin called, nervous and unsure. She stopped in the middle of the hallway, speaking back but without turning her head. “We’ll…we’ll talk more about this tomorrow…” And a woman far too desperate to keep what they had already made up her mind. Next was just getting her heart to follow suit. Two long and pensive months went by. A relationship on eggshells, another night, but far more fateful than the one seen prior. Mercy fidgeted uncomfortably by the door, pacing in bare feet around their apartment while Justin sat on the couch, bouncing his knees nervously. “A-and you’re sure about this?” Justin asked her as she moved to and fro. “Nope. Not at all,” her tone trembled as she moved. She felt hardly more composed than the night Justin confessed this all to her. Maybe even less so now. And the doorbell nearly made her collapse into pieces right then and there. It was time. She had arrived. “I-I’ll get it,” Justin stood upright, but Mercy was far faster than him, marching ahead with her shorter legs. “No. I’ll do it.” She had to. She needed to. She was the one in control of this. She was the reason why any of it was allowed to happen. So she could remember this moment later tonight…knowing she got to open the door…and meet the woman who would fuck her boyfriend. But big, bouncing breasts were the last thing Mercy expected at an eye-level. A ribbed sweater with a thick puffy collar around her slender neck. Wavy locks of blackish brown accented by blondish gold gave her the perfect head of hair. Lips with just the right amount of fullness, slightly shiny, long lashes and a light coat of makeup for a face that didn’t need cosmetics to compete. Her long beige overcoat ended at her ankles, right with her snug, calf-length skirt and stockings underneath. Flats that gave the feeling of business casual, except it just felt “right” for a woman so tall, beautifully unmatched in every way possible, and wearing something just to tone down her shape. Girlfriend instincts were kicking in, and Mercy already felt feral. “Oh, I wasn’t expecting you to answer so quickly!” the woman laughed innocently, and Mercy forced one back five times more awkwardly. “Mercy? Right?” she smiled with her hands folded together. She actually remembered my name… The woman just looking to have sex with her boyfriend. Mercy was just an awkward fly on the wall. An obstacle that had to be at least acknowledged. “Lauren, right?” Mercy grit her teeth. “Mhm!” she nodded earnestly. This wasn’t their first time speaking. They had a few conversations over the phone (all three of them), so it wasn’t completely strange tonight. If only icebreakers for cuckolding sex though were effective. She was just a few years above Mercy, and only one above Justin, and yet the vibes she put off made the gap seem like lightyears. Like a kid letting their mom’s friend in right before bedtime. Especially as Mercy answered in a crop-top and short-shorts. What did she have to prove to this man-stealer, anyway? “Is it okay if I come in?” Lauren kindly asked, taking the first step, scaring Mercy back a foot the moment her monstrous breasts looked ready to attack her. Is she even wearing a bra? Keep those on a leash! “M…mm…” Mercy stepped to the side, and Lauren entered, already looking up and around. “Oh wow~!” she cooed, “your apartment looks so lovely!” and as she watched she lifted her legs, one at a time as she separated her shoes from her feet. Not letting them fall with a clamor, but calmly setting them down and pairing them together. Like she was polite, or something. “Uhm…hi there?” Justin finally entered the picture, stuck with a hand in his pocket and the other with a wave. Like a nervous schoolboy. Like a kid with a crush. A crush that wasn’t for Mercy. Is this making him hard now? “Hiii~!” Lauren waved right back, sounding far more enthusiastic than she was with Mercy. Maybe in part because Mercy wasn’t nearly as warm, but also in part because she wasn’t the one offering dick for dinner that night. “Justin!” she nodded like she had to affirm her memory, then looked at Mercy again, chuckling a small bit. Like a tease. Like she was gonna get to cuck a little girl that night. At least that’s what Mercy could only think. “You uh…you look great?” Justin commented, but it came out like a question when he watched his girlfriend in the corner of his eye. AKA, choose your words very fucking carefully. “Thank you!” she fawned over the words. “I hope it goes without saying, but you look amazing too!” And like a third wheel that had to be acknowledged, “And Mercy, I love the clothes!” “This?” Mercy pinched her own top, like she didn’t believe it for half a second. “Yeah!” she nodded just as earnestly. “Cute and cozy; love the look! Can I put this somewhere?” She addressed them both as she disrobed her jacket, but ultimately deferred to the man of the house, and in that instance Mercy didn’t like what she saw. Not only in the front, but she had titans in the back too. A bum that even behind a skirt Mercy knew far outclassed hers. She was smaller in every way, and this was the woman about to woo the man of Mercy’s dreams. A dream that was quickly turning into a nightmare. “Y-yeah! Of course!” Justin the suck-up (per Mercy’s thoughts) scrambled over and took her jacket, hanging it in the adjacent closet. “It’s uhm…great to finally meet.” “Right?” Lauren laughed, throwing out her arms, and Mercy watched Justin be swarmed by a breast-rubbing hug. “Sooo great! Ah! Mercy, you too!” she flicked with a hand, insinuating her to join the embrace. And as much as she didn’t want to, she did need to be part of everything as much as she could. To feel as little like a prop as she was going to be. The woman was warm and soft, but with a height that sat comfortably with her boyfriend’s, Mercy was the one sandwiched between Man and Mommy breasts at the moment. “So…?” Lauren kept the ball rolling as she let them go, twiddling her thumbs as her own sign of anxiousness. “I take it we’re all a little worried about how tonight’s gonna go?” “Yes,” Justin blurted out almost immediately, and Mercy somehow felt slightly offended. Until finally she admitted, “Yes…a lot.” And a huge sigh erupted from the woman. “Thank goodness! I’m glad I’m not the only one! Don’t get me wrong; I’m as excited as you both are–” Ah, yes. Because Mercy was already waiting for diapers and deprivation from sex with bated breath. “--but well, you know,” she giggled, “doing is a whole lot more than saying!” “Y-yeah,” Justin nodded again. “Uhm, so we were…” he looked at Mercy, “Mercy and I were uh,” say me and my GIRLFRIEND, idiot! “thinking that maybe we could do dinner first?” “Oh, of course!” Lauren nodded, smiling appreciatively first at Mercy, then Justin. “Maybe something light? Like takeout?” “Definitely. Just what we were thinking,” Justin said, speaking for them both about something they never discussed nor agreed upon. “Did you have a specific thing in mind?” “Mm…not really,” Lauren shook her head. “Maybe it can be Mercy’s choice?” she suggested, and did not elaborate. Simply smiled, looking sweet, loving and all-inclusive. But just about every action was rank with conspiracy, or the writing itself was clearly on the wall. Sorry for having sexsies with your boyfriend! As an apology, why don’t you pick what we eat tonight? After all, Justin’s gonna be eating me out anyway~! Mercy was the only one going without dessert, and somehow, that’s what gave her boyfriend an erection. “Pizza,” was all she said. “Good choice!” Lauren nodded. “I’ll take mine with pepperoni!” “We usually do one with bacon too…” Justin was in a hurry to get his phone. And Mercy wanted sausage. “That was so yummy!” Lauren finished licking her last finger. She bumped her hip against Mercy as she adjusted in her seat. The real girlfriend insisted on being between them both. Holding them both back by the leash until the very last minute. “I’m gonna have to remember that place!” “Yeah, we usually get from there a couple times a month,” Justin said after a sip of water. “They usually don’t run out of toppings like that, though. Sorry they didn’t have any sausage left, Merc.” He sounded sorry. Apologetic. Like that was the thing that’d ruin her night. Then again, that’s what he wanted… “It’s fine,” Mercy was brief, still off-standish. While Justin was finally warming up to the naturally bubbly woman, Mercy was still the cold, hard rock stuck in a dark place. Though, more aptly, between marshmallow and muscle. Christ, is that why Lauren was the one who came? Was Justin too attractive? But the food was gone, their bellies were full, and there were no more distractions. Just one thing left. And naturally, the one to initiate the next step was none other than the sweater-wearing titty monster herself, smiling at the couple, indicating what could only be communicated through sexually tense vibes. “So maybe…?” “Uhm…y-yeah,” Justin nodded, “o-oh, but…” he looked down at Mercy, like his own girlfriend was an afterthought. “Are you ready…?” he whispered, as if Lauren wasn’t meant to hear the words two feet in front of her. And the boobs hanging right beside her peripheral screamed that she wasn’t, but she was prolonging an inevitable that would somehow save their relationship or put to an end what should’ve died a long time ago. “Yeah,” she took a deep breath. “I am.” “Ohk…okay…” Justin breathed himself, as everyone was quickly realizing that dreams were about to come to life. “Ready?” Lauren asked again, finally sounding like a cue to psych herself up, even. “Okay…!” “The uh, bedroom is down the hall,” Justin leaned over and pointed, being the first to stand. Followed by Lauren, and lastly by Mercy, but not of her own volition. She was speechless, not even commenting on it, but she stood there beside Lauren, partly because her hand had been forcefully interwoven with the other woman’s. Like a mother crossing the street with her daughter. Her grip was gentle and her fingers were soft. Manicured and moisturized, just like Mercy did her own. Just like she tried to make herself beautiful for her own sake and Justin’s. The slightly bigger and longer fingers worked between Mercy’s like magic. Like a key fitting into a socket. And with that hold, only known to the two girls, they all made their way to the bed originally meant for two. Then the moment they crossed the threshold, less and less punches were being pulled. “Mmm…” Lauren hummed, “first I guess we should get Mercy ready…?” Get her ready. Like she was the one about to be in for the ride of a lifetime. “Y-yeah,” Justin agreed and broke for the closet, leaving Mercy there still holding Lauren’s hand with her heart ready to burst from her chest. She was still upset, unsure and nervous, but now what was about to be done to her was a different something that she hadn’t thought about at all. She was about to be diapered for the first time in about twenty-something years. “Oh~!” Lauren gasped at what came forth, and Mercy blushed nervously. “Those are so cute!” And she probably wasn’t referring to the towel meant to be a changing mat. Mercy had no comment. It was the first time seeing them herself. She wanted nothing to do with any reminders of tonight until the day of. He held a stuffed plastic package of thick adult diapers. But not just any kind. Not the ones that came cheap at the drugstore. Plain white, plastic-backed and decorated with animals peeking over the plastic landing strip like a zoo lived inside the diaper. Four tapes. Crinkly and noisy. The farthest thing from a sex toy. “And like we all discussed…” Justin nervously started by staring at Lauren, but ending on Mercy. “I get to change her, right?” Lauren politely raised her hand. Mercy creased her brow, and Justin nodded. “I’m gonna wait out in the hall, if that’s okay…with you both?” Justin asked, Mercy gave a look that said she didn’t want him to leave, but Lauren gave him a tiny wave as a send off. The door quietly clicked shut. “Oh-kay,” Lauren huffed, letting Mercy’s hand go and situating her own on her hips. “Let’s get these open!” she went for the diapers and started tearing open the top. Mercy thought to unfold the tower just to help, but instead sat on the bed like she was in a catatonic state. But the woman’s face dropped right in front of her. “Mercy? Doing okay?” And she blinked, unsure of what to say, really. It didn’t feel very reassuring to be consoled by the woman about to cuck her, which is why it was all the more insulting. Her little moments of “power” earlier in the night meant nothing. Who cared if she answered the door, decided dinner, and sat between the fated lovers? It didn’t mean anything if she couldn’t stop them from having sex. She really was just a kid getting in the way. Now she was about to embark on her bedtime routine, knowing full well she was sitting on a bed that was maybe ten minutes away from some actual action. Not a diaper change. “You’re about to have sex with my boyfriend,” Mercy said in a deadpan voice. “Sorry if I’m not in a talking mood right now.” And out of obligation by physics, she slightly tilted toward the larger woman sinking the bed beside her. “You know, you’re the whole reason why this works, right?” “Yeah, because I’m giving you a pass for a free fuck,” Mercy bitterly answered. If she wanted to poke the bear, she was going to get hurt. “You’re giving me and your boyfriend something so unimaginably good,” Lauren softly explained, and just as Mercy winced, trying not to cry, “something so much better than sex.” She blinked, stopping her tears short. “Wh-...what?” “Mercy,” a warm hand huddled her closer, “if I wanted sex and only that, I promise you I wouldn’t be getting in the way of someone else’s relationship,” she explained. Her mouth twisted, but finally she said, “Cucking…as much as I wish there was a nicer word for it… Is something really exciting. Yes, it’s taking something from someone else, but in return that makes it a whole new feeling. A whole new experience for everyone. All three of us.” “Why do you keep including me?” Mercy blurted angrily. “Stop trying to convince me I’m actually part of something!” “You think you aren’t?” Laren sounded surprised, then Mercy was only hugged tighter. “Noo…! No! Sweetheart! Honey!” she cooed. “You’re the reason why any of this works! You’re the part that matters! Don’t you get it?” She dropped her voice. “Honey, Justin is just another guy. He’s anybody. Somebody that could be substituted for someone else. And me? I bet I’m the exact same to him. We’re replaceable. You aren’t. It’s your consent…your feelings about this…they’re the things that make it so perfect, and so exciting… This is a three-way thing, and I’m convinced you’re going to understand that very soon.” And the words only made Mercy more confused, but it’s what got her laying on her back. “No matter what,” Lauren said as she pulled off the girl’s shorts and panties, “All Justin and I are going to think about tonight is you. Us? Each other? We’re just means to an end. You’re what we want to focus on.” Deprive her. Tease her. Take what’s meant to be hers and use and abuse it. Show what she can’t have and why it’s a toy that’s been taken from her. Just a baby too tiny to take on big-girl activities. Her legs were spread and the bulk between her legs was prominent. She was barely moving as Lauren brought the change to a close and it was already a concert of crinkles. “Does it feel soft? Snug?” “Yeah…it is,” Mercy answered lifelessly, wondering if the last question was more for herself than the girl actually wearing them. “Good,” she ended the change with a firm pat on her crotch. “I’d offer to put your shorts back on, but…well, I don’t think they’re gonna fit,” she laughed a little. “And to be honest, I don’t think I wanna take my eyes off that bottom of yours.” Mercy blinked, only realizing five seconds later that she had just been flirted with. “Justin?” Lauren called from the door and down the hall. “We’re ready!” Shortly after, he emerged. Seeing his girlfriend, awkwardly standing and cradling her arms, trying to look anywhere but at the two actual adults in the room. “Wh…what…?” Mercy muttered defensively. “Isn’t this what you–!” A tender kiss took away her lips. Justin. Her Justin held her in a tight embrace. Like he couldn’t keep his hands off her, because he couldn’t. Her eyes widened with surprise, feeling him feel her all over. Head to toe, but especially on her backside. Even through the padding she felt his strong, man-handling squeezes. She crinkled as he touched, tighter than he’d ever held her on even a diaperless day. Once he finally let go, only then did Mercy remember to breathe. But it was clear by the passionate, everlasting gratitude in his eyes. A solution was upon them. “Thank you…” was all he said, and meekly, Mercy nodded back. It was so sweet. So wonderful. Everything she wanted, and possibly the beginning of so much. “She looks great, doesn’t she?” Lauren added, ruining the moment completely. Only for Mercy, at least. “Y-yeah, she does…” Justin nodded, but finally started to turn away from Mercy. No…! No! Look at me! I only want you to see ME! But now she was the one watching, stuck on the sidelines. It was just an act. It had to be. Mercy was the crux, right? So why weren’t they looking at her? She was the reason this all worked, right? So why…? She fidgeted uncomfortably, and everyone knew when she did because her diaper made sure to shout it loud and proud. “You don’t look so bad yourself, you know…?” Lauren’s cheery, happy tone kept for the kids was gone, sliding into something far more intimate. Sexy. Sultry. The same kind of voice Mercy tried to use, yet it only ended in disappointment and flaccid dick. But Mercy watched a sign that only hurt and made her heart ache. He answered the call for another woman. Rock hard. Straining to get through his clothes, and reflexively, Mercy’s sad hand floated over her own crotch, pressing into dry, plastic padding. That should be me with him…! I…I’m the one who’s supposed to have sex…! Her face of guilt, disappointment and dread was written all over her face, which is why it only stung more when Lauren noticed. She glanced over, then the corners of her mouth tugged wider and higher the longer she looked. “Y-you…” Justin started, and he looked at Mercy one more time, seeing all the hurt, jealousy and envy in her eyes, one last time. He looked back at Lauren. “You look like a goddess.” And Mercy’s mouth twisted and turned as she watched, just about to open her mouth and say something. Something to cut the cord. Something to stop it completely. Get her boyfriend back and put things back to the way they were…! Back to how it was before. Before when she had no clue what he loved, or if he even really loved her. Whether they were destined to fail or Mercy being stuck on another many-year-long search of trying to find the perfect guy again. Back to uncertainty and love lost in flux. Something that wasn’t even love at all. Hurt and confusion. But the pain now was certain. Tangible, and taped around her hips. An identifiable problem with a possible solution that only hurts emotionally and mentally in so many ways. “If you don’t mind, I think I’d like to see my present for the night…” Lauren hummed as Mercy watched her drop to a squat, showing off her perfect ass through her tight skirt. A bum with a crease that Mercy couldn't tease the same way in a bulging diaper. Christ, even when she was padded her bum still couldn’t compete…! So she watched another woman strip her man. Undo his pants and take off his briefs, showing a side to Mercy she literally had never known. It was big…hard…long…! Something she only dreamed and fantasized about. Sex with such a thing she could only think of with a vibrator. But it was here. It was real. And it wasn’t hers. “What’s wrong baby?” Lauren asked, turning her head up at Mercy. The sexy voice was gone, but it wasn’t normal either. Like she was still in character, especially with her use of the B-word. But Mercy was speechless, at a loss, not even realizing how close she’d come, just to see her boyfriend’s throbbing erection. She wanted it so badly. Just seeing it made her own parts tingle. Enough to make her want to tear this diaper off and ride the erection for as long as it would last…! “Ah-ah! Heyyy,” Lauren suddenly warned with a stern voice. Mercy blinked and her outstretched hand was grabbed by the wrist. “That’s not a toy, sweetheart,” she scolded at the wide-eyed woman. The wide-eyed girl. Justin was just as speechless, but likely through a whole different slew of emotions. A toy. That’s all his dick was to her. A toy. Something she was too little to understand. After all, Lauren said so. M…Mommy said so. “Go sit on the bed, sweetie,” Lauren nodded her away, still in her squat, finally shorter than Mercy. Smaller, yet still the biggest and most intimidating person in the room. She hung there for a second, right until another crushing blow hit her. “...She’s right, sweetie,” Justin spoke with a clear, rock-steady tone. “Go sit down.” Something compelled the girl to listen, so she did. Awkwardly, she half-waddled and crinkled to the bed, staring at them with an intense look, unable to take her eyes off them. After all, it’s exactly what they wanted, wasn’t it? “Kids, right?” Lauren looked up at Justin, then in a motion that Mercy couldn’t see, but merely heard, was lips kissing something. And Lauren wasn’t standing up for lips. She came back up and started taking Justin’s shirt with him, until finally he started returning the favor. The skirt went first and confirmed what Mercy already knew. Plentiful thighs, perfectly proportioned and a peach double in size and perfectly ripe. Purple panties, just like Mercy used to wear, only more intricately patterned and far more expensive looking. But if Mercy’s pack of diapers cost more, did that make hers better by comparison? No extra rolls or chub. All curves kept within their means. The sweater gone left even less to the imagination, and the panties and bra were just superficialities at this point. Then they kissed. Lips to lips. No cheeks, no necks. Just lips. Like how Justin kissed Mercy, only far longer, slower, and far more mutual intimacy. She watched hands caress Lauren all over. Cup her bum that was too big to be held, stroke her tall back and squeeze her perfect sides... Justin’s hands. Touching her in ways Mercy wanted to be touched. Had been wanting to be touched. He looked so…happy. So complete. So satisfied. In a way that she couldn’t give to him. Because he loved her. The crinkles rhythmically ensued, all because Mercy couldn’t keep her legs straight. She was still planted on the bed, but she couldn’t sit still. Not when she was watching this. The foreplay on their feet came to an end, and Mercy, still as the only one with her shirt left on, felt an extreme heat making her want to take it off as well. Lauren’s naked chest of identical treasures led her and Mercy’s boyfriend to the bed, slipping right by Mercy and Lauren made Justin lay down first, and she watched nervously with a wandering hand on her chest like a dog stuck at the foot of the bed. “Oh, sweetie, let me help with that,” Lauren chuckled as she leaned over, and an embarrassed meep escaped Mercy as her shirt came off in one fell swoop. “Oh, wait, we never talked about it,” Lauren looked back at Justin, laying down with a flag pole between his legs. “Are we okay with letting the baby play a little too?” “Uhm…” Justin hummed, and Mercy was at a loss for real words at this point, stuck with an inexplicable feeling making her hot and uncomfortable. “Don’t worry, the diaper stays on,” Lauren giggled assuringly. “Did you hear that, Mercy? Hey, baby?” Mercy blinked when the naked Mommy had her by the arm. And she popped the question that made her heart race. “Wanna watch Mommy and Daddy play a little?” P…play…? Mommy…? D…Dad…? Justin, just as inexperienced made no reaction, but Mercy’s flustered look putting ten different shades of red on her face only doubled down the confident woman’s knowing smile. “I think that’s somebody who wants to cuddle,” and Lauren’s hands around her waist slid her closer and closer, all easy thanks to her frictionless diaper. Until finally she was back on the couch again. In lingerie, surprising Justin just like she did two months ago, ready to summon an erection and ride it all the way home to a climax. Except she wasn’t. Her only lingerie was a diaper; far from sexy and closer to cute. No longer a bra, because Lauren took the liberty of unhooking it completely. It wasn’t their couch. It was the bed. Mommy and Daddy’s bed; the one Mercy was being allowed to be in. And lastly, there was an erection, but not for her (even if it was). She couldn’t even see the pubes to his crotch, as the few hairs she may have seen disappeared beneath the white of her oppressively padded diaper, keeping her own womanhood locked and taped away. “Scooch a little for Mommy!” Lauren cooed as Mercy was forced to slide forward, making space for the actual pussy about to get some action. She felt light-headed, her heart beating wildly and the warm feelings taking her by storm. She squeezed her legs against Justin’s body, feeling the need to touch something, but she wasn’t sure what. Something. And just as she went for Justin’s pecs, Mommy had both her hands. “Ah-ah! Hands to ourselves~!” Lauren cooed teasingly, like Mercy was her toddler that knew better. And she did, unfortunately. “To ourselves,” she repeated in a much more teasing whisper, ending Mercy’s hands on her own breasts. Over her protruding nipples. “Now for my turn…” Lauren giggled, and she finally sat down. Right behind Mercy, to the point where her head leaned back into breasts like they were cushions. But it was too close. Too close which meant something far more chilling. With her pelvis right against the back of Mercy’s diaper, she knew something else had to have just gone inside Lauren. Like a plug in a socket. A pure look of ecstasy on Justin’s face. “Oh wow…!” Lauren breathed, and Mercy felt every wave of heat on her neck. “You’re so big…!” And every word she spoke was right against Mercy’s ear. Impossible to ignore, impossible to forget. “So big…” she whispered and breathed, and Mercy felt Justin shift as the person behind her lifted her hips, shimmying them back down in a way that made it clear how wet they were. The sounds of sex between two adults in heat. It was so close and so vivid, it was almost as if Mercy were the one having sex herself. But a loving pat on the front of her diaper snapped her back to reality. “You’re…so…” Justin moaned not at Mercy, but the Mommy behind her. “Your pussy… Faster…please, go faster…!” “Faster?” Lauren giggled, stuck in heat herself, chatting as she held a protective arm around Mercy’s stomach, as if to keep her from falling off the ride. And Mercy couldn’t stop squirming, as Lauren’s latest pat on her diaper pushed her to an unusual point. She closed her eyes and listened to the vivid noises. Moisture. Sliding. Dick going in and out of vagina. Moans of pleasure. Breathing. Heat. Adult sounds and experiences. Her boyfriend was right in front of her. She was right on top of him. He was having sex. She wasn’t. She couldn’t. She wasn’t allowed. The grownups said so. The bed was shaking as Lauren was moving, putting more excited breaths in and out of each of them, and Mercy’s diaper crinkled more and more as heat happened between her own legs, for some unknown, inexplicable reason. “Ah~! See that?” Lauren mentioned and chuckled, and so did Justin. Mercy was the only one clueless because her eyes were closed. She was simply biting her lip, trying to focus… The sounds of sex continued, Mercy listened, but it started to drown out with an influx of whispers. “How does it feel…?” Lauren moaned in her own excited breaths. “Knowing what’s happening right now? Your Daddy told me, you know…how you two haven’t had sex?” she giggled, Mercy winced, crinkling more and more. “Mommy’s taking your first time away from you, isn’t she?” A hand that wasn’t Mercy’s touched her only free nipple. “Don’t worry…Mommy’s gonna take good care of Daddy, okay? And you too. Mommy’s gonna do all the things to Daddy that you can’t…that you couldn’t…that you never will… Better than you ever could.” Suddenly Mercy needed to breathe more and more. The insults must’ve been closing off her lungs. “You can watch. You can listen…but you’ll never get to do it yourself. This is what grownups do…” Lauren whispered, and Mercy listened more and more to her boyfriend, her Daddy’s dick going in and out of another woman. Someone that wasn’t her. “Babies get cuddles and kisses,” Lauren teased, and Mercy could feel the woman’s chin resting on her head. “Only real grownups get sex. You can’t even touch your own privates? The way you have to rub-rub through your diaper so hard? Just to get close to this kind of feeling~?” she giggled as the pace increased, until Justin and Lauren were as loud as Mercy had ever heard them. “Now do Mommy a favor,” she cooed beyond just a whisper, like she was back sitting up straight, working her hips over and over. “Be a good girl and open your eyes, okay?” And even from Justin, he moaned on the precipice of something Mercy could never get him to, “O-open your eyes, baby…!” So she did. She saw Justin, naked just like before, but she saw her own hands. She saw one playing with her own breast, rubbing it over and over, and the crinkling was intense not only from all Mommy’s shaking, but her own as well. She was grinding her hips, working her crotch against an invisible toy that didn’t exist, but desperately trying anyway like a kid playing make-believe. And her other hand… Her bicep was getting sore from all the up-down motions she was making. More aptly, her rub-rubs. The butt of her hand was running up and down her slick padded front, over and over, trying to reach the core of all her frustrations. She was wet. She was turned on. In heat. Excited. Breathing because she was close to climaxing. Just like them. Just like the grownups. “Ready?” Lauren asked Justin over the baby’s shoulder, and with a growing, yet tired smile, he nodded. “Okay~ home stretch!” Suddenly it got faster and faster, and deep down, Mercy knew to rub and play with herself harder and harder, working just as intensely as the other two reaching an actual conclusion. And in broken unison, Lauren and Justin cried, “C-cumming!!” And all at once, all three of them released. Waves of pleasure struck everyone as a storm. For a split-second shock was on all their faces. Mind-fried pleasure that only sexual stimulation could achieve. And Mercy watched her boyfriend’s expression in vivid detail. His quivering lips, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. His arching chest, the moan…! He was experiencing the greatest pleasure he ever had, shooting his load inside another person. And a quivering smile was on the girl’s face. Imagining that she was the one to do it. Muscles spasmed, shocks of sweet euphoria hit all at once as tidal waves washed through all their bodies. It was indescribable. Inexplicable, precisely because it was the first of something for all of them. They panted and laughed, save for Mercy, who as tired as she was, still felt like she could keep going. Her heart and head were confused, but something positive tickled her. Just as the other two were smiling. Until finally Lauren leaned forward, forcing Mercy in a sandwich between them. “That was…amazing,” Justin sighed with a grin. His hand fell over Lauren’s back, stroking the side of his arm. “I can’t even put it into words…” she giggled. “A-and actually…” Mercy felt a small poke on her cheek. “I think you managed to do something pretty similar, didn’t you?” “H-huh…?” Mercy finally spoke, but still with some unsolved discomfort. “I…y-yes…I…I came…” she murmured, and sweet smiles were what came from both boyfriend and not-so-much stranger. “B-but please sit up,” she begged Lauren in a hurry, who did get up. “Everything okay?” Justin asked, now with post-nut clarity, became a caring boyfriend again. “Y-yeah, I…” Mercy muttered, suddenly feeling like her wants hardly matched the mood anymore. Nervously, her hand started drifting to the front of her diaper. “I just…need to…” “Again?” Lauren asked, surprised, and biting her lower lip, Mercy nodded. Her diaper was wet, she could definitely tell, and apparently something already had her ready to be wet again. Or maybe she didn’t finish completely. “C-can…can I finish…?” Mercy asked bashfully, like the decision wasn’t hers to make. “Y-yeah, of course,” Justin nodded, and Lauren had her by the shoulder. “Do you want some help?” Lauren asked, and too impatient for proper channels, Mercy quickly nodded. Fuck it. If Justin got to fuck strangers, Mercy should be allowed to be finished by one. She didn’t sound as demeaning now with some horniness out of her system. One hand on her diaper became two, and now Mercy’s other breast had someone to entertain it. Some wetness and added pressure made all the difference though, because suddenly Mercy was gasping as she convulsed, a little late, but eventually reaching the same party as the other two. “Unbelievable…” Mercy sighed, falling back into Lauren’s arms. “I just came in a diaper…twice.” Then she felt a sensual rub from Lauren, who then pulled out the front of her diaper, making a curious hum. “Mm…once, actually,” Lauren declared, closing her back up and changing her rubs to soothing ones rather than sexually stimulating. Justin and Mercy were confused. “What do you mean?” “Mercy,” Lauren grinned, “did you not notice your diaper’s wet?” “W-...well…I just came in it…” A sentence she never thought in a million years she’d ever be saying. “And you peed,” Lauren explained, patting her front like an indicator to look. And…sure enough… What was once eggshell white wasn’t quite the same anymore. Some color had gone, and a faint discoloration was there. Yellow, to be exact. And while Mercy tried to process her emotions, Lauren giggled. “Awh~! Is that what happened? Were you going pee the first time? Did you think it was cummies? Oh my gosh, that’s too cute!” That’s exactly what it was. Placebo’d by her peers into thinking she was amounting to something great as well. She should’ve known. She should’ve realized. If she wasn’t so horny, she would’ve known that a climax wasn’t supposed to feel like a long, uninterrupted stream. And now knowing that, it was a wet diaper that really got her to the edge. “Y-you wet it…?” Justin blinked, catching up to speed. And Mercy frowned, finally covering her chest again as she tried to dismount her boyfriend, but Lauren forced her right back down with a happy laugh. “Nuh-uh~ you stay right here! This is the after-care part!” “After what…?” Mercy mumbled. “After-care,” Lauren repeated, hugging her snuggly. “So you know that I’m not actually a monster, and Justin, your very real boyfriend is still very much that.” “O-of course I am!” Justin stammered. “And we’re gonna make sure you know it,” Lauren rubbed her cheek against Mercy’s. “Thanks for making it such a fun first time, Mercy.” “Y-yeah…” Justin spoke up. “Mercy, really…thank you.” And the appreciation was all well and good, but Mercy was back to fidgeting again. “Do you need to pee?” Lauren asked. “Or wait– climax again?” “No,” Mercy huffed. “I just want out of this diaper, please.” “Oh, of course!” Lauren said, dismounting Justin first. “I think we put your panties over here…” “W-well…” Mercy’s voice left both staring at her. She adjusted her hair uncomfortably. “I-I…I didn’t say panties…”

I wouldn't call this diaper dimension by my intentions in writing it. Just a universe that happens to have tall women and different norms against males. It was loose enough and implied sex-specific rules to be just "not standard reality."

The full name of Daniel's (new) guardian! Nope, no acid. There's some descriptions used to indicate that all the women he happens to see are much bigger than him, including all the furniture and infrastructure, despite being a "normal" height himself. AKA, suddenly a different world. Bingo! Maybe I was too subtle with the hints? On the other hand, I felt pretty comfortable with the overall delivery, but maybe it's because I have bias for being the one who wrote it. There's no exact answer to what the bear did necessarily, but the humming Daniel was hearing in his head was meant to indicate some kind of passive hypnosis stuff or whatever.

Nope! Didn't die! Thank you for reading and commenting, glad you enjoyed! Sorry! I'll add a tag to this that it's a one-shot/short! No continuation is planned! Thank you for enjoying! Uhh, up to your imagination! Just standard stuff, I suppose!

This involves folks getting a little more handsy than I usually write! Drop-In A bright and sunny Saturday morning. A time no better spent than hanging out with friends, doing a bit of takeout, or just lounging around with deep dive videos on autoplay, or a good game to binge… Daniel in particular was not enjoying those weekly rituals, at the moment. Every so often one or two Saturdays were lost to duties and responsibilities that unfortunately superseded the simple pleasures of life. He hopped out of his car and swung the door shut before roofing a hand above his eyes so he could squint past the glaring sun peering just over the roof of his destination. PediaPros Big bold font in a whimsical wave on a curved and arched sign that was proudly posted on the front of the building. It was a clinic nestled in a village of other healthcare services– eye doctors, dentists, physical therapies, and so on. So for that reason, the clinic wasn’t exactly out of place, but… 20-year old Daniel checked the address and referral on his phone one more time, squinting a second time at the building front. “This can’t be the right place, right…?” He muttered to himself, but before he could check the address again, the screen on his phone was overtaken by a final five minute warning for his scheduled appointment. No time to consider an alternative, and at worst the best he could do was clarify the address with someone inside. Screw it. He had to go in; maybe this was the right place somehow… But a pediatric clinic? How the hell could someone his age mess that up? This was going to be awkward… He tried not to imagine the unusual scenario about to unfold, though he couldn’t not consider the weird look he’d get from the receptionist when she realized that the visiting patient wasn’t his kid, but the young man himself, etcetera, etcetera… He tried to shut down both his imagination and his focus… Which is why he didn’t look both ways before crossing the parking lot. HOOOOOOOOOONK! A blaring car horn startled Daniel as an oncoming vehicle became deafeningly louder the closer it got. A screeching sound as a massive machination of metal with high momentum tried to stop on a dime before colliding with a soft body of flesh and mere bones. Daniel saw it all in slow motion: the car attempting to stop, but still barreling forward, the silhouette of a horrified driver just beyond the windshield assaulted by the shining sun. Is this it? Is this how I die? Everything was in slow motion for sure. The eternal honk played out like a video set to a quarter of the original speed, and any movement to turn or escape was like wading through viscous mud mixed with molasses and rubber cement… He couldn’t move, and the car was only a handful of inches away… Shit. His moment for his life to flash before his eyes was over. Time sped up again, and the car sped straight through. Through his dying moments, an odd electric sound rippled through his ears. A hefty thump and scuff played out, and everything was black for Daniel. There was a final screech to tell that the car had stopped, only far too late. Truly, they should’ve kept going. Now they have to see Daniel’s broken and beaten body. “Goodness! That was a close one!” Daniel quickly opened his eyes, seeing he was on his bottom, sitting on the pavement with his arms oddly strung up by the armpits and dangling forward. He craned his neck and turned around to find a woman looking down at him with a relieved expression, sitting on the ground herself, only breathing slightly heavier like she was trying to recover from a sudden sprint. “Are you okay?” the woman asked attentively. The concern on her face was unmistakable, and Daniel simply couldn’t find the words as she looked down at him. His mind was totally blank. I’m not…dead? “O-oh-oh my god…!” A new woman appeared from the road where Daniel just thought he was about to kick it. She had tears in her eyes with both hands covering her mouth. “I-I’m…! I’m s-so sorry! I-I made sure to look, b-but you didn’t ch-check and-and I tried to stop– but I…!” Only now Daniel realized how wide-eyed he was, completely taken aback. One moment it was the end, and now it…wasn’t? “I think everyone’s okay,” the woman behind Daniel said to the other, who seemed to be quickly, but cautiously calming down. “I think it was just a close call– We didn’t look both ways before crossing… Luckily I got to him in time…!” The driver took a long sniff, wiping the budding tears from her eyes, nodding slowly. “S-sorry…” Daniel said, still with adrenaline and confusion. He slowly looked up at the woman. “It…it was my mistake…I was distracted…” “O-okay…” the woman sighed, calming down further. “Just…please make sure to look both ways before crossing from now on?” “Understood…” Daniel answered mechanically, and the driver finally left. “Can you stand?” The remaining woman asked, and Daniel felt himself rising against his will as two supportive hands continued to draw him up by the armpits. There was little strain or effort exerted it seemed, as the woman looked like she had barely broken a sweat in anything just now. Daniel slowly turned around, like he was still getting his land legs back, coming face to face with an armful of ample-sized breasts– He quickly turned his head up. The noticeably taller woman smiled down at him, though harboring a bit of skepticism in her eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she frowned, slightly leaning in. “Y-yeah, uh-uhm…” Daniel murmured. There weren’t any real apt words. His mind was fried from nearly dying, and the adrenaline was still pumping through him. Now an unusually tall woman had just saved him and was drilling him like she was his doctor or it was his checkup– HIS APPOINTMENT! “W-wait, I need to go– I-I have an appointment…” Daniel quickly turned, sprouting a noise of surprise from the woman, who quickly called back for him. Looking both ways this time, Daniel crossed the road and hopped up onto the sidewalk branching into the alcove with the door leading inside the clinic. But before leaving he turned one last time to face the woman and waved his hand. “Th-thank you for helping me!” She waved back and Daniel headed inside, turning the knob in line with his chest and managing the large door only a third of the way open before slipping inside. The main lobby was certainly a pediatrician’s. Pastel green walls with murals of smiling farm animals grazing in the imaginary fields. A corner filled with toys ranging from blocks to crayons and coloring books, plus a sea of empty padded seats for the people (parents) not so inclined to enjoy the toys. A digital choo-choo chimed even as a miniature train track suspended from the ceiling showed a model train chugging around the top. He didn’t even notice the giant funhouse mirror warping and wobbling his figure as he walked past in a hurry to reach the front desk. “S-sorry, I have an appointment?” Daniel slightly huffed, catching his breath. His hands were perched on the edge of the counter, uncharacteristically as high as his shoulders… But no time for that. “It’s for a physical.” The receptionist was looking down on him with a healthy vertical gap between them. Obviously she was sitting in a swivel seat with its height pushed to the maximum, but Daniel still didn’t appreciate having to look up so high. A shadow loomed over Daniel as the woman slightly leaned out, turning her head both ways, like looking for a second person before eventually resuming her typing. “Name, honey?” An adult clinic wouldn’t speak to me like that… Daniel quietly thought. Not as a slight or displeasure, but a simple observation. “Daniel Myers.” “Can you spell your last name nice and loud for me, please?” “M-Y-E-R-S.” Maybe Daniel misheard her, but he couldn’t help but pick up on a quiet murmur, “Good job…” before speaking clearly again, “Okay, yup. I have you here for a 2:00 appointment. Do you know what time it is right now?” “Huh? Wait–am I that late?” Daniel quickly remarked before checking his phone in a hurry. “2:02…” he muttered. “Thank god. Yeah, sorry about that– traffic was crazy and something just happ–” “Let’s learn to be on time in the future, okay?” the woman, who couldn’t have been more than 10 years his senior, smirked at him with a mightier-than-thou grin. The pleasantries were quickly leaving Daniel’s face, though not wanting to make an argument, responded a bit coolly in turn. “Yeah, sure…whatever.” “So it’s just you today?” the receptionist asked, swiveling around in her station to go for a filing cabinet. She was in a set of flowery-printed scrubs, though Daniel saw her in full view now, seeing that the chair didn’t look particularly cranked… Or rather, her feet clearly and comfortably touching the floor. Another tall woman…? Not that they were unicorns, but still an unusual sight for two in one day… “Yeah, just me,” Daniel said as she slid a lime green translucent plastic clipboard forward. It had a single medical sheet with a pen dangling from the board by a chain of tiny metal ball beads. “Alrighty then, just make sure to fill out as much as you can,” the woman dropped her finger on the page multiple times. “If you have any questions on anything you can just ask. I’ll give you a few minutes before calling the nurse.” “Got it, thanks…” Daniel took the slightly large board and paper with one hand and took it back to one of the seats, hopping up into place, quietly noticing the slight hover his feet had over the floor. Were the chairs just unusually big, too? He shook his head and focused on the medical sheet, looking over the basics like filling out his name, address, age, date of birth, and so on… and… He stopped. “Excuse me?” Daniel was standing back at the front desk, sliding the clipboard back onto the counter. “Is this the right form that I’m supposed to be filling out?” “We only have one kind of form, sweetheart,” the woman casually said, but peered over the page. “What’s confusing you?” “No– nothing’s confusing me, or–” he bit his tongue, not enjoying the way she phrased the question. “It’s this,” he pointed at the name fields. “There’s one for the child-slash-patient, and the other for the parent-slash-guardian.” “...Uh-huh,” the receptionist was quiet for a moment before nodded in agreement, but without any kind of inflection that said she understood his point. She was waiting for him to explain more. “I’m…20 years old…” Daniel explained, like it was obvious, but he was trying to be subtle. “I’m filling this out, but it’s structured like there’s two people here, so…?” “...Well, we only have one kind of form, honey,” the woman explained. “Just fill it out as best as you can, okay?” “...” Daniel debated arguing further, but the fact remained that it wouldn’t get him a different kind of information form. “Sure, okay… So I’ll just put my name in the parent-guardian section, then?” “Oh– no, no. Nope, you want to write your name here,” the receptionist clearly pointed to the left hand side. “Right where it says child-slash-patient.” “But…” Daniel slowly started, though she quickly shut him down. “You’re a patient, right?” the receptionist asked, like it was obvious yet needed a soft reminder. Quietly, Daniel slid the clipboard off the top, not particularly pleased with the result. “Yeah, I am.” “Just come back over if anything else is confusing you!” Daniel resigned himself back into his seat, feeling his pride somewhat slighted by his scribbles. CHILD/PATIENT: DANIEL MYERS He continued filling out the rest of the essentials, though suddenly mindful of all the wording. The questions were personal with regards to developmental or medical issues, but they were never addressing Daniel directly. It wasn’t “Do you have trouble sleeping at night?” but instead. “Does your child have trouble sleeping at night?” Ultimately whatever, but the semantics still bothered him… The next question made him turn his head. “(If child is over the age of 18 and biologically MALE) Does your child still wear diapers?” And a subsequent question… “(If checked YES to wearing diapers) Do you plan to potty train?” “Wh-what the fuck…?” Daniel murmured. “Daniel?” A new female voice called from the end of the waiting room. Another woman in scrubs waited patiently by the doorway where a half-gate was swung out. With no one else in the waiting room, she had no choice but to stare directly in Daniel’s direction, although smiling patiently, but still clearly waiting on him. He glanced over at the nurse, still bewildered by what he certainly must have misread. He glanced down at the page again, trying to find the questions once more in a frantic hurry. “Sweetheart, the nice nurse calling for you!” the receptionist beckoned him over from his seat. “Y-yeah, I know, but I…” he awkwardly stumbled down from his seat, heading straight for the receptionist. “A-are you sure this is the right form? I just saw something that–” “It’s okay if you don’t know all the answers,” the receptionist cut him off. “Just do the best you can. Now let’s not make the nice nurse wait any more. You can take that with you into the room.” “But…” Daniel huffed, annoyed by being cut off and dismissed, as if he really were an ignorant child. But with little left to say, he finally approached the nurse patiently waiting by the gate. “You must be Daniel!” she cheerily said, and Daniel once again found himself looking high up at another woman towering over him. “Yeah, that’s me,” Daniel awkwardly replied. He stood there for a second, waiting for her to lead the way, but her expression shifted into peachy confusion as she scanned the rest of the room. “Is Mom in the bathroom?” “Sorry?” Daniel blinked. “Oh! Are you with Dad today?” the nurse concerningly tilted her head. “What? No…” Daniel shook his head. “It’s just me,” he sighed. “I’m the patient. I’m my own guardian.” This was the last time he ever made the mistake of scheduling with a pediatrician… “Oh…okay…?” the nurse answered in a long, drawn-out type of voice, like Daniel was being the weird one. “But wait– hey, could you take a look at this for me?” Daniel quickly said, scanning over the medical form. “What are some of these questions about? I just read this weird one and– hey!” The clipboard was gently taken from him as the nurse pulled up from her mid-squat to look over the page herself. “No guardian, huh…” she quietly commented, then turned back on her friendly-nurse expression when addressing Daniel again. “Don’t worry about this! I’ll take care of some of this, then the doctor’s gonna fill out the rest for you. Sounds good?” “Y-yeah, but…” Daniel said at a loss. “Now let’s not stand around for too long!” the nurse nodded her head, gently guiding Daniel in with a hand on the back of his head. Promptly the wooden gate swung shut with a click, and Daniel watched the nurse re-do the chain-link latch high above Daniel’s own head keeping it closed. He followed her to one of the rooms; each door a different color between red, green, orange, blue, and purple. Inside the green room was a small doctor’s office, set with a sink, a couple cabinets, an empty chair, and examination table spanning the width from one wall to the other. On top of that, more cutesy designs filled the room between splashes of primary color paint and smiling and laughing buckets of paint and brushes up to no good all over the walls of the room. “I’ll put this here…” the nurse said while she dropped the clipboard on a high shelf reserved for physician tablets and computers. Impossibly out of Daniel’s reach, then walked by Daniel and over to the cushioned counter, whisking out an unending sheet from a sturdy spool of wax paper bolted into the end of the examination table. “Can you get up all on your own?” the nurse stood back, asking before using her white sneaker-wearing foot to nudge a footstool in front of the table. “Y-yeah, I’m fine…” Daniel said, approaching the table without intending to use the stool, but… He felt his neck craning the closer he got, so he awkwardly stepped up onto the metal stool, swinging his leg up and making contact first with his knee, then pulling himself up the rest of the way. The room loudly crinkled and the wax paper beneath him rustled, folded and cracked as he settled in, only barely being at eye level now with the nurse. “Okay…!” the nurse said with a smile, strolling back over to the clipboard, taking the pen attached to it. “Uhm– sorry, excuse me?” Daniel spoke up. “Mhm?” the nurse attentively nodded. “Is…is everything here just…big?” “Big?” the nurse repeated in confusion, but smirking. “Yeah…uh, big. It just seems like everything is…well, big.” From the rooms to the chairs to the people here themselves. Everyone but Daniel… “Well, I guess you could say it’s all big, yeah,” the nurse nodded with a giggle before going back to the paper. Obviously they weren’t on the same page… “Okay, Danny, we’re just gonna check some simple stuff before I call in the doctor, okay?” “Yeah, sure, that’s fine,” Daniel sighed, simply wanting this odd experience to be over with. “Great,” she said, then started sampling tools from the counter with the sink. First she checked his ears with a plastic nozzle probe. He could feel the warmth radiating from the light in his ear. “This ear looks good…” She gently leaned him to the other side by the shoulders, then checked the other. “This one too…” Daniel quietly obeyed, letting her even go through the process of checking his blood pressure. “Has Summer been fun?” the nurse asked, and Daniel blinked out of his trance. “Sorry? Summer?” “Yeah, Summer!” the nurse chuckled. “Got a lot of freetime, don’t ya? Trips to the park, maybe late night video games…!” “Well, maybe over the weekends…?” Daniel shrugged, ignoring the growing pressure on his right bicep. “Mostly work, though.” “What?!” the nurse exclaimed with a laugh, like she was humoring a reaction to something outrageous. “What do you mean work? It’s Summer! School doesn’t start up again for a whole more month!” “School…?” Daniel frowned. “No, I’m not in college– I work full time.” “I didn’t think you were in college either, silly,” the nurse chuckled. “All I’m saying is that you should probably be focused a lot more on having fun! Summer’s only once a year!” She undid the strap over his arm and walked back over to the form to fill some more information out. “Danny, can you please hop off the table for me? I need you over here.” Daniel complied, ignoring the liberal use of his name, and saw waiting for him around the corner of the sink counter was a weight and height scale. The ruler measuring his height was bright yellow and dotted with orange spots, wiggling and waving as the scale extended and the overhead ornament used to level with the patient's head was a smiling giraffe… “Oh! You can take your shoes off first,” the nurse quickly held him back with a hand over his chest before he could step on. Daniel complied before stepping back on. “And no tippy-toes, please!” the nurse advised while guiding Daniel’s posture to stand up straight. If there was anything sane or “normal” to come out of this entire endeavor, it was at least the numbers reported on the scale. “Five-foot-nine… One-hundred-thirty-nine pounds…” the nurse mumbled as she jotted down the information. “Okay! You can step off.” At least Daniel knew who he still was. It truly was just a strangely massive clinic. Was it a specialty one catering to unusually tall people? He had no clue, but all the desire to get out of here. “Okay, Danny, I think that I’ve got mostly everything here…” the nurse summarized, checking between her own notes and the odd patient form that Daniel started with. “One last bit, though! There’s this bit at the top of the sheet that tells us the name of the parent or guardian who should be filling this out for you,” she looked up from the page. “Do you know Mom’s full name so I can write it down?” “What?” Daniel blinked. “N-no, that’s… That’s what I was trying to figure out with the receptionist or whatever. I know it’s a little weird that I’m coming here at my age, but I’m twenty years old– I don’t need any guardian.” “Oh wow!” the nurse awed, but to Daniel it sounded like a babysitter humoring her kid of the night’s pretend play. “That’s a big number! Well, Danny, I can tell you that I know plenty of other 20 year old boys your age don’t know their mom’s full names either, and that’s okay!” She set down the clipboard, leaving Daniel at a loss for words as she put her hand on the doorknob. “Dr. Elina will be in here in just a few minutes, okay? Can you be a big help by getting down to your undies for her, please?” She waved one last time before leaving the room. “What the hell is up with this place…?” Daniel sighed, climbing back up to the examination table with a huff, then lifting one foot at a time, undoing the laces and kicking off his shoes. At least his age, weight, and height were consistent… Asking him to take his clothes off were too… Nothing was necessarily wrong with what the nurse did either, per say, and yet… Everything else around it was what he found off putting… How long had he been here for, even? Daniel stopped to pull out his phone, tapping the screen to bring it to life. “Half an hour already…” Daniel sighed, just about to put his phone away before noticing an unfriendly icon pinging on the corner of his notifications. No bars, or any kind of service for that matter. He frowned, checking for any kind of internet connection, of which he had none of, apparently. Knowing full well that his bills were freshly paid, he looked around the room and its generic popout tile ceiling with as much skepticism as he could imagine for a normal medical building, but of course it didn’t add up. What normal clinic in the middle of a busy complex in the heart of a city had trouble with phone reception? There was a brisk knock on the door from the outside, lasting only a second before a new figure stepped inside the room. “You must be Danny?” A soothing voice spoke before she could even close the door. The doctor wearing glasses and sporting a blonde bob haircut gave him a friendly smile as it clicked shut. She was a refreshing escape from the florals and pastel colors. To a small degree she was in fact out of place here– looking almost too doctorly. A white coat and muted color shirt underneath. She was in slacks and simple flats. Those along with of course the signature stethoscope draped around her neck. “Uh, yeah…nice to meet you…” Daniel said, going quiet as the doctor set herself up. “And this is…your patient form,” Dr. Elina commented simply, scanning over the page with a resting smile. With her other hand holding a tablet and small lunchbox-sized container, she set her own items aside. She turned her head to face Daniel. “Are you nervous at all? Everything okay?” The question felt strangely targeted but also out of left-field. Daniel gave her a weird look. “Uhm…I think I’m fine? …Don’t know why I wouldn’t be?” “Okay,” Dr. Elina nodded, smiling. “That’s good! It’s okay if you were nervous; sometimes boys can be a little worried about meeting the big old bad doctor!” she chuckled, and Daniel took too long to debate whether he should laugh back. “So this is for your yearly physical, yes?” “Uh yeah, that’s correct.” Daniel nodded. “Mhm,” Dr. Elina nodded again, busy sifting through her tablet. “Mhm…and…okay. Good. Good!” She looked at him again. “And sweetie– can you take your pants off for me? Do you need help?” The question was blunt, and admittedly a bit condescending the way it reached Daniel’s ears. He made a face. “Uh, no…I can take them off…” Daniel said, slowly undoing the button on his jeans. “Good job,” Dr. Elina commented, like it was customary to praise a child for doing something so simple. “Shirt too, please?” Daniel did the same, until finally he was naked save for his briefs. “Now Danny, I’m going to–” Daniel interrupted, and Dr. Elina stopped on a dime. “Uhm, sorry, but maybe if I could just check something first?” Dr. Elina paused, then morphed into a smile. “Of course honey, what is it?” “I know I might look…small, or whatever, or that this place is just weirdly big, but– I just wanna clarify that I’m 20 years old.” “Uh-huh?” Dr. Elina nodded understandingly. “Yeah, so… So I know it’s a little weird of me to be coming to a pediatrician like this…” “Oh, honey, it’s nothing weird at all?” Dr. Elina refuted with a concerned frown. “It’s…not?” Daniel asked confusedly. “Of course not!” Dr. Elina chuckled. “Do you have a sister?” “A sister? No, I’m an only child…” Daniel said. “Oh, then in that case, maybe a friend who has a sister–” the doctor said, then continued. “20 is definitely that age where boys start to wonder why they keep seeing the same doctor since they were a little bit younger, but it’s perfectly normal. Yes, it’s typically around 18 or so that you might start seeing young women around your age moving on to grownup doctors, but that’s because we know that boys and girls aren’t the same in a lot of ways, right?” She paused like a kid’s cartoon waiting for their viewer to talk to the screen. “...Right,” Daniel answered. “Right!” Dr. Elina nodded encouragingly. “So there’s no need to be worried or concerned about if you’re in the right place, sweetheart. We deal with plenty of boys your age, and also quite a bit older!” “Okay…but uh, maybe at the end of this I could get some referrals to a…grownup doctor? Just in case?” Daniel asked. “Well…” Dr. Elina’s mouth went a bit sideways. “We can figure that out after your checkup, okay?” “Yeah, sure…” Daniel sighed, not exactly enthused over having another one of his concerns deferred. “Oh, and Danny? One other thing,” Dr. Elina started, “Just so we both are on the same page, I know this sounds silly, but– Can you tell me the name of this place?” Daniel frowned once more. Was this some kind of minimum cognitive function test, or something? “Uhm…yeah? PediaPros?” Though he omitted the part where he questioned the “pro” part of the name… “That’s the name, isn’t it?” “...Yes it is!” Dr. Elina nodded, smiling down at her tablet as she continued scribbling. “Thank you for answering that! Okay. Let’s get started then!” Dr. Elina hummed as she approached Daniel, taking off her stethoscope and fixing it on her ears. Only now was her massive chess hiding behind her shirt and jacket coming into full view for Daniel. Another giantess drawing her breasts right up to his eyes as the cold suction-cup like pad was pressed against his chest. “Can you take a nice deep breath for me, please?” Dr. Elina asked, and Daniel complied. A couple seconds went by. “...And deep exhale.” All the air left Daniel’s lungs. “Good job,” Dr. Elina calmly remarked. “Let’s try that again.” So they did, until Dr. Elina swapped over to his back, repeating the same with acceptable results. “Breathing is nice and healthy. I like the sound of those lungs,” Dr. Elina commented. “Uhm…thanks?” Daniel said back awkwardly, earning a small chuckle from the doctor. A few more rudimentary tests went on, from tapping his knees for reflexes and checking the inside of his mouth, and so on… “Okay…” Dr. Elina finished writing a few more notes. “Now Danny, I’m going to move on to a few more very important tests, okay?” “...Yeah, okay?” Daniel nodded. “Does it change when you turn 20, or something?” “Not quite,” Dr. Elina said, “when you turn 18. But I imagine your previous doctor didn’t do these kinds of tests. It’s not uncommon for boys from your background, but luckily you’re here now so we know what to look out for!” “Right…” Daniel nodded, still unsure. “Now I don’t want you to be nervous, but I’m going to need to check your big boy parts, okay?” “Oh, yeah…” Daniel already started laying down on the table. Something he wasn’t ever really enthusiastic about when it came to these check-ups… Something about having a male doctor in a way made him feel less uncomfortable, or at least, not as… A shadow of hanging breasts strained in a shirt coupled with a female doctor’s smile loomed over him. There was a slight tingle in his crotch. Aroused… Dr. Elina was deliberate, slow, and delicate. She gingerly slipped her gloved fingers beneath the waistband of his underwear, lifting his hips ever so slightly off the table as she rolled his waistband down, tugging his underwear down and down… Down and down… “Uhm…” Daniel nervously spoke up. He was used to a “flash” or quick check– not a full-on strip search as far as this part went…! “Don’t worry, everything’s fine,” Dr. Elina assured, and by this point Daniel’s full crotch was exposed, dick, balls, and all. His briefs were bunched and gathered down at his thighs, leaving him totally exposed and uncovered. The only partial shroud he had was his pubic hair… “Mm…” Dr. Elina commented, staring and studying his genitalia intently. Daniel watched with a nervous heartbeat as he tried to keep himself composed, and especially remain limp… But an electric tingle gave him goosebumps when Dr. Elina’s latex finger lightly brushed a few of his curly hairs. “Danny, do you know what the term H.A.C.K. means?” “Like…computer hacking…?” Daniel asked with an unsure look. What was she even talking about? “Not quite,” Dr. Elina chuckled. She gently patted his bare chest before stepping away. “Just lay right there for me, okay? I can explain.” Daniel did as he was told, although he watched Dr. Elina rummaged through the top cabinets above the sink, pulling out a few different items. One however was a tall metal can with a head like a soap dispenser. He watched a mint green foam-like cream pile into her hand, almost like a mix between shaving cream and foamy hand soap. She came back over, and Daniel was expecting some kind of prompt, but he lurched forward out of reflex the moment she smothered his crotch in the lukewarm cream. “It’s not cold, is it?” Dr. Elina asked him casually as she sensually and carefully rubbed the cream around his privates, only brushing against his penis lightly and circling away at every moment they came into contact. “It…it’s not…but…” Daniel murmured, trying to suppress an erection. “Wh-why are you doing this– e-exactly?” “Well, Danny, the term H.A.C.K. actually means a few different things, and the first is H for hygiene, or hair,” Dr. Elina explained, continuing her general rubbing motions. “It’s not uncommon for boys your age to have pubes, or hair that grows around the penis and balls. It’s perfectly natural, but it can also be a bit problematic.” “Problematic…?” Daniel asked, trying to ignore the brushing sensations near his dick. “Yes. Pubes tend to shed or fall off like normal hair on our heads in day-to-day life, except pubic hairs are a little less hygienic because they grow around the spots where you pee-pee from, and also where some other grown up stuff can come out of your penis. It’s also trapped in your undies all day where sweat can accumulate, and may not be washed as properly like the hair on your head is during a shower or bath. Sometimes it can be itchy for boys down there too, making them scratch spots where their hands really shouldn't be, as well as allowing odor to accumulate.” Daniel watched Dr. Elina tug a wipe from a nearby dispenser, slowly combing across the foamy mess on his crotch. Then he looked increasingly concerned as he saw the results left over. “So that’s why the H in H.A.C.K. stands for hair removal.” “W-wait! My pubes!” Daniel shouted in shock. Every speck of cream had been wiped away, but so too was all his hair…! He looked spotless! Like there was never a follicle to begin with…! “Nice and clean!” Dr. Elina remarked with a smile, balling up the wipe now that Daniel could see was stained in cream but also covered with likely hundreds of squiggly and curly hairs…! “That should last you for about half a year before we’d need to apply any cream again.” “Wh-what the fuck…?!” Daniel spoke up in an outrage, immediately sitting back up. “Ah-ah!” Dr. Elina tutted, forcing him back down. “Danny, let’s behave, okay? I’m sorry if I surprised you like that, but I can promise you that this is perfectly normal, okay?” “What doctor gets rid of my fucking pubes during a physical?!” Daniel shouted. “A doctor who cares about your wellbeing very much,” Dr. Elina insisted. “I promise that I won’t do anything to hurt you, Daniel. I’m sorry if you feel upset, but that’s a perfectly normal reaction. Is it okay if I continue?” “What– are you gonna shave my head next?!” Daniel spoke defensively. “I promise you I will do no such thing,” Dr. Elina assured him. “Are you okay now? Can we continue?” What the fuck was wrong with this place? And this doctor…?! “This is insane…” Daniel openly muttered, forgetting any sense of subtleties. “Wait just one second,” Dr. Elina said, leaving the table for another moment. Daniel watched her like a hawk this time, trying to discern danger so he could make for a sprint to the door at a moment’s notice. She was crouched this time underneath the sink and pulled out a plastic cube containing a…teddy bear? “Here he is…!” Dr. Elina smiled, pulling the bear out of its container. “This is a very special helper of mine. His name is Mr. Disty.” “I’m not interested,” Daniel said, faintly hearing her fiddle with a zipper on his back. “That’s okay, but if it’s alright, I’d like it if he kept me some company,” Dr. Elina said, setting the bear right between Daniel’s head and the wall. “But if you’d like, you’re more than welcome to hang on to him for me?” “I’m fine,” Daniel said firmly, crossing his arms. “Can we get this over with already?” “...Of course we can,” Dr. Elina answered kindly in turn. “Now the A for H.A.C.K. stands for arousal. Do you know what that means?” “Yeah, like having an erection…” Daniel sighed, finding it not so hard to suppress an erection when he was rightfully pissed. “That’s correct!” Dr. Elina praised, and Daniel sighed, closing his eyes and listening to the quiet hum in his head. “This next test is another very important one. It’s conducted at every boy’s yearly physical once they turn 18. It’s called CARE for short,” Dr. Elina explained as she put on a single odd-looking glove, leaving the other hand bare. They looked latex or rubbery, but covered in…tendrils? Malleable nubs similar to the texture of a dusting glove or something similar… “That's what the C is in H.A.C.K. Kind of silly, but it’s an acronym within an acronym. It stands for: Controlled Arousal Response Evaluation. A bit fancy, but all you have to do is relax, okay?” “O…kay…” Daniel answered strangely, now watching the doctor. She produced another bottle and squirted a liberal amount of see-through gel into the glove. It was a runny substance that quickly seeped and dripped down and through the tendrils. He watched her one-handedly fish out a phone from her pocket with the ungloved hand and tap through her screen. Daniel’s eyes started to wander, landing back on the woman’s large chest…thinking about her naked breasts…wondering maybe…what kind of underwear she was wearing underneath? What color was her bra…? A lukewarm, textured grip suddenly had him by the dick. He gasped as he turned his head and saw Dr. Elina’s gloved hand envelop his penis entirely in a slimy, bumpy and wriggly hold…! “Do the best you can…okay?” Dr. Elina said with a simple smile, slowly starting to lift with her snug squeeze, stretching and taking Daniel’s dick along with it, until… squirt! A wet squelch as she quickly and suddenly pumped her hand back down…! A jolt reached his heartbeat, a pump of blood ran through his check, down through his arteries and straight into his crotch…! “Just like that…” Dr. Elina whispered, and Daniel’s breathing went heavy as the tugged and lifted– squelch! Back down again. Wet, slimy. Frictionless. Squeeze, hold, hug… He was rock hard before he even knew it. The squeeze, the pressure, the tightness..,! Up! Down! Up Down! The doctor’s hand moved like a machine and an uncontrollable urge to burst and unload was hitting Daniel’s dick at a frightening speed. Dr. Elina’s pace with her hand was irregular– unpredictable. First it was slow, then it was fast. Then it was medium– until it was fast again. Faster…faster…faster…! Fast–! A small gasp erupted from Daniel as he felt it all unload. His face went flush the moment he ejaculated into the doctor’s glove, adding more slime and substance to the sticky and wet mess that his deflated penis was now sandwiched in. “And time~!” Dr. Elina calmly remarked, tapping the screen of her phone. “That puts you at…almost 30 seconds!” Dr. Elina nodded affirmatively at her screen before letting go of Daniel’s dick covered in his own fluids and the translucent gel. She carefully took off her glove and set it in a designated waste bin before entering information on her tablet. “Wh…what…” Daniel tried to catch his breath, unsure of what to think or how to feel, “What does that mean…? Is…is that good…?” “Good?” Dr. Elina repeated from her screen, sounding uncertain of the question. “Mm…Well, sweetheart, everyone goes at their own pace, right? Everyone’s different, so don’t worry about that, okay?” “R-right…” Daniel sighed, winded and looking up at the ceiling, drowning in the sound of the hum. Did…did my doctor just jack me off…? “Now let’s get this little buddy all cleaned up…” Dr. Elina used a few more wipes to clean off Daniel’s crotch and make him dry once again. Not once did he speak or complain. He was totally resigned, feeling weak and limp. Tired. “Oh?” Dr. Elina quietly remarked. Without asking, Daniel shivered the moment he felt a new latex glove gently inspect his balls, gently massaging and moving them, and lastly lightly pinching or gripping the upper end of his shaft, brushing the head and tugging a tiny bit. “Mm… Danny? Are you still awake, honey? You don’t have to open your eyes, but can you hear me?” “Y-yeah…” Daniel commented, curling his toes. He stretched his arms out and brushed against something that felt soft and cuddly. Instinct compelled and his left arm snatched a soft body nearby, bundling it against his chest. “I just cleaned up your penis, but it seems like there was still a little leftover that still needed to leak out. Now can you be very honest with me? Sometimes when you go pee-pee on the big boy toilet, do you not always get it all out? Maybe you dribble a little bit in your undies when you stand back up, or a little bit later?” Dribbles…? Yeah…maybe a tiny bit… “Mhm…” Daniel nodded, snuggling against the cozy, furry friend. “Okay, thank you for being honest with me. That was very responsible of you.” He listened to the hum, snuggled the teddy bear, and kept his eyes closed as the faint sounds of Dr. Elina working around the room occasionally reached his ears, and soon he heard her come back to the table. “Now Danny, I don’t want you to think that you failed the CARE exam, okay? Every boy does differently, and all that means is we just need to react accordingly. The time you lasted is well within average expectations, meaning that your arousal levels are perfectly expected for your age. That also means however you qualify for what’s called an arousal modulation device.” “Uh-huh…” Daniel answered with his eyes closed. “I’m gonna put some gel on your privates that might feel a little cold for a few seconds, but it’ll go away real fast, okay?” “Yup…” he said through a yawn. True to the doctor’s word, the gel was cold, and Daniel did open his eyes. He watched her fiddle between his legs, pinching the excess skin around his balls, which he certainly felt for all of half a second before it felt like…nothing. He felt pressure, so to speak and the activity between his legs, but in terms of direct feeling he registered nothing as he watched Dr. Elina squeezed not only his balls but also his penis through a snug green ring. Her gestures again were surgical as she tested and checked the fitness of the ring that was as far back as it could go– to the base of his dick and stem of his testicals. All the while, Daniel’s entire nether region felt completely numb. Nonexistent. “Now this might feel a bit snug at times, but it’s something you’ll get used to, okay?” Dr. Elina explained with the next piece. Another green item that looked like a hollow sphere that was cut in half, dotted with holes along the dome and a vertical slit down the middle. He watched her grab the base of his penis and place the green shell against it like it was a helmet, funnily enough. Then he watched curiously as she slowly compressed his limp dick, further and further until meager length changed into moderate width, turning into a compressed and packaged nub, totally captured by the green shell that met with the green ring. It was like watching a different body, as he couldn’t feel a single thing down below. Was that this dick? Could it really fit in a space so small and tiny? “Then we hold it all together with this…” Dr. Elina explained as she produced a small key with a cylinder attached to the end. It conveniently slid perfectly into a single long hole formed by the perfect alignment between the shell covering Daniel’s dick and the ring behind his balls. The kid and cylinder went in perfectly, and Dr. Elina turned the key, smoothly pulling it back out, but leaving the metal cylinder behind. Her other hand let go of the shell of the cage, but the green nub didn’t fire away. His dick didn’t uncompress and push it off. Or maybe it’s just that it…couldn’t? The ring didn’t budge either. Curiously, Daniel’s hand wandered and drifted to the green device affixed on his crotch, feeling the hard and rigid smooth shell covering his privates that’d now been miniaturized. It was almost like a…cage? “Does it hurt?” Dr. Elina asked, smiling as she fixed a small chain around her neck, slipping the key that dangled from it beneath her shirt. “No…” Daniel shook his head. Was he missing something? Was it supposed to hurt? When was the numbing gel supposed to wear off? He squeezed Mr. Disty. “Good!” Dr. Elina nodded approvingly. “It’s perfectly normal for boys your age to need an arousal modulation device, so it’s nothing to be ashamed of. And a year from now we’ll do another CARE test to see how things might have changed.” “A…year…?” Daniel asked distantly, but Dr. Elina was gone again, but not far away. She was this time crouched right in front of the examination table and going through the cabinets underneath. “And lastly…K,” Dr. Elina stood back up with a white rectangular bottle, and a patterned square covered in multicolored polka dots. Daniel watched quietly as she set the items aside, first tending to Daniel’s underwear still bunched around his thighs, snaking them off him completely. “Now because of what I observed after administering your CARE exam, and you also mentioned that you’re dealing with dribbles after going potty,” Dr. Elina explained as she unfolded the rectangle– a cushy-looking diaper, “it sounds like you’re experiencing common symptoms from another common case from most boys in general known as UBS, or underdeveloped bladder syndrome. It’s nothing to worry about, but in general this can mean that the muscles in your pee-pee aren’t quite where the rest of your body would like them to be. That means you can be prone to leaks or letting out a little bit of extra stuff you either didn’t get out of your system, or couldn’t hold back long enough in order to reach a toilet. That’s where these guys come in.” “A…diaper…?” Daniel asked. He was feeling lucid enough to understand the strangeness in his doctor, currently lifting both his legs in the air by the ankles, but not aware enough to actually be pushing back. Instead, he simply registered the crinkle and soft cushion his bottom was lowered onto. “That’s right, honey, a diaper,” Dr. Elina nodded. “Typically boys in this world aren’t potty trained. Some are– though most don’t make it, or the few that do are likely to relapse. So color me surprised when I saw you with your very own big boy undies!” Dr. Elina suddenly cooed, lightly tapping Daniel on the nose. And the touch made him feel…funny? Giggly? “Oop– and let’s say bye-bye to Mr. Distractions, okay? I think that I left him on for a bit too long…” Dr. Elina said to herself, gently disarming Daniel and fiddling with the bear again before putting him back away. Daniel was all relaxation as Dr. Elina sealed the deal by drawing up the front of the diaper and taping it into place, packing his privates in even further, leaving a slight pressure that the numbness persisting below wouldn’t allow him to fully register. “There we go~!” Dr. Elina smiled over him. “Does that feel better now? Huh? Does Danny feel all good now?” “Mm…yeah…” Daniel nodded, stretching his legs with a rustling crinkle that came from more than just the wax paper. “Good!” Dr. Elina chuckled, strolling back over to her tablet and the green clipboard. The humming Daniel was listening to was gone, except replaced by a much more organic tune– Dr. Elina’s hums by her workstation. Just as Daniel was sitting up, feeling a fog slowly starting to clear in his head, Dr. Elina came back over with the clipboard in hand. Once she reached the table she turned around in place and carefully sat up on the table with Daniel, then set the clipboard aside for only a second so she could gently deposit him into her lap. “Danny, could you please take a look at this for me?” Daniel watched Dr. Elina pulled the clipboard back into view. It was the form that Daniel had started with, only now it not only had his penmanship on it, but also the nurse’s, and now Dr. Elina’s doctorly scribbles too. “Can you read that name at the top for me, please?” Dr. Elina asked. “Uhm…” Daniel scanned the top of the page, but a slight warmth forming between his legs was a little distracting. “Pedia…Pals?” “Ope– uh-huh, that does say PediaPals,” Dr. Elina nodded with a chuckle. “But nope! Can you read…this for me, please?” She slowly traced her finger from the field with Daniel’s name, all the way over to the right where the other blank one– or…no, where the one with a name written on it was. “Joeanne…Elina?” Daniel read the name, though the significance of it wasn’t exactly striking him. “Uh-huh!” Dr. Elina said in an elated voice, squeezing Daniel in her lap. “And you know, Danny? That’s the end of your physical!” “Finally…” Daniel sighed, rubbing the front of his head. Wait…what did he just read again? “Now let’s go bring this back to the nice lady in the front room, okay?” “Sounds good…” Daniel went along with the same idea he was having in his head. He expected to hop down and walk his way out, but as Dr. Elina stood, so did Daniel, in a way, being glued to the doctor’s hip. They were going together? He lightly squeezed his legs and felt a fresh warmth heat the in-betweens of his legs. A potent nursery scent tickled his nostrils too. But between the sound of the examination room door opening and closing, he heard one last joyful remark underneath Dr. Elina’s breath. “And to think he’d be a Drop-In!” Find more fun story, DD lore, games, and art on my SubscribeStar! Otherwise, see you next time on here!

50 - When it Rains, It Pours “So no naps? None? Nada?” The voice was muffled, but that’s only because her consciousness was still fading into place. “If she had it her way then bed time would be up for debate too,” a very familiar voice chuckled right beside her ear, sounding like her head slowly shook helplessly. “Don’t ever try bribing her, though. The only thing she should be expecting for misbehaving are consequences, not rewards. That’s just for baby days, though!” “So this isn’t full-time, then?” The world was black, but Emily’s ears were working. She was awake but her eyes were closed. All she was doing was listening. “No, not really. We’re still partners. We just…tend to do this a lot. Unless there's a safe word, from sunrise till sunset diapers stay on from the moment we both agree to them.” A gentle hand was stroking the girl’s back and she was in sensual heaven. If only this could last forever…! “Wait, so…” Amy’s voice went quiet. “Does she ever get upset?” “Upset? Oh! You mean like a temper tantrum?” “If that’s what we’re calling it,” Amy giggled, “sure?” Suddenly this wasn’t so fun to listen to anymore… “Mmm…I wouldn’t quite say that just yet. But again, if she was ever really mad or upset, she’d handle that in a way you’d understand. And wait, actually– Mm…yeah, nope, never mind. We’ve definitely dealt with a few tantrums before! Like this one time, Emily had to go to the dent–” “It wasn’t a tantrum!” Emily erupted from the couch. Her upper half shot upright with a displeased look There she was, supposedly Emily’s most favorite person in the world, squatting right by her side where she was supposed to be waking her up from a nap. Not telling stories about her! “Is this gonna be one too?” Joyce was all grins and laughs, and even Amy from slightly afar was smirking as well. Love is a weird thing, because despite the backstabbing behavior Emily was already hanging her upper half around Joyce in a tight hug. “I missed you so much!” Joyce put to words what Emily channeled through feeling. “Were you talking about me?” Emily mumbled into her shoulder. “You could have stopped it,” Joyce squeezed her arm. “I know what a munchkin pretending to sleep looks like…” She knew?! Emily blinked, certainly caught and had, but she hugged Joyce anyway. “I missed you…” Emily whispered sheepishly. “And I missed you even more,” Joyce said as she stood and slid Emily back on the couch, sitting right beside her. “Did you just get here?” Emily with a blanket still over her lap slid right against her girlfriend. “About fifteen minutes ago, I think.” “And you didn’t wake me up?” “Just because I show up, that doesn’t excuse you from your naps,” Joyce openly disapproved, and somehow the line between equals and submissive and dominant were back to being blurred. “I wasn’t taking a nap!” Emily tried for a rebuttal, but there wasn’t a single face in the room that looked even remotely inside her camp. “I– I was just sleeping for a second!” And as she laughed, Joyce grabbed her by the shoulders and smothered the top of her head with a loud kiss. “Want something to drink?” Joyce asked, and Emily simply nodded. “Okay. Amy said you should still have some juice left, so let’s get that.” The couple rose to their feet, but the moment they stood and the blanket fell, Emily had half a second to process the consequences and grabbed her shroud in a hurry. Joyce turned and tilted her head while Amy walked ahead to the kitchen, but it didn’t make their oncoming exchange any more private. “What,” Joyce chuckled, “did you suddenly get chilly?” “N-no, I…” Crap! Use that as an excuse, dummy! Too late now. “It’s…soft…is all.” “Well you can get cozy with me by the counter. Let’s not drag Amy’s blankets all over the floor.” And just to force the issue a little bit more, “Besides, I don’t want you spilling anything on her stuff either.” “It’d come out in the wash~!” Amy offered from afar, but Emily’s ray of hope was nothing more than a flash in the pan. “Not the point!” Joyce said right back. “Emily’s spilled something once on our couch already!” “That was one time!” Emily butt her own voice in, especially upset to have that stain on her record be used against her for the umpteenth time. How could Joyce get to keep re-using that?! Wasn’t there supposed to be an expiration date on crimes, or something? But the mini debate was effectively over and the result was clear, but Emily’s hands still hung on the edge of the blanket, still yet to follow the victor’s orders. “Emily? Put the blanket back, please.” “But…” she looked over Joyce’s shoulder and could see Amy pouring her thermos into a cup. Her worries showed on her face and her body language beckoned for Joyce to come forward. So she did with a smile and leaned in her ear for a whisper. “I…I’m wearing one and I don’t want Amy to see…!” Joyce pulled her ear and head away, just so her charge could see the sheer look of disbelief on her face. “You don’t want her to see?” Joyce asked a little bit louder than Emily would have liked, but she slowly nodded. “You really are too much for your own good, you know that? C’mon, gimme a hug~!” It was a little awkward making the maneuver, but Emily was soon embraced by her partner as they had their arms around each other. The blanket was hands-free, pinned by their legs pressing on either side. But alas, the mutual standing was lost as hands suddenly appeared underneath Emily’s thighs and her feet left the floor. “J-Joyce!” Emily gasped as she already leaned out for the discarded cover on the ground, but it was far out of reach now. “Why do you always get so hung up over the silliest things?” Joyce playfully scolded, but once her fingers brushed against the leg bands of what she had yet to fully see, she turned her head out. “And what kind of diaper did…!” Amy’s head turned once Joyce made the noise, and Emily immediately ducked for cover by hiding in her girlfriend’s shoulder. “Amy! What is this?!” Emily had her eyes shut, desperate to run off to dreamland again, but she felt them turn and move towards the kitchen, all the while her padded bottom was advertised like some broadside billboard. “One of my newest creations!” Amy smugly grinned. “Is…is it a disposable?” Joyce couldn’t hide the curiosity, but she wished her arms weren’t full just so she could touch, test, and admire the foreign trinket. “Sorry, but my skills are with cloth, not plastics,” Amy shrugged. “It’s a cloth diaper I put together.” “Joyce…please…!” Emily begged with a mumble, but all she got were kisses and squeezes. “How long are you gonna hold her? Girl’s gotta drink, you know,” Amy said expectantly, and suddenly Emily was losing her last bit of cover. “W-wait! No! I-I wanna…!” The words were hard to find when even she didn’t know what she herself wanted. Yes, sure, Amy put her in the diaper she was wearing, meaning obviously she had seen her in it, but did the two adults in the room have absolutely zero concept of just what a nap could do to a person? Yes, it recharged her energy and emotions, which is exactly why she had it in herself to be embarrassed all over again! She flinched when a hand dropped on her shoulder, and it was Amy chatting casually, “Y’know, Em, at least with cloth diapers you can accessorize.” She then made a pointed look at Joyce, taunting in a sing-song voice. “Disposables don’t really offer much for color combos…!” “This is nice…” Joyce admitted, rubbing her baby’s shoulder as she lightly tapped the bright snap-buttons. “But I like disposables too much. Won’t these get stuffy in the summer or when it’s hot?” While it may have included Emily, the way Joyce literally said it right over her head seemed to imply that it didn’t. “More than likely, but it doesn’t have to be a 24/7 thing– or a thing at all. I made it for fun! Isn’t that what you’re paying me to do? And you,” Amy suddenly grabbed Emily and tugged her away. She turned and swiped something off the counter and shoved it in Emily’s hands. “Have something to drink.” “Uhm…thanks…” Emily awkwardly moved into a seat, and Joyce was watching with a frown above her folded arms. “It doesn’t make noise,” she accused Amy. “That’s because it’s mainly cloth. There’s a water-proof cover though, so yes it does.” “Then that’s why disposables are better.” “Do you want her bum to stick out like a sore thumb?” Are they arguing…? In spite of being flung into the spotlight, somehow the thing around her waist had become the focus. Nevertheless, it sort of felt like she was spared, so the shy girl resigned herself to her glass of juice. “That’s what makes it so cute, doesn’t it? I like the look of her diapers now. It’s…you wouldn’t get it.” “Wouldn’t get it, or are you just having a hard time explaining it?” Amy raised her eyebrow. “Yes. Both,” Joyce scoffed. “It’s like…like– no matter what she wears or does, her diapers are non-negotiable, right? I like designing around Emily’s look, and her diapers are baked into that. If you’re making the necessities a fashion point, it…” “Feels less genuine?” Amy shrugged with her mouth. “Yes!” Joyce exclaimed with a smile, but quickly tightened up her expression. “B-but…that doesn’t mean we can’t use diapers like that… I’d just prefer to stay in disposables.” Amy let out a great sigh with her face hiding behind her hand. “You know, I feel like if nothing else, today’s opened a door for me to see just how particular you are about these things…” The seamstress strolled around the counter for her mug. Emily, who was trying to stay small, was suddenly asked by her, “You really deal with this 24/7?” “Excuse me?” Joyce edged her tone, Amy laughed, and Emily was left unsure. “What? Am I not allowed to get her opinion?” the woman defensively held up her hands. “Yes, you are, but don’t badmouth me in the process!” Joyce sounded in a voice of disbelief. Maybe getting up from my nap was a bad idea… Emily had herself another quiet sip. “Or in other words: a moot point…” Amy mumbled, and Joyce arched in annoyance just a few degrees more. “Just because Emily let you in, don’t think that gives you a pass with me…!” Joyce warned, and Amy pretended to be the fearful fiend. “J…Joyce…!” Emily started to speak up, but the supposed flames were raging just a little too hard. “Joyce, sounds like you’re having a temper tantrum,” Amy laughed innocently, “maybe you need a nap, huh?” “And maybe you need a timeout!” “A…Amy…!” Emily tried for the other end of the stick, but neither one was budging. “If you’re just gonna argue with me,” Joyce went on, “Maybe I’ll just find someone else to make Emily’s clothes!” “Oh yeah?” Amy rolled her eyes. “And who’s gonna do them as cute as I can?” “St-stop!” Emily raised her voice one final time, and it was finally enough for both women to notice her outburst. The actors on stage turned their heads to the audience, where Emily on her stool gave them both a discomforted look. “Stop fighting…!” she insisted with her hands wrapped anxiously around her glass. Both Amy and Joyce were quiet. Their long lashes fluttered as their mouths barely budged, sharing a neutral look with one another, possibly erring on confusion. But one sputter was all it took before both were laughing. “Sorry!” Amy giggled, “I think we got a little carried away…!” “I haven’t had to be stern with Emily in a bit, so it was kind of a fun chance…” Joyce scratched the side of her cheek with a sheepish grin. “W-wait, were you not fighting?” Emily stuttered, only realizing now just how much of a big misunderstanding there was. “Sorry if it looked like that,” Joyce came around just to hug her partner. “More like some aggressive teasing.” “Sounds like you had some things you wanted to get off your chest for real?” Amy delivered another dig at the woman who took it in stride. “And thanks for helping me burn off a little steam,” Joyce declared, looking oddly proud of herself, for some reason; like all she had left for Emily now were cuddles and kisses. “Sorry, Em, we weren’t fighting for real,” Amy explained, “just a little back-and-forth.” “O-oh…” Emily puffed aloud, then went back to her drink. Yet another misunderstanding… “But once you finish your juice we’re gonna get ready to go home,” Joyce announced, right as Ashes silently leapt onto the empty seat beside them. “Looks like somebody also just finished their cat-nap, huh?” And with just about as much favoritism as he had for Emily, Joyce’s affectionate pets were received by the cat no less pleasingly. “Oh, let me go get her stuff downstairs,” Amy said as she departed, and Emily went to follow. But Joyce slipped her back on the seat just as she started to leave. “Ah-ah! Juice first, then you can get down,” Joyce instructed as she brought the cup herself to Emily’s lips. “But I…” she paused to sip and swallow, “-I need to help Amy. It was my job to clean her space down there today. I’m still on the clock.” “Sweetheart,” Joyce smiled helplessly, “I think you went off the clock the moment you started your nap. Amy can handle it. Right now I just need all that juice in your tummy.” “Yeah, but…” she was still turning her head where she felt the need to go, but Joyce was suddenly in the way. It was obviously one of those moments where she was being forced to grow down, but the place was the problem. Was Joyce really trying to mommy her here? In Amy’s home? “So’d you have a good lunch today?” Joyce asked, moving the girl’s headspace along to other places. “Yeah…” she said distantly at first, “Yeah,” she said more resolutely. “Why’d you have to write my name like that, though…? Amy saw!” “Don’t give me that tone!” Joyce laughed, “It’s not like I wanted her to see either! Bet it makes you want a lunch box now, huh?” “No, it’d still be just as embarrassing!” Emily complained, practically throwing her upper half out of the seat. And yet despite being so dangerous and reckless, of course Joyce was right there to handle her by the hands. “You really are squirmy in a seat. Should we get Amy a high chair for her to use with you?” “No! Stop!” Emily complained, per se, all the while giggling. But the laughter died quickly as she went quiet. Joyce tilted her head curiously, but her smile came fast. “Emily, you’re in one. It’s okay; go.” Sixth senses were scary, and the fact that Emily couldn’t tell what she possibly could have done to signal her need to pee, and yet somehow Joyce still finding out was like a moment of horror itself. There was no denial, and there was no direct admission. Joyce looked down at the top of her head expectantly, and slowly Emily leaned against her girlfriend, her mommy, starting to grab at her blouse. “But…why here?” “Because it’s the same rules anywhere,” Joyce softly said. “You’re in a diaper, Emily. Cloth or disposable, they’re for the same thing.” Wet a diaper? In Amy’s house. Gross. Weird. Uncomfortable. “Hey…remember the first time we came here together?” Joyce sweetly reminisced. “After Amy took your measurements you came up here to hang out while Amy and I ironed out the details about some of your first outfits. You were wearing a diaper then, too. Remember?” Joyce certainly did. Those flimsy, no-good boring adult diapers… “Mm…” Emily nodded against her shirt, feeling the same kind of heat in her cheeks now that she remembered from that day. She needed to pee then just like she did now, diapered all the same. The rhythm was still vague and the experience was somehow even fresher and rawer than what she was going through now. Her debate to disobey or do as she was told ended right in front of the toilet, and ultimately on the floor where her wet bottom sat until they found her. It was just another one of those moments. She didn’t have the words, but she had all the feelings and mannerisms that wanted nothing more than something to hold on to. Joyce was warm and something to hide in. Something she could breathe easy with just to ride out the storm. Just until she found the courage, the strength, and the will to… “Get it all out?” Mommy’s voice was soft as she patted her little girl’s head. Emily tried not to make any noise, but she exhaled ever so slightly, trying her best to go completely mute. “Mm…mhm…” she muttered with a smothered face. Wetting wasn’t exactly a new thing for her anymore, but doing it in stressful situations was. She just… “closed up,” for lack of a better explanation. It was as if her “big girl” parts remembered how to function and the adult side of her still wanted to run the show. Giving up control was hard and never easy, and yet the sweet, wonderful feeling she felt once she did… Cloth was different, however. There wasn’t as much of a swell, and the wet feeling was far more prominent. It did just disappear like her usual diapers made it. After all, she could have tied a sweatshirt around her waist and between her legs and it would have felt the same, more than likely. Warm and wet, but somehow not leaking. Maybe that waterproof layer or whatever really did work. Amy…really is good at this… “Does it feel different?” Joyce asked quietly. “Yeah…” Emily mumbled back. “Better, though?” If Joyce wasn’t watching, she could have felt the girl shaking her head against her front instead. In a meek voice she admitted, “I like the other ones better…” “See?” Joyce chuckled. “You’re gonna have to tell Amy that! If anyone, she has to listen to you.” And let her know that she just reviewed her diaper in real time? The girl shuddered but Joyce held her steady with another laugh. “Okay, fine, we’ll tell her later. Just don’t hope she asks to take that back before we leave…” “Joyce!” Emily cried before she bit her lip, and her guardian only giggled more with another hug. “Don’t worry…! We’ll just say we need to confiscate it for…mmm…more extensive testing. How about that?” Though, where Joyce was short for excuses was on what exactly such “extensive testing” might be. As useful as diapers were, their uses were not many. A cutie like you only needs them for two related reasons… Joyce looked pitiful, but only for a moment. She turned her head as Amy came back in. “Did you want a bag for her clothes?” Amy came in with the girl’s folded lower half. “Oo- Sorry, I think I forgot something downstairs…” “It’s okay, Amy,” Joyce nodded her back in. “I just wanted to give Emily a hug. I’ve been needing this all day!” “Well start with that!” Amy huffed with a rising chest and falling set of clothes. “I thought Emily needed privacy.” “And what, I don’t?” Joyce took on an offended look. “Emily is my guest. You’re just the chauffeur,” she shrugged with disinterest, and all for Emily’s sake, Joyce continued to play her part. “Is that so? Well, I guess I better start acting like one and drive my little miss out of here.” Once Emily was on her feet she was covering her front as best as she could. Her feet were uneven as they fidgeted back and forth, but she did keep looking between Joyce and the counter. “Pants?” Joyce read her mind. Emily nodded. “Had I known this was gonna happen, something other than jeans probably would have made more sense…” she bit her lip as she imagined the slim pants somehow trying to fit over a bulky diaper. Either way, that didn’t stop her from trying to feed the jeans up Emily’s legs. “It feels tight…” Emily made an awkward, uncomfortable comment as the waist tightened around her own. The way it stretched and strived to conform to her added mass, it seemed she was pushing her pants to a dangerous limit. “We’ll undo it once we get in the car,” Joyce decided. “It’s just a quick walk down the sidewalk.” The last thing there was which she could easily pocket enough was her panties. Yet another pair put on an early vacation from their big-girl duties. “So, Em, think you can live working with me another day?”Amy rose to her feet with her cat bundled against her. “Oh! Right, your pay!” She was gone and back in time to fill the space her after-image had left. With a small set of bills in hand she thumbed through them. “One…two…three…six. That’s good for now, I’d say.” Emily accepted the bills, but she was still in silent surprise. “Th-this much…?” Emily muttered. “B-but I didn’t really do–” “Be a good girl and take my money!” Amy stepped forward just to force her fingers around the money. “Better yet,” she then undid the gesture and swiped the money back, handing it over to Joyce. “Make sure she keeps it?” “But I–” Emily tried to say, but failed. “-I will see you soon, is what I hope I’m hearing?” Amy interrupted with a smile. “I kept track of your hours, Em. You earned it, so don’t argue with your boss! And if it hasn’t already, it’s gonna be raining soon. Go home before you guys get caught in rainy traffic!” “The traffic part seems unavoidable at this point…” Joyce sighed as she kept the tempo and surprised Emily by draping a jacket over her shoulders. “Amy’s right, little monkey; let’s hop to it!” Joyce made for the door, but Emily lagged behind. She walked, but then she crawled, and finally inched to a stop. “...Amy?” “Forget something?” “No, I…” she fell flat on her own words. The things that she and Joyce were doing to her. Doing for her. Joyce knew exactly how much Emily appreciated it, because she had been thanked time and time again, and by now even Emily was starting to understand the weird and wondrous ways she could show gratitude to Joyce. Both women today had made themselves into distractions just to keep the girl in diapers sane. All thanks to Joyce, Emily’s worldview had been turned upside down and branching down paths that felt like the farthest things from reality. Her girlfriend, her lover, and her mommy. They connected in so many ways, and today, Emily got a glimpse of someone else that could channel those similar feelings. But it wasn’t a replacement or a substitution. An extension? It wasn’t the time or place to confront any of that though, because like everything in the beginning it was all just a fuzzy haze. It had yet to take shape or become any clearer, but all she needed to know was that the feeling was pleasant. “Thank…thank you for today. For…” her mouth made a difficult noise as her face started to contort. The words were in her head, but even then they were evaporating before they could reach the tongue. “Th-thank you for today! A-al…all of it. For all of it…!” she couldn’t even look her in the eye, and once she finished she immediately made for the exit, nearly rushing face-first into the door Joyce still had yet to open. She didn’t turn back and scurried down the stairs, but Amy was standing back with a difficult expression. And Joyce, hanging by the doorway still, smiled with a sigh and held up her hand. With just a thumb pointed to the ceiling, Amy felt the infectious feeling part her lips just to show her teeth. The mutual excitement was brief, however, because a new shock overtook the mommy. “Wait! Emily!” Joyce called, “We still need to get your shoes on! Do not get your socks wet!” And right before she gave chase she turned around one last time. “Amy, we’ll be in touch, okay? And as for the diaper, thanks for that too. Emily needs to uhm, well…” she looked the other way again, like time was of the essence. Fidgety little adult girls had a tendency of getting into naughty things without constant supervision, after all… “-Forget it. She wet it already and I need to wash it before giving it back. Gotta go! Bye!” Amy offered a small wave with a helpless laugh, but there was no one to receive it. While she could have seen them out, given Emily’s brave little gesture and her desperation to get away, maybe it’d be better to leave it like this. For once it wasn’t back to her workshop immediately. Instead, she strolled over to the couch, joined by her cat where she hummed softly. “Auntie…” Would she really agree…? “I was gonna wait for you,” Emily pouted in the passenger seat. They sat bumper-to-bumper under the downpour bouncing off the hood and roof of their and everyone else’s cars. “And yet lately with how mischievous you’ve been, I can’t help but feel the need to be extra cautious…” Joyce sighed, but smiled. “Busy day for you?” “Mm…” Emily nodded simply. “You too?” “A little,” Joyce twisted her words, “but nothing I couldn’t handle. I think the biggest parts were when you called me, you know?” “Sorry about that…” “Stop. Apologizing!” Joyce nudged her shoulder each time. “Do I need to somehow hypnotize the guilt out of you?!” “I’m not…! I will…!” Emily giggled. “I just…I dunno. I feel weird for doing all this… You said it was okay, but…I guess I kind of started it.” “And thank you for doing that,” Joyce chuckled with her eyes in front of her, and Emily blinked. “...Really?” “Really,” the driver nodded. “I’ve kind of talked about it with you before, but it was more like daydreaming, I guess… It’s hard. I never said I was serious, but I never said that some little part of me didn’t like the idea, either… It’s not realistic, and involving someone else in any real kind of way makes me nervous, so I didn’t ever want to really ask you about it.” And yet she technically did. “It wasn’t exactly what you asked for today, but I figured I’d try and push the envelope a little more… You were really okay with that?” “I mean…you gave me a chance to refuse…” Emily shifted in her seat, watching the rain roll down the window beside her. In not so direct words, Emily had the chance to stop all of it, “But I didn’t. I was scared.” “Does…does this have to do with you thinking you cheated?” “...Kind of…” Emily sulked with a mumble. “Emily, it wasn’t cheating, I promise.” “Then it was scary.” “Scary…? How?” “Because… I-I…I liked it,” she whimpered sorely. “I was scared because I didn’t know how to feel. It was weird because it wasn’t with you. You’re…you’re why I like this, Joyce. You’re…urgh, you’re my mommy!” and as serious as she was being, Joyce still couldn’t help but flutter from the tickle in her chest. “I love you…! I love you so much! A-and when I felt things…good things with another person…I-I thought…wh-what if I could be this way with someone else…?” her voice cracked, and the tears had them both taken aback. “Emily…sweetheart…” “And I don’t know why I feel like this…! I know how I feel…! I like Amy, but I love you! So…so it’s okay…but…I don’t like it! I liked it being us…just us…” But her body wasn’t listening. The scope was larger and her horizons stretched farther than she thought. The ‘R’ word frightened her the most. Replace. It was unthinkable, but her mind was trained to go to bad places in the midst of an emotional crisis. Joyce could be replaced. Of course she couldn’t, but Emily’s feelings for being babied weren’t exclusive anymore… Emily sniffled and hiccupped, wiping her tears, but Joyce wore a somber smile, briefly glancing to her right. “...Emily, could I be a little selfish for a second…?” “Wh-what…?” “I know the way you say it makes things seem scary. You’re worried because it seems like you can be a little girl for anyone, right? Emmy, baby, no matter what, I’m not going anywhere, okay? Nowhere that doesn’t include you.” Her hand quietly ran along the steering wheel. “I say this a lot, but I feel like I sort of have to preface this all over again. Emily, you’re your own person. No matter what I want from you, that’s all second to what you want. Being a big or little girl is one of those things. I’ll go as far as you let me, but you’re the one that always has full control.” “But I like–!” “But that being said,” Joyce took back the lead with a smile, “I daydream a lot. I imagine all the ways that things can progress or change… If things were to stay as they were now until the end of time, I’d be the happiest person in the world. You’ve already given me more than I ever thought I could ever possibly have, Emily. Every day we make any kind of progress, or just sink a little bit deeper…that’s all a bonus. Today for me was…a chance to let you be little, even when I wasn’t there. I don’t think it’s ever something I can really explain,” she chuckled sheepishly, “but in a selfish world, feeling like a mommy as much as I can makes me so happy…” A starry-eyed, dreamy look swept across her face as a land beyond reality stood far beyond the wet windshield. “Emily, the moment I knew that you liked being babied, I’ve wanted nothing more than to encourage that feeling and let it grow. I’m glad you feel like there’s someone else that you’re okay being little around. I know it’s going to sound silly, but…I don’t feel as nervous or jealous when I think about it like that…” W-were her ears working? Emily finished drying her red eyes as she stuttered aloud, “Come…come again?” Joyce? Not jealous? “Oh come on…!” Joyce moaned defensively, finally looking embarrassed herself. The fact how absurd she sounded was mutually recognized, and the dominant blushing herself made that clear. “Yes! I was not jealous for once…! I mean, I was…” she sighed, “but jealous about babying you is different. I specifically left you with Amy, and I’m the one who gave her permission. Unlike sharing my big girl, sharing my little one just feels…nice, in a way. I can go to work and you get to be with someone that understands you and lets you be yourself. So it’s not cheating, Emily. It’s the farthest thing from it. Kids get a lot of love from a lot of people, don’t they? They have aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, grandparents and cousins, all on top of a daddy and mommy. Believe me, no one’s ever going to love you as much as I do, but I kind of like letting in others when it comes to being a little girl.” “So…you want me to be little around other people?” “I want what you want,” Joyce pivoted her point, “but it sort of sounds like you answered half the question for yourself today. If it’s safe, and it’s another way to bring out the little girl in you…I really do like the idea of expanding our circle. I’ll love you whether it’s a big girl day or a little one, but the more I can let you be the latter, the happier I am for letting you be what’s so much a part of our relationship… But it’s not everything; it doesn’t have to be. It makes me more happy than you can imagine how protective you are of what we have, but it’s not something you need to keep from other people? No one else is going to be your mommy, and no one else will try to be. Being a caregiver doesn’t mean having a new mommy, so please don’t be afraid to let yourself be little…okay?” Being little was all about downsizing issues and giving up responsibility. By now, Emily understood enough to know that it was meant to help her be carefree and embrace the simplicities, however that might be. And yet it couldn’t have felt any more complicated… But again, Joyce was trying to sort all her messes for her, and it did make sense. “What…what happens if I’m okay with it?” Saying it was far easier than doing. She still could hardly imagine it, but all that needed to be said was. “Then we do as we always do. We try things, take it nice and slow, find out what works, what doesn’t, and have lots of fun the whole time!” She shrugged, truly making it seem as simple as that. “I don’t want to change how we’ve been handling things, and I promise to keep my surprises safe, hence why we’re gonna continue to talk about bigger stuff like this. Sound good?” “Mm…” Emily nodded, back to her quiet, pensive self, and yet all felt right in the world again. “Now…” Joyce couldn’t help but grin, and the umpteenth red light was the perfect excuse to look right at Emily, “are you ready for the part that I think you might like?” “...What?” she asked in a tiny voice. “I know you were nervous, but you did like today, right?” Was it a second test she was somehow supposed to expect? Was there a right answer? “I said it’s okay, didn’t I? Be honest!” Joyce laughed. The second-guessing was written all over her face, and Joyce had no problem calling it out. “I…did.” But was she even allowed to say that? Did Amy have fun? She…she talked to her about a lot of things, but that was just what friends did. Or maybe she was doing it for Joyce’s sake. Amy didn’t care…or did she? She was into the clothes, wasn’t she? Did she even need to be thinking about the way someone else felt? “Well, I talked a little with Amy while you were asleep,” and like always, so much seemed to happen while Emily was sleeping… “What would you say if she wanted to have you over again?” “Yeah…? She asked me that earlier?” Emily sounded unsure. Was she missing something? “I know you’re still gonna help with her projects, but Amy meant more of what the second half of today was like.” The second half…? The second… The… “L…like with the…” “Only if you’re okay with it, but I guess someone else thinks you’re just as cute in a diaper as I do?” Joyce chuckled, and Emily was feeling hot all over again. “Wait, don’t tell me you’re really that surprised? Awh! Is that a smile I see…?” “Shut up!” Emily lashed out, but Joyce only giggled more. “I’m even more surprised, you know! She said she wasn’t fully sure, but she did know that she wanted to try being a caregiver again.” “And you’re really okay with that…? What…what if she does things differently, though?” “Well, I’d hope she’d feel a little different from me,” Joyce playfully pondered with a finger on her chin. “I’m not trying to be replaced, you know?” “I-I didn’t mean it like that…!” “I know you didn’t!” Joyce laughed. “Let’s call it a dry run? Or like…a babysitter in training?” “She…she really said that?” “No, not exactly, but she did say some funny things.” Auntie Amy…! “I…I don’t know…” “I don’t want you lying to yourself if you think you’re trying to protect me. Emily, I repeat: this is not cheating. Be comfortable with this, okay? If you’re willing to try, I want you to have fun with this!” “But how would it work? A-am I supposed to stay over…?” “Absolutely not!” Joyce frowned. “Do you know how expensive overnight babysitters are?” Emily could already hear the syrup and sugar in her voice. “Just thinking about my little girl having a nightmare when I’m not there…!” “Okay, okay…! You made your point!” Emily shoved her shoulder just to get the teasing to stop. “Hey, not when I’m driving!” “Then stop talking like that!” “I will do no such thing! One more shove and it’s riding in the back seat for the rest of the week for you! More importantly, I need to know! Amy’s gonna watch you next time. Yes, or no?” How could she just ask like that?! Especially after just teasing her? Joyce always got her way and it was not fair! Now Emily couldn’t even look out for her partner? She got a talking-to for being cautious of her girlfriend’s jealousy that miraculously evaporated the moment Emily had a diaper on?! “Well?” Joyce smirked, and Emily’s frown was quivering. “Y…yes! Fine! Yes I’ll do it!” “Great! Amy will be very happy to hear that. I guess I’ll need to get some things ready for her to have, then…!” “What?” What things? “W-well…does she really need stuff?” “Well, Em, she needs more at her place to take care of you… I don’t mean a second nursery, or anything, but she’ll need a changing pad for you. A couple bottles, one of your pacis…” And like that her voice was drifting to a point where it wasn’t about explaining anything to Emily. Just a wistful mommy making a mental note of all the things she needed to do. Then she gasped. “Wait! I can get a diaper bag! Or…wait…maybe Amy should make it…” she frowned, and suddenly her plans felt less flashy when the person she wanted to surprise was suddenly in on the plans. And Emily, despite having let Amy through the pearly gates, somehow made more of a monster out of Joyce. She shuffled in her seat, reminding herself of the oppressive wet cloth around her hips. But maybe…she could make a request herself. “Is…is she at least gonna have the other diapers…?” “Your disposables? Of course,” and Joyce patted her leg. “I’ll call Amy later tonight” Would it make sense to have a case delivered to Amy’s…? And on their drive home Joyce’s phone started to ring. “Did you forget something at Amy’s?” Joyce asked as she blindly reached for her phone. “No, I don’t think so…” “Hello? Amy?” Joyce answered. “Amy? Joyce, don’t tell me you moved on…!” An all too familiar voice flooded the other end with worry. “How could you…?!” Emily leaned out just a little bit to see the shift from pleasant surprise to ‘oh, a surprise’ awfully quick. Only until Joyce responded did it make sense. “Hello to you too, Mom!” “Did you and Emily break up? Your dad and I really liked her…!” “No, Mom, we did not break up. I just thought you were someone else. Emily’s in the car with me right now.” “Oh, thank goodness!” Mary sighed with relief, but she pivoted her attitude just as well, if not better than her daughter could. “Why would you go scaring me like that? Did my name not show up for you? Is your caller ID working?” “Yes, Mom, it is, but I have my eyes on the road…! If I was looking at my phone instead of the road, you’d have neither a daughter nor her girlfriend to see this Thanksgiving!” “Joyce…!” Emily hissed in a shocked whisper. Her partner only gave her eyes that could communicate her disinterest in playing nice with her own mother. “Don’t be so morbid!” Mary chastised, and whatever grim sense Emily had felt, clearly it wasn’t of much effect on the head matron of the Summer’s family. “Is this a bad time right now? I was doing a wellbeing check!” “I am well, and so is Emily,” and Joyce turned the phone out into the open. “H-hi, Mary…!” Emily shouted into the phone. “Hiii, Emily!” Mary’s voice traveled back with a slight digital gargle. “See? We’re doing well,” Joyce had the phone back on her ear, and mother and daughter by blood sounded far calmer now. “I can tell! Your dad is out with some of his friends today, but we were starting to stock up on some candy for Halloween. You two have any plans for that?” Was it really coming that soon? Joyce blinked, and just like that, there they were midway into the month. Time really did fly by… “Not yet, no…” And unlike herself and Emily, she knew exactly what her parents would be up to. The second Joyce and her sibling stopped trick or treating, Frank and Mary pivoted the candy import into an export. They accumulated candy like it was some kind of national reserve and liquidated their assets over the course of a few hours to the hundreds of kids trick-or-treating through the neighborhood. Candy was spent in exchange for getting to see all the cute and cool costumes kids and teens would wear. “Well…if it includes costumes, I’m going to want pictures, you know! John and Hannah plan on going to a party in a few days. They’re going as Bonnie and Clyde!” “That sounds nice,” Joyce chuckled. “But right now we don’t have anything set in stone yet,” but Joyce did glance just briefly at Emily, wondering just what kind of costume would look good on her… Vampire? Super hero? Sheep? Monkey? Kitty cat? Princess? Piglet? Quite a few of those could get away with a diaper underneath, too… Trick-or-treating did get long… “Mm,” Mary made a noise, and Joyce already knew what disapproval sounded like. “Try to do something okay? Maybe go to one of those spooky festivals, or something? Or a haunted house?” “Yeah, we’ll think about it.” Absolutely not. Diapers could only absorb so much… “So everything’s good for you two, though? Need anything?” “Same old same old,” Mary went on, “but I actually wanted to start talking about Thanksgiving next month. You two are gonna be staying for at least a day or two, right?” “I mean, sure, we’ll probably be staying the night at least…” She hadn’t talked to Emily about it yet, but she couldn’t imagine a problem. As Joyce recalled, Emily mentioned that her parents didn’t do much for the holiday anyway. “Uh-huh! And we’ll have your room nice and clean for you both, okay?” “Yep, thanks for doing that as always,” Joyce responded. Was there a reason for mentioning what she always did? “And Joyce, one other thing; I was thinking we could talk about some things Emily might need while she’s here?” “...Sorry?” What things did Emily need? And in a Mary-like fashion, the words came out bluntly. “Well, her diapers?” “M-Mom…?” Joyce did her best to hide her stutter, given who was sitting right beside her. “What’re you–?” “-Well since you’re both flying here, I imagine you’re gonna need to pack some of her extra stuff. I was thinking you could have some things shipped here early so I can put it in your room for you?” Her casual tone was making Joyce’s head spin all over again. She had actually forgotten, and surely Emily did too. Time didn’t undo the damage that’d been done by the unintentional reveal to her mom since their last visit. She found one of Emily’s diapers…used, at that, and came to her own conclusions. It was debatable to call it lucky, but as far as Mary knew, Emily had a medical condition and Joyce was supporting her through it. “We…” What’s the right thing to say…?! “We won’t need that, mom.” Her mom sounded surprised, and Joyce knew what doubt sounded like. “Joyce, hon, this is going to be Emily’s first time here? Have you told her how many of us there’s going to be? It’s a lot of new faces, and I know that she can be shy at first… I really don’t want you leaving her unprepared.” “Mom…we’ll be fine!” Joyce insisted louder than she meant to, and finally Emily was giving her a concerned look. “Honey, all I’m asking is you just send me some of her diapers? That way you won’t need to pack any with you. I’ll hide them in your room where no one else will see– not even your dad! I’m just trying to save space in your suitcases, sweetheart? Just ship a case, okay? Or maybe two… If she’s coming for Christmas we’ll want to have a good amount…” “Mom…” Joyce sighed, “it’s been a long and busy day, and I really don’t have the energy to talk about this right now. Is that all you wanted?” “It is, honey, but I really want you to do it soon; rates are gonna go up as we get closer to the holidays…” As if money was an issue for Joyce. Mary spoke with more concern, more worry and more doubt just to gently force the issue like she always did. As per usual, secrets that didn’t even belong to her were suddenly part of her own prerogative. Joyce was quick to cut the call speedily. “Goodbye, Mom. We’ll talk later.” And yet her mom could hardly find that things were amiss. “Okay, I love you, sweetheart! Tell Emily I said bye!” “Bye, Mom.” And she hung up. Emily watched the discomfort on Joyce’s face as she dropped her phone with a frown. She hesitated, but ultimately she did ask, “What’d she want…?” “An excuse to stick her nose where it doesn’t belong…” Joyce mumbled. But it was too late. Once her mom knew, there was never un-ringing that bell. Now the real question…should she tell Emily? If things came to pass just as her mother unfortunately orchestrated, surprising Emily with diapers in the closet was a surefire way to cause a rightful breakdown. “My mom…she wanted to talk about us sending her some of your diapers.” “W-what…?” It was a loaded one-word reaction, especially once the trauma Emily had learned to forget was coming back all over again. “What…?!” “She wants me to ship her some so we don’t have to worry about packing them in our suitcases…” “She…she’s serious?” “She thinks you have a condition, Emily… She thinks it’s from stress or nervousness. And well, to be honest, you do get that way in new situations…” “Yeah, but I don’t wet myself because of it!” “But that’s not what she thinks…” Joyce glumly countered. In fact, she thinks she knows differently with a frightening degree of certainty… “We’re…we’re not gonna bring them…right?” The sudden shift from cloudy daylight to underground parking garage was the only thing that kept Joyce from seeing Emily’s worried look. “If…if we want to avoid questions…” she bit her lip, fighting the words, “It may not be the worst idea…” “But Joyce…!” “No one said we have to use them, okay? What if we ship her some and just forget about them? My mom said she’d hide them in the room we’ll use, so… We get them and just leave them there…” she thought, and with stress and urgency as her motivator to resolve things quickly, she nodded with affirmation. “Yeah, we’ll do that. Ship your diapers, then just say you never needed to use them? It’ll satisfy Mom and no one needs to see them. Does that work?” “It…I guess it does…” Emily made a discomforted noise. “I just wish she didn’t know anything at all…” “You and me both…” Joyce frowned apologetically. “No matter what, I promise it’ll be a fun time. As nosy as she is, I’ve never known stuff to go beyond Mom…” She was in other words a borderline benign tumor or some kind of self-serving parasite stuck in a questionably symbiotic relationship. Mary fed off the circumstances, and for that she did…something for Joyce and Emily as her host. If only they had any sort of idea what that benefit might be. “But,” she killed the ignition to the car, “that’s not until a month from now. So let’s not think about it so much.” “And what happens as it gets closer…?” Emily sulked, finding her signature pessimistic state. “Then we think about it less,” Joyce manually straightened her out. “But we’re home now, so let’s get those pants back up your legs.” Diapers and Thanksgiving… Joyce gave herself one last chance to audibly vent as she walked around to the passenger side. Her heels echoed off the cement walls so did the opening of the passenger side door. There Emily was, looking as pensive and conflicted as ever, sitting with her jeans around her ankles. And there her bunched cloth diaper was, snuggled right between her legs. “Did you wet again when I was on the phone?” Joyce asked while bending over, hiking the denim up her bare legs. “O…only a little…” she turned her face away. Her car ride home had gone from warm to lukewarm, and just about to be cold, but back to warm again. But now she was cold and ready to change; clothes and undergarments. “Lean forward?” Joyce guided her forward. “Scooch that bum a little, too… Perfect. And then we slide up your–!” And just as Emily slightly stood to help the process, she waited for a gesture that didn’t finish. Instead, Joyce tilted her head curiously down at the seat, noticing the impression where Emily was sitting… there were streaks darker than normal… Is that…? “Is something wrong?” Emily tried to look for herself, “Huh…? Oh, no, everything’s okay. But…” she popped her lips. “Let me go grab a towel real quick from the back, okay?” Towel…? “Wait…why do you need a towel?” “Just a little rain, I think!” Rain? But when they were getting into the car it wasn’t… But there they were. Two crescent moon-shaped streaks right where Emily was sitting. The seat got wet. Huh. Was it raining and she just didn’t notice…? What a weird, and oddly specific place to be wet, though… And out of odd curiosity, Emily, as innocently clueless as could be, brushed her backside, feeling the certainly wet spots on the back of her diaper. Coincidentally, right where the leg gatherers ended. “Let’s just put that there…” Joyce was back and padding the seat with a fluffy towel, and Emily held her hand under her nose, conducting her investigation. Rain…? N-no…rain didn’t smell like that. It wasn’t like rain at all… No grass or dewy scent… Hardly outdoors… It smelled a little off, and all too familiar. It smelled like– “I-I leaked?!” Emily panicked right as she was pushed back onto the towel. “Emily, baby, it’s fine…!” Joyce tried to hush her with a laugh. “You think it’s funny?!” How long ago did she leak? Why didn’t she try to notice it? “W-well…a little…” she admitted with a face that struggled to stay serious. “But it’s fine…! Leaks happen all the time…!” “But I don’t leak!” Emily pouted. “I-I’m sorry…! Is the seat okay? Do we need to get it cleaned? I’ll–!” Boom. Joyce, or better known as Mommy, the fastest pacifier-placer in the west. As shocking as the seat stains, somehow Emily was bewildered by the unexpected trinket in her mouth. “Shh…just suck on that for a little, okay?” Joyce soothed the distraught girl, but her smile didn’t go away. She leaned over as she used the excess cloth to wipe Emily all over as a precautionary. “No one’s here…no one’s watching.” But I guess we’ll need to mention to Amy that her handiwork isn’t as waterproof as she thought… “I don’t know about you, but I like disposables a whole lot more!” And her little girl, busy being quite upset with herself, weakly nodded. Disposables probably wouldn’t have given her the same kind of embarrassment, which was wild to think given how little the margins were separated by. Panties hadn’t even crossed her mind. Her world really in that moment was just diapers. With the tools Joyce had, Emily and the car’s seat were going to be as clean as she could get them right then. Good thing what she needed for both messes were in the same place. “Okay…up we go, whoosh!” Joyce cooed with a brief cradle that left Emily standing behind the car door. “And yes, we’ll put these back on…” Joyce tugged up her pants, and the concern in Emily’s eyes was obvious, but even she understood. Risking her jeans was better than flashing a diaper to anyone walking by. She winced as the wet padding was compressed against her all over again, but at least the outside world would have a harder time telling. Hand in hand they walked to the elevator, and Emily followed and stayed quiet– double, triple, then quadruple-checking for people that thankfully didn’t exist. “First thing’s first: a bath,” Joyce hummed while she watched the digital display count down the floors. “New diaper, then I’m gonna come down and– Oh!” Emily leaned back, but Joyce’s hand came closer and pulled something that left her mouth feeling wet. “Sorry!” Joyce giggled, then whispered, “Mommy almost let you walk around with your paci…!” And Emily blushed, doing nothing more than that, focusing on her girlfriend’s thumb massaging her palm. Maybe Joyce was forgetful, but Emily hardly remembered she was even sucking on it. Or maybe that wasn’t it. Maybe she just didn’t remember that there was a time and a place for particular soothers. But here she was, sucking on air, standing and forced to be patient for an elevator that couldn’t seem to come fast enough. She fidgeted and wanted to move, feeling the cold cloth diaper getting to her as it inevitably started to stain her jeans, all the while leaving an expensively-stained car seat in her wake. Now she potentially had a new babysitter to get used to, and all on top of that she now knew they were bringing diapers for her to Thanksgiving. She was far from frowning, and at most her brow was creased from the heavy thoughts sitting on her head. Now she didn’t even have something to chew on… She wasn’t frowning, but she certainly was starting to feel something. Cranky. Maybe her nap really wasn’t long enough…

Glad I made a fun coincidence for you! Enjoy! Hmm, to the best of my knowledge, you're either time traveling, or it sounds like you found one of my stories someplace that's sharing my stuff that hasn't been publicly released yet. Not too sure! Yeah, hopefully Kyle's words have a lasting effect on her. Things can always be worse, but trying to look at any of the current circumstances as an "up side" seems impossible for Dawn right now.

23 - Check-up Where the library was vast and giant, the buildings before them now were much more…homely. “Kinda looks like a village, huh?” James spoke from behind the wheel, glancing briefly back at Dawn. “Mm…” Stuck in her car seat, Dawn openly murmured, but silently agreed. It did have that sort of vibe. Her side of the car had the giant sign standing by the car as they drove by, filled with different company logos and names. The buildings were different, but they didn’t stray far from vertical siding in light blues, yellows, pinks, and purples. On the advert board she saw a few peculiar symbols. Glasses, a hammer? No, a gavel? Eye doctors, attorneys at law, the works. A mini plaza serving the needs of whatever company or service willing enough to lease it. Some had second stories, others didn’t, but they were all shingled the same with an accompanying white trim. But as un-fascinating as it was, Dawn sighed, swinging her legs hanging in free space as she tried to push against her straps, but only felt the belts dig into the crooks between her shoulders. There was no radio on the ride over. Not per Dawn’s request, but most likely per James’ assumed understanding. Once she felt them settle into their parking space, she waited for the death of the engine that soon did come. “Okay…” James puffed some air, leaning his head down at a phone in his hands. The Little stuck in the back seat could hardly make out a thing on the screen, but the fact that it lit up and did more than stack on top of other shapes and prisms was enough to make her painfully envious, especially after her close encounter at the toy store. But her moment of jealousy was dashed once the screen went away and the Amazon’s head lifted and turned. “Ready to head on in?” Dawn gave him the look of a dead fish. “No.” “No?” James said back with a rise from his brows and a weak smile. “Not feeling up to it?” “Nope,” Dawn said again, but with the tiniest amount of added spice to boot. “...” James’ hand hanging on the top of the passenger seat tapped the top awkwardly, “Uh-huh… Well, guess we can’t do much about that, huh?” And her eyelids sunk, leveling everything out when it came to her expression. Could he have not telegraphed it any more obviously? Yeah, there really wasn’t anything they could do. Nothing Dawn could. So she threw up her arms with a frustrated sigh, just so James wouldn’t touch her in the process of forcing her out of the car seat. A fat buckle was clicked and the nylon slither from a seatbelt hissed as it retracted into the car and fell taut against the interior siding. But Dawn was still buckled in. Her straps didn’t go zip, zoop, or retract anywhere. Her’s were fitted and tightened. So James undid his own seatbelt first. Fine. Expected. “Don’t ever tell Kat I said this, but,” he yawned as he rolled his shoulder and arm, flexing his bicep, “I can’t stand using a seatbelt sometimes…!” She gave him a weird look, wondering why in the world she would care. After all, she hated him. What, did he want to give her something to use against him? Like a peace offering? Did he think she’d be satisfied if she got to assure him some kind of punishment or disapproval? Dawn quietly scoffed, turning the other way. Then she saw his phone come back out. He lifted and adjusted in his seat and his chin started pointing down. What was he doing? So Dawn waited too. For a minute, or so, and then a couple more. Her legs started drifting, oscillating, then swinging impatiently. She tugged on her straps, fidgeting with the button, until finally: “Don’t we have an appointment, or something?” Not that she cared, but wasn’t it important, or something? “Hm?” James leaned his head back over. “Ready to go in?” It wasn’t the answer she wanted, hence another displeased look. “No. I’m not.” “Just let me know when…” he said with his eyes right back on his phone, and Dawn by this point couldn’t sit still, somehow desperate now to live vicariously. “...What are you doing?” “Me?” James answered without turning back, “just some stuff on my phone.” “...” Christ, was she this starved to itch her brain? “What stuff…” “Just work stuff.” It was a carrot and stick, obviously, but with a metaphorically empty stomach, she had no choice but to give chase. “...What work stuff?” “Electrical stuff,” he answered just barely more, leaving his answers just as frustratingly vague. “The kind of stuff that makes the lights turn on in houses.” “...So they just let you do that: work from on your phone?” It’s not like she wanted to talk to him, but what else was she supposed to do? Go inside, or enjoy effective solitary confinement? Without realizing it, she apparently had fallen into a recurring loop. “Does that mean you’re ready to go in?” She blinked in annoyance, putting on a pissy frown. “So is that how this works? You don’t talk unless I go inside?” She crossed her arms. “We’re talking right now, aren’t we?” “Yes, but only so you can bait me into going inside…” she mumbled annoyedly. “Soo…that means you’re rea–” “--No, I’m not ready to go inside!” Dawn shouted impatiently. “...Okay then,” and James went back to his device, sounding unbothered and just as relaxed, meanwhile such a petty and stupid tactic already had the tiny girl fuming. “Are you gonna unbuckle me too?” she huffed at him, trying to lean forward but immediately pissing herself off even more once the straps held her still. “...So you’re ready?” “No! Just un-buckle me!” “If it’s out of the car seat it’s going inside,” James said simply, but with finality. “So what– you just get to sit in your seat and do whatever you want, but I don’t even get to feel like I’m not a prisoner?!” “You’re not a prisoner, Dawn. You’re free to go, in-fact,” James chuckled, and the girl grumbled. “If I was free, I wouldn’t be here right now. I’d be doing something about my situation that actually helps me! Speaking of which: how’s that research coming? Have you figured anything out yet? Well? Have you?!” “I’m still looking into it, but I get busy too, you know,” James explained, but again, he talked like he didn’t even have a horse in the race. He finally looked behind at her. “Ready to get some fresh air?” “NO!” Back on his phone he went, and Dawn went back to nothing more than her own anger and stupidly unsatiable curiosity. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. It was as if that stupid mechanical timer was ticking away in her head, like she was trapped in the kitchen all over again. “...Fine! Let’s just go already! Get me out of this stupid thing!” Finally he changed his tune, but to one no better than the last. With a warning voice he asked, “Is that how we’re gonna sound once we get out of the car?” “Wh–...!” Dawn stammered and bit her tongue in absolute pissy surprise. “NO! I WON’T! NOW LET ME OUT!” she screamed, but James from the front looked no less impressed, nor any more willing. “F…fiiine…!” she groaned, thrashing even more in her seat and fighting a pointless battle. “I won’t yell! Just get me out of this thing…!” Again his phone went away, leaving Dawn absolutely no more clued in on the pointless mystery on his screen, and just as disenfranchised since the start of this morning. She impatiently watched him leave the car, walk around, and finally open the door beside her. “Now unbuck–” Dawn started to command, but his forearm crossed right over her, reminding her of the unfortunate existence of her personal maintenance kit; diapers included. She didn’t look happy to see the diaper bag slinging over his shoulder, but her one tiny, miniscule moment of reprieve was his thumb sinking into her seat belt button like an afterthought. And yet the button plunged with seeming ease, something that was impossible for the far smaller and weaker Little. Whether she liked it or not, even Dawn knew the routine as the machine with muscles lifted her like a part off an assembly line. But the moment the ceiling above her was the sky and no longer the car, she immediately demanded, “I want to be put down.” “We’re crossing the parking lot where cars drive, so no,” James explained and decided in a single sentence. “Do you think I don’t know how to look both ways?” Dawn sputtered incredulously. “Just let me use my own feet for once!” “Dawn, it’s dangerous. You can move around once we’re inside,” he answered dismissively and with finality. The car door was pushed shut. “Come on! Why can’t you guys just give me a single thing…?! You take away my clothes, my underwear, my freedom– my everything! And you can’t even let me use my own feet?!” “Dawn, hon, it’s a five second walk…” James explained. “Then give me my five seconds!” Was she going to run? No, not this time. Given her roadblocks the last attempt, especially now with a man made of muscle, she seriously doubted her odds of getting away successfully. James gave her a long look and Dawn’s indignant face surely wasn’t doing herself any favors whatsoever. But miraculously, she was slowly lowered to the ground. “Hold my hand,” James commanded firmly with his already smothering hers. His skin was rough and a little rugged. Solid and absolute like his body was made of bricks. “I don’t need to–” But James wasn’t up for negotiations. “It’s either this or I’m carrying you. Which is it?” She tried hiding her bitter look as she watched the narrow aisle between the two cars up ahead. “You’re just doing this because Katherine told you to…” Dawn mumbled with an attitude perfectly plastered on her face. “No, I’m doing this to keep you safe,” James refuted but without any of the hostility he was getting back ten troves in return. Dawn started walking ahead, but, “wait,” and his hand left her radius of freedom extremely small. She whipped her head and gave him a look, but for once James challenged her gaze. “Do you want me to carry you? Is that what you want?” James dropped another ultimatum, but given the context and who Dawn was, it hardly felt like a question. So without a choice, she waited for James to close the door, adjust the bag over his shoulder, and glance again at whatever stupid thing he was looking at on his phone…! In Dawn’s mind she was already primed for a very bad fucking day, whereas others might just write her off as “grumpy.” “Kay, kiddo, let’s scoot,” James ushered with a light tug on her wrist. Correction, would definitely write her off as grumpy. The walk was short, but prolonged by another jerk back from James the moment they were about to emerge from the line of cars facing the empty parking lot lane. Right over was a thick cement sidewalk, and just beyond that were the gardens and brick-laid paths leading into each and every business responsible for who knew what. “Ah– hey,” James warned again, “we look both ways before crossing, remember?” “I…I did look!” Dawn grouched back, whipping her head both ways, and by some unfortunate coincidence only then did a car at the very end start to poke its nose around the corner, but it still was quite a ways away. “Let’s go. There’s no cars,” Dawn moved forward, but James did not. “Whoa, hey there!” James raised his voice and Dawn was jerked back again with much more force. “What did I just say?” he scolded with a rise in his voice. “Would you quit pulling me so much?!” Dawn shouted, scraping the sole of her shoe like she was raring for a kick. “It’s safe! I did look! No cars!” “No. Look carefully,” he reprimanded, pointing out the exact slow-going car that Dawn had noticed the first time. “I DID! All we had to do was walk across and it was safe! Jesus, just let go of me already!” And to her surprise, he did. Only for half a second, though. In place of her wrist she was taken by the waist and lifted in the air. “Wh-what? Put me down! Hey!” she fought and she struggled, kicking her feet against him and dropping her fists on his shoulder, but it was like hitting boulders. She barely did a thing and he didn’t flinch. What’s more is she was being robbed of the very few privileges she had left. It was a short yet demoralizing walk across the path and onto the sidewalk. “Put me down! Put me down! PUT ME DOWN!” “Dawn…” “PUT ME DOWN!” “Dawn…!” “I SAID PUT ME DOWN! STUPID–!” “HEY!” One word was all it took. The man boomed with his mighty shout, carrying a weight far heavier than Dawn could even remotely match a fraction of. Her mouth hung agape, mid-cry as a single stroke from his angered voice paralyzed her completely. The flash of fear was instant and in her eyes, and just as the bear she’d been poking awakened, he let out a loud sigh. “That’s enough,” he said much more quietly, but the edge was still in his tone, and Dawn was not soon to forget just how loud he could get. Her hands rested uneasily and her feet hung limply. She was a wet noodle pinned to his side. “We will try crossing the street together again once we leave, if you behave yourself. Now I want an apology right this instant for that kind of behavior! Do I make myself clear?!” He was holding her right against him and she had nowhere to run. Nowhere to retreat to other than the recesses of her own mind. But he gave her a stern look, one that looked to be one misdeed away from a full-on punishment, and she knew what to expect. She knew and that’s what terrified her. “I-...” she caught her voice before it could crack. “I-I’m sorry…” she mumbled in a low voice. “Are you going to talk to me or anyone like that once we go inside?” He laid it on even thicker. “N-no…” she mumbled even lower. “What was that?” “No!” she raised her voice, then the change in expression on his face gave her immediate regret. “N-no! No,” she stumbled and stammered in a thick voice, “I-I’m sorry…! I…I knew what I was doing! You just didn’t listen!” “No, Dawn, you’re the one that needs to listen and behave. Katherine will not put up with that kind of attitude, and neither will I. And absolutely, under no circumstances will you ever act that way with anyone else, either. Do I make myself clear?” “Y-yes…” she murmured again, hoping that she really did just manage to escape death itself. James seemed to be softening up, but they stood there under the overhanging roof right outside a white-painted wood and glass door. But more importantly, could she not even cross the street, anymore? Not even that, but a parking lot? She couldn’t decide when she got out of her seat in the car, or if she got to use the toilet, go to the doctor, eat what she wanted, buy the things that interest her, read the books she wanted…?! “Dawn…hon,” James comforted in a voice far removed from himself just a minute ago, and sounding much calmer, “I’m not mad, okay? It’s my job to keep you safe, and that means making sure you know that what you did is wrong…” “I-It’s…” Dawn sniffled, trying to desperately wipe away the proof of her emotions that kept leaking out of her eyes. “It’s nothing…!” She sniffled again. “C-can we just go inside already…?” The sooner they finished this, the sooner Dawn didn’t have to participate with the rest of the world for another whole day. She couldn’t care less if James was angry or not. He could think she was crying for whatever reason. All that mattered was Dawn’s crippling sense of loss. Everything was suddenly covered in either red or yellow tape now, and the fact that no one else could see how wrong that was put the girl beside herself. The metal knob was turned and James walked them inside. It was an immediate transition to a waiting room. Chairs with elaborate wooden loops for legs held up cushioned backs and seats positioned in the center and lining the walls. From there just about all the adult or neutral qualities ended. The walls were one massive mural of a simplified cartoon landscape of grassy hills dotted with flowers, an ever-stretching rainbow with smiling clouds and a happy sun. A fish tank came out of the wall where its top and bottom were cleverly designed as if an even larger sea creature were eating the entire enclosure. Some weird loch ness dinosaur thing with fins and a nose reminiscent of a dragon, but large and elaborate. The waiting room was dotted with Amazons, all with their… “reasons” for being here. “Nnn…” one nervous little girl clung onto her mother’s pant leg, staring up at the aquarium. “Mommy…?” she asked aloud in a shaky voice, yet her body seemed to sing a different tune as she kept squatting and bobbing her bum up and down, shaking her short skirt that kept flashing a white padded bottom. “I don’t wike the fish monster…” she moaned, but her “mother,” another Amazon with an “adopted” Little, glanced up for just a moment from her magazine to see what the spectacle was right behind her. “Don’t worry, sweetie,” she smiled after chuckling at the imaginary monster, “he only likes to eat fishies, okay? Not cute little girls like you!” “Mmm…” and yet she still wiggled skeptically. “Tell you what,” she leaned down from her reading material once more, “Mommy’s gonna keep the fishie monster right here, so you go play with some toys where he can’t reach you, okay?” “Mm!” And the girl vigorously nodded before toddling off like her life depended on it, much like how her bladder seemed to depend on Depends. And unfortunately if there was any thought that it was a normal exchange, Dawn had the displeasure of seeing bumps on the girl’s chest all the way over to a corner of the room sectioned off by half-walls. It looked like a tiny land of toys. Wooden boards screwed into the wall with multi-colored winding metal strings and giant wooden cube and sphere beads all over them. Things reminiscent of expanding balls made of interlaced meshes, blocks with letters, stuffed animals of all sorts of species, and more. She spotted another man-boy sitting in shorts but with his diaper overcoming the impossible by peeking its disposable waistband outside his shorts and over his navy blue shirt. He was busy with some kind of toy construction truck, ignoring the small barnyard playset filled with plastic cylinders painted as people and animals. A tall shelf of pamphlets were standing in the other corner, depicting imagery Dawn did not want to see, containing content that would more than likely make her sick. Swapping from Bottles to Breasts: When’s the Right Time? Diaper Fright and Your Little Amazon Toddler Potty Training and how to Prepare your Little For it Choosing the right Little Diet: From Softs to Solids Which was worse: the ones with symbolic images of bottles, training potties, and diapers, or the ones that cut to the chase with more enslaved models just to advertise their own demise? One seemed far less secret and the other left more to the imagination. Maybe this was all just one prolonged stay at the library and they’d finally reached the horror section. There were far more unfortunate pairs of people to watch, which Dawn was sorely sure she would see, but James walked them over to a counter where a woman was sitting in flowery scrubs. “Hello, there!” the woman smiled brightly, and the moment she tried to give Dawn eye contact, she spun her head. “Welcome to Libertalia Little-atric Care. Do you have an appointment?” “Yes, we should, at least,” James explained. “Her name is Dawn?” “Dawn…” she hummed while she typed. “Can I have a last name, please?” “Kepler,” Dawn blurted out and James’ mouth still hung open. “Oh~!” the nurse chuckled, smirking at the no-nonsense Little. “So smart! Okay…Kepler…–ou,” she apologetically smiled. “I’m sorry, we don’t have anything under that name…” Dawn frowned. Did they go to the wrong place, or did that LPS woman never actually schedule anything for them? “Dawn Matthews?” James suddenly spoke up, sounding not one bit confused, meaning Dawn certainly was. She gave him a weird look, but the nurse had her attention just a second later. “Ah, yep! Dawn Matthews. This is her first time with us, correct?” “Yes, uh, she’s been very recently…adopted, and we don’t think we’ll be able to get any of her previous medical records…” James awkwardly explained, and Dawn was still trying to wonder just why she was using their last name. The nurse simply giggled. “Don’t worry; we go through that all the time here. Congratulations on your adoption! Not gonna be a problem. She’ll start a new record with us here, and if you can I’ll need you to fill out some paperwork for us…” she swiveled in her chair, and Dawn could see now that under her soft pink scrub shirt was a pair of hot pink pants and white sneakers. Did they not have a standardized dress code here? Even the clipboards were themed. A fat and wide alligator head was the pinch that pinned the paper to the glittery green translucent plastic board. The pen though wasn’t quite so eccentric. Basic bitch blue, as Dawn had hoped this place would be, but definitely wasn’t. But since James was seeing the papers, now Dawn was too. It looked normal enough at first, but James was already skimming through the thin packet faster than she could focus on anything specific. Although… Biological Age (If known) Developmental Age (If known) Allergies Fears/Dislikes (If Applicable) Adoption Date Many different strange and concerning fields were spotted in no particular order, but she even noticed some kind of scoring sheet or rating chart, ranging from values expressed in quality rather than quantity. Her eyes widened with concern over what she could catch at just a moment’s glance. Sleeps Well At Night: Very True, True, Unsure, Untrue, Very Untrue Uncomfortable About Wearing Diapers: Very True, True, Unsure, Untrue, Very Untrue, N/A Shy in new Situations: Very True, True, Unsure, Untrue, Very Untrue Picky Eater: Very True, True, Unsure, Untrue, Very Untrue She even spotted another questionnaire looking like true or false points, but by then James flipped back to the front. “You can just fill that out while you wait for her to be called,” the woman smiled, and James thanked her. Dawn most certainly did not. “Alright…” James sighed as he sat, and Dawn slipped right down into the empty seat beside him. “Y-you’re not actually going to fill that thing out, are you?” Dawn muttered in disbelief just as she watched him lean forward with a pen to paper. “Huh?” he turned his head. “Of course I would. Why wouldn’t I?” “Y-you…! Didn’t you actually read anything on there? What is a ‘developmental age’?!” “Dawn, it’s just stuff the doctor needs to know. Did you go to the doctor regularly back in your dimension?” “Yes, but they don’t track stuff like my feelings in new situations or ask outright on a sheet if I’m a picky eater!” “Doctor’s can sometimes do things a little differently, but it’s all the same information, I’m sure. Hey, why don’t you go play over there while I fill this stuff out?” and he pointed her over to the corner where Mr. Can’t-Keep-His-Diaper-In-His-Pants was assuredly sitting. “Tommy?” A nurse called from the other end of the room. She smiled with her own chart in hand, standing behind a half-door gate. And maybe it was lucky, or just a neutral coincidence, but a woman got up from her seat, beckoning to the man in diapers in the play area until she sighed and picked him up outright. “No! Nooo!” he cried, holding his hands out to the corner, leaving Dawn to wonder whether he longed for the toys or feared for what was to come. Was…was she supposed to be worried? She felt a cold sweat coming on as she watched James scribble some more on the chart. “I’m…I’m fine right here…” she decided, and James briefly glanced at her. And so she had all the time in the world to do the worst thing imaginable: people-watch. It was like seeing Littles of all shapes and sizes in the busy room, tuning out the screams and cries from the occasional kid or skin-slapping reprimand that Dawn was no longer a stranger to. But those were just the ones with either fight or some kind of concerning warp in their minds that made them act as something less than adult. Two female Amazon captors right in front of them were chatting with each other, actually. They smiled and laughed with each other while both their hands busied themselves with their captives like independently automated machines. A man was in one of their arms, held by the waist as he was repeatedly bounced over her knee, audibly squishing and softly crinkling over and over the bloated once-white diaper around his hips. He had a distant stare and a mouth full of pacifier, as if he’d mentally checked out. His legs looked far from toned; chubby, actually. As if…as if he actually had baby weight… The other woman rocked her arms with a swaddled woman having her hair bunched up like a unicorn horn with a fat pink scrunchie of big beads. Her face was smothered against the Amazon’s fat chest for some reason. “Yeah…!” the woman with the boy nodded excitedly. “I’m so glad it wasn’t just me either! Believe me: I get Littles are gonna act out, but kicking and hitting? I mean, you can only let them get away with so much, right…?” and her apparent friend nodded sagely so. “You really can’t let them make habits out of that stuff,” she helplessly shrugged. “If the spankings and timeout won’t do it, well, you just have to show a little tough love?” “Exactly!” the Amazon cheered in a quiet voice. “I was a little skeptical at first, but a few other mom’s in my group suggested it to me. I mean, I do kind of miss him being able to toddle around a bit, but it’s definitely worked wonders with him acting out.” Dawn quietly watched her tickle the man lightly bobbing over and over on her knee. “Now he’s my little cuddle bug!” “So glad it worked out for you!” her friend smiled warmly, almost making Dawn insane enough for a second to think that she didn’t just listen to correcting behavior by mutilating bodies. “Oh…ou…one sec…” she sighed, pulling the swaddled girl away, and a queasy feeling hit the spectator’s stomach once she saw the naked breast. A naked breast with a swollen, dark nipple, dr…dripping with white…? “Gotta swap,” she explained, and it was tit-for-tit as the fake mother tugged up her bra over the milk tank, adjusted her button-up and eventually exposed the other. And without hesitation the girl trapped in a blanket cocoon seemed to take to her breast instantly. Dawn could barely sit still, feeling a hot bile trying to escape her stomach. W-what did she just see? How was this real? The women seemed normal, and that’s what shook her the most. Their laughs, their gestures. They really did seem like housewives at first glance, but that was it. She was well within range to see the finer details and hear the distinct words that really made them the monsters they were. Pride and pleasure in taking grown adults and confining them to diapers, exercising their whims on them and permanently breaking them just to ensure obedience. All the while, she spun her head to her own guardian, a fellow Amazon nonchalantly writing away on paper after paper for a place that the same freakshows across from her also attended. And somehow, she was supposed to tell herself that it was different. That the circumstances were not the same. In spite of being just as trapped she was somehow an exception to the rule with whatever she was seeing right then. But nevertheless she was downright uncomfortable. “J-James…” Dawn whispered, trying to get his attention, but either she wasn’t loud enough to reach over the other hushed discussions and clashing toys, or he was too preoccupied with the papers. “D-...Dad…?” “H-huh?” James turned his head, and all Dawn gave him a desperate look. “Can we please sit somewhere else…?” “Why? What’s wrong?” he didn’t show the same visible sense of concern that Katherine could, but Dawn guessed that she was hearing it over the sound of her own heartbeat. “I’m…I’m uncomfortable.” James slowly nodded, then asked, “So are you saying you think you need a change?” He missed the mark entirely and it threw Dawn even further off her mental balance. “N–!” she was about to erupt, but then remembered the discipline that she just received. “Nn…no…! I…I just…please? Can we please move?” “Dawn, hon, go play,” and James dismissed her. Why wouldn’t he just listen? Dawn was standing on her knees in the seat, giving him a lost and helpless look. The corner of her eye caught wind yet again of what unnerved her the most, and apparently her only way of dealing with that was either to suck it up or go someplace else on her own where she didn’t have to hear it. As much. “Ah! Careful, Daddy!” A coy voice grinned at them. James lifted his head and the Amazon busy getting her breasts sucked dry, was smiling at them, but Dawn felt nothing more than being ogled like a piece of meat. “Be careful~” she said again in a playful whisper, sticking out her finger squarely at Dawn. “It’s not a good idea to let her play like that in high places,” she explained, and her coconspirator nodded just as much. “Oh yeah, don’t want that cutie taking a tumble!” Did they think she might fall? And while it may have been considerate on account of Dawn’s size, it didn’t excuse the patronizing tone they had. But the most unfortunate part of all was that James actually listened. He turned his head and looked at Dawn, suddenly making her think that she was caught red-handed in the act of doing something that should have borne no crime. And yet, Amazons always seemed to have a way of putting just about everything out of a Little’s legal reach. She rolled her eyes with her head to the side, hoping James would do the exact same. “Dawn, hon, off your knees,” James surprisingly admonished her, and she was shocked. “Wh-...but I was just trying to get your attention!” she complained, the Amazon mothers simply smiled, and James stayed unyielding. “Not up for discussion. You’re gonna get the seats dirty. Here–” and before Dawn could truly protest, she was lifted off the seat and plopped on the floor. “Now go play while I finish filling this out,” he said, but didn’t go back to the paper. He waited expectantly. “But…! But all that stuff asks about me!” Dawn put a hand to her chest. “I need to answer them, don’t I?” The laughing started again right behind it, and it made the Little cringe with embarrassment. “Sweetheart, I’m sure your daddy knows everything about you! You should let him handle the boring grown-up stuff, okay?” And Dawn had half a mind to go batshit at these women. Who the hell were they to heckle her own situation and be the bitches that caused this in the first place?! But before she could, a single hand was enough to steer her by the shoulder and point her at the play area waiting down the other end. “Go play,” James said simply, and just as Dawn turned to try and say some more, he followed up with, “Don’t we wanna tell Mom that today went well?” And she froze. Was that a…threat? Was he holding Katherine’s approval over her head? And so what if she disapproved? What, she wouldn’t get to read her book at all that night? Wait. No…reading? In a world now where she had so little, her horrible human condition dictated that she held dear the last few precious things she had. Katherine got her the book, so Katherine could just as easily take it away, and the fact that it genuinely bothered her made her furious. “And no temper tantrums,” James frowned, like he was ready to take on a tiny tot, but his diminutive speech was lighting even more of a fire underneath her. But she turned on her shoe and stomped off, slapping her flat soles against the dark yellow marble floor the whole way. And just in earshot as she walked away, she heard the two Amazons suddenly chatting James up. “Good job, Daddy!” “Way to go! Did you just adopt? Awh, as cute as she is, she still seems a little sharper than she should be…” “Yeah, she’s a cutie-pie! Sounds like you’re babysitting for Mom today, huh?” Not my problem. Not my problem. Not my problem…! Further down all she saw was more things she didn’t want to see. “You’re gonna spoil him, you know…” A nearby wife chastised her husband with a helpless smile, watching him with a Little laying in his lap, opening their mouth wide for a blue baby bottle of something. “It should be fine…” he chuckled, and Dawn noticed the massive diaper bag nestled between the couple’s legs. “Besides, they needed a stool sample today anyways, right?” Both Amazons looked like they were fresh out of the office. The wife quietly exhaled and, “fair enough,” she shrugged, then her face softened and her red lips puckered as she leaned over and started softly cooing at their make-believe child. “Who’s a little munchkin, huh? You? Is that you? Huh? Huh?” Dawn kept walking, trying to ignore the sound of her own thankfully dry crinkles. “Abby! Gabby!” A plump woman hissed, and Dawn felt shivers just to hear the familiar name associated with so much literal weight. This Amazon had two Littles in her lap, sitting either one on either leg somehow contained by her pants. Unfortunately they had no kind of stress covering their bodies because it was all open concept. Both blonde-haired girls were in identical ponytails, white dresses and accompanying red ribbons tying up the back that traveled no further than their hips. The white clothing continued, but it wasn’t the dress, and instead their butterfly-patterned pampers looking thick and bloated. “You are both sisters and twins now!” the Amazon continued her scolding, giving them both a mean look that identically pushed them to tears. The only thing stopping their cries were the strawberry-red pacifiers inside their mouths. On the corner another was stuck in a stroller, only their feet were bare and their legs kicked aimlessly, but low, as if there wasn’t enough muscle to lift them any higher. Just stop looking… Just keep moving…! Smells of powder, perfume, pee, and poo. Deceptively kind and blatantly cruel, Dawn seemed to toe the line of the entire melting pot that this waiting room was. It was all one sick and grueling poison, and not a single ingredient wasn’t spoiled. It was a breath of fresh air for her eyes and ears once she stepped down into the play area, finally in a place where she didn’t have to see so many public displays of body horror. She practically fell on her knees on a multi-colored plush puzzle play mat. She was too dazed to notice for a moment the two other guests she was sharing the break room with. Across from her on the other end were a miniature man and woman, just like herself, sitting across from one another. A red and blue rubber ball rolled back and forth between their legs, spread apart like goal posts. Dawn briefly glanced at them, nervous from just about everything at this point. Between the Littles she’d seen in James’ and Katherine’s neighborhood, at the library, and now this sick excuse for a doctor’s office, was there any Little actually sane anymore? The few still cognizant enough to look tortured and afraid existed, yet in such few quantities. And again, Dawn was expected to believe that in a best case scenario she wouldn’t even become that? “Hey, uhm…you alright?” With her body covered in goosebumps, Dawn visibly jumped at the sound of another voice. A coherent sentence that wasn’t in the form of condescending or patronizing. With a bewildered look she tried to trace the sound of the noise, finally landing it on the female Little craning her head back to look at her. “M-...” A finger pointed at herself. “Me…?” Dawn asked. “Uh, yeah. You look like you’re in trouble, or somethin’,” she shrugged, still looking at her with an upside down head. “Did you make your Mommy mad, or something?” “M-my…wh-what?” Her expectations were suddenly betrayed. She sighed, disappointed for believing that she actually found someone on the same mental level as her. “Shut up…” the man across from her said much more clearly. Much more…adult-ly… “She’s obviously freaked out.” “Yeah but you never know…” the girl moaned back, right as she flicked up her head. Had it not been a dimension dictated by diapers and giants, Dawn would have thought she was seeing almost a cute couple’s outfit. Both man and woman were in overalls, baby blue and powder pink respectively. She could see where their asses became inflated through the corduroy, and the matching ducky embroidered on their chests discredited the “adult” appearance as well. What she saw did not agree with what she just heard, but she cautiously approached them both, muttering, “W-wait…are…are you two…normal…?” “Normal?” The woman frowned, sharing a look with her partner who did not quite reciprocate. She laughed loudly, “Like, what’s ‘normal’?!” But the moment she raised her voice it was like her buzz died instantly, sinking into a disinterested frown, then grabbing the trinket Dawn hadn’t noticed dangling by a tether from her suspender strap. Doing it herself, the woman popped a pacifier in her own mouth. Dawn stood there awkwardly, unsure of how to respond, especially when the man was giving his partner his own look erring on either annoyed or disinterested. “I’m Kyle,” he pivoted and suddenly introduced himself. “You?” “D…Dawn…” she hesitantly answered, more shocked over the fact that it was starting to feel like a legitimate conversation. She walked over and slowly started to stretch out her hand for a shake, but he politely waved her off. “No offense, but I don’t really wanna pretend,” and Dawn dropped her hand, but felt confused. Only for a second, though. Getting a better look at his own pacifier clipped to his overalls, and seeing where the diaper bulge began along his torso, it was clear how much a “dignifying” gesture would have hurt or meant so little. He knew and now Dawn knew just how little that would amount to anything. “S-sorry…” “Nah, it’s whatever,” he glumly replied. “Dawn, right? She’s Jessica, but don’t feel like you have to talk to her.” And in a dramatic fashion the girl glanced up at Dawn again, throwing back the waves in her hair, then pulling out her muffler just to say: “And don’t feel like you have to talk to Kyle. He smells stinky when he poops his diaper.” The crease between Dawn’s brows sagged, and Kyle rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and would you know it you smell too,” he groaned, then looked back up at Dawn. “So, you okay? You definitely seem like a newbie. This your first time here?” “Yes,” Dawn blurted out, “it’s…it’s my first time everywhere…! God, I don’t belong here… This isn’t even my dimension!” Jessica and Kyle both gave her a weird look, and in unison, save for one mumbling through a pacifier, they said: “Huh?” “What do you mean, ‘not from this dimension’?” Kyle frowned, and Jessica gave her a skeptical look. Dawn blinked. “I’m a…a portal Little?” That’s what she was referred to as, wasn’t she? Jessica aimlessly made popping sounds with her mouth, opening and closing. “Sounds like you’re just playing pretend. She’s playing, right?” Jess asked Kyle, who still looked stuck in confusion before doubt. “N-no, wait…” Dawn tried to explain, desperate to finally have confidants. “I-...I know it sounds weird, but seriously, I came from another dimension! I– there was this advertisement, or this offer to come here and tour your dimension!” And Kyle tilted his head for a moment, like he was deep in thought. His mouth finally opened and he went to speak, but Jessica blurted aloud, “OH YEAH! The! The…!” she repeatedly slapped the mat with her frantic open palm, sounding like she was trying to drum a memory into her head. “The…! The uhm…!” “Portal technology…” Kyle quietly finished for her. “Yeah!” Jessica excitedly pointed at him. “That!” “Yeah, that’s how I got here!” Dawn weakly smiled, glad that there was finally a connection. “I came through one of those for a tour!” and then the bad memories and sore feelings came back. “I…was supposed to go home a few days ago, but some fucking Amazon…” she angrily muttered under her breath, suddenly peering over her shoulder to see if a giant had heard her. “So we can really go to other dimensions now, huh?” Jessica ooh’ed and ahh’ed with her feet rolling left to right on their heels. “Oh! Kyle! Maybe Mommy’ll take us on vacation to one!” “Doubt it,” Kyle rolled his eyes, then roped Dawn back into the loop. “Jessica and I were adopted a couple years ago. We don’t get to hear a lot about the news unless we overhear it, so…” his eyes panned Dawn from head to toe, “just surprising, is all.” “Are Portal Littles not common?” she looked between both Littles. “A-and wait, no, don’t say that– you were kidnapped! We all were!” Dawn insisted, and they shrugged. “Even if you’re foreign, I bet your poopy diapers still stink the same,” Jessica turned the other cheek. “Why do you keep talking like that…?” Dawn frowned, but Kyle pulled her attention again. “All she means is say it however you’d like. It doesn’t change what it is and what the louder voice is gonna make it sound like…” Kyle explained, sounding sapped in every sense just to say it. “But wow…yeah, no, portals weren’t really a thing when we were…well, not like this,” he sighed, stretching his shoulder strap right for it to slip back into place. “Guess native Littles weren’t enough for Amazons?” “No, it’s not to adopt,” Dawn corrected, “--I mean kidnap,” she emphasized. “We just came here for a tour! Yeah, our guide offered, but…” But… “But…?” Kyle continued for her, and Jessica gave her a bored look. Quota. The word echoed in her head, just like it did that night when all her worldly possessions disappeared. She went quiet as the realization sunk in. Jessica sighed, and Kyle gave her a borderline sympathetic look. “So now they’ve got Littles coming on their own?” Jessica frowned. “Like, did they promise you a cookie, or something? I mean, maybe if it had those chocolate chips I like, I might go….” “Jessica, cut it out,” Kyle quipped, and her cunning response was blowing her flapping tongue at him. They were lost in their own sibling banter while Dawn felt dizzy on her feet. Was…was she really tricked from the start? She…she knew Stacy had ill intentions and was obviously trying to write off stragglers, but was that the plan of the tour itself? Not just a sole person’s agenda? She looked up and around at the walls, and then the ones even taller than the Amazons, covered in paint and pictures meant to subdue and soothe the mentally broken and permanently diaper dependent. Her stomach went queasy just from glancing down at the puff in her pants. Designed for her. Fitted. Just like Kyle’s, and just like Jessica’s. Just like every swollen, pee-soaked and poop-filled diaper she saw on her waddling and toddling stroll over here. The world was underwater and every noise was swirling and droning, fading in and out of focus like a mumbling blur of madness. “Hey, hey!” Jessica interrupted her thousand yard stare. Her face was gleeful and excited, the exact opposite of everything she was feeling right then. What could she possibly have to say? Was she going to comfort her? “Does your dimension have trees with money for leaves?” She was patient for all of a second, long enough for a confused puff of air to leave Dawn’s quivering lips. “Our Mommy says that money doesn’t grow on trees, but do they where you’re from?” She was still speechless; dumbfounded by the question whether she was actually serious. But she looked earnest enough, leaning forward, showing off her chest that was enough to inform she should be smart enough to know otherwise. “Jessica, can you stop with the stupid questions?” The moment he started speaking Jessica already looked annoyed. “If you call me stupid again, I’m telling!” “Then go tell. I’ll just say you hit me.” “No I didn’t!” The woman gawked, and Kyle rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s how it works.” “Booh!” A deep, cheery voice cried, and all three Littles saw an Amazon standing at the entrance of their domain, setting down a Little, a man, diapered bottom hiding behind a meager outfit. His bare legs that looked like they should have had hair didn’t, and his shiny faded brown hair was short and prim, just like the collar on his onesie. “Play nice with everyone, okay, Billy?” “Bah!” he answered back, either sputtering straight gibberish with spit rolling down his lip or speaking a language far too advanced for Dawn. His feet came down first, but they didn’t even look ready to stand. They were already bending at the knees and the slightest sign of pressure made them buckle. “Bye-bye! Mommy’s gonna be close by!” and she gave the mind-fucked man a small wave before sitting nearby. “Wh-why…” Dawn muttered next to Kyle, still with her eyes on the man like a morbid curiosity, “why are so many people like that…?” He crawled on his hands and knees, showing remnants of an adult face but without any of the sparkle in his eye. His mouth hung open dumbly and it was clear where his own dribble had stained the front of his outfit. His head turned every which way, making some kind of noise every time his primitive mind found something interesting. A foam block, big ball, or inflated imitation of an instrument; a rainbow-colored xylophone smiling with its teeth as the notes to be played. “Dunno, you’d have to ask his Mommy or Daddy why he’s like that,” Kyle shrugged, looking neither engaged nor dejected. Just…there. Either way, just be glad you aren’t like them. Believe me, it’s better when you make the choice to piss yourself than others for you.” “H-how…? How are you saying it like that though? Like it’s just normal? You can just see something like that and it doesn’t bother you?” “You’re the one talking about him as if he isn’t even there, right?” Kyle countered, and Dawn froze. “Th-that’s…” she looked at the Little again, looking happy as could be, as if he were experiencing the world for the first time all over again. It was all fresh and new, but only because someone dialed back the clock on his mind for him. “Can…does he understand us?” “Beats me. Once an Amazon makes their Little like that you never really figure out what’s left underneath, if anything. And yes, it does bother me. But here’s a tip: don’t let it bother you.” So just choose to keep her head down and bury it in the sand… Fucking great. The babified Little then stared at all three of them though and immediately started making a beeline, crawling as fast as he could. “Jesus, please stay away…!” Dawn whispered. It wasn’t because she hated the man, but because she despised everything that’d been done to him. It made her sick and brought on tears. Amazons like that really existed? People that could just take twenty, thirty, or maybe even forty years of life and just wash it away? Just like that? And right as he was about to co-exist with them, a crinkly and pink corduroy rump swung its way between Dawn and the uninvited guest. Jessica was on her hands and knees, staring the Little down with the same exact posture. He came to a halt and tilted his head, and Jessica did the same. “Buh…booh…! Booh!” he said, and Jessica giggled, making similar noises right back. “Buu-bah! Bah-booh!” she flapped her tongue and slapped the ground. “Ooouu….buh!” he said right back, and suddenly they were like a meeting of minds. Jessica babbled back and forth with the boy, likely having no understanding with each other than just by feeling. The discomfort and bewilderment was at an all time high for Dawn, who couldn’t look any longer when it was being treated so…so casually…! “So wow,” Kyle spoke up behind her, “you uh, really are a newbie, aren’t you?” “Yeah…and I want to stay that way, because I am going home,” she clenched her hands. “Back to my dimension.” “Uh-huh,” he nodded, but his own opinion didn’t sound like it stretched beyond neutrality. “So who brought you today? Mommy? Daddy?” “James did,” Dawn emphasized. “And they’re neither of those things. James is James and his wife, Katherine, is just Katherine.” “Yeah…you really shouldn’t do that.” “Do what? Call them by their names? They get to call me by mine, don’t they?” “Dawn, right? Big tip: don’t ever expect a double standard. The way you treat others and how you get treated are related, but it’s never one-to-one.” “You’re actually okay with calling your…! Your kidnapper ‘Mommy’?” “That’s the point. It’s not about what I’m okay with. It’s about what I have to do.” What you have to…? Dawn kept looking at him strangely. “Until what…until you escape?” Kyle let out a dumbfounded laugh, enough to make the girl self-conscious. “Escape?” he repeated in a low voice. “Escape where, exactly?” “Another dimension…!” Dawn reasoned, but the man looked no more sold. “My…my dimension, it doesn’t have Amazons! It doesn’t have Littles, either! We’re all just people there!” and by her foot she noticed a foam toy then promptly kicked it aside. “Look, Dawn, I wish you the best, really, but I’ve made terms with what’s happened. No matter what, just consider yourself lucky if you are who you were at the start of all this.” “Stop talking like it’s the end!” she stomped her foot, slapping the padded floor. “You’re the first normal person I’ve met, and you’re just some kind of defeatist?” “I’ve tried what I could without risking and losing what’s still left in the process,” he frowned up at her. “Maybe Portal Littles don’t get it at first, but you’ll understand.” Kyle was a voice to talk to, but with none of the answers she wanted. He was her first source of information on a world she barely understood; a person that didn’t look down on her speak as if she was a child. But he had no will to fight and no information on what she needed the most. He was indoctrinated. Complacent, yet clutching onto his meager pieces of freedom that was his own mind. And then there was Jessica… Dawn watched her play with the bonafide baby some more, having gone from someone able to maybe keep a conversation to just as emotive and blubbering. Almost hesitantly, like she was broaching a potential taboo, Dawn asked, “Is…is she okay, too…?” “Who, Jessica?” Kyle looked over. “Oh yeah, she’s all in one piece,” he chuckled. “Sorta. We all cope in different ways. I’m…who I am, and she’s who she is. You crack or just roll with it, assuming Mommy or Daddy doesn’t make the decision for you.” “So she acts like that by choice?” Dawn’s eyes went wide, looking the woman over for just a little bit longer. She played, rolled and looked just as mindless as the other in that moment. But somehow, in some inexplicable way, Dawn could see it; the shine in her eyes… And even…even her squat, and her grunt…and– “Yeah, it’s a little gross how she can just do that…” Kyle grinned at Dawn with her grossed-out expression. “How…how did this even happen to you guys? How do people just get taken here?” “Us? Mm. Unlucky date night, I guess.” Dawn had a double take. “Date night–?” “But she’s my sister now, and that’s all there is to it,” Kyle rushed ahead with his words. “But yeah, if you’re a Little, you probably don’t stay free for long. It is what it is. Especially now if this dimension is starting to steal Littles from other ones… I don’t know how infertile Amazons can be if there’s somehow plenty enough to call for interdimensional human trafficking.” It was just another crumb, but the word “infertile” seemed to hang its hat on Dawn’s hook. But she went on anyway to ask, “You said that portals weren’t a thing when you were…free, so…how does it not bother you just hearing about them now?” “What, as in believing that they’re a thing?” Kyle shrugged. “I dunno. It sucks to admit, but Amazons are smart. Really smart. Some Littles are too, but…well, not like you get to hear about that much. Think what you want about them, but Amazons are really good at a lot of stuff. You said your old dimension doesn’t have Amazons, right? So just a world full of Littles? Pretty primitive compared to here, I’m guessing? Not that it doesn’t sound nice, though…” “It’s not primitive,” Dawn said somewhat defensively. “We have technology just as advanced as everything I’ve seen here!” “Oh yeah?” “Yes,” she answered rather quickly. Then she thought of the library and the sorting system. The complicated codes and robots running on tracks to sort and retrieve books. The simple and stupid little things like the intricate knots her shoelaces were tied in, or the complex windings on the bread ties from the plastic bags… Just as advanced…just…different… Kyle suddenly asked, “So Littles in your dimension discovered portal tech too? They made first contact?” “Y–...” she started to answer, but stopped. They did have portal technology. After all, how could she have come here? But the same month that she came was the first she ever heard of it. So wild of an idea that the suggestion was almost enough to tear the spam mail advert in two once she first read it. Something straight out of science fiction. Something far beyond the scope of modern technology as far as the public knew. Just like fiction… Suddenly from phones in their pockets and exploding cans into space, and then…dimensional travel? Who…who found who first? It was their technology, right? “I dunno,” Kyle sounded his stumpedness for her. “Thanks for giving me something to actually talk about, though,” he side-eyed his mysterious partner again, firmly planted on her bottom now with whatever she had done inside her diaper. But based on Dawn’s twitching nostrils, the mystery wasn’t much to solve. “With her it’s like rolling the dice to see if she’s gonna have at least half an adult brain…” “But…wait, how are you still…you?” Dawn asked awkwardly, finding no other comparison than the one making genuine baby noises and not just pretending. “Good parents, I guess,” he answered in air quotes. “Just because it’s inevitable doesn’t mean it’s not its own kind of lottery. The fact you’re walking and talking too must mean you were adopted by at least someone that’s not the worst of the worst.” And finally she clicked her tongue, looking downright displeased. “As if. And no, they did not adopt me. They’re people who lied to me and tricked me. They’re just letting me stay with them until they figure out how to get me home.” “Really? They’re helping you get back home?” he asked, but the surprise wasn’t as great as Dawn would’ve expected. “Y…yes, they are,” despite how incompetent they seemed. “And if they can’t, I’ll just go with that LPS or whatever it’s called. Christ, why didn’t I just go with them from the start? They care about Littles or whatever, right? So maybe–” “No,” Kyle firmly interrupted. “Absolutely not. Do not have anything to do with LPS.” The sudden and grave assertion had her taken aback. “What…? Wh-...well why not? They’re like this place’s government CPS or whatever, aren’t they?” Best interest at heart, and all that? Wouldn’t it be their mission to get her home? “They ‘protect’ Littles,” Kyle answered in more emotive quotes. “The government is run by Amazons, so LPS is run by Amazons. Do the math. Or no– better yet, think about your situation now, right?” He waited for an answer. “Yeah…?” Dawn frowned confusedly. “You’re making full sentences and can think about stuff without craving a toy or pooping your pants. Yeah, it’s a sucky standard, but you’re only above that line because you’re in whatever situation you have now. Even if you can’t tell, you’re lucky right now.” He let it sink in, and so did Dawn, but she still felt hardly sold, even if it was coming from the war stories of a veteran. “Whoever your parents are, I think right now they beat LPS by a long shot.” Her uncertain look shifted to disgust. “Would you quit calling them my parents? Because they’re not.” Not by a fucking mile. “Kyle…!” Jessica whined from the other end of the play space, “I think my diaper’s messy…!” she slapped her palm on the mat with a pout, while her nearby friend was fascinated by his own toes. “And?” he frowned. “So go get Mommy…!” and then she started to sniffle. Actually? “I-Ih’m…I’m gonna cry…!” Dawn quietly panned her eyes back over to Kyle. “Is…is she serious…?” It wasn’t judgmental, but sheer concern for how perplexing the adult’s personality had become. The man also in diapers sighed. “No, not really. Sort of. She’s always been a drama queen, even since we met in col–... Nevermind.” “S-sorry…” Dawn apologized with genuine guilt. The first time here when she felt truly and honestly sorry. She’d gone and tore open old wounds. “Uhm…and actually…does…does your Amazon or whatever give you a chance to…use the toilet? Like– an actual one?” Kyle gave her a blank stare. “You’re serious?” he asked, and Dawn sheepishly nodded, starting to squeeze her legs as best she could. “Dawn…no offense, but, does it look like I get that kind of privilege?” and he slapped his puffy protruding crotch. “I can’t even take off my own overalls without help.” “Just…urgh! How can they justify something like that?!” Dawn outraged and dropped to her knees, just to hold it in as best she could. “They all find a reason. Heck, I bet your doctor’ll come up with some random one too.” “What? But they’re a doctor!” “Amazons,” he shrugged. “But the point is, if you wanna stay sane, don’t try fighting that part.” “What part?” “Diapers, dummy,” he chuckled. “They’re gonna spin whatever reason they need to keep you in them, so all I mean is don’t hold out hope.” “Jessica and Kyle?” A nurse called from the other end of the room. “Whelp, that’s us,” Kyle sighed and pushed himself onto his knees. “W-wait, already? N-no…but,” her mouth hung open, panicking from what little time was suddenly left and pondering all the different yet equally important things she wanted to ask him. He was like a golden goose. A person she could actually talk to…! “E-escape! H-how do I escape?!” “Dawn,” he sighed, finally offering a look like he was trying to comfort a friend. “My…my Ex and I have been like this for years. If I even knew how to get out of my own crib, much less this dimension, we wouldn’t be here talking like this.” And it was like a rock was dropped on her head. She felt dizzy and wounded, too stunned to barely even see him crawl right by her, crinkling and wafting his powdered butt the whole way through. “Okay, who’s ready to go see Dr. Kipper?” An enthusiastic Amazon cooed at the front gates of Hell. “Mommy, I’m stinky!” Jessica loudly elected herself, and there was a lighthearted chuckle. “And I can tell!” she beamed, “And…upsie daisie!” For a few seconds Dawn watched wordlessly, finally grunting and pushing the warm hiss into her diaper, seeing the therapy she’d mistaken as hope for the first and likely final time. And now with a diaper wetter than before, it became that much harder to tell the difference between herself and the boy currently sucking on his toe. Kyle and Jessica, sitting in the arms of their own personal hell, laid against the massive bosom of their own Amazon and their own issues. Jessica already had her head nuzzled against the woman’s shoulder, and Kyle looked like he was just trying to exist. But Dawn saw his one last gesture; a small wave her way until their mommy turned and walked away. Far enough until they were beyond the girl's vision completely. Gone. For good. “Dawn?” the next reaper called, and the girl barely flinched. The bell had been rung and her time was nigh. The inevitable approached and there was hardly time to emotionally prepare. She was half-preparing herself to stand and make her walk of shame, but quickly remembered that nothing was ever solo anymore. “Ready?” James beckoned from the entrance of the play area. She barely nodded and stood, stumbling forward. She could recognize the gesture that went to swoop her up, so she took a step back but latched onto his thumb and finger like a compromise. “Wanna walk?” he asked the obvious. Dawn nodded. “Works for me!” So they began their stroll to the half-gate, giving Dawn one more look at all the madness she had been hiding from. More mothers decided now was the time to breastfeed their Littles, and others simply delighted by the sheer embarrassment their slaves could have from wearing nothing but a diaper. Fathers bouncing boys and girls on their knees, letting some nap in their laps and more sickeningly twisted treatments. “Look at you!” the attending nurse cooed down at Dawn, who kept her eyes beneath the waistline of her forest green pants. More white sneakers. The moment the Little stepped in, the gate softly clicked behind her. “Did I need to bring the forms with me…?” James asked as he turned his head. “Nope, no need! We’re gonna get that to the doctor. She’ll have a chance to read her information before she sees you. And we’re gonna go right in here…!” A door was opened and a light switch was flicked. There was a massive tree in the room filled with an entire civilization inside of it. A massive head of branches and leaves that spanned the entire room from floor to ceiling. Windows were carved out where the smiling and chatty squirrels and birds lived. Caterpillars crawled and juicy red apples grew. Short sequences of numbers, 1-2-3 and A-B-C’s were carved into the bark. If only it wasn’t just another painted cartoon on the wall. A thick layer of plastic shielding seemed to stretch halfway up, protecting everything from a Little’s reach. A band of rubber lined the bottom, connecting wall to floor and kissing the cold foggy marble floor. “You’re more than welcome to have her sit on the bench now or wait until Dr. Wexler comes,” the woman Dawn still had yet to look in the eyes, explained to James. It really was just a normal examination room. For the most part. There were two chairs to sit, assuming Mommy and Daddy both made the trip, a small bin, and two different countertops; one where Dawn could see the beginnings of a sink faucet. “It should only be a few minutes!” the nurse said one last peppy sentence, then disappeared with the shutting door. “Wanna sit in the chair?” James asked as he took his own seat, occupying his own lap with the diaper bag. It was Dawn’s way of assuming that he meant the empty adjacent chair. Not his lap. “Fine,” Dawn answered and approached like a soldier. “You don’t have to, you know?” James said and waited with his shadow already looming over the girl. “I will,” she said in the briefest terms again, still waiting to be lifted. So she was raised and deposited onto the seat. It wasn’t one meant for her size, but what else was new. The curved wooden back flowed in from the arms that were already high enough, meaning it was more like a headrest for her. “Find anything fun to play with?” James asked, but Dawn kept her eyes forward. “Nope.” “Oh, well, sorry about that. Boring toys?” “Yep.” Boring toys, boring people, sad stories, and so much more… While there could have been more small talk between the two, frankly in Dawn’s eyes the possibility for that was squandered by not only her dislike of James, but being stonewalled at every attempt thus far in trying to talk to him. It wasn’t the silence that Dawn minded; it was the uneasy feeling that James would somehow try building a bridge again over the one he’d torched and burned. More time alone meant he might delusion himself into thinking he could salvage something, and that was the last thing Dawn wanted. And luck was finally on her side. A sharp knock went one-two on the door, and without any further prompt the handle turned and a body emerged. “Hi there!” A wavy blonde head of hair smiled. Her flats clicked in with a tablet and folder tucked between her arm and side. “I’m Doctor Wexler, and you must be…” she squinted for a moment, “Dad?” She smiled and stretched out her hand. “That’s right, James,” he confirmed and warmly shook, and the doctor kept her smile. “Great to meet you. And if it’s alright, I’m gonna stick with ‘Dad’. Sometimes too many names can be a little confusing!” Her personality was warm and inviting, and her tone seemed to be perpetually calm. The sound of her voice was somehow…smooth. Although, it didn’t change that Dawn didn’t appreciate being indirectly referenced like that. Like always. Things being done on her behalf that she never asked for; being accommodated like an actual kid would. What was she again? A Little-trician? Who was the monster that made this sick parody of an alternate reality? Would she be listened to if she insisted on “Dad” staying as “James”? Probably not. “Sure, that’s fine,” James simply agreed, and Doctor Wexler nodded appreciatively. She set her things down on the wooden shelf sticking out of the wall then turned back over. “Perfect. And this must be my patient!” she dropped her head with a smile, mixing tiny amounts of sugar and syrup into her voice. “You must be Dawn!” Even then though she sounded somewhat professional, which maybe with a show of formality and maturity, even Dawn could convince her into giving some form of similar respect. “Yes, I am.” “Great to meet you, Dawn,” and with the same gesture offered to James, she held out her hand, truly surprising Dawn for a moment. Before the hand could disappear she reached out to shake, even if it was just the doctor’s cold hand smothering hers. “My name is Doctor Wexler, but that’s a little bit long, huh? If it’s easier, you can call me just ‘Doctor,’ ‘Dr. Wex,’ ‘Dr. W’, or whatever you might feel more comfortable with.” Got it. So ‘presumptuous know-it-all’ it is? There wasn't a white coat in sight. The doctor was dressed down almost like a middle class housewife. Black slacks and a purple ribbed sweater. Was she just a captor for another unwilling patient? “So as I understand there’s Mom too, right?” Doctor Wexler stood back up, losing her tiny bit of added sweetness. “I had a minute to read the forms you filled out, but I might need to double check things as we go through.” “Yes, my wife couldn’t come in for the appointment today; we both work and this was a bit last minute,” James explained. “That’s completely fine,” she assured as she rinsed her hands at a nearby sink. “As long as we’ve got someone to drive this cutie to and from,” she briefly chuckled, and so did James. Dawn couldn’t help but glare at the man sitting next to her. “There’s some things we may talk about though that you’ll want to discuss with her, and there’s some questions I can’t quite ask Dad, no offense! So if you both ever can come in at the same time, I’d encourage that just so we’re all on the same page, but it’s nothing mandatory. And of course, it usually helps your Little feel more at ease when Mom and Dad are both around.” No thanks. One is more than enough, and that in itself is pushing it. As far as Dawn cared, just the one was just for security detail. “Sure, I’ll make sure to tell her that,” James said. “Perfect. Feel free to keep sitting where you are,” and of course she looked at Dawn next, trying to be just as immovable. “However, my patients get to sit in the extra special seat,” she then addressed James, “ Is it alright if I pick her up?” Yet another question about Dawn, and yet another deferral to someone other than herself. “Yes, it’s fine,” Dawn spoke up for herself, and Dr. Wexler turned her head. “I guess I should have asked you, huh? I’m sorry about that!” Doctor Wexler apologized, per se, meaning Dawn couldn’t tell whether she was just being lighthearted or using some form of sarcasm. Her hands hadn’t gotten any warmer when Dawn could feel them through her shirt, especially not after just washing them. The examination table was a long cushion nearly running from one wall to the other. A long strip of paper was rolled out across, and for once something crinkled louder than her own diaper. “Okay…” then she sighed, tapping away on her tablet, “Sorry,” she looked up from the screen and apologized to James, “the amount of paperwork that this office goes through…” “Yeah? Lot of patients?” “Too many to count, but getting to see so many faces is half the fun,” and after one last cursory glance she set down her device and draped a stethoscope around her neck. “Okay, Dawn,” Doctor Wexler started as the paper lining on the bench all around Dawn started to crinkle even more than her diaper did on a dry streak. Too bad hers was too wet to compare. “I’m gonna take off your shirt, okay?” “Uhm…no thanks,” and to emphasize her point, Dawn’s hands strategically moved to the bottom of her shirt. “I feel fine.” And despite her resistance, she expected James to step in and force her, or maybe Doctor Wexler would ask for some assistance for herself, but she didn’t. She just stood there and nodded. “That’s great to hear you’re feeling fine. It’s my job to make sure you’re nice and healthy, so that’s already half my job done for me!” And it was also at that time Dawn couldn’t help but notice the lion creature, or tiger? The feline animal built into her nametag. “But you know, sometimes, there can be things going on in our bodies that even we can’t tell,” Doctor Wexler slowly explained. “That’s why just in case we go and see a doctor to double check.” “Yeah, that’s nice and all, but really, I’m fine. I don’t have any medical issues. No histories with disease or illness. I’m fine, seriously,” Dawn insisted, crossing her arms and leaning back, right up until she was against the plastic layer covering a giant painted flower on the wall. “Well if nothing’s wrong, then it shouldn’t be a problem if I look, right?” Dawn narrowed her eyes. “I know what you’re trying to do. And yes, it would be a problem. It’s an invasion of my privacy.” “Dawn?” All it took was the one word from James to make Dawn flinch. Doctor Wexler turned her head briefly, but chuckled. “Thank you, Dad, but that’s okay! I want Dawn to feel comfortable letting me help out. Can you tell me why you don’t want me to help you, Dawn?” “Because I’m not stripping naked,” Dawn frowned. Maybe if she was going to her actual doctor and not one that specialized in Littles like she was some kind of veterinarian. “And I don’t need any help. I said I’m fine.” “I promise your diaper’s not going anywhere, though?” Doctor Wexler tried to reason, and while she may have been right on a technicality, it obviously didn’t suit Dawn’s standards. “I…I don’t care about my diaper!” Crap! Not her diaper. A diaper! “Uh-huh,” she nodded all the same, like it was an automated response. “Then how about this, I’ll just slip this funny disc under your shirt, okay?” and so there was no misunderstanding, she held up her probing end of the stethoscope. “I’m gonna use this to make sure your breathing is as good as it sounds.” Dawn knew she was pushing her luck, and it was only this woman’s good or at least tolerant graces that kept James from doing whatever he was going to do to her. “Just that…” Dawn sighed and relaxed only slightly. “Just that,” Dr. Wexler softly nodded, and the cold rubber rim was soon on Dawn’s naked back. “Now can you take a nice big breath for me? Hold it in…just like that. One…two…three… Good job!” And she exhaled, repeating the ask and praise multiple times. Still working within Dawn’s demands, the doctor checked her front next, but not without Dawn trying to tug up the front of her pants every time she could see her own disposable waistband. “Well, Dad, I really like the sound of her chest,” she said as she removed the tool from her neck. “Now I’m gonna check your blood pressure, Dawn, okay?” She didn’t answer and simply watched her tear off the velcro strap and re-wrap it around her arm. “It’s gonna feel like a really tight hug, okay?” Dr. Wexler made sure to say before the air started to inflate the wrap. Pump. Pump. Pump. In three rapid squeezes from the bulb the cuff inflated and a tight squeeze was on her arm. “Ow…” Dawn couldn’t help but squint. Wasn’t this too tight? “You’re doing such a great job,” Doctor Wexler said as she looked down at a digital gauge. “Mm…” “What?” Dawn asked in a defensive voice. What was wrong? Why wasn’t she just giving her a pass? “It’s slightly higher than what I’d like to see,” she explained to James, not Dawn, “but going to the doctor’s can be scary for a lot of kids, so I’m not too worried.” “Wh-...I’m not scared!” Dawn spat aloud as her velcro strap was removed. “You’re being very brave,” Doctor Wexler smiled. “It’s okay if you’re a little scared, though? Grown-ups get nervous all the time, too,” she explained, but the gesture was totally lost on the very mature girl. “So, Dawn, how’s Dad and Mom?” The doctor swapped to small talk as her tools and tests started to change. “You’re gonna ask that when I’m right here?” James spoke up with a grin. “Hm?” Doctor Wexler grinned right back, then focused back on her patient. “Let’s pretend like Dad’s not here,” she shrugged like it really was their own secret. And Dawn’s face sank. Did she really want to know, or did she just want to check every box off her list to get her paycheck? “Yeah, it’s fine,” she dismissively answered. “Just fine?” Doctor Wexler tilted her head, and Dawn gave her a weird look. Was she looking for more? “Yeah. Fine.” “Dawn, it’s okay to be honest with me. Dad might be listening, but he knows just as much as I do that we’re here for you, okay? It’s both our jobs to make sure you’re happy and healthy.” “So what– you actually want me to be honest? I won’t get in trouble?” she asked, but she still sounded like a skeptic. “Of course,” the doctor nodded, and James looked just as laid back. Dawn’s eyes still panned to either Amazon, looking for the trick or trap, but her mind must have been failing her because she didn’t notice one. “It’s…” she sighed, “It’s bad. Horrible. I hate it.” James certainly raised his eyebrows, but Doctor Wexler barely budged. “Yeah?” she softly nodded, looking like a clear listener. “Yes.” “Do you think you could tell me why?” Tell her why? How long did she want to be here? “Well, for starters, they kidnapped me,” Dawn put it bluntly and with weight, and the doctor slightly nodded, but stayed quiet, as if to let her continue. “They tricked me into becoming their slave– or doll, or whatever. They make me use diapers even when I told them I can use the toilet! They try to censor whatever I see, I can’t go anywhere without them keeping a leash on me…I’m just a prisoner that’s being treated like a kid! They control what I eat, what I drink– I don’t get any fucking choices! And whenever they say I did something wrong, I try to explain my side and they just punish me!” she threw her hands up in the air. “But no–” she scoffed, remembering every moment of frustration and anger. “It’s apparently all back-talk,” she mimicked the word in a mocking tone. “I don’t get a say because that’s somehow misbehaving. I have to sleep in a crib! They treat me like I need constant supervision, and yet the dog gets to stay home alone? They trust me less than their own goddamn pet!” She huffed as the burst finally left her system. She erupted and swore and still somehow wasn’t over someone’s knee, and that probably was headed her way the moment she left this place with James. In a sense, Doctor Wexler was protecting her from the backlash simply because it was her kingdom and her rules. James certainly looked uncomfortable in his chair, and while the Little-trician wasn’t smiling, she was still nodding attentively. “Sounds like you’ve gone through a lot?” she commented, and it finally felt like common ground for the Little. “Yes.” So much. So fucking much. “Dawn, do you know what I am?” the woman pointed a finger at herself. “A doctor,” Dawn answered simply. A doctor for what, Littles? “That’s right,” she smiled, “and I’m a special doctor that’s just for Littles. I spent a really long time learning about Littles and the best ways to take care of them and understand some of the tougher situations they might be going through. Let’s face it,” she shrugged with a sideways look, “what you’re going through is a tough adjustment, isn’t it?” “Y–...yeah…” Dawn answered, albeit a bit uneasy, “it is…” “I’m sure there’s a whole lot you’re used to doing, but suddenly it feels like that’s all different now.” Was…was she reading her mind, or something? “Yes…completely different.” “Let me guess, earlier bedtimes now?” “Yes!” Dawn answered on reflex; enough to make her flustered for a second. “Wh-where I’m from, yeah the days are shorter, but that doesn’t mean I can’t adjust!” There was the slightest bit of surprise from Doctor Wexler, and she even glanced over at James, but didn’t make any direct comment. “I see,” she nodded, “and how long are the days you’re used to?” “24 hours,” Dawn said annoyedly, “and what’re they here? 32, or something? I do just fine, though! But now they suddenly say I need to start taking naps?! And they make me go to bed early?” “Mhm…” she nodded as she approached with something like a popsicle stick in her hand. “Can you open your mouth nice and wide for me, hon? Go ‘ahh’ for me, please.” “A-ahh…!” Dawn sounded with her mouth open. “Good…” she quietly commented, then brought back her normal volume. “24, huh? I can’t imagine how little work I’d get done in a day like that,” she shared a laugh with James, but it didn’t quite hurt the slight bit of comradery Dawn was starting to sense from the woman. “So are naps a new thing for you, Dawn?” “Yeah, since the last time I needed them was when I was what, like five years old?” “Oh wow…! That’s a long time!” Doctor Wexler wow’ed. “Right?” Dawn agreed, and finally for once it actually sounded like an Amazon got it. “But they don’t care about any of that!” “Well, Dawn, I really do think Dad and Mom do care?” “How?” How could they possibly?! “32 is a whole lot more than 24. Did you know that a grown Amazon needs about 8 hours of sleep?” “No, I didn’t…but that’s the same from my dimension! I only need 8 hours too!” “For 24 hours, though?” Doctor Wexler raised a point, and Dawn bit her tongue. “Y-yes…but I’ve been here for over a week now. I can handle it just fine!” The doctor nodded, then spoke. “Uh-huh. When we don’t get enough sleep, feeling tired is a good sign of that, but what’s also another important one is our feelings,” she emphasized. “When I don’t get enough sleep I can be a little grumpy,” she smiled sheepishly. “That’s what it’s like for Amazons, and it’s exactly the same for Littles, but they feel that lack of rest much-much more. A lot of new things at once can be really stressful, right? If you’re not getting enough sleep it can make those things feel a lot worse.” Dawn was ready for rebuttal, but it was a sense of logic that unfortunately hit her upside the head. It was the farthest thing from it, but the explanation felt like a sneak attack that actually appealed to a fair sense of reason rather than an Amazon’s ignorant view. “Then…fine! I sleep earlier, but I don’t need naps!” “Well, if your day was 24 hours, I would definitely agree with you,” Doctor Wexler nodded. “Everybody needs sleep, but we’re only gonna sleep for so long at one time. That’s why Littles take naps just to get that extra little boost they need to make it through the day. Do you not like sleeping?” “It’s not about not liking sleep! It’s about being told to do something that I don’t even get a choice in!” “Sometimes that can feel unfair; choices being made for us. Amazons have to go through that a lot, too. But as your doctor, the number one person who wants you to be as healthy as can be, I say that Dad and Mom are making a good choice for you.” She looked at James. “About what time does she go to bed?” “Usually 10PM, or so,” James said, “a few hours before us.” A few hours?! Dawn looked bewildered. She was being locked away that long before anyone else?! “That’s a good time,” Doctor Wexler commented. “And I doubt we’re missing much around then, either.” Dawn was outraged, yet in spite of that she was somehow thankful to the doctor. After all, it was the first time she was hearing about actual numbers in reference to time. “Believe me,” James sighed, “if I could get a full night’s sleep at that time, I would.” “Hear that?” Doctor Wexler grinned at Dawn, “sounds like Dad’s jealous!” Jealous. Sure. Dawn turned the other cheek, but her heart skipped a beat once she slid forward. It was brief but before she knew it her pants were down to her ankles and her diaper was no longer a secret. “H-hey…!” Dawn complained, but her pants were set aside. “I can’t check your reflexes when you’re covered up like that, hon,” Doctor Wexler explained, and she made no further comment. No words spared on what she was wearing underneath. Like a diaper was the most basic thing or last thing worth spending time on. With a weird rubber hammer, Doctor Wexler bopped both her knees, causing her legs to involuntarily fire and kick. “Perfect,” she quietly said again, making more mental notes, fading between her own procedures and conversation with her patient. After a warm plastic probe was briefly stuck in her ear, the doctor started messing with some device on the other counter. “Oh, Dawn, I’m just gonna take off your shoes in a second, okay?” Doctor Wexler said over her shoulder. “Wh-why…?” The tool she was using, it was like some curved dish or table, long and wide and lined with padding. “Sneakers can get the scale dirty,” she chuckled, “and I wanna measure you, not your clothes. But the shirt can stay on.” It must have been universal Amazon magic, because it was a few seamless tugs on her shoelaces and Doctor Wexler had her naked feet on full display. She was lifted and pivoted over to the counter, and Dawn was still just as confused by what they were doing. “Ah– no, no need to stand,” Doctor Wexler smiled, and an assuring pat on Dawn’s padded bottom had the girl blushing and mute. She tried to settle for sitting, but the doctor kept guiding her body, eventually having her lay down entirely. Was this really how they weighed people in this dimension? An explanation did come, but it wasn’t directed to Dawn. “Usually we use a vertical scale for taking weights, but sometimes the Littles we deal with can have trouble standing or feel comfier on their bums or backs,” she said to James. “These tend to be a bit more accurate, too… And Dawn looks like she’s as light as she is healthy, which is great.” And only then it clicked for Dawn. What she was laying on and how she was being weighed. Was this a scale for babies? “Ah-ah, not yet,” Doctor Wexler calmly eased Dawn back down the moment she tried to get back up. “This is how we measure your height, too.” Two plastic prongs were pulled out from the side against the wall, and Dawn could feel them sliding up to the top of her head and bottom of her feet. “What kind of car seat are you using for her?” the doctor asked, another uncomfortable point for Dawn. “Uhm…I don’t remember exactly, but for smaller Littles, I’d say.” “Good,” she smiled and started undoing the measurement tools. “Wh-what does that mean?” Dawn asked, trying to be included in the loop. “That just means you’re on the smaller side of Littles, but that’s not a bad thing, okay?” Great, so she was somehow short among the short? But did it matter much, given she could be the tallest Little in the room and still be pint-sized compared to every Amazon. “Just make sure whatever you’re getting her stays in line with her height and weight bracket,” Doctor Wexler explained. “Things like car seats, strollers, and high chairs might seem universal, but you’d be surprised how much the lower end can be a safer and nicer fit for her.” Christ, a better fit? Didn’t what she have already feel confining enough? “I’ll double check with my wife, but I think we’ve been sticking with that…” James cautiously answered, and even Dawn could tell it wasn’t something he had considered. And frankly, the more ignorant he and Katherine were of the misguided views of Littles, the better. “Okay…up we go,” Doctor Wexler soothed the girl that needed no soothing, and moved her back over to the table. “Well, Dad,” Doctor Wexler exhaled, “I can’t seem to find any problems with your little girl, here! The only issue I guess is a wet diaper, but I don’t think you need a doctor for that.” Both Amazons laughed, and Dawn frowned with a blush all to herself. “Is there anything you wanted to bring up specifically with me?” she turned her head, “or maybe if Dawn’s been having any trouble? Does she poop and pee okay? Eat what she’s supposed to? Actually–” she thumbed through her folder. “You mentioned on here that…ah– yep. She doesn’t like spicy food?” “That’s not true!” Dawn blurted out. “I do like spicy! I’ve eaten spicy stuff since I’ve been here!” “She’s tried stuff,” James explained, effectively overriding whatever Dawn had to say, “but it made her cry, gave her a runny nose, all that stuff.” “Well, that’s not too surprising,” Doctor Wexler nodded, and Dawn was still being stubborn. “He’s lying!” Dawn cried. “I do eat that stuff! It’s normal for me!” “When you do, does it sometimes make your throat feel a little tight, or your whole mouth is really tingly?” Doctor Wexler asked the Little directly, motioning with her hands at each and every point. “Y-yes…but that’s the whole point!” “That’s very dangerous, Dawn,” Doctor Wexler had a soft expression, but her tone was severe. “The stuff that Amazons like can have a whole lot of nasty stuff that doesn’t taste good for Littles and isn’t good for their bodies, either. Mild and sweet, is what I’d recommend,” she said to James. “It’s not too difficult to find Little-friendly snacks or meals, or if you’re cooking from scratch, just be mindful about the ingredients you’re using.” “I-I…I don’t need to eat differently!” Dawn was ignored, and the conversation continued between the adults, and Dawn’s good will was burning away fast.“Is she going potty regularly?” “This might be a better question for my wife…” James looked embarrassed again. “From what I can tell though…yes? Well…I guess when I’ve heard about it from my wife they tend to sound more like ‘moments’ than just regular things.” Moments? Fucking moments? Like her shitting herself was a big scene? Christ, it wasn’t supposed to be something regular either! Doctor Wexler nodded and hummed with her arms folded, but she seemed like she could weather any kind of storm. Dawn was just one of many to her but fit inside all the same frames, despite her unique circumstances. "Don't worry; plenty of parents come in with the same concerns. It's not uncommon for Littles to start by having irregular bladder and bowel movements. That can be attributed to a change in diet– pre-adoption their diets can be hard solids, macro-complex sugars, overly bitter or not-so-right sweet without the proper nutrients, and all sorts of other things. Not only that, but raising a Little is a big change for you, Dad and Mom, but it also runs its course on your Dawn, too. It's nothing voluntary, but they can often be anxious or nervous about a change in environment. Kind of like how things can just set kids off in ways. Maybe a favorite cartoon gets them all excited when they hear the music come on, or they just wanna give a hug to their special big the second that they see them." “But I’m potty trained!” Dawn stressed, nearly ready to fall off the table just to get over there and slap some sense into the doctor. But every outburst she had was like another teaching moment for James. She was just a live example to be observed and analyzed. “It can sometimes be a little surprising how quickly Littles might take to diapers once they’re adopted, but usually it starts from showing signs of dependency or other factors. Namely, though, you typically hear about them having an accident somewhere public or in front of others.” It was the first Dawn was hearing of it, but clearly not for James, who nodded right back. They were trapped in their own conversation, and Dawn had no way of breaking into it. “Well, there’s a lot to it, and every case is different,” Doctor Wexler sighed, “and believe me, we wish we had all the perfect answers. Potty trained Littles, at least what we think when we hear potty training, do exist, but like any words or standards, they can tend to mean a lot of different things to a lot of people,” she explained, and the tone of skepticism was poison filling the room. “So…do you mean that most Littles aren’t really potty trained?” James asked. “No! No!” Dawn cried. What was this woman doing?! She was ruining everything! “Maybe not in the way that we’d potty train Amazon kids,” Doctor Wexler shook her head. “More often than not, the fact Little’s are able to use the potty is from a well-trained internal clock or habit. It can vary for some, maybe a few hours or just a couple, but it’s more that their bodies build muscle memory into when they’re sitting on the toilet. The feeling is associated and that’s how they just know when it’s time to pee or poo. Some might say they feel the need to go, but that’s usually their internal clock saying just maybe it’s about time to see if they need to go potty, not that they actually have to.” “Y-you actually think that?” Dawn stammered. “You really think it’s all some big performance? That we’re just getting lucky?!” “Honey, I don’t want you to feel like I’m being mean?” Doctor Wexler frowned. “You’re just being cruel!” Dawn cried. “Has she had a snack today?” Doctor Wexler again deferred to James, who was already fishing something out of the diaper bag. “No! Stop! I’m not hungry! I’m not thirsty! JUST STOP IT!” And a sippy cup of juice was promptly pushed into her mouth. “Shh…” the doctor soothed with a smile. “Just have some of that, okay?” and she said back to James, “Naps and snacks can be real game changers. So if she’s ever having a tantrum during the day, those are good first-tries.” And Dawn with nothing else to effectively say and gently put in her place, quietly sucked with a downright pissed look on her face. She had no more rope to play with, and anything else she said or did would surely be what hung herself. “And where was I…oh, right! Accidents,” she chuckled, “so that’s why when Littles might have a bad dream the night before, or maybe a stressful moment during the day, it can really throw them off. Maybe if they’re sick– the reasons are just about endless. And it’s not just negative things; even if they get too excited or have some very big feelings, it’s absolutely more than enough to disrupt their normal routines. It can be pretty easy for them to forget about using the potty, and if they miss that cue, unlike fully trained Amazons, or the rare Little, they won’t feel that physical cue which really tells them when it’s time to go.” James nodded, truly so, and it simply ate away at the girl forced to drink her juice. If she drank it faster, would it give her an excuse or opportunity to speak? Jesus, did this look like obedience just from doing this, or somehow make James think that subduing her like this really calmed her down or worked as a solution?! “I’m sorry– I kind of took a detour,” Doctor Wexler laughed. “This is all important stuff, but once Littles go back into diapers it’s not like their clocks come undone or their habits break immediately. They’re still going to have those feelings about thinking that they need to go potty, and when they want to go but aren’t allowed to, that’s going to be tough for them. It’s different from what they know and that’s why they can be anxious until it bubbles over and their body makes that choice for them.” “Should…should we be doing anything to make it easier on her…?” James asked, though he still sounded unsure. “Again, making good dietary choices for her. Constipation can sometimes be what Littles confuse with feeling the need to poo. Even Littles will feel backed up, but they’ll definitely know they’re pooping once their body starts to do it on their own. Wetting their diapers is similar too. They’ll know when their diaper starts feeling warm and they’ll assume what happened. Just give it some time and her body will adjust. But– that’s not to say she can’t have treats or anything special, okay? Just make sure you’re feeding her things friendly to her tummy. No more spicy stuff, right?” “Definitely,” James nodded, and Dawn wasn’t even halfway through her juice. “Great,” the doctor smiled. “Is there anything else you wanted to ask about?” “Well…a couple, but…” The doctor gave him a knowing look. “Better over the phone, maybe?” “Yeah, I think so.” “Wh-what…?” Dawn pulled the sippy cup away from her mouth. “Talk about what? Tell me! I deserve to know!” “I think we’ve talked quite a bit,” Doctor Wexler sighed and wiped the imaginary sweat off her forehead. “I think it’s better to discuss more later. Oh, which reminds me, Dad? If it works for you, I think I’m going to want to schedule a follow-up in a couple days; with Mom included. It’ll give us a chance to cover all our bases and take care of the last things I want to do, on top of what we might talk about,” she smirked, and the fact that Dawn had no clue what was being implied angered her to no end. “We still don’t know much about any vaccinations or shots Dawn might need or already have, so we’ll tackle that then.” “You are not giving me anything,” Dawn gave a death stare, and Doctor Wexler seemed hardly fazed. Where Dawn was a novice and new to every aggravating situation, the Little-trician had likely years of experience, dealing with Dawns a thousand times over. “That sounds good,” James quickly interrupted the tension only Dawn was feeling. “We’ll make time. We’ll both be there.” “Great! But don’t forget to bring Dawn too?” Doctor Wexler chuckled, and so did James. Laughing all at Dawn’s tired, angry, and frightened expense. “Oh, and as for times just let me know what works for you both. I’m sure we can make it fit. I imagine you’re out of work right now for this?” “Thank you, I appreciate it,” James nodded. “Of course! And Dawn, it was great getting to meet you!” she smiled at Dawn, and the Little was fighting the use of some very choice words. “And remember: Mom and Dad want what’s best for you, okay?” “Yeah,” Dawn answered with a blank stare. “The front desk will leave you with my number, and feel free to call me out of work hours. It might work better to have you both on the phone, so don’t be afraid if it’s sometime after she’s gone to bed.” Great. More conversations that Dawn wasn’t allowed to hear. More stuff that she obviously wasn’t allowed to hear, yet no one was afraid about keeping that part a secret. She was just constantly being teased. Perpetually tortured. “Thank you again very much, Doctor,” James shook her hand again and she smiled, “It’s no trouble at all. I look forward to speaking with Mom, too! We’ll just call today sort of like a dry run or preliminary check. Like I said, we’ll schedule something soon. But other than that, I’m gonna get running to my next check-up! You can leave once you’re ready, but feel free to change her in here if you’d like. Bye!” And with a small wave she left the room. Just James and Dawn. “Ready to head back home?” James nonchalantly asked as he stood. Furious crinkling was the answer. Examination paper crinkling, that is. “Dawn? You okay?” She made no reaction as she roughly tugged up her pants. “...Wanna take a nap when we get home?” “No.” No. Fucking. Naps.

Thank you so much for this fun and interesting writeup, and I can't believe that I didn't spot this up until now! I love the lore and tid-bits of any universe; stuff like this are what establishes super interesting and engaging frameworks! I always feel like I stumble and fumble in my writings, and often lose track of finer points, as much as I enjoy them, but I'm honored to be mentioned in this list, and thank you for giving me a new reference guide if I wanna expand on established/popular material! I think I agree with other folks, or maybe it was just Personalias who mentioned that maybe I wouldn't read this for my own sake as a sole view of a one and only Diaper Dimension. I really liked their take on it sort of as a comic book universe, which is having a common ground accessible to plenty of readers, but then taking their own slight deviations and changing up the formula, possibly, even if by a little! But of course, there's nothing wrong with staying within what's established and spinning an awesome story from there. I can't say for certain, but I think I'd definitely like to explore more inter-dimensional relations between the DD and our own dimension. Kind of in the same ballpark of Illegal Immigrant, Portal Littles are more of a newer concept rather than common. I wouldn't even mind taking a few steps further back from that and maybe look at small ways that the DD is starting to affect and influence things at home! Thank you again so much for being a historian!

Hi again! Apologies for my delay in response, and it's pretty great reading my commitment to a regular release schedule and then immediately failing to meet that mark. That's definitely a good way of looking at things! Sometimes I can get bogged down in perfectionism, but also sometimes it's better to just move on with a solid 95%. I'm happy to hear I've inspired, just as tons of other folks have inspired me! Thank you and best of luck with your endeavors! And also, please enjoy two more chapters! 21 - Age Appropriate It was the sensual rub on her shoulder that had Dawn murmuring in her sleep. She was on her side, cozy on her mattress, head against a plush pillow. “Time to get up already…?” Dawn groaned as she stretched, feeling the warm sunlight across her face. “Thursday’s just afternoon class for you, right?” his calm and casual tone climbed up, over and around her neck, as if she could feel his breath against her. “Yeah…” Dawn dreamily whispered, still with her eyes shut and oblivious to the rest of the world. “You?” A resounding sigh from her lover. “Yeah…well, guess I’m the early bird this semester…” She could feel the mattress shift as a body rolled and moved. “Gonna make something fast though; should I get you too?” “Mmm…nah,” Dawn yawned and stretched all over again, reaping the rewards of a well-rested body twice. “I’ll make something after…” “If I leave, you’re not just gonna go back to sleep, are you?” His voice was distant and off the bed, and she just nearly turned her head to hear him better. Just nearly. “Nope…promise.” Thankfully making a promise to her optional attendance wasn’t all that sacred. There was some moving around the bed; dresser drawers opened and closed and curtains were drawn. A few minutes later he asked, “Still with me, by the way?” “Hnnn…?” Her face rubbed into the pillow and sheets just a little more. “I’ll try again when you’re a little more awake, but, uh…sorry about being tied up with research for next week’s break, and everything… It’s just it’d look good on a portfolio, so… I promise we’re gonna do something special over the summer, okay?” “Kay…” with hardly a cognizant horse in the race, Dawn mumbled back, but she had the gist. Whatever her boyfriend was rambling on about, she had made her peace with it. “Oh, by the way, don’t forget to take care of all the junk mail on the counter; I’m gonna throw it all out if you don’t look through it!” She had a point in her mind to dismiss him, yet without any of the class or tact given how badly she wanted to go back to sleep. Putting it much more crudely in a sleepy voice, she muttered, “You’ve got…classes…” “Yep, you’re right. Love ya, and don’t go back to sleep!” “Love you…” She groaned back, trying to focus on the comfort for as long as she could. Maybe she could just skip class today and catch up on some personal reading… There was that one anthology she was enjoying, or maybe the introspective on that one convicted killer? So many choices, and she had the whole day to enjoy it. But first came finishing off the high of her sleep. And she rested there, enjoying the sunlight for a few more seconds, all until he start rocking her on the shoulder again. Slowly, gently, but to a point that she couldn’t ignore. “What…?” She tried to sound playful, but even boyfriends could only rock a sleepy girl so far. “You’re gonna be late…!” she tried to roll away, but there wasn’t much place to go. And the rocking continued, and continued, all until… Finally in a clear voice, she sighed and rose with a frustrated voice. “Luke, what?” And she opened her eyes to the sunlight, laying in her mattress, head against a cushy pillow. She blinked, staring at the dark wooden panel of the desk that she was stashed under, spinning her head back over to the light leaking in from outside the furniture. Groggily, she looked down at her bed and pillow, finding now that while her head truly was cushioned, the bedding beneath was nothing more than an Amazon jacket and hard floor. But her boyfriend rubbed her shoulder again, and she spun her head as worlds seemed to collide, but her rush and urgency stopped on a dime the moment it was killed. The baseless excitement died once she understood. The hand affectionately rubbing her came from a soft-smiling Katherine. “Did you have a nice nap, sweetheart? You slept without making a peep!” Katherine fawned and cooed, and Dawn was still trying to make sense of where she just was…or…what dream she was just having… Just a second ago she could see it; the other side of her apartment bedroom…sunny, warm, and cozy… The doorway to the bathroom was right in front of her; close enough where she could leap out of bed towards it. And yet… Her hand reached out and pressed against the wooden panel, sliding her hand up and down, like there was going to be a ripple, or intangible piece that was a portal; a gateway back to what she knew she saw and knew she was experiencing…! “Dawn?” The same female voice was calling her back though, fastening the chain to the post that kept her rooted. “Y-yeah…?” Slowly, the frazzled girl turned her head. “Did you have a bad dream?” Katherine frowned, and soon their foreheads were touching. “You don’t feel warm…” she commented, but the concern wasn’t completely gone. “I-...I’m fine,” Dawn insisted, taking another breath and trying to fight the phantom surroundings from her dream. She’d been rocked emotionally and mentally so heavily though that it gave Katherine the opportune moment to tug down her pants. “Hey…!” Dawn complained as well as a piece of paper stayed dry in water. And speaking of which, the front of her diaper was squeezed and a dry, crinkly puff spoke back. “Getting her up?” Grace, if Dawn remembered correctly, asked Katherine from her adjacent seat behind the lobby desk. Dawn could see the Amazon on her knees looking up and away to her friend that was well out of view, chatting, “Yep. We’re done for the day so I’m gonna get changed and get us out of here.” And without any debate whatsoever Dawn was being lifted up and onto her feet. “Want me to watch her while you get dressed?” Grace asked. Dawn stepped out and into the light, squinting just a small bit from actually adapting to the meager amount of darkness she had, though she did feel a tiny bit sore from sleeping effectively on the floor. “Would you mind?” Katherine smiled appreciatively, and Dawn looked up at Grace, sitting in her chair like she had been before the girl fell asleep. Her friend waved her off with a hand. “I did it the first time, didn’t I? Besides, if she slept well that means no crankiness, right?” she chuckled. “Lucky it’s been a slow day!” “Really lucky,” Katherine nodded. “Dawn, honey? I’m gonna go get dressed and then we’re gonna get going, okay? Can you behave for Grace?” Let it be said how lucky Katherine truly was. With Dawn still fully waking up it was the absolute sole reason why she wasn’t getting any pushback right then. She slept long enough to forget the good graces and also temporarily lose the energy to verbally fight back. So instead she lightly nodded, feeling distant more than anything else. “Okay, I’ll be right back,” and Katherine stood and left, leaving Dawn with sunken shoulders and a gaze up at her new warden for the brief intermission. Another stickler for the rules, but just maybe slightly less oppressive than Dayna was… “Did you wanna come sit on my lap?” Grace smiled, misinterpreting common courtesy through the eyes as just a silly child’s wanting. “No, I’m fine,” Dawn replied, lucid enough for that, at least. “How long was I sleeping for?” “How long? Hmm… I would say for a little bit, at least.” Maybe it was coincidence, but it was another mention of passing time without any real metrics. No numbers, just phrases. Qualitative, but not quantitative. “N-no, as in, like, how many hours?” Dawn clarified, hoping that being blunt was just shining light on a silly misunderstanding. “Hours?” Grace repeated, but paused for a thoughtful hum. “Hmm…a little over three, maybe?” Three? Since when did naps go for three hours? Weren’t they an hour or so at most? “That long?” “Littles like you are always having big and exciting days,” Grace chuckled, “you’re gonna need a break in between all the fun, you know!” That long though… Was she actually that tired? The days were longer here, weren’t they? So was her body just…catching up? Acclimating? The very word made her shudder just like her diaper crinkled. Her diaper…fuck. “So did you have a fun day?” Grace did both the chit and the chat, leaving Dawn to wander in her very immediate space, curiously peering around the central pillar that the desk surrounded. Almost as if it was her own fortress… “Uh…it was fine,” Dawn was passive in replying, wishing Katherine could somehow change faster. “Did you like meeting Dayna?” Did leprechauns bleed lucky charms? No, and not because the answer was blood, but because they didn’t exist. Things that don’t exist don’t bleed. So no, she very much did not like meeting Dayna. “She was…nice.” All Grace did was chuckle, and Dawn gave her a look. “What? What’s so funny?” Dawn frowned. “Hm?” she raised her eyebrows. “Oh! No; your mommy had some stuff to say about that, is all. Between you and me, sweetheart,” she leaned in with a playful whisper afoot, “you need to learn to behave!” Were they talking about her when she was asleep? “Wh-what? What did she tell you?” “How silly you can be,” Grace stayed vague with a cheery smile, and Dawn only exhaled, knowing just how impossible it was to get any kind of direct answer from anyone here. “Oh hi, Grace!” a voice from beyond the great wall was heard and the Amazon sitting with Dawn looked up and over. “Hey, Dayna! Excited to be off the clock? Vacation awaits!” “You can say that again,” and the voice drew closer. Closer right until an unfortunately familiar face was visible to both Grace and Dawn now. “Just glad I got to finish it with a fun shift, no offense!” “None taken,” Grace sighed herself, waving her hand. “Running the Little’s corner is definitely the highlight of the week,” she said, and Dayna solemnly nodded. “Definitely. Though,” Dayna chuckled for a moment, like it was required just to get the next part out, “I had to deal with one who was being a little bit bratty today…” “Oh yeah?” Grace asked, and Dawn, still somehow unnoticed, shook and quivered. She shook from the anger of knowing exactly what she was about to imply, and quivered from the fear of having dodged a bullet. It sounded like she really did have a vendetta, if only by a little. “She’s new and all, so I’m not going to hold it against her, but have you met Katherine’s new Little yet?” “Yeah, I did, actually. Sweetheart in my opinion! Not yours, though?” Grace chuckled, and by forgoing any mention of the very person standing right beside her, just maybe the Amazon was covering for her. “Mm, well… She’s something. It was like she was ready to throw a tantrum over every little thing! First she didn’t want her juice, then she got upset when I wanted to check her diaper, when she had to sit down for story time… Promise you won’t tell Katherine this part?” Secrets from Katherine? Suddenly Dawn felt an oncoming bargaining chip, even if it was a tip from her newest enemy. Grace nodded and said, “Lock and key. Whatcha got?” “When Katherine came to pick her up for lunch? She called Katherine by her first name!” And the sound of shock in the woman’s voice rang an uncomfortable bell for the culprit. Dawn looked beside herself in a weird way. Did it really matter that much? Enough to tell another person about it? And of all things, too. It couldn’t have been that important to call her Mommy, right? “Really?” Grace spoke with a similar spike of surprise, and Dayna readily confirmed. “Yes! You should’ve seen how embarrassed she was! I completely get it, but still… I can’t imagine how embarrassed I’d be if my Little called me by my name in public; gosh, even in private! I wonder if–” “Oh come on!” In a shocking turn of events, Dawn stepped back and shouted up to the heavens, catching Dayna off guard. “You can’t be serious! It’s not even that big of a deal!” Clearly Dayna was taken aback, never expecting a second listener. But still, a second later and her persona was composed. The friendly, gossiping tone was dropped for one that played from statuses, enforcing the separation between teacher and student. “Dawn? What are you doing back there?” “Minding my own business,” she spoke crudely. “What about you?” But instead of getting an answer, the grown up simply deferred to the other, continuing to talk right over the girl’s head. “Grace? Did you let her play here? Wait,” she turned her head both ways, “where’s her mommy? Where’s Katherine?” “She’s just getting changed out of her uniform. I said I’d watch Dawn for her,” Grace explained, but Dayna looked far from satisfied. “Has she been here this whole time? Katherine never brought her back after lunch– Oh, perfect timing! Katherine?” And Dayna disappeared from beyond the desk. “Jesus…what’s her problem?” Dawn muttered, but she spun her head as the floor fell from beneath her. Or, more aptly, she was picked up. “Hey!” “Don’t ‘hey’ me, troublemaker,” Grace playfully sighed, “Your mommy’s gonna get in trouble if you let anybody find out she let you nap back here, you know?” “Why, because Dayna is sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong?” “Dayna cares about Littles a lot, honey…” Grace explained, but it seemed to be sparing an awful lot of enthusiasm, to the point where the woman seemed to doubt it herself. “Let’s go hand you off. Sooner you two skedaddle the better.” “I can walk, you know?” Dawn complained, but was barely even acknowledged as Grace carried her out the back and back to the front of the desk where they closed in on Katherine and Dayna. “Katherine, you never brought her back after lunch. The whole day were you just–?” “Bwah!” Grace forcefully interrupted, and even Dawn could feel the tense atmosphere. Katherine looked pensive and reserved, meanwhile her peer came off as aggressive and annoyed. “Sorry, Kat! Dawn wanted her mommy!” And like a box of chocolates Dawn was held out as such, to which Katherine warmly accepted now in her street clothes. Dayna’s mouth still hung agape with a stern sentence she seemed like she wanted to finish, but apparently Littles really did function the same like children as far as set pieces went. No adult in their right mind would chew out another in front of a kid. “Oh, thanks!” Katherine smiled, briefly bouncing Dawn against her hip. “Did you miss me?” Dawn wasn’t sure whether she was just being exploited as a diversion at that point or Katherine was being genuine. Either way, the warm smile still made her feel uncomfortable and brought on a blush, so maybe it didn’t really matter. “And actually, Dayna, do you have a sec?” Grace asked with a sense of apology in her voice. She clasped her hands with a guilty look. “Since Katherine’s gotta go, I was wondering if you could help me organize just a few late return filings real quick? Call it your last job before vacation time?” Dayna looked caught between two different hares she was trying to catch at the same time. She briefly stuttered, then ultimately sighed. “S-sure…” “Perfect! Thank you so much!” Grace grabbed Dayna by the shoulder, then tapped Katherine’s. “Have a good night, Kat; be good for Mommy, Dawn!” Apparently if it was coming from an Amazon and not a Little, Katherine was adept at reading cues, hence why they were already drifting away. “Thank you!” She waved. “Have a great vacation, Dayna!” Katherine called, then whispered in Dawn’s ear, “Can you say bye to Grace?” “What?” Dawn, not whispering so much, rebutted, “why?” “Because she did something very nice for us. Please?” And like that they were back to speaking in broad strokes and flowery words. Reluctantly, and without a gesture, Dawn called out blankly, “Bye Grace.” “Bye-bye!” Grace, still within earshot, waved back, still escorting Dayna away. “Jesus, what was her problem?” Dawn vented as they reached the outside. “Was she mad at you, or something?” “No, Dayna wasn’t mad,” Katherine was quick to correct, “she just…wanted to make sure everything was okay,” she briefly explained, but didn’t leave room for comment. “More importantly, did you have a fun day?” Calling it ‘fun’ couldn’t have been farther from the truth. But what wore on the girl was Katherine’s constant smiling. Her stupid, kind words and overbearing attitude, especially with how upset she could be over the stupidest things that Dawn would say or do… “It was…interesting.” She froze up from the elated gasp from the Amazon. “Really?” Katherine asked, sounding no less happy. “Oh, that’s great! I’m so glad you had a fun day!” She squeezed her tighter, and Dawn tried to push back just to give herself breathing room. “I know we had some problems, but I know it was a lot of fun spending my lunch break with you!” And maybe it felt begrudging to admit, but that was probably the highest point of the day for Dawn as well, if not the part where she slept through the remainder of it. After all, she was at least humored in browsing some of the books, even if she was censored the whole way through. It was the highest point, if only because everything else was simply so much worse. “Next time…” Dawn started, but wished she never even began. Next time. When was next time? Tomorrow? Two days from now? Days. Days she referenced going by with the full expectation that she would be here for that much longer. Waiting and wondering just when her sentence would end. “‘Next time’ what?” Katherine, as inquisitive as always, bounced Dawn on her hip like she needed a reminder to finish her questions. “...Nothing. So now can we go home?” Dawn asked as she looked around the parking lot, finding it to be far more packed than it was that morning. “We can…” Katherine lulled, and Dawn wasn’t much of a foodie, but she knew how to smell a carrot dangling from a stick. “I was thinking we could make one quick stop somewhere first. Is that okay?” No, it probably wasn’t. “Where are we going?” “It’s a surprise! Do you wanna guess?” “I just want to go home… Can we, please?” “We will right after. I promise you’ll like where we go, though!” Soon Dawn was slipped into her car seat, slipped and snaked into the cushioned seat, safely secured and strictly strapped into place without a chance of getting out on her own. What she didn’t appreciate was her accompanying accessory set being placed right next to her. She watched Katherine drop the diaper bag right next to her before shutting the door and getting into the driver’s seat. “Wanna listen to some music?” Katherine asked as she pulled out of their space. “Nope. All set.” Did she really care if her doll was entertained or not? “Ta-dah!” The excitement was sure and true, but it wasn’t shared. Dawn gave her a skeptical look as she watched outside the window from her seat. In another attempt to spark some joy, Katherine asked, “Dawn, you know where we are, right?” A sliver formed between her lips just to let out a quiet sigh. “A toy store?” “Yes, the toy store! Don’t you wanna pick something out?” Again, the Amazon kept trying to sweeten the pot, but her tricks and tactics were simply suited for a different kind of opponent. “Can’t we go to a bookstore, or something? I’ll gladly pick out a book,” Dawn tried to compromise. “They sell books here, too! But, you need to pick something out to play with too, understood?” “Why is it so important I get a toy? I don’t play with toys, Katherine,” Dawn tried to explain as clearly as she could, yet hearing the clicks and snaps of her own car seat straps seemed to make for a sore juxtaposition, somewhat. “Because you need fun things to play with!” Katherine emphasized, finally sighing herself, albeit in a much more playful way. “I like books too, but I can’t be a bookworm my whole life!” In other words, diversify with your hobbies. What “hobbies” was Dawn allowed to have here? Books, if at all, and what; playing with toys? Toys and books? Or were her hobbies just the different games that she was supposed to play? The self-defeatist attitude was as justified as it was demoralizing. But having been through the song and dance enough, Dawn decided to be as much of a buzzkill as Katherine could be when she wasn’t the one getting her way. “Is it because of LPS?” The apparent Big Brother of this world. “Don’t worry about that,” Katherine hushed much more somberly, but she still came off as positive. “Besides, you tried really hard today and you deserve a treat for that. Anything you want, okay?” “So what if I want nothing?” A real glass half-empty kind of gal. “Then I pick something,” Katherine grinned, catching Dawn in a way she didn’t expect, annoyedly so. “Fine. Whatever…” Dawn muttered on the brief walk across the lot and into the store, advertising with big bubbly, colorful letters and all. The moment they stepped inside, Katherine was already fawning. “Oh wow! Isn’t it so big?” She pointed and Dawn followed her finger up to the massive animal balloons floating around the warehouse ceiling. Pigs, cows, and horses, all equally as round and bloated save for their unique colors and tails. They looked larger than life; far bigger than the normal Amazon, and only served as a reference for just how big this place really was. “Yeah, cool,” Dawn commented, then glanced at all the metal cages of balls, boxes, colorful adverts and distant beeping and buzzing noises. Katherine walked them through the entrance, swiping a catalog like it was some kind of dead drop. Had Dawn not been watching the endless number of pages flip past her fingers, she likely would have seen the stars in Katherine’s eyes as she made small noises of glee at the colorful image explosion of endless products, gadgets and gizmos. “Sure we’re not here to get you a toy?” Dawn called her out, and all she did was chuckle. “Hmm, maybe! I only get to come here when it’s for one of my nieces or nephews, so I guess I’m a little excited to have another reason to go…” Katherine giggled. Or in other words, Dawn was but another means to an end. “So? Did you have any ideas?” “Ideas? I wanted a book. Not a toy. If we get Waver a toy can I just take the book?” “That’s very thoughtful of you,” Katherine said as she rubbed her head, “but I think he has plenty of things to play with. You on the other hand?” So much for trying… She sprung for the first pointless thing that came to mind. “Fine. Blocks. I don’t know.” “Yeah? Let’s go see if we can find some…” And off they went. The toys certainly were endless, much like the shrieking children and crying Littles inside the store. “NO! I WANT BOTH!” One would wine, and another would beg. “Just fucking let me go you sadistic bitch!” Identifiably, the Littles were the ones with more…refined language. And while Katherine may have tried, either her hasty pace to avoid the meltdown or hand to cover just one of Dawn’s ears was always a reactive strategy rather than a proactive one. “Pllleeeeeaaaasssse!” “Mommy! Mommy! This one! This one!” “I DON’T WANT A FUCKING TOY! I’M AN ADUL–” Cue the slaps and smacks. “You don’t have to try and cover my ears, you know…” Dawn spoke simply, getting more annoyed with each attempt. Katherine, missing the point entirely, opted for an unnecessary teaching moment by saying, “I don’t want you thinking that just because others do, that doesn’t mean you can use naughty words, understood?” “Yeah, kinda figured that…” Maybe it was all in her head, but her bum may have twitched just then. Hearing more and more from kids and captures had her both unnerved and observant. Of course it made her uncomfortable; she was forced to listen to people who had it just as bad as her. They were all mirrors for her circumstances, as far as she could tell. Maybe that’s why the store was so big as well. Enough space and soothing music from overhead speakers just to tune out the cries of the eternally damned. “I think we found what we’re looking for!” They finally turned into an aisle that was thankfully empty. The tall shelves were organized like warring factions, each section championing some kind of branding or product. Something that looked like a knock-off for legos, others as some superior imitation of knex, and more. Big block sets, small block sets; soft ones, hard ones, plush, mesh, and more. It had to have been some kind of haven for any aspiring materials engineer. One that still needed pull-ups for bed at night. “There’s so many…!” Katherine looked up, down, left, and right. “You’ve got a lot to choose from, huh?” “Those,” Dawn pointed out a small box. “Let’s get those ones.” “These ones?” Katherine crouched and pulled the box off the shelf. It was a bright orange box seemingly filled to the brim with cubes, spheres, and prisms of endless shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns. A circular cutout lined with plastic was a snapshot into the eternal land of creativity the toy assuredly had, but Dawn hardly cared. It could have been as boring as a stick in the mud and she still would’ve asked for it. As long as it was in the same place. After all, she pointed at the first thing she saw. “Hmm…” Katherine hummed, and Dawn by chance followed her finger tracing across the packaging. Her digit moved and moved over the selling points and finally stopped on some label. ‘L4+’ Interesting, but certainly more random jargon. Dawn didn’t care to think too hard, given how peeved she still was by that Library’s stupid sorting system. She’d figure it out soon enough, but she didn’t want anything else to kick her while she was still down. “And you’re sure about these?” Katherine asked, like she was warning her with a ‘last chance’ sort of look. “Yep. They’re perfect.” “Alright then!” And in Katherine’s hand they stayed. Boom. Easy. Done. “Can we go now?” After thinking twice about it, she decided it’d probably be better not to try and see any of the books here. Given the setting, she was more than likely going to leave book-less and disappointed. “Yes, we can,” Katherine started, but then stopped, raising her eyebrow with a grin. “After you pick something you really want?” Was it really that obvious? Dawn just barely clicked her tongue. “I said I wanted those blocks, didn’t I?” “And I’m sure you do, but let’s pick out something else, okay? I want you to really think about it, okay?” “How should I know what I want if I didn’t even want anything from the start?!” Was she really being forced to choose if she was upfront about her complete lack of interest? “That’s okay,” Katherine soothed and bounced, but it only made Dawn boil hotter. “How about I walk down some aisles, and if you like it, we’ll get it?” “Then…just get me another thing of blocks, or whatever.” At least playing architect meant needing the imagination for what a finished building might look like. “You have enough blocks,” Katherine decided for her, now apparently the arbiter of all Dawn’s needs and wants. “We’re still gonna get you a book too, you know?” “Don’t want one anymore.” “What? Why not?” “Just don’t. Changed my mind.” “...Well, can I pick a book out for you?” “I’d really rather you didn’t.” And instead of pushback, Dawn got literal pushback when the Amazon smothered her cheek against her face. “Jeez…what’s got you so grumpy?” Katherine frowned for just a second, but was back to smiles as they moved down the aisles, traversing the endless maze. Some time later, Dawn felt the need to broach a recurring and uncomfortable topic. “Kath– Mommy?” Shit. No one was nearby, as far as she could tell. She could have gotten away with it…! “Ya-huh? See something you like?” and she already started to turn on her heel. “No. I…I need to go use the bathroom.” “Hm? You don’t feel wet…” But before Katherine could administer a check, Dawn quickly spoke up, “N-no! I didn’t…urgh, I didn’t do that! I’m just saying that I need to go!” “Oh,” Katherine said, though her face implied the disconnect. “Dawn? Sweetie, it’s okay to use your diaper?” “Yeah, I know!” Fuck! No! I don’t know because it’s not okay! “Just… Please? No one’s watching! No one’s gonna know! Just take me!” “Dawn…please don’t get upset with me.” “I’m not gonna be upset if you just let me go!” The very thought of needing to go had her fidgeting, but Katherine’s arm around her back kept her from going anywhere. “Are you nervous?” “Nervous?” How did that even apply to the situation? It was just…disgusting! And yes, embarrassing! Nervous didn’t even apply! Nervous made it sound like peeing herself was a willing possibility, like she just needed a light push on…! “I’m not nervous! I’m just…just let me go use the bathroom! If…if I pick out a toy will you let me? Please?” “No, but I’d still like it if you picked something out,” and like it was an open and shut case, Katherine kept walking. That was it, then. No more talk about using the bathroom. “Ka– Mommy! Please!” Dawn begged and her legs squirmed. All because of that stupid juice…! “Shh…Dawn, it’s okay, honey.” Softly, yet firmly, she was being refused, and every second with trying to hold it meant less brain cells she could use to strike up an argument. “You’re not even being fair…!” “It’s okay…” she tried shushing the girl, moving on to hums, “you don’t need to be embarrassed.” Dawn at many points had been a fool in underestimating the absurdity of this dimension, but at least now she was starting to see when and where she was at a total loss, hence her frustration right then. At the library she had no option; no Katherine to beg. However now she did and couldn’t afford herself the excuse of “had Katherine been there, maybe things would have gone differently.” The only difference though would be being held while she peed herself versus standing on her own two feet. “Just…can you just put me down?” Dawn was desperate with her shaky ask. “I won’t run…!” Even if she tried, her bladder would be the first thing to give out before her legs. And like the question hadn’t already been asked, Katherine whispered, “Honey, are you nervous?” “Yes, I’m nervous!” Dawn blurted out. Fuck it, if she was being forced to do it, then yes, she was nervous! Nervous and embarrassed. Disgusted like she was since doing it the first time. Every disgusting and awful feeling that came with the act…! But in a shocking turn of events, Dawn was slowly set on the floor. Yet another dreadful compromise. A small, technical victory, which was nothing but a loss framed through a different lens. “Ah-ah!” Katherine snagged Dawn by the hand the moment she tried to take a step. “Stand right here.” “What? Why?” Dawn asked as she was parked in front of the shelf, feeling a shadow overhanging her as it reached closer to the floor. Soon Dawn was being held by the waist while Katherine was crouched behind her, covering the Little on both sides with her legs and hanging her head over her. “Katherine?” “No one’s watching, it’s okay,” Katherine whispered, and Dawn felt an assuring pat on her stomach. “Just look at the toys, okay?” “W-wait, no!” Dawn tried to wriggle free, but the Amazon wasn’t letting go. “S-stop!” “Didn’t you want some privacy?” “Y-yes…!” Privacy from everyone! “But…but you’re…!” “Dawn,” and she broke up the words with a kiss atop her head. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen, silly. Just let me know when it feels like you’re done, okay?” Let it be known that it could have been argued this was something Katherine had not seen. However, it couldn’t be debated that she had certainly seen Dawn do worse… Pertaining to the number poo variety… Or did she pee herself then, too? It didn’t matter! Her breaths were nervous all the same and she was waiting for the chance to disappear, but the adrenaline was just making her feel the need to pee even more. What was she supposed to do? Lie and say she went? What if Katherine checked her just to see if she did? Or what if she didn’t? Then Dawn would really have to pee herself in an even more public situation than this farce for privacy already was. If anyone did see, they’d just see a mother sheltering her child from the rest of the world while they did whatever kids do. Cry? Throw a tantrum? Wet their diapers? Either way there would be the instant recognition, and the only thing protecting Dawn from that was her own willful ignorance and Katherine’s motherly demeanor shielding her from it. She breathed and breathed. Inhaled and exhaled. Sighed, fidgeted, and squirmed. Finally she was looking at what was in front of her. Speed Racerz toy trucks, zipping across the cardboard cover in a blazing trail and all. Big, bulky plastic trucks…with big wheels…premade, customizable tracks, and… A meager meep left the girl’s mouth as her legs went stiff and she tensed up. A warm drop left her body, but it didn’t go far. Katherine’s touch was almost as snug and secure as the diaper was around Dawn’s hips, quickly soaking up the sudden and ongoing stream. For a quiet, uninterrupted moment, she wet herself; freely as much as she’d been forced to. “Good job…!” Katherine whispered her praise as an Amazon hand wiped away the tears. She’d done it multiple times before, but never in such close proximity like this. There was simply no way of hiding from her. Even if she knew what went on, and even if she changed her diapers, what didn’t change was the self-disgust and embarrassment. “Why…why do I have to…?” Dawn tearily muttered. “Because we love you so much, sweetie,” and after another kiss Dawn had finally emptied her system, drained in more ways than one. “Ready to go back up?” Meekly, Dawn nodded. “And…upsie-daisie!” Katherine cooed and Dawn soared. Apparently she’d put on a show convincing enough to not warrant a diaper check, and her face grimaced once her thickened, diapered front pressed her fake-mommy’s side. “Just tug my shirt if you see something you like,” she said as she rubbed her back, and on they went. They went and went. Aisle to aisle. Dolls, stuffed animals, play sets, kitchen imitations, and more. There were toys that felt awfully advanced for what Dawn would consider friendly for kids. Train sets with gearboxes to manipulate the speeds, robots with programmable command sets, and make believe cauldrons with “substance synthesizers – PARENT MUST SUPERVISE,” and so on. Everything at first glance reminded her of what might be pure gold to kids 8 and under, but the idea felt deceptive once she had a closer look. “Wait,” Dawn finally spoke up, “what are those?” “Those?” Katherine took a step back. It was a large display behind a thick layer of transparent plastic glass, or something. Large, wide tablets were propped up on tiny posts, lined in protective and color casings that had handles reminding Dawn of her sippy cups. The edges were patterned and textured for easy grip and the top even personified the technology with a friendly cartoonish face. Maybe there really were some parallels between this dimension and her own. They were tablets marketed for kids. Dawn was no kid, naturally, but it probably felt like it was the most dignified thing she could get. It was the first screen she had seen since losing her phone. Ignoring the childish case, it could just maybe be something bearable. And after all, Katherine did say she could get anything… “I’ll get one of these,” Dawn decided. And she waited for Katherine to grab one above the display. And she waited. And waited. “...Why don’t we look at something else?” “What? But you said I could get anything? It’s a toy, isn’t it?” “Yes, it is, but I don’t think we need any more screens in the house. Besides…” she murmured as she looked at one of the boxes, “I don’t know if one would be appropriate. Let’s go find a different toy, okay?” “Wh-what? But it’s actually something that I want!” “And I’m sorry, Dawn, but I don’t want you playing with one of those,” Katherine explained, but her decision was firm. “Maybe another time, okay? But let’s try and get you some things you can touch and play with in your hands.” “Yeah, and you can use a tablet in your hands. Katherine, please? I lost my phone; this is the closest thing to that!” “Dawn, no,” she firmly said it again. “And…ah, see here?” Dawn looked at where she was pointing. ‘A6+’ “Yeah? And?” “The ‘A’ means ‘Amazon’,” Katherine slowly explained, then traced the six and plus. “It’s for Amazon kids that are six and up.” Her first instinct was to blink, and then to wonder to what kind of discrimination she was being subjected to. Because she was a Little? Wait– no, that was obviously the reason. The only reason. But did the age factor even matter? “A-are you serious?” “Uh-huh, see the ‘A’?” Katherine started to re-explain, “That’s the first letter for ‘Amazon’--” “I know how to spell! But are you seriously saying I can’t have one because I’m a Little?” “Dawn, some toys are made for different boys and girls, okay? There’s even toys just for Littles, too!” Like the mutual exclusivity was somehow supposed to make her happy again. “Katherine, that shouldn’t matter. I’m smarter than a six-year old, Amazon or not. I know how to use a tablet!” “I don’t think you should be using things like that, is all.” “What? Why?!” Would it somehow be too stimulating for her? Was that it? “Because–” And just because Dawn’s foot was against Katherine’s thigh she could feel the vibration from her pants. After maneuvering the Little in her arm she pulled out her own personal tablet, answering a call with the phone against her ear. “Hi honey, what’s up?” James? Was she talking to him? “Put it on speaker…!” Dawn hissed quietly, and Katherine didn’t even look at her, as if it was deliberate, like she was implying not to ask. “Uh-huh, yeah,” Katherine paced in place, bouncing her charge as if to distract her. Dawn could hear mumbling noises from the phone, but hardly anything to piece out something on the other end of the phone. “We’re at the toy store right now, actually! Just getting Dawn a few things she can play with.” “Mhm. Mhm? Wait, she’s…right now? Waiting? Al…alright. Okay, we’re on our way now. We’ll just be a few minutes, okay? Okay…thank you…” Katherine took a breath that Dawn knew to be nervous, and she concluded the call by saying, “Love you. Bye.” “What? What was that about? Did James call?” Dawn was immediately asking, and Katherine was hardly telling. Dawn checked both ends of the aisle before making her move, finally whispering in the Amazon’s ear, “Katherine!” “Huh? Sorry, sweetie? What?” “Who called?” “Just James, sweetie… Hey, we’re gonna just get you the blocks for now, okay? We’ll come get you some more toys another day,” she explained as they started walking back to the front of the store. “You’re acting weird,” Dawn gave her a scrutinizing look. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing’s wrong; everything’s okay,” Katherine smiled, but Dawn wasn’t buying it, and the lack of communication was poisoning the already toxic waters. But not needing to pick a toy out was in its own way a victory, so maybe the urgency to leave wasn’t all that bad. After all, if Katherine wasn’t running, surely no one died. No big deal, then. “Who’s here?” Dawn couldn’t help but notice the black car parked out by the sidewalk, but her personal chauffeur was headed straight for the house, skipping the driveway and stone walkway by shooting through the lawn. It seemed urgent, but apparently not enough for Dawn’s bundle of blocks to be left behind in the car, now hanging from Katherine’s wrist in the bag they were packaged in. The door was unlocked and Katherine stepped inside. “James?” she called. “Right over here!” he called back and around the corner. It was like a dramatic reveal with the way they stepped into view. James was positioned opposite to them, and in between was an eerily familiar head of hair. That same head turned up for a moment, then stood to realize its full Amazon form. “Hi Katherine, I’m sure you remember us meeting the other day?” she held a hand out over the couch. “Francine?” “R-right,” Katherine forced out a chuckle, shaking her hand. “From LPS?” “Gosh,” the woman feigned a frown, looking distraught, “I hate seeming like the boogeyman with all these visits…! Ah! And this cutie right here is Dawn! Not Donna!” she corrected and laughed, but Dawn didn’t. As friendly as she tried to be, Dawn wasn’t fond of Amazons, especially the ones that talked to her like she really did go to daycare. Other than that, a smiling face that intruded on your home in a suit and badge never had any real smiles to give. “Oh, please, sit!” Francine gestured over to James, which Katherine quickly went for, sitting leg to leg with her husband. “I just had the chance to meet with James.” “S-sorry for making you wait,” Katherine jostled the bag, “We were just getting Dawn some toys from the store.” “Oh, that’s not a problem,” the woman smiled. “What toys did you get her?” It was a fairly innocent question, but even Dawn couldn’t help but feel slightly weirded out by it. There were different ways to ask something like that. One was as a lead-in to cheer for the child who got them, acting all impressed and excited, but this wasn’t like that. As if it was a question exclusive to the Amazons in the room. Like she was ready to judge. “Just some blocks to play with… She loves being creative…!” Katherine explained on the spot as she quickly pulled them out, brandishing them. “Oh those look fun,” James leaned out just to see for himself. “Right?” Katherine agreed. “Dawn picked them out all by herself!” “Good pick, Dawn!” “Yeah, thanks…” the Little murmured. “Would you mind if I took a look?” Francine asked, already holding her hands out. “O-of course,” Katherine obliged. The woman stared at the packaging for a brief moment, slowly turning it over, studying the contents like it was a bomb, or something. But whatever inspection she was conducting, possibly they passed, because she was soon handing it back over for James to accept. “Thank you,” and just a second later she was typing something in on her phone. “Did you get her anything else?” “Anything else…? No…well, we were going to, but…once my husband called that you were here, we hurried…so…” and with each pause she made a half-glance at her husband, like somehow he might have an answer. “Oh, well I’m sorry for interrupting like this!” Francine chuckled, and James did most of the heavy lifting on meeting her gesture halfway. Dawn was back to being coddled like a security blanket for Katherine. “Just to reintroduce myself for you both: my name is Francine Bush and I’m a case handler for LPS. I’m here on a report that was made about an alleged mishandling, or kidnapping that’s still under investigation.” Despite the obvious tension, Dawn with her lack of knowledge had a far easier time being rude. So out she blurted, “Yeah, the one that person was lying about?” “Dawn…!” Katherine warned sternly, then quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, she…I think she’s just a little upset we couldn’t finish our trip to the toy store…” “No, that’s okay!” the woman smiled, then pointed at the box in James’ lap. “Actually, I’d hate to be the reason she can’t play with her new stuff. Why don’t we let her keep busy with that while we talk?” “I’m fine, I don’t want to–” But the sound of tearing cardboard was already making Dawn purse her lips. Suddenly a rainstorm of blocks was pattering on the floor. The only kind of forethought that saved her was using her feet to stand before Katherine could set her on her bottom – her warm diaper, before she could feel the squish. It felt like she was under a magnifying glass now that every big in the room was sitting on the couch, and she was the cute decoration playing in the middle. On the floor. Lower than everyone else. She had half a mind just to make a point of her disinterest, but just to keep up the bare minimum of appearances she slowly dangled one block over another, watching the unsurprising clank and crumble of her two-block structure. And as she performed similarly unimpressive feats, she quietly listened on. “Where’s Waver…?” Katherine quietly whispered to James. “Upstairs. Figured it’d be better to keep him in our room…” “So,” Francine continued, “I said I’d be making some unscheduled visits in the future. I apologize for this one being so soon; it’s important for these kinds of things that we get to meet both parents, if and when applicable,” and she nodded to both Amazons. “If–” Katherine spoke up, suddenly stopping. “If…if James can answer any questions a-about whatever this witness reported…” “No, that’s alright,” Francine said. “I was able to ask him some things before you got here. Unfortunately I can’t offer any more information right now other than that the claims are still being investigated. I hope you can understand, but we take the wellbeing of Littles into very serious consideration, which is why we ask that until we’ve resolved everything, you don’t try to finalize any sort of adoption paperwork.” “Right, of course,” James was the one to answer, and even with her back to them, Dawn could feel the strength leaving Katherine. “So is there anything we can do for you?” “Well…like I said, I know that it’s soon, but as of yesterday I understand you both were still getting some of the essentials for Dawn?” “Y-yes. We finished the start of her nursery the other day,” Katherine explained, and James backed her up. “A crib, changing table…” “And a toy chest?” Francine raised her eyebrows, and only after a solid second did she smile with a glance down at the blocks, finally implying that what she made was a joke. James and Katherine made another on command laugh. “That’s great, then,” Francine murmured as she did something else with her phone. “And how did today go? You both work, yes? Do you already have her in daycare?” Nope. No daycare… Dawn quietly shook her head helplessly as she tried to balance a cylinder on a cube. “W-well…I brought her into work with me today,” Katherine slowly started. “My work has a place that watches parent’s Littles when they need to do research or use any of the library’s services.” “Mhm…” More notes on her phone. “And that’s for employees, as well? They watch the Littles of employees?” “There’s…there’s no rule against it…” Katherine explained, but she sounded a bit stunned, like she was caught off guard. “And is that your long term solution for her?” Francine glanced from guardian to guardian. “Every day at the library?” Maybe minus Dayna, sure, it could work… Dawn pessimistically supposed. “A couple days out of the week I regularly work from home,” James volunteered. “She’ll be staying at home with me then.” “While you’re working?” Every question she had seemed to be judging. Maybe it was her job, but did she have to sound so bitchy about it…? “I’m able to be away from my computer; she’ll be under safe supervision,” James answered with more confidence than Katherine could seem to. “Okay…” Francine nodded, making more notes. “Is…is that okay?” Katherine asked, finally asking an obvious yet unanswered question. It felt like something fairly essential, and yet Francine sounded like she was only answering because they asked. Otherwise it was on a need to know basis. “For now, yes, but I’m sure you both understand we want what’s best for Dawn’s wellbeing?” “Right,” husband and wife agreed. “That’s why I’d be concerned about her socializing opportunities. Sometimes parents can underestimate it, but having routines and consistent faces can be important for a Little to feel comfortable with their environment. At the library; is it usually the same Littles that are being dropped off?” The air went quiet for a moment. Finally, Katherine, like a student caught without her homework, admitted, “Not…all the time, no… It-it’s just that getting her into a daycare this time of year when it’s already in the middle of the year…” Another wordless nod from Francine. “That’s alright. It should be fine for now, but I suggest trying to put her around with some other kids her developmental age. As far as daycare goes, we can arrange something for you if need be.” Dawn stayed quiet, but boy was she clambering those blocks real hard. There was no way in hell she was going to a daycare. And what gives? Being forced to play with mindfucked Littes? What did she mean by “developmental age?” She had the developed mind of an adult, so that obviously meant socializing with adults. Right? Right? “How about doctor’s visits? Do you have anything scheduled for her yet?” Every question was like a bombshell that threw the Amazons off their game. Dawn had never seen the mighty and immovable checkmated before. “No…not yet… We wanted to find someone that we were comfortable with…” Whether it was true or not, this was the first Dawn was hearing Katherine speak of it. “Mhm, I can understand new parents being nervous about that,” Francine sagely nodded, and for once it felt like they’d reached a point of common ground. “But it is important you make sure your Little is up to date on everything and in good health. It’s a number one priority we recommend,” and she let the pause hang just to intensify her point. “Littles pre-adoption can be known to not be so proactive with taking care of themselves. Thank goodness they have the grown ups looking out for them though, right?” Another collective laugh from the trio, all at Dawn’s bitter and annoyed expense. “Which is why…” Francine, already with something prepared in her inner pocket, pulled out a slip and scribed a few things on it with a pen. “I’d like you two to take her to that appointment for tomorrow,” she handed them the paper. “I understand if the timing may not be ideal, but it really can’t be overstated making sure your Little is in good health…” “Nope, we understand,” James nodded, glancing down at the slip. “I’ll make the time. No worries.” “Perfect,” Francine nodded appreciatively. “That’s an appointment for a local Little-trician we like to refer parents to in the area. There won’t be any need to explain the situation or your current circumstances; just treat it as a normal check-up. You’re more than welcome to use her as Dawn’s primary care moving forward, but we’d like to know of any switches you might be making if that’s the case.” “Right…thank you,” James said again, and Katherine said something similar. “Okay,” Francine exhaled, then looked around the living room. “Since things have changed, would it be alright if I saw her nursery now?” She lifted her note-taker from the coffee table. “Just to keep all our information fresh.” Just how anal is she…? Dawn wondered as she contemplated the best way to chuck a ball at her spindly structure. Maybe in a way where the ball would hit the woman? More importantly, she still had the card to play about being stranded here by a tour guide, but would she even listen? As “helpful” as she sounded, Dawn didn’t quite get the most positive vibes from her… If anything though, at least she gave thoughtful explanations, as twisted as they are. Nothing like “bad words are bad, or this toy isn’t appropriate for you.” She worked like math whereas Katherine functioned like creative literature. Vague and operating on a sense of reason that merely just “felt” right. Real glime-dazzling stuff. “Kat?” James stopped his wife from standing. “Why don’t you stay with Dawn while I go show her around? Sure your day was busier than mine.” “That’d be fine,” Francine cooly included. “I’m done with my questions for today.” “Uhm…sure…” Katherine agreed, sinking back on her seat. And Dawn flinched once a rough hand over her head tousled her hair, leaving the gesture in James’ wake as he walked ahead with the LPS worker. “We have a high chair for her if you want to see that?” James chatted as he guided her to the stairs. “That’d be great. I’ll see it on the way out…” Dawn watched them disappear up the second flight from her leaned out position. But before she could look away she was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace. “K-Katherine?” Dawn grunted over the sniffles from the woman. “C-can you let go?” “I’m sorry…” she sniffled again, sounding on the verge of tears. “I love you more than anything, sweetheart.” And without asking to, Katherine kissed her on the forehead. With Dawn’s foot hanging from the hold, still close enough to the floor, all she did was kick one of the spheres with the back of her foot. Going… Crash! Crumble! The great tower of babble had fallen. 22 - Decompress “Is it not going to affect your work?” Katherine spoke with James, and Dawn did her damndest to contribute. “Don’t worry, I’ll be able to make the time,” James was casual as he passively rubbed his palms from his seat. “Thankfully my time is flexible when I’m at home.” “Mm…” Katherine quietly agreed, and Dawn boredly watched the Amazon, sitting right behind the Little with her legs splayed on both sides like walls meant to keep the smaller girl in. She watched her hand occasionally add a block to her amalgamation of cube, prism, cylinder and more. The once mighty tower had fallen and much like the result of Babel, better thought of as babble, that’s all either architect seemed to be communicating with each other. Dawn placed a block here, Katherine placed one there. Dawn implied step one, and Katherine opted for step six. The conversation finally reached one of those quiet moments, and while Dawn seriously doubted that was for her sake, she certainly treated it like so. Speaking up, she said, “So did either of you two plan on asking me?” “Ask what, sweetheart?” Katherine patted the top of her head. “Ask if I was okay with any of this? What did she even call it? A Little-trician? Is that like a doctor, or something? I’m not going to any doctor.” There wasn’t a need for one. None whatsoever. Maybe mentally was an ongoing question, given how horrible things were becoming, but at least physically she was in tip-top shape. “Well Dawn,” Katherine used her gentle, ‘too dumb to understand’ tone, “you have to go to the doctor’s. What if you get sick?” “I’m not going to get sick,” Dawn said, then immediately realized how ridiculous that sounded. “I’m not sick. Not right now. Fine, take me if I get sick, but not until then. I feel fine!” “Dawn, we all have to go to the doctor’s,” James turned it into a double-team. “The LPS lady gave us an appointment. We have to go.” “There’s a number on that, isn’t there? Just call and cancel, or something. Tell them I feel fine.” “Dawn…you need to go,” the woman right behind her said. “Just let me stay here!” Dawn insisted, and James looked up, like he was sharing a look with his wife beyond the Little’s scope of vision. “Why don’t we all go tomorrow?” Katherine offered, not to Dawn, but to James. “I’d want to meet them, too…” “Well if this works out, you can always take her the next time,” James suggested, and Dawn looked concerned. “What do you mean ‘next time’?” the Little tried to interrupt. “I’m not going the first time either!” “I can just call out for the afternoon; they’ll understand.” “Hon, you called out once this week already,” James played the gentle opposition. “It’ll be fine, I promise.” “I’m not going!” Dawn raised her voice, and Katherine calmly tried to shush her. “Shh…shh…indoor voices,” she calmly reminded her, and Dawn was ready for another outburst. But all it took was that stupid look from James! It wasn’t enough to make her any less agitated, but…she felt far less willing to challenge his wife’s mercy. “I know, but…” Katherine started, but started to drift. “It’ll be fine, trust me,” James smiled, and Katherine did as well. Dawn sure didn’t though. “Let’s forget about that stuff, though. You two have a good day?” “Meh,” Dawn scoffed just as Katherine looked like she wanted to say something much more glowing. “Meh?” James raised his eyebrow, but looked at his wife for answers. “Do you remember Dayna? She was in charge of the Littles today at work. Dawn had a little bit of a rough day…” Rough day? Being forced into the custody of strangers, have her hobbies and interests be made mockeries of and held out of reach, and plummet her dignity by being treated like an actual child, and that was all just a “rough” day? It was a fucking horribly unfair day! The worst of the worst! Shitty, no-good…! “Did you behave?” Suddenly Dawn was included, for the softest of softball questions only, of course. “I did what I was told,” Dawn exhaled, dropping another block on what could have only been an architect’s worst nightmare. “She was good,” Katherine said just as it looked like James was going to say something back. “Just a little nervous around new people, and that’s okay.” More misdirection and misinformation. She was the farthest thing from nervous. Pissy and independent would have been more accurate. But she was sitting between the legs of a woman who had more or less been her safeguard all day, and even now against the person that spanked her once already. “I-...” Dawn came off the handle again, ready to correct her, but quickly went quiet. Maybe it was better to be misunderstood than to be punished… “Well, good job, then.” James smiled, and Dawn’s head quickly fell down. Complimenting her? For what, enduring all the unfair treatment? Call her a soldier, maybe a veteran once she finally made it back home from the war. “Yes, she did a very good job,” Katherine was just as warm and affectionate, and Dawn was trying to lean away from her hands now on her shoulders. “She ate all her lunch and we even got to look at a few books together!” “Yeah? Anything interesting?” Hardly, for all Dawn knew, considering she barely even got to read the first few pages of one. And that overly-complex book sorting system… “We were looking at some fantasy books, and actually,” Dawn suddenly slid forward on her bottom just so Katherine could stand. “Where did I leave her diaper bag…?” “Right here,” James grunted as he leaned back to grab the bag. “Bring something back?” That got Dawn’s attention. “Uh-huh…” Katherine hummed as she flipped the top open and rummaged through. “Ta-dah!” Dawn leaned out from the side and saw something familiar in the Amazon’s hands. It was the same book they were looking at right before lunch ended. They got it? She checked it out? “Huh…” James mumbled as he read the back and front before handing it back. “Is that gonna be okay?” “It should be fine,” Katherine said as she cradled the book with both arms. “I made sure it was appropriate.” “Wait, you ended up getting the book?” Dawn asked, now beside the woman’s leg. It was an honest and admittedly positive surprise. “Can I read it?” “Of course I got it!” Katherine chuckled, and Dawn shuffled awkwardly. “But remember, Dawn: we’re borrowing this from the library. That means we can’t keep it forever.” “I know what borrowing means, so can I just read it now?” Maybe if she finished it fast enough she could convince her to bring back another one tomorrow. Given how intellectually starved Dawn was feeling, she probably did have it in herself to finish it in one go. “We’ll read some later tonight before bedtime,” Katherine calmly assured the girl, but that was far from what she wanted, and even carried unfortunate implications. “Wait, what do you mean, ‘we’?” Dawn frowned. Katherine looked considerate, but again, there was that same feeling that she just wasn’t quite connecting with the girl. “These books can be big and heavy, sweetheart, and these aren’t like the books at the Little’s area; we need to be extra special careful with these. They’re not toys, okay?” “I never thought of them as toys! I just want to read! I know how to take care of stuff! I don’t need help holding a book! I’ll just set it on the floor!” “Nuh-uh, not with these,” Katherine shook her head. “That’s how they can get dirty and stepped on.” There was hardly a chance of that happening, unless the Amazons themselves decided to be careless. Then she glanced around for a moment, remembering that the four-legged member of the household was still being kept in confinement. Maybe not everyone could be trusted… “Then…fine, on the couch!” “Dawn,” James cut in, “would you rather no books at all?” “No! Ugh,” she groaned, “I’m just trying to say that–” “We’re going to do things responsibly or we’re not doing them at all,” James quite firmly doubled down. “Do you understand?” And with a bitter, horrible feeling in her stomach, Dawn finally croaked. “Fine.” “Dawn, sweetie? Where are you off to?” It was an observant and omniscient voice that had the flustered girl caught in her tracks, ready to disappear into the dark of the corridor. “I-I…I just wanted to see something…!” she grumbled back, trudging onwards while trying to squeeze her own legs together as much as she could. “Please play where James and I can see you!” Katherine called back, and given how things were, the fact she was giving Dawn the choice to walk back on her own rather than be retrieved was something in and of itself. So she slumped back to the living room where Katherine was petting Waver, and Dawn was looking for a place to relieve herself. “Did you wanna play with your blocks some more?” Katherine suggested with a smile. “Or I can put some cartoons on?” “I’m fine…” Dawn huffed, feeling no appeal for anything right then. Correction: there was no appeal for remotely anything this house had inside of it, but at least once upon a time her one and only toy could occupy her mind for five minutes at most. “Kay, girls, come and get it!” James called from the kitchen, and yet Waver was the first to bolt. “Ah-ah! Waver, no–!” Katherine did her best to tame the beast, but the sound of pebbles hitting the metal bowl in the kitchen was like a lightning rod in a storm. Dawn bore witness to a barreling train that hopped over Katherine’s lap, to the arm of the couch, and then soaring for the kitchen. He was just as well-received by James’ scolding once his paws scraped past the doorway and into the kitchen. It was a bitter feeling knowing that a dog could somehow get off easier than Dawn, but she could certainly fly higher since every Amazon just seemed to think she was a collectable at this point. Katherine unannounced swooped her into the air and brought up the rear. “Ready for some dinner?” “What are we having?” Dawn asked and tried to focus, continuing to squeeze her legs. “Yummy stir-fry,” Katherine bounced the girl lightly as they treated themselves to the aroma from the stove. “Mmm! Smells great, hon!” “Feel like you’d say that even if I only gave you a glass of water to drink,” James playfully rolled his eyes and Dawn watched him remove the apron around his neck. “There’s such thing as good and bad water, you know,” Katherine coyly joked as Dawn was deposited into her special seat that hung from the table. Her legs were fed on either side of the center strap, and soon enough she was secure. “Speaking of water, I’ll take that,” Katherine said as she sat right next to Dawn. “I’ll have water too–” Dawn also asked, but her jaw hung in silence as the timing couldn’t have been any more comedic or cruel. Her sippy cup came down on the table with the same old red hue hiding behind the plastic. “Can I please be asked for once what I want to drink?” “Sorry, was just in a rhythm,” James said, but it didn’t feel like much of an apology. After all, she was expected to drink it anyway. Katherine grabbed her cup and unscrewed the top, just the way she preferred it. “We’ll get you some water after. Sound good?” “Mhm…” Dawn dejectedly hummed, but continued to fidget, finally admitting to her needs. “I need to pee.” “Hm?” She was acknowledged, but not in the way she would have liked. Without being able to see, but certainly being able to feel, a hand went around her seat strap and firmly pressed against her lukewarm diaper. “Don’t worry, it’ll hold,” and before Dawn could make some kind of stink, Katherine’s head turned, “oh, thanks,” she accepted the warm, white porcelain plate of food. “Mmm! Looks so good!” “And here’s Dawn’s,” James with his last occupied hand gave Katherine a bright blue plastic bowl, not a plate, which then made the final shift in front of Dawn. The bottom was flat and rock-steady, as if to minimize the chance of tipping it over. “What do we say?” Katherine hummed, and Dawn curled her toes just so her face wasn’t what looked annoyed. “Thank you.” “Course, kiddo!” And just like the night prior, all three were sitting at the dinner table. If only Dawn could eat as fast as Waver, who was already slumped by the table to her left with a full belly. Dawn leaned in just to see Katherine’s plate. Noodles once yellow had gone for tinted orange and caramelized brown. Cuts of red and green vegetables were hiding in between with cubes and strips of meat, onions too. With it all bathing in a sauce, it did look good, and made a point that takeout wasn’t the only means of getting good food here. James really did look like he could cook… But then Dawn looked at her own bowl. If Katherine’s noodles could go on for miles, Dawn’s looked like they stopped somewhere in the realm of inches. They’d been deliberately cut and shortened to a bite-sized degree. Where the Amazons had slices and dices of whole vegetables, all Dawn got were slivers and smithereens of colored specks; tiny cubes that could only imitate the little brother of the main course that others were having around her. The colors were mostly the same, but it was undoubtedly a doctored dish, and that didn’t sit well with her. Staring at her food, Dawn spoke up just as the first fork that she did not have clinked with a plate. “Mine is different.” “Huh? What do you mean?” James asked, and Katherine looked over herself. “What’s wrong, honey? It’s all the same,” Katherine insisted. “No, it isn’t,” Dawn disagreed. “Why is mine in a bowl, but you both got plates?” “That’s because this can get messy,” the chef explained. “Messy just for me?” “Yes, because you’re not using a fork.” “So give me a fork?” In her hasty pursuit for equality, James caught her by the tongue and scolded, “When we want things, we ask nicely.” Before she could bite her tongue, she asked, “May I please have a fork?” “We’ll get you something you can use, but we don’t have it yet. I cut it up so you can use your hands,” James said right before he took a bite, using his fork, no less. Dawn stuttered, “Wh-but…but it’s covered in sauce? How am I not going to make a mess?” “That’s okay!” Katherine sang beside her, “we’re gonna get you in the tub after this, so if you get a little messy, that’ll be fine.” “Tub?” Yet again, the first she was hearing of her immediate and constantly changing life plans. But as much as she wanted to argue, at least on some level she knew she needed to get clean after all the things she’d done in…in things and in places. “But…I don’t want to use my hands!” “You could just use your mouth like Waver?” James grinned, and suddenly imitated a bark. “Woof! Woof!” “Ah-ah!” His wife stared sternly at him, sinking his act into just a sheepish smile. Dawn wasn’t finding it funny at the start or by the finish. “Dawn, I can feed you while I eat too, don’t worry.” “No, it’s fine…” Dawn sighed, yet again choosing the lesser of evils. Her hand hesitantly reached out for the bowl, feeling less like a person and more like a savage with every meal she had. All it was now was to be fed, or enjoy finger-foods or figure out how to turn a meal into one, and that’s what this was, only James did the figuring out for her. She made a face once her fingers brushed against the layer of sauce atop the noodles, and she cringed as she grabbed a handful, trying to be as dignified as she could, but at least Waver could eat without getting his paws dirty, so where did that put Dawn? The noodles weren’t even long enough to hang out of her hand. Nevertheless, food like this wasn’t meant to be eaten with hands, and that’s why it looked less and less appetizing by the second. It was starting to become some sort of gross muck…sludge? Junkyard stew? All brown and orange, covered in– She stuffed it in her mouth with speed, just as fast as a handful of hand soap could be smothered against her mouth. Everything about it was seasoned and refined. It had a good taste, but there were bitter and slightly spicy tones, like it was a touch burnt on the perfection it was meant to achieve. “Is it yummy?” Katherine asked as Dawn swallowed. Her left hand felt unusable now that it was coated in sauce. She looked for a napkin, but it was yet another thing she hadn’t been given. “It’s…” Dawn coughed, “good…” “You didn’t use any spice with hers, did you?” Katherine was already accusing James, and he briefly surrendered his hands. “I promise! Separate batch, just for her! I had to use some of the powder though for a similar taste, just less of it.” “It’s not too spicy, right?” Katherine cooed while she rubbed the girl’s back. Dawn could feel the light tingles and pricks along her tongue. It didn’t hit nearly as bad as the pizza did, but it was a level of spice that she still did not like. And yet up until that point it did taste good, but now she could hardly taste anything. “It’s…fine…” Dawn lightly coughed and breathed. “Here, drink some sippy,” Katherine brought the cup to her mouth and she sipped from the lid, swallowing a heaping helping of juice all while someone else held it for her. “All better?” “I said I’m fine…” Dawn wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, still holding up the left like it was contagious. “Sorry, Dawn,” James looked apologetic, “Let me know if that’s too much and I’ll put something else together for you, okay?” And to answer his offer, Dawn swiped another handful of food and stuffed it in her mouth, mumbling through her mouthful, “I said it’s fine…” Suddenly she squinted from a wet thumb rubbing the corner of her mouth. “Messy is okay, but let’s not get too dirty,” Katherine laughed as she cleaned her mouth, and James chuckled himself. Meanwhile, Dawn furiously tried to keep her knees together, holding back emotionally and physically. “Can I get out of the chair, now?” Dawn asked yet again as her impatience was mounting. James and Katherine were gone from the table, leaving the Little with an empty tabletop and her pleas supposedly being drowned out by the sound of a running kitchen faucet. “Don’t worry, Katherine’s gonna get you out in a second,” James strolled behind her, swiping the sippy cup still a quarter full of water along the way. “Did you like dinner?” “It was fine…” Dawn said again, choosing to leave her review just slightly north of neutral. If cooking shows taught her anything, how the food tasted itself was but a single factor of many that constituted a “good” dish. It was not only that, but the quality of service and establishment that went into it. And given she was refused silverware, served a biased meal, and not even provided a napkin, maybe the real-feel of her scores were actually headed south. “I’m sure I’ll get something you like going soon,” James chuckled like it was a challenge, one of which Dawn did not want to partake in. She didn’t want anything preferential; not somewhere like this. “Okay!” Katherine announced her return, though Dawn couldn’t see. “Bath time!” “Bath time?” James played the game and egged her on. “Nuh-uh, not for you~” She teased right back, finally roping Dawn into their marital banter. “For this little chick-a-dee right here!” Her two fingers found their way underneath Dawn’s chin, lifting her unwilling head up and looking up at the Amazon. “One, two, three spots I can see right here!” she giggled as she pointed out each and every spot and splotch on the girl’s face. Was this teasing? Teasing her over something she wasn’t allowed to refuse? “It’s not like you gave me a choice,” Dawn grumbled and shot her head right back down. “Don’t worry, we’re gonna go clean you up right now. The tub’s filling up right as we speak! Annnd whoosh!” Up she went like a rising star, but just as fittingly she missed the moon and was forced to drift. Riding against Katherine’s hip she held the girl as they made for the living room and then the stairs. “Ope– let’s say goodnight to James right now, okay?” “What? Why?” “Because after your bath it’s gonna be close to bedtime.” “But…!” She wanted to argue the time, but she hadn’t laid her eyes on a set of numbers since getting to this place. “It’s not even late!” “It’s gonna be late,” Katherine corrected, looking like she bested the girl. “You’ve had such a busy day! I bet once we get you dried off and in your PJs you’re gonna feel a whole lot more tired than you are right now.” “No I won’t, because I don’t go to sleep this early!” “Goodnight, Dawn!” James waved from the sink with a soapy hand. “No! Not goodnight, because I’m not going to sleep yet!” Dawn barked back, and all James did was shake his head after looking back down at the sink. “Oh, actually, hon? Did you figure out what you wanted to watch tonight?” “Mmm…not yet,” Katherine shrugged, “but I’ll pick later. But okie-dokie, let’s go before the tub overflows!” “Wait, what? Watching what?” Dawn looked at Katherine, then at James, but they were already moving, so that just left her escort. “Watching what?” she asked again. “Nothing,” Katherine smiled, “just something for us later tonight.” Something after Dawn went to bed. Without her? Fuck, it wasn’t even about being without her! It was the fact that life went on without her. She was being forced to her prison while the wardens got free reign of the palace. She could hear the faintest sounds from downstairs, just as vibrant and lively while she against her will was committed to confinement. “I don’t go to bed this early!” Dawn insisted and fumed, “Just let me go to bed when you two do! Come on, this isn’t fair!” “You’re not going to bed yet, though?” Katherine frowned. “Sweetheart, grown-ups don’t need naps, and it’s easier for us to stay up later,” she calmly explained while they climbed the stairs. “I don’t nap either!” Dawn finally whined. “You just think I do! But I don’t! Let me prove it, at least!” “But you’ve already been napping for two days now?” Katherine countered, and Dawn went ballistic. “Because YOU made me! I didn’t get a choice! You can’t just use that against me…!” “Ahh, hear that?” Katherine tried to change the tune, “I think that’s the tub getting full!” “And stop changing the subject…!” They reached the end of the dark hallway and re-entered the warm light coming from the bathroom ceiling. It was another giant room with all its giant faculties. The shower and tub were separate and the toilet was sitting right between them. The tub lined with an indent in the wall, right next to a door that must have been their closet. A giant mirror spanned the counter opposite to that, right next to the shower, sitting over the counter and sink too high for Dawn to see over on her own. The atmosphere was warm and humid, precisely because the faucet from the corner was gushing steamy water, and a calming buzz-hum from either a heater or fan in the ceiling. “Oops, definitely too much…” and with Dawn still against her, Katherine dropped to her knees, reaching over and turning a flat metal dial. Then an invisible beast made a murky, bubbly groan as the insides of the nearby wall swarbled and gargled the draining water. Down and down, right up until… “Perfect!” Katherine decided, stopping the flow. Dawn was dropped the short distance to her feet, landing on the plush bathroom carpet. Her first instinct was to look at the exit and consider running, but even on her knees Katherine’s feet were on their toes, raising her calves and heels that made for obstacles Dawn would need to hop over if she wanted to break free. “Arms up!” Katherine cheered, and even though Dawn didn’t listen, it didn’t stop the shirt from coming off anyway. The Little expected her bra to go next, but remembered the cruel reality she was given from the sight of her already naked breasts. She covered her chest, but was too slow to remember that there was still more to lose. Katherine grabbed her pants and tugged them off, sending Dawn back on her bottom as all that remained were her socks and diaper. “Did you go pee-pee yet?” Katherine asked, but it very well could have been talking to herself. She stole the socks next, and before Dawn could even decide how she wanted to answer, an invasive finger proved between her diapered front and inner thigh. “Mm…doesn’t feel different. Let’s give it a few minutes.” She managed not to pee herself the entirety of dinner, somehow, but she was certainly at her limit. But what better place could she have been in? “Katherine?” Dawn spoke up as she rose to her feet, stumbling over to the giant toilet. “I can use the toilet! I still need to pee! Please? Please just let me go?” “Mm? Dawn, honey, it’s okay to use your diaper. Look, I’m gonna get your towel and PJs, so I’ll be right back.” In other words, make use of the five seconds of privacy that I’m giving you. Assuming she even meant it like that. Today at the toy store did show that Katherine was cognizant of privacy, but only as far as strangers. Clearly she didn’t consider herself separate from Dawn’s business. And naked from head to toe, save from her diaper already suffering from slight discoloration, Dawn sadly watched the toilet, standing taller and bigger than her, at a size that without a stool or any kind of help she’d have a seriously hard time using. And she looked down at herself, seeing where the padding just started to protrude beyond the plastic landing strip of puppies playing on her personal potty-pad. Something she couldn’t even take off by herself. With a thousand yard stare she watched the toilet, then looked beyond it, now not even able to hide her greatest shame from what she longed for the most. Had the toilet been animate she would have fallen to her knees in tears, pouring out for her imaginary second-boyfriend that this was all some unfortunate misunderstanding. That she was still committed to their relationship and that this wasn’t some horrible relapse. She wasn’t cheating, just…taking a break. A break that hopefully wouldn’t be long. Not a single drop of pee went anywhere but where the Amazons wanted it to, and suddenly Dawn’s diaper had become thicker, heavier, and warmer. With only an ounce of will left to give the toilet any recognition, trapped in her own diaper, salvation felt so frustratingly close, but of course impossibly far away. “Brrr! It feels so chilly in the hallway now!” Katherine giggled as she came back in. With a small bundle of cloth in her arms she gently knocked the door shut with her hip and it closed with a click. Everything she had went on the top of the toilet seat, because what else was it now to Dawn than just a place to park her bottom, assuming she’d even be allowed on it. And as Dawn soaked in a new low, Katherine took the time to feel her soaked diaper once more. “Good job!” the woman praised, and Dawn cringed. The tapes were like magic. Dawn remembered pulling as hard as she could, panting and straining her muscles without it budging in the slightest. They must have had fingerprint recognition from how seamless Katherine made it look and sound. Each tape was pulled with a flick and Dawn could barely feel the resistance pulling her forward. One. Two. Three. Four. Each one undone was an added sense of weight as the security on her hips finally fell through and her diaper dropped with a slump on the carpet. Not another word was spoken on the matter of diapers, at least for now. Katherine rolled up her sleeve, skimming her hand through the bathwater. “That should be good, but let me know if it’s too hot,” and she lifted Dawn up and over. The girl slammed her knees shut and tried to lift her legs– anything to give herself some modesty. The moment her toe touched the water it recoiled from the initial heat, but quickly hot became warm, and the discomfort was just from being apart from hot water for so long. It really had been a while since she bathed… The water only reached somewhere more than half way, but it was more than enough for the girl’s size. “Nice and warm?” Katherine smiled. “It feels fine… Where’s the soap?” Dawn asked, turning in place on her feet. The sooner she finished, the more time she had to try and negotiate a plea deal from later tonight. “Don’t worry, I got it, but thank you for asking!” she sang as she stood on her feet, opening up the closet door that was out of view. “What are you getting in there?” Dawn tried to do the impossible by leaning out to see, but her cheek was already pressing against the tub before she could even get close to seeing around the corner. “Something to keep the soap out of your pretty eyes,” and as she said it, a contraption descended onto Dawn’s head. It was a saucer or donut that went over. Suddenly she was shaded from the light, all except for her scalp. “What…? What did you put on me?” Dawn grumbled and grabbed at the edges of the device, but Katherine was tutting all over again like she did whenever she disapproved. “Ah-ah! No touching. You’re gonna get something in your eye and then it’s gonna sting reeeal bad,” she warned. And then the waistband of her head-frisbee was stretched as Katherine’s hand brushed against Dawn’s head, collecting tufts of hair , lifting then resting atop the silicone paradise above. Was she wearing a visor? Soon after enough adjusting from Katherine’s end Dawn had no more bangs and was just all forehead, and while she turned every which way just to see what she was wearing, it wasn’t to much avail. “Keep that head still…!” Katherine laughed like it was a game, but Dawn wasn’t having nearly as much fun. She couldn’t touch it, couldn’t see it, all because she was being told not to. Would James hit her again if she disobeyed over something like this…? Then she watched Katherine drag a cup through the water, and suddenly a trickle was pouring on the girl’s head. It made her tingle and wiggle, starting from a sensitive place on her scalp that sent vibrations throughout the body. The warmth was spreading all over her head, but she soon started to hear the dripping from the flaps covering the back of her ears and soon watched the rain pour from the visor in front of her. She sat there quietly and listened, then watched. She stared long and hard at the thing just above her vision and coming out from her forehead, finally noticing how yellow it was…and possibly a…design? “Wait– am I wearing one of those stupid things for kids?!” Dawn splashed the water as she stood, and Katherine yelped. Dawn turned her head and so did the visor too. The Amazon was looking down at her chest, now clinging to her skin from where all the tiny streams of water were flung on it. “I knew I should’ve worn a different shirt…” Katherine mumbled to herself, but shifted her focus. “Sweetie, let’s not splash so much, okay?” “Why am I wearing a stupid kid visor?!” Dawn demanded answers, but her shoulders were grabbed and hands dropped on them like gravity times two, putting her back on her bottom. “It’s so you don’t get soap in your eyes, sweetheart,” Katherine said as she scooped another pour of water. “I won’t get soap in them if you just let me clean myself!” “Some spots can be hard to clean, though? I’d really like to help?” “I don’t need your help! Just give me the soap and shampoo; I’ll do it myself!” “Sweetheart, there’s not gonna be any time to read after your bath if you don’t behave…” The woman warned, and it was another knot in Dawn’s stomach after having every little safe haven or benefit used against her. “It’s not going to take long! Just let me prove myself for once. Please!” It wasn’t even as if Katherine sounded mad, or even all that annoyed. She just sighed, like she knew how the story would end and where things would go, and understanding that impression completely made Dawn even more upset. “You’re sure you wanna do it?” “Yes!” God, was she finally going to listen? “...Okay, you can try.” Katherine ever so graciously allowed Dawn to do the thing she’d been doing for herself for almost the entirety of her life. Her hair was like an inverted turnip once the visor came off. The water made it thick and heavy, but the cage around it sculpted it into a momentary bundle that was quickly falling apart. But like a badge of shame, what didn’t go far was the visor. Katherine set it on the edge of the tub, still peeking over, and Dawn could now see that the thing sticking in front of her had been painted as the bill of a duck, right beneath to black and sparkly eyes. Cute for kids, but humiliating for Dawn. “Hold out your hands, please,” Katherine requested, and Dawn complied. She held out a bottle and pumped a light purple substance into her hands. It was fragrant and sweet-smelling, honestly, but her mangled sense of trust could somehow misconstrue anything at this point to be cruel and unforgiving. But most importantly, instead of something at least viscous and closer to gel, this stuff was far more runny and thin, almost like water… “Now you need to spread that around in your hair extra good, okay?” “I know how to wash my hair…” Dawn turned to her side and started lathering, but now with a critic most likely expecting her to fail, she felt the need to be fast and efficient. “Be careful not to get it in your eyes…” Katherine warned again, and Dawn ignored her. I know how to use shampoo… Dawn rolled her eyes, but found that with the amount she was using it was similar to having too much hand sanitizer in one go. In other words, the moment she lathered her hands, excess amounts ended up on the floor. So while she ran her hands through her hair, drops of water went down the sides of her head, and finally the front of her face. But she ignored it and continued, merely blinking it off, but then feeling the need to blink again. Again until she could feel it stinging, and suddenly her eyes slammed shut. “Ah-ow…!” she grumbled and started to rub, but the chance for prevention was gone and all she could do was grow more and more uncomfortable by the second as the stinging continued to permeate. It was actually starting to hurt… But it wasn’t her fault! That stupid shampoo was so runny…! Was it dilated? Did Katherine get scammed? Scam or no scam, it didn’t change the fact that her face was scrunched and she was stumbling in the tub, feeling on the verge of tears. Did someone pepper spray her when she wasn’t looking?! “I know, I know…it stings, doesn’t it?” Katherine was nowhere to be seen (given that Dawn’s eyes were closed), but she was certainly heard. “Can you move your hands for me? Please? I’m gonna make it all better…” And between Katherine’s requests and finally just forcing Dawn’s hands aside, a wet washcloth went against her face, rubbing up and down and gently massaging into her eyes. A hand on her shoulder kept her in place, and she tried not to sniffle as the unbearable pain went away. “Can you try opening your eyes?” She hesitated like it was a trick, or that the shampoo would come back as soon as she opened them. “I-I can still feel it on my forehead…!” Dawn complained, already lashing out. “It’s just water, honey,” Katherine said, but Dawn still felt the cloth wipe above her eyes. Finally she did open back up, only now with a raw feeling around her peepers now that she could see again. She blinked and sniffled just a few more times, but ultimately kept her head tilted back, lest there be more shampoo she still had to wash out. But in spite of the pain and the mistake, it didn’t make her any less upset seeing the baby duck visor coming right back on. “No…” Katherine warned as Dawn started to step away, but she froze. “We let you try, but now I’m gonna do it, okay? I promise that won’t happen again.” A promise that was likely to keep Dawn out of her own way. And Katherine, the devil she was, kept on saying things like they were questions, or kept on “asking” for consent, but doing them anyway whether Dawn disagreed or otherwise. “Wh-what…what do you guys even put in your shampoo? Why is it so runny? Why does that stuff sting…?!” she complained and complained, and they were all fair grievances. Everything Amazons had was so…deceptively difficult…! “Sweetheart, it’s just normal shampoo, but that’s why we need to be careful with that stuff, okay? I’m gonna be extra gentle, so you just relax. But I’m really proud of you for trying!” And that left Dawn in a bitter mood for the rest of the bath. She felt cheated. Had she known how slippery and stupid that stuff was, she could have made a far better impression. One that didn’t beget a sympathetic consolation or pat on the back. So she wore her crown of shame, admittedly anxious now that somehow Katherine would slip up. A whole new batch of liquid death drizzled on her head; probably because the Amazon didn’t even think Dawn’s handiwork was fit to pick up on. She ran it through her hair, slowly and carefully, massaging her scalp in a way that made her head bob and body rock ever so slightly to and fro. Her eyes felt less sensitive and the pain was leaving. Just rhythmic massages for her head and the monotone hum from the bathroom fan. It was sort of hypnotic. Soothing. Katherine didn’t try to talk to her, and Dawn didn’t talk back. Coexisting in somewhat silence. What’s more though was when there was a disturbance from Katherine’s mouth. A melodic hum that was far from a song, but enough repetition to become one with the white noise. The heat, the warm water, her hair being washed…the hum, the rocking, the drifting, the sitting, bending forward…and… “Just a little more to go…” a distant voice said with a chuckle, but it could have been a whisper. It didn’t sting anymore, but Dawn’s eyes were heavy, and suddenly they were flickering like lights, going from opened to closed. Back and forth. Back and forth. Despite her protests, the defiant Little didn’t even make it to the end of her bath. She was dreaming before she even realized it, engrossed in some kind of unintelligible blurb of noises and feelings, but it made enough sense to her sleeping conscience, so she didn’t think a thing of it, not even realizing she was sleeping. The rest of her was cleaned, dried off, diapered, dressed, and finally whisked off to her room, all while she slept away the day’s exhaustion that took a toll on her far more than she ever could have realized. All until she finally opened her eyes with a start, lurching forward. She half expected the splash of water, but it was different. The warm air was gone and the room felt cool. It was dark, save for some moonlight and a crack in the door. Her body was warm and the mattress was cool; a kind of juxtaposition that was pure ecstasy after any long or exhausting day. She even stretched, feeling the gathers of her sleeper at the wrists and ankles stretching with her, and finally hearing the crinkle of a new diaper she never remembered getting put into. Her hand reached out and collided with one of the many bars of her crib, dazed and confused about the details, but aware enough to understand the comfort and her horrid blunder. Not only would there be no reading that night, but no staying up either. Not unless she wanted to sit up in bed the whole night again. She looked down at the fuzzy clothes she was in, brandishing a bumble bee embroidery on her breast. She wiggled her toes, pressing them into the soft mattress, completely and utterly defeated. And the worse part? Faintly, if she leaned her ears against the bars and towards the crack in the door, there was the sound of something. Some show or some movie, but far too distant to sound like anything distinct. But in that moment, she could understand on some level what she was listening to. The jealousy of missing out. “...Shit…” “I’m sorry we didn’t get to read last night,” Katherine apologized, but it didn’t seem like she really minded. “You went out like a light!” “I wasn’t…tired… I just get that way when it’s hot,” Dawn poorly excused herself. “Wait, stop. I can put that on.” “I know you can,” Katherine agreed, but it didn’t stop her from taking the lead. A bundle of shirt was stuffed over Dawn’s head then stretched and smoothened out. “Still dry?” Katherine frowned when she felt the front of her diaper, and Dawn took a step back as she blushed. “Because I don’t need diapers,” she said for the umpteenth time, and Katherine only sighed. “Wanna wear your pants today or something else?” Dawn gave her a weird look. What else was going to cover the diaper? “Pants?” she said it aloud just as skeptically. And a different colored pair went on. Today’s were a faded yellow, which was reminding her of things that made her stomach turn, particularly to do with bathroom habits. “Okay, grab my shoulders and step in,” Katherine beckoned as she slouched over and held open a shoe for her. “I can put on shoes…” Dawn groaned yet again, but stepped in anyway, knowing just as much how little the Amazon would bend. “I can tie them, too.” Certainly not the same way Katherine could, though. She tried to watch her handiwork with the knot again, but it was like she was some kind of master at sleight of hand. Her movements didn’t make sense, and by the time Dawn was done giving up on how to decipher the first step, her foot was already entombed. “Okay…” Katherine made a cursory glance around the room, then settled her eyes on Dawn and lifted her up in the air. “So, are we gonna be good for James today?” “Yeah, maybe if he behaves,” she scoffed, and Katherine hummed her disapproval. “Today’s about you, honey. I wanna hear only good things when I get back today, understood?” More threats over being reported to the secret police. Be good for X and behave this way for Y. Was there anyone she could just be herself around? Everyone was a witness and a snitch, and the constant enforcement of unrealistic standards was making her go insane…! “Dawn?” the girl blinked and Katherine was tilting her head, waiting for an answer. “Fine,” she groaned, then turned her head. They kept walking down the stairs. “And remember, it’s ‘Daddy’ today.” Please don’t fucking remind me. “Okay! She’s all set!” Katherine announced the moment they reached the end of the hall downstairs. The same office Dawn had been creeping into that one night was now bright and full of life. Waver was laying in the corner in his second dog bed, because apparently he was just that pampered, and James was at his desk with three different screens of all different sizes. A notebook filled with scribbles of pen as far as Dawn could tell were all over the pages and his hand was on some weird kind of mouse. “Oh yeah, is she now?” James got up from his seat, smothering Dawn as he kissed his wife. Suddenly she was a rock stuck between a hard and soft place. James was all muscle and Katherine was all…love. Either way, they both had big breasts. “Is it okay if she plays in here?” “I don’t play,” Dawn tried to interrupt, but failed. “Yeah, that’s fine. We’re gonna take off in a few minutes anyways. Think we already lost against the traffic,” James shrugged. “Don’t remind me…” she sighed, setting Dawn down, then clasped her hands. “Okay, I left her diaper bag by the door and packed it with everything you might need. She has her juice, a snack if she gets hungry, some of her blocks, a change of clothes, diapers…wait– I should probably put another pair of socks in there…” “Kat, Kat!” James called, and Dawn felt the vibration in the floor as the herculean giant leaped one step forward for his wife. “It’s fine!” he laughed. “Just a doctor’s appointment?” “And you’re gonna text me once you get there, right? Let me know how it goes?” “I will, I will,” he nodded again, and Dawn fought the urge to keep on being openly pissy. “...Alright…” Katherine gave in, but she sounded just as uneasy, as if the slightest breeze might change her mood entirely. “And don’t forget to ask them about those things we talked about, please?” “Hon, I’m like a steel trap; I won’t forget,” and he kissed her again. “You should get going now or you’re gonna be late?” “I know…” the woman moped again, and unlike Dawn, there wasn’t anyone who could carry the Amazon and make her do what she didn’t want to. How envious. “Dawn…?” She turned her head and Katherine was low to the floor in a squatting position, holding her hands on her knees. “Could I have a goodbye hug?” What, was she actually going to miss her? The sense of attachment and affection was so one-sided that their reactions couldn’t have felt more opposite of one another. Maybe hoping that the silence and inaction would speak for itself, Dawn didn’t move, other than shifting her pupils from side to side. Is somebody gonna get this wackjob out of here? But standing behind Katherine was her significant other, one who was giving her a far less innocent and much more expectant look. She choked down a distasteful sigh and shifted her eyes the other way once she took a hesitant step forward, and that’s all Katherine needed to practically fall forward like a gluttonous leviathan with her talons wrapped around her prey. “Oooou! I’m gonna miss you so much!” Katherine squealed like her batteries were charged and her hopes were as full and vibrant as they’d always been. Dawn hardly even moved her arms, but she felt the death-squeeze from the woman that finally released her. “Have a great day!” James called, and after petting Waver Katherine finally left, ending with the distant shut of the door. “There’s no need to feel so distant, you know,” James said as he hung over his keyboard without sitting back down. “Distant?” Dawn gave his back a sideways look. “You mean be all affectionate with people I’ve known for like three days?” “We’re not strangers, Dawn. I know Katherine’s said it, but I guess I should make it clear too. This is your home. Even if you like to throw tantrums, we still want to take care of you.” “Then start by realizing that I do not throw tantrums,” Dawn spat and crossed her arms. “Everything I’ve said has been fair and valid arguments, but no one ever actually listens! Ugh, forget it. This isn’t worth getting into…” she paced around, then stopped. “And wait, what stuff does Katherine want you to talk about? What did she say?” “Huh? Oh, just some stuff with the doctor.” “Yeah,” Dawn stressed and rolled her eyes. “What stuff?” And James, the increasingly cheeky bastard, had the gaul to grin at her once the computer screens went black and he turned around. “Wanna know that badly?” “Yes, I do, because it’s my business! It’s obviously about me!” Dawn fumed. “Just tell me! I’m gonna hear it anyway once we go, right? So just tell me now!” “I could,” James nodded sagely, but his head stopped, “but, I feel like you wouldn’t be so chatty if you ran out of reasons to talk with me?” She blinked as she scrunched up her nose. “I hate you.” “Hate me?” James said in a taken aback voice. “Yeah, I do. You’ve been nothing but mean to me; pushing me around, telling me what I can and can’t do, hitting me, and then this: talking to me like I’m some sort of friend! You act like you didn’t just get finished beating me then pretend like we’re cool, or something! You think I just forgot something like that? So yeah, James, I hate you. What, you build a bed with bars in a room you’re lending to me? Gee, thanks. I already said I was going to behave for Katherine, but don’t act like that changes how I feel…!” She was breathing over the silence that ensued, and while Dawn stood in a way far more primed for a fight, James looked far more neutral as he stood in place. But the moment he took a step forward it was the fire that lit the fuse for the regret in Dawn’s words. She stumbled back, shying away headlong into fleeing rather than fighting. She talked a big game, but that was it when it came to Amazons, and she’d have it no other way. But she stumbled and fell, scrambling back up on her feet just to backpedal some more. All of this and James never went past the first step. He watched the entire performance and seemed sort of speechless, then finally pulled back. But finally, James said, “We’re…gonna head out in a few minutes, okay?” He had barely moved and only said that? Dawn’s little spurts of adrenaline were already dying as it gave way to confusion, like she was missing something, or was just surprised by the fact that things didn’t go the way she expected. So with no other real sensible thing to do, Dawn slowly dropped her hands and quietly exhaled. “...Yeah.”

Thank you very much for reading, and I really appreciate the kind words! Apologies for the delay on this response! I've been a bit quiet on this site lately due to IRL things! As for specific timelines, unfortunately I'm no good for that in this story. It reaches multiple points where the whole point is that some amount of time goes by, so it could be in the realm of a couple/few weeks to maybe a month or so. This is assuming I did not seemingly indicate a much larger jump than that... Thank you very much! 48 - Being Brave “So…” Amy slowly set down her needle and thread, and Emily on her toes as she reached for a bin tried to look extra busy right then. “You…dripping wet, butt naked, started running all over the apartment?” “Y-you…you had to be there…” Emily grunted especially hard just to hide the stutters. “Be careful, by the way; I wasn’t kidding when Joyce said I had to stick to some rules,” Amy said again with her watchful eyes still on Emily. “I won’t climb on anything, I promise,” Emily assured right back and dropped back to the flats of her feet. “And yeah, Joyce went running after me, but I was faster,” it felt really good to say that. Finally getting a one-up on Joyce! Well, sort of. Joyce had longer legs and bigger strides, but Emily used the house like a playground. Just because mama bear could sprint didn’t mean she could swing from vines… “But then I slipped and hurt my nose…” Emily reminisced a lot less fondly. “...There’s a saying, you know,” Amy raised her eyebrow, maybe thinking twice about the things she was letting her assistant handle, “about playing silly games and getting silly prizes?” “And now I’m not allowed out of the bathroom until I’m completely dry…” she dodged the criticism and finished her grand tale. “But get this: Joyce doesn’t have to be dry! She can walk out whenever she wants!” “Sounds like you’d run?” “Not anymore! I don’t wanna break my nose!” “You won’t if you just dry off in the bathroom. And maybe run in the house a little less…” Still choosing either to ignore or just not see the problem, Emily sighed. “Joyce is such a hypocrite at times…” “You know, I said I’d listen and all, and I will, but I’m almost starting to think that Joyce is as overbearing as she is for good reason…” And as Ashes strolled by, the seamstress brushed her hand across his back. “No, she’s not!” Emily claimed, and Amy hung a hand on her face just to hide her oncoming smirk. “Like, some rules make sense, but other ones are just ridiculous! Like…! Oh! Yeah! So whenever she wants, she just decides what time we’re going to bed!” “Both of you?” Amy would have guessed Emily being sent ahead first… “Yes! And whenever I try to argue or debate it, she always somehow throws it back at me and uses that as a reason just to build up her point.” Joyce was rubber and Emily was glue… “Well, she’s…” Amy sighed as she smiled, never quite realizing just what kind of reasoning she’d be getting herself into, “...crafty?” “Yes!” Emily nearly jumped as she worked. “Don’t you see what I mean? It’s so unfair! She makes up all the rules whenever she wants, and I just have to listen! I think it’s only fair if I get to make some rules too…” In all fairness, Emily did make rules, only when they were having adult discussions, though. Given that this was somewhere…in-between, her credibility and authority were beneath the threshold. “I think if you’re wanting rules just for the sake of having them, that kinda defeats the purpose, Em,” Amy chuckled. “Oh, can you hand me that swatch right there?” Like a gopher, Emily spotted the destination with her eyes, grabbing a small stack of squares off a nearby table and handing it over to her boss. “Is this what you needed me to try on?” Emily couldn’t help but look on from the side. It did look like a pretty dress… “Mhm,” Amy answered quietly, leaning out and in from her chair, holding the sample under a light and away from it across the outfit. “Just playing with some options right now, though. But– oh, where were we? Right. How does the saying go? Made your bed, so sleep in it?” “Joyce doesn’t let me make the bed,” and Emily certainly rolled her eyes at that. “W-well, sometimes she does. When it’s my chore for the day...” “Oh that’s good; keeping busy around the house?” Amy played sort of dumb. She knew about the chores since that one time she spoke with Joyce. Though, she wasn’t looking to divulge any details about that. She only made clothes, but surely that still fell under client confidentiality? “Yeah, but–” she paused for the sound of the sewing machine. “It’s okay, I can still hear you!” Amy encouraged. “But it’s just little stuff. Nothing major. And it’s weekdays only. Otherwise Joyce wants to do it.” “Gosh, the battery that woman must have…” Amy shook her head hopelessly. “Guess we’re all built pretty differently.” “Mm…” Emily nodded, going quiet and contemplative. Her work for the day has mainly just been waking up, eating breakfast, doing a chore, browsing the computer a little, and waiting for Joyce. It wasn’t as boring as before, now with just a tiny bit more structure, but it was far from filling up her entire day. Searching for work was harder now, too. She was as earnest as she started, truly, but now due to certain parental locks it was just another hurdle trying to get in… If she wanted to use the computer when Joyce wasn’t home, somehow she could “request” for permission, whatever that meant. It probably sent something to Joyce’s phone, but she didn’t like bothering Joyce during work, as much as she loved to bother her now in general. “Enough about Joyce, though; let’s go back to us,” and she killed the machine and held up her handicraft. “Think you can try something on for me?” “Yeah, of course,” and Emily was about to take it, but Amy playfully tugged it back. “Sorry, this one has a zipper on the back. Might be easier if we do it as a team,” Amy smiled, and Emily nodded. It was one of those once in a blue moon situations where she could actually go down to just her underwear without totally blushing. “Want some help stripping?” “No thanks, I’m uh, fine. So should I go…?” Emily looked around, like there was a dedicated changing room. “Oh, no, it’s fine to do it right here,” Amy nonchalantly waved. “Let me go lock the front door though, actually…” Maybe it was weird to admit, and maybe it was definitely weird to be feeling, but Emily couldn’t help but have a sense of unease as she lifted her shirt. Almost like…she was doing something wrong? Only because Amy was here. Another body, another person that was watching her or at least being near her while she got naked. Guilt? Was that what she was feeling? The intent was honest and pure, but that wasn’t enough to affect the strangeness. If Joyce saw me like this…would she get jealous? Infidelity? Was it cheating if her seamstress saw her undressing? “Emily? Everything okay?” “H-huh?” Emily perked up with her rolled shirt halfway down and off her arms, bringing out the red spots on her cheeks. “Y-yeah, I…nevermind.” Amy made it clear she was fine with the personal stuff, but Emily still wasn’t cool sharing her stupid. Stupid Joyce and her stupid jealousy… Apparently other things were starting to rub off on the girl. “By the way, uhm…Amy, do you have any family, or anything?” “Hmm?” Amy’s interest had been piqued. “What makes you ask that?” “Just…cause you’re a person that makes clothes, and all…” and with still a small bit of trained and learned hesitation, Emily undid the button on her jeans. “I was wondering if you make stuff for your family, or anything.” “Ugh, believe me, Emily,” Amy sounded with playful disgust, “the less my family knows about what I do, the better.” “They don’t know?” “They do…but I don’t go around reminding anyone, you know? Here– let me take those, I’ll fold them…” She moved Emily’s clothes in a neat pile to the couch. “Great family, and I love them, but with so many of them, just doing one favor for every person would ab-so-lutely destroy my schedule!” “Do they ask for big stuff?” She scoffed and Emily nearly flinched. Apparently they’d hit a passionate tangent. “Big, small, medium; all of it! And difficult stuff, mind you! I’ve had cousins before that want me to essentially build a whole new outfit over an existing one! I couldn’t even save the fabric!” Emily listened as she stepped into the dress on the floor. “Put it like this:” Amy started, but stopped so she could pan them over to a mirror, “when a mechanic finishes up work for the day, the last thing they wanna do when they go home is work on another car. Make sense?” “Yeah it does… What…what you do for me and Joyce…that’s not off-work stuff, is it?” “Nope, that is very much my work,” Amy haughtily chuckled as she lifted the outfit up Emily’s legs. “You, my munchkin, have given me a whole new branch of things to play with, and I cannot be excited enough for it! Do me a favor: if Joyce ever thinks about dropping me, try and warn her discreetly that I’m gonna throw a tantrum, ‘kay?” “Uhm…yeah…I will…” Emily hesitantly agreed, and while she felt conflicted about a line being crossed, she didn’t notice Amy’s smile. “Joking! Just jokes,” she laughed, and Emily swallowed another bitter gullibility pill. “But no, Joyce and I kinda have a special deal going because I’m kinda into it, too. She’s got me on retainer, so I get paid to play around with ideas and Joyce can request something specific if she wants.” “Has she done that before?” More backdoor dealings without Emily knowing? Or if Amy told her, was it not that secret after all? “What, requested something?” Emily nodded. Some of Amy’s gears were turning, as the question was processed the dress fitting had stopped. But she spoke and said, “Uh…can’t say,” then zipping her lip and tossing the key. “Confidentiality, and all.” “Can you really not say anything about Joyce at all?” Emily finally started to give the woman a sideways look in the mirror. “I’m telling you a lot…” Seriously, shouldn’t they be trading secrets here? “I won’t tattle about your detective work, but I’m not gonna get in the crossfire,” Amy held up her hands, ready for arrest. “Intentionally, at least,” then she went back to tugging the dress in places. “Does it feel comfy?” “Uhm…kind of, I guess?” Emily tried not to turn, but she did try to get a fettling of the fabric. “It’s a little loose though…” “That’s fine. Like I said, you’re similar to another client, but not exact. They’re a bit bigger than you.” And Emily stood there and watched herself a bit longer while Amy muttered and took notes. “You’re kinda different when you’re serious…” Emily thought out loud. “Yeah?” Amy giggled, “am I?” “I– All I mean is that when you’re taking notes and stuff…” “I gotta be if I’m gonna make nice things…” she murmured as from a lower pedestal step she lifted a piece of the dress’ hem. “You don’t even wanna know how much research I’ve done for you, kiddo.” “You do research too?” “The ideas don’t come completely from trees!” Amy laughed, and Emily felt embarrassed for not realizing the obvious. “That’s usually how I start new projects. Hear from the client what they want, gather and study some references, sketch it out, then make it! Sometimes though, I might just strike lightning and go straight to the sketching part.” “W-well…” Emily went meek as her hands fumbled with themselves. “What…stuff did you research for me?” Was Amy getting into the kink side of things, too? Did she have to dive in the deep end like that because of her and Joyce? For what Emily knew her to do, pushing this woman off the deep end like that didn’t seem fair for what normal stuff she is likely used to… “Oh, kid’s fashion!” Amy said it simply and cheerily, and Emily almost fell over. “What?” she held her model up by the shoulder, “not what you expected?” “Not really…” Emily mumbled, not keen to mention her thoughts. “You look at kid’s fashion?” “Ya-huh. Lots of cute ideas to take from there. Though, that kinda brings a new challenge to it, which is I’ve never had to quite ‘age’ up my references before…” “What’s aging up…?” Could Emily be blamed? After all, Joyce only ever taught her how to age down. “Just taking something and considering how it might change for someone older,” Amy explained. “For example, you’re not gonna find a toddler or kid with adult breasts or curves. Depending on what we’re going for, those are just a couple things to consider. And also, that day that I came over to your house to see the clothes; were you wearing a different diaper?” “H-huh?” “Do you guys use different ones, or just the same kind?” “I-I think we use the same kind,” Emily answered, though nervously just a few steps behind the casual introduction of her diapers. “I don’t know where Joyce gets them, though…” Somehow through Sheila, apparently. “Mm, well, I wish Joyce would have told me so I could account for it…” Amy said with the slightest bit of annoyance. “Does it really affect that much?” Who was Emily, the not-seamstress, to ask? “No, it doesn’t,” Amy admitted with a defeated sigh, “but if you like perfection you gotta scrutinize the details.” Things had been moving so fast that Emily didn’t register what Amy said until she had time to digest. “W-wait,” she turned her head to Amy, “you noticed a difference?” “Had a hunch,” Amy answered like it was asking for the weather, “your bum looked a little bit more puffier! Which is cute, by the way!” and Amy, the master of damage control, made a loop with her fingers and signaled the universal “OK” sign. Though her attentiveness opened the door for more questions, but ones that Emily was far too embarrassed to ask. What, “how did you know that my diaper just wasn’t wet?” What a great argument that would make; built all on the stage of self-sacrifice. “If I know what the bare minimum is like, I can consider the stretchiness for stuff that wraps around it,” Amy explained. “Too much and it either gets too loose, or suddenly your diaper isn’t getting the support that it needs.” Amy stayed calm and casual, even when indicating the obvious and terribly embarrassing. Diapers only needed support if they were hanging on to extra baggage. Either way, she sounded just like Joyce, but without all the tension, but the same exact lack of reservation. So instead of calling a bluff or doubting her claims, it was far more worth Emily’s pride and dignity if she just let Amy be right. “That’s another thing I kinda had to study, by the way,” Amy included, looking like the brunt of the burden was Emily’s fault. “Figuring out diapers isn’t easy, you know?” It was like layer after layer of discovery for the poor girl that just had to stand there and model a piece of clothing. While it was interesting to listen to Amy talk, she was completely unprepared to introduce or contribute anything to it. Diaper studies? What, was she supposed to talk about how comfy hers felt, or snug and secure they could be? Maybe they were on the same subject, but the lenses were totally different. “L-like what?” “Again, it’s all tiny stuff, but it’s worthwhile information. Just knowing the difference between plastics and cloth. Disposable and cloth. Oh– those are two huge differences, by the way! Maybe I was kinda going down the rabbit hole, but it also helps with my sketches if I know one is kind of non-negotiable for the model. Otherwise she gets punished,” Amy grinned, and Emily blushed. “If it’s like a onesie or sleeper you’re in, I need to consider the types of fabrics that I’m using if I know what kind of underwear you’ve usually got. Helps avoid extra wear on friction between materials. Lets me know if I can keep certain spots fluffy and soft” “Oh…well…uhm…you thought of a lot…” Emily was rightfully at a total loss for words, and Amy was at least self-aware to a point. “Sorry! Did I overwhelm you? I have a little file built on you, is all I mean. You and Joyce are pointing me in new places, but as a seamstress I’m better for it!” “Glad we can help…” “Glad I’ve been blessed with this work! Mmm…okay! Ready to get that dress off?” Emily blinked, and apparently that’s how long it had taken. “That’s it?” “That’s it!” Amy nodded. “Easy though, right?” “It was easy, yeah…” the girl agreed, but it didn’t change that an entire day was reserved for what, just ten minutes of her time? On some level it felt very much like a “Joyce’s assigned one chore of the day,” but where they differed was at least Amy supplemented with other things… “So…now what?” Emily asked while she let Amy undress her. Unlike where she was just obedient for Joyce, this was Emily fearing that she might ruin or tear an unfinished product. Maybe that’s why Amy also offered her help at the beginning… “Now, we take this off, you can put your normal clothes back on, and…mm, well, I guess that is kinda it then, huh?” “Are you gonna have me come back again?” Emily asked, wondering if her need had been exhausted entirely. “Oh yeah!” Amy nodded assuringly. “I’m gonna be making some tweaks to this over the next little bit and have you try it on again. Sorry in advance if that sounds boring!” “No, it’s not,” after all, chatting with Amy for the most part was pretty fun, “but I’m just a little surprised, is all.” Not that anything they discussed over the phone could’ve been false advertising, but maybe Emily’s expectations got ahead of themselves. “I know, I know,” Amy apologized, “it’s not a whole lot… I’ll see what I can do about giving you some more stuff to do for next time!” Amy said it confidently, and Emily nodded as she started to re-dress herself. Emily had the chance to look at the time, finding the new predicament that came with a light workload. “So…that’s it then?” Emily stood, taking that as her cue to leave. After all, the work was done and the day was over. “Oh, Emily, that doesn’t mean you have to leave!” Amy exclaimed, finally catching on. “Stay and be comfy! We can still hang out while I work? I have some stuff I can do down here anyway. Or, if you get bored of me you’re more than welcome to the TV upstairs.” “Yeah, but…I don’t wanna interrupt anything… Should we write down the time, or something? I think I got here at around nine, so…” and while she was nearly ready to resort to her fingers, Amy had a hand on her shoulder and forced her to sit. “Don’t worry about the hours; I have that all taken care of,” Amy dismissed. “And no, you are not imposing! Don’t be afraid to use your phone or anything, by the way. Sorry though; this doesn’t quite fill up your day like work normally should…” “Really, it’s fine,” Emily insisted, and in fact, “Besides, if I wasn’t here, I’d kinda be at home by myself…” she watched her leg for a minute, wondering if what she would say was all that workplace appropriate, “I like getting to talk with you, so…I don’t mind.” Her words must have fired like bullets out of a gun. Amy held a hand to her chest, delightfully taken aback by such a small but meaningful gesture. “Well I like getting to talk with you, you know!” Amy laughed. “Besides, you were nice enough to invite me over to your house, so obviously I should make the same gesture, shouldn’t I?” “Well…that only sort of happened because I was too scared to come over here…dressed like that.” “Everyone’s got their comfy space, right?” Amy shrugged, dusting off worry and wonder every time Emily could muster some kind of doubt. “So you’re gonna stay, right? Otherwise it’s between you and the cops once Joyce can’t find you here to pick you up,” she taunted with a grin, and Emily couldn’t help but reciprocate. “Okay, fine, I’ll stay.” “Perfect.” Amy smiled, and all was well again. For only a little bit, however. A matter of seconds, really. “...Hey, actually…Emily?” It felt like the first meaningful pause she’d heard from Amy ever. Emily’s hand stopped petting Ashes and she looked up almost nervously. “Y…yeah?” “First: you can refuse, okay?” she held out a halting hand. “If this sounds like too much, just let me know. It’s just…well…I may have one other thing that I might need you to try on…” “For a client?” Emily was already getting up from her seat. Another chance to model was another chance to work. Contribution felt good, after all. “Yes, for a client,” Amy chuckled, “but specifically for you.” “For me?” The groundwork was already laid that made it clear Amy was producing for her, but that wasn’t to say she ever expected an opportunity to see it. Especially without… “But…I thought I couldn’t see anything Joyce was having you make?” Eternal Christmas presents that wouldn’t be under the tree until Joyce said so. It’d be enough to make all the good boys and girls unionize. Amy was already flipping through pages on her table and tidying up her fabrics, then finally folding the dress. “How about I go get it, then I can explain.” “O…kay…” and Emily watched Amy hurry upstairs. The woman was still forward and cheery, but there was an air of reservation, only now coming from the other end. And as Emily heard her feet coming down the stairs, Amy was already jumping straight into explanation. “So normally– no, I can’t show you stuff; both because that’s what Joyce wants, and I don’t like sharing unless it’s fully finished, but this is something very close…” The white box Amy was holding was nondescript and hardly an indication of anything, but Emily could tell it wasn’t normal attire that was inside. After all, Joyce didn’t pay to make Emily look mature. “And, well, I wanna be extra sure this is just right.” “Is it another…onesie?” Emily, feeling daring and brave, asked the question that just might dispel the suspense. “No.” Amy said. Apparently the suspense was not dead yet. “It’s a diaper,” she continued. Apparently it was dead now. “A diaper?” Emily paused, but Amy didn’t, who took the top half of the box and lifted. Like a royal treasure atop a fur-lined pillow, Emily waited to see a diaper with a nervous beat in her chest, but was quite surprised and confused by what she saw. It definitely did look like underwear, but not the disposable kind. The colors were loud and proud. Purple, yellow, red; clashing foes that somehow perfectly encapsulated the chaos that a kid could be. Panties didn’t feel accurate, but nothing else sounded better in her head. High-cut, all-encompassing ones. Buttons were studded along the sides, and at the waist and legs there were elasticized trims of thin and light material. Most importantly, though– the most confusing part: it looked…thin. While Emily would never elect herself as the authority on diapers, surely wearing them was enough to allow her an opinion on the matter. And while she looked down at the garment confusedly, Amy with bated breath was patiently holding her hands together. “This is a…” Emily looked up at the woman, “...diaper?” “Yes!” Amy enthusiastically nodded, and Emily slowly looked down at it again. Emily went quiet, slowly reaching out her hand, waiting for Amy’s command to stop that never came. Soon she was touching the “diaper,” rubbing the material between her fingers. Though, she could hear the friction, like tiny thin fibers were rolling and sliding against each other. Sort of like… “It kinda sounds like a bathing suit,” Emily commented, and the proprietress merely laughed. “That’s the inner layer; I added some waterproofing to it! Because…well…” They each shared an uncomfortable look, “just in case! But the inside is soft! Feel it!” The idea of it being a diaper was still hardly sold on the girl. Was it an invention? Where was the padding that got the job done? That made the diaper a…a diaper! She hooked her finger around the leg band, feeling the inside. “It does feel pretty soft…” Emily agreed, but sounded like she didn’t know much else to say or how to expand on it. No way other than the kind of skepticism she felt bad giving. “Amy, I really like how it looks, but I…I don’t think this’d really do what…what a diaper is supposed to…” Where was Joyce to back her up on this? “Well, it is a prototype,” Amy slowly admitted, like a magician that begrudgingly revealed their own trick, “But I do stand by it! It’s my first time with some real functionality in clothing. Does something seem wrong with it? It works like a normal diaper, see?” Emily watched Amy reach out, making it a show of the button areas. Each side erupted in loud metal pops from where the buttons unsnapped, going off and off until none remained connected. Only then did Amy slowly but deliberately show that the buttoned fabrics unfolded and came apart, like wings on a disposable diaper. “See? There’s snaps that let you take it on and off!” Amy emphasized, flipping and flopping the wing with her hand multiple times. “Cool, right?” “Yeah, but…mm…” Emily went quiet again. “What? What is it?” Amy verbally pushed and shoved. “You’re beating around the bush, silly. You won’t hurt my feelings!” “You promise…?” “Yes, I promise,” Amy held up her hand “So? Break the news! What’s so bad?” “It’s…it’s kind of thin… Like…a lot of thin,” Emily broke the news, and as welcomed as it was it didn’t change her guilt. “Thin?” Amy asked to confirm, and Emily nodded again. Half the reason she didn’t want to say it was in fear of having to get specific, and they were already toeing a dangerous line. It’s thin! So what if it’s thin? If it’s thin it won’t…absorb! Absorb? What do you mean? When I pee myself! Or something like that. The at-home video in her head was traumatic enough. But Amy was still quiet, like she was waiting for something else, and that only made the girl more nervous. Did she want more explanation? Was she insulted? “Well…” Amy sounded like she was trying to be careful. Oh no, did I hurt her feelings? Should I apologize? “That’s because we didn’t add the padding, yet?” “O–” Emily stammered. “O-oh! Oh! That’s why?” she went for an embarrassed laugh. “S-sorry! I just thought since you said it was done and all…” Stupid! Stupid! “So…wait, how does that work then?” Amy tilted her head. “How does what work? The padding?” “Well…yeah?” Was there some kind of misunderstanding? “Don’t…doesn’t that stuff go in the diaper before you finish making it…?” Maybe she needed to ask Joyce about that when she saw her. Again, she was a diaper wearer and nothing more. “How are you supposed to get it in now?” For all she could tell, it looked pretty sealed up. “Emily?” ever so sweetly, Amy asked. “Mhm?” “Honey…do you know how cloth diapers work?” Emily blinked. “Sorry?”A cloth what? Amy’s eyes widened and Emily’s oncoming embarrassment grew just a little bit bigger. “Awh! O-oh my gosh, you don’t know? Ah!” and in a hasty rush Amy lifted the box’s interior filling, revealing varied sizes and thickness of thick cloth squares and strips. “See these?” “Y-yeah…” “These are the padding!” Amy explained with a whole new wave of enthusiasm, all because she had a sadly ignorant girl who was a product of the modern age. “Look– pick up the diaper, see?” In Emily’s hands she looked at the interior of the front face of the diaper, and Amy’s hand stuck out at a place where Emily could now see a seam and where the cream-colored fabric was bundled up. She watched the woman’s fingers go near the anomalous spot, close and closer, until… Her fingers! They disappeared! Gone! Into the void! Gone and forever– then her fingers came back out. “See this? This is where you slip in the diaper inserts! Let’s put one in now, actually,” and Amy with Emily as her vise grip parted the inner mouth of the diaper, slipping the long thick strip of material in. “Everything is safe to get wet,” Amy explained, “and all you have to do is just wash and dry it! Cool, right? It’s an infinite diaper that can look exactly the way you want it to!” And in admitted amazement, Amy’s efforts helped Emily cross the mental bridge that brought her from skepticism to the finished product the seamstress was trying to communicate. Instantly she felt the still soft and malleable, but sturdy pad fill out the diaper, going from thin and baggy to thick and taut. Suddenly she was holding a diaper, except…washable? “See what I mean now?” Amy couldn’t hide her teeth, sounding more eager by the second. “Isn’t it so cool?!” “Y-yeah…” Emily nodded, ultimately in an embarrassed place all over again. After all, Amy said it was made for her. There were no secrets about whose diaper she was holding, and yet it did nothing, or maybe even caused Amy to be so cheery. Was she expecting the girl to cheer right alongside and be just as happy? She was, and she was grateful, but… Being excited about what she got to pee in… “Ah…!” Amy stepped away, making a dramatic sigh. “Maybe Joyce would’ve been better to show!” “W-wait, no!” Emily in a hurry spoke up. “I-It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just that…that I’m…” A hand was on her wrist, setting the diaper down. “Relax, it’s fine,” Amy chuckled, back to her sincere self. “I know you can be a little nervous about this stuff at first. Sorry for teasing too much~!” she sang. “But I still wanted to show you. “So does Joyce know about this?” Emily asked in her direction, but her eyes couldn’t stop going elsewhere. Somewhere specific though. Directly down at the diaper…sitting unfolded and open… It was made for her. Would it fit? Of course it would…Amy made it. It was her diaper. Tailor made and thought of. A silly, stupid design; something reminiscent of the way Joyce got her into making a messy minefield of crayons in her coloring books. …Stylish… “But it’s a prototype…” Amy sorrowfully explained. “Close to being done, but it needs a couple more things…” Her statement was leading, like there was more to it, and just maybe, Emily was expected to pick up on it. “Like what? It…looks done to me?” “Well, it’s yours,” Amy seemed to chuckle to herself over that, “so I still need to put your signature on it.” “Signature?” “Yeah; a little something that shows I made it and it was made for you. I do it with everything I make. Anything from me that Joyce got has her own signature too. I don’t write an actual name, or anything. Remember that denim dress of yours? The front pocket with the paw print? That’s your signature!” Then the explanation clicked. The one reference was all she needed as a reminder to what Joyce explained way back when in the beginning. The day she got her big and bountiful birthday present. “Oh…I guess I never remembered seeing it on Joyce’s clothes, though…” Not her dresses, which is what she imagined Amy did most for her. “Well…” Amy averted her eyes, taking a playful finger to her chin. “Yours may not be as…discreet as what I do for everyone else.” “Discreet?” “Most of what I do is for formal or high-end events, so little personal touches like that are sort of a no-no. I keep that somewhere on the inside of the outfit. But with you, I don’t have to worry about that!” she laughed. “I can’t imagine you’d wanna wear your footie pajamas to a party, right?” “N-no…” Emily agreed with a blush. “Right, well, it started off as a small idea, but I really like how it turned out. The little pet paw I give all your stuff works great as part of the overall design. Think of it like…like your own fashion brand, yeah!” Amy sparked with glee, and Emily with far less context and passion to ride the highs smiled nonetheless. “Your own chique set. Mwah, fantastique~!” And finally her charades were infectious enough to make Emily laugh herself. “Long story short,” Amy chuckled a little bit more after finally settling down, “it’s what turns all your clothes into a branded set. Sorta for style and identity.” “Okay, I think I get it,” Emily nodded. “That’s…I…I mean…I know you’re being paid for this, Amy, but…thank you.” “Hm? Of course! I’m happy to do it, but yes, being paid certainly makes me happier,” she laughed again. “Right, but…I’m…I’m sorry for taking so long to show any of that to you.” “Huh?” Amy’s smile sank, “hon, what are you apologizing for?” “Ever since my birthday, Joyce told me how you made all those outfits for me… The onesies, dress, and pajamas… She said from the very beginning how much you wanted to see them…see me in them… And…only until it actually happened, I really didn’t wanna show anybody… I was nervous, scared, and embarrassed, and I still am…but none of that was being fair to you. So…I’m sorry.” “Emily…” Amy said in a warm voice, reaching out for the somber and withdrawn. Her hand landed on the girl’s shoulder. “You don’t think I was upset at all, do you?” And all the girl did was shrug. “Maybe? I mean, you have every right to be…” “Emily…yes, I really did want to see you all dressed up, because, well, that’s something new for me, and it’s obviously something new to you too. But even if I made it, the fact that Joyce paid for it is as far as any obligation or responsibility you or she has for me goes. Period. Don’t feel like you had to do anything for me, okay? Because while I might say things to Joyce, I don’t want you to think I was pressuring for anything to happen, okay? ” “Mhm…” Emily nodded. “Thank you… I’m sorry for saying all that; I guess I can overthink things a little…” “Believe me, I think you’re the only one who’s kind enough to be honest about it. I bet half the things that go on inside your girlfriend’s head would make me go cooky…!” In a dramatic fashion she stuck out her tongue, corkscrewing the side of her head with a finger, leading to Emily’s laugh. “You better watch what you say,” Emily giggled, “what happens if I tell Joyce?” “Then I tell her you climbed on something high without my permission,” Amy narrowed her eyes. “Do it and I promise you mutually assured destruction.” And the staring match lasted all of three seconds before both burst into laughter. “I’m glad I’ve got you in a good mood again! Because…” Amy’s hand went near the corner of the box again. “This needs something else other than a signature…” Emily waited without saying anything, but she made eye contact with Amy. “Emily, do you wanna try this on for me?” “Try it…on?” Emily said the words back at her, like she didn’t hear her right. “In private, of course!” Amy suddenly stammered. “I’m not gonna make you do that here. I don’t wanna embarrass you, but since we’ve already done a fashion show once before, I figured this might be fine? You’re more than welcome to use the bathroom upstairs, or I could go up and wait for–” “I-I can’t…” “Sorry? You can’t?” It wasn’t doubt in Amy’s voice, but self-surprise from something she somehow overlooked. Emily shook her head. “I…I guess I’d be willing, but…I’m…not allowed to…” Amy blinked once, then twice, then she remembered lunch. “O-oh! That’s right…! You’re not allowed… Joyce takes care of that, doesn’t she?” It wasn’t in such explicit terms, but Emily bashfully nodded nonetheless. Amy glanced down at the garment, having all the pieces but a single, tiny bit of technicality that sat in the way of her testing. “Sorry, Amy…” Emily looked genuinely apologetic. “I’d do it, but…I like to joke a lot about rules with Joyce, but I think this one really does matter to her.” It was the one thing that truly felt inalienable and unbreakable. She could imagine herself doing it intentionally haphazardly, or taking one off in just a moment of bratty fun, but while they would undoubtedly bring harsh consequences, she could see it all as part of the lifestyle. But deliberately putting one on without mistake or some ulterior, immature motive? That was…well, it was supposed to not be Emily’s job. Babies didn’t put on their own diapers. It was their last bastion to what made this all so real, and it was one of the most important pillars that defined Emily’s willful dependence. But that wasn’t to say this wasn’t a moment without good reason? It wasn’t actually wearing a diaper, right? It was just a fitting session? One she could do in private, but one that if Joyce ever found out about would certainly lead to questions. It wasn’t about the problems of trying to hide the lie, though, but the act of lying itself. No more secrets. Honesty. “Let…let me call her,” Emily decided, and Amy looked surprised. “Oh, Emily, you don’t have to do that. I appreciate it, really, but we can just do this later?” “No, it’s okay,” Emily answered, then nodded as if affirming herself. “Besides, the worst that can happen is she’ll say no?” “Yeah, but maybe we shouldn’t bother her while she’s at work…” That did make the girl pause, being the very thing she did not like doing either. But this was important. And the same reasoning applied; if Joyce couldn’t pick up, then that’s all there was to it. “I’m gonna try calling her,” Emily decided again, and with a sense of determination, she pulled out her phone. “Uhm…can I ask you something?” Emily’s voice sounded hesitant over the phone. Joyce creased her brows while she walked, “Of course you can?” Was something wrong? “Can…” as much as she hyped herself up before calling, simulated training could never seem to match practical experience. “Can I wear a diaper?” There was a long pause over the phone. Silence, and Emily’s toes couldn’t stop rubbing against one another while she watched the battle from above. “Emily?” Joyce spoke, but she sounded conflicted… Confused? “Y-yeah?” “I’m headed to my office now… Just give me a second please, okay?” “Okay… Are you mad?” “No, I’m not.” But she sure was confused as all hell. What would Emily need to wear a diaper for, and why was she asking something like that when Joyce wasn’t there? “Sh-Sheila,” Joyce called for her assistant with the phone held against her shoulder, “I’m sorry, but I think I left one of my binders in the conference room? Would you mind going down to get it?” “Of course,” Sheila nodded, and she was off, and Joyce was alone as she stepped inside the room. “Emily, are you still there?” “Yeah.” “Sweetie, what did you ask again?” Maybe it was just the jam-packed schedule of the day getting to her. Joyce in her many moments of failure was finally learning to try and hear things out fully and completely. “Can…I wear a diaper?” Okay, maybe she hadn’t misheard… “Sweetie, I’m a little confused…are you at home right now?” Amy didn’t mention anything about her leaving. Did she miss a message? “No…I’m at Amy’s.” “And you want to wear a diaper…?” Was this Emily? “...Yeah.” “Emily, honey, is Amy with you?” She had to be. There couldn’t be any other reason for this, even if Joyce had no idea what it was. “Yeah, she is.” “Could you please put her on?” “Is this taking up your time?” Emily asked with a guilty voice now. “It’s okay– I don’t have to.” “No, no, I’m glad you called. Sorry…today’s been a tiny bit busy. Not because I brought you over to Amy’s,” good lie, Joyce, “I’ve just had some unexpected things drop on me at the last minute. But could you give Amy the phone, please?” “Mhm…” Emily agreed, then silently held it out for Amy. “Joyce? It’s Amy.” “Amy? Is everything okay?” “It’s fantastique, one might say! We’re doing fine! I’m sorry about calling like this; I suggested we shouldn’t, but Emily wanted to.” Joyce without much back and forth cut straight to it and asked, “Why does she want to wear a diaper?” “Look, Joyce, I know… It’s not the most exciting thing for a parent trying to potty train to hea–” “--Amy?” Joyce cut in, sounding awfully serious. “Did you say something?” As much of a friend as she was, absolutely no one or anything would stand between her and Emily. Emily didn’t ask to do things like that on her own. Not unless provoked, pressured, or…or something else? It felt far too uncharacteristic, and the fact that Joyce couldn’t be there to understand why was making her more upset by the second. “Joyce, everything is fine!” Amy tried to calm her. “No, so I showed Emily something from my workshop; something you haven’t seen either, nor asked for, so it’s fair game! But it’s different from what I usually do, so I wasn’t sure how it’d fit. I was willing to wait, but Emily wanted to try it on now, but she wanted to ask for your permission. I promise, I didn’t try to force her into this, and if you say ‘no,’ then I pack it up and we’ll wait.” “...So she asked? All by herself?” Emily did? Joyce’s Emily, the girl that throws tantrums over going to the dentist? “Yep, she did.” “...Could you please put Emily back on?” The phone was exchanged again. “Joyce?” It was Emily’s voice again. “Emily…you know we have a rule about this.” “I know…but, I figured it might be okay, since it’s just to try something on? It comes off! It’s like clothing!” Like clothing? Joyce shared a confused look with herself. A cloth diaper? “Emily…no, I don’t want you putting one on yourself. Even if it’s just for a fitting.” “I–...okay.” As much as Emily could try and debate, not only did she expect not to win, but also how much it would bother Joyce in trying to poke, prod, stretch and twist what she’d rather remain unspoken, untouched and understood. And yet, as much as Joyce didn’t like the initial feeling, with great reluctance… “...But yes,” she sighed, “you can wear one.” “I-I can…?” Emily stammered. “B-but, you said…” “Yes, you cannot put one on, Emily. That hasn’t changed,” Joyce frowned, dreading the next part. “But…if it’s an adult that I trust…then it’s different.” “J…Joyce?” “I’m going to need you to put Amy back on in a second, but I need to explain something else to you, Emily. Are you listening?” The girl suddenly felt fidgety from all her nerves about to go haywire. “Yes…” “Emily, when you wear a diaper, it’s not pretend, okay? I know you understand how much this means to me, and I know how much it means to you. That’s why I just don’t want to make any lighthearted habits out of this. It’d be different if I was there, but…this is something new for me, so I feel like I have to be strict about it.” “No…I understand,” after all, Joyce somehow not being part of the equation that involved diapers did sound unthinkable. “That’s why when you put Amy on, I’m going to tell her that the only way you can wear a diaper is if she puts you in one.” Her words came down like a bombshell. “W-what?” “A trusted adult, Emily,” Joyce reminded her. “If you want to wear one, then Amy has to put it on you.” “But…but she doesn’t…I…” “I’m not trying to be difficult, Emily, but you’re the last person I want putting you in diapers. Leave that stuff to the grownups, okay?” And with the might of her wisdom, Emily felt the electric tingle as a part of her brain somehow melted. And if the blow hadn’t struck hard enough already, Joyce delivered a one-two-three right after. “And Emily, when you wear a diaper, it means the same rules apply, understood? Your diaper stays on. That means all day until I come to pick you up.” Obediently, she murmured into the phone, “Mhm… I…nevermind…I-I’ll just wait for you.” “Emily, could you please put Amy on?” “H-huh? B-but I can wait, Joyce. It’s fine, really.” But unfortunately, a door had been opened that would not be allowed to shut. Calmly, but firmly, Joyce insisted. “Emily? Baby? Put Amy on.” There was another long pause, and finally Emily’s head creaked up and looked at Amy, slowly, but eventually handing the phone over to her. Though, the girl was just about ready to jump ship and run. She didn’t know what kind of result she was expecting, but Amy as part of it was very much not that. “Joyce?” Round two for Amy. “Amy? Does Emily look upset right now?” “...Mm, yeah, I’d say so.” And suddenly the discomfort for both girlfriends was mutual. But at least in Joyce’s eyes it was deemed a necessary evil. “Well, it’s because of what I’m about to tell you. I said she can wear one,” and the fact she was in second place with being so open to Amy about diapers frankly threw Joyce for an even bigger loop. “But, Amy, and this is absolutely nothing I’m asking you to do. What I did tell Emily though is that she can wear one, but she’s still not allowed to do it herself.” If they were calling Joyce, she figured Amy knew as much about that rule. “The only way I’ll let her though is if you put her in one.” Boom, a personal bombshell for Joyce. “Sorry?” Amy spoke, but her mind was given a momentary lapse. “Amy, Emily’s not allowed to put on her diapers. I told her you’re the only one there allowed to do it for her right now. I think she’s upset because she’s getting exactly what she’d get if she were with me,” and the fact that Joyce wasn’t there made her heart ache, but teaching moments like this were also moments to teach herself. Begrudgingly. “But…me?” Amy repeated, at a loss, and a small glance over at Emily looking to be on the verge of tears made her even more taken aback. “Amy, if you’ve gotten her already talking about this kind of stuff around you, you’ve clearly broken down some of her barriers,” and that fact was certainly heartwarming for the busy mommy. “But this is something largely between me and Emily. It’s our relationship, and I don’t want to force you into that. That’s why this is completely at your discretion. Whatever it is that you made, I appreciate it and I can’t wait to see it, but I don’t want to ask you to become any more personally involved than that…” Yet she sighed again. “But…what I’m saying now…if…you wanted to…you may fill that role for Emily right now…” “I…wow…” Amy murmured. “Sorry, I…mm…I guess I wasn’t expecting things to go this way,” she chuckled. “I didn’t either, but since it did, I think it’s good, honestly… Since it’s you, Amy, I really would rather she’s comfortable around you like that. I don’t mean acting in any sort of way, but just…in the things that she wears. ” “No, no, I understand what you mean,” Amy nodded. “But so we’re clear…it’s up to me?” “Yes, and I’m about to explain that to Emily. But if she wears it, Amy, it has to stay on until I’m there. I…there’s a lot to this, but right now, with something like this, I want to be firm about it, for whatever might come of it.” “No…uhm…I understand…” Amy said again, though much more passively, like her mind was elsewhere. “And again, you can say no, but I want it to be your decision, not Emily’s. Since she brought it up, she decided that this was a possibility now.” And she knew how afraid it would make Emily, and how nervous she would feel, but it felt…necessary. Or possibly like a breakthrough? The next step? If it even came to that. Amy could always refuse, and that would be that. No harm no foul. Was this a misplay from Joyce? Knowing Emily at this point…it didn’t seem that way. “...Okay. Sure, yeah. Should I put Emily back on?” “Please.” Amy quietly walked back over to the couch where Emily was now huddled, petting Ashes in her lap, looking to be digesting some very difficult feelings at the moment. “Em?” Amy quietly spoke up, holding out the phone. “Last time, I think.” And slowly, Emily took the phone but still stayed curled up against the couch. “Joyce…?” “Emily? Baby?” There was a sniffle. “Mhm…” “Now above everything, you know how much I love you, right?” “Uh-huh…” Oh lord, her stomach was already turning. Emily hated sweet talks like this because she always knew it was just to make something bitter go down easier. “And you know that I’d only do something if I knew it was safe and in your best interest?” She felt like she was going to be sick. “Y-yeah…” “I just let Amy know what we talked about, but there’s one other thing, okay?” “...What?” “Emily, please, don’t be upset with me,” Joyce was kind, but she knew the sound of a tone that wasn’t. Not that she held it against Emily. It was expected at this point, but sometimes bitter pills have to be swallowed. “Now, I trust Amy, and it sounds like you’ve started to trust her a whole lot more today, right?” “...Mhm…” “Well, that’s why I’m leaving the decision of diapering up to Amy. Whether you ask her to or not.” “Wh-what?” Emily stammered. Up to Amy alone?! “B-but–!” “But nothing,” Joyce said with finality. “Emily, if you’re not going to be honest with yourself, then I will. Amy’s in charge of that decision right now. If she decides to diaper you, then you listen, or that’s something we’ll deal with when I get out of work. Understood?” “...” Silence ensued, but what Joyce knew and Emily certainly knew was that as strict and solid as Joyce was being, there was a way to stop this. A single word that need only be spoken and the impossible would become possible again. Emily need only say it. “Do I need to hear anything else?” It was quiet on the other end for just a little longer. “...I…I understand.” “Good. And no matter what happens, I’ll be off of work in just a few more hours, okay?” “Mhm…” “And Emily?” “Yes…?” “Mommy loves you!” It made her feel fuzzy and warm, but she knew the moment they hung up that those warm feelings wouldn’t be there to protect her from her own reckless decisions that just landed her on a one-way street. “I love you too…” And while things had yet to stabilize, all was well again. Enough for Joyce to softly smile. “Okay, Mommy loves you too. Remember to listen to what Amy says. Bye.” And she hung up. And Emily stared at the empty phone in her hands. “She…hung up…” Emily said, suddenly feeling a vast chasm between the two now. Every sense of comfortability now was out the window and in the fire. With what knowledge that now plagued their minds, it scared Emily from even sharing the same room as Amy. But here they were, standing within a room’s width of each other. Amy was quiet for a long while, far more pensive than she’d ever been. She walked over to the desk, staring down at the box of gifts she had brought, suddenly seeing them in a whole new light. A peculiar one. She looked over at the couch, still with Emily and half her face hiding in the cushions while she self-soothed by petting Ashes. Then she looked down at the box again. “...Emily?” Amy softly called for her, right as she sat down upright beside her. Emily responded in a low, shaky and nervous mumble, “Mm…mhm…?” “Can you sit up for a sec? Look at me for a minute?” The one silver lining was that Ashes didn’t leave her lap while she adjusted; the last safe thing she had for comfort that didn’t judge her for her deepest and darkest secrets. Just a point of unconditional love.to get her through all her other worries. And Emily looked, but her lower lip quivered as her mouth imploded, seeing what she did not want to see. Resting in Amy’s lap. If only she had her cat. Too bad it was in Emily’s. Though her companion looked just as soft and just as comfy. A companion that offered a sense of security, and one that could support its owner in vastly different ways. “I…wasn’t expecting things to go like this…” Amy did her best to look at Emily, but even she was nervous. And yet, she couldn’t help but answer the distant call to be the lead and the authority. And Emily shuddered when she watched Amy’s hands tumble the object in her lap, spreading it and smoothing out the creases, just like Emily stroked Ashes’ back. The same comforting hand from before was suddenly back on Emily’s shoulder, making her jump at first, but immediately falling limp to the touch. “I know what Joyce said, but…well…” Is…is she not going to? “...If it really is alright with you, I…I think I do want to try putting this on you.” And it was a quiet moment of total vulnerability, the more Amy bundled the fabric, but finally, she held up the cloth diaper like a love letter, and tilted her head with an innocent smile. “Emily…do you think you could lay down for me?” 49 - The Places We’ll Go It was an uncomfortable silence. Very uncomfortable. It was warm, hot, confusing, and obscenely embarrassing. The world was spinning, there must have been an earthquake because her heart was thumping tremors. “H…” Emily breathed a sound, but her tongue felt numb. “H-h….huh?” Never. Not ever; not in a year, ten years, one hundred, one thousand, or in the lifetime of the universe did Emily even think she’d be faced with this. As dumb and stupid as she was to have skirted the line so carelessly, she didn’t actually expect the consequences. After all, what rule had she broken? But sitting on the same couch as her, just a few cushions down, Amy with her head tilted ever so slightly, creased her brows with the tiniest signs of a disappointed smile. Maybe if Emily wasn’t as frazzled as she was, she may have noticed even the slight blush from Amy herself. The bright yellow and purple diaper, made by Amy herself, was held against her chest by the edges where the tips of her curled fingers clutched it. “No…?” Amy smiled as sweetly as she was shy now, but somehow able to overcome all that and project an overwhelming sense of desire. “A-Amy…I…” The loose fabric on Emily’s legs started to collect and converge right where her hands were bunching whatever they could hold, over and over. A diaper. A diaper was offered to her. No, not even offered, but softly forced. She saw the diaper, the soft hands, well-kept nails and casual and comforting clothes. It almost made her reminiscent of whom she could only ever think of in a case like this, but looking any higher brought clashing headaches and confusion when it wasn’t who she expected it to be. It wasn’t her Joyce making demands. It wasn’t her mommy. She was across the city, doing other things as she saw fit, while simultaneously now ordering others to do her bidding. She couldn’t do that, but she did, and the predicament Emily found herself in now was a living example of that. This was a proxy, that’s all it was. Joyce multitasking from another body, doing what she did best and wanted most. But…the sensation was different. The feeling. “...Emily, I…” Amy’s lips retracted inwardly. “...I think I understand…a little.” Understand? Understand what? What could she understand? This…she didn’t do this! She…she made clothes! Not diapers…! The cloth diaper in her hands slowly dropped into her lap where she slowly smoothened it out over and over. “When I make people clothes, I try to understand a lot of things about them. What they like, who they are, and how they might want to feel. I know it sounds a bit ridiculous, but I really do try and capture who they are as a person.” “But–” Emily bit her lip anxiously, “but you do this for Joyce? I…” she sighed worriedly, “I-I like it too…I do, Amy, I….I really do… b-but this is for Joyce?” After a quiet few seconds, Amy broke the silence. “Is it?” Her lowered eyes were saving her from the paralyzing feeling of direct contact, but her space was invaded again once Amy cocked her head out even further just to lower into it. It was uncomfortable and weird. Amy still felt the same and that was the most troubling. She felt just as gentle and just as accepting, only now different shocks were traveling down the same wire Emily let her plug into. Before she opened her mouth her chin was already shaking. All the progress they’d made felt completely undone, and why was that? Were they not just talking about all the things Emily did with Joyce? Maybe that was it. Talking. There wasn’t any physical evidence of the crimes or fingerprints to convict the culprits. Words were words and this was…real. Very real. Too real. In a silly, shortsighted way Emily went out on a limb without even coming close to fully realizing just what kind of chain reaction she could have set off. But again, miraculously, it could have been stopped. “When I came over your house just to see you all dressed up, I really can’t tell you how happy I was, but, well,” Amy stifled a giggle, then let out a small laugh. “I think I kinda made my point when I hugged you?” And Emily remembered it too. Yet another terrifying moment when she thought it was practically life or death whether she’d be eaten alive by an outside spectator. Christ, Amy volunteered herself as a participant at that. “Emily, I can’t get over how adorable I think you are. –And don’t think of this as a confession, or anything!” she worriedly blurted out. “Please don’t think of it like that,” she humorously moaned. “I don’t want Joyce hating me!” Amy’s artillery was strong, and her bunker-busting banter was unrivaled, but Emily’s self-conscious cage was just that much tougher. The seamstress mumbled, “It’s kind of embarrassing,” Ah, touché. Amy went on, “but…I can’t get that stuff out of my head now after visiting your place… I think a whole lot about my clients and how their clothes are going to fit and look, but with you guys, it’s just…different.” If only she knew how big the word ‘different’ seemed to be in Emily and Joyce’s lives. “B-but you…Joyce wants this stuff…” Emily muttered with the single card in her hand to play. Amy’s sudden and immediate retort was cruel, precisely because it felt like a knife in Emily’s back. “Is that why you wanted to wear those footie pajamas on your own?” It was far from unkind, and she delivered the blow gently but effectively. Nevertheless the wound made Emily wince. She certainly was stabbed in the back. Maybe only with a foam knife, though… “You’ve been so honest with me today, Emily, and I love getting to hear so much about you. I don’t want you to feel like you need to keep up your guard around me, because you don’t. I know what you two have. I get it. Not like get-get, but enough to know that I can tell when you’re lying, Emily.” Oof. The accusation was more electricity and Emily’s shoulders took the shock. “Yes, I do this for Joyce, but I do it for myself, and I do it for you. You don’t have to lie,” she stressed, and finally the flames were too strong for the girl to even look at the confrontation. “Hey, Emily…” Amy called and even reached out for her shoulder. “It’s…it’s not for me. It’s for Joyce.” “No? Is it?” Amy was a friend, and she was kind, which is why it made it so much harder to hear the sickening amount of doubt her few words were saturated in. “Should I stop, then? Do you want to pretend today never happened? That we didn’t talk and hang out? About all the silly ways Joyce can be a bully, and you can be a mischief-maker?” she chuckled, and Emily nearly felt herself be swept away by the urge to grin. “We are friends, aren’t we?” Amy asked, and finally she expressed the smallest amount of self-doubt, like there had been an unfortunate misunderstanding. As if her kindness had merely been borrowed to suit Emily for the afternoon, and nothing more. “W-we are!” Emily stressed, reaching out just enough to stop the wreck from derailing. Her chest rose and fell uncomfortably as the words stumbled and tumbled, but they came out nonetheless. “I-I…I want to be friends, Amy, a-and I don’t know why I’m so…s-so like this…! It’s…it’s j-just embarrassing, but I know you are nice and wanna help, but I…it’s just…!” “Wanna hug?” Amy asked with open arms, and Emily couldn’t have fallen for her faster. The moment her head came against Amy’s chest, she stared off to the side where all the fabrics, needles and threads were, and just beyond that the shelves of bins she sorted through. It wasn’t the same as Joyce, but it didn’t feel that far from just as comforting. It was just different. Her lips quivered and the sharp lines of the shelves and corners from the tables all started to go blurry like her camera was out of focus. The lens was just wet, though, because her whimpers went on to tears. “I-Ih’m sorry…!” Emily sniffled and whimpered, and Amy did the same thing that Joyce did and rubbed circles on her back. “Don’t be sorry,” Amy chuckled. “Also, how much practice do you have with Joyce? Do you know how good of a hugger you are?” “S-sorry…” Emily immediately softened her arms like wet noodles, but a sudden firm grip on her triceps forced them back to the tight way they were. “Did I say to stop?” Amy taunted, then laughed. “Nuh-uh, hug as much as you wanna.” So she did, and despite the embarrassment she felt there wasn’t a second attempt to go limp. Maybe she felt ashamed, but by this point she was too well-trained by Joyce to not crave physical affection. Physical affection simply made her feel too good now to not crave them. Not when she felt like this, no matter the circumstances. Her worst enemy or agent of destruction could somehow be her best friend with just a simple gesture. One that bled from Emily’s smaller and simpler self into her adult headspace. “You’re cute, Emily. So cute,” Amy hummed, holding her nearby the whole time. “Do I hug as good as Joyce does?” Maybe for many reasons Emily shrugged. It didn’t quite feel like a one-to-one comparison, and also she probably couldn’t forsake herself by criticizing either woman. After all, Amy was here to hear if she was criticized, and Joyce…well, somehow had omnipotent powers. “Good point. Probably shouldn’t make ya choose,” Amy pondered to herself, and finally the first smile shined on that dreary day. “Em, I like you, and I like Joyce. I met her first and I’ve known her for longer, but I feel like after today I’ve learned so much about you. I’m sure you can guess, but I don’t get all close and cushy like this with just anybody, you know?” “S-sorry…” “Don’t be sorry!” Amy admonished with a laugh. “I’m just saying that’s how it is. I like you two a lot, and I guess I like doing what I do for you two.” “But you don’t like this…” Emily whispered with her head half-submerged in a self-conscious muck, but one that even she didn’t believe herself. “Now you’re just trying to get me to spell it out,” Amy playfully scoffed. “I like this too,” she rolled her eyes. “I’m no therapist or anything, so I can’t pretend like I know why, but I just like it. I like cute things, Em, on top of liking you,” she emphasized, if there was any doubt that the appreciation was fleeting. “I want to see more of that side from you. The kind that can giggle and laugh, tell me all about the ways Joyce can be mean or silly, and let me make so many more things just to draw that side out even more. Hey, tell me, does Joyce make lunches like that for you all the time?” “Kinda…” Emily murmured, still leaning into Amy’s comforting embrace. “She…she wanted me to get a lunchbox…” Amy feigned a gasp. “And you didn’t get one?” “It’s…embarrassing…” “Yeah, maybe for like two seconds! You opened up to me, didn’t you? Awh…!” Amy laughed, and the woman’s comforting hug was just a little tighter. “You’re a real keeper when you’re bubbly, but feeling nervous over stuff like that is pretty good too,” she chuckled. “You don’t get it…” Emily mumbled next, and Amy sounded with disbelief. “Oooh no,” she refuted then shook her head. “I said that I didn’t understand some stuff, but I know exactly how you tick, missy. I can tell you like stuff like this. You like hugs, and you like feeling cute. I’m absolutely sure it makes you embarrassed, but I think you’re okay with that. If it makes you feel small and doted on, it’s your fit.” Amy’s lips were just starting to part, showing her toothy smile. “Th-that’s not…” Emily started to say, and even with enough bravery to finally look up at Amy, but she froze. She was met with a smug, eyebrow-raised grin from the same woman giving her the affection she very much indeed liked. And suddenly Emily was pulling away and retreating to her end of the couch. “Oooh? Now you don’t like them, huh?” Amy teased, and Emily’s mouth quivered. Finally Amy’s smirk softened into just a smile. “I’m not gonna ask you to spell it out, but I have noticed something…?” And Emily, already with her tail caught by the trap, nervously waited to hear her captor’s words. “In all this time, after all these tears…talking to Joyce, me, and acting the way you have, you haven’t once asked me to stop?” She waited for an answer, but Emily’s tongue had been long since removed, and the tiny, but oh-so important detail that Amy was finally starting to see was that it was all by choice. Emily’s choice. It was the golden and unspoken rule, but Amy had gone and dragged it out in the open. It was the quietest she’d ever gone, and while Amy may have heard that she was making sound, the words not quite so much. “Th-that’s becauz…I…” Emily was still close enough for Amy to pat her knee as she stood. Emily watched the woman in her primest element, looking over her workshop like a torture chamber filled with tools. She observed her arsenal and finally landed on something that was on a shelf too high for Emily to reach “This should work…!” Amy decided one-sidedly, looking down at a large bundle of purple fabric in her hands. She set the bundle on her desk and then grabbed the end of her coffee table, sliding it away from the couch and Emily, leaving a wide, open space right in front of her. Amy flung the fold of cloth outward, wafting it like a sheet until it was fully unfurled and laying wide, long, and flat like a big blanket. Almost like a… Emily was a second too slow to notice Amy grab what she left on the couch while on her knees, and then the music stopped all over again with a double pat on her thighs like a gentle beckon. “Emily? Down here, hon.” “Wh-...B-but Amy, I…” Emily stammered and started her retreat, tucking her feet under her legs, but Amy pounced, leaping and locking her hands on Emily’s ankles like they were shackled. “Nuh-uh! No you don’t!” she giggled, and Emily whined just barely. Her system was too shocked and the one thing she could hold on to was a cushion that popped right out of place and fell right with her. “A-Amy, please!” Emily cried from her new spot on the blanketed floor, but her puffy shield was swiped away next and set aside. And before Emily could try and escape her feet fell victim again once two anchors wrapped around them. Amy was the predator and Emily was prey, and just like textbook biology only one of them was enjoying it. “Emily,” Amy said it loud and clear in a way that cut through the mood entirely, like her core was being addressed. “Joyce gave me permission to do this, didn’t she?” Crap! No! Why is she saying that?! Her look of embarrassed discomfort went up a notch at the drop of the J word. Joyce said so, so Emily had to. “...D…” Amy started quietly, but her expression tightened just slightly some more. “Didn’t Mommy say so?” Then the girl’s heart skipped a beat, and then another. So many skips as all the caterpillars she had for lunch were blossoming into thousands of fluttery butterflies inside her stomach. The ants in her pants were marching for conquest and her face was on fire. The J word was always bad. All-powerful and seemingly invincible. And yet, there somehow existed a weapon of even greater mass destruction than that. Mommy. It was meant to be a secret that no one else knew about. Too powerful and too dangerous to be known by the masses, and even the upper echelons of the Joyce & Emily social circle. But the nuke came crashing down, obliterating everything indiscriminately. The imaginary gust of wind blew right over the bashful girl’s face, stripping layer after layer away by the immense heated shockwave coming from the unexpected tyrant right in front of her. It was the second in command. The incarnate of Joyce Summers herself. Everything went like a crumbling building. First her outward embarrassment was lost, then every hair on her body went erect. She felt paralyzed as the tingling sensation rocked her through in a matter of milliseconds. It was the shock from not realizing she was already dead. Emily was killed. Her entire self was wiped into smithereens, leaving nothing left but her rawest, most vulnerable self. “Sh-she…she told me to behave…” Emily whimpered, barely even able to see straight now that her mind was melting mush trying to solidify under the blazing sun. Amy, of all people, had played a card in her deck that Emily didn’t even think was possible. The shock alone was enough to knock her over, had she not already been on her bottom. The mommy card. She was submissive before, but a dial was turned, a switch was flipped and a button was pressed. It didn’t go unnoticed by Amy, who looked taken aback for just a split-second, but no more than that. Emily wasn’t the only one swept into the momentum as the seamstress herself slipped into whatever she was feeling at a frightening speed. “Just…just think of it as trying on some more clothes for me, okay?” Amy smiled, now with the high ground and looking down at her little model. What kind of magic does Joyce work on her…? Amy waited for a moment, expecting Emily to undress for her. “Oh– right,” Amy stared through her with a slightly dumbfounded look. “I guess that part’s my job too, huh?” “I-I…I can help…” Another whisper from the quiet and conquered, laying back while the mood and circumstances assaulted her in ways that felt unimaginable. With Joyce there was always the unexpected, and by now Emily was prepared for that. Amy wasn’t though. She was an outsider, at least she was supposed to be. But henceforth she would certainly be “in” now., and to somehow be surprised by that was ridiculous. After all, it was Emily’s own fault. “Mmm, keep those hands where I can see them, missy,” Amy barked in a chipper voice, having the girl assume a surrendered pose. “Just do what you normally do, kay?” What she normally did. What, chit-chat with Joyce? Try and anticipate a wet raspberry or kiss on the cheek or forehead? For just a tiny moment Emily abandoned all sense of reason, truly wondering if Amy really did somehow have Mommy’s entire playbook. The feeling of another person’s nails gently digging against her sides made her shiver, and the talons sunk around and through the waistband of her panties, clutching her pants right with it. “And…down-down-down-down-down!” Amy continued the game, repeating jovially with each and every tug she made, bunching it up more and more, leaving more and more of Emily and her privates to see. Something only Joyce would regularly see. “Wanna keep your socks on? Actually–” Amy hung her head out, holding up her finger like she was testing the wind. “Nevermind. Don’t want cold feet.” And just when Emily’s feet were free and she was able to move, her knees slowly started to rise as she hoped to protect whatever she could. “Did somebody put rubber bands in these legs?” Amy laughed lightly, pulling them right back out, however. “Em, hon, it’s my job to work with clothes, so it’s nothing new seeing somebody naked?” she said nonchalantly, all the while making eye contact, catching Emily’s full lower naked half in view. Pop! Pop! Pop! Every snap that came undone was like a ringing gunshot. She flinched with each sound, knowing that the inevitable was closing in at a terrifying pace. “Then we go up…!” Amy soothed as Emily’s legs were suddenly mounted on the woman’s shoulder, taking Emily to the same extremes that Joyce always did. Wasn’t that difficult because she was…bigger than a normal baby? “Now I can see how Joyce might do it,” she chuckled, “you’re as light as a feather!” Emily was back to turning her head, watching the underside of the couch as her poor defense mechanism. After all, if she couldn’t see it, surely she wouldn’t believe it. Maybe from this vantage point she could see anything she may have missed… Oh, look, a few small tufts of thread… “And one-two-three!” Amy cheered as she lifted just a slight bit higher and Emily’s bum left the ground. She braced for the hard landing, but without seeing it happen, miraculously the soft fabric beneath her had somehow become even softer. “Okay…moment of truth!” Amy announced excitedly, making that only one of them, and right after Emily’s heels touched the floor they were nudged apart. Not a moment later and a very familiar yet presently unwelcome sensation hit her. Physically and mentally so. A soft and secure bulk grew between her legs, covering her crotch and resting just at the bottom of her stomach. It felt so familiar, like it was something she went through just this morning after waking up. Maybe because that was exactly the case, only slightly different. Her difference was the bulk was a different kind of soft, as if she was misappropriating a shirt or sweater. “The measurements should be fine, but I’m a little nervous…!” Amy grinned as that same softness Emily felt between her legs was beginning to go the same way about her hips. As it all joined into one, the snugness and comforting sense of security came forward, regardless of how nerve-wracking it really all was. With each pop into her padded prison she became one button more trapped in her diaper. Diapered not by Mommy, but by a friend, and not even in a familiar disposable, at that. She nearly kicked her foot out like a knee-jerk reaction when she found that the fitting wasn’t over. Amy’s finger slipped between her thigh and elastic gathering around her diaper. She traced the holes and finally clasped her hands. “Oh my gosh…!” The woman sounded ready to squeal, but her joy was already at an impressive height. “I think it fits! It looks so good! Wait-wait! Emily? Can you stand? Please?” She reached out her hands and reluctantly Emily offered up hers to let them be had. Because Mommy said so. Mommy said to behave for all of this. But the gravity of what’d been done was different depending on the perspective. Something like this was the kind of solid and heavy boulder that’d sit in her mind for the whole day, if only that, leaving her to chip away at it little by little just to decompress. Yet Amy despite being the agent of Emily’s newfound embarrassment was still speaking and moving like greased lightning. Like nothing was different. But how could everything not be? Every motion the blushing girl made was more fuel for Amy to hold her hands to her cheeks, fawning, gushing, oo-ing and ah-ing all over. “Awh…! Yes! Yes! This is just how I pictured it!” Was she really in a diaper? Emily didn’t have the strength nor the will to look. With a heave-ho she was pulled up to a sitting position, then finally stood. It didn’t feel exactly like the diapers she wore, but the bulk factor was more or less the same. Softer, maybe, but just as oppressive and in the way. When it bunched between her legs there wasn’t the audible crinkle, save for a muffled one. “Oh– honey, come on, let’s go over to the mirror, okay?” Amy took a hold around Emily’s farthest shoulder and steered her to the one place she absolutely did not want to go. “W-wait– please…!” Emily shook her head, finally staring down their destination with the fear of God in her. She could feel what she was wearing, but again, seeing was believing, and she did not want to believe one bit. Not that in any way could Emily end up the way she did when she was only with Joyce. Diapers just didn’t happen unless it was with Joyce, so this couldn’t be real, but Amy was about to give her irrefutable evidence. So with a stroke of brilliance, Emily employed the strongest tactic she had. Amy had Joyce, Mommy, but Emily had something maybe just as great. Like flicking a switch, the world around her went black. “Okay…let’s stand right here…! Ah!” Amy squealed, “perfect! Emily! Look at how– huh?” She was there, but she wasn’t. Gone. Disappeared. Everything. She could hear her surroundings but not perceive them. Seeing is believing, and she could not see, therefore she could not believe. “Em, why are your eyes shut?” “P-please…please don’t make me look in the mirror…!” “What? Why?” Amy asked with concern. “Is everything okay?” “I…I don’t wanna wear one…not like this!” Emily sniffled. “Why not? Didn’t you say you were gonna try it on? Do you not want to anymore?” “Th-that’s…that was different…!” she whined with a sniffle. “I-I said I was gonna do it…but then…then Joyce made you!” Amy went silent for a moment, then asked in a clear voice, “...And that must have made you feel pretty uncomfortable, right?” “Yes!” Emily stressed, and her world became no less dark. “It’s…it’s different when somebody else does it…and…and I don’t like it!” “...Is it because you don’t like me?” The suggestion was enough to make the girl’s eyes widen with horror. She spun her head and looked up at Amy with a deep sense of regret. “N-no! I-I didn’t mean it like that…! I-I just…I…” She was what? Embarrassed? Nervous? Obviously, but what else? Scared. Fearful. Being like this was one of the single-handedly most vulnerable states Emily could find herself in. By now she knew how malleable she could be when she was treated like a kid. The diapers just did something at this point, because it affirmed and reinforced just about every tiny tweak or installment Joyce made to her brain, her body, and emotions. And she loved it. She loved all of it. That moment right then made it clear what she loved, and why she was so scared to accept any of it in a strange place without her significant other. Every wall imaginable inside her heart and mind crumbled whenever it was time. By the time Joyce had her up on the changing table she was nothing but soft putty ready to be played with. There was no need for an iron box to keep herself together, held together by chains and locks; only Joyce was supposed to have the key too. But with how Emily’s younger half was trying to feel right this very minute, she realized shockingly that duplicate keys apparently existed. What Joyce could do to her…could others as well? It suddenly became a terrifying thought of a world without Joyce. A time and a place where Emily could be convinced to feel like the small little girl she’d been trained to be, yet all without Joyce having any part in it. But it was Joyce that made her like this, not Emily! This was Joyce that made her like being a baby, right? It wasn’t herself that liked it! She liked it because Joyce liked it! So her body felt physically ill. Her stomach was turning over and over, trying to fight the endorphins and fuzzy feelings that were essentially pavloved into leaking into her brain right when the babying began. She wasn’t allowed to feel like this, which is why it made her restless because her body wouldn’t listen. It needs to be Joyce! It can’t be anyone else! It has to be Mommy…! “Emily? Honey, look in the mirror?” Amy calmly pointed, and as much as Emily didn’t want to, for some reason, she did turn her head. Slowly her eyes fell on the reflection and there she was. Emily, wearing a diaper. The upper half was hiding underneath her shirt, but not enough to see the rest of the button snaps where the wings of her diaper fell in place. It was a cacophony of colors. Her puffy crotch was a pleasing purple, followed by her yellow buttons, and red trims. It looked weird for a second, like it was the utmost ridiculous fashion statement. Because it was, and that was the point. But beyond that, it was her normal shirt, bare thighs, and socks that she came in. Right beside her, holding her by the shoulder was Amy, smiling simply. “You know what I see?” Amy squeezed the frightened girl’s shoulder. “What I see is a very brave girl who was nice enough to let me indulge myself. But I also see someone a little afraid with how they might be feeling?” she phrased it like a question, but even her guesses were dead-on like her sense of size. Tearily, Emily nodded. “But what I also see is just Emily. Emily, the same gal that came over to my house today to hang out, help me with my work, and be a really good friend. You see her too, right?” See…herself? She…she saw the diaper. The flustered and embarrassed girl. The worried look on her face that just wanted Mommy, and so much more. But…maybe somewhere…was Emily, Emily Sen there too? “I-...” Emily started, but her soft voice trembled. “Take your time, it’s okay!” Amy comforted her. “I-I…I don’t wanna feel like this…n-not unless it’s with Joyce…!” “And why’s that?” “B-because…!” Emily balled her hands by her sides. “J-Joyce is why I’m like this! She made me like this! I-I…I wouldn’t do any of this if she didn’t start it…! And I do like it! B-but…! She’s the reason! S-so…so I can’t do it without her! It’s not fair!” “So the way she makes you feel…that’s how you’re feeling right now?” It wasn’t love that she was feeling. She loved Joyce. Loved-loved. Romantically, intimately, and innocently all the same like a child loved their mother. But she didn’t love Amy. Not like that. There was no romance, and that was clear. They were friends and that was as far as it went. But the babyish sensations and headspace…it made the poor girl exhausted with each second trying to reject what by now felt so instinctual…! “Yes…!” Emily cried, wiping her eyes. Was this what cheating felt like? Was she cheating on Joyce? “I’m…I’m cheating on her…!” Emily bawled. “Awh…honey…” And despite her cries, Amy hugged her even tighter. “Sweetheart, it’s not cheating? You’re not, I promise!” “H-how though…! I-I’m doing what Joyce and I always do!” “But honey, she gave us permission, remember?” “B-but…! But that’s…!” she breathed uncomfortably. “Emily, I’m absolutely sure that this is something special to you, because I know it sure is for Joyce. It’s okay if you’re nervous about feeling this way without her, but you gotta know that it’s not bad to feel like this?” How could it not be bad? She felt guilty, did she not? Wasn’t that more than enough reason? Joyce got jealous all the time, and she must have been fuming right this very minute! Wasn’t she upset on the phone? Angry? Were they going to fight when they went home? Was Joyce going to even take her back? “Honey, Emily? Look at me,” and with some steering via her chin, Emily did. “Loving Joyce, and…being a baby; those are two separate things. Joyce isn’t mad, and you shouldn’t feel guilty.” “B-but…! But Joyce…!” Emily whined like saying it again somehow made a difference. “She’s…she’s…!” Christ, why couldn’t she think of any other way to explain it?! “Sh-she’s my mommy!” “I…” Amy hung her words, freezing for just half a second, but holding herself together far better than Emily was right then. Either way, the woman was becoming fully aware of just what kind of box she’d opened. “I know, hon… I’m not replacing Joyce, okay? I’m not replacing Mommy. Just…think of it like this, okay? Joyce is Mommy, right? So…I’m Mommy’s friend, right? I’m just Auntie Amy. Yeah! I’m allowed to take care of you while Mommy’s at work, right? She said I could, didn’t she?” That she did, and bombshell after bombshell kept hitting the frightened girl. Amy said it herself: she wasn’t replacing Joyce. Babying was separate from loving Joyce. Cheating was loving someone else, but that wasn’t this. It was just babying, but with another person. Not a complete stranger, but someone between Joyce and Emily, and someone that Joyce trusted enough to tell Emily to behave for her. Auntie… She was Amy. Auntie Amy, and not Mommy. It was difficult to digest, all because it meant going off the good faith of a person holding all the cards. “Oh– I see those tears drying up?” And before Emily could feel herself, Amy’s fingers brushed the last few specks of wetness on her cheeks. “Emily, another thing,” Amy started in a soothing voice, “If Joyce was okay enough to let me do with you what she does, don’t you think that she would rather you feel the same way when it’s with her? Joyce can be…competitive,” Amy giggled for a second, “but you are the last, no– not even someone she would ever even consider trying to hurt. She wouldn’t want to see you feeling like this, sweetheart. I won’t pretend like I know her reasons, and you’re gonna get to hear them from her, but you should know that none of this was ever to make you feel upset?” And whenever Emily got carried away by her emotions or feelings, she quite never had the mental capacity to consider what felt so obvious. Joyce never intentionally tried to hurt her. It was always from a place of good intentions, no matter what the outcome was. So…she was supposed to feel okay with this? She was allowed to? “B-but…sh-she sounded mad on the phone…!” Emily’s voice went thick, near ready to cry again. “Because it sounds like she had some big feelings to go through herself, but that doesn’t have anything to do with you, hon. Joyce still loves you, and nothing’s changed. Give it just a couple more hours and she’s gonna be here to pick you up, okay?” “I-I…I wanna call her…” Emily squeaked. “Yeah?” Amy nodded softly. “Okay, let’s give her a call. Why don’t we head upstairs though? It’s a bit cleaner up there!” Amy’s hold on Emily wasn’t let go the whole trip up the stairs, and the silent spectator to the entire event was quietly following behind them, one paw at a time. “You just have a seat…right here,” Amy sat Emily on the bigger couch where Ashes pounced up right beside her, brushing against her naked leg. “He makes me feel better whenever I pet him,” Amy suggested, pointing at her friend which Emily couldn’t help but smile at. “W-wait…” Emily looked around with worry, like the weight of the world was coming down on her all over again. “I-I forgot my phone…” “Nope! Nuh-uh,” Amy softly refused and planted her right back on the cushion she sat. “You can use my phone. Just sit and relax, okay?” Amy pulled hers from her pocket, pressed a few things on the screen and shortly thereafter had it in Emily’s hands, soon to be cradled against her ear. Is…is she gonna pick up? A horrible worry made her heart ache, suddenly wishing she wasn’t using both hands to hold the phone, just so she could pet the cat for comfort. “Hello? Amy?” But there Joyce’s digital voice was in a hushed whisper. “J-Joyce?” Emily stammered, already feeling the waterworks ready to burst again. “Emily? Honey? Is everything okay?” More urgency, more concern. Like she always had whenever Emily got like this. Like things were still the same between them. The hiccups started and now the tears were free-flowing. “A-are…a-are y-you…nn…not mad at m-me?” “Em–...one second, okay?” On the other end, in a very tall building, in a room filled with blazers, blouses, glasses of water and secretaries, Joyce stood from the table. She wasn’t noticed however, courtesy of the darkness that allowed the projector facing the other wall to flourish. But of course her secretary noticed. “I need to excuse myself,” Joyce whispered into Sheila’s ear, and the tone implied no room for negotiation. So Sheila nodded, and Joyce quietly removed herself. The hallway was busy so she walked right down to the adjacent and empty conference room. After the soft click of a heavy door, she asked, “Baby, you still there?” “Mm-mmhmm…” “Sweetheart, why are you crying?” Joyce sat against the table. Her heart was already a mess after the first phone call, and now this? “I-I’m sorry I asked to wear one…!” “Sorry? Wearing what, a diaper?” “Y-yes…!” Emily poured out with a crying wail. “Wh…why are you sorry, sweetie?” “Because…! I-I made you mad…! W-we have rules, and…and I tried breaking them…!” “Emily, baby, I’m not mad!” Joyce softly assured, and the fact all she could do was offer her words and nothing more only heightened the frustration with herself. “You didn’t try to break any rule! Did Amy put a diaper on you?” “Y-yes… I’m sorry! I’m so sorry…!” “Don’t apologize! It’s nothing to be sorry for…!” “B-but I cheated…!” “Cheated?” Romantically? With Amy? Her impulsive self was triggered for just a second, but then she tried to imagine it. Cute little Emily, getting frisky with Joyce’s friend that was given the opportunity to diaper her? Her baby getting involved romantically? Needless to say, the image hardly fit in Joyce’s mind, despite her unbelievable jealousy. “Emily, sweetheart? You didn’t cheat, though?” “B-but I wore one without you…!” Her heart was cracking. Is that how it felt for her? “Emily, baby, it’s not cheating, I promise you. I’m not mad, and I love you just as much, okay? You didn’t do anything that made me mad or upset.” She could admit to her own faults of admittedly being that way at first, but she dared not mention something Emily would undoubtedly try to shoulder the blame for. “B-but…” “But nothing,” Joyce refuted, and Emily could practically hear the smile in her voice. “You enjoy yourself, Emily. Today’s a fun day, remember? I asked Amy to do what she did because I love you, and I still do. You know, if you’re gonna call me like this in tears it’s just gonna make Mommy love you even more?” And Joyce called herself Mommy, and that didn’t go unnoticed by the sobbing girl. Mommy. Joyce was still Mommy, and Joyce was Joyce. She was loved and nothing had changed. Was this really all just in her head? Were things really okay? “It’s just a little bit longer until I’m out of work, okay?” Joyce softly explained. “The first thing I’m doing when I leave here is I’m gonna drive right over there, and give you the biggest hug and kiss you’ve ever gotten, understood?” “Mm…mhm…” “Does that clear things up a little? You know I love you, right?” “I love you too…” Emily whimpered back. “And I know you do,” Joyce chuckled. “I know it must be scary right now…but I’m so proud of you, Emily. I want you to feel comfortable being yourself and enjoying all the things we do whenever you want. I…it’s too much for right now, but what you asked to do, and what I decided because of it…it’s what I wanted. It’s what I wanted, but I was too afraid to ask. You make me so happy, Emily, and there’s nothing you could do to change that.” “Uh…uh-huh…!” “And those better be happy tears I’m hearing!” Joyce giggled, wiping a silent tear of her own. “Are you okay now? Do you think you can tough it out for a little bit longer?” “Mm…mhmm…” “Good. Now, can you do me an extra big favor?” “Yeah…?” “Can you please put Amy on the phone for me?” “Mhm…I…I love you.” “And I love you so much too.” The phone slowly left her ear, and Emily departed from a conversation she didn’t want to end. She already missed the sound of her voice, but parental orders superseded her own emotions as she shakily held up the phone to Amy. Amy took it with a smile and held the phone with one hand to her ear. “Hey Joyce!” “Is Emily listening?” “One sec,” Amy paused, definitely noticing the curious girl on the couch. She grabbed the TV remote and brought the screen to life, quietly pointing Emily at the screen, then she left for the farther end of the apartment. “Okay, just us.” “What happened? Did everything go alright?” Now without the need to a big and strong front, the woman’s worries were out on full display. “As well as it could…” Amy spoke awkwardly. “I’ll be honest; I knew this meant a lot to you both, but I guess I didn’t fully realize that until, well…she started crying.” “Is she mad at you?” “No, not that I think, at least. I…admittedly, was a little excited… But I think she thinks she messed up, Joyce. Like she did something she wasn’t supposed to. But I did try telling her that what this is and your relationship are separate things.” Joyce sighed. “They are…” but they aren’t. “I knew this would be tough, but…that doesn’t make it feel any easier… A-Amy…I’m sorry, I…I didn’t make you feel uncomfortable, did I?” “You gave me a choice, didn’t you? Like I said to Emily: I don’t quite fully get it, but…I know enough that there’s things I like about it too, so…I guess being included some way…it felt…kind of nice, I guess.” It went the same way for Amy. Without a subjective child in earshot, it somehow made it easier to be more expressive. “I…I liked it.” “I’m glad…” Joyce sighed, then had a silent doubletake. What did she just say? She’s glad? “I-I mean…I’m glad that…it didn’t make you feel uncomfortable… Wait– what did you even put her in? What did you make?” “Didn’t I say it’s-a secret?” Amy finally teased. “Amy?” “Ou,” Amy’s joking fizzled out. “Okay, okay. I made her a cloth diaper. Something Idunno…just felt like doing.” “So she really is diapered right now?” “Mhm,” Amy nodded to herself. “And she hasn’t tried taking it off?” “None that I can tell.” “And…she didn’t say anything? Like…anything strange?” Amy hung her head. “Strange? Like…?” “Like…” Joyce frowned. It was easily her least favorite and most hated, but necessary evil. “Like a safeword…” Amy blinked. “Oh. Oh! No, nope. Nothing that I could tell. She did say a lot about how she didn’t want to or felt embarrassed after the fact, but…she never did say anything out of the blue.” So she really did go through all of it…without any hard or immovable issue… Another relieved sigh from Joyce. “Okay…good.” “And Joyce, believe me, I’m doing everything I can to make her feel comfortable, but what if I give her a breather? Take off the diaper maybe?” “...No. If she isn’t trying to get out of it, I want her to stay in one.” “And…you’re sure?” Amy asked skeptically. “It…What we do, Amy…it’s not meant to be a game, and Emily knows that.” There unfortunately wasn’t much time right then to talk. “We’re both committed in our own way… So when she’s in a diaper, she stays in one. And…whatever happens,” which as the past would indicate could certainly be a lot, “it’s only a couple more hours.” “Okay, Mommy, but don’t take too long,” Amy chuckled, and Joyce all by her lonesome was blushing with a quivering mouth. “Joyce,” she giggled, knowing exactly from the silence what she may have looked like right then, “she just called you that on the phone in front of me? That’s not including the few times she already used it with me a little bit ago.” “Sh-she called me that in front of you?” Joyce’s heart did a somersault, but the point still stood. Emily openly acknowledged her as Mommy? In front of other people? And she wasn’t there to hear it? Her heart melted as did her annoyance flare. “And sorry in advance, but in trying to calm her down, I may have appointed myself the Auntie position…” “What?” Joyce sounded confused, “Al…alright,” she dismissed the confusing subject. “Listen, what’s she doing now?” “Watching TV. Didn’t want her eavesdropping just in case.” “Is there a bed she could use? Or the couch?” “I can make that happen, yeah. Why?” “She needs a nap,” Joyce decided right there and then. “And if I’m lucky she’ll be ready to get up by the time I’m there. I think that’ll help her calm down the most…” “Yeah, I can do that. Er…should I say that you told her to have one, though?” “No,” Joyce sounded quite clear. “Don’t use the ‘n’ word around her. Just…can you think of some way to do it?” “Have her take a nap without suggesting she take one? What a tricky request.” “Please?” “I’ll get it done,” Amy laughed confidently. “Any last words I should give her?” “Yes. Please tell her how much I love her…” “Can do! Now go finish up work, Mommy!” Amy laughed, and Joyce silently hung up. “Okay…” Amy puffed out her cheek, putting away her phone. “Nap time… Nap time…” she looked around, then finally landed her eyes on a bedroom door. “Blanket.” And she disappeared from the main room, gathering what she needed, all the while reflecting on everything that had happened thus far. Why was she going to such lengths? She wasn’t even being paid. In fact, she was the one paying Emily, the girl she was somehow about to convince to take a nap without making it explicit. She made a diaper of her own volition, and even put the very girl that it was meant for into one. Then she held and consoled her; said anything she could just to keep her from crying. And even labeled herself as an authority figure. Auntie Amy… “An aunt, huh…” Amy murmured to herself, arms filled with a pillow and blanket. An aunt. Auntie Amy… “Emily?” Amy sauntered back into the living room. “Kinda chilly in here, right? How about a blanket to warm up a little, huh?” It was on rare occasions, almost never when Joyce, Ms. Summers was the first one to announce their leave. “Sheila, I’ve wrapped up what I needed to. I’ll be heading out first.” Sheila blinked, far more accustomed to being the one to collect her boss first. “Okay. If it wouldn’t be an issue, looking at the briefings scheduled for tomorrow right now might–” “I’ve finished my work,” Joyce repeated, but quite more firmly, shushing her secretary into a silence. Her tone had not gone unnoticed, and finally Sheila nodded simply. “Good work today. I’ll leave those things on your desk for tomorrow.” “Thank you.” And Ms. Summers was gone. Her heels didn’t give her the opportunity to sprint, so she race-walked across the parking garage, beelining for her car and skirting just under the speed limit where traffic didn’t intervene, going as fast as she could to the one who needed her the most. Was she asleep? Napping? Did she cry at all any more after their phone call? So many questions, so few answers, and Joyce wanted to know the truth about everything so dearly and so badly. It didn’t take long to park, and not much longer to race through the empty front of the store and back through the showcase room. Things looked somewhat tidy, but she noticed the displaced coffee table and giant cloth rug. A cushion was missing from the couch and laying on the floor, and sure enough, Joyce spotted an article she recognized. She walked around and over to the items, picking them up and holding them in her hands. Emily’s pants, no doubt, and sitting inside them was also a familiar cyan pair of panties. After neatly folding them she walked up the stairs. She softly knocked on the door, and a few seconds later Amy answered. “Hey Joyce!” Amy greeted her quietly, “Come on in–!” “Where’s Emily?” Joyce spoke in a normal volume, but Amy quickly shushed her. “Shh! She’s right here!” Amy whispered, pulling the surprised woman by the hand and leading her inside. Round around the corner, there she was. An all too familiar black head of hair, cutely disarrayed by her head against a plush-looking pillow. She was against the arm of the long couch, covered by a blanket where she slumbered so soundly. So she really did go to sleep, and for that, Joyce was relieved. “You convinced her?” Joyce whispered, only barely taking her eyes off the angel. Amy looked unimpressed. “I tricked her. What, did you put some bad blood between her and early bedtimes, or something?” “She did it herself… It’s my job to make her do the things that she doesn’t want to. Was…was she good?” It felt inappropriate to ask, at first, but considering how much Amy had already done, was it not a fair question? “Mm…” Amy sagely nodded, right by Joyce’s side, watching Emily the same way she did. But suddenly Joyce noticed something, and Amy was already smirking. “Wait, is that…?” “Ya-huh,” Amy nodded. “Hang on…” Joyce mumbled, fumbling quickly with her purse. Where was her phone…?! “I charge, you know?” Amy joked. “Charge as much as you want…” Joyce couldn’t hide her smile as she aimed her camera. And while there was no one to say ‘cheese’, it didn’t stop Joyce from going, “one…two…three!” And like that another memory was immortalized and recorded. Joyce looked ready to gush as she was absolutely enamored by the picture on her phone, just peeking over it to see the real deal all over again. Hiding right beneath her short black hair was another mass of black, just as soft-looking and cuddly, only belonging to someone else. Sleeping just as soundly, save for the quiet purrs, was Ashes, right against Emily’s head and neck, halfway underneath the blanket. “Look at our two babies!” Amy giggled, and Joyce couldn’t help but smile herself. “Wanna get her up?” And while Joyce had one answer, just as she was about to give it, she hesitated. “Actually…do you want to do some coffee first? Would you mind making some?” “Should I get a cup ready for Emily?” Amy was already walking into the kitchen. “No…not yet. Was there any juice left in her thermos?” After a quick shake from it in the fridge, “Yeah, still some in here.” “Then she’ll be fine,” Joyce decided. “And…how much did you plan on paying her?” “Not a lot a lot, but I kept track of the hours…” Amy pondered, then noticed Joyce. “W-wait, Joyce, what’re you…?” “For everything today,” Joyce offered a small amount of bills on the counter. Clearly and honestly, she said, “Thank you.” “I…get the feeling you don’t know how this quite works…” Amy smirked, eyeing the money suspiciously. “I pay Emily. You don’t pay me anything?” “Amy, stop,” Joyce took on a serious look. “You’ve done a lot…this obviously isn’t the same as her working for you.” “Maybe, but she did work for me. And all this?” she glanced over at Emily. “It…” her expression grew softer. “It wasn’t work… So, no,” she gently pushed the money back. “I didn’t do this to be paid.” “Amy, but–?” Joyce sounded confused, but Amy continued the conversation in their lowered voices. “But nothing. Do I really have to spell it out? I…I liked it,” Amy admitted, but immediately turned her head the other way. “Gosh, even I can get embarrassed sometimes, you know?” “You…liked it?” Joyce blinked, sounding stunned. “What would you have done if I didn’t?” Amy taunted. “Yes, I did. I don’t know…once you offered me that choice on the phone, yeah, I was surprised, and maybe it was a little weird, but… I dunno…it just…clicked.” As happy and go-lucky as Amy could be, even she had places in her mind and emotions even she didn’t fully know, and her visible discomfort right then was a testament to that. Her playful way of lashing out was just to hide something deeper. Yet being hired as a designer for baby clothes, involving herself so deeply with befriending clients, seeing the beautiful baby herself model them, and lastly being given the chance to snap her into one of her own creations… “I would’ve liked an apology if I was against all of this,” Amy was clear, but again, her look started to falter and her hands held her elbows. “But here I am…somehow glad I could get your girlfriend to sleep…” Joyce listened silently in awe, unsure of what to say. “No? Nothing?” Amy asked expectantly. “I-I…” Joyce blinked. “Sorry…I’m just…surprised, I guess… I’m sorry.” “Did Emily learn to say sorry so much from you?” Amy sounded cheeky again. “Don’t be sorry. Just…I hope she doesn’t hold any of this against me.” “She won’t,” Joyce sounded adamant, and that truly did make some of the tension subside from the seamstress, even if she didn’t know she had it to begin with. “No matter what I say, Amy, it doesn’t change that you got this far with Emily… She really does trust you…” and the words came off on an almost somber note. “And that bothers you?” Amy asked, but she didn’t sound offended, but like the inquisitive friend she’d been for so long that just took Joyce even longer to realize. With a guilty look Joyce stared down at the counter, then up at Amy. “It did…for a few seconds… I can’t help but get jealous, but I’m not anymore. Not in the slightest about this. I know you wouldn’t try anything, and Emily wouldn’t either, but I can’t help feeling that way at first. I’m just…protective.” “Mmm,” Amy nodded. “Can’t say Emily’s my type. I guess I like mine a little taller, more muscle…no diapers?” Joyce raised a brow and Amy giggled. “Though, I guess as a kind of impromptu niece, she’s exactly my kinda type. I get to say that, right? Even if I don’t know why?” “Have you felt like this before…?” Joyce asked. “No, not really,” she shrugged, and pulled out the pot of hot coffee. “Not until after today…or I guess, maybe since I started working on her outfits, I got more curious. Call each extra step another ounce of curiosity, until…well, today.” Joyce nodded, accepting a warm mug for her hands to hold. “I don’t know if we feel the same, but…it feels good, right?” “It does,” Amy quietly agreed and nodded. “I don’t have even half the experience as you though, and I basically just got my foot through the front door on…all this weird stuff, but yeah, after today, I felt good. I…maybe I was doing things already, I don’t know. Taking off her jacket…helping put together her lunch…and…when…you asked me to do what…you know. I really got her to open up to me, and I can’t describe how good that felt, and I don’t know why.” “I’m sorry…” Joyce said again, and Amy rolled her eyes. “Didn’t I say to stop that?” “I’m sorry for involving you like this,” Joyce repeated, only with more clarity. “I involved you. Selfishly. This was for Emily. I…I’ve wanted her to get used to this. Eventually…involving diapers and this kind of treatment around other people. I…I used you to help Emily feel more comfortable with others treating her like a baby.” There was silence, save for Ashes very distant and quiet slumbering purring. “I know.” Amy answered simply, and Joyce’s mouth hung agape. “Y-you knew?” “Obviously. Joyce, I can tell how much Emily matters to you? How long has she been in your life now? Besides, call me selfish too, because I actually decided to listen to you and use your authority against Emily. I’m just as bad as you are.” “To make her behave…?” “To try and calm her down. If Mommy said so, then she has to behave. Don’t think that I liked doing that,” Amy partially frowned before sipping from her mug. “...I won’t put you through that again.” “I…I didn’t know if it was ‘okay’ to do, but I just did it anyway,” Amy muttered. “Is that what I’m supposed to do with her? Hold your name over her head like it’s some kind of end-all be-all?” “As a last resort, yes. But up until that point, no. Thank you for today… I won’t do that to you again.” Joyce offered a weak smile. “...Well…” Amy turned her head to avoid eye contact. Joyce raised her head in surprise. “I said I liked today, didn’t I?” “But…” “If…if it’s possible…and Emily is okay with it…again. I-...I want to do this again. The right way, and not start so…awkwardly.” “Amy…are you serious?” “Yes, I’m serious,” Amy answered, trying to wipe the small blush off her face. “It’s not like I’m going to stop making clothes for her, and I still want to be…involved. And fine, let’s call it what it is at this point: babysitting. Let me give it another shot…” “Bab–...A-Amy, that’s…you realize what that means, right?” “Yes, I do. Or, at least I think I do… What, just keep her busy, right? Come over, play a little, chit-chat, lunch?” She turned her head for a live example. “Naps? Can I have her still try some things on for me? Like, adult clothes? I could still use her help with that. But that’s all there is to it, right? I…I know I’m making it sound like a chore, but…ugh, yes, I want to do this again, but better, okay? I just want to see how I feel about it…” Today was just a tiny sliver, and like it was the forbidden fruit itself, Amy’s greed and gluttony simply wanted a greater taste. “But you know that she wears…diapers?” Joyce cautiously asked, and Amy herself paused for a moment. “So she does use them…” Amy concluded, exhaling with a nod. “That’s…okay. I…think. I can get used to that. Sure.” And Amy despite her bravery left Joyce giving her a slightly skeptical look. Quite frankly, it wasn’t much of something that one decided comfortability with in just a single moment. “Well…” Amy openly second-guessed herself, “maybe if I had an example…” Joyce quietly nodded. An example… “So will you bring it up to her?” Amy asked. “...Babysitting?” The intent was clear in her voice, and the desire was shining in her eyes. Amy’s thumbs were still sickeningly green, and she had merely only watched from the other side of the fence for so long. But Joyce could see it right away. Maybe it was only a fraction of herself, or still certainly a greater part, but it was clear nonetheless. The want to be in. The desire to partake and contribute. All this time Joyce had toyed with the idea of growing and expanding their circle. Safely and securely, somehow, and all of that on top of the impossible reality where Emily became comfortable with any of that. Yet the more she thought, the more the desires and wishes started to overflow, right up until she was in that convention in another state. She really did confront her selfish wishes and was scared because of it. And right now, leaning against the countertop and staring at her from the other side of the island was that very second chance. A golden goose that Joyce couldn’t have imagined as a better fit. Someone just as open-minded and self-electing. Maybe people just like or similar to Joyce really did exist. Maybe…maybe Isabelle was being honest? If Amy was genuine, what’s to say there weren’t others like her. Sh…a-and Sheila…? Emily opened a door, and Joyce found the key leading to one even bigger than that. Monumental in size, and hiding away a path and place that seemed frighteningly exciting. She saw Amy briefly glance over where Emily lay, eliciting a tiny smile from the woman, and it was another wonderful jolt for the woman sitting in her chair, leaving Joyce quietly astonished. A doorway… No, a gateway. A pathway so great, it wasn’t big enough just for two people now. So…so much bigger. So much… In the span of one morning and early afternoon, Joyce’s worldview, feelings, wants and wishes had been changed entirely. Fantasy farther away that hid in the void and recesses of her mind were suddenly being tugged forward, and phantom echoes of silly thoughts and dreams started to sharpen as tangibility took away their fuzzy shapes. She could see it. A miraculous, exciting future; one that she wanted so dearly with Emily, and one that she now knew was completely and totally possible. “Auntie…” Joyce quietly muttered, but loud enough for Amy to hear. “It– I just said it to help her calm down…” Amy mumbled with a flustered look. “I don’t even know if it worked… Joyce?” But Joyce didn’t answer. Her cheeks were rosy and her teeth were on full display as a smile grew in size on her face. “S-sorry,” Joyce chuckled, snapping out of it. “Would you mind getting that thermos out, actually?” she looked fondly over at the couch. “I think it’s time for someone to finish their nap…!”

Apologies for the wait! It should be back to a regular release schedule now, but if you're ever itching for more you can find 13 more chapters to read! Thank you for reading! Yeah, me too. Thank you for the kind words. And thank you very much! I tend to keep on finding fault with my work and ways I can improve, but I am proud of at least doing this for so long now. Thank you very much!